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NO MULTIPLE INVITES OR AWARDS PLEASE!

PLEASE READ this notice:

ALL my photos and works ARE © All rights reserved Use of any of my photos without my permission is illegal THIS MEANS THAT YOU MOST DEFINITELY CANNOT DOWNLOAD, USE, MODIFY OR SELL MY PHOTOS WITHOUT MY PERSONAL PERMISSION

If you wish to use my photos you will need to contact me to seek my permission. Email vwselburn@vwselburnphotography.co.uk and I will respond within 24 hours. I check my mailbox every day.



DO YOU WANT TO HAVE FUN WITH YOUR CAMERA?

Yes?, then join me and my friends at www.flickr.com/groups/shootaboot

This is my group and the site for REAL PHOTOGRAPHERS who like to get out and about with their camera. If you haven't yet joined Shootaboot you are REALLY missing out!

Checkout the Shootaboot journals
Written journals of all our Shootaboots are provided at this link along with a selection of photos taken on the shoot

www.flickr.com/groups/theshootabootjournals

Current cameras and photographic equipment

1. Nikon D300
A great camera with plenty of scope for all photographic artistry.

I've learned a lot about this camera with the help of the Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide by J. Dennis Thomas. This amazing guide tells you all you need to know about this camera and I find it a lot easier to understand than by reading the standard Nikon manual.

Lenses
AF-S Nikkor 18:200mm Nikon DX VR
AF-S Nikkor 70-300mm ED VR zoom
AF-S Micro Nikkor 105mm 1:2:8G ED VR
Nikon 50mm AF prime lens
Next purchase: 700mm zoom or larger

Flash
Nikon Speedlight SB-900

Tripods
1. Manfrotto base (055XROB)
1. (with) Manfrotto head (80ARC2)
2. Velbon (Velflo 5 H-248 Mini-Pro fluid Panhead)
3. Antishock Monopod
4. Tabletop heavyweight tripod from Jessops

Filters
1. Hoya Pro1 Digital UV (per lens)
2. Hoya CIR-Polarising (use on specific shots)
Next purchases:
4, 8 and 16 star filters
Graduated colour filters
Coloured spot filters

Note: No full-coloured filters are necessary with this camera for optical effects as there is an in-camera setting to tint images as if you were using a colour filter. There is also an in-camera colour temperature setting option to make any pre-shutter changes necessary due to adverse ambient light conditions. The range extends from grayscale, and includes a range of sepia tints, through to the full light spectrum. Amazing!

Camera Bag
Lowepro (Trekking Backpack)


Nikon D300 advantages
Great battery life. 12 Megapixel.

Having had plenty of time to use the Nikon D300 I find that the settings are now easy to understand and implement.

Disadvantages
You definitely need some help with getting to know this camera. The manual is huge by any standards and I would recommend supplementing it with the Nikon D300 Digital Field Guide by J. Dennis Thomas. If you don't know much about pro-level DSLRs extra help is vital or you could miss out on photographic opportunities. (You can play around forever and take the long route at your leisure of course!)

Replaces

2. Hewlett Packard - HP 945
My first digital camera,

My verdict: A great starter digital camera with a really great lens for macro photography. It lets you find out what you need from a camera, which is why I didn't go straight for a Nikon or Canon. There is an eyepiece and all of the setup is changeable.

Advantages
It is easy to use and the built in menu system and guides are really great when you don't know much about digital photography. I learned lot from the guides. (Until I got the Nikon D300, this was the best of my digital cameras for macro photography)
Lowest ISO of 100 - it takes great night photographs.
Zoom function in preview.
Lighter weight for day long shoots.
Excellent grip (design feature)

Disadvantages
Now a bit behind in technology. 5 Megapixel.
The short battery life - 4 x rechargeable lithium batteries.
You need a steady hand or a tripod for optical zoom
The lens is fixed and you can't fit separate filters (not such a great disadvantage though as the lens is so good).

I still have...

3. Pentax Optio M40
Pocket/handbag size. Very useful for opportunistic photography (see my photos of David Cameron which were all taken with this camera). I use it more than my Panasonic DMC-F55 Lumix point and shoot.

Advantages
8 Megapixel. Lightweight, small and with a great range of automatic modes for people who don't know a lot about f-stops, aperture and ISO settings (like me when I got it, she smiles). There is a good 'camera shake' setting which is great for hand held photography.

Disadvantages
To be truthful, for what this is, I don't think there are any but I haven't tried night settings with this camera and I don't think you can do delayed exposure and that is the only disadvantage I can think of because I do like night photography. There is no eyepiece.

4. Panasonic DMC-F55 Lumix

Advantages
10 Megapixel. Compact for pocket/handbag. Face recognition, anti-shake feature. Lots of pre-set programmes.

Disadvantages
Pretty much the same as my camera 3. I find the face-recognition very off-putting.



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