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Hobbies 2023/24

Stokkie said:
As you know the fixed lenses offer wider aperture, but at a considerable price. But I think Sony or perhaps Sigma variable length might suit?
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Actually what I looked at yesterday, the fixed lenses were substantially less expensive than variable. There is a 150 to 600 out there that look’s pretty good to Pedro’s comment is about $1,000 (not £). As far as low light, aperture goes, my 18 to 300 did very well inside cathedrals with no flash in all instances. I appreciate your comment however. How much light comes in is also dependent on lens diameter. We have a large store where I purchased my Sony who have camera specialists by brand, they spent time with me on lenses they did not carry. I appreciate your comments and photos, I am going to take a closer look. I have just had a hip replaced so I am not very mobile right now, however I am following your photo trail.
 
Not quite sure if it counts as a hobbie or just interest.
As a kid I grew up in the motorcycle scene. Spent most of my weekends on a bike rally some where in the UK . I'm nearly 50 and still love working on bikes.
I've recently finished a rebuild of a chop I built in 2004
 

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Lowriderade said:
Not quite sure if it counts as a hobbie or just interest.
As a kid I grew up in the motorcycle scene. Spent most of my weekends on a bike rally some where in the UK . I'm nearly 50 and still love working on bikes.
I've recently finished a rebuild of a chop I built in 2004
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What do you have for power on that?
 
Richard Dye said:
Actually what I looked at yesterday, the fixed lenses were substantially less expensive than variable. There is a 150 to 600 out there that look’s pretty good to Pedro’s comment is about $1,000 (not £). As far as low light, aperture goes, my 18 to 300 did very well inside cathedrals with no flash in all instances. I appreciate your comment however. How much light comes in is also dependent on lens diameter. We have a large store where I purchased my Sony who have camera specialists by brand, they spent time with me on lenses they did not carry. I appreciate your comments and photos, I am going to take a closer look. I have just had a hip replaced so I am not very mobile right now, however I am following your photo trail.
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Richard, I hope your hip replacement and mobility is going well. I think that whatever camera you consider should be light and easy to carry. The camera Pedro mentioned is a super-zoom with an integral lens. But your Sony and my Fuji have interchangeable lenses. The compact and super zooms are impressive these days, but I'd still want interchangeable lenses for photographing birds at a distance (assuming I can carry the kit!). Good that you have a proper camera shop to obtain informed advice. Taking pictures inside churches is a challenging and different scenario, especially if tripods are not welcome. Derek
 
Stokkie said:
Richard, I hope your hip replacement and mobility is going well. I think that whatever camera you consider should be light and easy to carry. The camera Pedro mentioned is a super-zoom with an integral lens. But your Sony and my Fuji have interchangeable lenses. The compact and super zooms are impressive these days, but I'd still want interchangeable lenses for photographing birds at a distance (assuming I can carry the kit!). Good that you have a proper camera shop to obtain informed advice. Taking pictures inside churches is a challenging and different scenario, especially if tripods are not welcome. Derek
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Fully agree! I actually have three lenses for my Sony.
The hip is working well, although I’ma little behind with my PT
 
I know of a couple of gold/findings suppliers in the Jewellery Quarter. But if anyone knows of any, please could you DM me, your knowledge may be different to mine.

Or anything online would be useful too, thank you.
 
Richard Dye said:
Actually what I looked at yesterday, the fixed lenses were substantially less expensive than variable. There is a 150 to 600 out there that look’s pretty good to Pedro’s comment is about $1,000 (not £). As far as low light, aperture goes, my 18 to 300 did very well inside cathedrals with no flash in all instances. I appreciate your comment however. How much light comes in is also dependent on lens diameter. We have a large store where I purchased my Sony who have camera specialists by brand, they spent time with me on lenses they did not carry. I appreciate your comments and photos, I am going to take a closer look. I have just had a hip replaced so I am not very mobile right now, however I am following your photo trail.
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As a cheaper alternative (the equivalent Canon lens is getting on for £3K) I bought one of these for my Canon DSLR:-
1681717889982.png
Comes with a 2x teleconverter, and you can get adaptors for most DSLR brands. Manual focus only - but that is better for telephotos I find. Quality is excellent for the (cheapish) price - this is a daytime hand-held shot of the moon:-
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Or a night time hand-held shot of a crescent moon:-
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With a tripod and the 2x teleconverter quality is also excellent:-
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To go "in the other direction" - I also purchased a set of extension tubes for £20:-
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These extend the distance between your lens and your camera allowing high magnification close-ups. As they contain no optics you loose no optical quality, and again are available to fit most lens bayonet formats. They also allow the autofocus function of your lenses to work. This is a 20p piece photographed handheld:-
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Mark Tooze said:
To go "in the other direction" - I also purchased a set of extension tubes for £20:-
View attachment 179625
These extend the distance between your lens and your camera allowing high magnification close-ups. As they contain no optics you loose no optical quality, and again are available to fit most lens bayonet formats. They also allow the autofocus function of your lenses to work. This is a 20p piece photographed handheld:-
View attachment 179627
View attachment 179628
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Thank you Mark, I will certainly take a close look at those options! I have an MC11 adapter for Sony and Canon (I have an A1) so I have some flex. Are both of the options you show on Amazon?
 
Dipped out on a Barred Tailed Godwit this morning, apparently it was joined by a Whimbrel briefly, then they both flew away some minutes before I arrived. A local farmer was using his bird scarer to frighten crows. But I watched Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck on the Sailing Pond, with on the Flashes distant views of Avocet, the usual Black Headed Gulls good binocular views of Little Ringed Plover, a few Lapwing. Sometimes it is more enjoyable to sit and soak in the atmosphere rather than chase about after unusual birds. An overcast day with soft light. I prefer to find my own birds so I don't subscribe to a bird alert service, or do much twitching for distant rare birds, the joy of birding is that anything might turn up on my local patch. I can hear Skylarks singing from my garden. A good morning, despite the flown Whimbrel and Bar Tailed Godwit.
IMG_2398.jpeg
 
Richard Dye said:
Thank you Mark, I will certainly take a close look at those options! I have an MC11 adapter for Sony and Canon (I have an A1) so I have some flex. Are both of the options you show on Amazon?
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Yes. Note there are many options so have a good look. Jintu also do zoom telephotos but I would avoid these. The fixed length telephotos are cheap'n'cheerful but work fine, and are ok unless you are doing telephoto photography for a living or have just won the lottery - as large branded telephoto lenses are VERY expensive!
 
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Mark Tooze said:
Yes. Note there are many options so have a good look. Jintu also do zoom telephotos but I would avoid these. The fixed length telephotos are cheap'n'cheerful but work fine, and are ok unless you are doing telephoto photography for a living or have just won the lottery - as large branded telephoto lenses are VERY expensive!
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You are SO right! The pricing that I have so far in the US is that the fixed lenses are 1/2 of the zoom lenses. I like the the cheap & cheerful particularly pricing.
Thanks you!
 
English Bluebells on a footpath to Hanbury Woods, Worcestershire. A notoriously difficult subject using film or digital, but here's my phone effort. Brimstone butterflies, the cry of a Green Woodpecker and the spooky creak of a dead tree being rubbed by a branch. Also a few Rainybats as my mom called them, shiny black beetles.
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On Saturday we visited the (excellent!!!) Sutton Model Rail Show at the Trinity Centre. A lovely gentleman gave me a pile of old model catalogues on the basis that they would "go to a good home" - thank you Sir - they have!!!

Firstly Kitmaster who made both model trains and train construction kits in the 50's and early 60's:-
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When Kitmaster folded in the early 60's Airfix purchased most of the molds and made the kits until the early 80's when they sold the molds to a Welsh company called Dapol, who continue to produce a range of the kits above to this day.
 
Next Airfix. Firstly their first full catalogue dating from 1962 - price ninepence - front and back covers - let me know if you want to see inside:-
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Moving on to edition #3 from (I think) 1964:-
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A flyer from 1969 yet - Concorde is now the kit of the moment:-
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Moving on to edition #8 from around 1970 - now its A4 sized and costs three bob:-
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This one is a real belter as it has loads of the original box art illustrations in it by the likes of Roy Cross and Brian Knight.
Inside a page of models very topical at the time:-
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And what 8-year old boy would not have given his right arm for some of these kits at Christmas - particularly the Lancaster Bomber:-
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Finally a flyer from 1971 introducing Airfix's first 1:24 scale superkit - a Spitfire of course!
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A lot of the kits in these catalogues (including the Spitfire Superkit above) are again available now as part of Airfix Vintage Classics range. A lot cheaper than finding them on Ebay.....
 
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Next Corgi - this is a Corgi Juniors Collectors Album:-
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You could get the vehicles from the hot TV shows and films of the day - such as these:-
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But these are better - how many folk had the Corgi Batmobile which fired matchsticks from the Batzookas and had the slicing blade that came from the front radiator:-
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Finally some other model railway catalogues. First Peco - please note how Father has his pipe on the go and Son has his collar and tie - both using copious quantities of Brylcreem by the looks of it - very stereotypical of the day:-
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All that is missing is a slipper and the word "Bah!!!".........

Next Trix - supplied from a fishing tackle shop on the Stratford Road in Hall Green:-
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Here is a later one dating from 1967-8:-
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If anyone is interested in seeing the contents of these catalogues I will scan them in properly for the best quality.
 
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Kamut and Spelt Bread

I do like baking my own bread, but don’t do a lot of it. I try to avoid processed foods as much as I can. I make to odd exception with stoneground Kamut or Khorasan wheat and Spelt. We know that spelt has been cultivated for around 7,000 years and Khorasan is said to originate from a handful of curious Egyptian wheat seeds, sometimes referred to as the ‘Grains of the Pharaohs.

I like making a loaf from a combination of the two, without any white flour. Super easy to make, smells and tastes amazing.

I'll be in the dough now, so stick around, I might kneed you.

LoafLR.jpg
 
Morturn said:
Kamut and Spelt Bread

I do like baking my own bread, but don’t do a lot of it. I try to avoid processed foods as much as I can. I make to odd exception with stoneground Kamut or Khorasan wheat and Spelt. We know that spelt has been cultivated for around 7,000 years and Khorasan is said to originate from a handful of curious Egyptian wheat seeds, sometimes referred to as the ‘Grains of the Pharaohs.

I like making a loaf from a combination of the two, without any white flour. Super easy to make, smells and tastes amazing.

I'll be in the dough now, so stick around, I might kneed you.

View attachment 179878
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Sounds VERY good, can also smell it baking now :) , appreciate the word smithing!
 
Mark Tooze said:
As a cheaper alternative (the equivalent Canon lens is getting on for £3K) I bought one of these for my Canon DSLR:-
View attachment 179615
Comes with a 2x teleconverter, and you can get adaptors for most DSLR brands. Manual focus only - but that is better for telephotos I find. Quality is excellent for the (cheapish) price - this is a daytime hand-held shot of the moon:-
View attachment 179616

Or a night time hand-held shot of a crescent moon:-
View attachment 179617

With a tripod and the 2x teleconverter quality is also excellent:-
View attachment 179618
Click to expand...
I had a go this afternoon at using this big lens with teleconverter to photograph the blue tits going in and out of the nest box we put on one of the trees on the railway embankment at the bottom of our garden.

This was how it is set up - I have ringed the nest box so you can see how far away it is (about 50 feet from the camera):-
1682978787647.png

These little birds are VERY fast and you have to be very quick to capture them (note - I am not a bird watcher - probably the first time I've tried photos like this). But I got 3 nice ones which are not too bad for a "first try":-
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I also got a half-decent shot of a passing pigeon at the top of one of the trees (this one was hand held resting the end of the lens on the top of the fence):-
1682979409134.png
 
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