F-Stop Junkie

Ultima GTR?

Hmm, I wouldn't go that far, but good spot! They even operate out the same headquarters as Jessops, but I'm willing to bet they're not owned by - legally - the same company as Jessops is now a publically traded company. So they've set up a competitor to themselves which is privately owned. Very sneaky. Very well spotted. Would be great if they refused to price match to ask them where Jessops HQ is, then show them the address of cameras4u

When it was open? It's now shut? You pay people to be in a shut shop? I wasn't asking if you had some kind of bike shop, just amazed people bought things off you. Especially with your attitude to customer (dis)service you've displayed in this thread.

Can't. Can't change lenses. Which is fine, unless you want to use a focal length outside the range of the lens and not have to use adapters which degrade image quality. Also, unless you get something like a Sony H1, then you have a smaller sensor leading to more noise and decreased low light ability. The big advantage of an SLR is an optical viewfinder. Having tried electronic viewfinders - like the one on the Fuji 5600 - it's not nearly as good as a proper optical one. A prosumer camera is anyone that is aimed at general consumers but has features normally found on more expensive cameras. The d50 and 350D would also be classed as prosumer. </geek>

People buy things off you?

I care, because by people getting a low rent ripped off copy rather than splashing just a few pounds (what, the same as 3 pints in a pub?) on a DVD, they're helping support a fellow trials rider. He'll make a few more quid, his video publisher will think making trials DVDs is a good thing so we'll get more trials DVDs, and we'll all benefit. Trials DVDs don't make $300m worldwide, they sell in much smaller numbers so sales are more important.

Where's the Spelling Bee when you need him Best bet is splash a few quid on Tricks n Stunts. It's a good laugh to watch, and will teach you everything from the basics right upto the more advanced stuff. For a few pounds more, there's Ryan Leech's Mastering the Art of Trials (scroll down a bit!) which has some super clear studio shot demos of everything from the basics upto advanced stuff. Having watched both many times, Tricks and Stunts is more fun to watch, but Mastering is more educational, and will last you longer as you progress.

The Sony dSLR bodies will be compatible with Minolta-fit glass, not Pentax. I find the Minolta dSLR - and therefore the Sony one because they're the same design - to be a bit quirky to use, but my Dad swears by them. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Go for the d50 or the 350D. You can not pick a bad camera between the two of them, the only difference is how they operate, how comfortable they are to use, if the buttons operate the way you think they should and so on... I've tried using Nikons and they're just not how I expect them to be, but the Canon I can use without even opening the manual - and when my eye is upto the viewfinder. I'm sure Nikon users feel the same about Nikon cameras, that everything is just where they think it should be and so on. I'd get the kit with the lens included. It's a great starting point, and cheaper than getting a lens on it's own. As Joe said, memory cards are now so cheap it's not worth worrying about that. Best bet is go to a good camera shop, and try both out. Have a play, change settings, take a few photos, then buy the one you like using the most. Don't let anyone on here sway you, as they're basically as good as each other. Oh, and be careful looking around the Internet trying to save a fiver over Jessops. Some less reputable shops *pixmania* don't sell UK stock so the instructions could be in a foreign language and you won't have a UK warrenty with the manufacturer, just with them.

I'd say happy hardcore is a step above the likes of Faithless and Prodigy! If I want to dance to music going at 200bpm till my heart explodes, then obviously it's just the job. However, if you want something you can actually dance to instead of play out the windows of a smokey 306 diesel with a 'phat' bodykit you've 'rinsed' your hard earned on, in between Dave Pearce's Dance Anthems, then may I suggest the following artists? Space Cowboy Apollo 440 Fatboy Slim or even his Compilations Chemical Brothers Basement Jaxx Freestylers Junkie XL Mylo Or, for something a little more down tempo but with funk:Groove Armada

Blow up life-sized models?

Why? There's no suggestion that Simon is or is not using an illegal copy... Therefore you are pwned for incorrect pwnage.

Eh?

I spent about 4 years shooting with a Minolta Dynax 7000i, very good cameras. Enough controls to change things easily without having too may dials, buttons and switches. Minolta lenses have a reputation for being very good, and you'll be able to upgrade to the Sony Alpha dSLR in time as well, as that uses the Minolta lens mount.

In a recent test, PC Pro magazine rated the Canon Digital Ixus 60 as their sub £200 camera of choice. I'm also really liking my Sony W1 which has now been replaced with the DSC-W50 which RRPs at only £140 with a six megapixel sensor. There's also the Olympus digital 700 which is £150, 7 megapixels and is both small and weatherproof making it a great camera to stick in a bag when you go out, and not worry too much about it. All the above three are more compact camera design that the Fuji's psuedo-mini-SLR look. If you just want a camera to grab a few snaps with, then any one of the above will be more than suitable. SLRs really arn't required for a lot of people, especially given how good compact cameras are. What I'd suggest is spend a couple of hundred on a compact now, then if you find you really get into it, then look at an SLR. You'll keep the compact for when you don't want to take out your big camera, and have an advanced camera for when you've got the time and opportunity to make the most of it. Don't forget there are a lot of costs involved with SLRs as you build your kit over time. First there's the body and lens, then a flash, then a couple of spare batteries, then a battery pack, then a bigger bag, then some filters, then more lenses... Stick with compacts to begin with. Just because something is popular doesn't make it good. Look at Big Brother...

Covent Garden. IMHO not great in itself - apart from the street performers and big Oakley shop - but some great shops, bars and restaurants in the streets around it.

London Eye certainly. With both the Eye and Madame Tussauds, book your tickets in advance and jump the long queues. If it's busy, this will save you an hour or more at Madame Tussauds alone! If you want to see the tourist bits and do a bit of window shopping then get the tube to Oxford Circus, then walk down Regent St, through Picadilly Circus, across to Leicester Square and then onto Covent Garden. There's Carnaby Street as well just behind Regent St which is worth a look if you're into clothes shopping. Catch the tube across to Harrods, which is just wall to wall 'How much?' and leaves you in the right area for the Victoria and Albert and Science Museums, as well as a walk through Hyde Park if that tickles your fancy. If you want to have dinner somewhere nice, but don't want to pay too much, then either find a Wagamamas (if you're into Japanese food) or look on Top Table to find somewhere at a good price and with offers or deals available if you book in advance. Take a good pocket map, preferrably one with a tube map on it too, because you will get lost, and I'd say avoid Oxford Street unless you (or your girlfriend) wants to go to Selfridges. Oxford St mostly contains shops you'd get anywhere else (Debenhams, Gap, HMV, Virgin...).

If I remember correctly, both Virgin and BA have announced decreased weight limits for passengers, but it excludes sporting goods. This is how people can fly out to the US or the Alps with hulking great DH bikes and not get stung for excess baggage.

To be honest, there's too much there to do in one day. I was rushing around all day, and didn't see many of the stands or the manufacturers bits. Saw a MAD demo though - Also saw Jack Meek in Toddington services on the way home. Random. Did you get taken out in the Cayennes or did they let you drive? Given a choice between the two, I'd rather have the Wildcat, especially if the choice is which one to buy...

I finally had a trip in the Bowlers after missing out last year. £15 for 30 secs of auto-lunacy. Was terrific! Incredible how fast they accelerate, especially when you see how rutted the track is, which you can't from the viewing areas. Was good, but so much busier than last year! Fortunatley I arrived at 7:30 so I'd got time to do the F1 paddock before it filled up! The Ferrari 612 looks awful, as does the 599 on the pentagram wheels. The 430 is only just starting to grow on me... I couldn't see any of the super rare stuff that they had last year - Mclaren F1 GTR Longtail, Ferrari 288 GTO - and instead we got a Spiker next to the Veyron. And a Merc AMG SLK DTM f**king convertible! Are their now sufficient numbers of pro-footballers and nouveau riche that they should make such a car? Disgraceful. Oh, and God bless Doornobs for doing burnouts all up the hill for those of us watching behind the Bowlers! Did you see/hear the Renault playing tunes? Was so loud it was incredible! Got some good pics too! Saw them racing at Donnington last year, they're dedicated racecars made to look a bit like Meganes, with no Megane bits in them. Very, very quick, sound great, look like a real handful.

If you want to be picky - and hey, why not - an SLR denotes a path through the lens to the viewfinder. If your viewfinder is a screen relaying a signal from the sensor which views the scene through the lens, then technically any digital camera with live preview is an SLR. The new Olympus is just silly though. I don't know why anyone would want to use a larger camera at arms length and create a load of camera shake.

Let me get this straight, you want a device which sits on a canti boss and holds a slave cylinder in place? Isn't that *exactly* what an Evo mount is for? Why are you so against using them?

Some savers tie you to a specific day, or even a specific train, ESPECIALLY the ones to London. The more you can specifiy, the cheaper it gets.

If you're just mucking about with video, then you'll have fun I'm sure, just make sure you get a high capacity card! You'd be suprised how much of a difference there is between different cameras. Make the trip to another town if you have to, if you hold different ones in your hands, try the different nobs and dials, make sure it's comfy, then you'll know you've got the best for the money for you. Better that than spend a hundred quid and regret it.

You're looking for one that does good video, and stills, and costs about £100? You'll be lucky. The shutter lag (the time it takes to take a photo once you've pressed the button) will be so bad you'll struggle badly. I don't think you'll get terribly good video either. If you want a video camera, buy one of those instead. If you want a stills camera, go and try a few out, but stick with brands like Fuji, Nikon, Canon or Sony and you'll more than likely end up with a good camera. Go and play with a few in the shop. See which you feel most comfortable with, and which are the right size for you to carry around and so on. Job done.

He seemed to have a problem where his toes had bent right back previously, and weight on his toes was a problem, but when the weight was on the ball of his foot, he was ok. He had to have some major attention from the physio who was there part way through, but made it to the end where he was getting examined again.