Which Filter to buy for your lens.

Put filter into the Ebay search and narrow down to photographic and you come up with hundreds of offers. Buying secondhand can save you quite a bit, but what do you buy and why?

A filter usually has the practical advantage of protecting the front element of your lens from dirt and scratches, plus it is easily replaced if damaged. Many filters in the past were designed to help film cameras record balanced images in different lighting conditions, either warming up or cooling down the final effect. Back in the days of Black and White colour filters were used to eventuate contrast. These days of Digital Cameras, most have programms set to compensate for differing conditions, or the image can berectified on the PC later. So a filter has two uses, protection and image manipulation.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BUY A FILTER

1. Filter size (shown in mm and often marked on the front of the lens), this refers to the diameter of the filter required ie. Standard Canon lenses are usually 52mm and most Canon L series lenses are 77mm, but there can be 58mm, 62mm, 72mm etc.

2. Single thread or double thread. Most are double threaded meaning you can stack additional filters on the front.

3. Rim size. If you are using wide angle lenses the narrower the filter the better as it is less likely to cause vignetting (there is usually a premium on the cost)

4. The Effect you require (examples later)

5. Coating. Unless you are buying the cheapest of filters most now available have a surface coating designed to both cut down glare/flare and to improve light transmission into the lens. The number of coatings and whether on one side or both sides of the filter usually improves its performance but adds to the cost.

SO WHICH TYPE FILTER TO BUY?

Basically you need a UV filter for general lens protection, anything else will add a slight colour effect. Look for UV0 or UVN. Skylight filters usually have a slightly warming effect.

Next a Polarising Filter is very useful. Choose a Circular Polarizer (CPL) over Linear Polarizer (The former allows your auto focusing to work without hindrance). This filter when rotated can be used to reduce reflections from shiny surfaces, water, glass, metals, gloss paint surfaces etc. Also when used out of doors it will increase the density of colours especially blue skies, sea etc.

Effects filters. Most filter effects can be added after on you PC if you shoot in digital, but if you still want effects filters go for the square gelatine filters which fit an adaptable holder such as Cokin or Lee. This system can be used on all of your lenses with the adapter ring, plus they are easily stored. Consider the Professional range ( Cokin P ) if you anticipate using with lenses that take larger filters otherwise Cokin A.

WHICH BRAND IS BEST?

I tend to favor Hoya as they usually offer good value and performance

Hoya produce a range of filters but look out for HMC in the discription (Hoya Multi Coated) and if you need a narrow rim filter look for Super HMC

B W Filters made in Germany are also excelent along with Sigma, Canon and Nikon filters

What flash will work on my Canon Digital EOS Camera?

As you'll see in my lens guide, I'm pretty new to all this photography stuff but trying to work it out as I go. Because a lot of my pictures are of family events indoors, I was seeing too many red-eye problems and came to the conclusion that I needed a better flash. There are many available on Ebay and it's confusing to a newbie like me.For now, this guide just has very basic info and directions to a very detailed article on Flash Photography using Canon cameras. Below is one of the FAQ's from the report........I have an old flash unit. Will it work on my new Canon digital EOS camera?Maybe. That depends on what type of flash unit you have.Canon digital cameras can only use Canon Speedlite flash models with names ending in EX. If your Canon flash unit has a model name which ends with E or EZ or anything else then it will not work with any Canon digital EOS camera.As for flash units manufactured by other makers, check its specifications to see if it supports E-TTL flash metering. If it does not, or only lists Canon TTL flash metering then it most likely will not work.

How to find your correct bra size

There's a common but completely wrong myth that your bra size can be found by your underbust measurement plus 5" (if that gives an odd number advice varies between 4" and 6"), with cup size given by subtracting the band size from your full bust measurement. For example, if your underbust measures 31", and full bust is 39", according to the advice above you would probably end up being recommended 36C. Buy a 36C bra with those measurements, and you will almost certainly end up with a band one or two sizes too big, and cup size anything up to 5 sizes too small! It is most important that you totally ignore this rubbish if you want a chance of finding a well fitting bra.Band sizes:The truth is that bra sizing is impossible to do reliably measurements alone, although a ballpark figure can be estimated. The above method will give you totally the wrong ballpark, except possibly if you have an unusually conical ribcage or are a man. Your actual band size is usually somewhere around your underbust measurement plus up to 4" in extreme cases, usually 0-2", sometimes even 1" lower.There is some debate over whether the band size depends entirely on the underbust measurement, or the above breasts measurement needs to be taken into account as well. It may depend on the style of bra, some have a narrow band under the breasts, others (particularly for large cup sizes) have a much wider one so it's possible that it is a factor. One fairly relaible looking formula I've seen suggests taking the average between your above and below bust measurements, going for the small band size if you end up between sizes, maybe even subtracting an inch or two from the average if your underbust measurement is below 33". Some sites say you should just use the above bust measurement as your band size, but don't be surprised if the back band then rides up as it will fit above your breasts and not below, and in case your hadn't noticed your breasts are not on your neck!This highlights another myth I've seen, that smaller sizes need to add more inches to the chest measurement than larger to get the band size. The reason for this is simple, it makes sure as many potential customers as possible believe their size is stocked by the shop! It has no correclation to actual sizes at all, anecdotal evidence suggests it's the other way around and that for small band sizes your band size is approximately equal to your chest measurement, and for large sizes only it's plus 3". Maybe in the realm of 50" chests the classic "add 5" becomes true.So you have a bra you think fits well, how do you know if it's correct and if you need to change?Pretty much the only sign of the band being too small is you physically cannot get into the bra. If it's uncomfortably tight it might be too small, or it may just be the alien (to most women!) sensation of wearing a bra which fits. Remember the first time you ever wore a bra? And then your first underwired bra? Did that feel so comfortable and normal you didn't notice it? If you've been wearing that size for more than a few days then it probably is too tight.The easiest way of telling whether the band is too loose is to try on the next size down. If you can easily get into it, then you should have that size instead. More obvious signs are band riding up, being able to fasten it on the loosest hook even when new, chest pains, too much bounce and sometimes difficulty breathing. Some of these are not obviously traceble to a bad bra fit but magically go away when you wear the correct size. Underwires should lie flat against your chest, if there's a gap between the wires and your breastbone then that is a band size problem, not because you're wearing too small a cup size (although that can be a small factor, you'd need to be about 5 cup sizes out before that could be the only reason).The correlation between band size and dress size is not what you'd expect. Band sizes below 32 are hard to find, so that must correlate to dreszs size 6/8, right? Wrong! It's more like size 10/12, maybe even 14 in some cases. If you are size 6/8 you should be looking at 28 band bras. It's really stupid that outerwear for those sizes is well catered for, but not bras, as women are not TARDISs with one size on the outside and a much bigger one on the inside!Cup sizeGenerally, the cup size = full bust minus band size is not a million miles out. This of course depends on having the correct band size, but also depends on chest and breast shape, and how you're holding the tape measure. For UK sizes, the difference corresponds to cup size as follows:

Beware Krugerrand South Africa Mini Gold Coins Scams

Krugerrand South Africa Mini Gold CoinWhat's wrong with this eBay listing?Well, to start with, 5 out of the 6 words in the title are wrong, inaccurate, misleading, and dishonest.The item in not:1) A Krugerrand2

DO NOT BUY REPRODUCTION TAMIYA MANUALS ON EBAY

Do not buy reproduction manuals from ebay sellers they are a rip off you can get these manuals free from websites like

tamiyabase dot com (this one is the best one for retro manuals I use it all the time)

tamiya dot com english manuals

modelbuild dot co dot uk manuals

And many others.

(sorry not allowed to put links in here but you know what to do right or you can contact me with your email addressand I will email you the links)

Please vote for this guide bellow, Many thanks.

IS IT LOMONOSOV?

The first thing to say about Lomonosov Porcelain is it is NOT RARE!! Their animal figurines were sold in the UK before the last war in WOOLWORTHS! My Mum brought the Large and small Pandas for 3/6d (17.5 pence!!) in 1936.

Lomonosov Porcelain has been made in St.Petersbug/Leningrad/St.Petersburg since 1744. The factory was originally called the Imperial Porcelain Factory but changed to Lomonosov after the Revolution. It is probably most famous for its Animal figurines that range from tiny birds to the mighty Polar Bear at nearly 18" from nose to tail.

ALL Lomonosov was/is marked, normally with a factory stamp and either Made is USSR (Soviet era) or Made in Russia (since 1992). Some of the smaller pieces had a small label with again Made in USSR and the factory mark.

This picture shows the USSR and RUSSIA marks. Note the difference in colour. The earlier mark is almost always much darker.

THERE ARE UNSCRUPULOUS PEOPLE ABOUT WHO FAKE THE "USSR" BY USING THE "USS" FROM RUSSIA AND ADDING INDISTINCT RED MARKS TO LOOK LIKE WEAR AND TEAR. THE UNDERSIDES OF THE ITEMS ARE UNGLAZED - THIS AREA COLLECTS DIRT AND DUST - SO IF YOU HAVE AN ITEM THAT IS SUPPOSEDLY FROM THE "USSR" ERA BUT IS IMMACULATELY CLEAN ON THE UNDERSIDE IT COULD BE FAKED. THEREARE ALSO CHINESE MADE ITEMS STAMPED "FOREIGN" USUALLY IN BLACK. THESE ARE COPIES MADE FROM ORIGINAL FIGURINES. APART FROM THE LACK OF MARKS THEY ARE VERY SHINY AND THE QUALITY OF THE PAINTING IS NOT AS GOOD AS THE REAL THING. FOR OBVIOUS REASONS THE MOSTNUMEROUS ONE IS THE PANDA.

THE WONDERFUL THING ABOUT LOMONOSOV IS THE FACT THAT EACH PIECE IS STILL HANDPAINTED SO NO TWO ANIMALS ARE ALIKE. We have a "pride" of three Tiger cubs and they are all easily distinguishable one from the other!

How To Chose An Accurate Spirit Level

Most Spirit Levels Are Not Accurate, Even The High Quality Ones.... This guide will help you find a good one. It's easy to do once you know how.

Unfortunately this is absolutely true and very easy to prove.Most levels you pick up in a store, even the so-called quality levels such as Stabila and Stanley etc, will have at least one bubble seriously out of alignment, some will have both vertical bubbles out of whack AND the horizontal one too for good measure, (no pun intended).

This can have mildly irritating,or disasterous consequences, depending on what you are planning to do with the level. If you are just putting up shelves, you will probably get away with a slightly out of true level. If you are tiling, or attempting to align kitchen cupboards accurately. the results will look appaling and you will be left telling yourself, or , worse still, your better half will do it for you, that you are the worst D.I.Yer in the world.

The reason is that the slight error in most levels will compound themselves as you continue along a run, so that a 1mm error in the length of the level, by the time you have extended the line by 5 level lengths will be 5mm. Do this when tiling and the finished job will look like you threw the tiles up whilst standing at the bathroom door.

You can avoid this problem by testing the level in the shop before you buy it.

To check the accuracy of the horizontal bubble:

Pick a surface in the store which appears fairly level. Put the level on top of it and mark with a pencil onto the worktop or counter, exactlywhere each end of the levelis situated. (This is done so that you can repeat the test, knowing you are testing in the exact same location).
Now look at the bubble. If it is a bit off being absolutely accurate, lift the low end and place a penny, or 2 or 3 until the bubble is exactly in the middle.
Now pick up the level and turn it around so that the left end of the level is now on the right.
Place the level back between the pencil marks and resting once again on the coins, (if you needed any), The bubble should now once again, be exactly in the centre.
If it isn't, it's not you..... It's the level. It has not been set upaccurately by the manufacturer. Put it back on the shelf and select another one.

Usually I find when i'm choosing a new level, that fewer than 1 in 10 is accurate. You will too. Why not let the other poor souls get the dodgy ones. You take your time and select one which is perfect.

What length level should you choose:

For best results you should always use the longest level which will fiton the surface you are testing. If you can't afford to buy several levels,buy one 2 feet (600mm) long, which you have tested carefully and then pick a piece of very straight wood or other material which iscloser tothe length of the surface you are testing and place this on the surface you are trying to checkwith the level on top of it. By keeping your level tight against this longer length of wood, the new length becomes a longer level.

One last tip. Don't ever leave your level where it might fall over. Some levels can tolerate this kind of abuse, many can't. Also, it is good practise, before you start to tile a wall or fit kitchen cupboards, that you go through the testing process once again. The peace of mind you will have, knowing you can trust this most important of tools is worth every one of the few minutes it takes to carry out the test.

There is one slight downside. If you stillmake a muck up of the job, you now have no excuses left. Choose carefully and look after your level and it will serve you well for life.

Good luck,

Peter

p.s. You can test the vertical bubbles too, you just need a little ingenuity, or a spare pair of hands to hold the coins while you position the level. Remember, the pencil marks are there to ensure you are testing each time in exactly the same place.