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Wright writes.....


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16 hours ago, Barry Ten said:

 

 

I'm not sure I'd have bothered if I hadn't also has the investment in the lenses. Has anyone else experienced this rubber

degradation with recent-ish consumer products? I've heard some say that it's only a matter of time but I have a decent

pair of Canon binoculars that are much older than the Lumix and still fine.

 

(incidentally, when I was thinking of moving into digital SLRs, I took my F601 along to the Nikon specialist shop in London. I was

hoping they'd be able to let me try a digital body in conjunction with my existing lenses, to see what did and didn't work, but

they couldn't have been less helpful..)

 

Al

 

 

Hi Al

 

I've had a couple of cameras where this has happened - one was a SonyTR45 camcorder from the mid-1990s, where the whole surface was rubberised.

I ended up stripping all of it with IPA.

More recently, my last film SLR, a Minolta 600si, has suffered from a similar issue. In this case it was the grip moulding - but it wasn't just the surface of the part, the whole thing disintegrated. I've picked out the remnants and cleaned it up, but haven't fabricated a replacement yet. I still have a (now 34 year old) Minolta 9000 which is going strong for when I feel the need to use film. 

 

Regards

 

Martin

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22 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

When I took picture-taking professionally, there were a few 'rules' to obey before being accepted. 

 

6. The really best equipment must be obtained second-hand.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 


This is some of the best advice, even allowing for the humour. Almost like never buy a new model car, wait six months to hear the user reviews and any design or operating gremlins that emerge in normal use. The other financial benefit is the initial buyer takes the biggest hit on depreciation, win, win! :) 

 

I’m only now (nearly 15 years in) looking for a ‘new’ pro spec DSLR body, then it’ll have to pay for itself, always the biggest hurdle!

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11 minutes ago, PMP said:

 

6. The really best equipment must be obtained second-hand.


This is some of the best advice, even allowing for the humour. Almost like never buy a new model car, wait six months to hear the user reviews and any design or operating gremlins that emerge in normal use. The other financial benefit is the initial buyer takes the biggest hit on depreciation, win, win! :) 

 

 

 

Hmmm.  I'm currently looking at Canon's 100-400mm L series zoom. It's surprising that used lenses on Ebay are selling for more than I can get the lens new with a 3 year warranty  from places like Cotswold cameras.

 

Graeme

 

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1 hour ago, Tony Wright said:

It's a possibility, Andy,

 

And one I haven't given much thought to. 

 

As you suggest, I could look at prototype shots (I've used all those up at LB itself), and attempt to make-up the sets shown in those. 

 

However, one thing I heartily dislike is the repeated handling of stock. In the days when much of Bytham's stock went out to exhibitions to run on Stoke Summit or Charwelton, on return (despite its being very sturdily-made), there'd usually be a knocked-off detail (bogie footboards being particularly vulnerable, even those soldered in place). This was an inevitable consequence of exhibiting, and accepted as a tiny price to pay for having had so much fun.

 

Grated, there wouldn't be much 'transportation' involved in my shuffling stock around on LB, so I might do it. 

 

Of course, many of the trains are 'dedicated'; that is built-up to represent an actual formation, complete with carriage destination boards. Muddling those up might be fun. 

 

Anyway, I'm diverting my attention in the next week or two to more loco-building.

 

Regards,

 

Tony.  

I recognise the problem of damage - I should know as I do it often on Gresley Jn! And I recognise that it wouldn’t work for you in normal times. I just thought it might be something different for lockdown.

 

The good thing about carriage name boards is that nobody can read them on a RMWeb image. So you will only have your conscious to wrestle with!

 

I look forward to seeing the loco building in the meantime.

 

Andy

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39 minutes ago, jacko said:

 

Hmmm.  I'm currently looking at Canon's 100-400mm L series zoom. It's surprising that used lenses on Ebay are selling for more than I can get the lens new with a 3 year warranty  from places like Cotswold cameras.

 

Graeme

 


Just make sure you’re comparing like with like. Whilst the L series are the top end, like anything they go through upgrades With subtle spec changes, for example my 400 is a mk2 L spec, later models have different upgraded motors and IS functioning. 
I can recommend these chaps as excellent for service/prices, particularly if you’re looking at the higher spec equipment https://mifsuds.com

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48 minutes ago, jacko said:

 

Hmmm.  I'm currently looking at Canon's 100-400mm L series zoom. It's surprising that used lenses on Ebay are selling for more than I can get the lens new with a 3 year warranty  from places like Cotswold cameras.

 

Graeme

 

Depends which system you are invested in - I’ve just bought a lightly used Sony 70-300G for a fraction of the new price - the switch to E mount seems to have depressed the second hand market for A mount lenses. 

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3 minutes ago, PMP said:


Just make sure you’re comparing like with like. Whilst the L series are the top end, like anything they go through upgrades With subtle spec changes, for example my 400 is a mk2 L spec, later models have different upgraded motors and IS functioning. 
I can recommend these chaps as excellent for service/prices, particularly if you’re looking at the higher spec equipment https://mifsuds.com

 

Yep, it's the latest mark 2 'L' series.  Cotswold (and a couple of others) are knocking over £500 off the list price which Mifsuds can't compete with.  When it comes to those prices I would rather pay a couple of hundred more for a brand new lens with a warranty than shell out up to £1300 for a used lens with gooness only knows what faults. 

 

Graeme

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2 hours ago, jacko said:

 

I'm willing to bet these were Hercules stands. I had an identical problem with two of my Bass stands. Hercules replaced them under warranty as they admitted they had used a bad batch of rubber - the bassist forums were flooded with angry comment at the time. One or two folk still turn up with the problem but I believe it's too late now to make a claim.

 

Graeme 

 

They were indeed. My wife tried to get something out of Hercules when the problems arose but they never responded. She mentioned she was going to give them another

go last week but it would be a shame if the time limit has now passed.

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20 minutes ago, Barry Ten said:

 

They were indeed. My wife tried to get something out of Hercules when the problems arose but they never responded. She mentioned she was going to give them another

go last week but it would be a shame if the time limit has now passed.

someone last week on the basschat forum managed to get a replacement. They contacted the dealer - 

robin@stringsandthings.co.uk and shopatron@stringsandthings.co.uk  and provided photos and the product code off the tiny label on the back of the leg.  Depends where you got yours I guess but the dealer should help in the first instance. 

 

Graeme

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4 minutes ago, copleyhill007 said:

Photos of LB have been out of this world!!

Thanks Dave,

 

I think I'll just keep on taking pictures of LB, though maybe not as many as of late. 

 

Most observers seem to like them.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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With the lockdown situation, I, like many others, have not been able to 'carry on as normal'. Normal, in my case, being the taking of photographs of model railways; at shows, in clubrooms or in the modeller's home. 

 

That said, I'm still asked to provide pictures. Recently, a request has come from BRILL, which now comes with a modelling supplement each month. The request this time was for some model diesel shots. 

 

I've included the following...................

 

694934344_01A82GWesternandWarship.jpg.95a80712931113a081ff5d9cf38965a6.jpg

 

A pair of WR hydraulics, kit-built in O Gauge, standing on 82G from the Warley MRC. 

 

1542193595_09WESTERNENTERPRISE.jpg.9554502d2785c9a9163b78f6119d467d.jpg

 

And another O Gauge WR hydraulic, this time the pioneer WESTERN ENTERPRISE; again, kit-built in O Gauge; this time seen guesting on a South Wales colliery layout. It belongs to Terry Yeend of WMTC. 

 

611812661_06FenitonBulleid1-Co-Co-1.jpg.be46d1a15da860821a03615bed560f18.jpg

 

And a diesel-electric in OO - one of the trio of Bulleid-designed (he was in charge at the time) 1-CO-CO-1 heavyweights built for the SR. It's running on Alan Birkinshaw's Feniton. 

 

 

Edited by Tony Wright
to clarify a point
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OK Derek , I will bear it in mind . I know Stuart very well and some of the ladies in the shop .Not sure of the name of the one you refer to , though I know who you mean I think . My wife Pat calls in more than me : well does in normal times ! but not at the moment . We have an arrangement with Stuart , whereby we have paid for our papers for a few months .

  It sounds like you get up to a bit of mischief in there , you young devil .

 

Take care Derek . Regards , Roy.

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Not got much done, this is as far as I’ve got with the refurbishment of the J10.

I can’t find my temperate controlled soldering iron (for the coal rails) and I can’t find any nickel silver wire for the pickups.  May get the body painted Wednesday but would rather get the tender painted at the same time. Regards Robert6E039FFD-C115-4DFE-BA69-47FB413B594E.jpeg.66c4cb0043d5a97cc3dea6441c6352b8.jpeg  

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5 hours ago, cctransuk said:

Tony,

 

Since there has recently been a phase of 'show us what you did in lockdown' posts here, I have finally finished a sixteen year project, which has its own thread.

 

Regards,

John Isherwood.

 

 

That's a very nice project, John.

 

I also finished (or near enough) my own Blue Pullman project after a mere 13 years. Mine was to be a Western Region 8 car rake

and I based it on the Tri-ang base models, using etched window replacements and some scratchbuilding. I started ordering the

parts, and scouring ebay, in 2007. 

 

bp2.jpg

 

BPfull.jpg

 

Since I took the above photo, I've added the roof detail to the kitchen cars. The  model has directionally controlled cab lights

and full interior lighting.

 

All that's left to do is a small bit of touching up of blue and grey in various places but I'm out of paint until after the lockdown.

 

Al

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7 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

BRILL, which now comes with a modelling supplement each month

They could make that a mag in its own right and call it something like MORILL...

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7 hours ago, St Enodoc said:

They could make that a mag in its own right and call it something like MORILL...

 

I get my BRILL from the fish trader on the quayside.

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22 hours ago, Tony Wright said:

Thanks Dave,

 

I think I'll just keep on taking pictures of LB, though maybe not as many as of late. 

 

Most observers seem to like them.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

Keep them coming Tony,

I do enjoy them, especially as I can't visit at the moment.

Good to speak to you yesterday.

 

Regards,

 

Geoff.

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4 hours ago, geoff west said:

Keep them coming Tony,

I do enjoy them, especially as I can't visit at the moment.

Good to speak to you yesterday.

 

Regards,

 

Geoff.

Thanks Geoff,

 

It's difficult to know what to do with regard to LB's photography. Just about every angle has been exploited, and just about every loco and train have featured. So, any more pictures I take will really be repetitive, and probably not as interesting.  

 

The shots I've taken of late using the little gadget are from a viewpoint not seen before, but that's about it. The limitations imposed by the lack of backscene preclude my taking of any more. 

 

As you know (as I hope others do), whenever I take a picture which features something in particular, I always credit those who've done the work. To not do so is disingenuous, but that now becomes repetitive; even boring? 

 

I'm certainly not in the business of 'chasing pages', so the number of pictures I take of the layout henceforth will probably be very limited. Granted, with five of my loco builds with Geoff Haynes for painting, and at least four more in line, once they're ready I'll take shots of those on LB (where appropriate - not all are for me). 

 

One idea (worth a try?) is to dig out pictures I've taken down the years showing progress, and then re-shoot them from the same position with the layout now complete. That might be of possible interest; I don't know.

 

I have, of course, so many locos to build which I can post pictures of showing progress. Perhaps that's the way forward, because I think LB has probably been 'over-exposed'.

 

Regards,

 

Tony. 

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I think progress pictures are interesting, new readers can see the progression, and there’s always considering if you’d approach a completed task differently, in light of experience and/or new techniques and technology.

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I have, of course, so many locos to build which I can post pictures of showing progress. Perhaps that's the way forward, because I think LB has probably been 'over-exposed'.

 

Work in progress shots would be much appreciated here.

 

Lloyd

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