Jiberjaber

Here's the details you were after from the picture info, they were all shot in Programe mode (P) ExposureTime: 1/800" Aperture: F16.0 ExposureProgram: Program AE ExposureBiasValue: 0 MeteringMode: Center-weighted average ISO: 320 WhiteBalance: Auto FocalLength: 18.0 mm LensSpec: 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ExposureTime: 1/1500" Aperture: F20.0 ExposureProgram: Program AE ExposureBiasValue: 0 MeteringMode: Center-weighted average ISO: 320 WhiteBalance: Auto FocalLength: 18.0 mm LensSpec: 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G ExposureTime: 1/1250" Aperture: F18.0 ExposureProgram: Program AE ExposureBiasValue: 0 MeteringMode: Center-weighted average ISO: 320 WhiteBalance: Auto FocalLength: 18.0 mm LensSpec: 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 G Does he know it has done about 10,000 shutter activations?

I'll try and remember that next year :) Just gone down stairs and snapped a few Jpeg fine + Raw takes the photos from this 1gig from 168 on jpeg fine to a mean 44 on jpeg fine + raw. Because its low light im having to use a flash but thats what tomro will be like as well. The RAW images im loading in photoshop CS2, soooooo much to adjust afterwards, but to be honest just the raw photo itself is crisper than the Jpeg image, as long as the brightness is right they look better. Is photoshop a good program to be using with RAW, im just seeing how quick it is to save all RAW images to Jpeg as tomro i'll be taking a good couple 100 photos. Ellz, CaptureNX2 , much better to adjust your Nikon RAW files in that. You can do the following simple adjustments in the free ViewNX programme as well. Exposure compentation White Balance Picture Control Sharpness Contrast Highlight & Shadow Protection Dynamic lighting and Colour booter I wouldnt bother with shooting the RAW+JPG, just shoot RAW and convert later, there is a lower res JPG actualy already stored in the RAW file.

I came across this just now and thought it apt :)

I did not say that only one conviction would result in a ban. If you read the article correctly, it states that successive governments have failed to ratify these cameras in line with the perceived requirements of the 1991 road traffic act. You appear to have a vested interest in the continued use of these devices but it is noticeable that you actually call them "speed cameras" rather than "safety cameras". The point really is that as with every other offence, not just motoring, to obtain a conviction requires evidence which is legally obtained. If evidence which leads to a conviction is later found to illegally obtained then it would be unlikely to be allowed and would normally lead to the conviction being quashed. Dave, I have never hidden my profession, I am a consultant in intellegent transport systems for the last 15 years and have been involved in the evaluation of a lot of vehicle detection systems and various other road side devices, no vested interest in the actual products, but in thier application to solve problems and get people moving :) The requirement is the type approval. Pages 10 & 11 of the following say it better, but isn't much different from my post above :) http://scienceandresearch.homeoffice.gov.u...206?view=Binary The prosecutions are always based on methods of beyond all reasonable doubt, so anything which can rise to doubt will always be explored to try and remove the consequences of the actions of breaking a speed limit. There are no denials of breaking the limit, just a wish to remove the consequence. This is usualy why I dont join in these debates but here goes :) If you know the road, then surely it stands that you will know there is a camera there? (excepting the obvious, yes I know the road, yes there is a camera on there, opps I forgot syndrome ) If you didnt know the road or were not observent enough to know there was a camera there, would you be happy to speed along it? What else hadn't you seen which may result in an accident? Obvioulsy this is all just my view on life, how others decide to drive and make their decisions is up to them :)

Yeldarb - it could be a speed reduction to increase road capacity? (roads have optimum speeds for through put) You might not see queues at the moment, but there may be something elsewhere on the network which will contribute to traffic in your area shortly for example. Speed reduction isnt always about safety but also congestion, which is just as much to the forefront of local authorities as is safety. True Are you saying the people deciding on the location don't know the road well enough or the driver ? Woz - Sorry - thought it was in the sentence!... I am on about the driver - I know I would prefer to know the road a bit before I decided to razz down it :) Aido - the type approval is/was for continuos links, i.e. along a lane. So the equipment is capable of matching VRN's irrespective of the lane, the machinary of law required it to be by lane only iirc. Personaly I wouldnt bother as you dont know which link is enforcing, so you could have a run of 7 enforcement camera sites, and only 2 pairs are in operation (apart from the big light on some now!) but which and how do you know which camera is looking at your lane. The camera housing and camera both can be aligned independantly, so you could have the housing looking at a lane, but the camera looking at the actual adjacent lane.

Aido, the Truvel ones can be configured to work in both directions (like Gaso's can be rotated). I agree on SPECS to a point but I can't say much more LOL Ever since the publication of how to avoid SPECS2 by changing lanes, it has lost some of it's value, but that's not my only concern. Regarding money, you would believe how much "conscience money" is plowed in to safety schemes by the private sector - i believe your word for it would be "mega" :D

Jason you say sooooooooooooo made me chuckle What you say about speed camera partnerships may well be correct. But what I have highlighted above doesn't hold water at all re the Swindon Councilors actions to ban them. CLICK ME Also lets not forget all the many Speed Cameras I know of that are DELIBERATELY HIDDEN behind street furniture (road signs, pedestrian or vehicle bridges, trees etc) let alone all the others in other parts of the country. Yes Speeding is against the law, but to argue argue the Cameras are not put up for a revenue stream is im my opinion quite frankly ridiculous. I see plenty of them along long straight pieces of road with no side turnings, yet not enough around Schools....... "The Department for Transport annual results - published on the 25th of September - show that, nationally, only 6% of accidents are caused by people breaking speed limits" Woz, there wouldn’t be a revenue stream if people didn’t break the speed limit though would there? I am no angel when it comes to speed, but I do so in the knowledge that if I am caught it is my own fault. The Swindon thing can be taken with a pinch - political points can be gained from any thing if spun right :) If the camera's are deliberately hidden, that may indicate not knowing the actual road where a risk associated with exceeding the speed limit is been taken... it could be argued that that isn't the best place to therefore take that risk.. I am not going to deny that some installations are just wrong for a number of reasons, but some may argue if the speed limit were being adhered to, why would it matter. Anyway - I usually try to avoid these types of threads as they just turn in to a Marmite discussion on speed cameras and "wont someone think of the children" vrs "speed limits don’t apply to me 'cause I am totally in control all the time". :D There is evidence that people who commit seemingly minor crimes are usually bigger criminals than you might think. Speeding, insurance and tax discs etc result in more crime detection than just the initial stop... I am not trying to label every speeder as a hardened crim but hey - every speed camera is a cash cow for the speeding Nazi's!. If you run a tax/insurance/speed operation, usually about 50% caught are actually crim's wanted for other things as well! Anyway... gone way off topic now :) EDIT: Barry - I agree about the safety aspect, which is the only time I have recommended their use. I thnk we can all think of locations where it isn't evident the problem the cameras are there to contribute to removing, but then I can think of a fair few where it is as well... like I said some will be not sited properly. Yeld - are you sure they are average speed camera and not journey time measurement or part of the Police network of ANPR?? Just because the problem isn't outside the front door doesn't mean it isn't somewhere else in that part of the network and other issues result in it being placed where you find it... loads of reasons why it could be there, cost is usualy a good one :)

I think it highly unlikley that they will succeed. The device used for the initial measurement is generaly taken as the primary evidence and used to initially trigger the camera, what is currently considered as being the secondary evidence, the measurement of distance over time from the two flashes and the movement in frame of the car against the road markings, could very easily be used as the primary evidence. It is no different to how traditional speed traps operate, they rely on the PC making a judgement that you are going to fast and then confirming it with a device. This could be you going through to points on the road with the police observing or using a roadside device such as a speed gun. The road traffic offenders act 1988 requires such decives to be be type approved, this role in part s carried out by HOSDB (previously known as the PSDB). As long as the equipment has been type approved they they can be used, there may be caveats to the type approval which have been looked at by people trying to get out of the fact they were speeding in the first place (eg, mounting arrangements and number of enforcement equipment on a gantry in a variable speed limit). Just because it says it needs approval from the Sec of State does not mean he has to write a letter himself for it to be valid, this is usualy done through an executive agency (EG, the HA provide type approval of equipment for use on the road side, but on behalf of the SoS as they are an execuative agency of the DoT). If people believe they have been unfairly banned, then that's for them to think, but you dont get a ban for just one conviction unless it is pretty extreme! Like I said, it is just people who can't take the consequence of their actions. They are trying to waste public money in a games of words, with the associated media involvement.

Interesting thread :)

News flash.... Speeding to be claimed as illegal! A source close to the government today is cited as stating if people break the posted speed limit, then they could be prosecuted... Previously all drivers could go faster than the speed limit if they thought it was all right to do so. There was also discussion of making shop lifting legal in these times of recession. :P LOL Irrespective of what people claim, speed cameras arn't put up for a revenue stream. In fact, there is now active work by safety camera partnerships to reduce the number of activations by placing more warnings before the actual cameras and the use of vehicle activated signs to slow people down. They measure the success as a reduction in camera activations. If people dont speed then why are speed cameras a problem? If people decide to go faster than the speed limit, then they should accept the risk of having consequences to their actions.

It depends on the supplier of the system, they are less expensive if they don't have a context view (i.e. two cameras, one for the VRN, the other for the scene.). Some manufactures use one camera and provide the context and VRN "patch" through software. Depending on the application, you would need a scene view or may be not. For just journey time calcs (Traffic Master, HA, Local Authorities etc) you just need the VRN. For average speed camera and other enforcement applications (parking, weight limit and congestion charge etc) you would want the context view to collaborate the VRN details etc. Rarely will the image be good enough to capture the actual driver, but it all depends on the alignment of the camera - what works for ANPR reads may not be the best for actual driver pictures. Any combination of VRN, VRN image and context view can be saved with the data depending on the application it is used for.

The conversion from RAW to JPG on the computer is better than in camera as you have more control. Fast glass (low appature number) and a tripod and low noise ISO performance are where its at for your night shots but you can get away with the kit lens and others be setting the right exposure. Take a look at light painting for your night time shots as well, basicaly a decent tourch and a long exposure then you fill in the light you want with the tourch. I dont have any examples, but it can be quite a fun and artistic effect. A mate of mine who is seriously in to urbex uses this a lot as you dont want to disturb the security chaps with the flash going off etc. You will also nees a decent tripod (Manfrotto are not to bad) you are looking at about 150 or so for a decent one with a ball head. I have a little one which isnt the best but is good for what I use it for. You may want to turn on the exposure delay option in the advance settings. The D90 doesnt have mirror lock up, so when you press the shutter button, you will be supprised at the noise it makes (compared to say a P&S camera). When it lifts up the mirror to then uncover the sensor, it slaps and causes camera shake, which can lose sharpness on your night shot. It is even more pronounced if you are using a long lens. The long exposure NR built in to the D90 is great but it does take a long time to process in camera, if you do a 20 sec exposure, you end up waiting another 20s for the NR to finish processing! You will also want some way to trigger the camera without disturbing it. Traditionaly this would be a bulb of some description. You can use the built in timer or you can use the ML-L3 remote control (about a tenner). The good thing about the timer is you can set it to do a number of exposures which comes in handy for bracketing. Theres only three brackets on the D90 unfortunatly, but that's not too bad. Wind is not your friend for low light photography! You'll find some good stuff on low light in here: http://www.28dayslater.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=63

most of the damage to my car was that damn wall, if there was no wall, it would only one side, and possible repairable, what happened at the end? i assume you were liable for the accident? Yes, to the tune of 600 quid or so, which was a lot back then in about 1993

I would concur it was your fault, over taking is an at risk manouver (i.e. your risk). I had a similar thing (in the 90's!) but the car had actualy pulled over to the left in to a layby outside a shop. Which is where I assumed he was pulling in to, he was in fact pulling in left to get a better swing over to the right in to his driveway! He put his indicator on after the crash and his mate who was a policeman happened to be walking up the road at the same time! LOL I hit him so softly that my dog on the back seat didnt even fall off it and there was nothing but a small scratch on my front left bumper. He however had to climb out of his passenger side door - new door and new wing! Always best to assume everyone else is a muppet on the road :)

If you plan on shooting combo with RAW+JPG, make sure you take a look at the in camera sharpness settings as you may feel after taking the shot and looking at the JPG's they look a little "soft". Dont bother with AUTO mode unless you just want to use your 500 quid camera as a £100 point and shoot! If you still want the assistance of the camera but also want to learn what it would use, then use P mode. This is basicaly AUTO mode but you can adjust it after the camera has decided what it THINKS it needs to set to get the shot. In this P mode, you will be able to see the exposure and shutter speed (and also ISO/flash if certain settings are on) within the view finder (or in the live view/info screen on the rear) so it will help in understanding what it takes to get the picture right. This of course depends on the way you intend to take the photo, which is why I emphasise the THINK bit in the camera, the camera does not know your intention is to freeze/blur action of reduce depth of field, it just wants to get a good shot in both AUTO and P mode, I dont know what photography understanding you have at the moment, so not sure if these terms meet anything yet, but sometimes the camera will (in trying to get the shot right) not do what you want it to do, that is why there is the other three modes of M, A and S to allow you to force the camera to do what you want. Just something to keep in mind when you go to take your shots. :) Here's a good link for explaining stuff... http://www.berniecode.com/writing/photography/beginners/ Also, might be worth getting this on the Xmas list... http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Exposu...d/dp/0817463003 And of course to (of many) good sites: http://www.bythom.com/ http://www.kenrockwell.com/index.htm

So are there any free programs that can do the batch conversion at a decent quality? Or alternatively how much does the Nikon software actually cost? I discovered today that Microsoft actually has some programs to do with dealing with RAW photos (didn't really actually look into what they can do)........ Also the camera can both take photos as JPEGs, and then also convert RAW files to JPEGs later? I didn't realise the camera can do so much itself........does it do it well? If I'm a seriously amateur photographer will I be happy enough with those results? I think I'm now going to have to get the camera and play about with all the different options to see which I like best...........can't wait! The Transfer and ViewNX software are free, they come with the camera or can be downloaded from the Nikon site. You can set the camera to take RAW and JPG (and various combinations of that). Why not take a look at the manual - though from the sounds of it you are fairly decided :) ftp://ftp.nikon-euro.com/Manuals/vqUaOfFVeV/D90_en.pdf Also worth looking here: http://www.dxomark.com/ You can compare cameras (up to three) for IQ etc.

Yes. When you connect up your camera to the PC, you use Nikon's Transfer programe, this allows you to import the picture and also back up to another location at the same time and a few other fancy things like auto adding IPTC data (your copyright info etc). When the transfer is finished it will launch a programme called View NX (this is configureable). You can batch export to JPG using that and also alter some basic image development settings as well. You can also use Picasa, but it doesnt seem to read the NEF (Nikons RAW files) properly, so there is a narrow line on the side of each picture of solid colour. You can also convert RAW to JPG in camera, I never bother but the RAW tools in camera are a mini-photoshop! coupled with the very high res screen, you hardly need a PC if you dont have access to one :) You might want to take a look at Ken Rockwells site for his basic set up, be aware he likes super saturated colour shots, so his settings reflect that, but some of the settings he recommends are pretty good (like setting the picture counter to not reset every time you take your pictures off.) I think I am up to about 7939 shots taken so far with this camera. Not bad seeing as I bought it about 17 October LOL

The Nikon Capture NX2 is equally good as well. There is a 60 day free trial - so worth giving it a go.

Cheers Wozza... I am a fair way off being good though when I look at some peoples but I keep practicing to get there one day! :)

Parthiban - I have a D90 (have done for a few months now) and it is ace. I have the kit lens and the 70-300 VR plus a 50mm/1.8 fully manual and the Sigma 10-20mm. All great lenses. I tend to have the 70-300 on most of the time as I shoot a lot of remote control models. I use two 8G SD cards, each hold about 520 shots in full res RAW, dont bother shooting in jpg, it just takes up space and confuses the hell out of you later on when you are on the PC editing! LOL Have you been to a shop and held one yet? I can fully recommend going to a shop and holding each of the cameras you are considering.... The canon felt too big in my hand but the nikon fitted perfectly :) but this can be a very personal thing, so I highly recommend trying them out. RGB Tech gave me great service when I bought mine, so worth a look on there :) http://www.rgb-tech.co.uk/product/1675 Currently 30 quid cheaper than I paid a month or so ago. I have some pictures but not realy got round to working out the best ways to get them on the web. I am still playing so some shots come off great, others are not so good as I thought they may have been. I have also made the odd mistake of forgetting what ISO setting I last left it on and hence forth ruining the next load of shots! These were taken with the kit lens (18-105VR) : This was through the kitchen window with an old non-VR 70-300 This was at the flying field just as I was packing up to go home.. A few more from the field, first three with my old non-VR and the latter with the new VR 70-300... Here's a few videos (720 HD) with the kit lens as well... http://www.jiberjaber.org.uk/DSC_0799.AVI http://www.jiberjaber.org.uk/DSC_0796.AVI The video is a bit of a gimick really as there is no auto focus, so you need to set the appature quite small to avoid DOF issues. Also the way the sensor is read means that fast horizontal panning will result in vertical bending. Not a real bad problem, just something to be aware of. If you're on facebook, I have a load more on there as well. http://s409.photobucket.com/albums/pp171/jasonburns37/

I've had a 701 since they came out, can't fault it for what it is and what I do with it. It was invaluable when I was travelling through Florida this year (where to eat where to stay etc) and copes fine with browsing in bed. I have skype on it so was able to kill a few hours in the airport chatting to my 5 year old nephew back in the UK with video.. It's a great gadget, but I suspect not the best thing for kids to do their homework on. Seeing as I run Linux on all but one of my PC's, the linux side of things is great for me :)

http://www.lexusownersclub.co.uk/forum/ind...543&hl=mute

Yes Eddy it can, if you do a search you should find my old post with the pin out details. You wire teh mute in to the wire loom of the radio and use teh speaker that comes with the phone kit.

Well I went with Bell in the end, fully comp with protected no claims and my mods declared was 277. Aplan and Sky came in around £440, Admiral at £309 Adrian Flux were a nightmare... they have lost all my modification details (I have been with them for about 3 years now) and also didnt have business on my existing policy even though I had paid for it!. This was the icing on the cake for me with them - last time they refused to admit they had cocked up my change of address when I moved house. They were also unable to match the Bell despite their despite their claims in the renewal letter ("An unbeatable guarantee to beat any price"), best they could do is come down from £494 to £411. So managed to save myself £217 pounds - which was nice! :)