kja

Great site! Thanks for the link :D Yea, isn't that bright yellow teeny drive funky? Fun to throw in your bag - you couldn't miss it when trying to dig it out

http://www.ilikecheapstuff.com/cavalry-500...ard-drive-8999/ or $70 http://www.ilikecheapstuff.com/fantom-driv...certified-6999/ Sorry, here's the main link so you can scroll the goodies http://www.ilikecheapstuff.com/ I've used buy.dig many times with great results. I know nothing about this drive, but thought the price looked nice If you keep clicking the items at the top going to the left (back) you can even buy a pack of condoms on sale LOL

If you list the lenses you have we may be able to tell you exactly. Any camera store - not a Harvey Norman et al - will also be able to let you know which will work and which won't.

This is exactly why I haven't taken the plunge to buy one (or a monopod) yet...I just know that's what will happen LOL DH used to have one that I've used in the past, but it got used for a non-recommended function one day and got tossed in the bin And it's more likely, I think, that you'll be doing sunset/sunrise stuff with the wider lens, same with waterfalls and the like. It's much lighter and easier to hand hold at lower shutter speeds. You can also improvise with a rolled up bit of clothing if you have something to rest it on...it's why I mentioned a bean bag earlier. It's amazing how much support something so small and easy can give. Oh, and maybe check out the Gorillapods. They are pretty tiny and light. They make them for heavy rigs, too. I just had a friend use this in Wyoming and he said he couldn't believe that it actually worked with his Canon 100-400 on a 40D...that's a lot of weight.

On your list, I agree with Tess on the lenses. And I would definitely take the compact camera along too. Even with the extra charger it isn't that much extra and there are times on holiday that you're just going to want something that slips in a pocket/purse for some snaps, I reckon. If you had the extra cash, I'd be adding a wide lens to the line up for your buildings and scenics etc. The Canon 10-22 or Sigma 10-20 will never be left at home again, for me! Tripods are a pain. I'm currently trying to figure out which of the approximately 1, 212,344,565,767 combinations gives me what I need LOL I must say I'm a bit of a slacker when it comes to using them while on holidays and usually just carry a bean bag to rest the lens on whatever is handy. Or bump my ISO up to get a faster shutter I just hate futzing with one. Do you have trouble hand holding your long lens? A mono pod might be a good, light, double-duty choice...get one that can also be used as a walking stick for when you are hiking the highlands.

Codelia - did you figure out the problem? ish - I'd toss the card and get a new one. There are lots of good deals around on cards, making them cheap as chips really. Until the end of the month you can get SanDisk 8GB IIIs for like $28-35 after the rebates. I've ordered some for myself and for some others here in Australia and would be happy to order some more if anyone wants them. I'll be posting them back when I land in the US (end of June) so you'd have them in a couple of weeks.

These rebates are good until the second week of July, I think, but if you need more time to save up, Canon usually has another round of rebates (usually on more or less the same items) again in October :D Hey, if I'm shopping, everyone should be shopping :D Just ordered one of these fun toys... the ColourspaceO. Didn't need it, but it's going to be fun and I convinced myself that getting it meant that I didn't also need the Western Digital Passport Elite 320GB that is out there at an awesome price right now ... so I "saved" money LOL

Amazon Gold Boxes come up under "Today's Deals" right next to where it says "Yourname's Amazon.com (second line from very top)- there's a little gold treasure chest on the upper left of the screen. Just click that then scroll down...if you don't scroll, you aren't seeing the actual Gold Box quick pick specials which are always at least an extra 5% off, and often substantially more. The stuff higher on the screen are recommendations and other specials, but not as good as the Gold Box stuff. You can manipulate your Gold Box to give yourself a better chance to get stuff that's relevant to you, too. Here's a link that gives you the gos in step by step detail - and it woks a treat. OK, here's the screen you see when you log in to Amazon - the arrow show's you where the Gold Box is: And this is what you see after you scroll down to the Quick Picks section of the Gold Box screen - this is where the goodies are :p

Gold boxes can be evil...I've ended up with some "extras" just coz I was in the mood to shop and the price was right LOL But it's fun!

This is my fear with anything we do - hubby just doesn't get the timing thing or the consistency thing.

Do you have a link for that? By distance do you mean remote - like he's not actually where I am? Coz that's the only way we could do it since we live in the sticks...

Hubby's been doing the reading/research on this thing. I haven't used it at all, but I did take it off of her yesterday. I haven't touched it or shown it to her or anything. When he put it back on her yesterday evening, she came to him with no problems and pranced around with the collar on (after settling down once she figured out we weren't going for a walk just coz she's wearing a collar). She doesn't seem scared of it or scared of wearing it. Most of the behaviour was after the collar was off. I'm trying to load the link now...I'll send it to DH, too. I'm on the fence about using this method, but I am also having no luck with the things I am trying. One of the main problems is that DH does not do the things I do and is not consistent. This was fine with our other two, but is clearly a major problem with the new girl. It doesn't matter how much I explain, how many links I give him or whatever, he just won't do it. Didn't do it with the kids, not doing it with the dog. So we have to figure out something that isn't 100% optimal and make it work. I worry about her a lot as this not coming thing - which started before the collar - really stresses me. I leave for holidays in three weeks, and I can just imagine the "discipline" that will happen while I'm gone and I'm afraid we'll never have a settled dog. EDIT - is this a good thing?

DH bought a training collar for Ms Tilly and he put it on yesterday. It's one of those with the remote control and when you hit the button it does a zzzzzz vibration. He says it does a little shock if you hit it straight away again and he tested it on himself and said it was just a little poke. We haven't hit the button more than once for Til so all she's been exposed to is the vibration (it feels kind of cool, but I can see how it would startle a puppy!). It also makes a little zzzz noise which is also useful for getting the attention. So anyway... Til is a huge counter surfer and very destructive, so yesterday she had the collar on and started to do her thing and hubby hit the button. She immediately dropped back to all fours, ran out of the kitchen and looked around. We had removed the chair barricade and she wouldn't go into the kitchen again. Good. One vibration and she's learning. About an hour later, she totally lost it. Came running into my office like a tornado - up on the couch, under the desk, through the computer cords - just crazy dog. She would not budge and I had to physically lift her out of the office. She promptly ran to the front door and cowered in the corner with her ears back, all hang doggie. I went to her and called her. She came but all curled up and pathetic like they do. I gave her a pat, removed her collar and she bolted back to the corner again. Called her again, she came to me but still all cowery but with tail wagging. Talked to her, she gave me a cuddle then tried to go back to the corner. As she moved, I saw that she had piddled. So, clean it up, get her out of the corner, play a game. She's fine and seems happy. Another hour or so goes by. She comes tear assing into the living room over the furniture, behind the chair, through the cat post, onto the other couch. Insane dog. Then she jumps on the couch and settles in. I tell her NO and GET DOWN. Nothing, just the big brown puppy eyes. So I say NO again while pushing/pulling her off. Two seconds later, she's back on the couch. Repeat this scenario five or six times with no more than a minute between bouts and with me trying to get her to sit on her own mat instead, trying to distract her with toys (this was the whole minute interval) etc. Totally nutso. She did not have the collar on the whole day, just for about 1 hr 15 minutes. She normally doesn't wear a collar at home, so when we do put one on, she thinks we are going for a walk or in the car and gets all excited and happy dancing. Same thing happens when we later put the new collar on her. She wasn't freaked out about it, just dancing and wanting to go DO something. I'm at a loss. The vibration seems like such a great thing as it doesn't hurt, you don't have to be within arms reach so she doesn't think you pushing her or getting her attention with a hand bite to the neck is a game etc and she seemed to "get it". But then she went totally nutso later in the day. I'm not sure the two are related, but this is the craziest I've ever seen her so I thought I'd put up both concerns in one area. Also, in the past couple of days, she has totally stopped coming when we call sometimes. Doesn't even look up or pause in what she is doing. Won't come for food treats unless our other girl is there, too. Otherwise, total ignoring. What should we do?

Don't SanDisk cards come with data recovery software? You can try PhotoRescue, I've had several friends use it and they say it's great. I, thankfully have never had a card go bunk on me! There's a demo version of it you can try if you follow that link, too. Don't format or otherwise try to use that card again until you figure out if things can be saved. If you are looking for new cards, I have and use Transcend. The one that lives in my camera all the time right now is their 8GB one and it's $37 in the US I've used Transcends for years and years with not a single problem. I also have a bunch of SanDisk's of all of their types it seems and I've only ever had one problem with them (it is the only brand I've personally had fail, but even so, one out of the 15+ cards of theirs I have isn't that bad, I guess). LexarPro are also excellent cards in my experience, with no failures on this end. For me, spending twice or more cash on a card isn't worth it.

Woohoo, go Amazon Gold Box today was the 40D + 28-135 IS kit...$1060USD. I pulled the trigger :rolleyes: New toys new toys!!

Sounds like a great gift to me! But I'm biased - I love taking underwater photos and love seeing other people's, too. If you need another "cheat sheet" to get you started when you get the system, let me know - happy to help!

Great that he thinks he got some good ones! I'm sure you'll have plenty to choose from

ROFL, my bad! Remember when the $100 bill was grey? They were called Grey Nurses, at least here in WA in the diving community. We don't have a colony that I know of, but we do get a lone grey nurse a couple times a year at one of our dive sites. Actually, that's not true at all. There are about a zillion choices for underwater options with a compact digital camera and they are rated to 40m and more easily. A great number of Canon A series cameras have manufacturer housings (I use this as a baby system and also hire them out - excellent). A very good setup can be had for around $300 US camera and housing- one of the most popular at the moment is the A570. I think they are down to about $125US and the Canon housing is about $165US. I have two of these myself. Add an external strobe that can move with you when/if you want hard wired/housed DSLR and you have an extremely capable system that is affordable and small enough to actually drag around. I personally like Inon strobes with Ikelite being my second choice. You can "upgrade" to an Ikelite housing for quite a few compact cameras and this will give you a greater depth rating and the ability to use ttl with some systems and Ikelite strobes. Expect the strobe to cost more than the camera But they should last forever. Don't want to spend on a strobe? Use manual white balance. It's not quite the same, but the Canon A series in particular does a wonderful job with MWB only. The Canon G9 is also a fantastic choice for those who don't want to float the cash for housing a dslr right now. Fuji and Olympus also make models that are good, but really, Canon has the edge in this department for some reason now. Oly used to have the fantastic 5050 but they are like hen's teeth now and you will pay top dollar for them. There are also add on wet mate lenses available that are very high quality so with a compact you can get the flexibility of wide angle through super macro all in one dive - which I miss quite often while using my dslr rig LOL Want more UW info, maybe we should start another thread hehhee or just PM me...I do this every day so have a lot of geek knowledge /end hijack

Do you have a link, rubiton? That would be great! I haven't heard anything on new Australian rebates at all.

B&H is da bomb - everyone uses them and I've always had great experiences with shipping things from them. Note that they close each week to observe Jewish customs, but reopen for orders Sunday our time. You can still put stuff in your cart while they are closed, but you'll have to process later. beachcamera.com also has very good prices and range, but I have not had anything shipped from them to Australia before. They often have specials, like a free card or something, with their lenses and bodies. Adorama.com is another option - I haven't used them, but a friend here in Australia uses them regularly. sigma4less.com often has excellent prices and they ship lickety-split fast, too. I've used them quite a few times. buydig.com and newegg.com are good to have your list for electronics, too, and every now and again they offer a great deal on camera stuff - especially compact cameras. They, too, often have extras like chargers or extra cards thrown in for free with your order. Just check, if you don't use B&H, that they are an Authorised Canon Retailer if you are looking for the rebates. Sigma4Less doesn't appear to honor the rebates but their 40D, for example, is out at $954 right now anyway. BTW here's the Canon flyer so you can see if your wish list is on it: The next lot of rebates is due out around October, for those who are planning ahead

Hmm, I'll have to find my documents but I have a letter from Canon Australia saying that they do honor the warranty on my new body even though I bought it in the US. I asked last year, but haven't followed up beyond that.

Woohoo on getting the new gear I love getting new stuff but I find it hard to find time to play. I have a couple of lenses I bought last year that haven't seen nearly enough use at all. Must remedy that. All of the things I have bought from the US (bar one compact Canon A520) have the international warranties. If warranties are a concern, double check with Canon for the the most up-to-date information. I'm bad and haven't ever really worried about it - at worst I'm up for $30-$50 shipping back to a US centre, at best Canon here will deal with it. Knock wood I haven't had to deal with any warranty issues in more years than I can remember!

All prices are USD, but the Aussie dollar is strong so it's a very good time to buy. The 30D is great...the 40D is fan-freakin-tab-ulous Especially for an extra grey nurse! Lots of choices out there...these are the only body rebates available at the moment.

If anyone is looking to add a 40D or 5D to their collection, now may be the time to do it. There are some good rebates happening. They are instant so even Aussies can take advantage of the price drops 40D body only is ranging from $919 (at Canoga Camera) to about $950ish. That's an awesome price. There are also kits (40D + 28-135 IS for about $1200 ish) available for both the 40D and 5D. Even if you go over the $1000 mark for importing, you'll still be ahead of the game. If you also have a an older digital Rebel, you may be able to get an additional $50 off the 40D or 5D, too. See Canon's site for details. I had the 40D with 28-135 lens drop into my Amazon box today for a total of $1075 and I'll probably pull the trigger this afternoon on it once my friend decides which printer she wants to add to the mix Just thought I'd pass it along for those who haven't seen it.

This is both of my girls, too. No camera? Tilly will chase and run and play and cavort. Add camera. Sit and look goofy - or attempt to lick the lens :D