DMA

Some bad but also ironically good news. Alas we won't be able to present the petition tonight, for several reasons, the main one being we had to give a weeks notice before doing so instead of a 24 hour notice which I was lead to believe was the case. The good side of this is we can keep the petition open for another 3 weeks. So, once again, please tell everyone you know about the petition & get them to sign. Likewise, if you haven't done so already, please do here: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html

Some extra faces in the public gallery would be great, although I'm not doing the presentation as far as I know. Instead I'm going to be handing over the petition to a member of Dog Rescue Newcastle who, in turn, I'm told will be giving it to a councillor (although I don't know which one as yet). Pass on my "get well soon" regards to your daughter. I hope you both can make it. The council meeting is at the council chambers in Vincent Street Cessnock (cnr of Cooper St) at 6.30pm. I don't know whether you can enter via the rear carpark or the front entrance on Vincent St, or maybe both, as I've never been to one of these things before

There will be also other meetings for this Cessnock 2020 program. Alas we've missed most of them, but after the Kurri meeting, there's two more: 6pm Wednesday 17 March 2010: Mulbring Community Hall, Stone Street, Mulbring 6pm Thursday 18 March 2010: Millfield Community Hall, Crawford Avenue, Millfield I went to this thing tonight... alas there weren't too many people there, about 30 or so, & no one but I seemed interested in the pound :D But at least I got the issue mentioned, in the meeting's "minutes", & some local awareness was raised about the place. I just hope tomorrow night gets a better response when we try to present the petition to council. BTW you can still sign the petition until tomorrow afternoon when I'll print it up. So, please, if you haven't sign it yet, do it now here: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html

Only about 6 hours left now before I close the petition & print it up for presentation. EDIT: The petition will be extended to 29 March. So if you haven't signed it yet, please do so here at: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html

Only about 6 hours left now before I close the petition & print it for for presentation. So if you haven't signed it yet, please do so here at: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html

Excellent. Thank you

Thanks for signing. :D And thank you

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Just to let Kurri & Cessnock locals know, the Council is holding one of their 10 year plan meetings for their 2020 program in Kurri next Tuesday 16 March. It'll be held ay the Community Centre (ie next to the Library) on Lang St at 6pm. To quote from the Facebook group: There will be also other meetings for this Cessnock 2020 program. Alas we've missed most of them, but after the Kurri meeting, there's two more: 6pm Wednesday 17 March 2010: Mulbring Community Hall, Stone Street, Mulbring 6pm Thursday 18 March 2010: Millfield Community Hall, Crawford Avenue, Millfield

Just to let Kurri & Cessnock locals know, the Council is holding one of their 10 year plan meetings for their 2020 program in Kurri next Tuesday 16 March. It'll be held ay the Community Centre (ie next to the Library) on Lang St at 6pm. To quote from the Facebook group: There will be also other meetings for this Cessnock 2020 program. Alas we've missed most of them, but after the Kurri meeting, there's two more: 6pm Wednesday 17 March 2010: Mulbring Community Hall, Stone Street, Mulbring 6pm Thursday 18 March 2010: Millfield Community Hall, Crawford Avenue, Millfield

Excellent & thank you

Only 2 days to go...

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My next one will probably come from a pound (Kurri, Port Stephens, or Wyong), although it won't be for a while as I'm pretty well filled up here & will be for a few more years. I'd imagine the new one will be a pup/young adult & most likely a kelpie.

The Facebook group has just passed 860 members, but the petition is lagging behind & there's only 3 days left. So please sign it, if you haven't, & tell everyone you know about it. Similarly please join the Facebook group as, once the petition is closed Monday next week, the Facebook group will obviously continue. And the more members of that group, in supporting the petition & continuing the pressure on council, the better. Link for petition: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html Link for Facebook group: http://apps.facebook.com/causes/445182/117945782?m=71bb3202

Which are good points, especially when we're recommending a DSLR to a first timer, in the price range that MavericksMission budgeted.

Oh I keep getting FOD/DOF back the front. Seriously I do it all the time. Call me dyslectic... Yes I was trying to keep my explaination "basic", even though the issue isn't, so please forgive the exact technical details over whether it was 1.3/1.4/1.6. But I was lead to believe it was 1.4 magnification, for almost everyone else, apart from the 1D's & D3's of this world. Anyways forgive that mistake. Now I know we're OT so I'll keep is short. Because fourthirds has this magnification bias, fourthirds will always, given the same thing is done with lens, aperture, etc, with a non-fourthirds camera, the focal length will be inheritably greater on the fourthirds camera due to the greater magnification bias. Consequentially it'll have more DOF as a result. Furthermore, regardless what a non-fourthirds camera operator tries to do to overtake a fourthirds camera operator, in respect to DOF, if the fourthirds camera person duplicates the same settings, using the same length lens, the fourthirds camera will always give more DOF. And, for the record, I've never understood the circle of confusion business, to be honest, even after 39 years of photography :D Rather I just do distance to subject, focal length, & aperture calculation. So to get back on topic, MavericksMission if you don't want the Depth of Field effect, or you want it limited, don't get Olympus. Otherwise consider it if you do love Depth of Field

I don't understand this...can you explain please? Really? I thought it was "notorious" in respect to the four-thirds system due to the x2 magnification effect by the very basis of the fourthirds system, ie over exaggerated focal length that's automatically inherent in every E system & the Panasonic equivalent(s). Huh? You can change the depth of field dramatically on every DSLR just by changing the aperture and/or lens (as not all lenses will accommodate as shallow a depth of field as other lenses). I'm aware of that, but the fourthirds system is biased towards FOD before you make the appropriate changes. In other words, fourthirds is x2 magnifcation over film, whilst everyone else I know is x1.4 magnification. Consequentially the focal length, a major calculation for FOD as it's just not aperture, of fourthirds means to say, before a photo is even taken, has fourthirds already 0.6 biased over everyone else. In other words, if you've got your 1000D with 100mm lens, whilst I've got my E-30 with the same focal length, what really happens is your lens is 140mm & mine is 200mm. Then comes the following FOD aspects: g = object distance b = image distance f = focal length k = aperture number (f number) z = circle of confusion diameter So if everything is exactly the same, I will nonetheless get greater FOD because the E-30 has the 0.6 bias by the very nature of the fourthirds system. And admittedly I've gone completely Sorry

I don't understand this...can you explain please? Really? I thought it was "notorious" in respect to the four-thirds system due to the x2 magnification effect by the very basis of the fourthirds system, ie over exaggerated focal length that's automatically inherent in every E system & the Panasonic equivalent(s).

As SchnauzerBoy said, read around a number of the review sites. The one I respect the most is dpreview. They can be found here: http://www.dpreview.com/ They basically review everything, not just bodies but also lenses. If you're looking at an internet purchase then don't forget eBay. There are some good stores there both domestic & international. Just a warning about international purchases though - any over $1 000au is likely to get both an import duty & GST added. So what may look like a bargan will end up no better than if you bought from a local eBay dealer. Having said that I've gotten some great bargans internationally, including my E-30 & 12-60mm lens, whilst I got my E-420 kit for $500 & my 18-180mm lens for also $500 locally. Other than eBay (& the online shops lised by SchnauzerBoy), give JB hifi a serious look. They can be found here: http://www.jbhifi.com.au/photo/digital-cameras/ Personally I wouldn't touch Harvey Normal with a 10 foot cattleprod as they'll worm their way out of their warranty give half a chance. It cost me a $1 000 computer earlier this year & I'll have nothing to do with them, or any of their subsidiaries, ever again. I won't join the "oh buy my brand bandwagon" as, IMHO, one mid-range DSLR brand is just about as good as anyone elses. So you've got Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Nikon & Canon all offering very good product in repsect to the budget you've got. All have their strengths & weaknesses. What I'd recommend is going to a camera shop & picking them up, get a feel for them, check out how easy/complicated they are to operate, then buy the one you like the best (albeit maybe not at the shop but online ). What I will also suggest is don't get a level entry camera, given what you've said what you want to do with it. Not only will you find it wanting, but you'll then have to spend a lot more money getting the camera you will be satisfied with. So here's a few more DSLRs to consider that haven't been mentioned already: Olympus E-620 or the E-30. If you love the "field of depth" effect, with photography, get Olympus. Sony Alpha α 500 or a 700. Pentax K-7

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Thanks It's greatly appreciated

We've just hit 800 signatures, but given what Frankie has said above, council needs to be reminded we animal lovers demand better. So another 200 signatures, if not many more, are still needed. Needless to say, if you haven't signed the petition already, please do so here: http://www.gopetition.com.au/petitions/ces...imal-pound.html And don't forget to tell everyone you know