Ripley

Thanks Wags. Hope to get better shots this year if more than 2 show up this time There is a guy who runs a Cat out of Sydney too. His name is Hal. He leaves from Rose Bay wharf at 7am the second Saturday of each month. Lots of birders do this as well as wildlife watchers from all over the world. It's not a big boat but perfect for the trip as it's a fast cat. He goes 2-2.5 hours off the coast to the continental shelf. I did his pelagic birding trip in Nov 09 and would love to go again this year. Here are a few pics of what we saw, corvus. Yes, they are bloody big birds out there and so majestic. Fortunately we had calm, sunny conditions. Saw cape petrels and a wandering albatross too Black petrel Juvenile albatross - not sure what species - Royal? Black Brown? Adult Albatross shearwaters off the back of the boat and a pod of Sperm Whales showed up on the pelagic bird trip too - but they were pretty shy and all I got was the tail as one of them buggered off - very quickly! eta: Here is the pelagic boat trip that departs Sydney each month. If you look on their site they list Orcas as well as other whales that can be seen. It's just a fun day out - I went by myself and everyone is nice and friendly. http://www.sydneypelagics.info/

I went out of Sydney last October when the whales were heading back down the coast to Antarctica for summer. The water in Sydney is a very dark blue compared to Hervey Bay. I saw whales in Hervey Bay almost a decade ago, they approached the boat then. The whales in Sydney weren't interested in interacting, I think they just wanted to head home for summer. I'm yet to get a shot I'm happy with so I'll go again this year to try and get better ones. I did love it though as it's challenging to try and take a sharp enough shot with the boat lolling about in a swell. These were taken with a 300mm lens Humpback tail Humpback calf breaching A beautiful albatross decided to cruise by the boat that day too

Details here, greytpets. I'll be going to the Sydney one with a number of friends http://www.nationaldayofactiontoendliveexport.com.au/

Lying flat on my back on crushed coral to take a photo of a sea eagle who decided to hover right above me - got a sharp shot though so that's all that matters. Worth some discomfort. Earlier this year I waded in up to my waist in the sea with my camera around my neck to get a photo looking back to the island we were staying on. It was a lagoon, so the water was dead calm with a sandy bottom. It wasn't the sensible thing to do as if I lost my footing, it would have been goodbye to my DSLR and an expensive wide angle lens. eta: I was chased by an inquisitive seal when taking photos of them near a waterfall in NZ. I wasn't worried about the seal approaching me, he was after my tripod and camera! I had to grab my tripod and scramble over wet rocks. My avatar is a photo of sharks I took while snorkelling, I swam up to them and couldn't fit them all in the shot (just a point and shoot). I looked behind me and was surrounded by a lot of them and more approaching, lol. Fortunately they are used to snorkellers and divers Forgot to add the huge bruises on shins and seasickness from being banged up against various hard objects in a swell on a boat.

I shoot wild birds mainly (with a lens that is) and find my 300mm long enough - I've got the Canon 300mm prime. If the bird is particularly skittish, I will attach a 1.4 teleconverter but then it makes the lens heavy and slows down the AF and I hate using a monopod. It's the lens I use the most. I bought a neoprane camo cover for it so it doesn't stick out like a hand of sore fingers, being a white lens. It makes my lens look like a tree branch when it's on Today I'm editing some photos from last year I took with this lens and I can't believe how sharp it is using it hand held - but it's a prime so I shouldn't be surprised. I've taken photos using it hand held from a rolling boat in a swell and they are still sharp - I love it. I'm sure the Nikon equivalent, if there is one, would be the same if not better. Good luck with your decision - have you considered a Sigma lens? Their telephotos get good reviews and they are probably a lot less expensive than a Nikon. I considered a Sigma lens, I think it was the 120-400 with OS but decided on a Canon and don't regret the extra I paid for it as I use it the most. eta: Decide what you like taking photos of the most. For me, it's only nature photography so I needed a telephoto and a wide angle. I have a Sigma 10-20mm but admit I rarely use it. Now if only I had the time to finish a backlog of photos that are just sitting on my drive doing nothing.

There is a video of him from a US news report. In it, he is carried around like a helpless baby. Visits of him to the nursing home in this too http://arbroath.blogspot.com/2011/04/woman...ion-fights.html OMG I think I spotted baby talc next to his blue rug

Oh no, poor Cassi. Hate is a very negative emotion but I can't help but feel nothing but hate for people who do this to wildlife for fun. He must have a brain the size of a pea.

Poor little tragic roo. Here's an an update: AN American woman fighting to keep her paralysed pet kangaroo in Oklahoma has been told she needs to take out a $US50,000 ($A47,565) insurance policy and can't take her roo out in public unless it's in a cage or restraints. Christie Carr is seeking an exemption from the Broken Arrow City Council to keep Irwin, a red kangaroo that she cares for much like a child. Irwin, who is named after the late "crocodile hunter" Steve Irwin, rides in a car seat, is dressed in a shirt and pants each day and is rarely away from his doting caretaker. Last night, the council said it would amend its exotic animal act to allow Ms Carr to keep the kangaroo as a pet but only if certain requirements were met, the Tulsa World newspaper reported on its website. The council, worried the animal could injure someone, has stipulated that Ms Carr must buy a $US50,000 insurance policy. "If I could afford to throw away money like that, I could afford to move out of town," Ms Carr told the council last night, according to the Tulsa World. The new rules would also prevent Ms Carr from having the kangaroo with her in public places and on streets or footpaths unless the animal is in a cage or restraints. Councillors plan to adopt the amendments at their next meeting, which is on May 3. Following yesterday's meeting, Ms Carr called the requirements extreme and said she would have to move because she couldn't afford the insurance. "Also, Irwin can't be in a cage," she said. "They want to discuss animal cruelty - that is about as cruel as you can get for a disabled animal." Along with the insurance policy, Ms Carr would have to have certifications that Irwin has a proper enclosure, habitat and vaccinations. She would have to comply with federal and state animal laws, have no animal-ordinance violations and pay a $US100 ($A95) fee to the city every year. City Manager Dave Wooden said the issue had brought unique challenges. "On the one hand, you have an individual who is emotionally tied to an animal that is not normally considered a domestic pet. On the other hand, you have a wild animal living in the city, and there's no guarantee that animal may not convert to its natural tendencies and harm either its owner or someone else," he told the paper. A council staff report said some of the feedback the city received from Australia criticised the way Carr dressed the kangaroo in clothes and exposed him to an environment more consistent with the raising of humans rather than animals, the newspaper said. Ms Carr told the council that some of the comments from Australia were from animal radicals who had sent her threats and degrading comments. "You're talking about a country that mass murders its kangaroos," she said, speaking of the legality of kangaroo hunting in Australia. Ms Carr was a volunteer at a local animal sanctuary when she met Irwin, who had run into a fence post and suffered a broken neck and brain injury that left him paralysed. Ms Carr volunteered to take young kangaroo home and, while nursing him back to health, developed a bond. Irwin cannot stand or walk on his own, although he is slowly gaining back mobility and can hop three or four times in a row with assistance, she said. The one-year-old roo never leaves Ms Carr's side for more than an hour, often accompanying her on errands and going out to eat. Read more: http://www.news.com.au/world/irwin-the-roo...2#ixzz1K3PVzSrL

Is animal cruelty on the rise or is it just the internet means we hear about it in the media more and via social networking? Just yesterday a pack of cruel teenagers threw rocks at a nesting female swan in a Melbourne park, leaving her with a large gash in her head which killed her. Just for fun. They ran away and you can be they wouldn't be charged with anything if caught or made to do community service. I doubt if anything would happen and now a beautiful swan is dead and her mate is alone. The dead female swan's male partner is now on the nest and if the eggs hatch, he will have to raise the cygnets alone - he may even starve to death before they hatch as he can't leave the nest. Also, there was that incident over Christmas where a teenager purposely mowed down a black swan on his jetski for fun in a Gold Coast canal (swan is still recoving at Currumbin sanctuary on the Gold Coast and may not be fit for release, such is her injured leg). about the swan yesterday: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/swan-gri...0407-1d4sf.html

What colour did you get? I got blue. I didn't notice its weight. My pocket camera was 4 years old and probably pretty heavy compared to today's pocket ones. I've just pulled it out of the cupboard and now you mention it, it is a bit of a clunker. I find it the same size as a lot of other point and shoots though and I'd chuck it in my handbag no probs. The battery is flat in it or I'd tell you how I got to turn the beep off! Just keep playing with and and you will find it. I love how you don't need an underwater casing for it. I scrolled through the menus and managed to turn the beep off. I can't remember how, just keep scrolling and you'll find it. That 'hand' symbol is the stabiliser. If you have that symbol displayed, it counteracts a bit of camera shake. I've taken shots on 'beach mode; 'sunset' for sunsets - it makes the colours punchy; landscape for outdoor pics as it will give you nice blues and greens. I don't edit my shots out of this camera either as you don't have to. There is a mode called night portrait and I used this to take a self portrait and was very happy with how it came out straight out of camera - I used the face detection mode with it, photo is now my FB profile pic. The self timer gives you about 10 second to get into place. I'm very, very happy with my TS2, I hope you like it. I bought mine for snorkelling and as a take anywhere camera. Going to take it hiking next week and leave the DSLR at home. It has a wide angle lens on it which I really like. eta: there are different focus modes and you need to find out which is the best one to use for what you are photographing by scrolling through and trying them out (I agree the instruction manual is just hopeless). I was trying to take photos of sharks swimming about and it wasn't until I fiddled with the camera's focus section, selected the correct mode that I was able to get sharp shots. Mostly this was just by using the centre focus point only, which is what I use on my DSLR when I'm photographing birds in flight.

100% crop of above photo eta: not bad for @ 100% little point and shoot I think (not sharpened in PS, just cropped)

Then you will be very happy with it I think. Let me find one, I think I took a couple with it on land. I bought mine for snorkelling. Taken from a speeding boat

Sorry, didn't answer your questions Pros: HD video which looks pretty good, wide angle Leica lens which is good. Drop proof (from 2m it says). No underwater casing needed Cons: Not as user friendly as I would have liked when you don't read the manual first It doesn't take ages to shoot a frame at all. You can put it on high burst mode, but I never did. Sharks weren't swimming that fast, just checking us out. Getting stuff in focus while snorkelling is something I need to practise.

I bought the Panasonic TS2 (your first choice above) from B&H just before Christmas. I received it within 3-4 days. I used it for the first time the other week as I bought it for snorkelling It's waterproof to 10 metres, but I would only take it snorkelling, I didn't take it on scuba. I mostly used it for videos. It takes videos in HD and they look pretty clear straight out of camera when played on the tv or the laptop. So I mostly used it for videos, but did take a few photos with it when I couldn't be bothered lugging my DSLR around, it was always on me. The longest video I took with it was just over 2 mins and undewater. Battery life is ok and I bought an 8G card for it. I don't have practise swimming on snorkel while holding a camera out in front of me and sometimes I couldn't see where I was aiming due to the sunlight, but here are a few photos from the Panasonic TS2. I didn't read the manual (I should have) and later found there is an AF tracking mode I should have used for shooting moving objects - I had large moving object all around me here. Next time I will not use Auto ISO either. You can set ISO but I didn't play with the settings much as who wants to do that on holiday. Here are a few pics from it (these have only had minor edits (crop, levels, sharpen for web) because I had the camera on 'underwater' mode (and I'm trying to save my time for editing all the pics I took with my DLSR instead). Underwater mode, Auto ISO for all of these (this one I lay down on the jetty and held the camera under the water) Re the focusing, it has a wide angle lens but this is what happens when you don't have all AF points selected! This was taken on 'sunset' scene mode which saturates colours (this photo is straight out of camera) Landscape mode saturates blues/greens I think you will really like this camera, I've read the manual now

How awful. I too hate jetskis. Loathe them in fact. One person's fun ruins it for everyone else around them trying to enjoy the river, lake, beach etc.

Update on her here. Currumbin Sanctuary has a FB page. They are asking for donations - in a fair world, the cruel @### who ran her down should pay for her vet bills. Jet skis got (thankfully) banned on Sydney harbour due to a few rednecks harrassing the penguin colony some years ago. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Currumbin-Wi...ll&viewas=0 eta: They have named her Cassie. the vet on youtube talking about her injuries and treatment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_qTZTkzYKg...player_embedded

What a charming man he is pushing over a 72 year old woman. Too many of the endangered colony of little penguins get killed by dogs. From SMH today "A GRANDSON of the Wild Oats XI owner Bob Oatley has been charged after an alleged assault on an elderly penguin warden who was trying to prevent a dog attack at Manly Cove on Saturday night - only weeks after seven penguins were killed by a dog in the area. James Oatley, 27, of Mosman, was allegedly among a group of people on a boat that was pulling into the beach about 9pm. It is alleged he jumped off the boat and was followed by a large, short-haired dog believed to belong to the boat's skipper. As soon as the dog was on the beach it started running towards a female penguin that was making its way to its mate, which was nesting further up the beach. Angelika Treichler was guarding the penguin with a fellow penguin warden, Johnyth Burton. ''I put myself between the penguin and the dog,'' she said. ''I was running up and down the beach and the dog was trying to get past me.'' The dog seemed to think it was a game, said one of about 100 people who were watching the scene. ''The dog thought everyone was playing because the ladies where chasing it,'' said a local resident who did not want to be identified. The wardens said they asked Mr Oatley and the dog's owner to put the dog on a leash, explaining they might be fined for letting their dog run on the beach. Once the dog had been controlled, Mrs Burton went to talk to Mr Oatley and both wardens started taking photographs of the men and the scene. It is alleged that Mr Oatley became aggressive, initially splashing water on to Mrs Burton, 72, to prevent her taking photos, then pushing her so she fell backwards on to the sand. Onlookers came to her aid and she was badly shaken and resting in bed last night but did not have any serious injuries. Ms Treichler said there were only five pairs of penguins left in the area and they had kept a low profile since seven of them were killed in a dog attack last month. In mid-December Manly Council voted to establish tighter controls and improve the fencing to protect the endangered colony. The council called on the Environment Department to declare the area a ''critical habitat'' and called for a ''zero-tolerance'' approach for infringements. ''We lose penguins all the time - that's why they are not increasing,'' Ms Treichler said. ''In the '50s we had hundreds of penguins. For [some] human beings their lifestyle seems to be more important than the penguins.'' Police arrived moments after the alleged assault. They arrested the man and breath-tested the boat's skipper. Mr Oatley has been charged with common assault and is due to appear in Manly Local Court on January 27. The boat's owner, 27, of Manly, has been charged with drink-driving while in charge of a boat. The Oatley family endured a protest hearing before Wild Oats XI was confirmed as the winner of the Sydney to Hobart for the fifth time in six years. A claim that the yacht had improperly used a radio during the race was dismissed.

He looks like you've sprung him emerging from the shower in that shot. I love birds of prey and he's adorable. Hope the release goes smoothly. eta: I went to a bird of prey rehabilitation hospital a couple of years back, so many raptors get injured due to man, some were even shot at and can't fly anymore but they weren't put down, they were out on stands in a huge barn and get taken outside in the fresh air daily, the volunteers let them catch their food as they were once wild. They had a barn owl in who was going to be released, just gorgeous. The manager took him outside for me so I could take a photo (I cropped out her hand holding him) Then they had a snowy owl there, they aren't native to the UK so I'm not sure why he was there, but he gave me this look when I took a photo of him in his barn.

What Linda said. I've used mirror lock up (and a cable release) for night photo and other long exposures (plus a cable release) to avoid mirror slap but only recently. On long exposures I think it's a good idea.

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I remember years ago, Princess Anne was fined after her dog attacked a couple of kids. She went to court over it, first Royal to do so I think. and then the same dog went on to kill one of her mother's corgis eta: Found article from the BBC's site here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3345585.stm Anne's dog kills Queen's corgi "One of the Queen's corgis has been put down after being savaged by an English bull terrier owned by Princess Anne. The attack is thought to have happened on Monday, when the corgis ran out to greet the Princess Royal as she arrived at Sandringham for Christmas. Princess Anne was convicted under the Dangerous Dogs Act last year after the same dog attacked two children. BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell said the future of the dog, called Dotty, is now being reviewed. Oldest and dearest The Queen is said to be devastated by the death of her corgi. It is thought it was Pharos, one of her oldest and dearest pets. Although Buckingham Palace is not saying anything about the incident formally, the Queen is reported to have joined her daughter and royal footmen in trying to separate the dogs. But Pharos had been badly injured and had to be put down yesterday. The Queen's love for her corgis is well known and they were last seen in public milling around the feet of England's World Cup rugby stars at a Buckingham Palace reception earlier this month. Princess Anne appeared before magistrates last November and pleaded guilty to a charge that one of her dogs attacked two children in Windsor Great Park. In that attack Dotty left a 12-year-old boy with a bite on the collarbone and two bites to the left leg. Princess Anne told a court the dog was good natured Anne was fined £500 and ordered to pay £500 compensation to the children and £148 in court costs. She was told to organise training for Dotty, to keep her on a lead in public places and that the dog could be put down if there were similar attacks. The children's parents were angry that the princess escaped with a fine and Dotty was not put down. They said: "We do not think justice has been done. The dog is still free and is a danger to society." The penalties for the offence can include a £5,000 fine, six months imprisonment and the animal being destroyed. The princess' defence said Dotty was a good natured dog "lacking in malice". Re the Royals and their animal charities, Prince Charles is helping protect the Wandering Albatross for the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) and has written to governments in other countries about reducing the number of fatalities of this beautiful creature on long line fishing boats, he also narrated a documentary on their plight.

There was a review of it in some mag I was flicking through and the only negative thing the photographer had to say about it was "I don't have one in my kit bag". I needed it asap so I knew they would get it to me within the week, they are that good with service. However, now my husband has had a car accident and stuffed his back for a while, we have to postpone our trip for a while so it's not going to get wet for a little while yet.

I just bought this from B&H New York as a Christmas present to myself. Ordered it on Sunday, had it arrive at work yesterday using their normal courier/mail service. Looking forward to using it underwater, it's waterproof to 10 metres but I bought it for snorkelling mainly. I bought it in blue colour. It was USD$260 which was cheaper than buying it here, even when I added the postage. "The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 is a compact 14.1-Megapixel digital camera with a 28mm 4.6x Leica optical zoom lens designed for people with an active lifestyle. The camera is waterproof to 33' (10m), shockproof to 6.6' (2m), freezeproof to 14°f (-10°c), and dustproof. This makes the camera perfect for beach going, swimming, skiing, climbing, hiking or any other outdoor activity, or tough environment. Setting the camera for the perfect photo is easy with Beach, Surf, Snow, & Sports modes. The camera has features that allow you to capture all the high-speed action. The camera has a fast start-up time and short release time lag so you do not miss the shot, while Sonic Speed AF and Optical Image Stabilization will keep your images sharp. If the image is better captured in motion, the camera can take HD movies. If it is starting to get dark, the camera even has a built-in LED light for capturing video. All of these features make the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 the take-with-you-everywhere camera, no matter where you go or what you do." I've bought several things off B&H NY's site, including a 30D back in 2008. Their service is great.

Thanks. Bridge in CS3 has the same raw converter minus the adjustment brush and things like that, which I can easily do in PS anyway so if it keeps crashing, I'll just convert these photos in Bridge, I don't have a pile of photos to edit thank god.

Imported some photos I took in late October straight from my camera onto LR. My husband has disconnected the other drive he's moved all my photos too so I loaded the photos up on C drive but there were only 30 of them, in RAW though. Then I tried to develop them and it kept crashing. I think I'll have to load them on the other drive tomorrow, which has a lot of space, and get him to reconnect it, loading my pics onto C is making it crash. kja, I had nothing else open so I think it's my C drive. I will load them on the other drive when I get him to reconnect it. I think that's the problem.