I have a pair of Sigma lenses on my Minolta Maxxum STsi. One is a 70-300mm
DL Macro Super (1:4-5.6), the other is a 28-80mm Sigma Zoom Macro
(1:3.5-5.6).
Yes, I am a small-time hobbiest with a limited knowledge base on the

Just wondering--
Anyone know why some of the kit lenses (18-55mm) that come with these
two cameras are shown as "USM" (ultrasonic focusing motor) and some are
not??

Haven't read here for a while.  Wondered when all this would surface
here.  Well, it has and it won't go away, so maybe some clarification is
in order.
This whole subject is what happens when the tech geeks and the arty

This morning, I took an old slide projector lens & held it to the front
of my 200mm on a D70 for these almost 1:1 macros:
<http://www.edgehill.net/1/?SC=go.php&DIR=California/Bay-Area/San-Francisco/our-g
arden/more/2005-01-05-macro&PG=1&PIC=1>
Maybe not the best quality but pretty ...

Let's save these boards for the great technical help they provide and place
our rants and chants about Phase One / Capture One shortfalls and
deficiencies in one convenient place:
http://www.voy.com/189989/

Does anyone know what the specifications are for the Canon BP-511
battery that's used in the EOS 300D (Rebel) and - I believe - in some
others?  I know the voltage but what about the current requirements?
And what are the "B" and "D" contacts on the case for?  There's no

What does 'IF' stand for on Nikon lenses?
Mine just says ED but I don't see that described elsewhere.

Greetings All...
I have made the jump from Canon FD (T90, 300/f4, etc...) to the EOS 20D.
I think I understand the crop factor and why it produces relative
magnification.  But, I'm still a little fuzzy on what manifests itself in

Okay, I am going to finally go with a decent DSLR.  I have been using an F5
for the last 5 years or so, with an N80 as a pathetic backup body (AF sucks
hard on it after getting used to the F5).
BTW, I am not dumping the 35mm equipment, at least not yet, so I am not

I like to do some macro shooting but I really don't want to go out &
spend $650 on a special lense, mostly because I wouldn't want to keep
switching the way I shoot I do both out in the field. I'm looking for a
middle point here & I really don't understand optics enough to have a ...

Ok, lets say I know nothing about using partial, centre-weighted or
spot meter and I still want to get the correct exposure. Also, I know
nothing about the zone system.
Would you say, I can achieve the same results by bracketing? Take five

As above just over a year old, very nice camera.
Upgrading to a 10D
2 x Battery,
Battery Charger,

I've run into two people who had lock up problems,
one person who had a weird problem where downloading
long exposure images took as long as the images took
to aquire and now I'm hearing the camera has focusing

I was reading the dpreview of the C-8080 non-DSLR and they mentioned
how they used the same lens "quality" as the E-1 DSLR.  The lens on
the C-8080 uses 3 ED elements, 2 aspheric, etc.  Then I looked at the
price of the E-300 lenses versus the E-1 lenses, they are about 1/3rd

Ever notice how a long distance shot doesn't
ever look as sharp as a close-up shot?
It's got to be some kind of optical illusion
because lenses (I believe) are optimized for