Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 ED Scanner - First Impressions - Page 5

ste © wrote:

> Yes, I'm going to try losing weight, getting a six-pack, and going on the sun-beds to see if it
> cures the problem... ;-)

Forget the sun-beds, climb some mountains instead, regularly!

Paul
--
Calendars for 2004
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk/cal/cal.html
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.photosig.com/go/users/userphotos?id=118749

"Mike Clark" <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:ant301608965Pk=+@mrc7acorn1.path.cam.ac.uk...
| In article <pVgIb.1837$1D7.15665256@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste ©
| <URL:mailto:ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:
|
| > "Pat Bennett" <pat@cheshirewildlifeNOSPAM.co.uk> wrote in message
| > news:3ff1ee2c.595419@usenet.force9.net...
| > > On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:45:49 GMT, "ste ©" <ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:

<snip>

| > The location was fine as it wasn't far from my bedroom window (downstairs bedroom). It's just
| > the patience that was thin on the ground, and birds! I'll buy another feeder and keep going. I
| > might even buy a bird table or something. I'll let you know how I get on.
|
| The birds in my garden are now so tame that you almost get mobbed whilst putting the food out.
| Certainly many of them only fly away to the fence or bushes and wait for you to move away again,
| before returning to feed. In the breeding season we feed with waxworms and mealworms and the robin
| will then even come and take them from your hand.

Your birds sound like they react in the same way as pigeons in the city centre! (there's an idea, go
to town with the camera...!) I wish the birds in my garden were as tame, I guess that some work and
patience might do the trick.

<snip>

| > > Have a variety - nuts, seeds and fat balls will attract a range of birds.
|
| > I will do, thanks.
|
| I've found that if I put out too many peanuts that they go mouldy before the birds eat them all.

That's exactly what happened to mine, at least I'm not the only one.

| In contrast I can't put out sunflower seeds fast enough. We have about 10 regular Greenfinches
| that can empty a full feeder in a day. What gets dropped on the ground gets demolished by
| Chaffinchs. In the last eighteen months I've attracted Goldfinches with nijar seed but that did
| take some patience. Now we get about 10 of those a day, and my record was 27 at one time.
|
| Blackbirds will like fruit, such as a chopped up apple put on the ground.

It sounds like you've got your garden-bird-watching system set up nicely! And you're not the first
person to suggest sunflower seeds, so they sound like they're definitely the way to go! I never got
out to any shops after work this evening, but I'll probably get some at the weekend to start myself
off. The fruit shouldn't be a problem - I'm sure my mum won't mind me stealing a few of her Golden
Delicious every now and again.

| > > > And is it worth trying at this time of year, are there many birds about? I don't remember
| > > > seeing many recently, but saying that, it's dark when I get home from work during the week
| > > > so I wouldn't! And I tend to go away each weekend, but I will get the chance to try again
| > > > some time, and will post my results to show you all what I manged!
|
| > > Best time of year - we are getting a lot of birds on our feeders at the moment.
|
| > Really? That's good news then! I might even try and get a new feeder tonight when I get home
| > from work.
|
| I've been collecting weekly data from my garden for the BTO for about 4 years now. The types and
| numbers of birds vary quite predictably with the weather and time of year. Take a look at
|
| <URL:http://www.bto.org/>
|
| particularly the Garden Birdwatch pages which have the collated data from the surveys. If you look
| up your region you can see what to expect at what times of the year in your garden.

Thanks for the link. I'm not particularly keen to just spot birds, but as I like photography and I
think bird photos are really nice, I can see myself getting to know a lot of these breeds before
long! A quick check on the regional ranking page for quarter 4 of 2003 for the North West tells me
that I should be seeing plenty of Blue Tits, Robins, and Blackbirds; amongst a list of others. A lot
of these bird names are foreign to me, but as I get photos of them, I'll soon identify them.

| Mike

Ste

"W. D. Grey" <Bill@graigroad.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news8MISBBvpc8$EwCu@graigroad.demon.co.uk...
| In article <pVgIb.1837$1D7.15665256@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste © <ste@sm9.co.uk> writes
| > I might even buy a bird table or something. I'll let you know how I get on.
|
| Go to your local "Pound" shop and buy a cheap tray and fix it to the top of a post. Cheaper than
| buying a proper bird table.
| --
| Bill Grey

This is an option, thanks, and certainly prefereble to paying for one at the garden centre. Also,
I'm sure we've got some scraps of wood in the garden that I could use. I remember my dad making a
bird table a few years ago (it was terrible!), but it was made from off-cuts of tree's, so it would
certainly look the part. I'll see what I can find on Thursday (my next day off at home, in
daylight!)

Thanks,

Ste

"Paul Saunders" <pvs1@wildwales.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in message
news:bstepq$m96$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk...
> ste © wrote:
>
> > Yes, I'm going to try losing weight, getting a six-pack, and going on the sun-beds to see if it
> > cures the problem... ;-)
>
> Forget the sun-beds, climb some mountains instead, regularly!

I was just kidding about the sun-beds of course, I'll leave them for the ladies and pretty-boys!
Climb a mountain? Sorry, can't do that, I'm too busy eating chocolate and sitting at my
computer! ;-)

> Paul

Ste

ste © wrote:
> nicely! And you're not the first person to suggest sunflower seeds, so they sound like they're
> definitely the way to go! I never got out to any shops after work this evening, but I'll probably
> get some at the weekend to start myself off.

If you have Coal Tits in the garden you will have sunflowers coming up all over the place and so
will your neighbours. They like to eat some and plant the rest in every bit of soil they can find

You might want to try here for seed, I use the "Feeder Mix", attracts all kinds of birds, I've even
seen the odd goldfinch.

http://www.thebirdtable.co.uk/shop/afseedfeeders.htm

--
Don`t Worry, Be Happy

Sandy
--

E-Mail:- news@ftscotland.co.uk Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk IRC:- Sandyb in #rabble
uk3.arcnet.vapor.com Port:6667 #Rabble Channel Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/rabbled
ICQ : 41266150

"Gordon" <Gordon@g3snx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:fuZ$QiA$ce8$EwFq@g3snx.demon.co.uk...
| Mike Clark <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote
| >
| >The birds in my garden are now so tame that you almost get mobbed whilst putting the food out.
| >Certainly many of them only fly away to the fence or bushes and wait for you to move away again,
| >before returning to feed. In the breeding season we feed with waxworms and mealworms and the
| >robin will then even come and take them from your hand.
|
| We were in a country park on Tuesday where we feed the birds and watch them, when a robin landed
| on a fallen tree a few yards away. We stopped, and I threw some bread towards it from a crouching
| position, but as I did so another robin flew out of a bush and landed about two feet from me! I
| also had some crushed nuts (ouch - painful!) with me and again the robin almost took it from my
| hand as I sprinkled some in front of the bush.

I was at Ulley Country Park in Rotherham last weekend, and we seen a Robin land on some branches. I
walked a bit closer to try and make it a decent size within my frame, but it flew off,
unfortunately. I did get a photo of it, but it's from a distance. I'll upload it tomorrow and let
you know. I should carry bait around with me in future, some of those sunflower seeds should do the
trick! ;-)

<snip>

| --
| Gordon

Ste

In article <fuZ$QiA$ce8$EwFq@g3snx.demon.co.uk>, Gordon
<URL:mailto:Gordon@g3snx.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> Mike Clark <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote

> Haven't tried fruit, but where do you get the mealy worms? Angler's shops or pet shops?

I order the mealworms and waxworms online from CJ WildBird foods

<URL:http://www.birdfood.co.uk/>

I don't think they are quite the same as the bait you commonly get from angling shops.
Certainly the mealworms are fed on bran and don't smell like meat eating maggots would after a
few days in the warm!

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark <\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing, "> ||
_`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and ` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

In article <wtmIb.2155$jt2.18560119@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste ©
<URL:mailto:ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:
>
> "Mike Clark" <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote in message news:ant301608965Pk=+@mrc7acorn1.path.cam.ac.uk...
> | In article <pVgIb.1837$1D7.15665256@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste © <URL:mailto:ste@sm9.co.uk>
> | wrote:
> |
> | > "Pat Bennett" <pat@cheshirewildlifeNOSPAM.co.uk> wrote in message
> | > news:3ff1ee2c.595419@usenet.force9.net...
> | > > On Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:45:49 GMT, "ste ©" <ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:
>
> <snip>
>
> | > The location was fine as it wasn't far from my bedroom window (downstairs bedroom). It's just
> | > the patience that was thin on the ground, and birds! I'll buy another feeder and keep going. I
> | > might even buy a bird table or something. I'll let you know how I get on.
> |
> | The birds in my garden are now so tame that you almost get mobbed whilst putting the food out.
> | Certainly many of them only fly away to the fence or bushes and wait for you to move away again,
> | before returning to feed. In the breeding season we feed with waxworms and mealworms and the
> | robin will then even come and take them from your hand.
>
> Your birds sound like they react in the same way as pigeons in the city centre! (there's an idea,
> go to town with the camera...!) I wish the birds in my garden were as tame, I guess that some work
> and patience might do the trick.
>
>

Yes the point is to put out the food on a regular basis and at about the same time each day.

[snip]
> |
> | I've found that if I put out too many peanuts that they go mouldy before the birds eat them all.
>
> That's exactly what happened to mine, at least I'm not the only one.
>

Fat balls seem to work better at attracting the tits and starlings, than do the peanuts. Peanuts
seem to attract our local grey squirrels.

>
> > In contrast I can't put out sunflower seeds fast enough. We have about 10 regular Greenfinches
> > that can empty a full feeder in a day. What gets dropped on the ground gets demolished by
> > Chaffinchs. In the last eighteen months I've attracted Goldfinches with nijar seed but that did
> > take some patience. Now we get about 10 of those a day, and my record was 27 at one time.
> |
> | Blackbirds will like fruit, such as a chopped up apple put on the ground.
>
> It sounds like you've got your garden-bird-watching system set up nicely! And you're not the first
> person to suggest sunflower seeds, so they sound like they're definitely the way to go! I never
> got out to any shops after work this evening, but I'll probably get some at the weekend to start
> myself off.

Black sunflower seeds will attract the Greenfinchs, possibly sparrows and also blue and great tits.
You can also get mixed seeds which can be put on a bird table or on the ground to attract ground
feeding birds such as dunnocks, chaffinchs and blackbirds.

> The fruit shouldn't be a problem - I'm sure my mum won't mind me stealing a few of her Golden
> Delicious every now and again.
>

The birds aren't fussy and quite like the old bruised apples that you might decide not to
eat yourself.

>
> > > > > And is it worth trying at this time of year, are there many birds about? I don't remember
> > > > > seeing many recently, but saying that, it's dark when I get home from work during the week
> > > > > so I wouldn't! And I tend to go away each weekend, but I will get the chance to try again
> > > > > some time, and will post my results to show you all what I manged!
> |
> | > > Best time of year - we are getting a lot of birds on our feeders at the moment.
> |
> | > Really? That's good news then! I might even try and get a new feeder tonight when I get home
> | > from work.
> |
> | I've been collecting weekly data from my garden for the BTO for about 4 years now. The types and
> | numbers of birds vary quite predictably with the weather and time of year. Take a look at
> |
> | <URL:http://www.bto.org/>
> |
> | particularly the Garden Birdwatch pages which have the collated data from the surveys. If you
> | look up your region you can see what to expect at what times of the year in your garden.
>
> Thanks for the link. I'm not particularly keen to just spot birds, but as I like photography and I
> think bird photos are really nice, I can see myself getting to know a lot of these breeds before
> long! A quick check on the regional ranking page for quarter 4 of 2003 for the North West tells me
> that I should be seeing plenty of Blue Tits, Robins, and Blackbirds; amongst a list of others. A
> lot of these bird names are foreign to me, but as I get photos of them, I'll soon identify them.
>

Yes the great thing about the BTOs garden birdwatch scheme is that it is providing quite useful
scientific data for analysis but based upon collection by thousands of amateurs. It doesn't take
much effort to collect the data if you already are looking at the birds in your garden. I tend to
eat my breakfast overlooking the back garden and bird table. I just jot down in a notebook the
numbers of birds I see each morning and then for each week I log on to the BTO website and enter
into a table the maximum for each species during the week. If you're away or don't have the time you
just leave that week blank in the records.

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark <\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing, "> ||
_`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and ` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

"W. D. Grey" <Bill@graigroad.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:zSsuZNAvgy8$EwCr@graigroad.demon.co.uk...
| In article <bstepq$m96$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>, Paul Saunders <pvs1@wildwales.fsnet.co.uk> writes
| >> Yes, I'm going to try losing weight, getting a six-pack, and going on the sun-beds to see if it
| >> cures the problem... ;-)
|
| Roasted nuts perhaps!

Probably! :-)

| --
| Bill Grey

Ste

W. D. Grey wrote:

> In article <bstepq$m96$1@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>, Paul Saunders <pvs1@wildwales.fsnet.co.uk> writes
>>> Yes, I'm going to try losing weight, getting a six-pack, and going on the sun-beds to see if it
>>> cures the problem... ;-)
>
> Roasted nuts perhaps!

Eh? I didn't write that!

Paul
--
Calendars for 2004
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk/cal/cal.html
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.photosig.com/go/users/userphotos?id=118749

"Sandy" <news@ftscotland.co.uk> wrote in message
news:9XmIb.2191$%O2.19218457@news-text.cableinet.net...
> ste © wrote:
> > nicely! And you're not the first person to suggest sunflower seeds, so they sound like they're
> > definitely the way to go! I never got out to any shops after work this evening, but I'll
> > probably get some at the weekend to start myself off.
>
> If you have Coal Tits in the garden you will have sunflowers coming up all over the place and so
> will your neighbours. They like to eat some and
plant
> the rest in every bit of soil they can find

I've not seen any Coal Tits in my garden, though I haven't been looking very hard recently. From
memory, the birds we seem to get are black birds, sparrows, and some sea gulls fly around too!
(though we're about 5 miles from the sea)

> You might want to try here for seed, I use the "Feeder Mix", attracts all kinds of birds, I've
> even seen the odd goldfinch.
>
> http://www.thebirdtable.co.uk/shop/afseedfeeders.htm

Thanks for the link, there's plenty on that website. It's not even that expensive either.

> Sandy

Ste

In article <t4qIb.2394$xW3.20844714@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste ©
<URL:mailto:ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:
>
> "Gordon" <Gordon@g3snx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message news:fuZ$QiA$ce8$EwFq@g3snx.demon.co.uk...
> | Mike Clark <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote
> | >
> | >The birds in my garden are now so tame that you almost get mobbed whilst putting the food out.
> | >Certainly many of them only fly away to the fence or bushes and wait for you to move away
> | >again, before returning to feed. In the breeding season we feed with waxworms and mealworms and
> | >the robin will then even come and take them from your hand.
> |
> | We were in a country park on Tuesday where we feed the birds and watch them, when a robin landed
> | on a fallen tree a few yards away. We stopped, and I threw some bread towards it from a
> | crouching position, but as I did so another robin flew out of a bush and landed about two feet
> | from me! I also had some crushed nuts (ouch - painful!) with me and again the robin almost took
> | it from my hand as I sprinkled some in front of the bush.
>
> I was at Ulley Country Park in Rotherham last weekend, and we seen a Robin land on some branches.
> I walked a bit closer to try and make it a decent size within my frame, but it flew off,
> unfortunately. I did get a photo of it, but it's from a distance. I'll upload it tomorrow and let
> you know. I should carry bait around with me in future, some of those sunflower seeds should do
> the trick! ;-)
>

We had a robin come and visit us inside our tent in Langdale over Christmas. It came hoping under
the flysheet into the bell end where we were cooking and preceded to beg some of our breakfast!

Mike <URL:http://www.path.cam.ac.uk/~mrc7/>
--
o/ \\ // |\ ,_ o Mike Clark <\__,\\ // __o | \ / /\, "A mountain climbing, cycling, skiing, "> ||
_`\<,_ |__\ \> | immunology lecturer, antibody engineer and ` || (_)/ (_) | \corn computer user"

"Mike Clark" <mrc7@cam.ac.uk> wrote in message
news:ant311130b49Pk=+@mrc7acorn1.path.cam.ac.uk...
| In article <wtmIb.2155$jt2.18560119@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste ©
| <URL:mailto:ste@sm9.co.uk> wrote:

<snip>

| > Your birds sound like they react in the same way as pigeons in the city centre! (there's an
| > idea, go to town with the camera...!) I wish the birds in my garden were as tame, I guess that
| > some work and patience might do the trick.
| >
| >
|
| Yes the point is to put out the food on a regular basis and at about the same time each day.

That's a bit tricky because I work Monday to Friday 9-5, then am away most weekends. But once I've
built something in a suitable position, I'll see what happens. A quick look out the windows shows
plenty of birds sitting on house aerials, so I'm sure they could be attracted. They do normally come
onto our garage roof where we throw our old bread, but that's not a great photographic position.

| > | I've found that if I put out too many peanuts that they go mouldy before the birds eat them
| > | all.
| >
| > That's exactly what happened to mine, at least I'm not the only one.
| >
|
| Fat balls seem to work better at attracting the tits and starlings, than do the peanuts. Peanuts
| seem to attract our local grey squirrels.

No chance of grey squirrels by us, but I'll start with a variety of food and see how many different
birds we can get.

<snip>

| > It sounds like you've got your garden-bird-watching system set up nicely! And you're not the
| > first person to suggest sunflower seeds, so they sound like they're definitely the way to go! I
| > never got out to any shops after work this evening, but I'll probably get some at the weekend to
| > start myself off.
|
| Black sunflower seeds will attract the Greenfinchs, possibly sparrows and also blue and great
| tits. You can also get mixed seeds which can be put on a bird table or on the ground to attract
| ground feeding birds such as dunnocks, chaffinchs and blackbirds.

I've never seen any Greenfinches or blue and great tits in my garden, but hopefully, with the right
bait, it can attract some if they are out there.

| > The fruit shouldn't be a problem - I'm sure my mum won't mind me stealing a few of her Golden
| > Delicious every now and again.
| >
|
| The birds aren't fussy and quite like the old bruised apples that you might decide not to eat
| yourself.

Oh well, that should please my mum! :-)

<snip>

| > | I've been collecting weekly data from my garden for the BTO for about 4 years now. The types
| > | and numbers of birds vary quite predictably with the weather and time of year. Take a look at
| > |
| > | <URL:http://www.bto.org/>
| > |
| > | particularly the Garden Birdwatch pages which have the collated data from the surveys. If you
| > | look up your region you can see what to expect at what times of the year in your garden.
| >
| > Thanks for the link. I'm not particularly keen to just spot birds, but as I like photography and
| > I think bird photos are really nice, I can see myself getting to know a lot of these breeds
| > before long! A quick check on the regional ranking page for quarter 4 of 2003 for the North West
| > tells me that I should be seeing plenty of Blue Tits, Robins, and Blackbirds; amongst a list of
| > others. A lot of these bird names are foreign to me, but as I get photos of them, I'll soon
| > identify them.
| >
|
| Yes the great thing about the BTOs garden birdwatch scheme is that it is providing quite useful
| scientific data for analysis but based upon collection by thousands of amateurs. It doesn't take
| much effort to collect the data if you already are looking at the birds in your garden. I tend to
| eat my breakfast overlooking the back garden and bird table. I just jot down in a notebook the
| numbers of birds I see each morning and then for each week I log on to the BTO website and enter
| into a table the maximum for each species during the week. If you're away or don't have the time
| you just leave that week blank in the records.

Yes, and the data is quite interesting too, as it helped me see what was in my region. It gives me
that bit of hope that I won't just be attracting sparrows and blackbirds - nice though they are, I'd
like a variety of different birds. I'll look forward to seeing what I can attract.

| Mike

Ste

"W. D. Grey" <Bill@graigroad.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:7iqs1oA0hy8$Ewgk@graigroad.demon.co.uk...
| In article <t4qIb.2394$xW3.20844714@news-text.cableinet.net>, ste © <ste@sm9.co.uk> writes
| > I walked a bit closer to try and make it a decent size within my frame, but it flew off,
| > unfortunately. I did get a photo
of
| >it, but it's from a distance. I'll upload it tomorrow and let you know.
I
| >should carry bait around with me in future, some of those sunflower seeds should do the
| >trick! ;-)
|
| A shotgun might help :-) :-)

Shocking Bill! :-) Perhaps I could just buy some stuffed birds and place them on my feeder? )

| --
| Bill Grey

Ste

ste © wrote:

> Also, you say you're going to get a Canon EOS 300D, but at 6 megapixels, I'm guessing that
> you'd have a similar resizing problem as the G3/G5 for image libraries like Alamy, in order to
> get the 48mb?

Yes, but with 6MP it's not much of a problem

> there's already a nice new Sony compact due out which is giving out 8 megapixels:
> http://www.dpreview.com/news/0312/03...828samples.asp

Sounds like a really good "snap" camera, but has some fatal flaws. One is that it's only 24 bit,
which is very limiting if you like to do a lot of post processing, and although it has a RAW mode,
it takes about 45 seconds to save it before you can take another picture, which is guaranteed to
cause you to miss shots and frustrate you so much that you end up saving as jpegs instead. A pity.

> It's not an SLR, but it does have an SLR-style focusing system, where you turn the lens.

Yeah, but you can't put different lenses on it, which has always been the biggest advantage of SLRs.

> I've seen a few reviews of interpolation software in magazines over the past year. They all
> recommend GF, but from their test screen shots, I've never thought it was the best on the page,
> though it's difficult to tell from a magazine print-out.

The examples I've seen haven't used pictures that show it off to it's best effect. It works best
with pics that include lots of sharp straight lines, as you get with buildings.

>> Neat Image.
>
> Also, one of them only lets me open or save images as JPEG's, which is quite annoying when I'm
> trying to get the highest quality possible, when every pixel matters! I could always buy the
> full version of course, but I'd have to get better results than what I'm currently getting before
> I did this...

If you're limited to jpegs then start by using the highest quality jpegs to minimise any quality
loss, then after processing, paste it over the original photo as a layer, then use a layer mask to
let part of the NeatImaged photo through, probably just the sky.

> Even the best digital cameras produce noise, so there must be an acceptable level of course. I'll
> keep playing around...

But the very best ones produce so little that you can't even see it.

Paul
--
Calendars for 2004
http://www.wildwales.fsnet.co.uk/cal/cal.html
http://www.wilderness-wales.co.uk
http://www.photosig.com/go/users/userphotos?id=118749