New User John Bevan.

[johnbevan]

Hi Amin. Hello from SE England, Kent to be exact. Let me briefly introduce myself. I have never used a forum before so please bear with me. I am 56 in a few weeks and haven't had a camera for over 45 years, when I started with a 'Kodak Instamatic'. A couple of years ago my wife bought me an underwater camera for diving. I was hooked and I knew I would enjoy photography as a hobby. After much research (and many hints) I got a Lumix G1 for Christmas last year. I am very pleased with it. I soon added a 45-200 lens and I'm contemplating getting the macro as I am well into butterflies. That was the reason for joining a forum i.e. To find out if it is worth a £600 layout for the macro lens? When I have worked out how to to 'posts'/threads etc I will pose that question and put on some of my initials efforts with the G1 I am a Podiatrist (feet) and did 30 years as a London Murder Squad (latterly) Detective. I hope to get involved with the forum. Well done for setting it up. Kind regards, John

 

[Brian Mosley]

Hello John, and welcome to our online community for all things m4/3rds

There are a number of options for a macro setup. Which lens did you have in mind?

Cheers

Brian

 

[Iconindustries]

Hey G'day to our 'new user John Bevan' glad to have you in our wonderful bunch of people. My eyes opened up wide when i read that you worked as a detective in the London Murder Squad. I kinda love that detective stuff as my Hero is Sherlock Holmes and I have to confess I'm quite addicted to reading all his stories! I guess you would have visited Scotland Yard quite frequently. I would love to visit London and walk around those much read after places. *Sigh* , I guess it has all changed since the Victorian age and much more modern. I might just have to live in the fantasies that the books give me.
I would love to see a picture of Baker street one day if you ever visit London much:smile:

Anyway great to have you and look forward to seeing you on the threads.

icon

 

[Herman]

Hello John and welcome here !

 

[johnbevan]

Brian, 'Icon' (any first name?) and Herman.
Many thanks for the warm welcome from you all.
I have only looked at the Panasonic Macro for my G1. That will obviously work with the AF. But I am open to suggestions. I will have a go at a thread at some stage soon to see what the general consensus is. I am new to forums and photography but I am keen to learn. I will put on some of my initial photos soon. Best wishes to all. John

 

[johnbevan]

Icon. Thanks for your kind words. I joined the 'Met' at the end of 1973 (have you seen 'Life on Mars'....that was based on 1973!!!!). After initial training I went to Marylebone Lane Police Station (off Oxford Street, W1) which covers BAKER ST. So I've walked 'the beat' many times past Sherlocks den (I never bumped into him though!!!). Rather sadly the address doesn't actually exist exactly (221b Baker St). There is a block near to this where someone does actually answer the mail that continues to arrive. I left London 8 years ago (thank goodness) and very rarely go there, but if I do I'll be sure to take my G1 and do some shots for you. Thanks again for the welcome, I'm sure we'll 'talk' again. I am hoping to come to Oz one day to dive the GB Reef.
Best wishes, John

 

[BBW]

John, thanks so much for your great introduction. My eyes lit up a bit like Icon's. And yes, I have seen and watched the British "Life on Mars" and loved it! Great series!

I'm really looking forward to your involvement here and to seeing some of your photographs, soon. Glad to have you aboard!

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

...After much research (and many hints) I got a Lumix G1 for Christmas last year. I am very pleased with it. I soon added a 45-200 lens and I'm contemplating getting the macro as I am well into butterflies. That was the reason for joining a forum i.e. To find out if it is worth a £600 layout for the macro lens?...

Welcome John.
I think you'll find you've stumbled upon perhaps the best camera for using old, old lenses for Macro photography!
And by old I mean cheap.

 

[johnbevan]

Hi BBW. Nice to 'meet' you. Thank you, also, for the lovely warm welcome. The life on mars series was (genuinely) underplayed. These were hairy times but great fun. The last ten years of my police service were a lot less exciting. I'm going to get some photographs on soon and I look forward to hearing from you again. All the best, John

 

[johnbevan]

Hi Ulfric. Thanks to you for your kind warm welcome. You may have to forgive my ignorance (I've still got my 'L' plates up) but if I want to use basic four third lenses (non micro) then I would need the adaptor which is quite a few bob. I'm not sure how many macro lenses are available in the basic four thirds domain. Is this what you meant? If you would rather hold fire for the moment I will be creating a thread on this topic in the near future (unless one already exists). Thanks again. Best for now, John

 

[Iconindustries]

Hey thanks John. Fancy you working around the very same place. Very interesting. I've just finished reading a book about the Great Train Robbery back in 1855 and the Mastermind of the robbery actually started thinking of the burglary watching the South Eastern Railway train as it passed the cherry orchards of Kent. I thought that it was interesting that you live around that area as well. He (Edward Pierce) helped a fella called Clean Willy escape out of Newgate Prison and then launched a full scale watch on the London Bridge Station to discover where the keys were kept. In the end he ended up stealing 12,000 pounds of gold bullion that was sent on the South Eastern Railway to pay for ammo for the troops in the Crimean War. The money was provided by the Bank Huddleston & Bradford.
Pierce did a few weeks at Coldbath and when being transported back to prison from the Court trial he somehow escaped and no one really new where he went. It was heard that he escaped to the US and it was reported that he lived 'splendidly'. I guess you would if you had a couple of thousand pounds up your sleeve. ( the money was never found)

I love English history and I was wondering if you new if, Newgate prison and Huddleston & Bradford are still around?


Sounds excellent about your trip to see the Barrier Reef. I'll have to do that sometime soon too. I wonder whether you can get an underwater case for your G1.

Cheerio,
icon

 

[Ulfric M Douglas]

...forgive my ignorance (I've still got my 'L' plates up) but if I want to use basic four third lenses (non micro) then I would need the adaptor which is quite a few bob. I'm not sure how many macro lenses are available in the basic four thirds domain. Is this what you meant?

Not at all what I meant.
Welcome to the wonderful world of bolting things together that were never meant to be!
Hang on ... I'll find some pictures.

Perhaps best to go through the whole of this thread (that blue link below) and pick out the hugely expensive or ridiculously cheap lenses that might fit the macro bill ;

https://www.mu-43.com/f40/show-us-what-your-adapted-lens-looks-like-your-camera-473/

 

[johnbevan]

Hi Icon. Newgate prison was shut as a prison in 1902 (slightly before my time) and demolished in 1904. The Old Bailey (Central Criminal Court) was built on the site. I have been there many times. Probably the last time I gave evidence there was regarding the murder of Stephen Lawrence (the racist murder in Eltham in the early 1990's (2 or 3)). This case is still regularly featured in our news! Huddleston and Bradford no longer exists. I've had a punt around on he internet and can't find anything. We had a building society called Bradford and Bingley. I think they turned into a bank which was taken over by Abbey (National) which was taken over by Santander (which is my business bank).....I don't think they do a waterproof case for the G1 and if they did I would probably need a second mortgage!! I think I'll stick to my custom built underwater camera which incorporates a video mode with sound. This is great for underwater work.
Best for now, John.