lownote

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I can't find anyone to touch a LM2. But I keep hearing rumours of a specialist somewhere. Anyone able to help with a name?

Si found for me and and went to considerable trouble to arrange the purchase of a bass that wasn't even his! Impressed.

I see that's quite slow (3.5-5.6) by old fashioned standards ( then I am very old). But maybe things have changed with the advent of digital and usable high ISO and its not so vital to have super fast lenses any more. For eg, I have a 55-200 Nikon VR that's f4-5.6. I haven't used it for concerts yet, but it occurs to me that even at f5.6 that's only two stops slower than 2.8, which should allow the same shutter speeds at ISO 3200 as a big expensive fast 2.8 lens at 800.

For sure. As you say a 16- something would be better but the cost starts to go up again even with secondhand fast wide zooms of that ilk. That's why I got a cheapish 11-16 (EDIT: Tokina, like Fleabag's) for £160. If I need the FoV it gives me the equivalent of 16-24. Because I have a small sensor, I'm just living with the fact that my 35-70 will actually be equivalent to a 50-105.

A revisit on gear. Following the advice on various videos/websites I now have too many lenses. They say for beginners low budget, buy a 50 1.8, so you do. But then you realise you need a wide angle, so you get a 35 1.8. But they're not zooms and you're always in the wrong place, and you want to get in tight. So you want a 70-200 2.8 But good telephoto zooms are hugely expensive, so you buy a cheap old 80-200 2.8 and discover it won't AF properly. Meanwhile you've also decided you need a very wide zoom so a 11-16 is in the bag and your wallet's much lighter. And now you always have the wrong lens on the camera for your need of the moment. So you google for posts with a title like "What's a one size fits all lens for gigs", and there are several posts - all pointing towards the 24-70 2.8 zoom which costs squillions. So you do more research and discover the ancient 35-70 2.8 does almost the same for a 1/10 of the price. One is now coming. I'll let you know what occurs.

Many pro mojos - mobile journalists use the iPhone 8 Plus. Around £350 refurbished from Handtec in Peterborough. I have no axe to grind but buy all my phones ( I train mojos) from them. Spot on.

Yeah, the error's too bad for that to cope. Meh, I'll go manual. All we had when i started photography 40 years ago.

More on old telephoto zooms. Just heard back on my Nikon 80-200 with its inaccurate autofocus: "There's no way of adjusting AF on those old models ... but we can give it a wipe over for £50 if you like." No ta. So there you are. Looks like manual focusing for me if I want crisp detail, can't afford a current model.

As he also owns a Fodera worth my year's pension you may find him a tad dear, or as noted above, interesting . "So what first attracted you to the tall dark handsome man with an Alfa Romeo and eyewateringly expensive (and very pretty ) bass?"

So what's the difference between persistence and stupidity? I just signed up for GW mk 2 AGAIN to see if it was me. I understand it even less this time round. Watched the first video 10 times now and still no idea what I’m supposed to be doing, why or how. Now this could be because I'm a nitwit. But the trouble is the first video isn’t a lesson, it’s a garbled talk between two experts. Gary can barely string two words together and Scott keeps interrupting. It's not that its super brainy, beyond my ken, etc. It's just... meh teaching. It sounds amazing, if you believe Scott's BS it is the Holy Grail. But... Interested to see if anyone takes wing on this. This time I lasted three weeks.

Covering Dave Thomas' Band I captured this. Probably my favourite to date, but soft focus - either my hands, slow shutter speed or the AF issue mentioned above.

So a month later, three gigs under my belt and some lessons learned. A lot of pub and local jams involve older people who don't leap around a lot - or at all. Neither does the lighting. So choose and test exposure, ISO and focusing method carefully and then forget about them and concentrate on the subject. I tried Aperture and Shutter priority, and Auto ISO, but in the end found manual everything gave me best control. If the musicians aren't doing much, concentrate on capturing expressions and interaction between them to pump some life into the shot. VR or other movement reduction is great for helping you shoot handheld. But in dim light, with a slow lens and therefore a slow shutter speed, VR will do nothing to stop subject movement blurring. A monopod is a good if slightly awkward alternative if you haven't got VR. The latest fast zooms are really useful, but very expensive - a new Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR will cost near two grand. Ditto the 24-70. But you can get a 20 year old 80-200 2.8 and a 35-70 2.8 for a couple of hundred off eBay, and Tokina do a great fast 11-16 ultrawide which again is reasonably cheap on fleabay. However - big however, be aware that the autofocus can drift out over time so you may need to fork out a ton for a service. My ancient 80-200 2.8 bought off eBay turned out to have an AF error of over 20cm... kinda important if you're hoping you've captured a crisp shot of someone's face and your depth of field is less than 20cm. So I'd suggest buying from a shop with a warranty or some sort of comeback. But good fun... and more to come.

What I hate is when GAS persists even after you've found The One. I've had 40+ basses in 8 years. Several have been the same models. I find, I love, then I sell, so I can buy again: three Hohner VI, FIVE Sires, umpteen P basses and clones thereof. How stupid is that? Currently I get all I need from my cheapo Revelation unlined fretless P - but I just know (already getting twinges) it'll have to go. Then I'll have to buy another. I am sane - my mother had me tested - but sometimes I wonder.

Thanks Hell0, that's worth knowing. Maybe I should get a Cort B4FL. It's just I do like a B string...

I am attracted by Gary Willis's signature Ibanez fretless. That's because I KNOW if I buy one I'll instantly play as good as him. But also because I've a soft spot for blond natural wood bodies with black fittings. But I can't afford over a grand. Anyone with deep bass knowledge able to recommend a cheaper bass that does much the same job? I thought I knew the market pretty well but can't think of anything meself. The Cort Artisan B4 FL perhaps, but I've burned my fingers on Cort before...

There is only one good reason for a ramp, at least for me, and that's to make a bass look cooler .

I like the flats on my Revelation, which Bass Gallery think could be Dunlops

You've visited Norwich Jazz Club then

Just for the record I have blocked in much of the next 12 months in my diary to trying to learn walking bass properly, enriching Mark Smith, Todd Johnson, Geoff Chalmers and various other pedagogues in the process. I'm sure they'll all put me straight.