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I had recently 2 awful experiences as a buyer, with this quite new "shipping+taxes" option (or "Global Shipping Program") that eBay uses: I bought the first item and eBay's shipping company had it for days in their storage place, without never contacting me for delivery. I tried to contact them, and I had to pay for the call €5 (~$6.5), as they charge €1.34 the call, then 0.36/min and they have you waiting for at least 10-12min, without finally accepting your call, with the excuse that the lines are too busy and that you'll have to call later again... Finally, one day, they came to deliver, but without even ringing my bell, they put it (a signed-for shipment) inside my box... The second one, they never delivered any parcel, but their tracking status indicates that they did delivered to my hands and that they've put my name as the person who received the parcel... When I opened a dispute on PayPal for this, Paypal in dt time, closed the case, with the excuse that they can't help on this and that I have to find a solution with the seller!... In any other similar case, if the seller had shipped via any other carrier, they could ask him to show them (to PayPal) the proof of delivery, asking this from the shipping carrier... If the shipping company couldn't prove that they had my real signature, then the money had to be returned to me. But as this new company is eBay's (so & PayPal's) business, they of course closed their eyes, as they can't blame their own company. SO, I lost $273.76... I will NEVER-EVER buy any item from sellers that they are using this "Global Shipping Program" again! NEVER! I've found though that there are hundreds of others with similar, like mine, problems... If you are selling on eBay and you want to avoid any negative feedback caused by similar cases, never use this option again please. To be able to do so, please follow this next steps, to block this shipping option from your sales: Your ebay>>account>>site preferences>>posting and packaging preferences>Offer the Global Shipping Programme, then on the right hand side of the screen change yes to NO and save changes. By the way I have to say that, with this "Global Shipping Program", buyers are paying more on import taxes, than if they had to pay straight to their customs... That's all from me.

I had recently 2 awful experiences as a buyer, with this quite new "shipping+taxes" option (or "Global Shipping Program") that eBay uses: I bought the first item and eBay's shipping company had it for days in their storage place, without never contacting me for delivery. I tried to contact them, and I had to pay for the call €5 (~$6.5), as they charge €1.34 the call, then 0.36/min and they have you waiting for at least 10-12min, without finally accepting your call, with the excuse that the lines are too busy and that you'll have to call later again... Finally, one day, they came to deliver, but without even ringing my bell, they put it (a signed-for shipment) inside my box... The second one, they never delivered any parcel, but their tracking status indicates that they did delivered to my hands and that they've put my name as the person who received the parcel... When I opened a dispute on PayPal for this, Paypal in dt time, closed the case, with the excuse that they can't help on this and that I have to find a solution with the seller!... In any other similar case, if the seller had shipped via any other carrier, they could ask him to show them (to PayPal) the proof of delivery, asking this from the shipping carrier... If the shipping company couldn't prove that they had my real signature, then the money had to be returned to me. But as this new company is eBay's (so & PayPal's) business, they of course closed their eyes, as they can't blame their own company. SO, I lost $273.76... I will NEVER-EVER buy any item from sellers that they are using this "Global Shipping Program" again! NEVER! I've found though that there are hundreds of others with similar, like mine, problems... If you are selling on eBay and you want to avoid any negative feedback caused by similar cases, never use this option again please. To be able to do so, please follow this next steps, to block this shipping option from your sales: Your ebay>>account>>site preferences>>posting and packaging preferences>Offer the Global Shipping Programme, then on the right hand side of the screen change yes to NO and save changes. By the way I have to say that, with this "Global Shipping Program", buyers are paying more on import taxes, than if they had to pay straight to their customs... That's all from me.

So I assume a seller packages a beautiful iscorama to survive the journey, then some dumb ass muppet in the depot opens it up to check it is what it's meant to be, then poorly repacks it then when it arrived broken, both you and the seller are left to sort it out! It angers me when customs are able to open items they clearly have no skills in handling. I need to get some 'if tape seal is broken, check contents before signing for parcel' tape for DSO

yep its all mad!! this is all ebays bid for glodal domination by now taking a huge slice of the postage market that comes from ebay sales - they have gone we are making money for 3rd party couriers off all these ebay sales - lets take a slice

I have both, actually all 3. It is hard to tell someone what to buy. The quality of the image and video from the LX100 is very good to excellent. Is it as good as the GH4? I would say if you are a pro and looking for the equal of the GH4 then the answer is no. But if you are an enthusiast and can cut the camera some slack, you would be hard pressed to tell the difference. Remember, I have only had the LX100 here for about 5 hours now, so as time goes on my opinion may change. The disappointing thing about the LX100 is it is certainly not a baby GH4. The camera is 80 percent a point and shoot camera that dips into the higher end here and there. The menus try and emulate the GH4, but they are clumsy, and not just a little bit clumsy - low end pint and shoot type camera clumsy. I am quite surprised. The camera would be a deal breaker for me if it were not for the really good quality video. I expect the images to be excellent too, it leans in that direction but I won't know until I can shoot RAW. Here is a simple example. Say you are not totally or only a video guy. Video is really high on your list, but you want to take meaningful pictures too. I am a photographer, so when I take pictures - even just home pictures - if they are not "excellent" you know darn well the comment "and you are supposed to be a photographer" is going to hit you head on. To achieve those excellent pictures consistently, you really have to have control of the camera. So, take the LX100 in hand, go to take a shot and you will notice you have no control over the focus point. You can press 3 buttons and get control, or set the menu so you can have direct access to the 4 way controller just like the big boy cameras :) As you shoot along you want to do a custom white balance (something a lot of folks won't ever do) and you find you no longer can do a custom white balance unless you go into the menu and undo your setting to have direct access to the 4 way controller dial. You can change the white balance, but you can't do a custom white balance. Now go to video.Is the quality as good as my GH4? not quite. But at 4K reduced to 1080, it is head and shoulders better than any direct 1080p camera I have used. Again, no custom white balance unless you go and reset the main menu back to the way it was. So now you give up using the 4 way controller easily and just go thru the hoops. Bottom line, coming down fro the GH4 the feeling is yuck. Coming up from a Canon G1X II or a Sony RX100-3, the camera is terrific. I won't be grabbing the LX100 for any pro level work, images or video. But I think most people will like the LX100. Its calling card is the 4k video quality - especially when going down to 1080 - and the bigger sensor for all other imaging. The focus is quite good and the camera surpasses almost all other point and shoot sized camera I have used. My problem is at $900 i would really really wanted more of a nod to having some usable features in it. For stills I cannot select a "lowest shutter speed" like I can on the EM1, but the GH4 doesn't have that either. The GH4 with a 12-35 is a dream. It just works - period. if you do put the size differences in the mix, then get the 12-35 lens. If you want a 12-35 lens (almost, but not quite) and a free camera thrown in, then get the LX100. Peter

Hi, Couple of months ago, a photographer (nickname lenuisible) decode the wireless communication protocol between image app on smartphone and GH3 camera http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/6703/control-your-gh3-from-a-web-browser-now-with-video-/p1. I took these, and adapted to my 13 years old remote control software (originally written in vb6 for casio qv3000). After a couple of days, the software now finds the camera, queries its capabilities, and allows user to control the camera from windows PC. It is a very simple program, you just see the commands (like focus, zoom, exposure, aperture, white balance etc...) and use them. You can also record those settings and play them back later. You can tell the program to repeat those commands. So you can make timelapses by zooming in each shot, or changing the white balance when its dark outside. For examplle you can adjust the focus between objects and then you can set the focus with one click like this: http://www.dijitalakademi.com/P1640788.MP4 You can program complex set of commands and make it replay those (or replay and repeat) I also added liveview from http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/6703/control-your-gh3-from-a-web-browser-now-with-video-/p1, thanks to lenuisible.. You should just press "Liveview" button. But you have to have java installed in your machine. From the post, "Java RE : download here : http://java.com/en/download/index.jsp Add the java bin directory to your PATH, On a windows machine, the Java bin directory should be : C:Program FilesJavajre7bin" I have a FZ1000 to test it, it works ok, but it should work with all wifi enabled LUmix cameras. So feel free to try it, and let me know how it works. Before you run the software, you should enable wifi from camera, connect the camera either a wifi network, or your pc to your camera. Program should find the camera automatically.. If program gives "no response from camera" then check wifi connection, get closer to the router, try again.. you can download and install it from http://www.dijitalakademi.com/lumixcontrol.zip Screenshot:http://1.static.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/54696040/62ebbbd324fa4551932accb5bf73f94b

...Or you could wait until this is available: http://steadxp.com/ If it works properly, we'll see different versions from different brands, different prices and, as most software related tools, with bigger room for improvement in following generations.

keep a lookout on eBay. I got one by a DIY guy for 300-something. It doesn't look fancy but works fine. It's limited in weight to something like a nex5n with a kit lens, or possibly a bit heavier. It's a 3-way brushless gimbal and came preconfigured for my cam since happened to have the same on.

It's possible because they don't include the motors or controller ;)

It has more useful and intuitive fully manual aperture and shutter speed controls. Better than one PASM ring.

I have the DJI Ronin and can tell you the build quality on it is top notch. I met another shooter who had the Came (forgot which model) and he said he ended up returning it because it didn't work for him. I let him try my Ronin and he said the overall quality versus the Came is night and day. I don't have experience with Came gimbals at all so I can't really comment on it. Also one thing you need to consider is that Came is overseas, so if you have issues and need to return, it's going to be a headache. As for the Ronin, the rig is VERY HEAVY. Unless you have the arm strength of a NFL player, I don't see anyone lasting a day or even half with this rig alone. I have both the Blackmagic Production 4K and Pocket cameras... and even on a stripped down load (Pocket + DP4), I don't see myself lasting half a day with it. I just ordered Atlas 2 rod camera support the other day so going to see how that goes. With the Atlas, I should be able to last all day with the Ronin. Having said all this, the Ronin is simply amazing. When I first received it, it took me 10minutes to have it up and running. Now it only takes me less than a few minutes. Side note.... I was at Photo Plus Expo last week and had a chance to toy with Freefly Movi and Defy gimbals and both are lighter than the Ronin, but the prices are also higher.

just announced today this new service has some very nice lenses on the list for hire and most of the new camera bodies too http://www.jessops.com/online.store/categories/Current%20Offers/services/rental/Show.html?partner=ukemail&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uknewsletter&utm_content=email&utm_campaign=eNewsletter%2005.11.2014%20FULL%20Rental a nice way of trying that expensive lens before you buy - or that extra piece of kit needed for a job.

Yeah, the sensor inside still is four thirds. But in order to keep the lens as small as it is, in order to get the sharpest results without vignetting, they decided not to use any of the edge pixels of the sensor, so that leaves you with certain crops different for each of the aspect ratio modes. But you'll never get a full readout of the sensor installed, that's very true indeed. You're right, it's not a pocket camera, it's a premium compact. If it's too big, get the RX100M3. Although personally I still think the RX100M3 isn't much pocketable either (unless wearing really baggy cargo pants putting it in a pocket located around the hips, just above the knee). Anyways. I don't care that it doesn't fit a jeans' pocket. It still fits a coat pocket perfectly fine and you can throw it in a messenger bag/shoulder bag very easily with all of the other stuff you're carrying around on a daily basis, such as a tablet or whatever, without taking up all the space to a point that you'd rather not have it with you unless you know you're going to be using it. Since I already carry a bag around or outside of summer usually will be needing to wear a coat (it's no sunny southern California around here), I will have it on me always! I can't say that a FZ1000 would fit in my coat's pocket or that a GH4 with 20mm f/1.7 wouldn't add any bulk to my bag (besides, just the pancake would be a little limiting). But the LX100 is very compact. As I said in my first post of the thread, to me the essence is that I have a camera that takes considerable quality stills and videos in a small package. That doesn't mean I can fit it in one of my pants' pockets, it means that it is small and light enough to carry around without being a burden. If you carry it in your coat or bag it doesn't take up much space and you'll hardly notice its presence. But it is always there! So that means, that if you normally don't have your camera with you, because you'd have to carry it on a strap around your neck, which could be rather uncomfortable, especially if you're not even sure if you'll need it, or put it in a bag where it weighs you down and takes up quite a bit of space, now you can. Again, to me this is the answer to the use of the cameras on smartphones. Now, they're getting better, sure, but wouldn't you rather shoot something with the LX100? That's to me where the LX100 kicks in, because I would. And I very much prefer the LX100's handling, features and performance over the RX100's. But to each their own of course. It's just a bit silly to keep picking on the LX100 for not being RX100-sized. Yeah, we know... nobody's saying you can't buy a RX100... there's a good reason there are so many different kind of cameras. Everybody's looking for certain qualities in a camera and that all results into different cameras.

TCSTV had a nice video on the Ronin about a week ago, looks nice... There's a topic on EOSHD about these type of 3-axis systems: '?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>> ( >and ). And there are already some cheap solutions availlable... Of course, everything that's a little bit more DIY and cheap will come with challenges. That's the price you pay if you don't want to pay the price.

Thanks for sharing you bad experience and for warning others.

Bought a lens through that program once - no tracking updates, of course - and it was just left lying on the floor (!?) of the public corridor in my apartment building. And I was home all day, so no one even tried to deliver it. Luckily I found it and picked it up before someone else did, but still very strange. Have avoided that service ever since.

Sorry to hear you've had problems with it. Personally I always get quite excited when I see the global shipping program option on items I might be interested in. - as long as the item isn't high value. Assuming I want to buy something for $80 + $20 shipping, to be shipped from the USA to the UK, If I buy it and they declare the value as $80usd I tend to get hit with the tax ($25), import duty ($10) plus a terrible admin fee from the handler (normally £12). overall with the taxes and admin fee the price has gone up by almost 50% - for nothing!. With the global program I usually end up avaoiding having to pay tax on the shipping and also avoid the admin fee. it tends to save around £20. Buying big items with this process is a bad move because you end up paying the tax in advance when you may not end up paying anything if it gets through without a check by customs personnel. The admin fee and tax on shipping costs you save is less of a big deal on something of high value. I do notice that items bought through the program always tend to have been packed rather badly. with the ebay branded tape usually poorly applied without care. Always wondered what the process is and why there is ebay tape on the item.

But are you talking about RX100, RX100 II or RX100 III ? Because they are totally diffferent segments! ;) LX100 is 14% wider and taller and 34% thicker than RX100 III but RX100 III is 14% thicker than RX100 ! So just be clear which segment you are talking about: kid's trousers back pocket segment, kid's trousers front pocket, kid's jacket pocket, adult's trousers back pocket, adult's trousers front pocket, adults jacket pocket, snowboarder trousers back pocket... I, for example, am interested only in adult's winter jacket internal pocket segment.

As a seller it's already checked for you. So they trick you into selling with this option. They try and make it so everyone will be fine with this option. "Ship it and forget, all will be taken care of" kind of thing. It's such bullshit.

Really sad to hear that mate, sounded like such a great concept though.

  Another constructive forum post ehh

their first attempt was a disaster. I doubt they'll have many people willing to fork out such worryingly high prices for another hopeless lump.

just as a point of note on lenses for films : David Fincher shoots most of the time with the same lens focal lengths even when he changes his DOP so even if it is Jeff Cronenwerth, Harris Savides or Darius Khondji on camera for him he is still using a 27mm 40mm most of the time and a 75mm for the close ups , at f2.8 with nds and at f2 at night , thats about it , most of the film is shot on those 3 lenses thats all he needs (page 162 of the book 'New Cinematographers' gives you a look at Harris Savides note book for the film 'The Game' he lists scene by scene what lens he uses and its f stop ....its mainly all 27mm 40mm 75mm at f2.8 or f2.... The late great Gordon Willis shot 90% of The Godfather series for Francis Ford Copolla on a 40mm f2.8 lens - if you get this months American Cinematographer magazine OCT 2014 its a special edition all on Gordon Willis - The Prince of Darkness and it reveals all on how he shot these great films . Then you have Paul Greengrass who uses long zooms all the time and the late Tony Scott who shot almost always on long lenses and used x2 extenders too, thats his 'look ' And then the great Sergio Leone shot all those Clint Eastwood 'Dollar' series films on a single Angenieux 25-250mm f3.5 zoom So my point is you dont always need very wide lens to make great films ..... as long as you have in Super 35 field of view a 28mm. 40mm and 70mm which the Nikon zoom gives you ,you can make a film.....what camera you use to get those lengths is upto you , you may need speedboosters or adapters but those are the numbers that work for me most of the time.

If anyone is still interested in diopters, I have a couple of spare +0.5 diopters with 72mm thread. These are no achromatic doublets; they are single element, but are excellent quality and personally I use them anytime on my Iscorama (with results comparable to the all time classic Tokina +0.4 achromat). On an Iscorama +0.5 will enable you to get closer than the 2m minimum focus distance of the Isco, in the 1m to 2m range. A second +0.5 stacked will enable you to get a nice close up in the 0.5m-1m range. Usually I have all range covered with only two of those. As a bonus, these are thinner than the Tokina single element ones, so you don't get vignetting even if you stack 2 of them. The 72mm thread is nice, since they directly fit on the Iscorama, or on the redstan front filter clamps. I have also used them to get a close up of an eye, with a Canon EF 135mm f2.0 L lens.