johnriley1uk.org

On The Map is published by Profile Books, ISBN 978 1 8466 8509 5 I have always enjoyed maps, ever since I was a very young child, and would spend hours poring over them, absorbing every detail. So a book like this, all about the origin and nature of maps, would be bound to appeal. And it was very en...

Yes, I think it's the way to go!

There was a time I really fancied having a good astronomical telescope, spending hours gazing upwards into the heavens, inspired by astronomy books and wondrous images. It takes time though, lots of time. There was a time I listened to short wave radio on an old Bush valve set, taking in pop music f...

Well I actually have both in my possession at the moment, so the next task is to put some comparison together. A field test with real-world examples! First point to the Nikon for including a proper charger! Some manufacturers, Ricoh included, only supply an adapter that requires the battery to be ch...

Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons: Two Classic Albums plus The Four Lovers and Rare Singles Real Gone 4 CD Set RGMCD065 The new 4 CD set has finally arrived and it consists of the pre-Sherry stuff, plus the albums Sherry and the Christmas Album (Seasons Greetings). I assume this means that all th...

I've downloaded a few mp3 tracks from Amazon lately, and although they are OK for the car it's a bit disappointing that they are nowhere near what CD quality is capable of. There is a total lack of that fine quality that I'll describe as transparency. A purity of tones. Sadly, there's so much digita...

A link to my ePHOTOzine Blog for anyone who cares to have a look:
http://www.ephotozine.com/user/johnriley1uk-22471/blog

The reviews are found here: Pentax K-5 II http://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-k-5-ii-dslr-review-20717 Pentax K-5 IIs http://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-k-5-iis-digital-slr-review-21127 Pentax K-5 II vs Pentax K-5 IIs http://www.ephotozine.com/article/pentax-k-5-iis-digital-slr-review-21127

There's a strange phenomenon that has its roots I think in human behaviour. I call it Old Fan Syndrome. Let's apply it to a recording artist for starters: Early work, big fan, came on board and loved it. Middle career, still following, but like the early stuff best. Late career, wish they'd stop so ...

Dressed in resplendent yellow, Paloma was off to a good start before the concert even began. She messaged on Facebook encouraging people to remember to take photos, a splendid change from concerts where cameras are viewed as the devil's instruments....So a Pentax Q with 5-15mm lens went with me. 049...

Shaney, the cat who speaks, as discussed in another thread, was sat on a cushion next to me tonight. Bwteeen us the iPad sat and she gazed into it. I think she wants one. Anyway, I switched it on and flicked from screen to screen. She was absolutely fascinated....

There are now at least two manufacturers who are offering a camera variant where the anti-aliasing (AA) filter is removed. This means the potential for higher resolution, weighed against the possibility of increased moire (interference patterns) effects. I have now completed my test of the K-5 IIs, ...

I only just discovered today that my name is appended to a traditional folk song. Here are the words: A fair young maid all in her garden, A strange young man comes passing by Saying fair maid, will you marry me And this answer was her reply No kind sir, I cannot marry thee For I've a love who sails...

I've now sampled the CDs on the HiFi system and the quality is very acceptable. We have to consider how variable the original sources may be and the original 45s and albums were no better than this, with some exceptions. The VeeJay album "Golden Hiots of the Four Seasons" is a very superio...

This 2CD set sells at the mazingly low price of £3.98 on Amazon, so whichever way we look at it, the value for money is very clear. It seems hardly worth making to sell at that price... The label is One Day Music and the catalogue number is DAY2CD193. The material covers material recorded from Frank...