I had an Epson which packed it in and have been using a Canon Pixma 2200 for some time. I am thinking of going to a photo printer with several ink cartridges. But frankly my prints are as good as the Cibachromes I used to do years ago. If I need something bigger than 8x12, I find our local Walmart produces excellent prints which are of the same quality as my Canon prints.
I sometimes wonder if the multiple cartridges are just a gimmick to sell more overpriced ink.

This is one of the great bargains in an overpriced hobby. The speed is important in low light situations and the ability to open up wide to control depth of field is something that even expensive zooms can't do. It's also a lot lighter and more compact than a zoom and less fragile.
I also find that shooting with a prime lens is a very different mindset than using a zoom. You move your body rather than the zoom control. For the Price, you can't go wrong!

How do you add a description to a photo you have entered in the contest. I was able to title my entry but couldn't figure out how to enter a brief outline as they suggest.

Similar problem here. My Photoshop 7 won't work in Windows 7 There are some fixes apparently but I have not tried them. I intend to buy the latest Photoshop Elements which does everything I want. I also have an old copy of Paint Shop Pro. It does work in Windows 7 and it's a very good program with some features even better than Photoshop. Another alternative is GIMP, a free program which again does all the stuff the average advanced amateur needs.
Merry Christmas!

I can't give away my 35mm Canon Rebel. I have two Pentaxes, a Rolleiflex, a Speed Graphic and a Kodak Retina which might have some collectible value, But I'll probably hold on to them as knickknacks.
I ended up giving away my darkroom equipment including an Omega enlarger after fruitless attempt's to sell it and that was several years ago, before digital was fully entrenched.

I picked up a sophisticated Sekonic incident light meter at a bargain price at a garage sale a couple of years ago.
Haven't used it once!

I picked up a sophisticated Sekonic incident light meter at a bargain price at a garage sale a couple of years ago.
Haven't used it once!

I use a Canon Pixma printer but am thinking of replacing it. It uses a three ink colour cartridge and produces 9x12 prints of a quality I would have been delighted with back in the days I did Cibachrome. They also compare well to the odd commercial print I have done (when I want to exceed 9x12)
My question. Would there be a noticeable difference if I got a printer with multiple ink cartridges?

The last place you might expect to find a Caribbean steel band is northern Ontario. Yet the Northern Lights Steel Band is a great ensemble.
http://www.nlso.ca/

There are also are several YouTube videos

I use Magix 14. It is a very versatile program but it also can be quite difficult to use. But it's very good once you learn its quirks. In some ways it is very user UNfriendly.
Also (as others have pointed out) processing video eats up memory and I've learned the hard way to save projects frequently so that I can recover my work if the computer locks up which it does frequently.
Magix has built in music beds, sound and video tweaking, various fades and effects. You can import audio from CD's or other sources. It is quite easy to edit and intercut.
One of the best features is the video cleaning which lets you control gamma, contrast, colour balance, sharpness and even crop or resize the image. It has saved more than one low light clip for me.
It is also great for assembling stills into a "slide show" with titles, music and transitions.
However I have been unable to process HiDef video but I think that is more the fault of my computer than the program. (I'm in the process of getting a new desktop up and running.)

I think convenience is the real question. Even today's cheaper lenses are pretty good. I have a Samsung point and shoot that produces remarkably sharp and clean images. I use it when I don't want to be burdened with one or both of my Canon Rebels. But the Rebel is much easier to use with a through the lens viewfinder, faster processing speed and ease of changing settings. The larger size and heavier weight also make it easier to grip and hold steady. I recently borrowed a friend's expensive Canon lens to do some tests. The only noticeable difference was the absence of slight pincushion distortion in the expensive lens. But for the four figure cost of my friend's lens, I can live with (and work around) the problem.

Most digital cameras will not record Infrared. You can check by taking a picture of the output from a television remote (which uses an infra red beam.) In most cases it won't record.
There are companies that will rebuild a digital SLR to do Infra-red and some photographers who have bought a new camera get the old one adapted.
There also must be Photoshop plug ins to simulate IR but I am not familiar with them.
One factor you must account for is focus. Because of the wavelength of IR light, the focal point is slightly different. Many old roll film cameras had a IR focus point engraved on the focusing scale.

Quite right, especially the built in flash. They really are pointless past 8 or 10 feet. Even a powerful accessory flash won't do anything at the distances you mention. There is a mathematical formula which calculates how much the light output falls off in relation to distance. But for all practical purposes, forget your flash for anything more than ten feet away.

I recently agreed to shoot a local music festival in our community theatre. I've done available light before with decent results. (Flash was not an option.) This time, although the stage lighting appeared bright, it wasn't. Even with a tripod I had problems. What saved my bacon was using my 1.8 prime lens wide open, boosting the ISO and doing a lot of repairs in Photoshop. I didn't have image stabilization on that camera. It might have helped.
I've attached two of the shots, not great but adequate

Attached file:
(Download)

Welcome..
Was in Australia (and NZ) two years ago. My advice to people was to keep quiet. Don't let the rest of the world know what an amazing place you have down there.
Look forward to seeing some of your shots.