My Pentax 300 f4: the ongoing saga!

As many of you will recall, I bought a 300 prime and 1.4 converter from Wex Photographic at the end of August last year: within six weeks one of the tiny retaining lugs on the tripod mount had fractured in normal use. I was out at Holkham with Brian and Norman at the time and they would be happy to confirm that no rough use or dropping was involved...

Although it took four weeks, Wex had the item 'repaired' by Ricoh (in fact, it's a one second job, as you'll see below!) and, giving Ricoh and Wex the benefit of the doubt, I even bought a new camera from them (a Pentax K3) a few weeks ago. In total, Linda and I have bought several thousand pounds worth of camera equipment in the past twelve months. The lens was eventually returned to me in November...

You'll remember that I was in hospital with pneumonia after Christmas and recuperating at home for several weeks after that. After just a very few outings, I was in the Brecks with Brian and Norman a fortnight ago when exactly the same little lug broke away. Needless to say, I wasn't delighted! The next day I took the lens back to Wex, who accepted the item as a warranty repair without comment. A few days later I was e-mailed to say that, in the opinion of their service department, the damage had been caused by my dropping the lens. Astonishing! There is / was not a single mark on either lens or camera and both breakages occurred in front of witnesses! Because the damage was 'my fault' I was invited to pay nearly £190 for the repair!

Of course I phoned Wex ASAP and 'discussed' the situation: I was passed from one sales person to another with no resolution and, during several more phone calls, I was no nearer getting the lens repaired under warranty. Finally today (three days later than agreed) Wex phoned to say they'd reviewed the situation and that I'd still be asked for the £190. I should say: in the interim I had found that the broken item (see photo!) is obtainable online for £20: I'd ordered a couple which should arrive from China tomorrow (post free!) In case you think £190 is reasonable, I'll explain that the 'repair' in question involves removing the mount from its plastic bag, sliding it onto the ring and tightening the screw!

Five minutes after my conversation (during which I clarified the principle of customer care / service ) a manager phoned to say that Wex will now bear the cost of the repair as '...a sign of goodwill.'

Of course, the real problem is a poor piece of design by Ricoh / Pentax: but wouldn't you have thought that Wex might have resolved the issue more quickly and with greater customer consideration before allowing the situation to reach the acrimonious level it did? All they need to have done was  replace the broken mount with one from a stock lens and order a replacement: I'd've even paid £20 for it!

Oxford: Kites, Buzzards, bus passes and college humour!

A quick trip down to Berkshire to visit Mum-in-Law provided an opportunity to use our bus passes and spend a few hours in Oxford. As always, we enjoyed the general 'buzz' and the humour of the T-shirts, and saw literally hundreds of Red Kites and Buzzards. The photos below were taken with a 135mm mm lens and 1.4x converter, so you can see the Kites were pretty low!

Reeve's Pheasant at Strumpshaw Fen

A short stroll around the Fen in company with Brians T & S, Norman and Brendon turned up a few decent bits and pieces. Cetti's Warblers are everywhere and can be quite showy if you have time to wait (I didn't!) The riverside bushes and trees are best, and once again hold numbers of Blackcaps, Willow Warblers and Chiffchaffs, as well as a few Bullfinches. The Sluice produced a KIngfisher, while the Lesser Black-back Synchronised Swimming Team were practising on the river! Marsh Harriers displaying and nest-building are much in evidence: one male is very strikingly marked and I reckon it is occasionally being reported as a Hen Harrier!

Redshank are not frequent visitors to the Fen: I expect this one was on an outing from Buckenham. The Chinese Water Deer and Shelduck are more regular, but still worth a look!

As we walked back through the woods a fine Reeve's Pheasant skulked among the trees: these beautiful birds are becoming a more regular sight and it would be great if they began to breed in the wild...



Linda's birthday bash! Goshawks, Hawfinches, Crossbills.... We filled up!

It's Linda's birthday this week, and - with a fine day promised by the weather forecasters - we invited our great friends Sue and Peter to join us for a day in the Brecks, followed by supper at the 'Tamarind' (our local Indian restaurant)

First stop was Lynford Arboretum where, within minutes, we'd found Hawfinch, Brambling, Siskin, Buzzard and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Although the views (and photos!) weren't always terrific, it was really good to share these special birds with Linda. A move down to the bridge added Grey Wagtail, Marsh Tit and Crossbill to what was obviously going to develop into a decent day-list!

We headed north to Cockley Cley, where, almost immediately, the first of five Goshawks (including two different displaying pairs) gave typically distant but gratifying views. Nearby two Stone Curlews hid in the heat haze, while a couple of Grey Partridges scuttled along the hedgerow. Other raptors here included Sparrowhawk and dozens of Buzzards, while our futile attempts to find a pub that offered sandwiches on a Sunday added Red Kite to the tally.

After tea and a snack at Gooderstone Water Gardens, Peter drove south again to Santon Downham. A brief search for Firecrest in the churchyard was followed by a longer one (equally in vain!) for Lesser Spot. We did, however, see lots more Bramblings, some smart Mandarins and a bees' nest.

And so home for a quick change, a glass of Cava and a walk to the 'Tamarind': a great way to finish such a marvellous day out.... (The total, by the way, was 56 species!)

SPA conference: back in Cambridge!

Back to the Institute of Astronomy for another show: this time the Society for Popular Astronomy's annual meeting. Great to meet many friends old and new and enjoy the hospitality of Guy and Barry...