Hello Brian

Thank you for your most valuable comments.

The flip up mirror issue (now I realise only for cleaning purposes)only arose after the published photographs were taken. Your observations were absolutely spot on regarding the other photographs. The tripod was not used on any of these images. My original text merely indicated that I had tried all things generally known to me to get sharpnessand i was seeking help. Unaware and not expecting an in-depth response I was amazed at your thoughtful comments which are greatly appreciated, very professional.

The images were jpg and subject to Picture Project, Photoshop and PaintshopPro in an effort to get sharpness, a bit of overkill on my part I am afraid. Very much a dog's dinner resulted and these should never have seen the light of day.I have no excuses and I apologise for my time wasting.

Wise after the event I have removed these images to make a fresh start. I would like to use your suggestions and take some photographs with minimal post process using ViewNx2 and the Picture Correction add on. Would you mind if I notify you when they are posted for your comments?

My camera is only a D50 and in mediocre light it struggles to give me good exposure with high shutter speed. No excuses. Clearly I need to study your suggestions and put them into practice.

Kindest regards

Philip