The Grand Union near Stockton Bottom Lock

The conversation might have been on F**ckr. But who cares?
I'm not the least bit bothered if you want to call my photos diarr or doh.

I've no idea if you should replace your Sony, as I don't know the first thing about photography. My own camera is for me a magic box that works on serendipity and occasionally produces the odd masterpiece by sheer fluke. I don't study the details, as you do, but simply press the button when I see a picture.

Ask Andy (above), as he took a lot of his wonderful Cornish photos on an old phone.

If you want my honest opinion, I don't like the special effect, whatever that is, as I generally prefer a more natural look. I find the colours a little cold, and the red somewhat raucous.

The side of the boat, bottom right, adds nothing to the picture. You should have included more of it, or moved to the left to exclude it altogether, but that might have led to you falling in.

Yes, I do want your honest opinion, and in this case I'm inclined to agree. I had my reservations at the time. By then on Thursday, towards the end of my walk, it had miserabled over, the light was failing, and I was aware that the composition here was a little weak (but the best possible) and I took the shot intending to produce an artistic effect from it in post processing - I myself don't insist on achieving a natural look. And, aware of its demerits, I only uploaded it as an afterthought, after the others.

The question about the Sony is not a technical one. The model I've earmarked would be the right one for me and have advantages over the one I have. The question is about whether I'm justified in buying ANY new camera in view of the amount of mileage I'm likely to get out of it (I'm unlikely to go abroad again), and whether for the type of work I do, which only gets uploaded and never printed, it'll be using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

Better? - Boat moved, red desaturated, other colours warmed up, and (to humour Roy) cropped.