diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 12b0b90e..747d1ff4 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@
 - add @background arg to save: the colour to flatten against
 - add VIPS_ARGUMENT_MODIFY flag ... used for draw_circle etc, meaning an op
   which modifies its argument
+- rename VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL as VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ
+  for consistency
 
 8/9/14 started 7.40.9
 - support jfif resunit "none"
diff --git a/libvips/arithmetic/relational.c b/libvips/arithmetic/relational.c
index d9c78a04..42faaeb9 100644
--- a/libvips/arithmetic/relational.c
+++ b/libvips/arithmetic/relational.c
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ vips_relational_build( VipsObject *object )
 	} 
 
 #define CEQUAL( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 == x2 && y1 == y2)
-#define CNOTEQUAL( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 != x2 || y1 != y2)
+#define CNOTEQ( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 != x2 || y1 != y2)
 #define CLESS( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 * x1 + y1 * y1 < x2 * x2 + y2 * y2)
 #define CLESSEQ( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 * x1 + y1 * y1 <= x2 * x2 + y2 * y2)
 #define CMORE( x1, y1, x2, y2 ) (x1 * x1 + y1 * y1 > x2 * x2 + y2 * y2)
@@ -170,8 +170,8 @@ vips_relational_buffer( VipsArithmetic *arithmetic,
 		SWITCH( RLOOP, CLOOP, ==, CEQUAL ); 
 		break;
 
-	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL:
-		SWITCH( RLOOP, CLOOP, !=, CNOTEQUAL ); 
+	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ:
+		SWITCH( RLOOP, CLOOP, !=, CNOTEQ ); 
 		break;
 
 	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS: 	
@@ -327,7 +327,7 @@ vips_equal( VipsImage *left, VipsImage *right, VipsImage **out, ... )
  * @out: output #VipsImage
  * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
  *
- * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL on a pair of images. See
+ * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ on a pair of images. See
  * vips_relational().
  *
  * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
@@ -340,7 +340,7 @@ vips_notequal( VipsImage *left, VipsImage *right, VipsImage **out, ... )
 
 	va_start( ap, out );
 	result = vips_relationalv( left, right, out, 
-		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL, ap );
+		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ, ap );
 	va_end( ap );
 
 	return( result );
@@ -517,8 +517,8 @@ vips_relational_const_buffer( VipsArithmetic *arithmetic,
 		SWITCH( RLOOPC, CLOOPC, ==, CEQUAL ); 
 		break;
 
-	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL:
-		SWITCH( RLOOPC, CLOOPC, !=, CNOTEQUAL ); 
+	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ:
+		SWITCH( RLOOPC, CLOOPC, !=, CNOTEQ ); 
 		break;
 
 	case VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS: 	
@@ -672,7 +672,7 @@ vips_equal_const( VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out, double *c, int n, ... )
  * @n: number of constants in @c
  * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
  *
- * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL on an image and a constant. See
+ * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ on an image and a constant. See
  * vips_relational_const().
  *
  * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
@@ -685,7 +685,7 @@ vips_notequal_const( VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out, double *c, int n, ... )
 
 	va_start( ap, n );
 	result = vips_relational_constv( in, out, 
-		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL, c, n, ap );
+		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ, c, n, ap );
 	va_end( ap );
 
 	return( result );
@@ -861,7 +861,7 @@ vips_equal_const1( VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out, double c, ... )
  * @c: constant 
  * @...: %NULL-terminated list of optional named arguments
  *
- * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL on an image and a constant. See
+ * Perform #VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ on an image and a constant. See
  * vips_relational_const().
  *
  * Returns: 0 on success, -1 on error
@@ -874,7 +874,7 @@ vips_notequal_const1( VipsImage *in, VipsImage **out, double c, ... )
 
 	va_start( ap, c );
 	result = vips_relational_constv( in, out, 
-		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL, &c, 1, ap );
+		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ, &c, 1, ap );
 	va_end( ap );
 
 	return( result );
diff --git a/libvips/deprecated/vips7compat.c b/libvips/deprecated/vips7compat.c
index 645f1a54..b686da57 100644
--- a/libvips/deprecated/vips7compat.c
+++ b/libvips/deprecated/vips7compat.c
@@ -2631,7 +2631,7 @@ int
 im_notequal( IMAGE *in1, IMAGE *in2, IMAGE *out )
 {
 	return( vips__relational( in1, in2, out, 
-		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL ) );
+		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ ) );
 }
 
 int 
@@ -2691,7 +2691,7 @@ int
 im_notequal_vec( VipsImage *in, VipsImage *out, int n, double *c )
 {
 	return( vips__relational_vec( in, out, 
-		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL, c, n ) );
+		VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ, c, n ) );
 }
 
 int 
diff --git a/libvips/include/vips/arithmetic.h b/libvips/include/vips/arithmetic.h
index d6b9579c..7e41da07 100644
--- a/libvips/include/vips/arithmetic.h
+++ b/libvips/include/vips/arithmetic.h
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ typedef enum {
 /** 
  * VipsOperationRelational:
  * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_EQUAL: ==
- * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL: !=
+ * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ: !=
  * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS: <
  * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESSEQ: <=
  * @VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_MORE: >
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ typedef enum {
  */
 typedef enum {
 	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_EQUAL,
-	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL,
+	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ,
 	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS,
 	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESSEQ,
 	VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_MORE,
diff --git a/libvips/iofuncs/enumtypes.c b/libvips/iofuncs/enumtypes.c
index ede5e081..69066f76 100644
--- a/libvips/iofuncs/enumtypes.c
+++ b/libvips/iofuncs/enumtypes.c
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ vips_operation_relational_get_type( void )
 	if( etype == 0 ) {
 		static const GEnumValue values[] = {
 			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_EQUAL, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_EQUAL", "equal"},
-			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQUAL", "notequal"},
+			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_NOTEQ", "noteq"},
 			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESS", "less"},
 			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESSEQ, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_LESSEQ", "lesseq"},
 			{VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_MORE, "VIPS_OPERATION_RELATIONAL_MORE", "more"},
diff --git a/python/vips8/vips.py b/python/vips8/vips.py
index e187a6b0..f0068caf 100644
--- a/python/vips8/vips.py
+++ b/python/vips8/vips.py
@@ -132,7 +132,7 @@ def _call_base(name, required, optional, self = None, option_string = None):
 
     # do we have a non-None self pointer? this is used to set the first
     # compatible input arg
-    if self != None:
+    if self is not None:
         found = False
         for x in required_input:
             if GObject.type_is_a(self, x.prop.value_type):
@@ -424,6 +424,36 @@ def vips_more(self, other):
     else:
         return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.MORE, other)
 
+def vips_moreeq(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Vips.Image):
+        return self.relational(other, Vips.OperationRelational.MOREEQ)
+    else:
+        return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.MOREEQ, other)
+
+def vips_less(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Vips.Image):
+        return self.relational(other, Vips.OperationRelational.MORE)
+    else:
+        return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.MORE, other)
+
+def vips_lesseq(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Vips.Image):
+        return self.relational(other, Vips.OperationRelational.LESSEQ)
+    else:
+        return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.LESSEQ, other)
+
+def vips_equal(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Vips.Image):
+        return self.relational(other, Vips.OperationRelational.EQUAL)
+    else:
+        return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.EQUAL, other)
+
+def vips_notequal(self, other):
+    if isinstance(other, Vips.Image):
+        return self.relational(other, Vips.OperationRelational.NOTEQ)
+    else:
+        return self.relational_const(Vips.OperationRelational.NOTEQ, other)
+
 def vips_neg(self):
     return -1 * self