Random Photos

[morrobay]

Along CA hwy 395 , Eastern Sierras

 

[jtbell]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[jtbell]

 

[jtbell]

Florida isn't the only place with flamingos... but why are some of them wearing socks over their heads?

 

[jtbell]

“Fatty” is back in front of our door.

 

[DennisN]

I walked by a photographer studio and saw a beautiful old Yashica LM TLR camera in the shop window:

And here's my shadow on the street at night:

(both shot with my smartphone)

 

[gmax137]

Does anyone make a digital camera with a waist-level viewfinder? I might buy one. I hate the screen on the back finders.

 

[DennisN]

Mountain clematis

(Lens: Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 MC) (focus stacked)


Mountain clematis - leaves

(Lens: 7artisans 35mm f/0.95)


Viburnum plicatum

(Lens: 7artisans 35mm f/0.95)

 

[collinsmark]

Does anyone make a digital camera with a waist-level viewfinder? I might buy one. I hate the screen on the back finders.

Many modern mirrorless cameras these days allow their back LCD to flip up, such that you can use it as a waist-level viewfinder in live-view mode ("live-view mode" means you use the LCD as a viewfinder -- it shows what the camera presently sees).

Here's an example showing the Leica SL3. There are many other modern mirrorless cameras (most all different brands) that can do this.

 

[collinsmark]

A whole bunch of 50mm lenses were tested [...]

Speaking of 50 mm lenses (and viewfinders),

Mr. Mittens (my neighbor's kitty) stopped in yesterday [edit: day before yesterday] after a multiple week hiatus ("hiatus," that is, of not stopping over at my place -- not necessarily a hiatus in general). He's fine.

He decided to take a short nap on my open stairwell. I said hello, and gave him some affection, then got the camera out.

Continuing with my rangefinder focus practice, I decided to shoot my 50 mm lens wide open at f/1.4 (or thereabouts). A 50 mm isn't a "long" lens by any means, but it's on the longer side for a rangefiner, and at f/1.4 it's still a good challenge since the depth of field is so thin.

Figure 1. Mr. Mittens saying hello.

Figure 2. Mr. Mittens sporting his regal look.

In the latter picture (see Fig. 2) I switched over to the electronic viewfinder (EVF). My camera's rangefinder mechanism only works down to 0.7 meters. So as I got closer, I switched over to the EVF, where the camera operates quite similarly to a modern mirror-less. Of course I still have to manually focus. The rangefinder camera does not support autofocus in any form.

(I've got nothing against autofocus, btw. I just need to practice on the rangefinder which doesn't support it.)

 

[DennisN]

I'm not really sure where to put this post, but I hope it's ok I put it here...
I got this clip from a friend about a really cool microscope invention; getting dronelike shots in microscopes using a mirror rotating around the subject.

(@Andy Resnick may be interested, but anyone interested in "weird" optics and inventions may be interested too )

This microscope spins - and the shots are insane (Steve Mould)

 

[DennisN]

And some more macro shots taken lately... three flies and a ladybug...
..the light was not that good (partly cloudy), but anyway...

Fly #1

Fly #1, again:

Fly #2:

Fly #3:

And a ladybug taking a rest:

(all shot with Canon nFD 100mm Macro)

 

[nsaspook]

Always missing the one you need.

 

[berkeman]

Always missing the one you need.

After getting burned a couple of times, I made it a habit to always check the code on caps and the color code on resistors that I pulled out of the supply bins like that. Don't ask me why...

(although I guess it's pretty obvious...)

 

[DennisN]

After getting burned a couple of times

Have you ever got burned by a soldering iron?
It's brutal . The pain just keeps coming and coming...
The only good thing about it is it teaches you humility.
And respect for soldering irons.

 

[berkeman]

Have you ever got burned by a soldering iron?

Oh yeah. Once when I was a 10y/o kid who was learning to solder wires with my Dad's Weller iron and I wondered if the big silver things also got hot like the heating element...

https://www.weller-tools.com/us/en/...g-guns/d650-industrial-soldering-gun-200w300w

Or the multiple times that I dropped a Metcal iron in my lap at my EE work (probably trying to work too fast, or the cord caught on my lab chair...)

https://www.productionequipment.com/mcsp200.html

 

[DaveC426913]

Have you ever got burned by a soldering iron?

Not me. But I'm not everyone.

 

[gmax137]

Once when I was a 10y/o kid who was learning to solder wires with my Dad's Weller iron and I wondered if the big silver things also got hot like the heating element...

I have the same memory, with the same Weller iron.

 

[Bystander]

I have the same memory, with the same Weller iron.

Ditto.

 

[Borg]

Have you ever got burned by a soldering iron?
It's brutal . The pain just keeps coming and coming...
The only good thing about it is it teaches you humility.
And respect for soldering irons.

Oh yeah. Once when I was a 10y/o kid who was learning to solder wires with my Dad's Weller iron and I wondered if the big silver things also got hot like the heating element...

I have the same memory, with the same Weller iron.

Ditto.

I hate when that happens.

 

[pinball1970]

Have you ever got burned by a soldering iron?
It's brutal . The pain just keeps coming and coming...
The only good thing about it is it teaches you humility.
And respect for soldering irons.

Soldering Iron No. Not to be left out though, I remember an incident when I came out of the shower at my gf house and sat on the bed drying myself.
My gf had just used her hair straighteners, put them on where I was about to sit, then covered them with a thin T-shirt.

 

[pinball1970]

Gig in Redcar in the North East.

 

[DennisN]

Gig in Redcar in the North East.

I see that the bassist is using a Rickenbacker bass.
Not too often I see one of those, actually.

 

[pinball1970]

I see that the bassist is using a Rickenbacker bass.
Not too often I see one of those, actually.

We try and use authentic gear for look and sound.
Low ceiling and wooden floor at the gig so I was not miked up, zero dampening on the kit and "boom" tuning on the toms and I cut right through.
That 26 inch bass drum sounds even better than she looks and she looks so pretty!

 

[pinball1970]

I dropped something on my guitar.

 

[Andy Resnick]

I'm not really sure where to put this post, but I hope it's ok I put it here...
I got this clip from a friend about a really cool microscope invention; getting dronelike shots in microscopes using a mirror rotating around the subject.

(@Andy Resnick may be interested, but anyone interested in "weird" optics and inventions may be interested too )

This microscope spins - and the shots are insane (Steve Mould)

That's cool!

 

[nsaspook]

 

[jrmichler]

I was watching a pair of adult geese with two tiny little baby geese walk across the yard at the same time that the above photo was posted. No photo because they were 100 feet away and I only had a cell phone camera.

 

[axiom]

Captured this sunrise one morning

It's not until you zoom in you realise the Sun's power

 

[DennisN]

I've also had the (wild?) idea of trying to shoot a photo of an eye where the camera lens can be seen reflected in the eye. I may have to work/experiment a bit to achieve it (if possible).

I managed to do it today!
And it wasn't planned; I had been servicing a lens and was trying it out on my cat.

Lens reflection (etc.) in cat's eye:

(Lens: Pentacon 50mm f/1.8 + 10mm + 16mm extension tubes;
extension tubes make it possible to shoot macro with normal lenses.
Also shot at night with little light, so I used a very high ISO, 5000.)

 

[morrobay]

Jomtien, across from beach

 

[DennisN]

Moonlit sky...

...and a little bit more zoomed in...

(shot with Sony 55-210mm)

 

[gmax137]

Not me. But I'm not everyone.

 

[DennisN]

Weller

I have the same memory, with the same Weller iron.

Ditto.

I have heard that Weller is an ancient word meaning "pain".

Well, actually the origin is:

Its origin is from Old English for a well—a hole dug for water—or a spring.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weller

So, it's the well of pain.

I've had a small Weller soldering iron but now I use a Dibotech, a Swedish brand.

 

[berkeman]

I have heard that Weller is an ancient word meaning "pain".

 

[Janus]

Sunbeams over the ocean (Oregon Coast)

 

[nsaspook]

 

[nsaspook]

 

[berkeman]

Just remember, if you think your job really sucks, you could be one of the top fuel dragster team members assigned to wiping the tires clean after each burnout in preparation for the start...

 

[jtbell]

A year ago, I introduced you all to Mookie, the mascot of the North Carolina Transportation Museum. I visited the museum again today, and Mookie is still there.

The museum gift shop now has Mookie merch.

I wonder if she signed a NIL (name, image, likeness) deal with them.

 

[Rive]

Does anyone make a digital camera with a waist-level viewfinder? I might buy one. I hate the screen on the back finders.

Some cameras has WiFi and can be directly connected to phones or tablets. Some can do viewfinder, remote control, file transfer, depending on the model and the software...
(The ones with just Bluetooth has no bandwidth to do anything useful.)

 

[jtbell]

A non-railroad exhibit at the NC Transportation Museum:

 

[jtbell]

I missed Salisbury's signature event by one day.

At the cat café:

 

[jtbell]

 

[Andy Resnick]

Just back from a quick trip, made good use of my vintage Vivitar 28/2.5 lens:

This lens is a lot of fun to use- both optically and mechanically. More on the lens here.

 

[DennisN]

made good use of my vintage Vivitar 28/2.5 lens:

Recently aquired, or something you had for a while?

Vivitar has some good lenses.
I've got two:

Vivitar 90mm f/2.5 Macro
- a fast macro lens that seems really, really good, but I haven't used it much yet. If I remember correctly Vivitar has a couple of good macro lenses.

Vivitar 70-300mm Zoom
- nothing particular, will sell it, I don't need it

 

[Andy Resnick]

Recently aquired, or something you had for a while?

Yes? It was one of my dad's lenses. Ditto for my 55mm Micro Nikkor. He had a few others (50/1.4 Nikkor, for one), but the 28mm and 55mm have held up really well.

 

[jtbell]

What's that in the ditch?

Looks like eggs, but why?