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dave_s

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dave_s last won the day on February 15 2016

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  1. everandoak, hi. I'll look around for them, but it might not be right away because I'm in a busy period. I have a bunch of big Rubbermaid bins full of photographic junk. They may be in there somewhere and I don't recall getting rid of them. I'll let you know if they turn up.
  2. Thanks Jim. I'll give Mr Oikawa a call next week, and failing that, Steve's Camera Service.
  3. Hi everybody. I haven't been here for quite some time, a blast from the past. I just wanted some advice. Is the go-to person for repairs still Mr Ken Oikawa? He's an amazing guy-- did some stellar work for me a couple of times, most recently about five years ago. Recent threads suggest he's still doing repairs, but I just wanted to confirm. OTOH, I don't want to bother him at his home if he's finally retired. (He doesn't use email, and his English is a little fractured over the phone.) Story is I have an 80 - 200/4 L lens, with a disconnected aperture lever (i.e. it doesn't actuate the diaphragm). That's probably an easy fix. I guess that should be combined with a CLA. Cheers Dave
  4. <p>Think about whether you really need the image to look good from up close. Can you plan to place it where people can view it from a distance? That would give them a better view of the entire photograph, so it might be better esthetically.</p> <p>If you want an image that will look good to someone standing up close, it's a tall order. If you decide you need that, I suggest you consult a professional who could shoot your event with a large format film camera. A quick back-of-the-envelope calculation suggests that, even at 90 - 100 dpi on the print, you would need a 200 - 250 megapixel primary image file. That sounds to me like sheet film, even in 2016.</p> <p>Printing it is another matter, and I have no idea. Presumably in sections.</p>
  5. <p>+1 what Dick said. We're stylistically diverse, and we all have different approaches, so a useful tip to you might not be helpful to me. This has been a good thread.</p>
  6. <p>If I'm close to the car, Mamiya RZ67, two or three lenses, solid tripod. If I'm backpacking, Rolleiflex, monopod.</p> <p>On the topic of Graphics: for backpacking trips, I used to carry a Century Graphic with two or three lenses and two or three 6 x 7 rollfilm holders. This is slow going, but it gave me some excellent negatives. </p>
  7. <p>Went through the ice in a small river one spring about 15 years ago. It was only three or four feet deep, so I bottomed out, but it scared the hell out of me. I was by myself, but I crawled out on the ice. I was maybe 800m from the car, so no danger of hypothermia.</p>
  8. Fly to San Diego and enjoy it for a day or two. Rent a car and stay at the Old Town Inn, which is excellent and reasonably priced. Indio is a couple of hours away IIRC. After the 17th, you have a week to explore. You might go to Death Valley and Lone Pine. DV will still be hot in October. Alternatively, drive through from Indio to I15 and continue north to Zion. That's probably about eight hours. Zion will be beautiful at that time of year. Stay at Flanagan's, or if you want to save a few bucks, the Comfort Inn in Hurricane is excellent. Arrange to leave the car in Vegas and fly back from there.
  9. <p>Heck, I can't keep my nose out of this, so here's a couple of comments. (Moderators, honest, this is related to photography. You've got to be able to navigate if you want to get to where the pictures are.)</p> <p>First thing, maps. I've found a great solution is just to download the 1:50000 topo maps from the USGS site or one of the many websites which point to them. I open the file in Photoshop, downsize it to an 11" x 17" print size, and send it off to a Staples print center for printing on heavy paper, 32lb or something. This gives you an excellent full-color topo map for fifty cents or so.</p> <p>For a multi-day trip, you'll need multiple map sheets, of course. Fold them up and seal them in a Ziploc freezer bag, and Bob's your uncle. If they get trashed or wear out on the trip, they're pretty much disposable at fifty cents per. Just reprint them if you need to.</p> <p>Second thing, GPS <em>versus</em> map and compass. I agree everyone should know how to plot a course with map and compass, if only because it makes you think about navigation in a fundamental way. That's a motherhood/pie issue. If I'm going way off trail I'll always bring my 40 year old Silva Ranger for insurance against battery failure, or <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_electromagnetic_pulse">World War III</a> breaking out, but also because it's a cool toy to play with when I'm waiting for the kettle to boil.</p> <p>The limitation of a compass is it tells you direction but not location. If you want map location, you always need to triangulate with two other pieces of data-- like (i) that peak is at a bearing of 270 degrees, and (ii) I am standing on the bank of this creek. In places where the terrain is nondescript or ambiguous, or in a storm, or fog, or at night, it can be impossible to get those two other pieces of data.</p> <p>GPS, on the other hand, tells you where you are on Mother Earth, within a meter or two, and it's easy to operate. I love my cool old Silva Ranger, but if you're in remote country where getting lost can be really bad news, you need to make it easy on yourself. You're not out there to rough it. You're out there to smooth it.</p> <p>OK, re the OP, here's the obligate photo tip: for my last trip, I bought <a href="http://store.lowepro.com/topload-chest-harness">one of these inexpensive front harnesses from Lowe</a>, based on someone's recommendation on photo.net. It's similar to the old <a href="https://books.google.ca/books?id=kgAAAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88&lpg=PA88&dq=kuban+hitch&source=bl&ots=tAEceS3CXs&sig=WL41hH0MYlTDOx3BSgNPhAifdlo&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijpfqnwLjOAhUK6mMKHS3XCPk4ChDoAQgkMAI#v=onepage&q=kuban%20hitch&f=false">Kuban Hitch</a> from the 1980s, if anyone can remember that contraption, but it's IMHO much better. I put the camera harness on first, and my <a href="http://www.ula-equipment.com/product_p/catalyst.htm"> ULA Catalyst</a> on over it. Works like a bomb, excellent combination for lightweight backpacking. Highly recommended.</p>
  10. <p>Walter, congratulations on the new valve. I'm glad you're back in fighting form.</p> <p>This lens-- by any chance, does it have 'U.S. NAVY' stencilled on it? I ask because there were many lenses (and cameras) on the market a few years ago which were U.S.N surplus from the 1980s. I've heard them called 'pilot cameras'. They had been rendered idiot-proof by disabling some of the adjustments. They were essentially very high-quality point-and-shoots which could be operated one-handed. </p> <p>As I remember, a typical setup was a Canon T70 locked on to some sort of automatic exposure-- something like shutter priority at 1/500 would make sense. The lenses would be locked at infinity. If I recall correctly, not hyperfocal, which would vary with aperture, but infinity. I think some or all of them didn't even have a focus ring.</p>
  11. <p><em>Problem with cellphone navigation is when the phone dies. </em></p> <p>Here comes another plug for Backcountry Navigator. (Honest, I don't own shares in the company.) <em>It works with your phone in airplane mode.</em> So the only little radio that's on is the one that receives the GPS signal. This cuts your power consumption considerably. </p> <p>In practice, I leave the phone turned off, and I just turn it on (in airplane mode) when I want to mark a waypoint, or check where I am. I can go out for a week and have maybe a 65% charge left on the phone, if I'm not using it to communicate or take pics.</p> <p>One other thing-- you can use BCN with USGS topo maps, which are in the public domain (i.e. free). It is a terrific app for backpackers and photographers.</p> <p>But it's like you say, take something, whether it's a GPS unit or a compass, and for heck's sakes don't leave it behind in your tent if you go exploring off the trail! The other thing I carry is an <a href="https://www.acrartex.com/products/catalog/personal-locator-beacons/resqlink-plb/#sthash.f5mRXzrj.dpbs">ACR rescue beacon</a>, because I'm usually out by myself. Might save my life someday if I break my leg. Or at least they'll be able to find the body . . . </p>
  12. <p>>>take a hand held GPS like a Garmin with extra batteries into the woods where cell phones won't often work.</p> <p>Darn good advice, and it would have saved the life of <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/us/missing-hiker-geraldine-largay-appalachian-trail-maine.html?_r=0">this unfortunate woman</a>.</p> <p>If you want to use your mobile phone instead of a dedicated GPS like a Garmin, there's a great app called '<a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crittermap.backcountrynavigator&hl=en">Backcountry Navigator'</a>-- provided you have an Android device. It will pinpoint your location from the GPS even in remote backcountry, when you're completely out of range of the cell services. (I've done it, in the Utah canyons and Death Valley).</p> <p>There are probably competing apps for the iphone, and I have no experience with them. A lot of backpackers are big fans of Backcountry Navigator.</p>
  13. <p>>>Surprisingly, few makers make hiking and/or muck boots in extra wide sizes.</p> <p>I'm only an EEE and I have problems finding footwear, but those New Balances might be a good answer for lighweight hiking boots. Another brand you might consider is Mammut, which (for men, anyway) are the widest-lasted hiking boots I've found locally. They're what used to be called Raichles-- Mammut bought out the Raichle company a few years ago.<br> <br> I have <a href="https://www.mammut.ch/US/en_US/B2C-Kategorie/Men/Trovat-Guide-High-GTX%C2%AE-Men/p/3020-04740-4559">these ones here</a>, which are pretty solid backpacking boots, but Mammut covers the whole range, from approach shoes to full-bore mountaineering boots.<br /><br> </p>
  14. <p>>>>Based upon the interpretive bias of the photographer--how the subject was interpreted differed. </p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon_effect">*Click*</a></p>
  15. <p>This is a well-ploughed topic. John Berger addresses it in his book 'Ways of Seeing', and it was probably also discussed in his TV series of the same name. </p> <p>He uses an effective trick to show how the observer's preconceptions color the interpretation of a photograph, or, in the example he used, a Van Gogh painting. (I won't give the details because that would be a spoiler. Take the book out of the library.)</p> <p>Slightly tangential anecdote: I remember in the U.K. papers, in the 1980s, there was a photograph of a policeman's boot making contact with a protestor's chin, at a demonstration. It was around the time of the miners' strike. IIRC, an inquiry found the policeman had merely slipped and fallen backward, and it only <em>appeared</em> he was kicking this fellow in the head.</p>
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