zave_shapiro

Now I'm confused. When I saw NL I assumed it was the Canadian province of Newfoundland & Labrador. And this is now in Europe?

I go back to before they separated out an "archived" forum from an "unarchived" one, the second for beginners and more transient questions. I've seen a lot of productive input and a few silly seasons too. Clearly no-one has thought what the modern photographer needs, with some forums for specific software, some for tricks of the trade and a few for the human touch. Is it like seeing an old respected teacher sitting on a park bench, wine in a bag, missing some teeth? Thanks for your efforts, Sandy.

On a forum I frequent one member has that tagline "Beware the man with one gun. He probably knows how to use it." There are people on that forum with twenty or thirty guitars. I pay attention to the the example of professionals on this and other fora who regard their cameras as tools. I'd like to have a great set-up for doing macro work. Have I ever done it? No. Have I had a need to do it? No. Am I likely to start if I had the equipment? Ummh, but it looks so interesting! Eyes bigger than stomach. GAS. If it was so damn important then I'd have set up a shooting stage with controlled lighting and rented a 1:1 lens for a week. Did I? Should I? Will I?

My eyeglasses are polycarbonite with a coating. I really expect that they're more fragile than my camera lenses. I use micro-fibre cloths (including an old one from Rodenstock). I clean them in warm running water using a touch of dish detergent. I worry that detergent for clothes may have anti-static and other additives that might stay on the lens.

For July 5th sunrise is listed as 5:34 for Banff, sunset at 10:00. The crowds are fierce if you're traveling once school gets out, but you can beat them two ways. Beat them to the morning golden light or plan a hike that gets you thirty minutes from your car. Voila, no crowds! The weather is lovely but at high altitudes the sun will burn you crispy without a light cover and the temperature drops when the sun goes down. Friday's forecast is high of 28c/83F, overnight 9c/48F. There are a couple of guides you can buy and the internet sites, like Banff and Beyond, will give you some good ideas.

I've had the same sign-in for eighteen years. This time I couldn't see something on blogs because I don't have a sign-in. Or username. Or something.

<p>In a few weeks I'll be spending a few days in the Auburn area. What are the "must see's"? And are there any museums of technology near there? That includes corporate museums that tell a meaningful story.</p>

<p>August is still in the prime summer season, so people are everywhere. However early and late are the best for shooting and the times that bus tours are elsewhere and families are dealing with kid-things. Today's sunrise was at 6:12 and sunset will be at 9:24; six weeks ago it was much earlier and later. If you're from the southern US you'll be surprised how slow sunrise and sunset are. Remember that mountains throw pretty big shadows! Depending on the weather I'd be tempted to do indoor things at mid-day (Whyte Museum, interiors of the Banff Springs Hotel or Chateau Lake Louise). Most stores will take US cash, but at a slightly worse rate than banks. US credit cards are accepted everywhere except for the Discover card. Charges will be posted in Canadian dollars; your issuer will use the daily rate which changes ... daily! Most gas pumps now take a US card; otherwise it's easy to arrange with the staff. Telephoto locations: top of Tunnel Mountain (Buffalo Mountain, Sleeping Buffalo Mountain), The outdoor patio at the Juniper Hotel, the Banff Gondola (expensive, but available with many card bonus plans - Air Miles, Aeroplan etc). Check out Morant's Curve on the old highway for train shots with a coffee break or meal at the Baker Creek Motel. Enjoy the views and the wildlife and remember - I don't have to outrun the bear, I have to outrun you!</p>

<p>The issue of crowds in Canada is much the same as the US; once the kids leave school the roads fill up. Do remember that the further north you go the slower the sunrise and sunsets are. Also as we approach the summer solstice the daylight lasts and lasts; here in Victoria the sunrise for today was at 5:12 and the sunset at 9:18pm. It's possible to cover a few miles on foot, get some fine images and be done by the time families have finished breakfast and washed the kids. The same holds in the evening. A tripod, a remote release and you're good until you need a flashlight. As others have said, drop-off charges can be significant and harsh over an international boundary. Perhaps plan Canada and US as separate segments. In your planning I wouldn't ignore motorhomes. The daily charge is high but frees you from restaurants and Vancouver-Calgary or reverse is so heavily traveled drop-off charges should be moderate.</p>

<p>I worked in a hotel in which one door to the garage was only six feet tall and there was an illuminated sign saying "LOW DOORWAY". Every morning we'd hear a horrible thwack, an exclamation of pain and a dazed guest telling us we should have a sign. It took masterful restraint to avoid stating the obvious, but I'm a master. Cliche blockers, tire pressure monitors and sign thwackers are all reminders that no matter how much we try to make things idiot-proof they just come up with a better idiot.</p>

<p>I'm not at home where my old Yashica lives but it's worth checking on the correct battery for that camera. I think they used mercury cell batteries for many cameras; for disposal reasons that type of battery hasn't been available for years. It had a slightly different power output than the batteries we've used for years. There may be substitutes, but I might check if the camera was designed to use a mercury cell in which case you'll have to find a modern equivalent.</p>

<p>A couple of filters that I've owned for years (bought for film) might interest you. Tiffen made an intensifier filter that punched up foliage; this is probably obsoleted by colour adjustments in digital. The other is a Haze2 filter; most haze filters cut some ultraviolet light. The Haze2 had a very sharp cut-off at 400nm (nano-metres) and was very useful at higher altitudes for cutting through light scatter. It won't cut fog or smoke but it prevents the film or sensor seeing an overabundance of ultraviolet. These are both screw-in filters so you should buy a size for the lens that needs the biggest filter and get adaptor(s) for lenses that are smaller across. The other useful type of filter is the holder-held gradient filter. (Cokin is the basic name in this style of filter.) This can cut 1, 2 or 3 stops in part of the image so you can get, for example, the main part of the image shot through the clear portion and the sky cut by a factor, limiting the dynamic range the sensor is asked to cope with. Now many people shoot multiple images at different shutter speeds and combine the images, but the neutral gradient filter, which can be shifted up or down quickly has a regular place in my camera bag. It's useful unless you wish you were spending more time with your computer!</p>

<p>It's too bad there's no longer an off-topic forum here. Your message has brought a lot of insight and personal experience to similar feelings. Thanks for posting; there are a lot of us who have had a similar change and I think we can all band together and wish you a future with a renewed sense of adventure and fun.</p>

<p>I'm sure that your doctor's opinion has some weight. I also think that my age (63) and changing interests also figure in. I bought a digital camera (Canon 40D) but realized that I missed the surprise of getting prints back. As a single guy I don't want to get a dog just to enjoy its sense of joy in the everyday but it sounds like that's what's missing. I've enjoyed the Internet for fifteen years and I understand the economics but I resent just being an asset to be monetized. I'll check back on this thread; perhaps someone can clue us in on a fresh enthusiasm or a fresh attitude. Hang in there. (I'd say "dude", but I suspect we're both too old for that or for man-hugs.)</p>