Minolta/Sony Sunday, Monday and maybe Tuesday 2/16/2014

[randy_cooprider1]

We are heading out of town this afternoon so I am posting early. I like the landscaping of the golf course so I

go by every now and then. The snow has transformed the look very much. In the first picture there is a flag for

the ninth hole see if it jumps out at you. The second shot is of the driving range but there are no ball marks in

the snow. The last is taken with the beercan in ambient light and shows some of the spoons in a wall display.

Post up to three of your images with the long side no more than 700 pixels.<div></div>

[randy_cooprider1]

Driving range. I misstyped and the description was "driving rage" which is often the case when I play.<div></div>

[randy_cooprider1]

Spoon show.<div></div>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Randy your first two shots explain what those "Glow Flyer" red golf balls are for - a perfect accessory for driving range (during snowstorms)!</p>

<p>No birds or bugs from me this time - instead I've been doing some long overdue and wholly parentally unauthorized tinkering with an AF-crippled a700 that I got a few years back for experimental purposes. Behold... the Minosony Xα700!</p>

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[paul_de_ley]

<p>Looks like the above caption is more interested in the booze than my time-blending technology breakthrough. Here's what I've frankensteined - swapped out the alpha mount on the body with an MD version. Because of the release mechanism and assembly screws already inside the MD mount, I fastened it with only three 3mm screws turned into three of the six native mount screw fittings in the body:</p><div></div>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>And here's a shot taken with this dazzling prototype of blended old technology, to show the limits of the 45mm f2 rokkor set at "infinity" focus with an easily recognizable object for scale. The catch is that the thinnest complete MD mount that I could find in removable form is still about 2mm too thick, so at 45mm there still is a slight extension effect... and by the way, that removable MD mount came off one of those classic <a href="http://www.diaplousfoto.com/catalogue/en/tubos-ext-couplers/3618-minolta-sr-extension-tubes-set-el-1-2-3-eb-original-xlnt.html">way-too-fidgety macro ring sets</a> with threaded tube segments and a single mount ring to be screwed at either end.</p>

<p>(I took the previous two shots with my a450 and minolta 50 1.7)</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

[mark_stephan2]

<p>Paul, what adapter are you using to mount you Minolta lenses to the a700? I have a few lenses I'd like to use with my a77.</p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Hi Mark, just to clarify: the above isn't an adapter but an actual MD mount screwed into the front of an a700 (after I took out the alpha mount). Quite a while back I got an MD to alpha adapter from feebay but then I misplaced it - and it wasn't all that practical anyway. As you probably know, the glassless aka macro versions add 6mm extension or more so they're not much use with lenses that aren't long teles or macro lenses to begin with, and the adapters with a correcting glass element just aren't very good optically.</p>

<p>By the way, Minolta for a brief while made black finish 2x teleconverters that adapted MD lenses to alpha bodies, for specs see the last two rows in <a href="http://www.mhohner.de/sony-minolta/lenses.php#tcs">this section</a> of Michael Hohner's website. I've never seen or tried one of those, they are supposed to be better quality optics.</p>

[howardstanbury]

<p>It's just a shame you can't place that MD mount 2mm further inside the A700 body. Great project, Paul!</p>

<p>While Randy and many of you have been a real cold winter, over here we've been flooded quite extensively - especially in Somerset and in the Thames Valley west of London.</p>

<p>In Oxford the low-lying areas close to the river are swamped.</p>

<p><a title="Marston Psychopath /1 by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7424/12550821405_d9ab91841e_c.jpg" alt="Marston Psychopath /1" width="800" height="800" /></a><br>

These two girls cheerfully removed shoes and waded barefoot through the Cherwell.</p>

<p><a title="Marston Psychopath /2 by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="https://ycpi-farm4.staticflickr.com/3701/12551311384_e90991f592_c.jpg" alt="Marston Psychopath /2" width="536" height="800" /></a><br>

This guy used the technique of 'quarter-pedalling' to keep his feet try; I had no such luck.</p>

<p><a title="Lake Ch Ch /1 by FlickrDelusions, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7425/12414421543_eaf009ab22_c.jpg" alt="Lake Ch Ch /1" width="800" height="602" /></a><br>

This view across Christ Church meadow (or Lake Christ Church as we now call it) features the towers of Merton and Magdalen colleges on the horizon. Although the meadow exists to hold surplus water it barely makes a dent in the problems for the region.<br>

(First two pics NEX-7 and Sigma E 30 /2.8; last pic Sony RX300)</p>

[Member69643]

<p>Wow, Howard, that first shot is a real peach! I'd be proud to hang that one on my wall for sure! Well done. My wife likes it too, and she doesn't like anything, well, except chocolate...</p>

[randy_cooprider1]

Paul, perhaps a close up attachment lens would move the infinity point forward to get reasonably usable focus range. Also it's hard to see a red ball under the snow. Howard, wish you drier weather I too like the first picture. Don't understand how the quarter pedaller could remain dry. Patrick, everybody I know likes chocolate.

[Member69643]

<p>I set out to prove that I CAN take pictures of something other than my dog, Sooo...</p>

<p><img src="http://wolfeye.smugmug.com/Photography/PnetSh/i-QtZP2Fx/0/O/Roll1408_10.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="472" /></p>

<p>And...</p>

<p><img src="http://wolfeye.smugmug.com/Photography/PnetSh/i-ndj6SZK/0/O/Roll1408_8.jpg" alt="" width="466" height="700" /></p>

<p>And... err, well, maybe not...</p>

<p><img src="http://wolfeye.smugmug.com/Photography/PnetSh/i-mpKwpmD/0/O/Roll1408_20.jpg" alt="" width="700" height="543" /></p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>All images, <strong>Minolta XE-5, Kodak Gold 100 film</strong></p>

[paul_de_ley]

<p>Patrick I can tell from the frozen nose in the last picture that someone has been looking for golf balls on Randy's driving range! ^o^</p>