owen w.

Duuuh. That was "buy" a filter...

Hi Melanie,

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You want to get that SALT water off ASAP! Following the instructions above simply to be really gentle, you can do it yourself and do it right away. The salt will cut through that coating very quickly. Next, as also suggested, by a decent filter. B&W are excellent. Then you can scrub them and, when needed, replace 'em.

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Cheers, Owen

Speaking only about lucky numbers: Gen. Ne Win, the socialist dictator of Burma for many years was deeply superstitious. He devalued the currency and introduced bills that would have numerological significance, meaning base 9.

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When I returned for a posting in the country in 1995, the biggest bill was 90 Kyats. The full compliment included the 5, 10, 15, 45 and 90 bills. Even at that time, it meant that the largest bill in circulation was worth less than US$1. Today, although there is now a 1,000 Kyat note, it is also worth less than US$1.

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Strictly for entertainment value.

A lot of real wise-acre responses here to what can be a serious issue. All in good (pointless) humor, but of no value. There have been a few serious responses, so I do not mean to dismiss the thread. Regardless of who starts it, the issue is actually rather important.

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My home, meaning where the majority of my "stuff" is, has been Bangkok for over 25 years. Nevertheless, I spent most of the past 10 years in Burma/Myanmar and have now been stuck Stateside for over 4 months. It is common for me to have some cameras and lenses in boxes for 6 months or more, with no possibility to get them out. Thus, the storage question for me is very valid.

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Moreover, it also can be critical regarding film and prints, too. On one extended absence, a temporary housekeeper moved a box of deeply beloved photos into the worst possible environment: a dark, dank space underneath the lowest stairwell in the house. When I returned, even those in archival slips were alive with bubbling mold & fungus. In my attempt to salvage as many of the images as possible, I developed an allergic response to the souped combination of bacteria, mold and fungus. Acute bronchial infection put me into an ICU of a Bangkok hospital within days. So, you can appreciate, I take this question of storage a bit more seriously than most here.

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On the issue of condensation, the tropics are actually worse for the gear than the cold climates mentioned above. On field trips, camera bags often sit or are stacked on the seat between passengers. This is often in the direct blast of the A/C units. Then, when you jump out of the car, pulling (now quite cold) cameras from bag, both viewfinders and lenses are totally fogged. Given the higher dust content in the air, not to mention fungal spores, the condensation tends to leave behind worse gunk than occurs going from cold outdoors into comfy, clean homes in northern climes.

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I have yet to find the perfect solution. The plug-in dry boxes not only present an obvious target to any intruder, but also require constant electrical power, again a lovely luxury for those of you in developed countries. The best, so far, seems to be investing in good quality silica that, as mentioned, have the indicator buttons, and be sure to pull them and bake them back to dry-sville frequently. Those cute little (40 gram) ones go soggy really, really fast. While they don't take up much space, I really suggest going with the slightly bigger (say, 200 gram) models, even for smallish boxes. This is the product web site: http://www.dehumidify.com/index.html - although you can find them sold slightly cheaper from various sub-dealers.

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As noted, if the box is not tightly sealed, the silica is of no value. And, be sure to remove batteries.

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For me, the question remains unclear when you do NOT have good silica available: Is it better to seal a box, possibly trapping moisture, or to leave it slightly ajar to allow air circulation? I believe all the other surrounding factors of ambient humidity, temperature variations (extremes), dust, etc. probably determine the answer here.

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In any event, the question is, at least for some of us, more important than the flippant would believe. I would like to hear from others, particularly those in the tropics, how they have approached the storage issues. Thank you.

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Owen

The normal spelling is "Buddha" and Buddhism. Not to be pendantic.<div></div>

An embarrassingly bad photo, but a cool Bamboo Sax!<div></div>

Hey! Keep the W/NW threads to themselves. This techie thread has been really educational. Please do these often, or keep this one running. Please! There's no way I can play this game now, but I really like learning the details and hearing your real world experiences with the gear. Hopefully, when the DM comes out, I'll understand some of these details enough to participate then... THANKS, Guys!!!

I really don't care if the moderators invented an entirely new WindBag icon just to avoid the overwhelmingly popular response to my original proposal (see this thread):

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http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DjNy

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It is now clear that Huw Finney Absolutely Deserves a Hero Icon for creative ingenuity, madness and down right entertainment value he delivers to Photo.Net! This latest Mad Project should be sufficient evidence.

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I re-rest my case.

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Owen

Making sweets<div></div>

Making Sweets<div></div>

Wow! I'm amazed at the response. Of course this is Hanuman. A very well dressed Hanuman, who is clearly a member of a troupe or part of a specific festival event. The use of a ultra wide (is that 24 or 21?) makes for an interesting perspective, and the color saturation almost overwhelms the details. But, I think it a very interesting shot. The earlier respondents simply have no knowledge nor understanding of South Asian culture. More, Monkey, please.

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Owen

This would be my favorite category. But I'll restrain myself...<div></div>

Gee! I hope I didn't kill this thread. The subject line leaves it wide open to quite a range of groups in pose(s).... sigh.

Dear Dennis,

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Not only are these images very powerful, your work in making them is very important. Whether or not adequate funding is made available to rebuild, one of the first things that will happen are the bulldozers. Thus, the memory of the devastation, itself, will be diminished. While I am sure you wish that you had spent a few days/weeks taking photos down in that Ward, say, two days Before the deluge, these images may well play a very important role in retaining some memory of the place and the full extent of the sheer power of the storm.

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Thanks so much for sharing these here. Keep working!

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Owen

not unrelated<div></div>

This subject opens many, many possibilities...<div></div>

**<div></div>

To Monkey & Michael,

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Sorry for slow response. That's a bit of an older shot, taken several days hike north of Kathmandu. It kept me laughing for a very long time, although, technically speaking, there's nothing "wrong" with using cow manure as an adhesive... But the irony of the message remains wonderful.

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Cheers, Owen

sorry for very poor scan from print<div></div>

Rangoon<div></div>

I couldn't resist the subject.<div></div>

From Bill Wheeler: "What about using velcro to secure the finder, as needed, on your camera, with one piece attached to the base of the hotshoe and the other piece fastened to the base of the finder? It might just provide a "reversible" solution to your problem."

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Bill, when I snapped off my 24 VF, I had a similar idea. So I tried it. I put half the velcro on my top plate, the other on the (now flat) bottom of the 24 VF. Seemed okay, but in practice it was not very satisfactory. The velcro didn't provide a firm set, so, even if you had it pretty well lined up, you still had an up/down float depending on the velcro. After a while, I tried trimming the velcro "fuzz" to see if I could get a tighter or more dependable set, but it just wasn't right.

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For a while, I just carried the VF in my pocket and did a quick check, as if it were a spot meter, before using the built-in VF. When I got tired of that, I bought a CV 25 VF. While it was a nifty idea, and it looked okay, it just wasn't dependable nor adequate. YMMV.

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Owen

Backstage<div></div>

father and daughter<div></div>

Son-in-law with grandson #2<div></div>