rose_duclos

<p>Ok, I don't post a lot these days, but here is my newest stress relief mechanism - yes, I have more pets ... it was my b-day gift to myself.<br>

The idea was to create a natural planted tank - yes, indoor underwater gardening - but then I got sucked into buying 5 betta girls. I added 3 of them to the newly created garden last night and enjoyed watching the interaction between them - although, I had to seperate one of the bullies before leaving this morning... <br>

These both were taken with my k10d and the DA 21mm. </p><div></div>

<p>Jacques, mon cher, I'm probably about a dozen hours drive south ... if you want to keep on naming all those far northern cold zones... I'm placing you somewhere up close to or in the arctic circle... <br>

You don't see much wildlife in our lovely little city (Boston). The occasional wandering skunk may make an appearance on trash night (although I haven't seen any of those this season - the rain is probably keeping them in hiding). A few raccoons or possum left as roadkill on the highway, and perhaps a visit by a long roaming coyote hunting for cats in some of the suburbs (not my neighborhood)... <br>

Birds... no - we don't seem to be as lucky down here... <br>

So, I do hope you'll take pity and post some more colored birds - they're quite a nice vision. :)</p>

<p>Jacques, I'm impressed at how colorful your 'common' birds are up there. All we have in my neck of the woods are a whole mess of chicadees, the random morning dove, and some Blue Jays. <br>

Yes, I know this because I feed the birds these days, out in front of my house. No birdfeeder - I just pour a bunch of birdseed on the sidewalk below my neighbor's tree (where there's a nest or two) - and, watch them all swarm down - a whole street's worth. Tiny little critters... all 30 of them... <br>

I like the yellow warbler 2. Great colors and peaceful seeming. :)</p>

<p>Goodness Marc! that's a crazy good picture. :) I don't think you should be beating yourself up over the not-cropped image - I like it more seeing the full bird, and his reflection in the water... the fact that he's captured doing an action is simply icing on the cake. <br>

Koodos, my dear - it's really well done.</p>

<p>there's no saying that the water got in... I will tell you what I would do... although I've never been in your situation and I would be winging it. first I would let the water dry face down on the lens. dont tip it up and risk water seeping in, I might risk a soft cloth lay quickly to the glass to absorb and quicken the water removal but dont rub ... any sand in that water would really scratch ... take the lens off. use a blower to remove dried sand ? find a cleaning solution and gently swab down the front element. then final ... open aperature and face toward sun... clear inside or trapped water? ... if water got in ... you will need to consider taking it apart or scapping it... I know for myself as a non techie it would never survive me touching a screwdriver.<br>

anyway, that is what I would do... but surely there are plenty of folks here who have survived this easilyM we are talking Pentax afterall. Didn't Javier once write that he had dropped his k10 off of a pier? his camera kept going... but I dont remember how and what other specifics...</p>

<p>Ioritz - you can put the blame on me. I can't help myself - I find people so darn interesting - I tend to get everyone else turned backwards, sidewards and upside-down very easily... Like a game of twister, with cameras and lenses being the various colored circles - and the other topics all the people falling over each other reaching for them. (I'm liking the creativity of that analogy - but it may need work on the wording to make it understandable to anybody who doesn't share my braincells.) :)<br>

Ioritz, for an explanation about older lenses, if you should happen to go ebay route of finding older glass... (this generally is the cheaper way to buy glass...) Pentax uses several different abbreviations - letterings to distinguish the age and features of its glass. the way the abbreviations work is like this:<br>

SMC, SMC-M, SMC-A (are all manual lenses) - SMC stands for Super Multi-Coated.<br>

Then next we have: SMC-F, SMC-FA, SMC-DFA, and last - SMC-DA (These are automatic.)<br>

The DA glass is the newest - and was created for the pentax digital sensors. These lenses usually do not have aperture rings - meaning that they would be difficult or impossible to use with film (& full frame) cameras.<br>

The DFA glass - allows both for full frame (film) and Digital cameras. - yes, there's a aperture ring. (at least I think I remember there being one... the 100mm f2.8 macro comes in the DFA model... (very nice lens if you like to take flower pictures... ) :)<br>

FA - is what was used on the later model film cameras. - fully automatic lenses - and lovely. They work really well on the digital cameras. There's a FA model 35mm f2 and an FA model 50mm f1.4 still available - and very lovely lenses. :)<br>

If you haven't figured it out yet... I like prime lenses. I don't have much experience with the zooms... they end up being pretty bulky and I like lenses that are smaller and unobrusive.<br>

God bless me, I can be wordy when I want to! :)</p>

<p>Miserere, you know that I am very politically incorrect. It comes from being a stupid american. :D ... I only know that he said he came from Spain, but he wasn't spanish. He sang in Catalan - and, I thought it and Basque were the same... so he was a beautiful Catalan boy? ... <br>

He was extremely delicious. (and I say that very innocently... ) He could really sing well - it's a shame that we didn't have American Idol back then... <br>

Ioritz, since you are still young, and have not forgotten what it is like to be free. I hope you will sit with a guitar and sing love songs. Maybe a few bills but no real worries, yet. That is quite the life! :) <br>

The K7 is a beautiful camera - but if the 'really new to market' price does not meet the budget of the young; the k20d - is equally as good (although bigger bodied) and if you are on an extremely limited budget - the k10d - is also a real pleasure. - Either way - with Pentax - you can do no wrong. ;) (Spoken with the heart of a true Pentaxian.) ;)</p>

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<p>Mmmmm.... talking of Basque... reminds me of a time .... well over 20 years ago, when I was away at school... there was a beautiful boy from Basque ... who's name I can't remember. He would sit and play the guitar, and sang love songs in Catalan. <br>

Back when I didn't know what Catalan was... anyway - what a day for a memory from happy times, when the young could sit and enjoy singing and music, and not think of work and life's responsibilities. <br>

I wonder what happened to that boy.</p>

<p>Yes, wait for the K7 - :) - that's the camera that's on the top of my shopping list. <br>

And, if you become an appreciator of history - get a pentax m42 adapter and try out some of the old glass. The super takumars, the old zeisses - you'll have quite an adventure ahead with a good Pentax body and accessibility to 40+ years of lenses.<br>

Welcome to our forum Ioritz. </p>

<p>Steve, I keep buying cameras - instead of selling them... I haven't bought any Pentax medium format yet - but, I admit that some of the sales listings I've seen on them are REALLY tempting. Only thing I'm resisting, there - is knowing that once I buy another system it's more lenses I'll have to drool over... :)</p>

<p>I do have a 6x7 - an old mamiya rb67 - It's so HEAVY - that I haven't finished a roll on it yet. It's just too much effort to carry it down 3 flights of stairs, to take it anywhere with me... </p>

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<p>... maybe you'll convince RT ... but, free rent or not, I'm an eastern girl at heart - I can't see myself wearing red heels and thinking Kansas as home. :) <br>

I do sympathize, Maria, ... Besides convincing Matt to carry you around from room to room, and having him stop to pick up things... I don't know how we'll much be able to help you otherwise. I do like the image of him carrying you from room to room. Seems if you're carrying those 22 lbs for him... he kinda' owes you some carrying time... :D<br>

Are there any maid services in that part of the country? ... a couple of hours a week - about $40 or so, could be a good way to catch up on the harder jobs, like floor washing and bathrooms... and, you could always bribe the girls with help me dusting and we'll bake cookies :) (children are really easy to bribe if there's a cool project to entertain them at the end of it.)</p>

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<p>Yes, I know exactly what you mean... I'm thinking it's time to hire a housekeeper - one day every couple of weeks to vacuum and dust would be a complete blessing... <br>

It might also convince me to get those dishes out of my sink before she arrives... (I don't want to appear to incompetent, eh?) :)<br>

this is reminding me to talk to my downstairs neighbor again... and get Veronica's number...<br>

I HATE housework. </p>

<p>When did Matt become a Mike? :) Mis - you're not old enough to mix up names (yet). Matt wouldn't be a yellow M&M - I think he'd be a green one. Yes. Maria fits quite well as a Red M&M. I can well imagine she's got quite the fiery temper, that one. :) So don't get her riled any.<br>

John hasn't swallowed any cameras (yet) at least I hope he hasnt - nor does he have any chemical ingredients hanging out in his belly that would process film either - so don't ask him to swallow any or expect to see vivid pictures after doing so. ;) (Strange how I never pictured him as a hillbilly....) <br>

@John - are you related to those blue collar comedians? ... they're the only people I'm reminded of when I think of the term 'southerner'... They're pretty humorous... :)<br>

Where is the falklands... it sounds perty far out there... uh... it's an island, right? ... Without doing a google search... I'm thinking it must be near Canada. :D (I'm showing my idiot side - definitely time to leave work and hope for a pain-less commute.)</p>

<p>RT, you're wise to take them slowly - for me - I couldn't help myself - I took them both in quick succession, and am very sure that there would have been much better topics out there if I'd just slowed down and reasoned it out more.</p>

<p>I've been kicking around an idea for another traveling camera program but am deciding on the camera, wanting to put a roll of film through whichever one - and make sure everything works fine prior to sending one on the road. With the past month of mostly rain - it's not been conducive to carrying around a camera, when the bag is already heavy enough toting around the umbrella.<br>

I'm considering either one of the spotties, or the pz1. I've been using the Pz1 this week, and it's a real pleasure of a camera. (but what a crazy loud shutter!) ... I'm wondering if the meters work on the spotties, but haven't made the effort to pull them out of my bottom drawer to look at them ...</p>

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<p>RT,<br>

Here's the answer: <a href="http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00RsdW">http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00RsdW</a> <br>

The camera has travelled thus far to you, a couple of canadians, me, andy G, Mis, Justin, Somanna, and someone else who's name escapes me from NC area. - So, you're missing from the list, the M&Ms, Haig, and a few of those central/western folks. <br>

I'd probably suggest to send it to contact the M&Ms next - since I think they're the closest ones to new england (list wise) that haven't seen the camera yet.<br>

feel free to email me off-line if you need more info/chatter. Since this thread is further down now, it tends to become overlooked. </p>

<p>John - following directions from a manual? ... are you saying that the manual was actually well written? :) (I can't even follow a recipe to bake a cake - I really don't think that following directions for fixing a camera would come out much better... ) But if you're ever in Boston and want to try out one of my baking attempts - and don't break your teeth on it... you might convince me to try something more technical with lots of positive praises on my skills as a chef ... </p>

<p>Nothing better than having random strangers stopping in to boost my confidence levels (and ego)... ;) (and you could be lucky and get one of those baking attempts that come out runny in the middle and burnt around all the edges... )</p>

<p>Robert - I know it's not all about baby pics... I'll stop. :)<br>

I'm just really glad you're back with us. This feels like a group hug type moment, eh?</p>

<p>Bob, you were such a cute boy! :) Not quite as intelligent looking as Simon - the soon to be physicist - but, still quite smart. You must have had a ton of old ladies huggin and kissin you back then. :D<br>

If we're going to get into ol baby pics - here's one of me back in the early 70's... with my brother... I'm the cuter, short one...</p><div></div>

<p>Pshaw! Mis - you can't get my jokes after all this time?<br>

Reason I teased you, is you NEVER show us baby pics ... the softer side of your nature must be coming out... :) <br>

Simon is very cute. And seems to have quite the intelligent expression for such a young one. He could even be physicist material. ;)</p>

<p>John, one look at that picture, and it convinced me that you've got a lot more guts than I have. All those parts - I'd never manage to get them all back together properly. I'm sure I'd leave out all the screws and then who-ever picked it up next - probably me - would be in dire straights when it would fall apart in my hands...</p>

<p>But, I'm really glad that there are lots of techie types out there that know what they're doing. :)</p>

<p>Justin, have you ever considered what a wonderful thing words are? :) Take the word community ... it leaves a lovely image in the mind, doesn't it? ... but then a derivative form would be commune ... which tends to 'more often than not' have a negative connotation. </p>

<p>Robert C. - from one commune member to another - I hope you'll heal quickly and tell us you're revved up and in action with your camera, where-ever you're romping around at. :)<br>

On that note - I really need my first cup of coffee... </p>