Robin Smith

You can invert a plastic tank like a stainless steel tank, if you prefer (I did). The twiddle stick I often used just for the first agitation.

The light during the total eclipse was more like bright moonlight with sharp shadows, as any annular light from the sun is still effectively a point light source at that distance. In Vermont the 10-20 mile view in the distance across Lake Champlain was not in the totality shadow so it was rather like a heavy cloud over the sun where you are with bright sunlight in the far distance. It was to use a tired word, awesome. It was surprisingly easy to get a good shot. I only shot during totality without a filter. If one had been further into the totality shadow perhaps the stars would have been visible, but I don't remember seeing any where I was.

Thanks for the suggestion. Great tip. I did this and found some corrupted files which SFC corrected. So maybe it will be good going forwards.

According to Adobe my graphics card is OK and I have sufficient RAM. I guess it is a matter of what counts as OK I can do photoediting, but it is slow and crashes are not infrequent. Since otherwise the machine is fine I conclude that it the CPU is no longer really up to the task. It is 11 years old.

Up until the Windows 11 I never had any issue with LR/PS, but my PC is too old to be upgraded to Windows 11, and I think this may be the issue with the LR classic that is now updated to, presumably, run best on Windows 11. I think that the processing speed has become inadequate and as a result I get frequent crashes. I need to get a new machine.

In the US you can carry a gun and violence is absolutely no problem on TV, but show a touch of genitals or erogenous zones and outrage ensures. Then there is a moralistic attitude to drink too. What a weird upside-down society.

A working but ergonomically hopeless camera being better because it still works is fainthearted praise in my opinion. You still won’t want to actually use it. The Minox was a pleasure to use, although I can well believe they do not last forever. I sold mine because I was gifted a Contax T, which was the same idea as a Minox, but with a rather useless rangefinder. That was stolen and I replaced it with a Contax T2. The fancy auto lens jammed one day and that was that, and that was way more expensive than the Minox. I guess the message is to steer clear of fancy P&S film cameras with electronic shutters. I did not bond with the Contax T2 the way I did with the Minox, even when it worked.

Love the look, hated the camera. My favorite P& S was the Minox 35, which has similar capabilities, but smaller, lighter and simple to use, but not likely to get much joy as an object for the glass display cabinet.

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On 12/27/2023 at 3:06 PM, digitaldog said:

For GPU, true, not short:

Might this disparity be explainable by the much greater installed Windows population? If the problems occur at roughly the same rate in both systems then one might anticipate that there would be many more Windows complaints. To answer this question might be necessary to know how many photographers who use LR are Apple or PCs. I assume Adobe know this. I am not in the Apple camp at all. The only Apple product I like is the iPad. I have had no problems with LR on a PC, until recently but I know this is due to my machine being 11 years old and with a no longer supported GPU. I get the impression that the latest LR classic is very crash prone, but again this may well be my machine, although it fulfils the requirements on their site to be able to run LR successfully.

Any help to their economy is good, even for mere photo stuff.

There is one, so-so shot from Death Valley in the set, so it may be possible. Finding a dark sky might be more of an issue.

I find that a rather comical thought. Like bringing a howitzer to squash a fly. Stop worrying about it. Blow your sensor occasionally and get a sensor cleaning kit if necessary for the occasional clean.

Alas this is also the operating principle of a certain ex-President we all know. Look where that has got us.

Picked up a Nikon F (non-meter) with 105mm f2.5. Nikon F in excellent condition. 1 sec shutter does not work so slow speeds are probably all slow, but otherwise good. 105mm f2.5 original is well used but has good glass. Lens does not stop down past f5.6. Should have checked that, but I'll keep.

Nothing is needed at the end IMO

I think a panoramic crop of the bottom third might improve it as it is the receding trunks that are the strongest elements in the shot.

I reckon this is just bad luck and I agree that you could add padding to the bottom of the Domke. While you may feel that the OM was fragile, a controlled experiment would be required to see whether another camera would not have been impacted just the same. There is always the tradeoff between padding and extra bulk and weight. Domkes are wonderfully light and flexible and can be packed with stuff.

If you like messenger bags then the Tenba you mention or the mirrorless mover would work. Personally, I dislike messenger bags, the large flap just gets in the way. Also I usually carry a camera +4-5 lenses and 3-compartment bags are not so good to work out of because you have to stack lenses. I have the Domke F2 and F6 and I seem to have settled on them. They don't give me any pleasant feelings about their looks, but they are splendidly functional. The mirrorless mover is a bit too "designed" for my taste (fancy color scheme and logo). I always like Tenba and Lowepro since their bags are usually low key and nicely priced. Bags are such a nightmare. I liked my Billingham Hadley Pro, but it is 3-compartment and way too deep and big for m43.

Perhaps you could pick up an EPL7 or even better an EP7 on your travels.

This is a shot that seems to want to say something, but I am not sure what it is. My first thought is that this shot belongs in a natural history museum - a detailed shot "scientifically lit" of the lion's skull. Now all we need are the other 5 views to make this a complete description of a skull in the collection, so useful for research. But then there is a leaf and I think what does it mean? It seems insufficiently artistic in presentation to work as an intriguing still life, and the leaf makes it too adulterated to be a scientific record. So although it is a fine photo technically, it leaves me cold otherwise. Mysterious intention can be interesting, but it doesn't seem to work for me on this one.

new version=much better.

I think we all have to accept there are many (so many) photos we do not warm to, even if we can see what they are driving at - I understand that. Some photos I have no idea why they were taken at all, so that was the basis for my question.  On the other hand there are also photos that do not require us to understand the motivation, because their appeal is obvious because it chimes with your own aesthetic understanding immediately. Of course a universal answer to my question is "why not?" That strikes me really as a non-sequiter. If Wayne loves pipes positioned like that and I don't then there is not a lot more to say. If on the other hand he was to say he was documenting the installation of his house's new plumbing I could grasp that. Not sure it would make me appreciate the picture, but at least I can understand a bit why it was taken.

Perhaps I would prefer this in color (nice blue sky and beach in the upper "window", for example).

I think the cut-off branches and the chaotic composition does not work very well in this particular case I think.

I much prefer the color version. The teal color is beautiful. It's a bit boring in black and white. The sand in the background reduces its impact a little. Going in closer and rearranging the shells, or removing one, may allow you to exclude the sand, and yet still maintain the diagonals.

MS Publisher. Comes with Office 365.