Remainders: 28 October 2023

While on walkies with The Girl, this hat and kerchief were hanging on the ranch house fence. Shot with Fuji X100V 23mm f/2 at f/2.8 with Portra film simulation.

It has been a few weeks since my last post. There is a back story here, but this is not the place to put it.

  • Years ago I used a Finder replacement called Pathfinder. At the time I was writing for an e-zine that I have forgotten the name of. The editor reminded me that Finder has a lot of potential that I was not using. So I stopped using Pathfinder and used Finder for a number of years. I recently started looking for a Mac version of 7-Zip and remembered Pathfinder.
  • I purchased a new 14-inch MacBook Pro a few weeks ago. I completely spaced the need to carefull move my music directories. This is direction on how to do that safely.
  • Given that I have (had) a split Music library, I am now in the process of converting it to a portable Music library. I decided a couple of years ago to keep my media files on a separate, external drive. I have too much media. This will help solve my problem.
  • I am going to have the same problem with my photographs as well. All of my images (and there are a lot of them) reside on an external drive. I expect to pick up the Lightroom thread again soon and that will mean library management.
  • I am looking into using QGIS instead of ArcMap or whatever they are calling it now. I am reviewing this comparison of the two as I move forward with the decision-making process.
  • Hitch and Timber is a new find. They make high quality bags and pouches for EDC.
  • Clip-n-Carry makes sheaths for multitools and other gear. I have one of their sheaths for my Leatherman Wave+ that I carried for several years. Now that I have the new Leatherman ARC, I asked if they were going to make a sheath for it. The answer from Avi was “Yes!” so I have one on order. They make good stuff.
  • I find myself enjoying well-made things. I recently rediscovered waxed canvas and now have several bags (for cameras and computers) made of the materials. I recently discovered Alpaka Gear, who make bags. I will probably end of with one (or more) to carry gear.
  • I have had a CalDigit dock on my desk for my old iMac forever. Now that the iMac is retired and I have a new MacBook Pro, it is time to upgrade my dock as well.

Remainders: Week 23 September 2023

I captured this image this morning using the Sony A7Sii and a lovely Asahi-Kogaku Takumar 58mm f/2.4 rangefinder lens wide open.
  • The Hot-Crazy Matrix is such a funny bit of analysis that I have to preserve it. It will be at risk of censure because of the political correctness problem we have. I show it to female friends (and loved ones) and all have laughed at it to date. It is sarcastic humor at its best, I think. But I suspect the woke will label it misogynistic.
  • Simon’s Utak (YouTube) posted a review of the TTArtisan 100mm f/2.8 Triplet lens. The Meyer-Optik Göerlitz is a very expensive vintage lens that is highly regarded for its background blur and soap-bubble bokeh. However, the TTArtisan produces very similar images at a much better price point. It is worth a look.
  • Matt Day does a nice job of explaining the practicals of black and white film development.

Remainders: 16 September 2023

While on the trail a couple days ago, she posed for me. Shot with Fujifilm X-E4 and Voigtlander 27mm f/2 Ultron at f/2. SOOC using Tri-X 400 film simulation.
  • This week, The Corporal did a mid-week video on his preferred load bearing gear. It is worth a watch.
  • It is something I have been thinking about. I like the idea of a smaller pack to support a belt. Sometimes I want to carry a camera bag and a full pack is too much for a short hike. That lead me to researching The Corporal’s LBE and then I landed here.
  • Faizal Westcott posted a video that includes a brief review of Rick Rubin’s book, The Creative Act. I downloaded a Kindle sample, but might decide I want a hardcover book.

The photograph was from walkies a few days ago. I have been carrying the Fujifilm X-E4 with the Voigtlander 27mm f/2 Ultron mounted. It is a manual focus lens that has a chip. So the aperture setting is sent to the camera for recording in the EXIF data of the image. The focus is very smooth and focusing is fast and easy, provided I set the correct color for the focus-peaking assist.

Remainders: 09 September 2023

Here she comes!

Another week, another few links:

  • I need to back up the Microsoft Surface Go 2. A quick review of my options led me back to a legacy Microsoft tool, System Image Backup Tool. That is a mouthful, and it is no longer supported. But I do not care for the alternatives at this time.
  • Leatherman just released a new EDC pouch, the Adapt Kit. It looks quite interesting as a small supplemental toolkit that will hold a multitool, bit set, accessories, and maybe a small gun cleaning kit.
  • ZAID makes good leather products for photographers.
  • So does Clever Supply Company.

Remainders: 02 September 2023

While on walkies a few days ago, I captured The Girl announcing to the (doggie) world “Sera was here!” Photograph shot with a Sony A7Sii and a Zuiko 85mm f/2 at f/8 or so.

Another week, another round of links:

  • Allphotolenses.com is just what it says it is.
  • The Kamera Store has a lot of film cameras (and others).
  • David duChemin is a Canadian photographer and teacher. He is good at both.
  • Fujifilm’s digital film simulations changed my way of looking at digital photography. There is a longer entry in this idea (I will get to it), but there is also science behind what some might think is a gimmick. Dave Etchells explains some of the technical background of creating a film simulation.
  • This Vistek video looks into the Fujifilm film simulations in a video (with reference to the above article) and is worth a watch (and a sub).
  • Reggie Balesteros offers his take on a Kodak Portra film simulation for Fuji cameras. (Note: There is also a YT video for this film simulation.)
  • And then Reggie offers an Acros-based (a Fuji film stock) (video) black and white simulation for his documentary photography that is also worth a look at.

Remainders: 26 August 2023

Perhaps I should add a header image to these posts to add a little interest. Thoughts?

  • The State Film Lab is still developing film for those who do not have access to a photography laboratory. I will use them. I have been thinking about running some film.
  • While watching a little YouTube this afternoon, I came across Faizal’s presentation on how he uses his Fujifilm cameras. It is worth a watch.
  • I have a penchant for experimenting with vintage and odd lenses. Radjuva has some interesting writings on Soviet (and other) lenses.
  • Another outfit that produces APRS products for amateur is Byonics. These are hams that make stuff for hams.

Remainders: Week of 19 August 2023

Here we go with another week. Where will I land?

  • Vivitar made a ton of lenses. So many that they used multiple manufacturers for their production. If you have a Vivitar lens and wondered who made it, then Camera Quest can help.
  • I reactivated my Flickr account. It will provide some inspiration and a place to park a few images.
  • David Wilcox released a new album, My Good Friends. I bought the download (ALAC format) from Bandcamp. It is recommended.
  • Meyer Optik Görlitz made some interesting glass in the Post-War era to the early 1970’s. The company history is also interesting.
  • I still use my HP-48GX calculator. It might not see daily use (like my Swiss Micros reproduction of the HP-42S), but it is still used. I wrote many useful programs for it. Now I see that the memory cards are available from Retrotronik.

Remainders: Week of 12 August 2023

Another week is begun. Where will it take me in the Interwebs?

  • I have thought of a Hasselblad film camera for years (decades?). The thought recently resurfaced. I have two Zeiss lenses for Hasselblad cameras in my inventory (result of a trade). There is a lot about Hasselblad cameras here
  • But wait! There’s more! I found what I need to know about the Hasselblad system here. It is the history of the system and worth the time to read.
  • I am still considering a Light Phone to replace my smartphone (iPhone).

Remainders: Week of 05 August 2023

Here we go with another week. It looks a little thin this week.

  • I found myself looking for an easy way to subset a dataset in R1. I found dplyr to be a useful asset.
  • Hardcore Hammers has some killer (pardon the pun) camp hatchets/hand axes. I think this one might come home to live with me.
  • Moment has a lot of interesting things for photographers.
  • I spent some time listening to Gillian Welch the last week. She is an interesting artist.
  • I have had a lot of camera bags over the years. Most of them were junk. Tamrac makes a few nice bags. But I have a fondness for waxed canvas bags. My EDC is a waxed canvas Nutsac that will carry my Microsoft Go 2 and support. I have taken to Domke camera bags in their ruggedwear line. Domke bags are highly recommended.

1R is a statistical analysis software that I use for a lot of my work.