A couple of days ago I carried the Sony A7iii and a new-to-me Micro-Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 manual focus lens. I seem to be using and writing about a lot of Nikon F-mount lenses of late. The Sony A7iii is getting a lot of work as well. My other cameras are languishing.
The Girl and I got out Sunday for our daily walk. With the change in weather, we are walking Silver Saddle Ranch once again. The risk of snakes is abated but there remains a risk of other critters. I sometimes see a large coyote and there was a report of a mountain lion working a sheep ranch nearby.
I am reminded that life is inherently risky. The risk can be mitigated to some extent, but none of us get out of alive. There is no such thing as safe. But, I digress.
I found a Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 macro lens in my inventory. (I actually found a second sample and I have no idea how I got two. They were purchased long ago.) I carried it mounted to the Sony A7iii Saturday and Sunday and came away with a couple frames that are OK, by my estimation.
We had a great walk, except that Goofus, AKA The Girl, had too much energy and ran too hard. She limped around the house Sunday evening and Monday morning. So, I am going to have to mitigate that to some extent. With the coyote I saw yesterday and the mountain lion report, I need to keep her closer in anyway. She can still range out a bit, just not more than a few tens of feet.
The lens is quite good, especially given its age. It is plenty sharp, focuses quite close (and I have the extension that will let it focus to 1:1) without the extension, and the rendering is good. It was built by Tokina. Those lenses built by the Komine and Tokina companies were generally of higher quality than the run of the mill Vivitar glass.
The reputation of the Vivitar is that it produces a very nice background blur (bokeh) and renders an image well. It is useful for general photography when the focal length is appropriate.
So I made a few images as we walked. It is my way of rebuilding after focusing on problem solving. I give my mind a break from the analytical work and feed my soul.
When we came around to the northbound part of our trail, I noticed the scene of the ranch compound. The wave cloud over Mt. Scott added to the scene. It also begged to be in black and white, at least to me. I made the capture, while The Girl waited impatiently for me.
Because of the traffic, I put her on lead until we passed the compound. When I saw the way was clear, I released her from the lead but kept her close anyway.
As we approached the rig and the end of our outing, the Sun popped out from behind the clouds. I paused to make an image of the entry sign. I am working on a Silver Saddle Ranch gallery and the sign will make a nice theme photo.
When I reviewed the image, I noticed some chromatic aberration along the hard lines of the top of the stone. It is not prominent, but it is there. This is not unusual for vintage glass and is easy to correct in post processing. It also diminishes with an increase in f-number.
It was a good walk. Even with the overcast and cooler weather, I returned home refreshed. The Girl came home tired, and a tired dog is a happy dog.
Life is good. I am grateful.
Sunday is the first day of the week. Perhaps it should be called Sonday or maybe Son-day in honor of the Savior who rose on the third day. I have thought that for a long time and it bubbled up from my memory as I began to write.
Last week was too busy. This week might be the same. This is not a complaint, but an observation and simply part of the consultant’s life. Deadlines occur and I do my best to make them.
But, that kind of busy-ness leaves little time and energy for reflection, photography, or radio. I do set aside a few minutes in the morning to write in my paper journal, plan the day, and pray a little before the day goes out of control.
The holidays and the end of the year are soon upon us. I hope to take some time this year to reflect on and process the year behind and think about the year ahead. That did not happen last year because I was traveling to see my loved ones and dealing with a broken camper. I should not have a broken camper to deal with this year and I pray nothing else happens.
Aside: I heard my neighbors last night about 0230h. It sounded like there were tearing up the house, but probably they were just moving things around. There was nothing to indicate a domestic problem. But then I heard the sound of a woman screaming and it sounded outside. At first I thought it might be a television, but then Sera started barking. That got me up to investigate, but I heard nothing more and could not get a direction.
There were a couple of days last week when I did not even carry a camera. I needed to get The Girl (and myself) out for some exercise. I needed to just get it done. I could not afford the time to dawdle along at my usual pace. So I left my camera at home and thought that if something interesting was presented I could always just use my phone.
But one day I carried the Sony A7iii and a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 that is in my inventory. I saw the frame above and decided to make a capture. I thought that the sign was the interest, so I placed myself such that I could isolate the sign from the background and then made the capture. I kept the aperture open so as to place the background out of focus.
Then I noticed that the dog-waste dispenser and waste bin were both in the focus plane. I like that.
The image is not portfolio grade, but tells an interesting story. At least, it does for me.
Now I think I need to get on with my day. The Girl will want a walk, even if she is limping a bit. I think she over did it Saturday.
I am grateful. Life is good.
It is Sunday, 10 November 2024, as I begin to write this entry. I was working on my image library a bit ago and the topic of exiftool came up again. It is a tool used to read and write EXIF data store in image files. EXIF data are stored with the image and record the settings in-camera used to make the image. This provides a record of camera settings for the photographer to use for whatever purpose.
DOS batch files, a script of commands to be executed in sequence to accomplish more than one task that are repeated on one of more files. this list comprises the commands available for a Windows CMD shell.
Back in 2013 I was using a Sony NEX-5N mirrorless body and a Nikon D300 dSLR. I know this partly because I remember and partly because of this entry. Both of those cameras are crop-sensor cameras. Each has an APS-C size sensor. The lens that was the topic of the 2013 entry (and this entry) offers an image circle sufficient to cover a full-frame sensor.
I still have the D300, although it has not seen much use the last few years. I traded the NEX-5N to my buddy Jimmy years ago for some vintage glass and a little cash. The NEX-5N was replaced by the Fuji X-T1 when I dove in to the deep end on Fujifilm products.
I had a couple of full-frame (35mm) mirrorless cameras in my inventory until I recently them to fund an upgrade. The first was the original Sony A7S that I bought as an experiment (it was not the current version when I bought it). I used it to shoot old 35mm lenses so they would render as they were designed to do on a 35mm frame. A couple of years ago I decided to buy a little newer model (the A7Sii) so I would get the in-body image stabilization.
I recently sold both the A7S and A7Sii bodies, after buying a Sony A7iii. One of the reasons I sold my Sony A7S and A7Sii bodies is because most of my use for the full-frame body is to play around, literally, with old lenses. Old can mean anything from 30-years ago or more. Much of my collection is from the 1970s and some from earlier, back to the 1950s.
The A7Sii was an upgrade to the original A7S (in my case) simply to get the in-body image stabilization (IBIS). IBIS provides a usable image at low shutter speeds without a tripod. A couple of months ago I decided I did not use the extreme low-light capacity of the A7S bodies and had intended to sell the original A7S anyway. I bought a Sony A7iii because I still intend to work with my old camera lenses, but wanted a little more resolution and an updated camera experience.
OK, that is the backstory so back to the lens. Jimmy loaned me the Tokina back in 2013 for a test run. The performance I got from it justified the asking price, so I bought it. I used it a bit with the D300, but moved on to other things a few years later. Then last year I started working with my cameras more (the story has been told) and am working through my lens collection, sorting, testing, and deciding what to keep and what to sell.
Sunday morning I noticed the fat, squatty Tokina sitting on my Nikon shelf and picked it up. I am enjoying playing with non-standard focal lengths and I thought the 28–85mm range might be interesting on the full-frame sensor. I remembered shooting this lens with the D300 on a hike around the Marina with Jimmy and Ki up in Sparks one warm summer evening. (That was a good, good day!)
I pulled the images yesterday. There were only a few as I was distracted in the field. What I learned is slightly different from my experience with the crop-sensor bodies — there is some substantial vignetting at 28mm and f/4. It is not apparent in the upper image because vignetting is trivial to fix in post processing. There is a slider in PhotoLab and it takes only seconds to get it corrected.
The lens is reasonably sharp (for a zoom). The Sony colors are a little flat (in my opinion), but again that is trivial to fix in post processing. The range of focal lengths the Tokina provides is useful and I do not have a Nikkor zoom lens in that range. (That is a problem with a solution. I also have prime lenses that cover the focal length range.) So, although my thought was to sell the Tokina, I think I will keep it for now. If I can find a nice Nikkor or Tamron in that focal length range, then I might sell the Tokina. It would not be a good lens for a film camera unless one likes the vignetting.
The bottom shot is from the other end of the focal length range, 85mm. The light is not particularly good, but there was no vignetting and the lens is, again, reasonably sharp. It is certainly sharp enough for general photography.
In the end, my outing Sunday was good. The Girl and I got exercise. I chatted on the phone with my ham buddy, Dick, while walking. I made a few images, although none are portfolio grade. The captures gave me an idea for a post and that was tickled by the original post from 11-years ago.
I am grateful. Life is good.
I closed another week yesterday. It went out with a bang! My buddy Greg called and asked me to lunch. The old radio-gang was to gather at the restaurant in Bodine’s Casino.
He called just as Sera and I were about to head out the door (about 1000h). He said “How about 11:30?” I responded it would be that or a bit later as we were just heading out. “Good enough…”
We drove out to Silver Saddle Ranch, me not knowing what kind of mess of traffic we would find. Unsurprising, there were several rigs parked at the gate. I got out and scouted, then grabbed my heavy hoodie, my camera (Fuji X100V), and her lead. “Come out,” I called and she jumped to the ground, excited to go see who had been there since the last time we came (Friday).
There was a couple heading toward us with a couple of dogs. So, I turned us east to bushwhack to the other trail. She followed readily, darting from sage to sage sniffing. We humped it up to the upper staging area, where I used to park. (I park at the gate now to lengthen our walks.) She needed to be on-lead a bit because another party was unloading from their rig. But there was no dog so there was no risk of a negative encounter.
I greeted the new folks and we chatted briefly as we passed. They were driving a nice 4Runner (newer than mine) and they appreciated The Girl. (Who would not?)
I did pause once for a frame, but badly underexposed it for the film simulation I was using. The frame was interesting, but what I wanted from it.
We turned the corner and headed east to the Mexican Ditch. I had to call her in a couple of times because she ranged out too far. At the Ditch, we paused so she could get a drink.
On the way toward the ranch compound, I broke into a jog — in part just to see if I could. My gait was more of a jiggle and a jog, but I managed a few hundred feet before I returned to my normal gait. The Girl got very excited that I was moving, so I did it a couple-three more times along the trail.
She returned to the lead for the passage through the ranch compound, but there was no traffic. The other folks who parked at the gate must have gone up Dead Truck Canyon, another hike that I like and we need to do.
We hurried (just a bit) back to the rig and to the house. I did the two-minute shower, dressed, and was out the door as she fell asleep on the bed. I headed to Greg’s Place and we visited there for a few minutes before the last of our party checked in. So we loaded up and headed for Bodine’s.
The food there is decent, if not as good as it was a year ago. I have noticed the decline in quality and the increase in price. A favorite entree, the Cowboy Steak, on the $5.99 list migrated to the regular price menu a couple of months ago. The Spaghetti with Meat Balls and Marinara deteriorated to a watery marinara with little flavor. The Chicken Parmesan disappeared from the menu. The $5.99 menu changed to a $7.99 menu.
However, the specialty salads remain good. A couple of the soups are good. A number of the entrees remain good. So, I continue to visit the place and often meet by buddy Jimmy there for supper (more on that later). Sometimes I go if I want a specialty salad, am low on food at the house, or just am too tired to prepare my own meal.
When they are not too busy I put The Girl’s In-Training vest on her and give her another repetition. She is good to lie on the floor under the table at my feet. Sometimes she will sit for a bit and I scratch at her head. It is good to have her near even if she has not learned her service yet).
The group gathered at the booth I grabbed for us. We laughed and visited over iced tea and water until our food came. There were old stories, some told the first time and some retold. It was all good and the fellowship was welcome.
When it felt like the group was about to break up and go our separate ways, I excused myself and headed for the house. I still had some things I wanted to get done and I wanted to see The Girl (My Girl).
She greeted me at the door in her way, sleepy and soft-faced. I ruffled her ears and she shook. She checked my hands in case I brought a treat. “Not this time, Love, I ate it all.” So I took her into the kitchen and got out a doggie cookie. That raised her energy level a bit and she sat for her treat without being asked.
Then I got out the Sony A7S (original model) that had sold Friday late. I found a box and packing material and started the process. A few minutes later I had a parcel prepared and the postage bought. I deposited the now ready to ship parcel near the front door.
A text message from my buddy Jimmy came in “Supper at 1730h?”
“Sure” I responded. That meant I had a little time before heading back to Bodine’s, so I gathered up The Girl for a short nap. That was good and I had enough time, so we headed out to refuel the rig and drop the parcel at the Post Office. I knew Jimmy would want to see The Girl and it was not too cold, so she went along.
It is a good thing to see Jimmy. We visited over supper, with me eating a little lighter. I had plenty of food at lunch and so opted for a soup and salad. The visit was good and I love this old man like a brother. We have seen plenty of easy and hard times together, that is for sure.
He greeted The Girl a second time as we headed out. She checked me again for food (nothing), and we headed home. There she got her evening treat and we began the process of settling in for the night.
It was a very busy day, in a good way. It brought closure to a very busy week and a very good way.
Postscript: The image is one I made last week on walkies. I was running the Sony A7iii and probably the Nikkor 80-210mm f/4 zoom. That is a very good lens, particularly when equipped with a hood to reduce flare. It focuses fairly close and is quite sharp. I am pleased with this image.
And so begins a new week in mid-November. I am grateful, once again. Life is good.
Monday on walkies the wind was blowing and it felt rather cold, although the temperature was mild and the Sun was shining. The combination of wind and colder nights means that most of the fall color is gone. The old cottonwoods have given up their summer and fall colors and taken on their winter look.
The Girl and I had a good hike out at Silver Saddle Ranch, even if the wind was blowing in my face part of the trip. She darted about hunting for lizards (now hibernating) or rodents (there are a few) with her intent, happy face. At least the threat of snakes is mitigated.
It was a good day. I came away with an acceptable frame. Life is good.
The Girl and I had a good walk at Silver Saddle Ranch about noon. I was a little overdressed, but so badly that I suffered. The wind was down and the sun shone nicely.
I had a a Pentacon Prakticar 135mm f/2.8 medium telephoto lens affixed to the Sony A7iii for some test shots. The near focus distance is about 1.3m, or a bit more than four feet. That is not bad for a portrait, but a little far for close work. I did come away with a couple of good frames, of which the above is one.
I did spend some time today thinking about Wife. She would have been 72-years old today, so Happy Birthday old girl! I would have teased you when we went out for dinner in celebration. I miss you. I always will.
But, life is good and I am grateful.
I see that I never finished my story. Saturday morning I rose about sunup, or a little after. There was a large hill to the east that made it seem like daylight was later than it was. I made a coffee and sat down at my table. I turned on the little C.C. Crane radio and listened to the NOAA Weather Radio station that is on Virginia Peak. The Saturday weather looked OK, but the winds were to pick up Sunday with more early winter incoming.
I noticed my buddy sitting in the morning sun, so I took The Girl and my coffee over to sit and visit.
I spent a good part of my day Saturday and Sunday morning visiting with my friends. The Girl and I got out for a walk and I made a few images. I worked a DX station in CW Mode with 15w from the little KX3. I chased a few POTA and SOTA activators doing their thing.
And I read. I finished A Cold Dish Sunday evening and returned to Abaddon’s Gate (part of The Expanse cycle). I listened to weather radio. I saw my friends off to their home Sunday afternoon.
The Sunday afternoon winds buffeted the camper a bit. But it was not bad with the stabilizers down. It showered off and on all of Sunday night into Monday morning. There was enough wind to blow a bit of rain into the camper, but not much. It was also enough the wet the silt at the ground surface just enough to make me drag mud into my camper when I broke camp Monday morning.
Nonetheless, it was a good weekend and a good chance to camp a little. I did not miss the Internet and enjoyed reading my book, hiking with The Girl, and making a few images.
The drive home Monday was relatively uneventful until I discovered that my trailer brakelights were not working. The brakes worked fine; just the lights did not. Nothing I did rectified the problem.
So, I have some work to do on the camper before I take it out again.
Nonetheless, it was a good weekend. I am grateful. Life is good.