Tilt-shift photography in Colbert's Late Show

[Igor PDML-StR]

It is possible that all PDMLers have known this long ago, but just in case 
somebody was as ignorant about it as myself, I thought I'd share it here.


I just learned that tilt-and-shift effect was used in the new Colbert's 
show.

Apparently, tilt-and-shift can be used for simulating a miniature scene.
I didn't thinkt about it while watching the show's episode where it is 
used. (You can see it e.g. here: http://goo.gl/1My8GZ starting at about 
5:37.)


You can read about this technique e.g. here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt%E2%80%93shift_photography

Best,

Igor


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Re: My luck with flashes

[Igor PDML-StR]

Larry,

I feel for you.
As for the release button, - I've had a very similar problem with the
brand-new Pentax  af540fgz that I had to return (several years ago).
Since that, I've been using Metz 58 AF (1), and except for some 
intermittent problems with the hot shoe contact, it's been working fine 
(on 4 different continents).



Well, maybe you'll get flashed at one of FL beaches. ;-)

Cheers!


Larry Colen Mon, 14 Sep 2015 14:41:24 -0700 wrote:

I pulled my metz 58 af-2 out of the bag a short while ago and the release 
for the head swivel has broken. It points forward, and I can get it to go 
a bit up, but the tilt/swivel seems to be busted. The release button seems 
to be stuck part way in.



I had hardly been using it lately because I had been using the yongnuos, 
but they fried on me and only fire at full power. This, of course, as I'm 
preparing to leave for a trip in just over 40 hours.


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OT: Computers acting stupid again

[Igor PDML-StR]

John,

Twice I've head a similar problem with two laptops (ones with each of 
them), when they were unable to locate the printer on the local network.
In both cases, replacing the printer name with the (fixed) local IP in the 
printer port settings (essentially installing a new printer by using the 
IP number instead of the printer name), - solved the problem.
Prior to that, when I was actively using my desktop, - I 
occasionally had a problem accessing that computer and its 
shared HDDs from my laptop. Again, using the IP number instead 
of the name solved the problem.
My network printer is capable of scanning to the computers. Occasionally, 
I see that it cannot connect to the computers (by their "Windows" name).

Rebooting the printer usually solves that problem.

Just in case, -  my computers are all Windows (laptops are Win7, the 
desktop is WinXP).



I haven't carried the ultimate diagnostics, but from what I've figured out 
is that in all these cases it is about how device discovery (via UPnP and 
SSDP) is happening on the network. My memory is a bit vague, but the 
reasons are something like this:
1. You need to have the services that are responsible for the device 
discovery running and not forbidden/blocked by the security policy 
(firewall), - such as when the network is set (in Windows) as "public" or 
"home/work". "Public" policy may forbid network discovery.



2. When not on a "Windows domain", but when the computers belong to the 
same "workgroup", windows computers can take the role of the 
resource-directory host/controller (I couldn't recall the correct term). 
Sometimes there could be a clash between different computers, some sort of 
race condition, so that they fight for that role (at least with WinXP).
Rebooting or suspending computer(s) on the network usually solves that 
problem.



3. The router can have a configuration option for the local network that 
can disable UPnP.  I haven't seen this happening, but a flaky router might 
contribute to the problem.


While it is not impossible that the network cable can contribute to the 
problem as you described it, it is not very likely.



And just in case, - this page describes enabling network discovery in 
Windows computers:

https://pattersonsupport.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/19189/~/how-to-enable-network-discovery-in-windows-7,-8.1,-server-2008-and-server-2012

For the record, - my laptop right now has UPnP Device Host service 
not started (this one and SSDP Discovery are set to "Manual" for Startup 
Type), - but it has no problem discovering my network printer and scanner.


HTH,

Igor


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Re: Equipment rant!

[Igor PDML-StR]

mike wilson wrote:


On 9 September 2015 at 22:43, P.J. Alling  wrote:

On a related note, if anyone
would like a video ready Vivitar S1 35-70 f2.8, (no click stops
contentiously variable f stop), lens I accidentally made, a few years ago,
it's price is totally negotiable.


The last thing my photography needs is an argumentative lens.


Lens capable of Argot Mentation?
;-)


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Re: PESO: Supercell City

[Igor PDML-StR]

Darren,

These are very impressive images.
(I also enjoyed your other impressive clouds.)
You really mastered how to "capture" them "in the right light" 
consistently.


The apparent spiral in the B one is especially eye-catching.

Your followup about Tim Samaras inspired me to read about him and his 
team. -- I appreciate that.


Having lived in Illinois and Texas, I've had tornado going dangerously 
close.
 The "near-miss" one was back in 1996, in Urbana, IL, where the tornado 
touched down just 3 blocks away from my apartment. Actually, I was 
supposed to be in the building where the tornado was going through: my 
friend had his birthday party. But the rain that preceded the tornado 
delayed me from leaving my home. And when it stopped, I exited the 
building and saw how purple the sky was. I also heard the sirens for the 
tornado warning and went back inside.


That tornado leveled many houses as if those were card houses.

Somehow, the apartment building where my friend lived didn't suffer
(except for the cars parked in the parking lot, and the big advertisement 
board across the street).
 ... So, with some delay, we ended up having the party with candles, 
as the electricity was turned off in that area, - the authorities were 
afraid of possible gas leaks. Fortunately my friend's wife has cooked all 
food ahead of time.


I just recently found on the internet this set of photos from those 
events:

http://www.news-gazette.com/multimedia/photogallery/2006-04-18/looking-back-
96-tornado
And this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTxptG0ghzM
At 4:21 - they are talking about and showing Philo Road, - that's
where we had the birthday party.



As I mentioned, - the colors were very different from those in your photo: 
the sky was in various shades from dark blue to deep purple.

In July, I've seen similar colors in the sky, although at some distance.
It passed our town without any touchdowns or damages. I am not even sure 
if there was a tornado there or not.


Cheers,

Igor



 Darren Addy Thu, 10 Sep 2015 07:36:16 -0700  wrote:


Got off work yesterday to find central Nebraska to be in quite the
supercell environment and had a fun little local chase until about an
hour after sundown. Here are two images from the outing. Both were
taken from essentially the same spot.

I parked my car at a rest area on eastbound Interstate 80 south of
Grand Island, NE and ran across the 4 lanes of traffic to get some
powerlines out of my shot. Then I found myself too low and the 9-foot
tall cornfield was obscuring my view of the bottom of the storm.
Fortunately, there was an old thick tangled wild grapevine that had
grown around the barb wire fence and fence post that was sturdy enough
for me to stand on that got me high enough to shoot over the tops of
the corn. This is looking almost due north. I opted for a B
rendering of that shot:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelsmithy/20664233023/in/dateposted-public/

Returning to my car I saw another cell to the west that was nearly
scraping the ground and was backlit by the setting sun. I ran down the
median towards it to get some artificial lights, from the rest area to
my left, out of the frame. I had to work fast because this whole storm
system was moving rapidly to the southeast.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelsmithy/21098836120/in/dateposted-public/

These were just two of the supercells that were scattered all over
central Nebraska that evening and some produced damaging hail. I
haven't seen it yet, but I'm told that my daughter's car, a newish
little Toyota in Kearney, was totaled by the hail there.

Today is going to have severe storms nearby again, but this time
powered by a cold front. I hate cold front setups, but depending upon
the timing I may be out again this evening. This is the storm season
that just keeps on giving...



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Re: PESO - No Smoking

[Igor PDML-StR]

While looking at the photo, I thought they misspelled it, and it was 
supposed to be:

"No shmo!
 King"


Just "the usual meaningless, snarky comment by Igor" (c) GDG



On 8 September, 2015 8:59:43 PM EDT, Rick Womer wrote:


Outside a coffee shop in Lenox, MA:

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18080940

(K-5, DA 16-45)

Comments appreciated.

Rick


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Re: Happy U.S. Labor Day

[Igor PDML-StR]

P.J., you are correct.

"Texas A observes the number of holidays as allowed by the state 
legislature; generally 12 to 15 holidays each fiscal year."

The schedule for FY 2015-2016 lists 14 holidays: Thanksgiving+1,
winter break (Dec.24-Jan1), MLK Day, Spring Break (2days), Memorial and 
Independence Days.
For comparison, "the other" TX university, UT Austin, skips the spring 
break and celebrates Labor Day, and has an extra day for the winter break. 
That's the choice they made.


(And yes, e.g. Univ. of California - San Diego celerbates Cesar Chavez Day 
that'd never heard off prior to living in California, while some 
East Coast universities celebrate Columbus Day.)


My comment was about what was driving TAMU for its choices.


Igor


 P.J. Alling Wed, 09 Sep 2015 06:42:33 -0700 wrote:

Federal holidays are only required to be observed by the Federal 
government. If you look at Texas, they probably have an additional State 
holiday that's not followed by anyone else. They probably figured that 
they could only allow so many days off so something had to give. For an 
example of States that have holidays no one else follows such as 
Massachusetts with Patriots day, and Rhode Island with VJ day, though I 
don't think that VJ day is a paid holiday for state workers anymore.


On Mon, 7 Sep 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:




As a kid, I've learned that the International Workers Day (or "the 
international day of solidarity of workers"), aka May 1, was inspired by the 
Chicago events (Haymarket affair) of 1886.
But until this morning (when I heard a history snippet on PBS radio), I was 
unaware that the Labor Day in September is actually related to the same 
events but was purposedly established in September to "detangle" from them ( 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day ).



One of the idiosyn... pecularities of Texas A University is that
the Labor Day is not a day off. I don't know how it happened, but I wonder if 
that was from some type of disagreement with Pres. Cleveland or labor 
movement in the country.



Igor


On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 12:10 PM, Knarf wrote:

I celebrate both! International Workers Day (May Day) and Labour Day are 
both worth recognizing.


I have to admit, as May 1 is a, "celebration of laborers and the working
classes that is promoted by the international labor movement, anarchists,
socialists, and communists," (Wikipedia) I'm kind of partial to that. But
North American Labour Day (first Monday in September) works too!

Happy Labour Day!

Cheers,

frank

On 7 September, 2015 11:57:08 AM EDT, John <sesso...@earthlink.net> wrote:

Happy Labor Day whether you celebrate it in May or September.






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Re: On or Off topic? - Theta S

[Igor PDML-StR]

Thank you, Bill for that response.
That correlates with my impression based on the descriptions I've read.

It reminded me the old saying about what distinguishes boys from the 
grown-up men: the price of their toys.


Cheers,

Igor


 Bill Fri, 04 Sep 2015 16:33:37 -0700 wrote:

On 04/09/2015 12:52 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



It is talking about Theta S, - new Ricoh's camera.
I looked it up, and found this description on DPReview:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4794312887/ricoh-theta-s-boosts-resolution-introduces-google-street-view-integration


I am just curious if anybody on the list have tried the previous Ricoh
Theta (with a threatening model name m15). Any first-hand impressions?


I haven't used it, per se, but I had a 15 minute demonstration of the
thing at a trade show a while back. Definitely a toy.



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Re: Happy U.S. Labor Day

[Igor PDML-StR]

As a kid, I've learned that the International Workers Day (or "the 
international day of solidarity of workers"), aka May 1, was inspired by 
the Chicago events (Haymarket affair) of 1886.
 But until this morning (when I heard a history snippet on PBS radio), I 
was unaware that the Labor Day in September is actually related to the 
same events but was purposedly established in September to "detangle" from 
them ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day ).



One of the idiosyn... pecularities of Texas A University is that
the Labor Day is not a day off. I don't know how it happened, but I wonder 
if that was from some type of disagreement with Pres. Cleveland or labor 
movement in the country.



Igor


On Mon, Sep 7, 2015 at 12:10 PM, Knarf wrote:

I celebrate both! International Workers Day (May Day) and Labour Day are 
both worth recognizing.


I have to admit, as May 1 is a, "celebration of laborers and the working
classes that is promoted by the international labor movement, anarchists,
socialists, and communists," (Wikipedia) I'm kind of partial to that. But
North American Labour Day (first Monday in September) works too!

Happy Labour Day!

Cheers,

frank

On 7 September, 2015 11:57:08 AM EDT, John  wrote:

Happy Labor Day whether you celebrate it in May or September.




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Photo-art book of Soviet bus stops

[Igor PDML-StR]

I thought some  pdmlers might appreciate the creative look of the 
photographer at the "utilitarian" art.


'Creativity where least expected': Canadian photographer publishes art book 
of Soviet bus stops

http://www.rt.com/news/314528-soviet-bus-stops-herwig/

Igor

Sent from mobile phone




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Re: sigma 200-500

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark Roberts Fri, 04 Sep 2015 11:46:11 -0700 wrote:


Bob W-PDML wrote:


On 4 Sep 2015, at 19:32, Larry Colen  wrote:


Bob W-PDML wrote:

On 4 Sep 2015, at 17:39, Toine  wrote:
ROFL!


It does sound as though they were rolling on the floor, but I don't think
they were laughing.

Anyway, I've added that to my wish list, and I'm looking forward to
Christmas. I wonder which I'll enjoy most, the gummy bears or the anvil
(with free shipping!).

http://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-68622-Model-4-Inch-Forged/dp/B0015BC3GC/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8=1441389774=8-3=Anvil

(Although I'm slightly disappointed that the anvil is forged - I'd prefer
an original - but at least they're honest!)


Fortunately, my anvil didn't set me back nearly that much. However it was
used and I needed to do a bit of repair work on it, building back the
corners with an arc welder then grinding them square.

Apart from my basic hammer, I was able to make several of my other tools in
the blacksmithing class I took.  Lots of fun.


You'd have been a figure of mystery and wonder in the late Neolithic.



Larry's a figure of mystery and wonder now.
;-)



He is well preserved!
:-)



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Re: OT - Stefan On Top of the World

[Igor PDML-StR]

Bob, I wonder how you determined that from this photo?
Based on the length of his hands? ;-)
Or did you mean "he is tall", "he stands tall", or "he stands high"?


From the brief description of the destinations, - I am sure Stef is having 

great time.
The photo and its title reminded me of this:
https://youtu.be/XrCtc6DJ-EY?t=1m29s

As for what's on the photo, - I've always been 
disappointed by how ugly those barriers are on the top of the ESB.
While you can work around them if you are after city views, they are 
impossible to avoid if you are photographing somebody standing 
there, as in a selfie.

It would've been a more terrific view without them.

I understand the security concerns and the fact they retrofitted these 
barriers, but still, it could've been done in a more elegant way.
I do not remember such an ugly fence on top of any tall building I've been 
too.


Cheers,

Igor


Bob W-PDML Thu, 03 Sep 2015 22:53:55 -0700 wrote:

He really is tall!

B



On 4 Sep 2015, at 00:01, Steve Cottrell  wrote:

Hi,

Back in '08 I brought my lad Stefan to GFM and a few listers met him.
Before he starts his 3rd and final year at university, he's spending a
couple of weeks staying with some friends in NY doing the rounds, US
Open, B, and today from up the Empire State - if you'd like to see his
selfie, here's a link.

So wish I was there too!






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On or Off topic? - Theta S

[Igor PDML-StR]

Yesterday, I received UCE (aka spam) from Ricoh, - to the address that I 
used for submitting a bug report to Pentax (probably owned by Hoya at that 
point?), - related to the video codec problems.


It is talking about Theta S, - new Ricoh's camera.
I looked it up, and found this description on DPReview:
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/4794312887/ricoh-theta-s-boosts-resolution-introduces-google-street-view-integration

I am just curious if anybody on the list have tried the previous Ricoh Theta 
(with a threatening model name m15). Any first-hand impressions?



Igor


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Re: August "best of", and some photos of me having fun (redux)

[Igor PDML-StR]

Larry,

The meteoristic [sic] photos are particularly cool.
;-)

I've enjoyed them when you posted them first, and enjoyed them again now.


Igor


On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 4:08 PM, Larry Colen wrote:


I tried sending this an hour or so ago, but see no evidence either in my
inbox or my sent folder of it.

Here's my August "best of" set.  Meteors, cars and my back yard:
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/ellarsee/sets/72157656726691360/



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Re: PESOs: Two composites, one day

[Igor PDML-StR]

Thank for that link, - those are very interesting images, indeed.

Motivated by your comment, I was further thinking about photographing 
distant objects. And I think I realized why our "everyday experience"

tells us that it would be impossible.

Indeed, 400 km (248 miles) is close to the distance from 
NYC to Washington DC (~220 miles) and NYC- Boston (~200 miles).
But you wouldn't imagine about photographing details of the Empire State 
Building from the Capitol Hill or Old Post Office Building (DC), or from 
John Hancock Tower (Boston).
The reason is ... the Earth curvature... If the Earth were flat, we 
should've been able to do that...


The horizon from the adult's eye level is just at about 3 miles (4.7 km)
And from 1454 feet (443 m) - The tip of the Empire State building, it is 
about 47 miles.



I suspect that this is the reason for our deceived intuition.

In addition to that, the air is cleaner in the higher atmosphere (and also 
less dense) than near the ground level, especially around the big cities.



Igor



 Matthew Hunt Tue, 01 Sep 2015 05:03:52 -0700 wrote:

On Mon, Aug 31, 2015 at 10:56 PM, Igor PDML-StR <pdml...@komkon.org> wrote:


Seeing the ISS like that, with some recognizable shape is sort of 
unreal... I wouldn't have expected that would be possible.

It's sooo cool!


Yeah, on the one hand, when the ISS is directly overhead, it's ~400 km
up, which is kind of surprisingly close. I think of space as "far
away," but the distance is one I could drive in a few hours. On the
other hand, if I imagine photographing something man-made from that
distance, it is kind of surprising that the shape would be
recognizable.

For those who have not seen his work, Thierry Legault is a master of
this kind of photography. His expertise, equipment, and ability to
travel far exceed mine:
http://www.astrophoto.fr/


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Re: PESO - 412

[Igor PDML-StR]

Those look like eyelashes.
412 is for "Red Cherry" color.

Marco, that's a nice composition and use of the DOF!
The first time I saw it earlier this morning on my phone, I thought if you 
started shooting some photos for cosmetics advertisements.


BTW, the number of numbers on that page is overwhelming: Besides "412", 
there is "sixteen" and "two thousand fifteen". And "they don't add up". 
:-)


Cheers,

Igor



Alan C Tue, 01 Sep 2015 06:11:44 -0700 wrote:

Interesting & well composed, but what are they? Paint colourant dispensers 
or lipstick makers?



Alan C


-Original Message- From: Marco Alpert

Sent: Tuesday, September 01, 2015 5:59 AM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List
Subject: PESO - 412

And now for something completely different (for me, at least):

http://www.alpert.com/marco/photo15/peso16.html

Comments, as always, welcomed.

-Marco

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Re: PESO - Mackerel Sunset

[Igor PDML-StR]

Beautiful photo,  but you need to agitate the developer. Otherwise you get 
unevenly developed emulsion ...

;)

Now, I understand the origin of the phrase "holy mackerel!".

Igor

Sent from mobile phone

On 30 Aug 2015, at 19:44, Steve Cottrell wrote:


Keeping the current surge going - here's one from earlier in the summer.

Brixham, Devon, just a few short weeks after Mark and Dr Lisa tromped
through there on their coastal walk.

(those who have seen already on FB can look away now ;)








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Re: PESOs: Two composites, one day

[Igor PDML-StR]

Seeing the ISS like that, with some recognizable shape is sort of 
unreal... I wouldn't have expected that would be possible.

It's sooo cool!

The dogs are fun too!

Igor


On 31 August, 2015 10:22:37 PM EDT, Matthew Hunt wrote:


Usually I don't rely on the motor drive, or Photoshop, quite so much.

Saturday morning, I shot a solar transit of the International Space
Station. The transit lasted 0.8 seconds, and the K-5 II fires at full
speed for about 3 seconds when shooting raw, so it was important to
start at the right time. The path on the earth where transit is
visible is about 7 km wide, so it's definitely a "right place, right
time" kind of shot.

https://abattoir5.com/picture.php?/807/recent_pics

In the afternoon, my wife hosted a training event at our place for
dock-diving dogs.

https://abattoir5.com/picture.php?/808/recent_pics

(That's not my wife pictured--this woman, Susan, drove at least a
couple of hours, and it was the first "public" event for her dog.)


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OT - Heads-up: Quick Pic is purchasde by Cheetah Mobile

[Igor PDML-StR]

I know that some PDMLers are using Quick Pic -- Android app that is good 
for viewing photos on an Android device and for cropping/resizing them.


Recently, this app was purchased by Cheetah Mobile. This company has a 
very shady reputation based on their own apps (with respect to 
questionable functionality, privacy concerns and unfair martket 
practices). If you are interested about details, - google it.
The concern about Quick Pic (which is a very good app) is that the future 
verisons of this app might have a multitude of problems.


So, if you have it, you may want not to update it beyond ver. 4.5.2 (June 
18, 2015). (And I hope all smart people have auto-updates in Google 
Play and other app stores turned off, right?)

If you were planning to have it, - grab it while it lasts.
(There are indicators, don't know true or false that ver. 4.5.3 might be 
already available for limited release on Google Play - you probably want 
to stay away from that.)


HTH,

Igor




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Re: PESO -- Body and Soul.

[Igor PDML-StR]

PJ,

This is a very interesting photo, and I am surprised that only Frank 
responded so far. So that I had to break out of my being busy streak to 
comment on it.



 I've been looking at it for the second day, trying to figure 
out and verbalize what it reminds me of, but without much of success.
The combination of the BW, grain, shadows, OOF background -- it is nicely 
stylized as a photo from 60-70s, possibly as a shot from a movie. -- 
That's the main comparison that comes to my mind.


The only thing that I would wish is more space around it, but I suspect 
that you either didn't have the width of the lens, or the surrounding was 
cluttered.


Thanks for sharing!

Igor



On 23 August, 2015 9:30:20 PM EDT, P.J. Alling wrote:


I wanted to post this in reply to Frank's Come Blow Your Horn.  I shot
this a few years ago, (evident from the Equipment), of a busker in New
Haven, CT, really pouring it out, not holding anything back.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1604247/PESO/PESO%20--%20bodyandsoul.html

Equipment: Pentax *ist-Ds w/smc Pentax M 85mm f2.0

Notes: BW rendering using DXO FilmPack 3.0 emulating Tri-X pan with a
yellow filter.


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Re: PESO -- Body and Soul.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Jack,

Just in case: it was PJ's photo, not mine...
... unless you meant that my nudge was effective...

Igor



Jack Davis Mon, 24 Aug 2015 16:40:34 -0700 wrote:

I hear plaintive, soulful, airy notes from feeble lips.
Very effective, Igor


J

- Original Message -
From: Igor PDML-StR pdml...@komkon.org
To: PDML PDML@pdml.net
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2015 3:21:05 PM
Subject: Re: PESO -- Body and Soul.


PJ,

This is a very interesting photo, and I am surprised that only Frank
responded so far. So that I had to break out of my being busy streak to
comment on it.


  I've been looking at it for the second day, trying to figure
out and verbalize what it reminds me of, but without much of success.
The combination of the BW, grain, shadows, OOF background -- it is nicely
stylized as a photo from 60-70s, possibly as a shot from a movie. --
That's the main comparison that comes to my mind.

The only thing that I would wish is more space around it, but I suspect
that you either didn't have the width of the lens, or the surrounding was
cluttered.

Thanks for sharing!

Igor



On 23 August, 2015 9:30:20 PM EDT, P.J. Alling wrote:


I wanted to post this in reply to Frank's Come Blow Your Horn.  I shot
this a few years ago, (evident from the Equipment), of a busker in New
Haven, CT, really pouring it out, not holding anything back.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1604247/PESO/PESO%20--%20bodyandsoul.html

Equipment: Pentax *ist-Ds w/smc Pentax M 85mm f2.0

Notes: BW rendering using DXO FilmPack 3.0 emulating Tri-X pan with a
yellow filter.


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Re: OT - about creepy parasites - Thank you, Charles R.!

[Igor PDML-StR]

That's an interesting reference to the fiction books.

As for the phage research, - the group I was interacting with was in the 
US, but it was them who told me about research on phage-therapy in Russia 
and Georgia. I was shown a movie about a phage-therapy center/clinic, 
I believe in Tbilisi, Georgia (but it could've been in Russia), which the 
professor from that group labeled as PolitProp. :-)

There are videos about that on Youtube.

The same researchers explained why phage therapy is not broadly developed, 
at least in the US, despite the available expertise. Yes, the capitalism 
is the answer: a phage and its use cannot be patented. So, any investment 
a biomed company would put toward producing the cure would not be 
protected, as it is usually done with any type of drugs.
Hence, companies have no or very little incentives to develop this type of 
cure. Time-to-time, the interest to phages in the US is sparked by the 
spread of antibiotic/antimicrobal-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA.
I've even heard some anectodal evidence of MRSA being effectively cured 
informally at a phage research lab.

But...
 In the mean time, - it sounds like if one is desperate, s/he might just 
grab some mud and rub over the affected area, in the hopes that there were 
the right phages there.



One of the possible projects that we discussed was to use phase for some 
type of nano-lithography.



Igor


 mike wilson Tue, 18 Aug 2015 00:02:38 -0700 wrote:

On 18 August 2015 at 03:48, Igor PDML-StR pdml...@komkon.org wrote:

Several years ago, in my work, I interacted with a group who were experts on
bacteriophages or phages. I was fascinated by the description how those
function. But those didn't sound as gruesome as parasites.



Russia (and 0ther Warsaw pact countries) did very advanced work on
using phages (viruses that only attack bacteria) for infection
therapy.  I'm surprised, given the advances in genetic manipulation,
that they haven't completely overtaken antibiotics by now.  The vested
interests of capitalism at work, no doubt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phage_therapy

Note the reference to fictional works at the end of the article. It's
not quite parasites but it's nearly there.

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Re: OT: Cryptic Clue

[Igor PDML-StR]

Argh...
Tate is so Britain... :-)
 ... and I am/was ignorant about it.

Igor


 John Francis Mon, 17 Aug 2015 19:22:20 -0700 wrote:

Yep - took me less than 5 seconds to get that one.

Ace (expert) + Tate (gallery) = Acetate (film)




On Mon, Aug 17, 2015 at 03:25:33PM -0400, Igor PDML-StR wrote:


You've got me curious, so, I googled.
That crossword appeared in Daily Mail and Irish Daily Mail..

The proposed answer is
Acetate
Source:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1435293.html

Cheers,

Igor


Alan C Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:53:38 -0700 wrote:

Piece of film shown by expert at gallery. (7)

Alan C


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OT - about creepy parasites - Thank you, Charles R.!

[Igor PDML-StR]

Thank you, Charles, for the book recommendation!
It's been several years, - but I finally got to read this book:
 Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre World of Nature's Most Dangerous 
Creatures by Carl Zimmer.


I haven't finished it yet, - still reading, but I especially enjoyed the 
first chapter with the excursion into the history of parasites in 
connection to the societal ideas.


And yes, the content is rather creepy, especially for people who are not 
medical doctors, viriologists, parasitologists, etc...
Several years ago, in my work, I interacted with a group who were experts 
on bacteriophages or phages. I was fascinated by the description how those 
function. But those didn't sound as gruesome as parasites.


The biological reality of parasites is much more horrific than any horror 
movie I've seen (but I probably haven't seen the worst ones). If one 
would've made some of the descriptions of parasites' life  into visuals 
(a la Spielberg's movies), it would've been called the most gruesome 
movie.


Charles,
By the way, there is a newer book by the same author:
A Planet of Viruses
https://www.worldcat.org/title/planet-of-viruses/oclc/660161984
I don't know if you've read it or not yet.
I haven't gotten my hands on it yet...

Cheers,

Igor


Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:31:21 -0500

From: Charles Robinson charl...@visi.com

Subject: Re: OT: This is totally creepy

On Mar 14, 2011, at 13:58, Igor Roshchin wrote:


Once you think about the role of the micro-organisms (bacteria, virri)
in our body, you can realize that
humans are micro-organisms-controlled robots.
And illness is just an intense fight between different groups of those
micro-organisms.

Ever since I realized that a few years ago, I've been curious why there
are no sci-fi books (or movies) that use this scenario..
... it's quite possible that I simply missed them.



A fascinating book on the subject:  Parasite Rex : Inside the Bizarre 
World of

Nature's Most Dangerous Creatures by Carl Zimmer.

Creepy, creepy stuff.

 -Charles


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Re: OT: Cryptic Clue

[Igor PDML-StR]

You've got me curious, so, I googled.
That crossword appeared in Daily Mail and Irish Daily Mail..

The proposed answer is
Acetate
Source:
http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Quizzes-and-Puzzles/Crosswords/Question1435293.html

Cheers,

Igor


Alan C Mon, 17 Aug 2015 11:53:38 -0700 wrote:

Piece of film shown by expert at gallery. (7)

Alan C

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Re: OT: If the Titanic Sunk Tiday

[Igor PDML-StR]

You nailed it, Bob!

On Pentax Da Meaningful List, the beaty is in the wry of the beheader...

iI


 Bob W-PDML Wed, 12 Aug 2015 12:27:13 -0700 wrote:

Argue, schmargue! Where would we be sans snark, avec meaning, et sans 
amusing wryth?






On 12 Aug 2015, at 15:43, Godfrey DiGiorgi godfreydigio...@me.com wrote:

Bob W-PDML Mon, 10 Aug 2015 15:41:05 -0700 wrote:


You're all arguing about the wrong thing. Question is, is the boat the
iTanic or the less well-known Samsunk?

B


Amusing as always!

However, I don't know that I was arguing about anything, Bob. Just responding
to the usual meaningless, snarky comment by Igor in what I hoped was a wry
and amusing way.

G


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Re: Flickr Are Sneaky Bastards

[Igor PDML-StR]

 steve harley Wed, 12 Aug 2015 13:42:07 -0700 wrote:


On 2015-08-11 19:16 , Igor PDML-StR wrote:

  Godfrey DiGiorgi Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:03:07 -0700 wrote:

The Flickr app is free - I don't pay for it, it takes no input or
information from or about me that the website doesn't already have or
acquire from use.


That's true only if you keep your contacts book on your phone empty, or if
you list all your contacts on Flickr website, with all their phone numbers,
addresses, etc.



is that so on Android? it's not the case on iOS - i don't know that from
specific experience, i know because all third party apps require permission
to access contacts


Yes, Steve, I was talking about Android.
(Sorry, I had written that in my previous message in this thread but 
didn't explicitly repeated in the one you responded to). On Android Flickr 
app gets permission to read contacts. I am not priveleged to know what it 
then does with that information.


Note, that on Android you do not have a possibility to choose which 
individual permissions you grant or not to a certain app: you either 
accept the list of the permissions required by the app at the time of 
installation/update, or you do not install the app. From what I 
understand, this is quite different from what you can do on iOS (at least 
on iOS 6).


I hope this clarifies my previous response.

Igor


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Re: Flickr Are Sneaky Bastards

[Igor PDML-StR]

Frank,

It is not just you. I also refuse installing Flickr app.
If someone wants to do that, I have no problem, and it can be useful 
for uploading your gallery or socializing with other Flickrers.
 But my phone is not a dump to install an individual app for each website 
that created it. All those apps use extra storage, RAM and CPU.
The initial and overall idea of the WEB is that it could be seen from ANY 
standard-compliant browser.


Also, I am wary about all apps that have many unnecessary permissions.
(I am talking about Android here.) While Flickr app has reasonable 
permissions, but it wants to read your contacts. I understand that

these days all apps that are trying to be social do that, but
I don't need to share my contacts just to see photos on web-pages.


I never checked for systematics, - but there is at least one type of view
in Flickr that I had problems in at least two differen mobile browsers:
Opera and Chrome. In that view the image was too small, and I couldn't 
zoom-in to fill the screen with the image.
I haven't seen it most recently, - maybe they've fixed it, or I just 
haven't gotten links to that view.



For the record, I have nothing against Flickr service in general, my wife 
has been using a paid account for many years, and she is happy with what 
it does for her. (I am not using it myself, as I don't like the G+ -like 
interface.)



Speaking of the photo-hosting websites that don't behave well with the 
mobile browsers on my phone: photo.net doesn't allow zooming the images, 
but most of the time the image looks fine (e.g. recent image posted by 
Paul S.)


BTW, Frank, - your blog photos do not show well in Mobile browsers (e.g. 
Opera, and I believe Chrome, possibly even FF) on my phone:
The photo is small, taking just a small portion of the screen, and the 
webpage doesn't allow to be zoomed-in.


Igor



On Aug 11, 2015, at 3:16 AM, Knarf wrote:



The issue is I didn't want to download their app. I don't care if it's
free. I want to click on a link and look at a photo on my browser without
having to join, register and be a part of something.

I think it's despicable behaviour on their part. Perhaps I'm alone in my
thinking; wouldn't be the first time.

BTW, nothing is free.

Cheers,

frank


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Re: Flickr Are Sneaky Bastards

[Igor PDML-StR]

 Godfrey DiGiorgi Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:03:07 -0700 wrote:

Facebook sucks big time anyway. I don't give them any information I 
don't have to, and hate it that all you who only communicate using it 
forces me to have an account there to communicate with you.


And I have it disabled on my cell phone, because my provider locked, and I 
am too reluctant to root the phone and delete it.



The Flickr app is free - I don't pay for it, it takes no input or 
information from or about me that the website doesn't already have or 
acquire from use.


That's true only if you keep your contacts book on your phone empty, or if 
you list all your contacts on Flickr website, with all their phone 
numbers, addresses, etc.



I can think of many more annoying internet things to bitch about than 
the Flickr app, which happens to work very well, costs nothing, etc.


http://goo.gl/qWr5p0

:-)

Cheerse,

Igor


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Re: Flickr Are Sneaky Bastards

[Igor PDML-StR]

Superb!

 Mark Roberts Tue, 11 Aug 2015 14:43:39 -0700 wrote:

http://xkcd.com/1174/

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Re: OT: If the Titanic Sunk Tiday

[Igor PDML-StR]

LOL!
You nailed it, Bob!

(I was even debating if instead of LOL!, I should use BOB! - Best of 
Bob's)


Igor


 Bob W-PDML Mon, 10 Aug 2015 15:41:05 -0700 wrote:

You're all arguing about the wrong thing. Question is, is the boat the 
iTanic or the less well-known Samsunk?


B

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Re: OT: If the Titanic Sunk Tiday

[Igor PDML-StR]

That's the inferiority of Apple products!
(Some) Samsung phones (Galaxy S5, S6) - are water (or splash?) resistant.
And we know that Pentax DSLRs are WR. 
:-)


Igor


P.J. Alling Mon, 10 Aug 2015 07:03:17 -0700 wrote:

I don't think that iPhones are environmentally sealed, so maybe there'd be 
the added enjoyment of melting down shorted out lithium batteries.



On 8/10/2015 8:50 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote:

http://themetapicture.com/if-the-titanic-sunk-today/


Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola



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Re: OT: If the Titanic Sunk Tiday

[Igor PDML-StR]

HAR!
[The bait worked! :-) ]

Well, we know that Samsung stole Apple patents, or was it the other way 
around? It depends one which country you are in... In any case, all 
those phones all look the same...



On a serious note, - I would argue that the phone in the cartoon looks 
closer to Samsung than to iPhone.

See for yourself by comparing iPhones and Samsung Galaxy s5:
http://blogs-images.forbes.com/gordonkelly/files/2014/08/iphone-models.jpg
http://goo.gl/Iy8kcr

... and I see Larry just made the same argument...

Igor


 Godfrey DiGiorgi Mon, 10 Aug 2015 14:38:20 -0700 wrote:

Oh, couldn't you tell? Those *were* all Samsung phones.
Yeah, they look just like Apple iPhones ...


Godfrey



On Aug 10, 2015, at 11:37 AM, Igor PDML-StR pdml...@komkon.org wrote:


That's the inferiority of Apple products!
(Some) Samsung phones (Galaxy S5, S6) - are water (or splash?) 

resistant.

And we know that Pentax DSLRs are WR. :-)

Igor


P.J. Alling Mon, 10 Aug 2015 07:03:17 -0700 wrote:

I don't think that iPhones are environmentally sealed, so maybe there'd 

be

the added enjoyment of melting down shorted out lithium batteries.


On 8/10/2015 8:50 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote:

   http://themetapicture.com/if-the-titanic-sunk-today/


   Dan Matyola
   http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola



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Re: PESO Phlox

[Igor PDML-StR]

That's exactly what I thought while looking at the image.
That gradient, combined with the milky OOF backgruond creates a very nice
separation.
On many occasions I've been trying to achieve this, and has never been 
able to get anywhere close to this level.


Also, I like the use of the light, where the leaves (and flowers) look 
somewhat translucent -- all without _blowing_ out the highlights on the 
flowers.


Igor



Bill Mon, 10 Aug 2015 18:00:07 -0700 wrote:


..

I like your lighting and amazing use of depth of field to create a 
gradient towards the top of the image.



bill

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18067082size=lg


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OT - special wedding photos

[Igor PDML-StR]

Wedding photos have been discussed on this list on multiple occasions.
This collection might inspire some new ideas:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/18-times-wedding-photographers-knew-they-captured-something-amazing_55c3ae7ae4b0d9b743db51fd

Though, I think a few photos can be further improved in post-processing, 
at least from how they look in my browser (#6, #17, possibly #10), and I 
am underwhelmend by #11, as a wedding photograph, but the idea is 
interesting nevertheless.


Igor


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Re: PESO: City Gals

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan,

The subjects are interesting, and it could have been an interesting image,
but the composition doesn't quite work for me.

The main problem I have is that it is not clear what should be the focus 
of attention. I know I've struggled in a similar way with some images I 
had. I don't know how to make it working here.

The woman on the left dominates the frame, but she almost passed the
frame (not enough space on the left). She is too dominant in the picture
to serve as a background.
Cutting her off, would shift the focus to the two women (red and green).
But I am not sure if it would be too tight to work.
Also, the fact is that those two (especially the redhair) are OOF doesn't
help.
Also, I don't know if you noticed it, - the image is tilted.



Igor


Daniel J. Matyola Sun, 09 Aug 2015 05:31:14 -0700 wrote:

On the streets of Manhattan:
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18063793size=lg
K-01, SMC DA 1:2.8 40 mm XS.
Comments are invited and appreciated.



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Re: PESO: A corner of the garden with link

[Igor PDML-StR]

Bill, it is a nice corner. (And I spotted a few froggies.)
But I am curious, - what was the purpose of the panorama from the 
technical point of view?
Why not just a wide angle lens? I am not seeing anything here where the 
long-lens perspective is important, but I might be missing something,
hence the question. (Or is it just yet another proverbial nail, when you 
hold a hammer in your hand?)


Igor


Bill Sun, 09 Aug 2015 20:56:45 -0700 wrote:

She who must be obeyed has been fairly busy this year with prettifying 
various corners of the yard.



Here is one such corner.


http://users.accesscomm.ca/wrphoto/pictures/garden1.html

Pentax K3, FA*200 f/4 Macro.
9 exposures at 1/20 second, made into a panorama in Photoshop.

There are a few areas where the software blew it.
So it goes.

Enjoy.

bill

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Re: PESO -- Every picture tells a story.

[Igor PDML-StR]

A very dynamic talking image.
But my first thought was that the lady in the back wouldn't have liked the 
grimace caught here.


Igor



On Sun, Aug 9, 2015 at 3:47 PM, P.J. Alling wrote:


It's been a while since I posted anything.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/1604247/PESO/PESO%20---%20everypicturetellsastory.html

Equipment:  Pentax K-5II w/smc Pentax FA 43mm f1.9 limited.

As usual comments are welcome but may be totally ignored.



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Re: Peso attack

[Igor PDML-StR]

It is nice and funny the way it is, Dave!
And I agree that the crop suggested by Frank might also work (if the 
sharpness would allow it, - as it is somewhat OOF).


Igor


Knarf Sun, 09 Aug 2015 18:58:35 -0700 wrote:

Great action shot!

You may almost want to crop the bottom one out and just go with the jay in
flight. Would be a much stronger photo imho.


Cheers,

frank

On 8 August, 2015 12:51:26 PM EDT, David J Brooks pentko...@gmail.com wrote:

well my first two lays in flight were a bust, lets try this one:
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18065018

Dave


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Re: OT - PESO - Diet of Worms

[Igor PDML-StR]

If you can diy and dye a can, can you die?


PS. They worm up coffee and sandwich for you.



Jack Davis Fri, 07 Aug 2015 09:20:14 -0700 wrote:

And then you'll die!

J


- Original Message -
From: Bob W-PDML p...@web-options.com
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List pdml@pdml.net
Sent: Friday, August 7, 2015 9:08:48 AM
Subject: Re: OT - PESO - Diet of Worms

I'd buy a can

B




On 7 Aug 2015, at 16:53, Knarf knarftheria...@gmail.com wrote:

http://knarfdummyblog.blogspot.ca/2015/08/diet-of-worms.html?m=1



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Re: OT - PESO - Diet of Worms

[Igor PDML-StR]

The WORM up coffee because it says: WORMS ;-)


 Jack Davis Fri, 07 Aug 2015 13:30:01 -0700 wrote:

How do you know they warm up coffee?
Not sure I want to know. *shudder*!!

J



- Original Message -
From: Igor PDML-StR pdml...@komkon.org
To: PDML PDML@pdml.net
Sent: Friday, August 7, 2015 1:21:44 PM
Subject: Re: OT - PESO - Diet of Worms



If you can diy and dye a can, can you die?


PS. They worm up coffee and sandwich for you.


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Re: CQ

[Igor PDML-StR]

25, 5?

73!

I


On Wed, Aug 5, 2015 at 10:14 AM, Jack Davis jdavi...@comcast.net wrote:



Am I alone?

J



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Re: PESO - Matchie-Matchie

[Igor PDML-StR]

And if they match, that's matchie-matchie! ;-)

 On Aug 5, 2015, at 11:44 AM, John wrote:


Women can go overboard about that stuff too. What difference does it
make what color socks I'm wearing?


On 8/4/2015 10:18 PM, frank theriault wrote:
My partner Judy uses that term when clothes match too much. I'm a
guy and matching is easy so I'm too matchie-matchie. She prefers
contrast and being eclectic.

Well, this guy (it has to be a guy...) is taking coordinated colour
schemes to extremes:

http://knarfdummyblog.blogspot.ca/2015/08/matchie-matchie.html

Although I personally think it's pretty cool. But then I'm a guy...

Hope you enjoy. Comments welcome.

cheers,

frank




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Re: PESO - Japanese Beetle

[Igor PDML-StR]

Why awful?
Does the fact that Bambi deers wandering in my neighborhood and eating 
my roses  mean that they are awful?


I think the bug is beautiful, as well as Mark's photo.
... even though it [bug] might be nasty (due to its eating habits).

Igor



On Aug 3, 2015, at 2:57 PM, Rick Womer wrote:


Georgeous photo! The lighting, detail, and color are wonderful.

Awful bug, though.

Rick

On Aug 3, 2015, at 4:06 PM, Mark C wrote:


http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/index.php/japanese-beetle-popillia-japonica

Somedays it seems like I plant my garden just to provide these guys with
food Comments welcome.

Mark


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OT - Close enough photo imitation

[Igor PDML-StR]

I thought PDMLers would appreciate this photo-humor.

The first two lines say:
I saw a funny photo on the Internet.
I made a similar one.
You don't need to understand any other text on this page:
http://www.babyblog.ru/community/post/babyblog_photo/3138123

(Warning: cutesy inside)

Igor



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Re: OT but still about cameras. Dash Cameras.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Bill,

For the reasons similar to yours, I've been looking for a dash camera on 
and off. I couldn't single out any particular cam (and that probably 
prevented me from buying one).
Also, I concluded that user reviews are important, as some cameras fall 
short on delivering the quality despite the specs.
Here is one of the review sites that I bookmarked (either for the summary 
table or for the forum as well):

https://dashcamtalk.com/

So, here a brief summary of what I consider important for consideration
(YMMV):
1. A must (most of them do): recording on a flash memory card, with 
automatic rotation (writing over the oldest ones.

2. Covers wide enough angle of view.
3. Resolution: Should be sufficient to distinguish the license plate
of the other vehicle. (For hit-and-run type of situations.)
It looks like 1080p is a reasonable optimum, but definitely not less than 
720p?

4. The same for fps.
5. Night vision should provide a reasonable functionality for the same.
6. Removable vs. permanently mounted  and discrete vs. in your face
(Is it an attractive target for someone to break into the car).
7. Rear view vs dual cam vs none.
8. Reliability and variation of quality (QC).
(This includes overheating with some cameras resulting in a blurry 
picture)



Other features that could be useful but not a deal breaker:

9. Motion- or impact-activated (for the parked vehicle being hit or 
vandalized) -- G-sensor.

10. Working from its own battery for the parked vehicle.
11. GPS.
12. Built-in screen

The last time I looked (about a year ago), - Amazon.com had poor selection 
of such cameras, as many of them were made by companies in Asia (China). 
eBay had a broader selection (both toward the better and worse ends of the 
spectrum).


E.g. in late 2013 or early 2014, I bookmarked this ebay store: 
http://stores.ebay.com/estore009
because they had reasonable and comprehensive listings for dash cameras, 
including comparison tables for the features.

It is still in existence and selling those. That's all I can say.

I might be wrong, but it looks like some more western companies are 
standing behind newer models (and sell them on Amazon).


HTH,

Igor


Bill Sat, 01 Aug 2015 07:45:42 -0700 wrote:

I've decided I need a dash camera. A guy sideswiped me the other day, and 
now I am in a he said/she said situation with the other driver. If I had a 
dash cam, I would have had proof of what the other driver did, but I 
don't. Anyway, as I now see the benefit of having one, I look to the 
wisdom of the list for advice on what is a good dash cam. I'm not looking 
for the cheapest, I don't mind spending a bit of coin. I'm wondering if 
something with a reverse cam wouldn't be a bad idea. My truck is pretty 
much a rolling blind spot in reverse, backing up is a leap of faith.


Mt reseller of choice on this will probably be amazon.ca


Any advice is appreciated.

thanks

bill

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Re: OT but still about cameras. Dash Cameras.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Regarding that second promo video:
Was this real? This car was dragged for a while without any attempt to 
slow down:

https://youtu.be/SGLAglNTG1U?t=2m18s
Was the cam installed on a huge 18-wheeler? Was the driver asleep
or he just didn't care?

Igor

PS. On this side of the pond, this model seems to be hard to find.
The manufacturer's website for US seems to be semi-alive, without 
possibility to buy from or to find any resellers.

http://www.smartwitness.com/usa/Commercial-Dash-Cameras/SVC1080-LCA.html

One place that sells them in the US, proofpronto.com, has a very bad 
reputation on resellerratings:

http://resellerratings.com/store/Proofpronto_com



On August 2, 2015 4:10:55 AM PDT, Steve Cottrell wrote:


Hi Bill

I got a Smart Witness SVC1080

http://www.smartwitness.co.uk/product/984/svc1080

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRkj4yAu0bU

You can see the computer software interface here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGLAglNTG1U



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Re: OT but still about cameras. Dash Cameras.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Bruce,
 From what I understood, some have low-light (possibly IR?) sensitivity, 
while others rely on what shows in the headlights. Baby monitors and 
surveillance IP cams that are in a comparable price range have somewhat 
similar properties, and seem to provide similar quantity images.



Igor


Bruce Sun, 02 Aug 2015 12:41:46 -0700 wrote:

So how well does it work at night?   I'm assuming that it can only show 
what is in your headlights.  Low light sensitivity?




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Re: OT but still about cameras. Dash Cameras.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Darren,

I use the same approach in researching item, but let me warn you about 
this product. Do not trust the reviews score, instead read a few negative 
reviews.

It was introduce to Amazon less than half a month ago (July 22, 2015):
http://camelcamelcamel.com/Vafru-NHD-1080P-170Degrees-dashboard-camcorder/product/B010D8MBD2

If you read the last two 2-star reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Vafru-NHD-1080P-170Degrees-dashboard-camcorder/product-reviews/B010D8MBD2/ref=cm_cr_pr_hist_2?ie=UTF8showViewpoints=1sortBy=recentreviewerType=all_reviewsfilterByStar=two_starpageNumber=1
you can see the real reviews. I suspect most of the 5-star reviews are
fake or something is wrong with them (e.g. those guys got the item for 
free, as one of the authors suggested).

Look, e.g. at these reviewers (I picked them randomly):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/AQ71TXXH1QL6B/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1P8ABIXH0EO5C/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A3C4XX14QZG589/
All the product they reviewed are by Vafru, all within the same days, and 
all are 5-stars.

Really?
I bet, the rest of those 5-star reviews are the same way.

I wouldn't buy any Vafru products.

HTH,

Igor



 Darren Addy Sun, 02 Aug 2015 13:03:59 -0700 wrote:

I've been researching these lately for myself, as well. I generally
start on Amazon where I can sort the results by Customer Ratings. Then
I read the reviews (and QA). The one that went on my Wish List also
happens to be the #1 seller in the category on Amazon, with a whopping
85% of reviews giving it 5 stars.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B010D8MBD2/



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OT: Baltic Cruises

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan,
I don't have any idea about cruises,  but I'd suggest that you should allow 
at the very least 3-4 days in St.-P.

(You won't be bored if you can spend more, say, 1-2 weeks. It's like in Paris.)
Plan at least a day in Petergof (Peterhof),  the summer residence of tzars.
Plan to visit Hermitage (closed on Monday, I believe). You may enjoy a 
special (separate) part of it: the gold (and diamond) room. I don't know 
how hard it would be to get in there ( there used to be a long lines in the 
morning, at the opening to buy a ticket for it).

 the list is long...

In any case, I'd recommend summer, as it can get nasty in the fall and 
winter. Also,  Petergof is only fully open in summer, when you can get 
there from the city by a fast boat, which is a nice trip by itself, if 
weather cooperates.



Igor



Daniel J. Matyola Sat, 01 Aug 2015 06:02:10 -0700 wrote:

We are thinking of a Baltic cruise to St Petersburg.  Has anyone on
the list taken such a journey?  Any recommendations?

Years back, we took a ferry from Copenhagen to Oslo, and the crossing
weas very rough.  How rough are the seas likely to be on a cruise ship
in the Baltic?  What is the best time of year to do something like
that?





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Re: Geso :Tour De Farms

[Igor PDML-StR]

I especially like the photo of the tent-camp with the (morning?) 
sun shining on it (52329).


While I see one photo with different tents, I am surprised to see such a 
uniform camp in that photo. Is it some type of a tent-hotel, provided

by some organization/company?

Igor


On Jul 30, 2015, at 5:32 PM, Donald Guthrie wrote:


Every year for the last 40, thousands (20,000 est this year) gather in
western Iowa to ride their bikes from the Missouri river to the Mississippi
river in one week 60-70miles a day. . They ride everything from unicycles to
tandem tricycles. They are all ages, sizes, and both sexes (more men than
women) It is a different route each year and many ride year after year. Some
of them start the ride by biking the route from east to west and then joining
the others for the return. They eat a lot of carbs drink lots of beer and
profess to have a great time. Many find out that Iowa is not as flat as they
had heard.

I rode a very short way with them. BTW my brother dubbed the ride Tour de
farms many years ago and made a tidy sum for many years selling T-shirts on
the ride with the slogan and original artwork by his wife.

This year they stopped in my hometown and here is small gallery of their
stop. Some Pentax; some not. CC as always.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/valdon/J65M49



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Re: OT: NASA Space Images

[Igor PDML-StR]

They look cool, but I suspect that most of those are false color images.

Daniel J. Matyola Thu, 30 Jul 2015 06:09:07 -0700 wrote:

http://parade.com/392709/lharris-2/25-amazing-images-from-space-to-celebrate-25-years-of-the-hubble-telescope/?utm_source=paradenewsletterutm_medium=emailutm_campaign=homepage_newsletter_07_29_2015_01_07_39


Dan Matyola

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Re: PESO - Cicada

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark,

They are buzzing here every night...
That noise didn't get amplified with your macro setup.
;-)

Beautiful image. The head of this guy reminded me a bit of bulldogs.
Although the nose (or whatever that is in reality) looks more like a 
truck radiator grill.


Cheers!

Igor


On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 10:07 AM, Mark C pdml-m...@charter.net wrote:

http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/index.php/cicada

These are buzzing in the trees right now. About 1.4x magnification. Made
with DFA 100mm f2.8 macro - this is two stacks combined,  one with 100
combined images and one with 132. Comment welcome!

Mark


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Re: PESO - Cicada

[Igor PDML-StR]

It's 1.4x magnificent! :-)

 Daniel J. Matyola Wed, 29 Jul 2015 10:37:02 -0700 wrote:

Another magnificent macro!

Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola



On Wed, Jul 29, 2015 at 10:07 AM, Mark C pdml-m...@charter.net wrote:

http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/index.php/cicada

These are buzzing in the trees right now. About 1.4x magnification. Made
with DFA 100mm f2.8 macro - this is two stacks combined,  one with 100
combined images and one with 132. Comment welcome!

Mark


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Re: PESO - Implied Consent

[Igor PDML-StR]

Frank,

It's a funny image. I wish there were some separation between the two.

At first, I didn't realize the guy behind the table was a DJ, and I was 
wondering what he was selling (Gentlemen, Soul, Brothers?).

I am still curious what that means.

Igor


On Jul 28, 2015, at 7:26 PM, frank theriault wrote:


These young ladies attracted my lens as they danced by the DJ (on the
right). I think she was okay with me snapping:

http://knarfinthecity.blogspot.ca/2015/07/implied-consent.html

We were at Pedestrian Sunday in Kensington Market - this was at the
north end of the Market but the crowds walking the streets a block or
two south of here were amazing. Maybe a photo or two tomorrow.

Hope you like this one. Comments always welcome.

cheers,

frank


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Re: What's in the name?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Thanks to all who contributed their thoughts to this thread!

Jostein,

I suspect your hypothesis might not be correct.
I haven't checked etimological dictionaries, but from my knowledge
of etimology (self-studied) I would expect polarizer/polariser to be 
derived from the verb to polarize (Amer.) to polarise (Brit.).


The word exists outside of optics as well (even though the verb to 
polarise seems to be first used in optics). Some mechanical parts 
(e.g. a bump on a rod, or a notch inside a cilinder) that 
allow to break the symmetry are also called polarizer.


And I suspect that polarized light filters happen to be much later than 
the word polarizer was coined. The analogous element in optics is 
typically called polarizer, and never filter.


Igor


 Jostein Oksne Thu, 23 Jul 2015 13:49:06 -0700 wrote:

I believe polariser is a word created from polarised light filter, 
hence PL-filter.



Jostein


-Opprinnelig melding- From: Igor PDML-StR

Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2015 4:27 AM
To: PDML@pdml.net
Subject: What's in the name?


I know that there are quite a few language and grammar geeks among
PDMLers. That's why I thought I'd share this linguistic question that
got me puzzled.

I see that almost everybody who is talking about Circular Polarizers
uses an abbreviation CPL, either as a noun or adjective (e.g. CPL
filter). The curious part is that none of the online photography
articles and reviews that talks about CPL bothers to deabbreviate it.
(Just as a reference, all scientific journals where I've
published my articles require to define any abbreviation before using it
for the first time, even for those that are common in the field.)

So, my question is What does the `L' in CPL stand for?
I have 3 versions of what it might be (or what photographers who use that
abbreviation might mean), including a standard one that is typically
used in optical methods in physics, chemistry and related areas
of science. None of those 3 would be strictly speaking correct.
So, I am suspecting that I might be missing something more obvious.

So, what does the `L' in CPL stand for?

Thank you,

Igor


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OT - USB 3.0 PITA

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi Mark,
Sorry to hear about your troubles.
But why did you go for the more obscure cards and chipsets?
 I remember that I researched when I was buying, and Transcend card that 
I suggested had a good compatibility record, and worked for me even on 
WinXP:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/696114-REG/Transcend_TS_PDU3_2_Port_USB_3_
0_PCI.html
As far as I remember it has NEC/Renesas chipset.
(Although I see now somebody's comment complaining about drivers for 
64-bit Windows, if you install correct drivers, it works just fine:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R346MKTNSV3FJM/ref=cm_cr_rev_detmd_pl?ie=UTF8asin=B003MVJG8QcdForum=Fx190IO4NYDDUEcdMsgID=Mx13H5WCW689GCRcdMsgNo=3cdPage=1cdSort=oldestcdThread=Tx73HNRBBX5BRRstore=electronics#Mx13H5WCW689GCR 
)


Good luck!

Igor



Mark C Mon, 27 Jul 2015 08:51:57 -0700 wrote:

Here's why I don't like messing with my PC. Trying to add a USB 3.0 card:


Card #1 - Inateck with Fresco Chipset. Does not work - not detected by 
Windows. Returned.



Card #2 - Tenex with NEC chipset. Seems to work fine! Detected by Windows, 
driver is installed, Windows notifies me of the devices that could perform 
faster... but is physically incompatible with my case (see the picture)



http://www.markcassino.com/b2evolution/media/blogs/PDML/20150723_100156.jpg

Card #3 - TomTop card with same chipset as the card above but with the 
ports oriented in the other direction. Does not work when SATA power is 
connected - not detected by Windows. *Is* detected by Windows when power 
is NOT connected but devices do not work when plugged in. Probably needs 
power! I'm requesting a replacement and if that does not work... to hell 
with it!



Gr.

Mark


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OT - PUG-related video

[Igor PDML-StR]

Let me spam the list. Although, it is PUG-related...

Did this guy drink that water from Lake Ontario? (See another thread,
OT: What's going on up there, Knarf? by Dan Matyola.)

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/OuoujO9WjhE?rel=0

Igor


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Re: OT - USB 3.0 PITA

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark, ghm...
I didn't think about that catch, a PC power supply without any molex 
cables. But, it makes sense if you have only a few drives, and they 
are all SATA, and there are no CD/DVD-drives (and floppy-drives! ;-) )


And yes, you need the power for USB 3.0 that is not available from PCIe:
USB 3.0 calls for 5 V, 900 mA (4.5W).
This is not always needed in full if the HDD has its own 
power-supply, but it's a must if those are mobile, USB-powered HDDs.
I don't remember PCIe specs and why the power cannot be drawn from it, 
maybe it is the voltage (5V) that is not available without a transformer 
from PCI-e x1.


Good luck!

Igor


 Mark C Mon, 27 Jul 2015 12:20:25 -0700 wrote:

Thanks, Igor. I looked at your recommendation but it has a molex power 
socket and I only have sata power plugs free in the case - I don't even 
see any molex cables in there at all. I picked the first card because of 
the sata power port, Inateck's good reputation, and also because it 
included a sata power cord extension (which I found was not necessary.) 
After that I just looked for NEC chipset and sata power socket, and 
eventually also for ports in the needed orientation - those three factors 
combined really limit available choices Maybe I'll try the transcend card 
and get a sata to molex adapter (I was trying to keep things simple but 
obviously have not been successful on that front.)




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Re: What's in the name?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi Darren,

So, the initial PL was for PoLarizer (as Bill suggested)?
That's weird! But those things happen...

I am recalling that when I saw PL many years ago, I actually thought it 
could've been for Linear Polarizer but possibly in a different language 
(e.g. French), where the word sequence is reverse (polarisant lin'eaire).



As for varios markings for Cirular Polarizers, I found that at least two 
companies/brands also used PLD (Quantaray) or P.L.D. (Marumi):

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/800690332-USE/
Any idea what that D stands for? And why it is writed with the periods 
(dots?) as an initialism?

http://www.marumi-filter.co.jp/en/product/02/dhg_s_cpld.php
(You can see it engraved on the filter.)

In the letter case, it is funny that they write Circular PL on the 
website.



Now, my 3 guesses that I mentioned yesterday but didn't write to avoid any 
bias were: lens, light, and luminescence that would be in the scientific 
term circularly polarized luminescence. Obviously, none of these would 
be correct in CPL filter.


Igor



 Darren Addy Thu, 23 Jul 2015 04:44:15 -0700 wrote:

It isn't an acronym. PL was originally the abbreviation printed on
linear polarizers from almost all manufacturers. When circular
polarizers came into being (and were necessary to avoid exposure and
focus problems with modern cameras that use semi-silvered mirrors or
prisms to split the light entering the viewfinder in order to
calculate exposure and focusing distance) they had to be
differentiated in some way. You will see them called CPL, PL-CIR, and
PL-C (perhaps others) by various manufacturers.

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Re: What's in the name?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan,

And I assume you know why that would be incorrect usage?
Because (hopefully!) no lensing occurs in a filter (which is supposed 
to have flat, plane-parallel surfaces).


Cheers,

Igor



 Daniel J. Matyola Thu, 23 Jul 2015 07:36:01 -0700 wrote:

I thought that PL stood for polarizing lens.

Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola



On Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 10:32 AM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:

...



Now, my 3 guesses that I mentioned yesterday but didn't write to avoid any
bias were: lens, light, and luminescence that would be in the scientific
term circularly polarized luminescence. Obviously, none of these would be
correct in CPL filter.

Igor



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Re: What's in the name?

[Igor PDML-StR]

PJ,

Thank you for that interesting idea. It sounds as a very possible 
scenario.


Igor


 P.J. Alling Thu, 23 Jul 2015 08:14:48 -0700 wrote:

I think the use of PL by some manufactures goes way back, there was once a 
standardized filter nominclature, that used letters, A for red, K[#] for 
Yellows, G for Deep Yellow.



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RE: Obscure Questions (was What's in the name?)

[Igor PDML-StR]

The same as redact is not to dact again, and reduce is not to make 
someone a duce once more.


:-)

Igor


Bob W Thu, 23 Jul 2015 09:41:39 -0700 wrote:

Call me boring, but I know the answer to that. The re in refrigerate does
not imply that is being made cold again. In the Latin it just implies a
change of state, from warm to cold.


Interestingly (or not), in French too 're' does not necessarily imply a
repetition but can act to reinforce the root meaning.

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Re: Any wisdom on step-up rings? (and What polarizer) - Thank you!

[Igor PDML-StR]

Many thanks to everybody who shared their thoughts and pointers on both 
subjects (polarizers and step-up rings)!

I didn't respond to everybody but carefully read all responses.


Igor




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Re: OT: Obscure Questions (was What's in the name?)

[Igor PDML-StR]

Maybe because a driveway is a way to the drive, while a parkway is a way 
to the park? ;-)



John Thu, 23 Jul 2015 10:18:54 -0700 wrote:

... and why do people park their cars in driveways  drive them on 
parkways?




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Re: What polarizer? -- Help needed.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi Bipin,

Thank you for pointing out to that brand name.
Their cheaper version is indeed very cheap, while they have a more 
sofisticated (Ultra Slim, bla-bla-bla) version as well that is priced 
higher ($40-66, depending on the size). That is still chaper than 
the upscale version of the brand-names.

But, it looks like the quality control is loose.


And I don't stop getting amused by some reviews on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00IYPADYG
The product is good and with the best price in the marketplace. But above 
all I received an astonishing support from the team.

Astonishing support ? for a polarizer?!
;-)


Cheers,

Igor



 Bipin Gupta Wed, 22 Jul 2015 07:54:44 -0700 wrote:

Hello Igor, if you have unlimited funds then the costliest 67 mm
Polarizer in the world - all the great brands you list and some more -
is best for you, and great news for the manufacturer as you help them
keep afloat.


A Ha! you also mention Hidden Gems. So here is one - ZOMEI from China.
I bought two when they made an entry and were struggling to market
them. I am quite happy as I paid peanuts then.

You may want to read this review:-
http://www.davidkennardphotography.com/blog/990-zomei-ir-filters-review-comparison.xhtml

I suggest you buy a Zomei and try it out yourself. It wont burn a hole
in your pocket. Best of all these Chinese sellers on evil bay offer
free shipping.

Regards.
Bipin

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Re: Any wisdom on step-up rings?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi Bipin,

First, let me tell you that you are wrong in your quick judgement.
And the very fact that this thread exists is the indication of that.
In any case, I thought you were wise not to be this condescending.
But because this thread is not about me, I will leave it at that,
writing off your personal comments to an awkward joke attempt.


Second, let me quote two proverbs:
   I'm not rich to buy cheap things!
   The greedy pays twice.


Now, back to the topic, - it is smart to look for alternatives and 
bargains, and there is nothing wrong with $1-2 pieces _if_ they work 
properly.
But it would be stupid to save some $10-20 _IF_ that might 
prevent me from taking a picture with a $1K lens because I couldn't 
unscrew that ring while taking that proverbial priceless shot, or even 
risk damaging that lens.


And _IF_ saving $60 on a CP filter would degrade the picture quality 
that is otherwise achievable with the three premium quality lenses totalling 
over $2K (which I already have), that makes money spent on these lenses 
not worth their value.


Those big IF's are worth researching before the purchase, because I don't 
want to _waste_ my money.


As for the filter wrenches, - one can buy dedicated ones for $6:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/807009-REG/Sensei_FW6277_62_77mm_Filter_Wrench_Set.html
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0095PQPHI/



Igor



 Bipin Gupta Wed, 22 Jul 2015 10:06:08 -0700 wrote:

Igor, Igor the terrible big buck thinker  spender!
Afraid of getting the step up / down ring stuck?
...

 Bipin Gupta Wed, 22 Jul 2015 09:28:26 -0700 wrote:

Igor the Mr. Loaded with Money. You think just like my Dad - Shoes -
Bata, Glasses - Bausch  Lomb, Cars - Mercedes Benz, Radio or Music
System - Philips, Cameras - Leica, and so on - every thing expensive
and thus the finest money can buy.
...

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What's in the name?

[Igor PDML-StR]

I know that there are quite a few language and grammar geeks among 
PDMLers. That's why I thought I'd share this linguistic question that

got me puzzled.

I see that almost everybody who is talking about Circular Polarizers 
uses an abbreviation CPL, either as a noun or adjective (e.g. CPL 
filter). The curious part is that none of the online photography 
articles and reviews that talks about CPL bothers to deabbreviate it.
(Just as a reference, all scientific journals where I've 
published my articles require to define any abbreviation before using it 
for the first time, even for those that are common in the field.)


So, my question is What does the `L' in CPL stand for?
I have 3 versions of what it might be (or what photographers who use that 
abbreviation might mean), including a standard one that is typically 
used in optical methods in physics, chemistry and related areas 
of science. None of those 3 would be strictly speaking correct.

So, I am suspecting that I might be missing something more obvious.

So, what does the `L' in CPL stand for?

Thank you,

Igor


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What polarizer? -- Help needed.

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi All!

Yesterday, while shooting through a window glass at a gymnastics 
complex, I was regretting I didn't have a polarizer, with all the 
reflections and glare I was getting from the glass.
A polarizer for all the new Pentax lenses that I bought in the past 5-6 
years (17-70, 50-135, 60-250), has been on my to think about buying 
list for a while, but haven't been a priority because of the character 
of most of the photographs I've been taking in these years. But now, it's 
time to pull the trigger. And, fortunately, these three lenses have the 
same filter diameter.


So, I refer to the collective wizdom of PDML.
It's been a while (more than 14 years) since I've bought a polarizer, and 
I haven't been following the trends on those recently.


Any recommendations (or anti-recommendations) for a circular polarizer (67 
mm). This would be used for (1) removing glare and reflections,

(2) dealing with the sky (haze, ...).

The best (optically) filter I have is a slim one by B+W. I was 
using it with 18-35 and 28-70 Tokinas (77mm). There are two downsides of 
that one:

1. It can be _very_ hard to unscrew it, especially when it's cold.
2. Front lens caps don't stay on it. The original ones from Tokina lenses 
are snap-on, and there is not much space on the inside of this ultra-thin 
filter. The cap that came with the filter is a push-on, but it is not 
tight at all, and doesn't stay.


I wonder if other B+W filters (or for that matter filters from other 
brands) are also prone to these problems, or it is specific to this (or 
some) filter(s).


Should I consider B+W? And if so, - MRC or SC?
(Is it worth at all considering a Kaesemann High Transmission one? It's 
almost twice as expensive.)


Should I consider some other brands (Hoya, Tiffen? ? (Any hidden jems?)


How is Bower HD? Does anybody here have one?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/972392-REG/bower_fp67cc_67mm_digital_hd_circular.html
At $7, it is very appealing, but I don't want to degrade my lenses.
There are only 4 reviews on BH, and none on Amazon, even though it has 
been listed there (presumably) since June 2011.
Other sizes (on Amazon) got also very few mixed reviews. Some complaints 
are about it being hard to remove



One stupid question: when I look at the list of 100+ CPs in this size on 
BH, some mention rotating filter ring, while others don't.
For a CP, I assume that's a must, and I can barely imagine one without 
that. (But, in principle, one can untighten the filter and adjust the 
orientation that way.) So, just in case, - are there any CPs that don't 
have rotating ring? (Or mentioning one is just a marketing ploy?)


Igor


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Re: Any wisdom on step-up rings?

[Igor PDML-StR]

Ann,

My concern is quite the opposite: I am not afraid to loose it, but rather 
to have if stuck on the lens or filter forever.

:-)

But yes, indeed, I was leaning toward buying the cheap one with good 
reviews, but then I read a couple of horror stories:

http://www.amazon.com/review/R27V00ILBP08CY
and in the middle of this page:
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/forums/thread40941.htm
And I became concerned, since I've already had problems separating my 
polarizer from the lenses before, and at 77mm you usually get more binding 
then at smaller sizes.


So, I am thinking if I want to risk it...
Or, maybe I should spend some $6 to buy filter wrench at the same time?...


Igor


ann sanfedele Tue, 21 Jul 2015 16:55:49 -0700 wrote:

Get the cheapie - then when you lose it , it won't cost too much to 
replace...


As to other sage step advice, better to put the 77 filter on the lens with 
the 67 thread than the reverse- but I'll wager that

occured to you .

ann


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Re: Any wisdom on step-up rings?

[Igor PDML-StR]

John,
Thanks for the link, - I hadn't seen that one.
I just found yet a cheaper one ($1.59) on eBay:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/151727901240
:-)


The one by Goya seems to be very similar (probably from the same 
manufacturer in China, but it's eligible for Prime, which means quick free 
shipping: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00443RRVY


Igor



John Tue, 21 Jul 2015 19:58:58 -0700 wrote:

I have a 58mm Vivitar Polarizing filter semi-permanently mounted to a
52mm-58mm NO-NAME step up ring for my smc PENTAX-A 1:2.8 24mm.

I could detach the filter from the step-up ring if I'd only remember to
do so whenever I next run across my filter wrench set ... except that
then I probably wouldn't be able to find the step-up ring when I
needed to mount the filter.

I put them together back before there were thin Polarizers for wide
angle lenses  58mm was the smallest Polarizer that didn't vignette on
that lens.

Amazon has niceeshop(TM) Black High Quality Aluminium Alloy 67mm to
77mm 67-77 mm Step Up Ring Filter Adapter for SLR cameras for $1.99 
free shipping.

http://www.amazon.com/niceeshop-Quality-Aluminium-Adapter-cameras/dp/B00H96IZPK/ref=sr_1_6?s=photoie=UTF8qid=1437532110sr=1-6refinements=p_n_feature_four_browse-bin%3A1258881011

http://tinyurl.com/nicee-filter

If I needed one  couldn't find it locally that's what I'd go for.

Come to think of it, I bought a 67mm-77mm step-up ring to go with a SMC
PENTAX-FA J 1:4(22)-5.6(32) 18-35mm-AL lens I bought when 28mm didn't
give me a wide enough field of view on the *ist-D.


I was on RR leave in Scotland,  I think the chain I bought it from has
since gone out of business. As I remember, they did not have a 67mm C-Pl
filter in stock, so I bought whatever step-up ring the store brand was
at the shop where I bought the lens.

I already had the 77mm C-Pl filters for my two Tokina ATX Pro f/2.8
zooms, so the step-up ring was just the ticket.



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Re: My New Photo Gig

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hi Norm,

First, that's a great cause!


As for the longer glass, - it gets quite expensive very quickly.
There is a used SMCP-FA* 250-600 on BH for $5k.
The new Pentax DA 150-450mm AW might be ideal, but it is $2.2k+.

You can consider Pentax primes, but they are might be less versatile for 
your needs:

You can get a used FA* 400/5.6 or less expensive (albeit MF) K,M, A 400/5.6.
I assume, A* 400/2.8 is also quite expensive (and scarce).
600mm primes are also very expensive and, I assume, hard to find:
http://kmp.bdimitrov.de/lenses/primes/extreme-tele/


There are a few long zoom lenses from Sigma with some of them 
almost fitting within $1k (e.g. 150-500, 120-400):

http://www.sigmaphoto.com/lenses/telephoto-lenses
The Bigma, 50-500 is about $1.5K, but can be probably found below 1k on 
eBay.
I don't have much experience with those. Several people on the list, 
including Larry, have (or had) one of those, and seem to be happy.


There ia a rather inexpensive MF Rokinon 650-1300mm with a T-Mount that 
you can probably easily adapt to your K-7:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=rokinon+650
But it is  MF and it is slow (f/8-f/16), and it might be too long for you 
on the shorter end.



Yet another, relatively inexpensive route might be using a 
tele-converter/adapter:

The recent one, 1.4x is also quite expensive ($500):
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1029081-REG/ricoh_37962_1_4x_hd_da_af.html

You can occasionally pick up the old one 1.7x. (I got it from eBay at the 
pick of the price hike some 8 years ago, just over $300, but recently, 
I've seen a few sold for $2xx, on Pentaxforum, I believe.)

I like that one.

You can also try to catch an old manual one (1.4x or 2x) by Pentax.
There are also some AF ones from 3rd parties (Sigma, Kenko, Bower, ..?) I 
don't have experience with those.


Just in case, Pentax's 2x exists in two flavors: S and L. I don't 
remember the full story, but AFAIR, the difference is in the space for the 
front element of the lens.



A few practical thoughts (you may have thought about them, but just in 
case):
From the practical point of view, I probably wouldn't go with the MF 

teleconverter, unless that's the only solution that fits your budget.
From my (rather limited) experience of shooting surfers (in San Diego and 

vicinities and once in Sydney), I'd say AF helps.

You'll definitely need a good (sturdy and convenient) tripod or at least 
a monopod if you go beyond 300mm on 1.5x-crop DSLR.


I hope this helps as starting points.
I am sure a few other people will chime in.

Igor

PS. If I may, - the website uses font (for the main body text) with a 
pretense, but which yields unnecessarily degraded legibility. (I checked 
on Firefox, Chrome and Opera on Windows). It is so distracting that I had 
hard time reading the text.






On 21 Jul 2015, at 18:28, Norman Baugher wrote:

Hey guys, I.ve been lurking for a while, so this is my first post in some
time. I.ve been working with a group of surfers in California who work with
various charities. We surf and film events for special needs kids. Being
involved, I turned the group into 501 (c)(3). I'm the Chairman of the Board,
but want to get into the photo side as well. We have a team of photographers,
but I of course want to shoot events as well, can't help it. I've got a K-7
and a 55-300/4.5 WR but judging from the last event, I think I might need
something longer. Check out the website and have a look at some of the images
- suggestions on something longer? www.malibuunderdogs.org
Norm


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Any wisdom on step-up rings?

[Igor PDML-StR]

[Lyrical digression] (albeit on the topic of CATs)

There is a legend attributing the invention of a cat flap door to Isaac 
Newton (the physicist famous for formulating the foundations of 
mechanics and gravitation), who was annoyed by the cat asking outside and 
asked a carpenter to make one in his door.


There is an extension of that that says that Newton asked to make two 
doors: a large one for the mother cat, and a small one for the kittens.

(See, e.g.:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/famous-inventors/5-isaac-newton-inventions2.htm 
)

[/Digression]


How is that story related to photography?
I just realized that at least as a temporary step, I can just buy a 
step-up ring and use the 77mm CP on my 67mm lenses.


So, the question is: Any recommendations for the step-up rings?
I see Goja step-up rings sold for about $6 on Amazon, with a bunch of 
positive reviews, Sensei on BH for the same $6, while B+W on BH is $18.


Both are aluminum. A brass one from Sensei is $37, Heliopan - $47.50.

Is there any reason to spend 3-times as much on B+W aluminum ring?
Yet another question, how much of binding comes from aluminum rings?
Is it worth spending 6-times as much on a brass one?

Igor






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Re: What polarizer? -- Help needed.

[Igor PDML-StR]

A followup question:
Does anybody have any experience with Fujiyama CPs?

I see one on Amazon for under $40, and I found a test of various CPs circa 
2009 that rates it rather highly, at least optically.

http://www.lenstip.com/115.4-article-Polarizing_filters_test_Results_and_summary.html
(Just in case, - I've seen discussions indicating that B+W has updated 
their CPs somewhere between 2009 and 2012.)



PJ, thanks for your response!

Igor


On Tue, 21 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



Hi All!

Yesterday, while shooting through a window glass at a gymnastics complex, I 
was regretting I didn't have a polarizer, with all the reflections and glare 
I was getting from the glass.
A polarizer for all the new Pentax lenses that I bought in the past 5-6 years 
(17-70, 50-135, 60-250), has been on my to think about buying list for a 
while, but haven't been a priority because of the character of most of the 
photographs I've been taking in these years. But now, it's time to pull the 
trigger. And, fortunately, these three lenses have the same filter diameter.


So, I refer to the collective wizdom of PDML.
It's been a while (more than 14 years) since I've bought a polarizer, and I 
haven't been following the trends on those recently.


Any recommendations (or anti-recommendations) for a circular polarizer (67 
mm). This would be used for (1) removing glare and reflections,

(2) dealing with the sky (haze, ...).

The best (optically) filter I have is a slim one by B+W. I was using it with 
18-35 and 28-70 Tokinas (77mm). There are two downsides of that one:

1. It can be _very_ hard to unscrew it, especially when it's cold.
2. Front lens caps don't stay on it. The original ones from Tokina lenses are 
snap-on, and there is not much space on the inside of this ultra-thin filter. 
The cap that came with the filter is a push-on, but it is not tight at all, 
and doesn't stay.


I wonder if other B+W filters (or for that matter filters from other brands) 
are also prone to these problems, or it is specific to this (or some) 
filter(s).


Should I consider B+W? And if so, - MRC or SC?
(Is it worth at all considering a Kaesemann High Transmission one? It's 
almost twice as expensive.)


Should I consider some other brands (Hoya, Tiffen? ? (Any hidden jems?)


How is Bower HD? Does anybody here have one?
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/972392-REG/bower_fp67cc_67mm_digital_hd_circular.html
At $7, it is very appealing, but I don't want to degrade my lenses.
There are only 4 reviews on BH, and none on Amazon, even though it has been 
listed there (presumably) since June 2011.
Other sizes (on Amazon) got also very few mixed reviews. Some complaints are 
about it being hard to remove



One stupid question: when I look at the list of 100+ CPs in this size on BH, 
some mention rotating filter ring, while others don't.
For a CP, I assume that's a must, and I can barely imagine one without that. 
(But, in principle, one can untighten the filter and adjust the orientation 
that way.) So, just in case, - are there any CPs that don't have rotating 
ring? (Or mentioning one is just a marketing ploy?)


Igor




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Re: PESO - Phone Monster

[Igor PDML-StR]

Rick,

A friend of mine wrote to that regard:
Only it looks too smart - when you call Verizon, you don't get
an impression of someone with so many parts on the other end
of the line.


 Rick Womer Sun, 19 Jul 2015 10:19:56 -0700 wrote:

I'm pretty sure I've talked to him on Verizon  tech support...

Tough for composition--aim lower and the people in the foreground 
distract.

Entertaining, though.


Rick

On Jul 19, 2015, at 1:15 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



Just a quick snapshot: Phone Monster

http://42graphy.org/misc/PhoneMonster_IR27234.jpg
Seen at Children's Museum of Houston.

Enjoy!

Igor


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Re: Pentax Photo Gallery

[Igor PDML-StR]

Either Ricoh doesn't want to renew it, or they cannot find the passwords 
for access to GoDaddy registration account, as those who had them might be 
long gone. In either case, if Ricoh didn't warn PPG users that they are 
not going forward with it (I don't know, my notifications are turned off, 
and I haven't been there for ages), it is rather disrespectful of them.



Unfortunately, GoDaddy holds to that domain, by keeping it d renewed for 
the next year, so you cannot actually buy it. From the point of view of 
ICANN, it has been renewed already today. Otherwise, I would have 
considered jumping on it. ... Just for fun of it.


I wouldn't be surprised if someone will do that if GoDaddy releases it 
some time soon.



Igor


 P.J. Alling Mon, 20 Jul 2015 06:44:39 -0700 wrote:

Ricoh, can probably afford it, but it just doesn't fulfill their needs. 
Perhaps everyone with images posted there should email them and demand 
their images back.


On 7/20/2015 9:12 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote:

I tried to log in to the Pentax Photo Gallery this morning.  Instead
of the usual login page, it directed my browser to a GoDaddy page,
which contained this notice:


NOTICE: This domain name expired on 7/19/2015 and is pending renewal
or deletion.

It also provides a button for the question Would you like to buy this 
domain?


Perhaps we should chip in and buy the domain, if Ricoh can no longer
afford it.

Dan

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Re: Pentax Photo Gallery

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan, have you tried to follow the link to buy it?
It is not straight forward. You cannot just buy that domain. You can 
submit an offer to the owner (according to GoDaddy), and that would cost 
$69+commission fee (whatever it is). ... And maybe some more..


And no, it wouldn't be sufficient for Ricoh to follow the link to renew.
They need to have the login/password information for the account(s) used 
to register/maintain the domain.

(Otherwise, anybody would've been able to take it over.)
If those are lost, restoring those can take days if not weeks.
... and may not even be successful, depending on how strict and stubborn 
GoDaddy support/rules are.


Cheers,

Igor



 Daniel J. Matyola Mon, 20 Jul 2015 09:22:42 -0700 wrote:

All Ricoh would have to do is to go the the old URL for the Gallery.
That takes one to the GoDaddy page that asks whether you are the
registered user and provides a link for renewing the registration.


That same page is also offering the domain name for sale.

Dan Matyola
http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/danieljmatyola


On Mon, Jul 20, 2015 at 11:48 AM, Igor PDML-StR pdml...@komkon.org 
wrote:


Either Ricoh doesn't want to renew it, or they cannot find the passwords for
access to GoDaddy registration account, as those who had them might be long
gone. In either case, if Ricoh didn't warn PPG users that they are not going
forward with it (I don't know, my notifications are turned off, and I
haven't been there for ages), it is rather disrespectful of them.


Unfortunately, GoDaddy holds to that domain, by keeping it d renewed for the
next year, so you cannot actually buy it. From the point of view of ICANN,
it has been renewed already today. Otherwise, I would have considered
jumping on it. ... Just for fun of it.

I wouldn't be surprised if someone will do that if GoDaddy releases it some
time soon.


Igor


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Re: Pentax Photo Gallery

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark,

While, yes, it would be pointless trying to get pentax.com,
but I am not quite sure that Ricoh/Pentax has rights to all and any 
derivatives of the word pentax.
I suspect, it is a rather gray legal area, especially, if the owner would 
not be using it for commercial or derogative purposes with respect to the 
trademark.



So, if it were only $15-20, as for a regular domain registration, I 
would've bought it, just to see what happens... Paying $69.99+ (or more 
likely 100+) is already getting too much for this type of fun.

I am not D.T.

Cheers,

Igor


 Mark Roberts Mon, 20 Jul 2015 15:26:52 -0700 wrote:

Igor PDML-StR wrote:


Dan, have you tried to follow the link to buy it?
It is not straight forward. You cannot just buy that domain. You can
submit an offer to the owner (according to GoDaddy), and that would cost
$69+commission fee (whatever it is). ... And maybe some more..



It would also be rather pointless to buy it. Since Ricoh owns the
trademark on Pentax they could get the domain back through the
courts if they so desired. Of course, that would cost them some money,
but not a lot in the grand scheme of things.

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Re: Pentax Photo Gallery

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan,

That's sweet of you to do all that leg work for Ricoh.
You must feel so [in]vested in PPG to bother with all of that.
(I've dug all the whois information before sending my first reply to the 
thread, and that's why I wrote what I wrote.)


Igor




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Re: Pentax Photo Gallery

[Igor PDML-StR]

OOPS!
This was supposed to refer to Darren.
Sorry, Dan and Darren for the confusion. I am just tired today.

Igor


On Mon, 20 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



Dan,

That's sweet of you to do all that leg work for Ricoh.
You must feel so [in]vested in PPG to bother with all of that.
(I've dug all the whois information before sending my first reply to the 
thread, and that's why I wrote what I wrote.)


Igor






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PESO - Phone Monster

[Igor PDML-StR]

Just a quick snapshot: Phone Monster

http://42graphy.org/misc/PhoneMonster_IR27234.jpg
Seen at Children's Museum of Houston.

Enjoy!

Igor


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Re: Seeing double

[Igor PDML-StR]

Since your thread, I am getting messages in stereo-vision.

Igor

PS. This reminded me of an old joke:
An airplane pilot announces:
 - We are flying over Baden-Baden
A nouveau riche passenger:
 - Why does he repeat?! - I am not deaf!



Rick Womer Sun, 19 Jul 2015 10:12:45 -0700 wrote:

No No problem problem.. People People will will just just get get two two
messages messages about about it it.


Rick Rick

On Jul 19, 2015, at 11:33 AM, ann sanfedele wrote:

We Now Im getting doubles :-(  and I was about to post a PESO - 

hmmm


ann

On 7/19/2015 9:42 AM, P.J. Alling wrote:

Thirteen, that's twice as many as I had.

On 7/19/2015 1:19 AM, David Mann wrote:
Today I have the opposite problem, only 13 messages.  But it could 

just be

a quiet day.

Cheers,
Dave


On Jul 19, 2015, at 3:03 pm, Rick Womer rickpic...@gmail.com wrote:

Is anybody else having their messages duplicated in their inboxes?
Is anybody else having their messages duplicated in their inboxes?

Rick
Rick



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Re: PESO - Phone Monster

[Igor PDML-StR]

I didn't give him my phone.


 Jack Davis Sun, 19 Jul 2015 11:15:06 -0700

He deserved hanging!

J


- Original Message -
From: P.J. Alling webstertwenty...@gmail.com
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List pdml@pdml.net
Sent: Sunday, July 19, 2015 10:56:18 AM
Subject: Re: PESO - Phone Monster

No wonder the latest generation prefers to text.

On 7/19/2015 1:15 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:


Just a quick snapshot: Phone Monster

http://42graphy.org/misc/PhoneMonster_IR27234.jpg
Seen at Children's Museum of Houston.

Enjoy!

Igor




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Re: PESO - Phone Monster

[Igor PDML-StR]

Yep, it was crowded there, and I didn't have time to spend on it at all, - 
photographed it in passing.


Igor


Rick Womer Sun, 19 Jul 2015 10:19:56 -0700 wrote:

I'm pretty sure I've talked to him on Verizon  tech support...

Tough for composition--aim lower and the people in the foreground 
distract.

Entertaining, though.


Rick

On Jul 19, 2015, at 1:15 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



Just a quick snapshot: Phone Monster

http://42graphy.org/misc/PhoneMonster_IR27234.jpg
Seen at Children's Museum of Houston.

Enjoy!

Igor



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OT - Oops, they did it again.. - Adobe

[Igor PDML-StR]

[rant]

Adobe seems to be on a power-play streak.
We recently discussed their new arm-twisting decisions about LR and 
pushing people into the Cloud.


I just discovered that the new Adobe Reader DC has the autoupdates
enabled by default and the option/preference to disable them is removed.

The only way (unless you are willing to install some additional crap 
from Adobe) to disable autoupdates is to create a new register key value:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat Reader\DC\FeatureLockDown]

bUpdater=dword:


If you are interested, - you can read more about it here:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1809982#expires_in=8633token_type=beareraccess_token=eyJhbGciOiJSUzI1NiIsIng1dSI6Imltc19uYTEta2V5LTEuY2VyIn0.eyJpZCI6IjE0MzcxNTE1MTYxNTUtMTAwMWUxYmMtZWI0Zi00NzIwLThmODUtMDViZTAxM2M5ZWU3Iiwic2NvcGUiOiJBZG9iZUlELG9wZW5pZCxhZGRpdGlvbmFsX2luZm8uc2NyZWVuX25hbWUsdXBkYXRlX3Byb2ZpbGUuc2NyZWVuX25hbWUiLCJjIjoiTG9qQVlHNzJDL0NKQkEzVzFYRXlvZz09Iiwic3RhdGUiOiIiLCJhcyI6Imltcy1uYTEiLCJjcmVhdGVkX2F0IjoiMTQzNzE1MTUxNjE1NSIsImV4cGlyZXNfaW4iOiI4NjQwMDAwMCIsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIzODIwMERFMDQ4NkI2QjM3OTkyMDE1ODdAQWRvYmVJRCIsImNsaWVudF9pZCI6ImZvcnVtczIiLCJ0eXBlIjoiYWNjZXNzX3Rva2VuIn0.Op7cL7LYe3FX8KC15j39R5Nn8egEVRBnaxKg3SV4rPH2mNhWt8Y2Y3JGsLZLJrviL54vTwJm0ZlN1G-7Wb7JKditxqw7IICxBNLM2itcLn18hw3Uj-l571MTvEvXlBxsPuqgn-1zNgYS71KDN5ALrD5ruK4_jtVZqsi_PJCwQlKbh3Mrp0QO7R75oqofdks11_uvpG3WZaCsq7_LwGPE-wue8GDhx4pEWZhHjKLgy14__8JaUzjHRUkiV-Egf8-Tg563O9_fOLtHLQjAt_PaBJER-MTUCAb1EoszMvv7YUNsJ6yC83v00eX7v1zbfuiaT6jp9syE5GiWx2YizIkB4A

I disabled it via the registry for now, but it might be the time to 
replace it with one of the alternatives (Foxit, Sumnatra, etc.).

I do not tolerate autoupdates, especially on my work machine.

I hope this information might be useful to some people here.


Igor


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Re: OT - Oops, they did it again.. - Adobe

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark,

Yep. I actually had a bunch of Adobe entries in the hosts file, but, 
apparently, Reader DC uses yet some different host/set of hosts.

I was surprised that it started auto-updating itself this morning.

Thanks for the reminder, zonealarm is a very useful tool. I don't 
have it on this laptop for subjective historical reasons, but I might 
consider finally installing it here as well.


Igor


 Mark Roberts Fri, 17 Jul 2015 10:18:54 -0700 wrote:

Igor PDML-StR wrote:


[rant]

Adobe seems to be on a power-play streak.
We recently discussed their new arm-twisting decisions about LR and
pushing people into the Cloud.

I just discovered that the new Adobe Reader DC has the autoupdates
enabled by default and the option/preference to disable them is removed.

The only way (unless you are willing to install some additional crap
from Adobe) to disable autoupdates is to create a new register key value:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Adobe\Acrobat 

Reader\DC\FeatureLockDown]


bUpdater=dword:

If you are interested, - you can read more about it here:
https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1809982

I disabled it via the registry for now, but it might be the time to
replace it with one of the alternatives (Foxit, Sumnatra, etc.).
I do not tolerate autoupdates, especially on my work machine.

I hope this information might be useful to some people here.



Alternatively, a few additions to your hosts file will work. Or use a
software firewall like ZoneAlarm to block outbound connections.
Personally, I use both approaches.

No software on my computer is allowed to phone home. Period.

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Re: OT: picture posed by model

[Igor PDML-StR]

I wonder if the model got compensated in golden nuts. :-)

Igor


On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 10:21 AM, Bob W-PDML wrote:


When squirrels go bad...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-33541502

B


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Re: OT- SSD drives on sale now on Amazon lightning deal (for Prime)

[Igor PDML-StR]

Nevermind... It's sold out.

Igor


PS. A friend of mine just pointed out that a (presumably) better SSD - 
from Samsung is available for $150:

http://slickdeals.net/f/7980213-500gb-samsung-850-evo-2-5-solid-state-drive-ssd
-150-free-shipping
SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5 500GB




On Wed, 15 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:




I am guessing that some people on PDML might be interested in SSD drives at 
great prices.

So, - today, for the next 14 and some hours, there are well-priced
256 GB (79.99) and 512 GB (159.99) SATA SSD drives by Crucial.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KFAGCUM
The catch is it is only available for those who have Prime membership.
(I don't know how it is today, - but previosly it was available as a 1-month 
trial for free, if you are really interested in it.)


I hope it would be useful to somebody.

Igor





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Re: PESO: The pause that refreshes

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan,

It is a well capture image.
As for the subject, - I am surprised why you were surprised to find it in 
Tokyo. Is it because you expected tea-only there?
The first time I saw This type of coffee art some 5-8 years ago, I was 
surprised. But in the past years, I've seen it in different parts of the 
US and Canada, and I don't remember if I've seen it in Europe last year.



I noted with delight that coffee is overtaking tea in Japan,
especially among younger people.  Along with Russia and Ireland, China
remains solidly in the ranks of the countries where tea dominates over
coffee.


Regarding cofee vs tea, - this map shows it clearly (albeit circa 2012):
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/12/20/chart-of-the-week-coffee-and-tea-around-the-world/
You forgot such typical tea-drinkers as UK, Turkey, and, of course, India!
The continent of Austalia is almost 50:50...

And, of course, North America is tea-crippled since 1773-74.


Igor


On Wed, Jul 15, 2015 at 11:46 AM, Daniel J. Matyola wrote:


THIS is the real thing:
http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=18054701size=lg
K-5 II S, DA 18-135 zoom
Comments are invited.

Dan Matyola


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OT- SSD drives on sale now on Amazon lightning deal (for Prime)

[Igor PDML-StR]

I am guessing that some people on PDML might be interested in SSD drives 
at great prices.

So, - today, for the next 14 and some hours, there are well-priced
256 GB (79.99) and 512 GB (159.99) SATA SSD drives by Crucial.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KFAGCUM
The catch is it is only available for those who have Prime membership.
(I don't know how it is today, - but previosly it was available as a 
1-month trial for free, if you are really interested in it.)


I hope it would be useful to somebody.

Igor



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Re: OT - help identifying this insect

[Igor PDML-StR]

Hello Ben!

Welcome back to PDML! It's been a while since you last chimed in in 
October.


Thank you, Ben and Alastair for the ultimate answer.
Yep, the picture in Wikipedia looks almost identical to mine.

I haven't seen cockroaches around for a while, but just last week I've 
seen in the garage something that I now think might have been this wasp's 
larva. I found this wasp yesterday morning inside the house, in the 
utility room.
I caught him with a plastic tab (even before realizing it had wings, at 
first, from far away, I thought it was a spider).

He was moving too fast, running out of focus too quickly.
I've tried to chill it down 2-3 times in the fridge, but it was going too 
fast from a completely limp to the agile state.

So, I gave up and let it out outside of the house.

Igor


Hi Igor (and PDML),

This is an Ensign Wasp (Family: Evaniidae), probably in the genus Evania - 
ID confirmed by my Hymenopterist colleague at the Natural History Museum.


More info here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaniidae


All the best,

Ben


 Alastair Robertson Fri, 10 Jul 2015 00:05:46 -0700 wrote:

actually it's an ensign wasp aka hatchet wasp and it's supposed to
look like that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaniidae

supposedly they eat cockroach eggs so useful to have around if you are
cockroach averse

Alastair


On Fri, 10 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



Dan and Mark,

Thank you for your responses.
I knew that PDML has that collective intellect!
(Is that an A.I.?) ;-)

Mark, I think you were correct.
I think it is mud dauber:
https://goo.gl/PI7Fnx
And it might be even an organ-pipe mud dauber:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/organ-pipe_mud_dauber.htm

Those photos show the same type of shape, - with a very thin waist, and 
thus it looks like a part of the abdomen is missing.


Igor



Mark C Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:18:12 -0700 wrote:

That's odd looking - I am pretty sure it is a wasp - order hymenoptera (same 
order as ants and bees). It looks to me like its abdomen is missing and it 
bears the hind half of another individual's abdomen sticking into it's thorax 
via a stinger - was it thrashing about as if it was wounded? Maybe it lost a 
fight.




On Wed, 8 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



I was trying to photograph this visitor, but it was tricky for a 
combination of reasons, and after a few attempts (64 trigger actuations), I 
gave up and returned to what I had to do.
However, I am still curious what this insect (I assume it is an insect) is. 
So, I choose to Ask the Audience.


Is it some type of a queen ant? http://42graphy.org/misc/_IR27045.jpg


Igor







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Re: 13-year-old conservation photographer

[Igor PDML-StR]

Nice photos..

But the thought I had, - despite the desire, I didn't have access to any 
fancy lens beyond the standard prime, until I could buy it myself, being 
a graduate student.


It isn't jealousy, on opposite: good for her that her interest and 
abilities are enabled with the proper equipment. And let the force be 
with her in her further development.



What is rather curious is that the portrait of her is credited to herself. 
Did she have yet another camera on a tripod and staged this photo? Or is 
it editor's error?


Igor




Eric Weir Fri, 10 Jul 2015 06:06:34 -0700 wrote:

13-year-old conservation photographer is changing minds, one animal photo 
at a time

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/animals/stories/13-year-old-conservation-photographer-changing-minds-one-animal-photo-at-time



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Re: OT - help identifying this insect

[Igor PDML-StR]

Dan and Mark,

Thank you for your responses.
I knew that PDML has that collective intellect!
(Is that an A.I.?) ;-)

Mark, I think you were correct.
I think it is mud dauber:
https://goo.gl/PI7Fnx
And it might be even an organ-pipe mud dauber:
http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecology/organ-pipe_mud_dauber.htm

Those photos show the same type of shape, - with a very thin waist, and 
thus it looks like a part of the abdomen is missing.


Igor



 Mark C Wed, 08 Jul 2015 20:18:12 -0700 wrote:

That's odd looking - I am pretty sure it is a wasp - order hymenoptera 
(same order as ants and bees). It looks to me like its abdomen is missing 
and it bears the hind half of another individual's abdomen sticking into 
it's thorax via a stinger - was it thrashing about as if it was wounded? 
Maybe it lost a fight.




On Wed, 8 Jul 2015, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



I was trying to photograph this visitor, but it was tricky for a combination 
of reasons, and after a few attempts (64 trigger actuations), I gave up and 
returned to what I had to do.
However, I am still curious what this insect (I assume it is an insect) is. 
So, I choose to Ask the Audience.


Is it some type of a queen ant? http://42graphy.org/misc/_IR27045.jpg


Igor





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OT - help identifying this insect

[Igor PDML-StR]

I was trying to photograph this visitor, but it was tricky for a 
combination of reasons, and after a few attempts (64 trigger actuations), 
I gave up and returned to what I had to do.
However, I am still curious what this insect (I assume it is an insect) 
is. So, I choose to Ask the Audience.


Is it some type of a queen ant? 
http://42graphy.org/misc/_IR27045.jpg



Igor



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Re: OT - USB 3.0 Questions

[Igor PDML-StR]

Mark,

I have an old (circa 2007-08) desktop computer that I retrofitted with
a USB card in the PCIe x1 slot.
Yes, there is some speed limit compared to the _theoretical_ maximum 
bandwidth of USB 3.0, but in reality it doesn't matter as the drives do 
not have that throughput anyway.

And the advantage over USB-2 is very noticeable.
(And no, in this case, I wouldn't bother with the legacy PCI slots)

I don't remember the reason, but I remember that I decided not
to buy a card with more than 2 USB ports.
(It was likely for one of the following reasons:
1) insufficient power for more than 2 mobile drives, - a powered 
hub does the job, see blelow)

2) those were unavailable (for PCIe-x1) or impractical.  )


I haven't bothered to put two cards. For your two HDDs, I'd suggest you 
try with one first, and only if it is insufficient, you go for the second.
I don't know for sure how much speed advantage two cards would offer over 
one, if at all.



Here is the card I bought in November 2012 for 12.03 at BH. It is now 
$12.99 there.

 Transcend 2-Port USB 3.0 PCI Express Expansion Card
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/696114-REG/Transcend_TS_PDU3_2_Port_USB_3_0_PCI.html

I haven't used it heavily, but I am happy with the purchase, it is 
adequate for what it is.



I've also been using a USB-3.0 hub (although mostly with my laptop).
Since you mentioned you are interested in one, here is the info.

USB-3.0 hub with 7 ports and 25 W external power.
The power is important with the [mobile] HDDs that don't have their own 
power supplies (I have at least 2 of those).

Plugable Model: USB3-HUB7-81x
http://www.amazon.com/Plugable-SuperSpeed-Adapter-Charging-Support/dp/B008ZGKWQI/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8qid=1436289196sr=8-2keywords=plugable



And while we are on the subject, - last December I bought this USB-3.0 
SD-card reader (compatible with SDXC, etc., and UHS-1 capable, AFAIK):

Trancend TS-RDF8K
It is available for about $13 on Amazon, and I am very happy with it.
http://www.amazon.com/Transcend-Super-Multi-Card-Reader-TS-RDF8K/dp/B0056TYRMW/
It seems to be faster than all my cards (including UHS-1). I wrote about 
it on PDML earlier, as a feedback response to Rob S., who recommended 
this card reader when I was looking for one.



I would buy all three devices again.

HTH,

Igor

PS. As for the MoBo-upgrade idea, - beware of some caveats: you'd have to 
check the compatibility with the existing CPU, memory, and the power 
supply.
(There is a chance that the old power supply may not have sufficient 
wattage for the newer motherboard, especially if you have 
plenty of other power-hungry devices (video-card, HDDs) added/upgraded 
since the computer was assembled at the beginning.)



On July 6, 2015 8:17:03 PM MST, Mark C wrote:

I'm fixing to upgrade my circa 2009 PC with a USB 3.0 card. Knowing that 
there are many people here who understand this stuff better than I do -


a few off topic questions... (since the USB card will be used to support 
drives that will store photos taken with my Pentax gear, it's not 
completely off topic...)


It seems that you need at least a PCIe 2.0 slot with 5 GBps throughput
to get full USB 3.0 speed. My PC only has two free  PCIe 2.0 x1 slots
@2.5 GBps each. The sole PCIe 2.0 x16 slot is occupied by the video
card. There are also a couple free legacy PCI slots - I think they are
32 bit PCI slots. (The mother board manual simply calls them PCI
slots).

Adding a USB 3.0 card to one of the free PCIe x1 slots seems to be the 
obvious route to go. With PCIe x1 I will only get 50% of the possible 
maximum throughput. Based on what I read - that will still be a good bit 
faster than USB 2.0...  If USB 3.0 is theoretically 10x faster than USB 
2.0, then my theoretical increase will be 5x is that right?


Would there be any point in even considering adding a USB 3.0 card to a 
legacy PCI slot? As best I can tell PCI has a maximum of 133MB/s or 
roughly 1 GBps so USB 3.0 on a PCI bus could be about twice as fast as 
USB 2.0??? I assume far short of the increase expected from using a PCIe 
x1 slot...


As I understand it, each USB controller splits the bandwidth between all 
active devices connected to it. So if I am copying files between two USB 
drives hooked up to a single USB controller the bandwidth would be split 
between them. That makes me wonder - if I add two USB 3.0 cards to my PC 
- one in each of the free PCIe x1 slots - and put one drive on each card, 
will that result in each controller running at full speed when copying 
from drive to drive? That would be as fast as copying between two drives 
on a single controller running off a full speed PCIe 2.0 slot.  Is my 
thinking right on that point?  Since the USB cards are about $20 each, 
I'd give that a try if it would speed things up.


Lastly - is there anything in particular - e.g. desirable chip sets or
features or brands to avoid - in USB cards and hubs? (I plan to add at
least one card and one external hub.)

Re: PESO - Fifty for the Flag - Happy Canada Day!

[Igor PDML-StR]

Frank, that's a fun (and funny) catch.
But, as others have pointed out already, the combination with TNT is 
explosive.


This reminded me of an old story:
 Back in 1986, while it was still Soviet Union, - Russian city of 
Chelyabinsk was celebrating its 250th birthday. There was a wall-poster 
calendar (very nice-looking and thus popular) produced for that occasion. 
It featured a photo of one of the large movie theaters in the center of 
the city, with a large colorful flower bed in front of it. The top of 
the calendar had a title in large font: Chelyabinsk - 250. Right 
below, at the top of the photo, along the roof-top of the movie theater, 
there was a title of the movie that was showed when the photo was taken: 
(translated from Russian) Ordered to [be] destroy[ed].

 Since it was still in the earliest days of Perestroika, and that mishap
was seen as potentially political, someone in the city administration 
lost his warm chair.


Cheers,

Igor



 Knarf Sat, 04 Jul 2015 06:23:46 -0700 wrote:

Thanks Jack! TNT is the store on whose wall the mural appears. I never 
thought about it but I guess it's a bit odd in conjunction with the flag.



Thanks to all who commented!

Cheers,

frank

On 2 July, 2015 9:17:43 AM EDT, Jack Davis jdavi...@comcast.net wrote:

I share Ann's sentiments re the photo, Knarf. Still shuddering over
the explosive/TNT connection
however.

J


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Re: PESO - Bambi in the 'hood

[Igor PDML-StR]

Thanks Ann, Jack, Larry, and everybody else who looked and commented.

With y'all's responses, y'all [sic] convinced me that the first photo
is more interesting.

Jack, while I do not remember for sure that I didn't do a manual touch 
(I like 60-250's quick-shift manual focus override), it 
was on AF. And, as many others, I frequently use the technique where

I use the central-point AF, lock the focuse on the subject and reposition.

Igor


 Jack Davis Wed, 01 Jul 2015 07:07:30 -0700 wrote:

Appears you may have found it
necessary to go manual focus in
order to avoid the AF locking on
the near tree trunks.
A successful shot!


J




Sent from my iPhone


On Jul 1, 2015, at 6:57 AM, ann sanfedele ann...@nyc.rr.com wrote:

I prefer the first one,  where Bambi is looking at you , by a lot. It's much
more interesting and the framing of his/her
head in the OOF foliage makes it above average, I think.  the blown-out
highlights on the very bottom edge could be darkened a bit to
be less distracting, but otherwise it's a lovely shot.  Unusual is
sometimes overrated.

ann


On 6/30/2015 4:14 PM, Larry Colen wrote:


Igor PDML-StR wrote:



While I was photographing the vultures, this little Bambi jumped
along onto the road and, scared, went into the woods of the yard that
was not fenced:
http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26872.html
http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26874.html

Neither of these two shots is unusual. But I cannot figure out which one
I like better. (I'd appreciate suggestions.)


I like the one of it looking between the OOF weeds, it turns the weeds into
a compositional element rather than a distraction.




There are quite a few of such deers wandering in our area (and they keep
eating my roses!), but it is the first time I see a one this small alone.

All comments are welcome.

Igor




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Re: Photo puzzle -- Answer and a prize

[Igor PDML-StR]

Well, Larry, picking up on my hint about the physics content
was very close to the full correct answer.

These are water particles, aka droplets. Except that they are
specially shaped. The photo was taken at a splash pad.
The splash pad has many different water jets. I didn't pay attention, but 
after looking at the photos, I suspect some of those jets work in the

pulse mode that produces in this short streaks.

Here is a larger portion of the photo that gives an idea of how this 
looks, and you can see the regular water droplets:

http://42graphy.org/misc/puzzle-2015-06-29/_IR26728.jpg

As for the physics part, - Larry guessed a large portion.
Here is what I thought when I was posting the photo:
Depending on the direction (and the initial speed/height), these streaks 
have different velocities, and therefore appear of a different length.

However, looking at the photo again, and seeing how the round droplets
are shaped, I don't exclude a possibility that different jets produce 
different pulse lengths.


The photo was taken with 60-250/4 at 140mm and 1/500s
from the distance of about 40-50 feet (some 15 m).


Here is yet another photo taken under similar conditions (98mm):
http://42graphy.org/misc/puzzle-2015-06-29/_IR26789.jpg
And with all pixels (warning if you are on cell connectivity: large file: 
2MB ):

http://42graphy.org/misc/puzzle-2015-06-29/_IR26789-2.jpg

Here is the prize for all who looked and tried to solve this puzzle:
A fun shot with similar type of water particles:
http://42graphy.org/misc/puzzle-2015-06-29/_IR26801.jpg


Igor


 Larry Colen Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:41:46 -0700 wrote:


Igor PDML-StR wrote:


The idea for this puzzle came while I was working on some recent 
photos...


I think this puzzle is rather simple. (And there is some interesting
physics in it.)
What is this:
http://42graphy.org/misc/puzzle-2015-06-29/_IR26728-3.jpg ?


It's a time exposure of some sort of moving particles. I don't know 
whether the length of the path has to do with difference in speed, or 
direction. I.e. traveling normal to the axis of the lens would be a longer 
path than along the axis.



I would guess that the particles are lit, but shot against a black 
background.






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Re: PESO - Bambi in the 'hood

[Igor PDML-StR]

Alan, yep!
As a kid, I liked the spotted cute little-deer characters (from TV 
cartoons, I assume, or from some books.)


Igor


 Alan C Tue, 30 Jun 2015 00:23:29 -0700 wrote:

The spotted coat of young deer gives them that cute look. The first 
image is very appealing. Impala are the night-time garden browsers here 
but have been much restricted in recent years by the erection of palisade 
fences.



Alan C


-Original Message- From: Igor PDML-StR

Sent: Monday, June 29, 2015 11:01 PM
To: PDML@pdml.net
Subject: PESO - Bambi in the 'hood



While I was photographing the vultures, this little Bambi jumped
along onto the road and, scared, went into the woods of the yard that was
not fenced:
http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26872.html
http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26874.html

Neither of these two shots is unusual. But I cannot figure out which one
I like better. (I'd appreciate suggestions.)


There are quite a few of such deers wandering in our area (and they keep
eating my roses!), but it is the first time I see a one this small alone.

All comments are welcome.

Igor

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Re: PESO - Bambi in the 'hood

[Igor PDML-StR]

P.J.,

After reading your response, for a while, I was thinking which of the two 
possible readings of THAT you meant. I decided you thought of the more 
innocent one.

In that case, yep, I am always afraid it would happen one day here.
In Spring, I call them kamikaze.

But maybe you meant a centerfold Bambi _on_ the hood. :-)
(About 10 years I was surprised when a women said her name was Bambi... 
And no, I don't think I have her photos...)



 P.J. Alling Mon, 29 Jun 2015 20:58:21 -0700 wrote:

So I read that as Bambi /on/ the hood, which is a whole different 
picture...



On 6/29/2015 5:01 PM, Igor PDML-StR wrote:



While I was photographing the vultures, this little Bambi jumped

along onto the road and, scared, went into the woods of the yard that 
was not fenced:


http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26872.html
http://42graphy.org/misc/2015-06-29-vultures/_IR26874.html

Neither of these two shots is unusual. But I cannot figure out which 
one I like better. (I'd appreciate suggestions.)




There are quite a few of such deers wandering in our area (and they 
keep eating my roses!), but it is the first time I see a one this small 
alone.



All comments are welcome.

Igor




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