I found a great gently-used manual focus 70-210 zoom + macro for a steal at a local camera shop. Now my A7 lens setup is pretty much complete. Don’t overlook old lenses!
Photography
Sony A7 Mark II
I got the new Sony A7 Mark II recently, and here are some of my initial thoughts about it. I’m not going to go too much into specs, more into “Do I like using this as a camera?” Short Answer: Oh, hell yeah.
Fireworks!
It doesn’t matter how prepared you think you are, you’re never really fully prepared for everything that can happen, even at a fireworks show.
The Cintiq 13HD
I finally bit the bullet and got a Cintiq 13HD. So far, it’s a delight to use for creating graphics. I saved a few hundred bucks by getting a refurbished model.
Snowmageddon For Real
We finally got hit by the a decent blizzard a couple of weeks ago, so I took a bunch of pictures. This is a placeholder until I get the photos done.
Slide Duplicating Rig Completed! (Converting FL Bellows to NEX Mount!)
I finally got the parts I needed, and a free hour, so I removed the retaining ring on my Canon FL Bellows, removed the inside of a L39-NEX adapter, and slapped it on the FL Bellows to make it a much better slide duplicating rig than it was with a Canon FL – NEX adapter. Instructions in the main post.
Snowmageddon Round Two? (Random Stuff Post)
As I’m waiting for a ton of snow to fall, I figured I might as well summarize what’s going on these days. I’m taking more music classes at Coursera; Bitwig Studio is coming out in a couple of months; I found an easy way to ReWire the Yamaha Vocaloid Editor into Live and Cubase; Piapro Studio now accepts non-Crypton voicebanks; the monitor stand works; and finally, my slide duplicating project is taking off as soon as some parts show up.
More Coursera Fun
I love Prof. Hornstein’s lectures. If you’re interested in Environmental Law, he’s teaching on Coursera right now. I’m also taking a music composition class there that follows the rules in Mozart’s time. Also, Paddy may be one of the coolest Lightroom plugins, ever!
Aaand, I’m Back Again.
I’m back from the mountains. I took some nice photos, which I will post as soon as possible. Other than that, it was a nice, quiet Christmas. I’m totally exhausted.
You Komplete Me
Komplete showed up today. Installing took a while, but just skimming the surface, it looks like a ton of fun. I also picked up SynthMaster and Chromaphone, which are also on sale, as well as a second monitor for photo and audio editing work.
Celebrating Pocky Day in Manhattan
I spent Pocky Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then went to Kinokuniya. Dinner was with friends in Greenwich Village. Tomorrow I go back home. It’s supposed to snow.
Career Forum Day Two, etc. etc.
I was done with the Career Forum by early afternoon, so I went to the USS Constitution, took some photos, then went to Shiki again.
Glass in Durham
I got to see what all the fuss about Google Glass was about. It’s pretty cool. I’m also cramming like crazy for part one of my A+ certification test next Friday.
Progress Report
I bring up a lot of ideas for personal projects… so what’s going on with them? Well, some are moving forward, and some are on the shelf for now. GTD helps me figure out what I have the energy and time to work on, and what I don’t.
Learning Lightroom 5 with George
I just went through George Jardine’s latest video series on the develop functions of Lightroom 5, and I recommend it. Even if you’re just upgrading from 4 to 5, it has a lot of useful info. I also recommend his library/cataloging videos, too, if you have trouble organizing your digital photos. I love his approach. Very straightforward.
Fireworks!
Fireworks in Chapel Hill. I didn’t have the optimum setup to photograph them this year, but I’ll get ’em next year. I know what I need to do now.
Back Home Again
Back from Asheville. Lots of photos to process, including some fireworks in the valley, and a trip to Mt. Mitchell. Also, the new job is going well.
Snow and NEX BIOS Update
It snowed long enough to take pictures, but not so long that it stuck too much. Also, Sony released a new BIOS for the Nex 5N with a proper +/- 3.0 EV auto-bracketing function!
Snow in the Mountains Again.
Snow! Well, only half an inch, but still, snow! I love snow, and taking pictures of it. I’ll put all of my mountain photos from the last few days in this post when I’m done editing.
In the Mountains Again
I spent the last few days in the mountains. I took a lot of photos of the mountains, and got some good macro shots of Christmas tree ornaments.
Photography Stuff
I want to copy a bunch of old slides I have over to digital. Sounds easy, right? Yeah, not really. My slide scanner is dead, and the bellows/slide copier solution is still buggy.
Flick(r) on the Forehead
Getting Lightroom to publish to Flickr takes a bit of setting up, but it’s worth it for the improvement in workflow speed. I have listed a bunch of resources for figuring this stuff out, so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.
Lighting up Lightroom
I have finally seen the Light-room. With the right set of training videos and a freshly calibrated monitor, my photo life is good.
Liberated from Leica Lens Limbo (or Nex!)
I’ve been stuck in Leica Lens Limbo for about 5-6 years now, because there isn’t a digital body I can afford to put my M-mount lenses on. I finally picked up a Sony Nex 5N, and I think I’ve found something that will get me out of that purgatory for a bit. It’s not perfect, but it’s a good start.
Asheville Again
I went back up to Asheville for Memorial Day, to help the folks out and to take a bunch of photos. I’m still a bit behind on the editing, so I’ll post them when they’re ready.
Towering Over Tokyo
First full day back in Tokyo. I looked around at electronics stores, went to the tourist info center near Tokyo Station, then went to the Tokyo Tower, missed out on some fireworks, got overcharged for “meh” yakitori, and wandered around Shinjuku a bit.
Jackson Pollock and The Tallest Toilet in Nagoya
Today I went to see the Jackson Pollock exhibit at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art, then went to the Midland Square Building to see some great views of Nagoya. More book shopping after that, then expensive crepes for dinner, and a train ride back to Okazaki. I managed to take some really good photos with my cheap little IXY, too!
First Night in Kyoto
I made it to Kyoto; discovered a few things about buying shinkansen tickets, ate some delicious food in Kyoto, and some not-so-delicious food.
Okazaki-jo and Anjo
The Tokugawa theme continues from yesterday, when I did some local Tokugawa-related sightseeing today. I visited Okazaki Castle and the Ieyasu and Mikawa Bushido Museum, then went to Anjo to pick up some calligraphy supplies. This time, I took pictures!
Nagoya and the Port Area.
A rare sunny Saturday, so I headed to Nagoya. Atsuta Jinja, the Port Area, the Aquarium, and more!
ã”ã‚ã”ã‚ and é›»å辞書 (Gorogoro and Denshi Jisho)
It’s Saturday, and for once it’s not raining. It’s not really sunny, but it’s not raining. I’ll take what I can get. My electronic dictionary is dying, so I’m off to Nagoya to buy a new one, among other things.
Running to Nagoya Castle
After hearing about an out-of-season blooming cherry tree at Nagoya Castle, I decided to go and check it out after classes ended.
The Flowers of Yamasa
In breaks between classes, I’ve been trying out the macro function of the IXY on the flowers surrounding Yamasa. (Okay, some are weeds.)
The Skies of Okazaki
We get 10-minute breaks between classes. I usually go outside and stretch a bit, so lately I’ve been taking photos of the sky with my new IXY.
Nagoya Matsuri
I went back to the Nagoya Matsuri for the first time in four years. Once more, I took an inordinate amount of photos, but you can get the same experience from my 2007 post.
Mall-ed on a Saturday
The Nagoya Matsuri was cancelled today due to rain, so I went to Aeon Mall in Okazaki. A lot of other people had the same idea.
Through the Trip Prep Looking Glass
Note: This is about stuff I did before the trip, but I’m actually writing it about 10 days into the trip, but I’m going to put this chronologically before it anyway, so that it makes sense. Because It’s There. Before this 3-month trip to Japan, I decided to do what I did before I came … Continue reading
London School of Economics (Lessons Learned from London)
Whenever I travel, I learn some new lessons about what works, and what doesn’t. Here’s my list for the London trip. Now watch me totally over-analyze everything I packed. The Best Camera Bag That Isn’t a Camera Bag Camera Non-Bag: The Mountainsmith Kit Cube is very clever, and very useful. But, it comes with a … Continue reading
Towering Over London
Today was a really busy day. I saw the Tower of London and Tower Bridge, then went to Piccadilly Circus yet again to pick up some tea at Fortnum and Mason. After that, I had some noodles and karaage, and picked up some Japanese confections at Minamoto Kitchoan. On the way I came across the … Continue reading
Shooting Through the Gallery
I had an ambitious plan today, and got whooped by the National Gallery. That’s one tough museum to get through, even on roller skates. I started out early enough, but made my first error when I headed out the door and down the street, having forgotten to brush my teeth. I hate it when I … Continue reading
Caution: 175 Steps.
The test’s over. My brain still resembles Jell-O, but it’s time to be a tourist. So let’s start off big. How about the British Museum? Is that big enough for you? It’s big enough for me. I headed off to the Russell Square tube station, and encountered a sort of tube station that I haven’t … Continue reading
A Few Days With the Epson 1400
I got my Epson 1400 on Monday, so I’ve had a few days to play with it. Here are my initial impressions. It’s big. No, I mean it’s menacingly huge. That’s no moon… okay, I’ll stop now. It’s large enough to create problems about “Where do I put this… thing?” The extendable feed trays and … Continue reading
The Squeaky Feed Roller Gets the Grease
Straying ever further from the main point of this blog, I recently had to delve into the world of printers for the first time in a long time. My 14-year-old HP LaserJet 5 scares me with a foul odor and even fouler-looking pages now, and my 8-year-old HP DeskJet 940c can’t stay in register to … Continue reading
Shooting with the Bard
No, I didn’t go hunting with Mr. Shakespeare. This is about going out and taking pictures with my Bard camera bag by F-stop. It’s one thing to use a bag to carry stuff around with, but it’s something entirely different to go out in the field and use it as a tool. I’ve had a … Continue reading
F-stop Bard is in the House
My Bard arrived from F-stop yesterday, and it is a very spiffy bag. It came with a free F-stop Sporty camera strap (a $20 value). Thanks for the strap! I already have a very comfortable camera strap made out of some kind of soft, squishy stuff that I wouldn’t part with. I’ll make sure the … Continue reading
Waiting on the Bard
For the two or three of you wondering why I haven’t said anything about the F-stop Bard yet, that’s because it still hasn’t arrived. I ordered it on July 2nd, and didn’t actually get a message from F-stop saying that the order had been filled until the 7th. When I checked with UPS, the order … Continue reading
Camera Bag Hunting
I’ve been hunting for a new camera bag. Specifically, I’m looking for a camera bag that doesn’t scream, “Hey, I’m a CAMERA BAG, full of expensive CAMERAS and equipment you just might want to steal!” I also don’t want the bag to scream, “Hey, this guy has a CAMERA. He could be a JOURNALIST. You … Continue reading