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.
Mac Pro Video
Thanks to a $15/month deal, I signed up for MacProVideo’s monthly service. It’s been good so far. I like the mix of audio and video oriented tutorials. Very useful for someone like me, who works in both areas!
Pencil Kings
I’m working on my visual sense in order to improve my photography and design. So I’m giving Pencil Kings a shot to see what it’s like.
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.
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.
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.
AB!
Alton Brown came to the DPAC in Durham, NC. I’m a long-time “Good Eats” fan, so I enjoyed the heck out of it.
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.
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.
Nijo Castle (Sunday, Part 1)
It’s my last day touring Kyoto, so I headed over from Osaka, fought for a locker, and headed to Nijo Castle.
Nagoya and the Port Area.
A rare sunny Saturday, so I headed to Nagoya. Atsuta Jinja, the Port Area, the Aquarium, and more!
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.
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