Early Risers.

[Barry O]

Still got my Canon DSLR anda SLR plus a compact Olympus. 

I still use them occasionally. Would like to upgrade theDSLR but the newer ones have a different lens fitting.

 

Sat in the garden drinking a mugadecaff.. its lovely.

[Barry O]

View from my garden chair..

 

 

Baz

[TheQ]

1 hour ago, BoD said:

Morning all

 

I worry about AI especially if it were to be applied to self-drive cars.  
 

I mean, what would happen if  we wanted another visit to Scotland but the car decided that it would rather see Wales?

Humans don't need AI for that.

Just try typing in newport, there's at least  one in each country of the UK, in fact 14 of them and 56 round the world...

[Gwiwer]

Lunday Munchtime. Greetings to one and all. 
 

The arrival of the hard-copy mail today has confirmed the dreaded statistic - I am now officially “old”.   
 

 

On the other hand the arrival of some electronic mail did make me wonder what by Toutatis had taken place to require this admonishment. 
 

 

I am clearly not allowed to ride ducks for free even between 09.30 and 23.00 on weekdays!  

[Peter Kazmierczak]

I just use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70 nowadays, don't use anything larger. Small enough to fit in the pocket, but with a variety of controls AND a viewfinder - useful when shooting into the light on bright days. I previously had a TZ60 but the lens mechanism gave up the ghost. Still have it though, to charge-up the batteries; both use the same. 

The beauty of having a small(er)camera is that one can take it anywhere - there's that very well-known quote: "What's the best camera"? The one that you have with you." Also, personal security is a consideration in some less salubrious railway locations... I also like to take the more "candid" shot, which perhaps can't be got with the more obvious "camera round the neck" type of gear.

The later TZ80 has touchscreen controls, but I'm not bothered about that. I don't take videos so can't comment on that aspect.

 

The one other piece of kit I sometimes take with me is a small foldable plastic step stool. Available from the "Range" for around £9, it enables me to look over some of the higher bridge abutments that seem to be around nowadays.

 

The image below gives an idea of its capability in low(er) light. The first is straight from the camera; the second I've "fiddled about" with a tad.

[New Haven Neil]

I rissed, I read, I posted....well I thought I did but....d'oh.

 

Had a really bad night, the alternative archery course is a lot rougher than the usual place, and it proved a step too far for my knackered foot and hip.  I'm mighty sore this morning still, and very tired.

 

Nice and sunny here with a stiff breeze, so washing is the order of the day, I was assured earlier.  So it is done, a trip to the bright lights of Ramsey to return a library book done, and finally sat down for a trawl through the forum.

 

 

[Tony_S]

16 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ70

I think that is the one we have for Aditi's pockets or handbag. I wasn't sure about the number of ours but it doesn't have a touch screen. I did ask Aditi to choose one with a viewfinder though. 

[Gwiwer]

EOS7D user here. Before that it was a Minolta Dynax and alongside both of those have been Olympus digital bridge pocket cameras. I learned on a Halina Paulette (35mm but not SLR) which grounded me in the basics of composition, exposure and the mysteries of the f-stop numbers.
 

Haven’t looked back really. Yes I would like a digital half-plate model but I would also like the time and budget to go out and make good use of it where and when I wanted. I would also be quite happy with a 400mm or even 800mm image-stabilised lens for the Canon (the current telephoto is only 250mm) but again it comes down to budget. Those lenses would make a hole in the house-sale income big enough for Dr. SWMBO to notice. She would also notice the shiny big new lens …..  

[polybear]

3 hours ago, BoD said:

Morning all

 

I worry about AI especially if it were to be applied to self-drive cars.  
 

I mean, what would happen if  we wanted another visit to Scotland but the car decided that it would rather see Wales?

 

Take it back to the dealer and get it fixed under warranty.....

 

Too late, gone.....

[jjb1970]

I use the Fujifilm X mount mirrorless APS system (electronic viewfinder), when not just using my phone (which I have to admit is most of the pictures I take).

 

When I was considering a digital interchangeable lens camera all my camera enthusiast chums kept telling me I had to buy a full frame system, such as Sony Alpha, and many still advocated DSLR in preference to mirrorless. I am not denying that full frame has advantages, but as with anything a key question, unless you want something (and there's nothing wrong with buying something because you want it, if you can afford it) is 'can I tell the difference?'. Maybe I'm half blind, but I find it difficult to discern any difference between micro 4/3, APS or full frame sensors. I'll go further and say that for most conditions 1" and mobile phone sensors are as good as dedicated cameras, largely because the likes of Apple and Google have the money to develop seriously good computational photography software.

 

And unless you just want it and aren't bothered about the price 4/3 and APS lenses are both significantly more compact and cheaper. Fujifilm seem to leapfrog full frame and go straight to medium format above APS, their MF cameras and lenses are drool worthy but very expensive and heavy. And I'd be amazed if most people could successfully identify images taken by one of their X mount APS models or MF GFX models. And to be fair, I'd extend that to mobile phones for everyday photography.

[tigerburnie]

5 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

On digital imagery I still think bridge cameras are an excellent compromise for most people, but they seem unloved by all sides.

 

The downside is that they might be said to combine the weight and bulk of a DSLR or mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the small sensor of a lesser camera and a fixed lens.

 

The upside is that the zoom ranges of some of them covers everything and more 99.9% of users will ever want, the sensors are very good and you get an excellent camera in an easy to use package.

 

The Sony RX10 is a superb camera, the lens is genuinely excellent. The zoom range of the Nikon Coolpix P1000 is just bonkers. If I hadn't invested in the Fujifilm system or if it was stolen I think I would buy a Sony RX10.

The biggest draw back with a bridge camera is that when you get fungus in your lens, and you will, then you have to throw the whole lot away and not just the lens. On the flip side when your dslr has a shutter fault and costs more to repair than it's now worth, because gazillions of upgrades have come out in the past 18 months, at least you can use the lenses on something else. I bet you know how I know too.

[tigerburnie]

I have still got dslr's but mostly use this now............................

My rig by tigerburnie, on Flickr

[The White Rabbit]

I have contributed to Canon's profits for the last couple of decades. SLR, digital compact and a DSLR. The compact is good, must be around fifteen years old now but (so far anyway) is still going. A couple of the buttons are a bit wonky and the function which records the time/date has blown a fuse but it still takes photos - most photos posted here are from it and it's a lot more manageable to carry round than the DSLR. I did think about the 'bridge' style cameras, not now but certainly one to consider for the future, depending how things work out or don't with health issues. 

 

My father had an APS camera and got some great results from it. Very happy. 

 

I've not had much luck with smartphones (and have given up with them now) but one of the bookshop regulars who was keen and a good photter showed me some of his frames and the results were usually very good. As good or better than he'd have been able to get with his SLR. And that was a few years ago now. If I'd been able to get one which did what it was supposed to do for more than a couple of weeks I probably wouldn't expect to get another compact - or bridge.  

 

Edited May 22, 2023 by The White Rabbit
.

[Hroth]

My problem with using smartphones for photography is that people using them* seem to bob up and down like demented meerkats.

 

I prefer a camera with a decent eyelevel viewfinder, either optical or electronic, and a proper shutter button.  I'm dreading the moment when my beloved Canon Powershot G11 dies...

 

* I'll include myself....

 

[monkeysarefun]

2 hours ago, Gwiwer said:

Lunday Munchtime. Greetings to one and all. 
 

The arrival of the hard-copy mail today has confirmed the dreaded statistic - I am now officially “old”.   
 

 

 

 

It's cool that they've put your expiry date on it but, that'll help with planning stuff.

 

[Peter Kazmierczak]

3 hours ago, Barry O said:

View from my garden chair..

 

 

Baz

 

 

Ours is wonkier than yours...

 

[TheQ]

Afternoon Awl ,

Cash obtained from bank for MRC show,  transferred enough cash to current account to last till final pensions arrive.

 

Spent a deltic in an orange shed.

Timber, dado, foundation blocks.

 

More round the fig tree clearance. Four wheel barrows of trimmings / rubbish to the bone fire.

Right ankle stopped play.. definitely not happy.

 

[Gwiwer]

38 minutes ago, monkeysarefun said:

It's cool that they've put your expiry date on it but, that'll help with planning stuff.

 

Like the payout on my life insurance? 

[BoD]

Afternoon all.  
 

Our car is ten year old now and is due its (probably expensive) MOT soon.  We decided to bite the bullet and replace it.  Chose a new car this afternoon.  Cost more than we paid for the bloomin’ house.

 

Just need to go and sort insurance and do a bank transfer.  I may be some time.

[PhilJ W]

Afternoon all from Estuary-Land. I was hoping to avoid it but it looks as if I will have to make a visit to Tess Coes. Just for bread and milk, just to see me through to a 'big shop' at the end of the week.

[jamie92208]

I've used Olympus cameras since 1977 when I was blown away with Chris Bonnington's photos from Everest in the National Geographic.  My OM1 lasted for 30 years. I eventually went digital and am now very happy with my mirroless EM-10.  I've got one extra lens, a 75 to 300 zoom which is superb and better than binos for getting g loco numbers. 

 

Jamie

[DaveF]

It's been a peaceful day (so far).  The washing dried and has been ironed and put away and some old clothes which are too old to donate have been binned. 

 

I went to the beach and had a very relaxing walk along the Links and promenade.  On the Links there are plenty of wild flowers, the hawthorns look like white mounds.  Another of the fields just inland is a mass of buttercups, like the one in the photo I posted a few days ago. The first bloody cranesbill flowers (Geranium sanguineum) are out, their deep pink always look good in early summer.  The name comes from the colour of the fruits and leaves in autumn.  Then there were the usual dandelions, buttercups, daisies and so on.  There are even a few burnet roses (Rosa pimpinellifolia) just opening their flowers.  Once again there were a number of skylarks singing, some high up, some very close to the ground.Once they land it is surprising how they merge into the foliage and vanish.

 

Lunch was a simple salad and was followed by a little while doing  a bit of general tidying in the house.  Then I had  alook at a book on preserved items powered by steam and diesel devices.  The next job is watering the greenhouse plants and tubs.

 

I didn't mention this earlier but my TV has a new "game".  Now and then it switches on at around 4.45 a.m.  Having looked at the Sony web site and various forums (fora?) it seems to be a problem with android TVs from time to time.  There are a lot of suggestions of how to stop it, the main ones being to make sure the batteries in the remote are OK so they do not provide spurious signals when no one is about and to check the settings of auto on and off and updates.  It can also happen if other devices can turn the TV on, such as things connected to HDMI sockets and devices which can cast to the set.

 

I am slowly working my way through the possibilities but I am also going to make sure that I set the sound to "Mute"  and set the volume to 0 when I switch it off so if it does come on at night it doesn't wake me.  

 

At the moment I suspect either the talktalk youview box which can behave oddly at times or the cast settings in Chrome, a couple of times I have found that Cast to TV is on when I have not told it to do anything.  The wonders of modern technology.  What actually surprises me is how many prople have the problem yet there seems to be no real solution - except to unplug the set.

 

 

David

[Peter Kazmierczak]

David, I'm unclear as to the term "ironed"... 🤪

[Gwiwer]

3 minutes ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

David, I'm unclear as to the term "ironed"... 🤪

Nothing gets ironed here unless it is work uniform, required to be worn at a significant event (wedding, funeral etc) or I am being taken out somewhere that a casual shirt and good jeans are not good enough for.  All of the foregoing are rare except for the uniform.  And strictly speaking that gets "pressed" rather than "ironed".  

[Ian Abel]

Monday awl...

 

Weekend went by too fast.

Brief rest to start Saturday, then off to the funeral. Everyone loved our performance, particularly appreciated by the widow/choir member, who had all her and her hubbies favourites to send him off.

Time THAT was done and we then shot off to shop for plants for the various pots the Mrs is organizing around the patio, it was time for dinner and bed! 

 

Sunday, some more shopping for flowers/plants/pots and a prep of the various items. Then off to the last, for the season, fund raising concert. Me having to be there early to help the lost souls who can't apparently manage to FIND the email receipt/ticket stub they need for entry. Oh well, I can't imagine how some folks managed to get out of bed and dress sometimes!!

 

Great concert, and that finished off the weekend.

That was nice, do I get another one?!?!? Ya have to wait for another 5 days mate, time to get slogging again...

 

Today some "light" work requests, and a regular quarterly reminder that ALL my work passwords expire in 8 days - a complete flustercuck changing then!

 

Weather all weekend was delightful, sunny, not too hot, and clean air.

15c and partly sunny first thing, expected high of 25c.

BUT, later this evening/tomorrow we're supposed to get more of the Canadian fire residue back here, there goes trying to breath easily  🤪

 

Carry on.