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RIP -- It served us and myself personally with honor. 🫡

Today Ale helped me change the rear air springs on my car... Yesterday, we celebrated his 11th birthday and we got home in the early hours. His face gives him away.. 😁

Had a MRI. I passed. (Apparently, I'm very good at laying very still.) They want me back to repeat the procedure on different equipment, so they can calibrate the equipment. 🙃 Kinda reminded me of a concert I saw where Pan Sonic played one long drone and manipulated the timbre so that different parts of audience members' bodies resonated. (The concert was a very visceral experience.)

We had my parents down for dinner so I made 6 lbs of baby back ribs and both sweet Italian and garlic/cheese smoked sausage.

It was the side burner on the grill so that counts, right?

Counterpoint to my paean of primes: Modern zooms can be really good. Last fall I bought a stack of lenses from an MV photographer who had gone mirrorless. The least interesting but most useful of the bunch was the 24-70mm F/2.8L II. It's the perfect "walk around" focal range and a vast improvement of the original model (which was more than a bit of a dog.) Also pictured is the 100-400mm F/4.5-5.6L IS II which is an impressive and massive beast, but also a great way to blow copious amount of dust into one's camera body. I took all of the following with the 24-70. It's been so long since I've posted photos in this thread that we're going all the way back to last Christmas. I'll win no awards for framing on this one (especially on a stationary object) but in spite of my snapshotesque abilities with the viewfinder, I really like the the look of this shot. 30 seconds at F/22, ISO200. I really needed to do shots significantly longer than 30 seconds, and I was too stubborn to raise the ISO. At this point I had not been able to locate my remote cable. Blissfully, the remote I bought for my 30D in 2006 works with the 5D IV. This coming Christmas I can do multi-minute exposures. This is the house my father grew up in. It has a big Cyrano De Bergerac portico that juts out into an already narrow sidewalk. For something like 150 years it has served as an inconvenience to all passers-by. I love it. Cool Story Bro: My grandparents were the last private family to live in the house. After they moved out in 1940s, it became a law office and of course it's been a retail shop for decades at this point. Right next to the Vineyard Haven ferry slip. Not pictured: the December wind ripping across the harbor and through my jacket. I will cheerfully take the same picture over and over again, in different weather an lighting conditions. Happy sledders enjoying the first snow of the season. Later afternoon sun on Sweetened Water Farm. There's that patch of woods again. The calm before the blizzard. The aftermath. Ideal lighting conditions at the Oak Bluffs harbor. Still shooting that 1980s car commercial. All good things must come to an end.

A redditor's father died and left him this: Also, I was born into the wrong family.

Nice @n_maher! The 30 fps is glorious. How do you like it thus far? Drove up to NYC to help Julie move out as she finished her 3rd year rotations for medical school. Exceptionally difficult light in the parking under the building. The A7 did quite well here, I think. Taken with a Batis 85/1.8. Stopped by in Virginia to visit with my sister and tried playing with the Batis 135/2.8. Failed miserably but got a somewhat cool extremely close crop. In color.

finished my cfa3 this week, thanks kevin gilmore for the desing and the support from the forum members. running on +-30v with moderat bias, changed the gain resistors to 3.2k for lower gain. needed some 3d printed parts so that all fit fine, a cfa3 in a quad 405 chase. no pot this time, i use a dac with volume control or a preamp. after all amps i build i think the best solution for a 1 case build ist mounting the trafos outside in vertical position, absolut no magnetic hum inducted. i also added grain oriented metal band around the trafos inside the trafo cases.

Shooting with primes will make you a better photographer, but they won't make you take better photos. Modern (as in the last 20 years) zooms are so good that primes are vestigial beasts best left to eccentrics. There are exceptions to this rule of course, mostly super-teles that operate in a range outside of any zoom. Personally, I muck about with primes because I find them interesting. To me cameras are fiddly devices that get between me and the photo I want to take. Lenses are tools to make art. While I use modern (or "modern") autofocus lenses all the time, for me the real joy is ancient manual focus ones. Also, I haven't posted any of my own photos here in like six months. Two of my favorite bits of vintage glass are Asahi Super-Takumars: A 35mm F/3.5 and 50mm F/1.4. It's a tossup which one is more crackheaded. The 35mm, in spite of its woefully slow aperture for its focal length, has a really fat ass and will not fit properly in Nikon or Canon DSLR bodies. It will fit in a Canon cropped sensor body, and presumably most mirrorless ones. I've posted shots with it in this thread many times over the years. I liken the images it produces to a horror movie. The 50mm does the same thing, but much more so. My particular copy is a third iteration (IIRC) and it's notable for being radioactive. Glamour shot taken with my 100mm F/2.8 Macro. The 50 has a permanent warming filter (that gets more warm over time). It's useless for anything serious, but endless fun for goofing around. For me this is definitive example of "Takumar horror." The color temperature, weird rendering of OOF highlights and slight vignetting are all produced by the lens. I did only minor tweaks in Photoshop. The same view, taken with the 35mm mounted to a 7D Mk II. Not really horror at all. First and foremost, I stopped down and used infinity focus. Also the 35 is not radioactive. I have a long term goal of buying a full frame body so I can mount the 35 to it and see how bad the corners are. Yes, buying a $3K body to mount a $75 lens. Makes perfect sense. I mentioned in the snow thread that we got absolute decimated here in February. I promised to post photos and never did. The AF system on my 5D IV was not impressed with the condensation on the outside of our windows. One nice thing about old primes is that most of them have a hard infinity stop. Modern glass often lets the user focus beyond infinity (calm down, Buzz Lightyear) meaning they're a PITA to use in low light and other difficult circumstances. This shot is in focus, but still quite blurry because of the water on the window. Looking out my front door. No giants doing cartwheels or a statue wearing high heels. Quite the whiteout, however. Taken with the TTArtisan 100mm F/2.8 "Bubble Bokeh," which is a Trioplan copy, more or less. I have mostly used it as an actual 100mm and ignored its abilities with OOF highlights. Our poor, battered thermometer. Back to the OG Canon 50mm F/1.8. My ca. 1988 copy is one of my most prized lenses. Back to the 35mm Takumar and 7D II. Not exactly horror movie, but exhibiting how the 35 is not entirely sharp at any aperture. The images it produces have a slight uncanny quality in more or less all circumstances. One of the casualties of the nor'easter, which had some very powerful winds. As of this writing, the boat is still there. The mighty Canon 135mm F/2L. Designed as a portrait lens, it's good at photographing more or less anything, provided the photographer is up to making use of its FoV and DoF. Oh, hey. Actually using the TTArtisan 100mm for its intended purpose. The late afternoon sun reflecting on the pond and some early spring buds.

Nate’s on Marsh, my first Michelin star restaurant.

'Til Tuesday - Voices Carry

Nao Yoshioka - Flow

@Knuckledragger - the ticks have been horrific up here this spring. For the last couple of weeks I've been finding anywhere from 2-6 on the couch every night that are presumably riding the dog into the house after he gets walked. So (joy of joys) part of my nightly ritual before sitting down to relax in the mostly dark living room is to inspect the couch via flashlight to find the little fuckers. Found two tonight right near where I typically sit, so happy to have done that and then sent them straight to hell in a blazing inferno.

yep

Obviously, no universal right choice, though I get a kick out of opposite prime/zoom conclusions somewhat arguing the same case. I rarely need many focus lengths with me... one, maybe two will do... so zooms, especially AF zooms, are too big and heavy... "too much to carry around". They only leave the house under special occasions. I really wish there was a new Leica WATE/MATE-ish lens made by someone. Also nice shots Knucks, especially the 135/tree. Here’s the single shot I took with a non-phone in Vegas recently. Sigma BF & 35mm f/2 Contemporary.

It takes a lot for me to feel pride in America, but Eurovision is always up to the challenge.

Hania Rani "Home" Beautiful

Gemini says: Design & Build The "Basic" Aesthetic: "They look like the default headphones NPCs wear in a low-budget video game from 2017." The Fingerprint Magnet: "These headphones have a better memory for my oily fingerprints than I do for my passwords." The Plastic Fantastic: "They cost a fortune but feel like they were made in a factory that primarily produces budget-bin lunchboxes." The 'Incognito' Look: "They’re perfect if your goal is to look like an IT support worker who hasn't seen the sun in three fiscal quarters." Function & Tech The Touch Controls: "Sony’s touch controls are like a social experiment to see how quickly a user can accidentally skip a song while trying to pause it." The Noise Cancellation: "The noise cancellation is so good, it’s the only thing keeping you from realizing that the music you're listening to is actually trash." The 'Smart' Features: "They have so many 'smart' features that they spend more time trying to figure out what I’m doing than actually playing my music." The "Wait, What?" Mode: "The 'Speak-to-Chat' feature is the technological equivalent of a nosy neighbor who won't stop interrupting you to ask if you're okay." The "Audiophile" Perspective The Sound Profile: "They sound like they were tuned by someone who thinks 'warm and balanced' is a synonym for 'underwater.'" The Price Tag: "The best part about these headphones is how they make you feel—mostly poor, but at least you can't hear anyone asking you for a loan."

I drove her for about 10 months when I first moved out here. RIP Skanky!

Wait we're talking about random Euro-bangers? (Caution: Bare Euro ass.)

Magnus Öström "Thread of Life" (Drummer E.S.T.) Every time I listen to this album... I get goosebumps. Especially "Longing". It gradually builds in intensity, the final minutes.... ufffff a masterpiece. And then; Dan and Magnus together again...

Ledbetter Heights (30th Anniversary Sessions) by Kenny Wayne Shepherd (2016) https://open.qobuz.com/album/mu1i89de8zeac Example: It has been awhile since I have listened to any Kenny Wayne. Too long I would say. This is a very nice blues guitar album.

Mr Noods in Grover Beach pork noodle soup. Was the best broth I can remember.

Fondant potatoes, Andrew's request for part of his birthday dinner.

Geddy.

Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 20 & 21 by Friedrich Gulda (1975) https://open.qobuz.com/album/fp84x72ff06ca Example (One I could find): I have been checking out Gulda's work recently, including some of his jazz work. This is very nice, I may not agree with all of his choices, but with Abbado and the Weiner/Vienna behind you it is hard to stray too far. Also being some of my favorite works does not hurt. The 1975 recording is a little thin, but not in a distracting way. The 24/192 on qobuz helps as well.

I’m kind of proud and relieved that Spain didn’t participate this year.

Also.....Maphra.....sounds great on my new speakers!

Have listened to this four times in the last 48. Cluster & Eno's Cluster & Eno.

The Wigmore Hall Recital by Antônio Meneses (2013) https://open.qobuz.com/album/rt6bp6hxqcjgb Example: A pretty and mostly mellow listen and then there was this powerhouse of a Brahms work. Very symphonic for just a piano and cello.

Goodbye old friend. You were the perfect place to meditate.

Golden Gate Park Picnic

I had to turn down precapture to a shorter time. With a full second and 30 fps, it was getting a bit cumbersome but I agree, I was able to get some shots of my niece in motion that I wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. One from an early morning walk with the Batis 135/2.8. Shooting plants even in the slightest wind is so freaking hard with this lens but it's a fun challenge.

Exploring The Human League & Don't You Want Me

They are a fun listen.....I can't remember if it was posted here, but I also liked another Ukrainian group, Yagody....

Ha! Listened to this yesterday. Was going to post but now I don't have to. I like him more than SRV.

It's always interesting when classically trained singers step outside of the opera world

The Last Ride of the Skanky Van... to the salvage yard. RIP RIP trusty steed.

Speaking of which A.I. “Gingery Wonton & Prawn Dumpling Noodle Soup"

Thanks all. Won't be able to make the service, but will go down to NJ for Shiva/visiting.....

RIP Goldie. May her memory be a blessing. My dad was also the last of his generation and he lived to 98. I hope you also have more good years with him.

Speaking of Tiny Desk, lots of talk about DakhaBrakha here five or so years ago, but there was a Tiny Desk five further years back.

^ In that post, I just used the URL posted by the guy on the audiophile subreddit. The following will be more UK friendly. Fuck Nigel Farage. This Scandinavian fella is living his best life:

One of the louder Tiny Desk sets - enjoyed.