falkon

I've switched to Fuji X-E1 and I'm loving it with a few caveats. The focus is not quite fast enough for any candid portraits. However, the color is just spectacular. The Fuji's JPEGs have much better color than anything I can try to replicate with my 7d's RAW files in lightroom, no matter what I try. I have the 18-55mm and 35mm f/1.4 and they are spectacular optically and have great build quality.

Maybe this?

Happy birthday!

Happy belated birthday!

Hmm I didn't know that either. It's actually pretty nice now because you can use your original camera battery along with the batteries in the grip. Previously, the grip actually went in the battery slot. But then again, maybe that was a battery itself so now Nikon's shortchanging us a battery.

Question regarding storage. I will potentially have 2x1TB and 2x2TB HDD soon. I'd like to get 3TB of usable space. I think the best option is RAID 1+JBOD. Is that doable with windows 7? Is there better software?

It will be openelec or XBMCbuntu if the opera plugin sucks.

So in typical HC fashion, I went batshit crazy and built a trinity system for streaming. Lian Li PC-Q16b AMD A10-5800K Crucial Ballistix 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Sandisk Extreme Flash Drive 32GB Yeah, I know, it's overkill.

Does it run smoothly? And can you hook up a keyboard? My parent's bluray player could do it too but they never used it because it was such a hassle to use with the remote.

I'm looking to hook up an HTPC for streaming from the NAS and watching youtube/streams. It must be able to decode 1080p and DTS/Dolby. Ideally, it would run something like XBMC or another linux based system to speed up boot time. Budget is $200. Maybe an Acer Revo? Apple TV 1?

I'll attest to it being hard to focus on a DX OVF. I often used the EVF. With large depth of field, it's hard to tell where the center of focus is because it's so gradual. With shallow DOF, it's hard to see the focal point at all.

http://espro.ca/espro-press/ I hear that this is just a French press without the grains/sludge. Some people on other forums have said it is better than aero.

I was about to start a coffee-fi thread but I guess it's already here. So I bought a Grindmaster OPOD a few years ago and it makes a great cup of coffee but my new apartment is fairly small so I need to seek some alternatives. I'm thinking either Aeropress or Chemex or french press. What do you guys think? Also, my OPOD is still in almost perfect condition in box. I think I bought it for $300ish. I'll definitely give anyone a good deal or I can always trade for something.

http://www.travelzoo.com/hotels/chicago/ Check that. Basically any hotel in the millenium park area is a block or 2 away from a train station.

$200 per night is easily doable downtown. I've gotten Swissotel for 120.

It also depends on their budget. You can find very reasonable hotels around O'Hare for 50-60/night while the same hotels downtown would be 100-120ish. The difference is a 30 minute train ride on the blue line. All the chicago activities are downtown. If they want to do sightseeing, buy the citypass. Also, dress much warmer than the temperature indicates. It is very windy.

Just FYI: Almost all non-stick coatings use PTFE (Teflon) including all hard anodized cookware. Aluminum is a wonderful metal that has a unique advantage. It has a native oxide that prevents it from further corrosion. When pure aluminum is exposed to air, a thin layer of oxide (rust) forms on it. It prevents any oxygen and moisture from penetrating into the aluminum and further oxidizing it. However, when this natural aluminum is placed on high heat, and especially if exposed to acids (such as those in tomatoes or citrus), aluminum can leech out and cause dangerous health complications. Hard anodization is a process in which aluminum is placed in an acid bath and high voltage is applied. This forces the aluminum to 'anodize' or form a thick oxide layer, a layer that is much thicker than the one that naturally forms on aluminum. This layer does a much better job of sealing the aluminum at high temps and in acidic or alkaline environments. In addition, it provides an ideal surface to which PTFE can strongly bind. Hard anodized non-stick cookware is simply PTFE coated on anodized aluminum. The adhesion is much stronger than on conventional surfaces and thereby, these pans can retain their non-stick characters for much longer. I was on a similar hunt for pans recently. Through a lot of research, this is what I found: Through personal experience I know that everything Tools of the Trade makes is crap EXCEPT the Belgique line. I have a Belgique 12" chef's pan and it's held out well for a year now. The pan is very cheap and well made with one small design flaw: the handle will burn you because it's not two pronged. The lid is light unlike other brands' glass lids. I have a feeling the nonstick may not last quite as long as the 'premier' brands but I'm definitely happy for what I payed for it (~$20) and it is only rated for 350F. Regardless of the rating though, I never use nonstick in the oven. Circulon and Anolon are both made by the Meyer Corporation. Their nonstick is all Dupont Autograph or Autograph 2 which are essentially the same. It's the best nonstick surface and is very comparable to Calphalon. Circulon has ridges on the bottom which is very hard to clean so I avoid them like the plague. The Anolon Advanced line is great. My parents uses it every single day for very heavy cooking and they get 1.5-2 years out of each pan. This is very reasonable considering that you can get them for $35 or so at Macy's. The fit and finish is good but not perfect and they solve the hot handle problem with a cheap solution: rubber on the grips. My parents really love it but I guess I'm a little crazy and find them annoying because it feels greasy/sticky even when perfectly clean. They are rated for 450F but again, I never put nonstick in the oven. Calphalon makes the best of the best nonstick. I think they have their own patented nonstick and does not use Dupont but I'm not sure. However, I don't feel the quality difference justifies their price. The Calphalon Contemporary line fit and finish is about the same as Anolon Advanced and the nonstick surface is about the same if not inferior. The best part about it is the two pronged handle design which stay mostly cool. The Unison line has a very interesting back story. This line has 2 nonstick coatings: sear and slide. Slide is hard-anodized coating that we all know. The sear coating has an interesting back story. Calphalon formerly released line called Calphalon ONE. This line utilized a coating in which the nonstick layer is partially infused into the oxide layer, creating a surface that was presumably more durable. This layer had 2 main differences to the traditional hard-anodized nonstick coating. Firstly, it was less non-stick than the traditional coating. Some more sticky foods such as cheese, milk, and eggs would stick slightly. Secondly, it was rougher. These received VERY polarized reviews from customers. Most customers had a negative reaction because the line was LESS nonstick than other brands and lines. Some, however, loved them for their durability and ability to form a fond and therefore, be deglazed. Calphalon quickly discontinued the ONE line and incorporated the coating into their Unison line as the sear coating. I personally love this coating because it makes sauces very easy and the pan very versatile. It is still nonstick enough for daily use, much like cast iron and it has a surface texture like cast iron. It's up to you to decide whether the additional 50-100% cost (even at TJ Maxx) is worth it for the Calphalon cookware. P.S. I picked up a 10' Emeril frying pan from Macy's on super clearance/open box and it's awesome. I think fit/finish is just as good as All-Clad.

Why not the Tamron 17-50? Better optics than the sigma, especially the non-VC version.

http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/11/sigma-35mm-f1-4-arrives-announces-new-world-order

Ah, I see that now. It's covered at Best Buy because they don't want you removing the lens. What about AF point selection? Where you choose between spot, single, zone, expansion, auto, etc...?

Nikon users, I was at Best Buy checking out the D600. It looks like a great camera but I can't seem to figure out how to change AF points from single to zone etc.. and how to change AF mode from AF-S to AF-A etc.. On my 7d, I have a button on top to bring up the menu and the wheel will adjust it. Or I can press Q and scroll down to the option I want to change. I can't seem to find such a feature on the D7000 and D600. I saw an <i> button which seems to do the same thing on the D3200 and D5100 but I can't find it on the D600/D7000. I'm sure I must be missing something. Nikon can't possibly make you have to go into the menu to change these commonly used modes on a semi-pro body right?

Haha I looked at that and I knew it was taken with a Rebel or and older DSLR. Something with like a 97% viewfinder.

Keyboards have 2 sources of noise: 1. poorly fitted keycaps rattling 2. the key bottoming out Just take him to a best buy and have him try typing on some keyboards there. Some of the short-press (laptop) keyboards may be better. If you don't mind torturing him, you might just make him use this: I'm sure if you google 'silent keyboard' you can probably find some niche manufacturers but I haven't personally tried any.

Speaking of Hasselblads, I have a Rollei 6002 that I have sitting around collecting dust. Anyone want to take it off my hands?

The Tamron 17-50mm non VC is the much better choice. The Sigma focuses faster and quieter but not significantly so. The Tamron's much sharper, especially at the wide end.