Knuckledragger

Oh, man. We got a live one here. FBI agents shoot and kill Utah man accused of making threats against Biden. I don't cheer when the FBI kills ...anybody, really. With that said, this guy was going for (in the parlance of our times) FAFO speedrun any% world record. With a side order of Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes. *Glossary: FAFO: Fuck Around, Find Out Speedrun: A term originating in video games, meaning beating the game as fast as possible. Now adapted to any task. Any%: Reaching the finish line in a game (or any other task) cutting any possible corners to get there as quickly as possible. Opposite of 100%ing. Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes: Exactly what it sounds like.

The latest from Schizophrenic Audio Works.

Speaking of rabbit holes, I've been catching up on Canon digital bodies. I only have ever owned two: The EOS30D, which I got new in 2006. It was never a good model and has aged like a fruit salad. In 2012 I bought an IR-modified 5D (a 2005 model), now called a "5D Classic" and it has aged like a fine wine. I've read up on the mirrorless bodies and while they're quite neat and definitely the future, there's two things I don't like about them. First, they're not as good for manual focusing as an SLR. As I have mentioned, I have a rather large assortment of manual lenses and am shopping for more. The second is that the R series too damn expensive. Older digital bodies can be remarkably affordable. The 5D classic is a downright bargain. The 5D II, a camera I never particularly liked, isn't that much more. The 2012 5D III is possibly the best deal going in terms of price to performance. Weirdly, the 1DX Mk II, which was $6500 new, is an absolute steal on the used market. The 1D has all the pro body strengths/weaknesses. It's built like a tank and slightly heavier. It uses great batteries that are insanely expensive. It doesn't have a flip out screen because those aren't durable. It's weather sealed so attaching L glass to it makes for a resilient camera. All of the above has lead me to the conclusion that my next body is going to be a used 5D Mark IV. The biggest selling point to me over the 5D IV over all of the others (including the 1DX II) is that it has the best dynamic range. I have never once thought "Gee, this photo has too much dynamic range." Half of my battles in photography are try to juggling the highlights and shadow details. The 'bay in 2023 is a fascinating hellscape. The enshittification of that site is real. Sponsored ads fucking all over the place. Obvious scam accounts posting screenshots from other auctions everywhere. Scam accounts buying sponsored ads and eBay doing nothing but collecting the money. The funny and sad thing here is that Canon DSLRs aren't even the main focus of camera scammers. That would be the excellent Fuji 100 series of compact cameras. Apparently some Kardashian or other cancerous influencer name dropped a Fuji 100 a while ago and now an entire generation of human blisters on Instagram and Tik Tok have driven the prices of them up through the stratosphere. The Fuji X100 is now selling for more than it did new. We really do deserve to go extinct as a speci.... UH I MEAN, there are a number of listings for the 5D Mark IV. One guy is selling his with a battery grip and an 85mm F/1.8, which is a mighty fine lens. It's no 85L, but nothing on earth is. Also I've never actually owned an 85mm prime, which is odd given ...my entire history as a photographer. The battery grip will let me cosplay as a 1DX owner. All of the wrist pain for a fraction of the price.

Damn, dude. No lip syncing here.

Via this Zillow listing for possibly the least cozy looking house I've seen in my life. That's a Clearaudio Statement being used as a backup turntable.

Remember when I posted in Jacob's Mindless Mindlessing a few months back about picking up a Marantz PM7001 integrated amp for $40 (about a buck a pound) at the local second hand shop? It's been sitting on top of my dresser ever since, largely ignored. Yesterday I dug up one of the pair of Technics SL-1200 M3Ds I bought in late 2000 when I had notions of being a DJ. I've been going through the several thousand records I've accrued in the last 35 years this week. It turns out that it's handy to be able to listen to a few of them to figure out WTF they actually are. The M3D is almost too big to sit on the Marantz. Barely visible on either side are a pair of Rat Shack Minimus 7Ws I got from the same second hand shop. It's not exactly a high fidelity setup, but works. Sitting on the platter is the picture disc re-issue of AFX's Analord 10.

I've gone (back) down the rabbit hole of Soviet era M42 lenses. I did this once before, in the mid 00s. Back then everything was much cheaper and the world was less on fire. Now we have Putin making a mess for everyone including himself. Also DSLRs shoot video and a legion of would be cinematographers have driven up the price of old manual focus glass to a prices that butt up against modern AF lenses. In the late 90s, I worked for an elite and famous ivy league school in the media center. I was the only person on staff who had a clue about sound. I had to work with a professional sound company to do the commencement every year. The main guy at that company told me that "vidiots" were the worst part of being a sound engineer. He had a laundry list of sins that video production people committed in the field and was able to point out half a dozen of them from our perch in sound booth. I'm not saying it's entirely justified, but I've had a 25 year prejudice against video production people ever since. What they've done to the price of old manual lenses has not improved my disposition toward them at all. First, I'm glad I got the lenses that I have when I did. The Meyer/Pentacon Orestors and Orestegors have gone up hugely in price. The Tair and Sonnars even moreso. I never bought the gargantuan Jupiter 85mm F/1.5 and ...I'm totally okay with that. It was an overpriced and underperforming boat anchor of a lens at $250. At $600 it's a joke. (As an aside, other than the legendary Canon 85L, I don't think too much of most superfast lenses. Giant apertures aren't that interesting to me.) I the post above I talked about the nutball Janpol enlargement lens. There are a bunch for sale on the 'Bay. I will be picking one up ...eventually. Currently I've been reading up on the Soviet made Helios 44 series of 58mm lenses. At least I think they're all 58mms. It's a large series of lenses made over decades, at 3 different manufacturing plants. Most are M42 mount. A few early versions are M39. In spite of the clickbaity title, this short video is a good primer: I'm sure I don't want a 44M-4. The 44-2 (depending on which version) is a fine lens with a lot of character. Supposedly the 44M-2 has superior bokeh. Finding a reputable seller offering a clean copy of either at this point and time is a nontrivial task. This page covers the relative strengths and weaknesses of the 44-2. The bokeh it produces really is nuts: Supposedly, the 44M's bokeh is superior. To paraphrase the late, great Bill Hicks, being a resident of the "complete realm of sanity and reason" that I am, I want both the 44M-2 and the 44-2. Don't be surprised if I have another half dozen manual lenses by fall.

^ That reminds me of this incident from 5 years ago.

This might be too subtle for some.

The Vineyard postal system operates in its own spacetime continuum in the summer. The population here goes up roughly tenfold, yet the number of staff remains the same.

I finished the first roll of film I put through the Leica C3. The C3 displayed remarkable film economy. I got 26 or 27 frames out of it. I still need to transcribe the last 10 or so shots from my voice recorder. Also, today I learned of the Polish made Janpol enlarging lenses. They come in a few different focal lengths, most commonly an 85mm and a 55mm, both F/5.6 (which is not odd for an enlarging lens.) They have an internal color wheel meant for use with B&w prints. They also have M42 mounts and can be fitted on most modern cameras with swappable glass. This one is saying Slava Ukraini. These things are amazing. I won't rest until I get one.

Look what arrived: Works like a charm. Big thanks to DOTU and Dr. Wood!

RIP Paul Reubens AKA Pee Wee Herman.

I'm jealous of this room.

Via Reddit (as are most of these), a DIY Altec Voice of the Theater project:

There's an annual gathering of Land Rover owners here on MV. There's a bunch on island, but people come from all-over. There are two photos (taken by someone else) from last year's meetup: I made it a point to be there this year. I took my Leica C3 and well, my iPhone. There's always "that guy" at these meetings. Not an Land Rover, but a neat conversion. I have no idea what this thing is, but it's fascinating.

Now this just mean.

I find the massive perspective distortion brought on by the tiny focal length of the wide angle lenses on phone cameras to be incredibly disorienting.

Focal Aria 936s.