crappyjones123

Dry aged rib eye with wild mushrooms alongside Samuel Smith's Organic Cider (apple) - first bear I have actually liked.

Thank you Antonio

Final bump. Ends tomorrow.

You don't purchase a f/0.95 lens to always use at f/8. You purchase it to have the ability to do squirly things wide open that you would never with an f/2.8 lens. Different people have different tastes. You have previously expressed distaste for images shot at f/0.95 or super wide apertures but that doesn't necessarily make them bad - others may enjoy them even though you don't. Could you use the noctilux at f/8? Absolutely. But I doubt the difference will be insanely obvious as if the shot were taken with a $70 50mm f/1.8d lens. You pay a premium to have the ability to use it at wide apertures. How frequently do you have enough light to shoot at f/8 without using a tripod? Unless it's bright out, I can't shoot at f/8 without bumping up the ISO to the point where I get a noisy image or perhaps the only time I have to take pictures is when it isn't as bright out. I may not be a good photographer but I've used a camera for a bit of time now. Do you really expect a complete beginner to not get frustrated with getting blurry or noisy images? I can see the argument against upgraded lenses when they cost significantly more but when they cost relatively the same, offer better image quality and work in a wider range of lighting conditions, then it seems foolish and a waste of money to buy the kit lens, force the user to be frustrated in low light, and then end up buying the upgrade lens for the same price down the road. I mentioned a sigma lens that sells for $175. You compared the suggestion to a noctilux which costs $9000(?). Hardly seems like a fair or even sane comparison or extension of argument. I still maintain that the sigma 30mm would be a better lens than the kit zoom as it would allow her the opportunity to take pictures in low light equally well compared to when it is bright outside without being forced to bump up the ISO to keep the shutter speed fast enough to avoid blurry images. We all value money differently. If I paid a lot of money for a lens that has f/1.4 as it's widest aperture I would like to have the ability to use it at f/1.4 and get usable images. Doesn't mean I only shoot at f/1.4 but I want things to be in focus when I do. You mentioned my return habits and again drew a wildly absurd inference. I couldn't get sharp images with the 85mm lens even on a tripod with fine adjustment. I didn't pay $500 to say, well shit, I guess it sucks at getting anything sharp till f/4 so I am just going to use it at f/8 to get a deep enough depth of field that I get lucky and everything is in focus. There are more than enough samples of the lens being sharp at f/1.8. I played with two lenses locally that were indeed tack sharp wide open and ordered another one from amazon recently in hopes of getting a good sample. If it doesn't perform similarly to the two I used locally, it too will go back and provide more material for you to draw incorrect inferences on.

I have never seen a kit lens that didn't suck. Take a look at cameta camera Larry. Authorized dealers. They will have refurb bodies with a year warranty instead of the usual 90 days. You can add on more if you like. Then grab some used glass separately. The money will be better spent I think. The little sigma 30mm I think was fantastic on the wideish end and inexpensive as well. Throw in a 105 ais and you got the long end covered with great glass.

Bump - the fundraiser ends on Saturday at 3pm. The team is up to $685 of the $2500 goal. Any contributions would help

I read $1699. Which isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

Jon, is that a rat in flight? One of the pictures I took yesterday is doing quite well on 500px. Currently on the 3rd or 4th page in landscapes. http://500px.com/photo/66066819?from=user

People like him make me so happy. I typically find it very difficult to start and maintain a conversation with strangers but with people like him, I can talk for hours. I know a few like that and my friendships with them started over the dumbest things - figuring out a math problem about the most efficient way of boarding and deboarding a plane and how to set the dorm room floor on fire for a photo without doing damage.

http://hub.audiogon.com/special-offers/wake-up-your-ears-sampler/ Cheapish hi rez music from hd tracks.

I misread the scale on the toaster oven - it does go down to 150F and has a "min" setting but don't know what that temperature is. How long do you cook the steaks in your sous vide contraption at 120? Just trying to get an idea as to when to start checking the temperature. I don't want to keep opening and closing the door to the oven. I'll try it at 150 next and then sear afterwards on the cast iron pan. Another thing I need to get from home.

Thank you for your help Larry. Much appreciated. The team I am part of, as a whole, would like to raise $2500. The $250 was just the arbitrary number the website out on as a personal goal.

Analog stick thingy was what I have at my parents place. Will grab it over the weekend. Have cast iron pan. I did get lucky but as you mentioned the 350 in the oven did dry the surface out well. Next time I won't use the grill pan but a flat cast iron pan which should get hotter too. I don't care for grill marks but for a nice crisp crust all around instead of just where the grill marks are. Every time I have used foil the steak has come off soggy as it basically just boils. However every time in the past I seared first before putting it in the oven which might have tightened the fibers and squeezed it out juices which collected in the foil.

Suggestions for inexpensive meat thermometer Jacob? I have one at my parents home but I left it there because it was rather shitty.

Thank you Todd. Extremely generous of you. An extra lap for Mrs. Todd. Cancer has not been kind to my family. 1 uncle lost to lung cancer and 4 aunts lost to ovarian and breast cancer and now my mom has been going to for regular screenings for issues with breast masses and my sister has been having problems with ovarian cysts and fibroids for the past few years. It's just a shitty disease but things like these keep morale high. I am trying to have the AV people show this as a joke but I am not sure others present will share my sense of humor. The gentleman is considered a joke in the medical community.

Mentally I couldn't get over seeing that much pink. I guess I'll have to give it another try sometime. We went to some super fancy place while visiting Niagara Falls and it looked almost exactly like the picture. I asked the chef to throw it on the grill just for the grill marks even though he kept trying to convince me it was fully cooked and safe to eat. I guess I don't mind the pink as much as I mind the lack of a crust.

Interesting. I think the lowest my toaster oven goes is 250 maybe. The range oven probably 300. How long would you suggest cooking the steak at 250 for?

I'm participating in a Relay for Life event with some med school colleagues next Saturday. We have a ways to go towards our goal so any help would be much appreciated. Thanks Below is the link for the donation page. http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=56825&pg=personal&px=36448377

I cooked it at 350 for 15 minutes in the oven. Then maybe 15-20 seconds on each side on a hot grill pan. What's the advantage of lower temperatures?

I miss the simple life. Med school can be quite a drag sometimes. The Grand Canyon is a hostile place for all life in general but I wonder how many people go there and come out with it being their happy place - the place they go to in their mind when they are down. The ice cold water that rattles your spine. The merciless sun that glares down without care and dries you up within minutes to where you pray for the cold spray as you raft down the Colorado river. The lovely conversations to be had at camp sites with people you would have never ordinarily met. The night sky unblemished by street lights and with the moon so bright that you wonder why you brought a flashlight in the first place. It is hostile but it is a simple place. It is my happy place. To visit it again someday...

Chateaubriand steak with lemon grilled peppers and green beans. Might be the best steak I've ever made. Flipped the script this time and stuck it in the oven first and then seared. Might do this from now on.

Was sharing pictures with someone who later introduced himself as the director of one of the fanciest art galleries in miami. Asked if I wished to be represented by his gallery and I was more than thrilled to say yes. Then got the contract via email and found out that gallery representation requires a fee be paid beyond the commission on sales. It was $1000/month. I was ecstatic before the email but now I'm sad.

Jacob, D700 for <$1000. http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1283595

One of my friends, Alexandra, and her fiancee, Andre.