tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66887579001324445882024-03-11T16:05:58.874-04:00Light and SeaA blog about the adventures of a merchant mariner at sea and ashore.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-48281575642941731712024-03-11T16:05:00.000-04:002024-03-11T16:05:01.333-04:00Re-celling the Nikon MN-2 battery pack for the MD-4 motor drive<p> </p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Re-celling the Nikon
MN-2 battery pack for the Nikon F3's MD-4 motor drive.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe"
filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1030" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="A black rectangular object with white text Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:170.25pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="A black rectangular object with white text Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipKOiaB1xC6sF73Ztb90NVDSKLzTQxjag-xnCrwyslHcJSpyR28uVc6o8FNN_-0C0mkleGV5xHZ2mZ9X35i5dmKBU-8B5NmSfpwgzxjEk2yIh6ucm_0vv9NSm9ufswAmkmmY55_Hw4U7-Hbk40ePl7i-UZIUB3cZDF_QsfS-y9HyWfBdkclDTUs2MTaQXN" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="975" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipKOiaB1xC6sF73Ztb90NVDSKLzTQxjag-xnCrwyslHcJSpyR28uVc6o8FNN_-0C0mkleGV5xHZ2mZ9X35i5dmKBU-8B5NmSfpwgzxjEk2yIh6ucm_0vv9NSm9ufswAmkmmY55_Hw4U7-Hbk40ePl7i-UZIUB3cZDF_QsfS-y9HyWfBdkclDTUs2MTaQXN" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
MN-2 battery pack is a nominal 16.2 VDC battery used to supply power to a Nikon
F3 equipped with a MD-4 motor drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
pack requires the MH-2 charger, which charges the pack in about three hours
with its original cells.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Since
these batteries were made in the 1980’s and 1990’s, they are constructed with
Nickel Cadmium (NiCd) batteries which had the two-fold disadvantages of having
memory and being toxic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After thirty
plus years of service, the NiCd cells in most of these battery packs are now
well past their service life, and likely are not holding a charge and a
probably leaking within the casing and will need repair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fortunately, they are constructed in such a
way that the cells can be easily accessed and replaced with superior Nickel-Metal
Hydride (NiMH) cells that are readily available.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One of
the changes between the MD-2 for the F2 series and the MD-4 for the F3 cameras
is that the power source of the motor drive will alter the performance
characteristics of the system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the
F2, both the disposable battery packs and the NiCd packs supplied approximately
15 VDC to the motor drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allowed
for a constant frame rate between the two power sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the MD-4, the alkaline battery insert
holds 8-cells, giving the motor drive a nominal 12 VDC of power, and a maximum
frame rate of 4 fps with the mirror locked up and 3.8 fps with the mirror
down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is hardly any better than the
Nikon MD-12 of the same era with 3.5 fps with the same battery supply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using the MN-2 batteries, with their higher
voltages, the frame rate jumps up to 5.5 frames with the mirror down and 6 fps
with the mirror up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing to note is
that the MN-2 as a small plastic nub that pushes in a switch within the battery
chamber of the drive to indicate whether the higher voltage pack or standard AA
cell holder is inserted into the chamber.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because of this feature, using higher voltage cells (e.g. disposable
lithiums) in the standard holder will not lead to an increase in frame rate.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>To
obtain the boost in voltage and still retain the same battery pack form factor,
Nikon had to use more cells, which necessitated that each cell be smaller, and
of less capacity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since in either case,
the battery packs use each cell in series, the overall capacity of the battery
pack depends on the capacity of each individual cell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So with an AA alkaline cell, each battery
supplies approximately 2,500 mAH of power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In the MN-2, the cells are only 2/3 AA cells and supply only 250 mAH of
current.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MD-4 manual estimates at
least twice as many film rolls per battery set with Alkalines over the MN-2’s.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In this
re-cell, we will be using NiMH batteries with a 600 mAH capacity, which should
give use more rolls per charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other advantages of using NiMH cells is that they have the same 1.2V per cell
as the NiCds so we can use the OEM charger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The final advantage is that NiMH lack the memory of NiCds so recharging
mid-discharge will not be an issue.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
MN-2’s were assembled in Japan from batteries made in the USA (mine was made in
Gainesville, FL).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MN-2’s are assembled with JIS screws which
are different than Philip’s head screws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Using the wrong tool can easily damage the screw heads, so an investment
in the correct tools is highly recommended.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are four screws that attach the top plate of the pack to the plastic body of
the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once these are removed, the
cells are exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On top of the cell
bank are two wires stretching between one side of the pack to the other.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first task is to carefully desolder the two long wires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are the leads that connect the charging
socket on the underside of the pack to the pack leads.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The power leads are lead from the bottom of
the pack to the contact plates of the pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Each cell has a tab that connects it to the next cell in series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each cell is inserted in the opposite direction
as its neighbor to allow for connecting them in series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seven batteries are connected in a row and
then the row is shunted to a second row that is soldered in a similar way.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="A close up of a battery Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:204pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image003.jpg"
o:title="A close up of a battery Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFCpg_OUl73S2WNeElQwA8prwkTtKcGITiuhqHAHI_wb7smAJpnbh3vz5rCjWAwnSi2c2gCpBI6vdCvTauDgdFeEZ2m9p1GTzCo6M6z4aOVLrHNWiXC8I0N2fLEzK8yvytr-KPoOMrP-q5_0SAoqq6WAWB39h5qBJJKkax9mfra9WB1NnmGoixB7EJLw1y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="975" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiFCpg_OUl73S2WNeElQwA8prwkTtKcGITiuhqHAHI_wb7smAJpnbh3vz5rCjWAwnSi2c2gCpBI6vdCvTauDgdFeEZ2m9p1GTzCo6M6z4aOVLrHNWiXC8I0N2fLEzK8yvytr-KPoOMrP-q5_0SAoqq6WAWB39h5qBJJKkax9mfra9WB1NnmGoixB7EJLw1y" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>After
the leads are de-soldered, the next step is to unscrew and remove two small
brass tabs that hold the batteries down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Be sure not to lose either the tabs or the screws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next, work each row of cells out of the
plastic holder and dispose of them per local regulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>NiCd batteries cannot be disposed of in
regular household waste.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If the
batteries have leaked, there will be a whitish-blue powder that may be green on
the wires if they came in contact with copper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This powder is toxic and should not be handled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the cells are removed, any residual
powder can be neutralized by vinegar and then the case is rinsed with water and
thoroughly dried.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any metal contacts
displaying corrosion should also be treated the same way with vinegar.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_5" o:spid="_x0000_i1028" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="A black box with holes and a knife on a blue surface Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:219.75pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image005.jpg"
o:title="A black box with holes and a knife on a blue surface Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW-OjoxNOjM9Bx752fovt7ITbYNpUApuFw2_WOPtFBFmL5EqmzNIwFSVn0ejLS6PK7wizdoqQ1BKDoAqwvf5Wq3vsXQMu4VcZcp67P_CsetS66PWeWQU2NSi_LXY1V2ltP4LkHEFk3tLAW10QICkoYtq3KPzeYQJ72tZsPIlTsWa5kBqdN2ZzAWf2chmV5" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="975" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiW-OjoxNOjM9Bx752fovt7ITbYNpUApuFw2_WOPtFBFmL5EqmzNIwFSVn0ejLS6PK7wizdoqQ1BKDoAqwvf5Wq3vsXQMu4VcZcp67P_CsetS66PWeWQU2NSi_LXY1V2ltP4LkHEFk3tLAW10QICkoYtq3KPzeYQJ72tZsPIlTsWa5kBqdN2ZzAWf2chmV5" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="A close up of a battery Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:425.25pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image007.jpg"
o:title="A close up of a battery Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQwTZo8wh-lTc91iWKRwTeRN7lsRuvQoAhCwLTdVrqfDVblqbGCVOvd0xNjudXFKKyQkkd8GJ_p1JcRXcXRqUNV_L3sIBXnYg_MPqAOlS9TkDsEWtHXMF9lM2qjiIis7DphAqvREicxiCrrlozueGG0CmWC_GY2rrZjPwzw5EYPmKNyNbtBRIt-jdVlEld" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="975" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQwTZo8wh-lTc91iWKRwTeRN7lsRuvQoAhCwLTdVrqfDVblqbGCVOvd0xNjudXFKKyQkkd8GJ_p1JcRXcXRqUNV_L3sIBXnYg_MPqAOlS9TkDsEWtHXMF9lM2qjiIis7DphAqvREicxiCrrlozueGG0CmWC_GY2rrZjPwzw5EYPmKNyNbtBRIt-jdVlEld" width="264" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Using
solder, connect each cell in series in the same configuration as the original
cells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did have one tab be a bit short
on the last cell in the line and used a bit of tinned desoldering braid to make
a jumper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I tested each row of cells
with a voltmeter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each row should be
approximately 8.5-9.0 volts if the cells are charged.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="A group of green batteries Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:179.25pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image009.jpg"
o:title="A group of green batteries Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRwP9BUZTYtxAxUdNRYBgA6Ok8Cid00K5QOYpvWEHYZ7wbWr0eYvQtKO8Nn77Esdkz9asBSuMAvVK1VrLmWZayYQo9vOoA0SiDa6nhg6Us0sDxWS5Mak9RaTTg5y-R4jsypMBEa6jm8tHpvVvRKY67QxXg1Tbg6BEs-nuiTwgfSU2ep83kjssK-685RQ6b" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="975" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgRwP9BUZTYtxAxUdNRYBgA6Ok8Cid00K5QOYpvWEHYZ7wbWr0eYvQtKO8Nn77Esdkz9asBSuMAvVK1VrLmWZayYQo9vOoA0SiDa6nhg6Us0sDxWS5Mak9RaTTg5y-R4jsypMBEa6jm8tHpvVvRKY67QxXg1Tbg6BEs-nuiTwgfSU2ep83kjssK-685RQ6b" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
inserting each row of cells, solder the lead from the battery pack to the
leading cell in the first row, with the red wire to the positive terminal, and
the black wire to the negative terminal of the second row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carefully insert each row of cells into the
plastic holder, taking care not to damage the lead wires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once each row is inserted, you can then
solder the final shunt between the two rows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At this point, test the voltage on the battery pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The voltage on my pack read 17.7 V, although
if the cells are not charged as much, it may be as low as 16.8 volts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zero voltage indicates an open in the circuit
somewhere and a lower voltage may indicate a cell that was installed the wrong
way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any issue must be corrected before
the next step.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Once
the voltage is determined to be correct, re-insert the tabs and their
respective screws to keep the cells in place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can then resolder the charging leads to their terminals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These wires were initially taped down and
small squares of electrical tape can be used to keep the charging wires in
place.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_6" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="A battery with wires attached to it Description automatically generated"
style='width:468pt;height:145.5pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:/Users/jcaoy/AppData/Local/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image011.jpg"
o:title="A battery with wires attached to it Description automatically generated"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix32HMx4tah-viC4_anvMzQpzQ_BkBl9TmTJtTIZQsqv7376qW7nJBFLoq36olzJHmLpSvxU3q1XyATiH73V_8D_B5QPwrM91pg6Xif5KmYUOAvxxq9bqPJ2dFmyhHQ06-W87ZH6CJfVnARrt7RNhAxQtSAHfm78u5Z0JnCllL0isYE4ZFWmm-mewfOb5y" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="975" height="99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEix32HMx4tah-viC4_anvMzQpzQ_BkBl9TmTJtTIZQsqv7376qW7nJBFLoq36olzJHmLpSvxU3q1XyATiH73V_8D_B5QPwrM91pg6Xif5KmYUOAvxxq9bqPJ2dFmyhHQ06-W87ZH6CJfVnARrt7RNhAxQtSAHfm78u5Z0JnCllL0isYE4ZFWmm-mewfOb5y" width="320" /></a></div><br /><o:p></o:p><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
re-installing the top plate, make a label with the date of the re-cell and
install it on the bottom of the plate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fit
the plate on top of the cells, If there is a bit of play, a small bit of foam
can be installed on top of the cells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Just be sure no to cover any of the four screw holes. Carefully install
the screws, retest the voltage at the terminals for a final time and then you
should be ready to test the camera with the refurbished battery pack.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
best way to test the battery pack is to first insert it and hit the battery
test button on the back of the drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Two red LED’s should illuminate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Next set the shutter speed to 1/500<sup>th</sup> , lock up the mirror
and set the MD-4 to “C.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fire off a
series of frames.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You should be able to
hear a noticeable increase in the speed over the AA-cell battery insert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you care to, you can also set the frame
limiter to a set number and measure the time it takes to run through that
number of frames.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
MH-2 charger is designed for NiCd cells but has no auto switch off when the
charge cycle is complete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The manual
states it takes 3 hours to charge NiCd MN-2’s at 250 mAh cells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we are using 600 mAH cells, it may take
up to 7 hours 15 minutes to charge the new pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lesser discharging will require less time on
the charger, but knowing how much time will be difficult to determine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bit of experimentation will be in order to
dial in the process.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Re-celling
these battery packs is well worth the effort since it is relatively easy if you
have some rudimentary soldering skills.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-80268337868969828762015-03-20T11:11:00.001-04:002015-03-20T11:11:31.753-04:00The Nikon F2H
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkUrR5tclHPijD1hVzwUAg_BILMt3LgEyrEothx97obK8OLtuq48z1Hx0XwrWLp-Zn4-jD4LMfYiCGURXnzF4dCqhjWzfsfo46GmjRmL3KlIMq43Zqg77J8EmXSOP431uwTm1AYu0Dpye/s1600/20141124-DSC_6008-Edit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWkUrR5tclHPijD1hVzwUAg_BILMt3LgEyrEothx97obK8OLtuq48z1Hx0XwrWLp-Zn4-jD4LMfYiCGURXnzF4dCqhjWzfsfo46GmjRmL3KlIMq43Zqg77J8EmXSOP431uwTm1AYu0Dpye/s1600/20141124-DSC_6008-Edit.jpg" height="249" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Nikon F2H is a limited
production run of Nikon F2T (titanium) camera that were modified to enable high
frame rates (up to 10 fps).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The system
comprised of three major components, the F2H body, MD-100 motor drive, and
MB-100 battery pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The F2H was
introduced in 1978 with a limited production run and a second run was made in
1984 in time for the Olympic games.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Serial numbers usually begin with “78” for the bodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both runs combined saw a production of about
500 units.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The back has the serial
number of both the body and the paired motor drive printed on the take up spool
side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way, having the back with
the two different numbers matching the body and the drive will tell the owner
if it is a matched set.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The F2H camera body is modified in
several ways to enable pairing with the high-speed MD-100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These changes to the camera features were
required at the time due to engineering limitations that were not overcome
until the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The most important change is the
use of a pellicle mirror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a
semi-transparent mirror that allows two-thirds of the light to pass through the
mirror to hit the film plane while one third of the light is reflected into the
pentaprism for viewing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since only 2/3
of the light makes its way to the film plane, there is an effective loss of 1/3
of a stop when compared to a normal SLR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The easiest way to compensate for this light loss is to rate the film
1/3 of a stop slower than you would otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For example, ISO 100 film should be rated at ISO 80 when using an
external meter or mental exposure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
2/3 stop of light loss to the viewfinder also makes focusing more difficult,
especially with slower lenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To help
overcome this, a P-screen is standard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The P-screen lacks a split rangefinder that would tend to go dark with
slower lenses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If a photomic finder is
fitted instead of the standard DE-1 finder, then the ISO should be de-rated a
full stop: 1/3 a stop for the light loss to the film plane, and 2/3 of a stop
for the reduced light hitting the metering cells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fixed mirror also helps with shutter
bounce and noise when used without the motor drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since the mirror is fixed, there is no fear
of mirror-induced vibration and the camera is notably quieter than a standard
F2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course when the drive is
attached, the motor winding noises will more than make up for any loss of
mirror noise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, the fixed mirror
allows for observation of the scene during exposure, something missed by
SLR’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It harkens to the days of
rangefinder cameras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNISzroQzvYn7uyY86_QHXqBrTYe-1uNksivhxcTceRE-8v0Y2zwaABM7ai4fru-OvoSr9uZWTuVQB2OMmQNLarQT4XjGTfS5x9fWVN855cexDHVxk-8w58uw5GbEFNzuIPPuWYQ8Gu5e2/s1600/20150320-DSC_6570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNISzroQzvYn7uyY86_QHXqBrTYe-1uNksivhxcTceRE-8v0Y2zwaABM7ai4fru-OvoSr9uZWTuVQB2OMmQNLarQT4XjGTfS5x9fWVN855cexDHVxk-8w58uw5GbEFNzuIPPuWYQ8Gu5e2/s1600/20150320-DSC_6570.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second most obvious
modification is the shutter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shutter
has been changed to eliminate <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the slower
shutter speeds, Bulb, Time, and 1/2000<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> of a second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shutter range is 1 second to 1/1000<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
with a flash synch of 1/80<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> of a second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The elimination of the slower speeds goes
along with the elimination of the self-timer but the loss of 1/2000<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
of a second is unfortunate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There does
not seem to be any published reason for the loss of the speed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is at least one F2H that had be
modified with a new shutter returning the 1/2000<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> of a second to
the camera.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I suspect that the F2H
shutter was replaced with a standard F2 shutter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My only thinking is that the standard F2H
shutter is more robust or modified somehow for the higher frame rate, however
since higher shutter speeds above the synch speed are done by reducing the
width of the slit of the shutter curtains, there should be no issue with
needing faster curtain speeds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As mentioned above, the self-timer
lever has been eliminated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No particular
reason is published, but the lack of the self-timer lever foregoes both the
self-timer function and the 2-10 second shutter speeds offered by the standard
F2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This lack of lever is one of the
most obvious physical traits of the F2H.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJer6SNEq7rIweKjdmzL24AiPP9QeM1d4hmnxZprb4isWGbEM-Co07vS0vBeagOWjWNAcAYW0lHgVCXDLuIzVlTbxwBk3lrLpi3-yzwROEYHV5ul4E7yMJ2H7w6qKf0yNaqS5TWASwXdl/s1600/20150320-DSC_6571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqJer6SNEq7rIweKjdmzL24AiPP9QeM1d4hmnxZprb4isWGbEM-Co07vS0vBeagOWjWNAcAYW0lHgVCXDLuIzVlTbxwBk3lrLpi3-yzwROEYHV5ul4E7yMJ2H7w6qKf0yNaqS5TWASwXdl/s1600/20150320-DSC_6571.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The Depth of Field (DOF) preview
button is also different, both is shape and function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The high frame rate would wear the mechanical
iris controls in the camera, so Nikon engineers opted to have the iris remain
closed during exposures and winding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
iris is therefore “normally closed.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To
enable focusing at full aperture, the DOF button was slightly enlarged and the
locking lever was removed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
depressed, this button opens the iris instead of closing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shooting therefore requires a finger to press
the button, focus and exposure is obtained, the button released to close the
iris, and then the exposure is made.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The remaining features of the F2H
body are essentially the same as the F2T, but the internal mechanics are
probably a bit more rugged to deal with the high speed operation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The F2H is arguably the toughest mechanical
cameras out there.</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwKkc5jXZTg3Pxlu48MG7KskXT_VkYJeCRtjg-WRqW5qAJvOQTQ3hsyBvkwHUyn0K5MoI86mJnuSGkdLoaY-jydd64Ws_U9LZqKVqOJ6WZR7xD81qZqhKy_joaTWXKLe3IkJs3KFxHEFu/s1600/20150320-DSC_6573.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmwKkc5jXZTg3Pxlu48MG7KskXT_VkYJeCRtjg-WRqW5qAJvOQTQ3hsyBvkwHUyn0K5MoI86mJnuSGkdLoaY-jydd64Ws_U9LZqKVqOJ6WZR7xD81qZqhKy_joaTWXKLe3IkJs3KFxHEFu/s1600/20150320-DSC_6573.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The motor drive of the F2H system
is called the MD-100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive is
similar in shape and layout of the MD-2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are a few cosmetic features that differ as well as the internal
makeup.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MD-100 is the heart of the
system, and when fitted with the appropriate power supply, can provide 10 fps
when the shutter speed is between 1/250<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> and 1/1000<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> of
a second on the “H” setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The drive controls include a fixed
shutter button on the grip.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This differs
from the MD-1/2 which allows for remote control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The knob near the shutter button allows for
locking the system, single exposure, or continuous exposure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the locked setting, the drive cannot be
used to fire the camera, but the button on the camera will still work along
with the manual advance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the single
fire setting, the shutter will trip with the motor drive’s button and will wind
once the button is released.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allows
for delayed winding when the noise might be objectionable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the back of the drive is a lever that
allows the back to be released. There is also a button and lever to engage the
rewind motor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A red-LED pilot light
blinks with each frame that is wound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A
dial that is raised and twisted sets the frame advance speed along with a label
that displays L, M1, M2, M3, and H along with the minimum shutter speeds
required for each setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A slide to
activate the film sprocket release is next that allows for multiple exposure
and allows for rewind of the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
last dial is a film frame countdown dial that stops the drive after a set
number of frames have been exposed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
default is 40 exposures which is the typical setting for a 36-exposure roll of
film, but the dial can be set from any number of frames from 1 to 40.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This allows for a specific number for a
sequence and ensures that the drive will not rip the film out of the canister
unless the dial is reset.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The underside
of the drive has a 5-pin female plug that mates with the MB-100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally in the front is a 3-pin remote
control and external power port.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As with the MD-1/2/3, there is no
electrical communication between the camera body and the drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shutter speed must be set appropriately,
or the two will get out of synch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
speed dial on the motor drive itself activates timing circuits to vary the
delay between exposure and winding action.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The frame rate with MN-1 Ni-Cd
battery packs at full charge are as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">CH: 10 fps 1/250<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> +</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">M3: 7.5fps 1/125<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th </span></sup>+</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">M2: 6 fps 1/60<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> +</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">M1: 3.5 fps 1/60<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> +</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">L: 3.0 fps 1/30<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> +</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If using Alkaline cells, the frame
rate diminishes a bit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The MD-100 is a later model drive
in the F2 system and suffers from a manufacturing change in the production
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MD-1 and earlier MD-2, used
metal drive gears while later models, including the MD-100, used plastic (nylon)
drive gears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These gears tend to split
and become non-functional but <a href="http://soverf2repair.webs.com/MD2_MD3_gears.htm" target="_blank">can be replaced</a> if required.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The MD-100’s internal circuits are
a bit misunderstood in online and published write ups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is often claimed that the MD-100 uses 4
MN-1’s in the MB-100 power pack supplying 30 V to the drive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examining the circuit diagram, and also
taking meter readings on the MB-100 tell a different story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive use one MN-1 (7.4-8.0V) to power
the control circuits, then two additional MN-1’s in series, for a total of
22.4-24V to drive the motor in the advance direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A separate MN-1 is used to power the
motorized rewind (7.4-8.0V).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greater
detail on the voltage supply from the MB-100 will explored below.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The MD-100 is also not compatible with
standard MF-1, MF-2, or MF-3 backs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>There are a very few (10 or so) known modified F2H cameras that can use
special 250-exposure MF-1’s at reduced frame rates, but none are compatible
with the 750-exposure MF-2 backs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
MF-3 back, which keeps the film leader out, required contacts to work, and the
MD-100 lacks these contacts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>F2T and
standard F2 backs work as normal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The power supply to the F2H system
is the weakest link and least understood part of the rig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is best to understand the standard MB-1/2
pack before delving into the MB-100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
MB-1/2 consists of two hinged doors that are fitted either with rechargeable
MN-1 battery packs or AA cells in a pair of MS-1 battery holders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The MN-1 is rated at 7.4 volts but has a
fully charged voltage of 8.0.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each MS-1
takes 5 standard AA-cells (LR6) for 7.5V per pack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the MB-1/2 the cells are wired in series
and then the packs themselves are wired in series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The power is transferred to the motor drive
via 2 pins at 14.8-16V and about 250 mA for the MN-1’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At first glance, the MB-100 looks
like a pair of MB-1’s stacked on top of each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally, a strap loop is fitted between
the packs, and an external button and LED are fitted as a battery check light.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The pack fits four MN-1/MS-1’s and it often
assumed that since the frame rate is twice that of the MD-2, and that there are
four packs rather than two, then the voltage must also be doubled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first hint that the power supply is a bit
different is that there are five pins instead of two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tracing the pins starts to tell the story,
and the circuit schematic tells the rest of the tale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two of the pins supply power from the lower,
right pack in the MB-100 into the motor drive at a nominal 7.4V.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The schematic shows that this pack, and this
pack alone, supply power to the motor in the rewind direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drive works perfectly well, sans power
rewind, with only three power packs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other three packs are wired in series with a common ground/earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A tap is taken from the one pack through a separate
pin to supply 7.5 volts to the drive’s circuitry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This battery is the lower left in the
MB-100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The top two packs are wired in
series and, along with the circuit pack, supply 22.5V to the motor in advance
mode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even at the full 8.0V from each
pack, the drive uses 24V, not 30V as often stated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The MN-1 battery pack is fitted
with a stack of button Ni-Cd cells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Since these are wired in series, the voltage is increased with each
cells, but the current rating remains the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These cells provide only a nominal 280 mA current.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>MS-1’s can use higher current cells, but with
slightly lower voltage as the cells deplete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The unfortunate choice is high frame rate with very few rolls per
charge, or slower frame rate with longer shooting time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A solution to this would be an external power
supply via the accessory port but with only a 30V (via resistor) input along
with the remote release, some functionality (power rewind) would be lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The best option would be supply power via the
bottom plug, but this would require a custom mount.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>AC power is not available via standard Nikon
AC/DC converters due to the extra voltage required.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The final flaw in the F2H power
system is that the voltage required to power the circuit as well as the motor
are in parallel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When the drive is in
operation, the loaded motor reduces the circuit voltage as the cells deplete
and the drive will stop working.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using a
pack for the circuit alone and then tap the three other stacks for rewind would
probably have worked much better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While
there is not scientific data, at about 80% of full charge and lower, the drive
ceases to work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The four MN-1’s required are
charged by a “special” charger called the MH-100 which is effectively a pair of
MH-1’s screwed onto a plate with an extension cord to plug them both into a
common cord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Charge time is
approximately 2-3 hours, so you might need spare change outs for any longer
shooting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The F2H system works as advertised,
but not as well as it might.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the
frame rate is an impressive 10 fps, the size, bulk, weight, and poor battery
performance limit its use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, since
the MF-1 cannot be used, a firing time of 3.6 seconds between roll change outs
do not help the case for use.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately due to the poor power supply, use of 250- exposure backs
would not only add to the bulk, but also would require battery change outs as
often as film roll exchanges for a standard F2H.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ideally the system would be similar to the
F250 by combining a 24V-250 exposure back with the high speed drive, and larger
capacity external batter pack to supply the high voltage and current required
for the load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly this was not
pursued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most F2H’s remain on collector’s
shelves and probably rarely, if ever get a roll of film through them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given the cost of even partial systems in the
used market, this is likely to remain the case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is too bad, as the camera, even without the drive, is a different
shooting experience than a standard SLR, and with the drive, can be used to
capture fast action on film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This need
has been largely eclipsed by high speed digital cameras which allow for even
faster frame rates and the much higher capacity (with no bulk) digital media
cards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Here is a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAr6GZKchXU" target="_blank">video</a> of the F2H in operation with three MN-1 battery packs. Here is a second <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgDlCQfwTnc" target="_blank">video</a> of the shutter in action in slow motion at 1/250th of a second and 10fps. </span></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<o:p></o:p> </div>
Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-72598899548541889632014-10-24T11:22:00.000-04:002014-10-24T11:22:01.727-04:00Macro Nikkor 12cm f6.3So I got myself a new lens. It is the Macro-Nikkor 12cm f6.3, This is a pretty rare lens and is actually closer to an industrial lens than a camera lens. It was designed for low magnifications on the <a href="http://www.microscopyu.com/museum/multiphot.html" target="_blank">Multiphot </a>system that Nikon made and is one of four lenses for the system. This is the longest of the four and has the greatest working distance and least magnification. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_e-Nrpg2htsRPGrQ0OBucimXgBbmr_gUJjfmRoDzkxQztWEhbQ0DvEPJelvE6shhOiHNxewyD8V32AKA6lNqctYynBqrUjI-AOWSyl1OjNA-oe8mr6GzMpkyLRECIWsLWaJi4qw_1aCs/s1600/20141017-DSC_5621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy_e-Nrpg2htsRPGrQ0OBucimXgBbmr_gUJjfmRoDzkxQztWEhbQ0DvEPJelvE6shhOiHNxewyD8V32AKA6lNqctYynBqrUjI-AOWSyl1OjNA-oe8mr6GzMpkyLRECIWsLWaJi4qw_1aCs/s1600/20141017-DSC_5621.jpg" height="305" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
So lets see what the lens is and what it does.<br />
<br />
It is a 120mm f6.3 lens constructed with 5 elements in 4 groups. The lens is fairly old so has the older coatings. This should not be much of an issue for macro work, but doesn't seem to flare in my work and has nice contrast. The lens is small, with a 38mm front thread and a M39 rear thread. There is no focal helicoid and will require bellows or other extension means to focus at various distances. The iris is 6 blades and is operated similarly to the 105 mm f4 Bellows Nikkor. That is, there are two rings. The first ring has 1 stop detents on it that will allow you to set a minimum closure and then a second ring that will allow continuous change of the diaphragm from fully open to the setting of the first ring. In a departure from photographic lenses, the stops are marked from 1-7 where 1 is 6.3 and each number denotes a 1-stop reduction in iris side.<br />
<br />
What does this lens give you that a standard micro lens does not? First is image circle. This lens is designed to cover 4x5 inch film so will allow as much swing and tilt as your bellows will normally allow. Don't expect any vignetting from movements like you can see with standard or even PC-E micro lenses. Second is a flat field. There is no appreciable field curvature which is critical in macro photography (greater than life size) where depth of focus is in fractions of a millimeter.<br />
<br />
This lens requires substantial extension and I am often testing the limits of my PB-6 Bellows. Bellows extension will allow for more magnification but the lens is optimized for about 1:2 to 4:1 so you will see some degradation in performance outside of these ranges on 35mm/FX images. Working distance is much better than what I am used to with other lenses (e.g. a reversed 50mm) which makes lighting substantially easier.<br />
<br />
To fit this lens to the bellows, a method to convert the Leica M39 screw thread to Nikon F bayonet is required. This adapter (nikon's is BR-15) is pretty rare, but off brand adapters can be had on the internet if you are looking. <br />
<br />
During my experimentation, the exposure difference between settings 1 and 2 on the lens barrel were actually 1.3 stops at the same extension. This means that setting 2 is f10. The remaining settings are close to 1 stop each, so 2 is f14 and 3 is f2. I would not suggest going beyond setting 3 (f20) as diffraction starts to get the better of you, especially if you are using high-MP cameras. Better to keep a wider aperture and use focus stacking techniques than trying to stop down the lens that much. Also remember that the effective aperture as it relates to exposure also has to take into account the large extension you are using (usually over 100mm) so exposure times, and the noise inherent in those settings increase dramatically. <br />
<br />
In the end this is a fine lens for bellows offering a small package to get into the macro range of photography with a lens specifically designed for this application. <br />
<br />
For the best write-up on this lens (and the source for this entry) visit Enrico Savazzi's website <a href="http://www.savazzi.net/photography/macronikkors.htm" target="_blank">here</a><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7ovq49KYOfISqICBB5eBnp5GeQEX40whZAruAKCjLOSNgM2vH8jtv_WM4DCTJzdZi0C_kfgQLMrGAaHMT_x4xRVLO0pRt0VGDU3iLPfzpvd7yF-eKPoBmSnKYTYqTlKnGI1-v1aBaDq5/s1600/Pearls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM7ovq49KYOfISqICBB5eBnp5GeQEX40whZAruAKCjLOSNgM2vH8jtv_WM4DCTJzdZi0C_kfgQLMrGAaHMT_x4xRVLO0pRt0VGDU3iLPfzpvd7yF-eKPoBmSnKYTYqTlKnGI1-v1aBaDq5/s1600/Pearls.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-72710129733065123762013-05-09T16:02:00.001-04:002013-05-09T16:02:28.455-04:00My First Lens RepairIt was a sunny day in May of 1993. I was heavily into photography as the photo editor to the school yearbook and a staff photographer on the paper. Not to mention my senior photography class and independent study photography project. I tended to always have a camera or two with me when I went to high school.<br />
<br />
Back then we shot film. I remember reading about the first digital cameras in magazines, but for mere mortals, we were still using the analog stuff. My photo equipment at the time would be considered meager in the 21st century, but it was all that I had and I really didn't know any better. I had a Nikon F with a broken meter head. This was my flash camera which was typically mounted next to a Sunpak 544 "potato masher" flash. My other camera was a Nikkormat FTN which was similar to the F but with a working meter. For lenses, I had a 28mm f2.8 Vivitar lens, a 50mm f1.4 S Nikkor, a 43-86 f3.5 zoom, and a 135mm f3.5 Q lens. All but the Vivitar were from the 1960's. This kit had served me fairly well in those days, but I often wished that I had a slightly faster lens in the telephoto department. I really didn't wish for anything longer most of the time, which is strange thinking to me these days.<br />
<br />
That fateful day in May, I was sitting in the passenger seat of the 1978 Buick LaSabre that served as the main mode of transportation for my brother and myself, and the Nikkormat with the 50mm f1.4 S was mounted on it was on the floorboard along with my book bag. Well as fate would have it, I grabbed the book bag and it somehow caught the camera in one of the straps and it fell, lens first, onto the pavement. The drop was perhaps six inches, but that was all it took. Despite the Nikon legend of durability, this little drop did both camera and lens in. The glass was okay, but the iris in the lens would no longer respond, and the focus ring did not move. On the camera side, the shutter speed dial (located near the aperture ring on that model) would not turn and the camera shutter was not doing well either. <br />
<br />
It is now twenty-years later, and this lens has been sitting on my shelf for many years now; mounted on it's original body, the Nikon F that my father has since given to me. The F is in little better shape than the lens at this point, as the shutter has holes in the curtain. Recently I was looking on YouTube and decided that there might be a video that could guide me into the lens repair.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately for me, the videos on YouTube don't include this particular model of Nikkor, but a quick email to a Flickr friend gave me a clue on how to get started. The focus ring is actually two rings threaded together. The forward, beveled ring can be twisted off which reveals three screws that can then be removed so that the focus ring can be pulled off. My focus issue was that the ring had landed on a rock and had dented the focus collar so that it was impinging on the underlying ring, causing the ring to not allow the helicoid to turn.<br />
<br />
Digging deeper into the lens, I found that there is a copper retaining spring/ring deep in the lens that keeps an internal ring locked into the aperture ring screw. This retaining spring had come loose so that the internal ring was not mating with the pin. A bit of fiddling with a screw driver, and then careful re-assembly had the iris working correctly again. <br />
<br />
Fixing the focusing ring is not easy. I do not have the correct tools, but I was able to bend the focus ring enough so that it will turn once more, but not as smoothly as any would like.<br />
<br />
I would love to mount this on one of my digital cameras, but it is a Non-AI lens so can only be used on certain bodies, and even then only with stop down metering. So I will probably never again use this lens in the field, but it was a nice feeling to be able to get this lens back into working condition.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-48632581123469872742013-04-18T15:44:00.000-04:002013-04-18T15:44:44.201-04:00An Open Letter To The US Congress on Gun Violence<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Dear Congress,<br /> <br /> Please pass legislation to offer block grants to state and local governments to harden our schools against gun violence. I think that as a start, we need police presence at all schools as well as hardened doors and bulletproof glass on the 1st floor. I don't know why schools can't be at least as well protected as airports. While you're at it, provide money to increase law enforc<span class="text_exposed_show">ement budgets so that all illegal weapons charges are properly investigated and prosecuted. This will get both guns and criminals off of the streets.<br /> <br /> If you need more money, tax weapons and ammo like you do cigarettes. Please remember to have DHS et al to remit their taxes to this program for the 1.6 billion rounds they bought last year for whatever reason.</span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span> </div>
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"> Sincerely...</span></span></div>
<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span> </div>
Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-90616258553369327472013-04-15T14:36:00.000-04:002013-04-15T14:36:49.438-04:00Tax Day: Form 1040EZ-LIB<span lang="">IRS Form 1040EZ-LIB<br />
<br />
(an easy Income Tax form for Progressives who want to pay their fair share)<br />
<br />
1) Enter your W-2 Wage income:<br />
<br />
2) Enter your 1099 Interest/Dividend income:<br />
<br />
3) Enter your capital gains income:<br />
<br />
4) Enter any other income (see note A):<br />
<br />
5) Sum lines 1-4, this is your total income:<br />
<br />
6) See Table A and enter multiplication factor:<br />
<br />
7) Multiply Line 5 by line 6, this is your tax due:<br />
<br />
8) Enter total taxes witheld by employer:<br />
<br />
9) Enter total quarterly tax payments made:<br />
<br />
10) Sum Lines 8 and 9, this is the tax you paid:<br />
<br />
11) Subtract line 10 from line 7:<br />
<br />
12) If Line 11 is negative, see note B; if positive, see note C; if zero, see note D<br />
<br />
Table 1: Factor Single Married/Joint<br />
<br />
0.1: $ 1-$8,700 $1-$17,400<br />
<br />
0.15 $8,701-$35,350 $17,401-$70,700<br />
<br />
0.25 $35,351-$85,650 $70,701-$142,700<br />
<br />
0.28 $85,651-$178,650 $142,701-$217,450<br />
<br />
0.33 $178,651-$388,350 $217,451-$388,350<br />
<br />
0.35 over $388,350 over $388,350<br />
<br />
Note A: Be honest! Hungry children are depending on you.<br />
<br />
Note B: You have over paid your taxes and are a noble citizen! Thank your for your kind donation to your government. Rest assured that these funds will be put the best possible use.<br />
<br />
Note C: You should be ashamed! Underpayment of your taxes most likely caused some poor child go go hungry last night. Write a check to the US Treasury immediately! To help cope with the guilt you should feel, add a bit extra to the check.<br />
<br />
Note D: You nailed it, but we are watching you!</span>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-28822296776772510122013-03-23T15:27:00.000-04:002013-03-23T15:27:15.471-04:00Nikkor 7.5mm f5.6 Circular Fisheye Lens<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5M62OTOoezszRHXvQ8_ow9z2MxFSs9SrS7Gb077f8AO1ULfJ6gQeA4LlV1JCcxDR6XgPkjUOTnNhvumkGmrSS-k-4hqbwYkNXhSobXMb0v3oWjzHhcda5uyMo9VMqB_-aEMbz3h5SeXl/s1600/7.5mm+fisheye.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5M62OTOoezszRHXvQ8_ow9z2MxFSs9SrS7Gb077f8AO1ULfJ6gQeA4LlV1JCcxDR6XgPkjUOTnNhvumkGmrSS-k-4hqbwYkNXhSobXMb0v3oWjzHhcda5uyMo9VMqB_-aEMbz3h5SeXl/s320/7.5mm+fisheye.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyia_Yc4thYwX1esvB0-rd7O2gM6oLrZ76IbJ25BSvCGD1m5L8AU0s27FSeYrbfV0e8Z49ycRQ45TSY9C2LRw_iahQZVVkOCXPVUVBdO2QKi74UBPbZQXsF2Qr90-ZOV71rE6iGQ30F55/s1600/Circles.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyia_Yc4thYwX1esvB0-rd7O2gM6oLrZ76IbJ25BSvCGD1m5L8AU0s27FSeYrbfV0e8Z49ycRQ45TSY9C2LRw_iahQZVVkOCXPVUVBdO2QKi74UBPbZQXsF2Qr90-ZOV71rE6iGQ30F55/s320/Circles.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwsBah0Vftir2-DbhbK6wgaNi62yDzOpDcwBFhf1iCQd3VMtEiPdv7EsrRJM1z0Sgrr8HhAcS08-DnRDDA-Db7E5yP99T6vzcdMc2OZKJnietHeY2wgyFVOu85kOjlFVVuBVzI_lIOxGV/s1600/Towers.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkwsBah0Vftir2-DbhbK6wgaNi62yDzOpDcwBFhf1iCQd3VMtEiPdv7EsrRJM1z0Sgrr8HhAcS08-DnRDDA-Db7E5yP99T6vzcdMc2OZKJnietHeY2wgyFVOu85kOjlFVVuBVzI_lIOxGV/s320/Towers.jpg" /></a>
<br />
<br />
The 7.5mm f5.6 is a hemispheric fisheye lens that provides a full 180 degrees of view in a circular image that is 23mm in diameter on the film. This lens will see everything in front and next to the lens. The effects are dramatic, but of limited utility.
<br />
<br />
This is not your typical Nikkor however. It is not a retro-focus design, and therefore the rear elements are very close to the film plane of the camera. In order for this lens to even be mounted on the camera, you need to lock the mirror up. The official Nikon line is that this camera is only to be mounted on the F and F2. I will add that if you have a Photomic finder on a Nikon F, you will have to remove it as it will get in the way. It will work with the Photomic finders of the F2 however. I can see no reason that the lens will not mount on the F3 or F4 which have full time, mechanical mirror lock up.
Besides having limited compatibility, the camera design also precludes the use of TTL metering. <br />
<br />
To use this lens, you need to use an external meter or the Sunny 16 rule. When I use this lens, I use a hand-held meter.
The MLU also precludes the use of a view finder, so Nikon thoughtfully included one with the lens. The viewfinder is not exact however, giving a 120 degree angle of view. I find it nearly useless. If it will capture everything in front and on the side of you, you just need to align the camera and level it and try and avoid getting your fingers or feet in the frame. The finder fits over the rewind crank of the F and F2 but some have been modified to fit in the standard hot shoe.<br />
<br />
This lens is also of a fixed focus design so all elements are fixed. Fortunately with such a short focal length, even wide open at f5.6, pretty much everything will be in focus.
The front element of this lens, and the viewfinder for that matter, is very bulbous and sticks out. There is no ability to filter the lens and no lens shade in made. This makes the lens very susceptible to damage. You need to put the screw-on lens cap on as soon as you are done shooting to avoid damage. I do the same with the viewfinder lens cap.
Since there is no ability to filter the front element of this lens, Nikon installed a filter turret inside of the lens that is selected via a wheel on the lens barrel. Sadly for us, this lens was made in the later 1960's so most of the filters are really use useful when using black and white films. The filters include a L1A for normal shooting, Yellow 48, Yellow 52, Orange 57, Red 60, and XO.
<br />
<br />
Construction of this lens is first rate, as was the norm with Nikkors of that era. The lens barrel is metal with a small rubber ring near the lens cap threads. There are six aperture blades that are not rounded and if you get a point light in the view, which is pretty easy when you see half of the world through it, you get a rather ugly flare. The lens coatings are older so the lens does lose some contrast if it flares.
The aperture is selected by a lever on the side of the lens and it can be difficult to adjust when it's on the camera. The aperture range is from 5.6 to f22. I like to shoot it from f8 to f11.<br />
<br />
I am not a huge fan of writing about image quality. Still, I will write what I have found, but keep in mind that I don't do scientific tests, or even under controlled conditions. Also note that I have only used this lens on film cameras, so the high density pixel DSLRs might display more flaws than I see when I shoot film.
The lens is sharp enough for my film use. While it isn't tack sharp, it will pass at proper viewing distances for film under most enlargements. Contrast is moderate, but it can suffer from flare which reduces contrast. There is some vignetting which appears as a ring around the edge of the image circle. This can be reduced slightly by stopping down, but since the angle of incidence of the light rays is so small, there will be some light loss no matter what. There is little CA that I can observe. There is major barrel distortion but that is normal for fisheyes.<br />
<br />
While the lens works fairly well, it is more of a collectors piece than a working lens, especially these days. The going rate for these lenses is about $1,000, and it's very limited utility and shortcomings such as no TTL viewfinding or metering make 3rd party fisheye lenses that have retrofocus designs a more cost effective option. The newer optics are much easier to use, and will probably offer image quality as good, or better than this lens.<br />
<br />
I have also included a link to a YouTube video I made for operating the lens, and also some photos I shot of, and with, the lens itself.
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://youtu.be/A2uC5C-PRcw">7.5mm Nikkor mounting video</a>
Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-16050197842478094822011-05-16T15:13:00.010-04:002011-05-16T15:51:43.211-04:00Iconic PhotographThe latest photograph to be dubbed "iconic" is <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/whitehouse/5680724572/">here</a>.<br /><br />It will go down in history as the image that represents the death of Usama Bin Laden. While it is certainly historical, should it be titled "iconic?"<br /><br />My trouble with the image is that it needs a good caption. Iconic images shouldn't need words or any historical context. If you didn't know the players in the room, what would the image tell you? Certainly there is tension in the air, and Sec. Clinton's hand over her mouth (later she claimed it was a cough due to allergies) adds to the dramatic impact of the image, but can any viewer see beyond that to make it iconic. If we replaced these people with sports fans watching a close championship game, would it be viewed any differently?<br /><br />To me iconic is often, but not always, anonymous. The horror of the Vietnam war was captured in an <a href="http://www.famouspictures.org/mag/index.php?title=Vietnam_Execution">image </a>by Eddie Adams. Most people see the image and you don't need to know who the two main subjects are. It strikes a huge impact because of the human condition that was recorded.<br /><br />How about this <a href="http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/assets_c/2010/01/Ali%20over%20Liston,%20by%20Neil%20Leifer-thumb-350x350-16727.jpg">photo </a>of Ali standing over Liston by Neil Leifer. Granted Ali is one of the best known fighters of all time, but this image is much more than just a portrait. It was a portrait of one boxer triumphing over another.<br /><br />Finally, we have an image of the <a href="http://www.labnol.org/internet/favorites/the-young-afghan-girl-by-steve-mccurry/624/">Afghan Girl </a>by Steve McCurry. Most people don't know the circumstances of the photograph or the name of the model. Still, somehow the image speaks to us in the way that words do not. This is an iconic photograph.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-79906765448728856332011-04-19T16:46:00.002-04:002011-04-19T16:55:30.763-04:00Research ParadigmsI was a junior in high school in 1992. I was in a class entitled "Humanities" which had two quasi-indenedent sections. One part was a history class which dealt with the facts and themes of the era. A study of <em>zeitgeist</em> and chronology; while the English class was a study of the literature from that time in history.<br /><br />As part of this class I was to given the assignment to write a nice little term paper comparing and contrasting the works of Dante and Chaucer. It was to be in the neighborhood of twenty-pages with at least 10 sources and done according to the writing style that we had been introduced to in the previous two years.<br /><br />Of course twenty-pages, even generously double spaced, is quite a few words, and meeting the number of sources would prove to be challenging.<br /><br />One night my brother and I went racing to the local library. Now the population of our little town in Connecticut at the time was only starting to exceed the total number of cows by this time, and the library was good enough to find a nice selection of mystery novels, but finding literary criticism of medieval literature proved to be futile. I am guessing that the women on the library book procurement committee were not concerned with expanding the town's ken in that particular area.<br /><br />Not to be so easily deterred, my brother and I raced off to the library in the next town over. This library was a stately building of stone, built by the mill barons of yesteryear. Sadly while I had been able to find Caesar's Gallic Wars in this library some years earlier, I was unable to find any literary criticism about Dante and Chaucer.<br /><br />After this epic failure, we returned home. We would have to venture on another evening to the University library to find our information.<br /><br />After a good thirty-minute drive through the back woods of the state, we arrived in Storrs, CT. The University of Connecticut indeed had a plethora of information on the subject. Being lowly high school students, we had to find the books on the shelves, and then do our research in the library by a combination of notation by hand (laptop!? what was that?) and photocopies of relevant pages.<br /><br />Once the information was gathered, a paper was written, and all was well in the world.<br /><br />That was nearly twenty years ago. Today, as I type this on my laptop, I do a Google search of "Dante and Chaucer comparison," and I get 439,000 results in 0.3 seconds, sitting here on my couch. No running to various libraries, no fast reading to glean quotations and facts from musty, esoteric tomes, no scribbling by hand on note cards. It is all here, in HTML, easily cut and pasted into word processors to be carefully read at my leisure and digested so as to write a nice paper.<br /><br />So what twenty-years has given us is instant access to more information than we could possibly use and in mind-boggling fast speeds. Sadly while this should make life quite easy for the researcher, it has given rise to a number of other issues.<br /><br />First off is the tendency to be a bit lazy. I understand that there are now services dedicated to doing their own search to see if our intrepid, if ethically deficient, student has cut and pasted whole papers, or "Franken-papered" a report from various snippets of other writers. In my day we had to quote or paraphrase with a citation and then add our own thinking to the mix. Evidently this is being lost somehow.<br /><br />Another issue is the reliability of the sources. In my day, if you got your quotation or source from some published book, it was held to be correct or at least to a standard that a teacher would accept. Obviously literary or other research was not published at great expense if it hadn't gone through at least some sort of peer review. Today with the advent of Wiki's and blogs and the like, the researcher had better be able to separate the wheat from the chaff. Just because I found 439,000 hits doesn't mean any of them are actually useful or even remotely accurate academic research that has been reviewed and accepted.<br /><br />So today with information at our fingertips, we have to be ever mindful of what we are pulling out of cyberspace and use our own mind to see if that information, while easy to obtain, is worth the electrons that move it.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-21790194478332181112010-02-15T12:26:00.003-05:002014-02-28T12:11:30.024-05:00The Leica APO Telyt-R Module system.<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/37977699@N00/sets/72157622803526703/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/37977699@N00/sets/72157622803526703/</a><br />
<br />
There are four different ways to change focal lengths for a camera. You can switch lenses, use a zoom lens, use a modular system, or attach teleconverters. The first has a fixed number of elements in a fixed grouping, moving only to change focus. This is called a prime lens and offers one field of view. A zoom lens has a fixed number of elements, but can shift one or more of them to offer different magnifications between a set range that can be varied infinitely within that range at either a set or varied maximum aperture. The third is a modular system where different numbers of elements are pieced together to give a number of specific focal lengths and apertures. Teleconverters are very different than a modular system. The teleconverter is an magnifier that essentially crops the image circle of the lens which increases magnification but also increases the lens’ flaws at the same time. Teleconverters always degrade the image quality of the photograph, while a modular system will not. The advantage is that a teleconverter is much smaller and less expensive so is an easy way to increase reach in a pinch.<br />
<br />
The Modular system is rather rare in photography. Nikon had a system in the 1960s and 70’s for their super-telephotos which consisted on a single focusing unit and then various heads that plugged into the focus unit to offer fixed focal lengths. This system suffered from among other things, excessive length and long minimum focusing distances. The APO Telyt system solves these problems to use five pieces to make four different focal lengths and three different maximum apertures. In addition, you can chose apertures for both the 400 and 560mm lengths based on weight and expected light conditions.<br />
<br />
The APO Telyt system consists of three different focusing modules and two lens heads. They are connected via a locking bayonet fitting to ensure proper alignment. Using the smaller head, you can use the focus modules to make a 280 f2.8, 400 f4, and 560 f5.6. Using the larger head you can make a 400 f2.8, 560 f4, and 800 f5.6. Of course if you have the entire set, you can make up two lenses. I would think that the most popular configurations would be 280 f2.8 and 560 f4, while leaving the 2x f5.6 module in the bag.<br />
<br />
Construction is up to Leica standards; meaning that it is made to last. The lens heads are metal, as is the focusing module’s barrel. There is some plastic in the bayonet ring, but it is of little consequence as it merely acts as the actuator for the metal interior fittings. The lens is ROM so that the R8/R9 cameras can use focus distance in the metering algorithms. There is also a slide in Series 6 filter holder that comes standard with a ND1 filter. A special holder can be bought to be used with a circular polarizer filter which has an externally activated wheel for spinning the filter. This is the same filter arrangement as the 180mm Summicron.<br />
<br />
The top of each head is fitted with a handle and opposite of this is the tripod foot. This is both a blessing and curse compared to other vendor’s offerings. Most other vendors combine the tripod foot with the handle so that the camera is carried upside down. The trouble with this design is that it is tough to make a tripod support for super-tele’s so that they can double as a handle without also reducing their ability to dampen lens vibration. Leica circumvents this problem by having a very nice and sturdy tripod foot on the underside of the lens, and having a handle at the top for strictly carrying. Unfortunately there is now a large hook on the top of the camera assembly when it is mounted on a tripod of monopod. This is just begging to catch on something and cause a disaster. So while the lenses offer excellent tripod performance, be wary of the handle. Another issue with the handle in practice is that it will start to hurt your hands in no short amount of time. The handle has ridges that conform to your fingers, but there is no padding so it can cause your hand to cramp. A bit of foam rubber over the handle helps a bit with this problem.<br />
<br />
The small head offers an integral telescoping hood. The front of the hood is rubberized to reduce wear on the lens hood when the camera assembly is placed hood down as is often the case with super-teles. The large head, on the other hand, offers a more standard accessory hood that has a bayonet fitting so as to twist onto the front of the lens. To store this hood, merely reverse it, and it locks on. Both heads offer rubber front lens caps that fit over the hoods. The design of both the shades and hoods is a step up to the Nikon system for lenses of this caliber. In addition to the front caps, each head has a rear cap, and each focusing module has a front and rear cap as well. The sheer number of caps makes the lens pieces more difficult to deal with in the bag, but is the price you pay to have a modular system.<br />
<br />
The controls are very simple. There is a focus ring with a adjustable lock that allows the user to set a minimum focus distance. This can also be used as a hindered pre-focus point. Unlike some systems that use a knob to set a dent in the focus range, this knob will prevent you to from focusing any closer than the set distance. The scale is only in meters, but there are two sets of numbers on each module. Most lenses show the focus distance in feet and meters, but this one shows the focus distance depending on the configuration. For example, the 1x module shows the focus distance with the 280mm configuration and 400mm configuration, but only in meters. There is no DOF scales or IR marking (no need for an IR mark). Neither of these issues cause problems in practical use unless you really need a distance measurement for some reason.<br />
<br />
The other control is the aperture ring, which is a step up from the Nikon focus unit because each module has a set number of apertures so there is no need to remember to convert based on the head it is paired with. The 1x module will always offer a range between f2.8 and f22 and so on.<br />
<br />
In practice, this system is fairly easy to use and versatile. I typically know the kind of lighting I am expecting and where I am going. I also need to decide if I will need faster lenses and more distance, or if I can get away with shorter focal length and slightly slower speed. I will typically not bring both heads with me, but rather choose one head and then select the focus modules I may need. Typically for me, this means one head or another, and then carrying the f2.8 and f4 modules. I tend not to bring the f5.6 module unless I know I am going to need a long lens. I am less apt to use the small head with this module as 600 f5.6 is difficult to use with film, despite it’s relatively long range and light package.<br />
<br />
The smaller head is much easier to handle so unless I need the extra length or speed, I will usually opt for the smaller head. There is a significant difference in both weight and handling between the heads. The differences in the modules deal mostly with length and aren’t too cumbersome to pack in a bag (typically 1 or 2 in a bag and the other mounted on the lens with camera attached)<br />
<br />
I use this system on a heavy-duty carbon fiber tripod and gimbaled head. This allows for good stability, and a wide range of motions. The tripod mount is nearly ideally placed on both heads, so getting the balance doesn’t require an extremely long plate. Focus with the f2.8 and f4 modules is easy and the MF nature of the lens isn’t much of a hindrance for my wildlife photography. The f5.6 module with the standard screen starts to darken the rangefinder and micro prisms unless your eye is directly in line with the center of the screen. Leica and other users recommend a plain ground glass screen for this module. I don’t like switching screens, so I stick with the standard screen.<br />
<br />
The greatest single advantage of this system is that it offers a great range of focal lengths and speed in a compact package. The only zoom that covers this range is a fixed f5.6 aperture, so is much smaller, but much slower, especially at the lower end of the focal range. A set of primes offers the same speed and focal length, but is much larger and more difficult to carry. The telyt system fits in a fairly large case, a set of 6 primes requires much more room to store, weighs more, and is much more cumbersome.<br />
<br />
What about optical quality? The best images of the system are made by the 400mm f4 configuration, but is excellent with any configuration. The biggest weakness is probably distortion which is usually between 1-1.5% in most configurations which is larger than most other brand’s offerings. Vignette is minimal and sharpness is equal to most film and the DMR so that should not be an issue. Since these are APO lenses, color fringing is minimal and contrast is excellent, as with all modern Leica optics. MTF graphs are still available on the Leica website, but considering this is an orphaned system, they may be removed at any time.<br />
<br />
The final issue is the slightly different focal lengths available in the Leica system compared to the major Japanese makers. For example, you will find many more options of 300mm lenses rather than 280mm. The same goes with 560mm instead of 600mm. People tend to obsess about these types of things, but what is that actual change in field of view between these two focal lengths? Fortunately, the longer the lens, the smaller the change of view angle per millimeter of focal length. Twenty or forty millimeters matters a great deal in shorter lengths, but not nearly as much in the super-telephoto range. For example, the difference between 280mm and 300mm is 0.6 degrees of view diagonally. At the longer focal length, the difference between 560 and 600mm is 0.2 degrees diagonally. Will this matter in the field? While there is a certain amount of framing changing, in practice, the slightly shorter focal length will not affect us too greatly and is certainly not enough to totally dismiss the system.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-1835244736396157852009-12-29T12:11:00.002-05:002009-12-29T12:14:39.407-05:00Faith and ReasonMost religions run into trouble when they make the whole of their pyramid faith. An enlightened religion will make the base reason, the center wisdom, and the apex faith.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-68437375149186033032009-12-23T10:13:00.006-05:002009-12-23T10:49:48.422-05:00The second filmMy second roll of film since returning from sea was a black and white. This was not the traditional silver-halide emulsion, but rather a color dye film that can be processed by your local one hour photo-lab. While toying with the idea of returning to developing my own film, I just didn't like it back in school, and I doubt that I will like it now, so for now, I just shoot this stuff, which comes in ISO 400 speed.<br /><br />I typically shoot B&W film in my older manual cameras or my <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Leica</span> Rangefinder. In this case, I chose the later, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Leica</span> M7. I shot the roll in four different outings, and with only two different focal lengths, but with three lenses.<br /><br />The first outing was to a country store located at a farm in the town of Dallas in NE Pennsylvania called <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Shadyrill</span>. Brooke remembers fondly when the "store" was one part of a barn used mostly for equipment storage and had no refinements. Recently they have finished the interior somewhat, but still has that rough-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">hewn</span> edge to it. Still it was clean, and they have a nice little cafe and various food and craft items from local suppliers and artisans.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQnF6CsDIet0kLmsF4kb1Ch4HDoJ7IoXZjBMI7Xt7Ekb2-GD_r_wvzC-uD41L2a6wGisCtzoKhq5IOJKwzLgrvLxZ02ysGRiVggxXHk3NwJdhqNi-oFqjjAp4mcU6vPkaMWQ4hXq2FxFc/s1600-h/M705.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 212px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418455965874096578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQnF6CsDIet0kLmsF4kb1Ch4HDoJ7IoXZjBMI7Xt7Ekb2-GD_r_wvzC-uD41L2a6wGisCtzoKhq5IOJKwzLgrvLxZ02ysGRiVggxXHk3NwJdhqNi-oFqjjAp4mcU6vPkaMWQ4hXq2FxFc/s320/M705.JPG" /></a><br /><br />My favorite photo of this outing was of the bags of apples they had for sale on a rough-plank of a table. being that it was late Fall, the low sun angled through the front door windows and cast the apples in a chiaroscuro mixture of light and shadow that offered wonderful pattern and texture, which is ideal for black and white.<br /><br />The second outing for this roll of film was for reportage at a more serious <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">photoshoot</span> at the Greek Orthodox cathedral in Springfield, Ma. I was meeting a Master Photographer named Xenophon <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Beake</span> and my mentor Fred Bird. Xenophon was to photograph the interior of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">church</span> which was going to take a lot of light. The church was built in a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_7" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">Gothic</span> style with moderately high arches and illuminated mostly by stained glass windows. We had to light the whole place with strobes, and considering we were using a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_8" class="blsp-spelling-error">fisheye</span> lens, the lights had to be carefully placed to hide them from the all-seeing eye of the camera. The photography took about five minutes, but the setup took three hours and the breakdown took about an hour.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ilhl03HTewk24_KgAoTjlatINGRTthqP9eh_6yw9XBuxV2dO4mOBEizHA5-A2Ou7HEYPS-8X6Ozh2IrE-VmLFdPGyfba30Z6R8Pd4-ayIY1XEeMvJj10Sh8MZcMmg7pnshxS8PF-mNQ/s1600-h/M714.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 212px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418456256175594866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi87ilhl03HTewk24_KgAoTjlatINGRTthqP9eh_6yw9XBuxV2dO4mOBEizHA5-A2Ou7HEYPS-8X6Ozh2IrE-VmLFdPGyfba30Z6R8Pd4-ayIY1XEeMvJj10Sh8MZcMmg7pnshxS8PF-mNQ/s320/M714.JPG" /></a><br />While I wasn't running around dealing with lights, I took a few shots of Xenophon and Fred working as well as a few artsy shots. Due to the very low light levels in the church, I was using my fastest lens, a <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_9" class="blsp-spelling-error">Voightlander</span> 35mm f1.2 lens wide open with about a 1/15<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_10" class="blsp-spelling-error">th</span> second shutter speed. No camera but the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_11" class="blsp-spelling-error">Leica</span> could have done this with ISO 400 film. My favorite shot of the day was of the baptismal font in the front of the church. the light came through a side window and shone on the wooden font while leaving the rest of the scene in shadows.<br /><br /><br />The next outing was a walk around downtown Wilkes-Barre, PA. I sometimes go wandering from Brooke's apartment to take random pictures, mostly of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_12" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">cityscape's</span>. During this outing, I found a faded sign in an alley behind the F.M. Kirby center pointing to what was once the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_13" class="blsp-spelling-error">McManus</span> Cafe. The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_14" class="blsp-spelling-error">McManus</span> Clan has a large presence at the campground that Brooke's family is active in, so of course i am wondering if they are somehow related. Given the "small town" nature of this area, it would not <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_15" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">surprise</span> me in the least.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOz_x90XP5t-IDNwzq1lNQR9cV1af71U-qYeWErKw4xJM6xK-UHWstdiVOZNFhHjXJO-pK76D2pqUWGWZIQKaHiiSeaDWv9G9eRHTmOEuSFzbWsXxOtlJC6pygAAg35j1YEcCLoD3mfYKC/s1600-h/M721.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 229px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418457064171493874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOz_x90XP5t-IDNwzq1lNQR9cV1af71U-qYeWErKw4xJM6xK-UHWstdiVOZNFhHjXJO-pK76D2pqUWGWZIQKaHiiSeaDWv9G9eRHTmOEuSFzbWsXxOtlJC6pygAAg35j1YEcCLoD3mfYKC/s320/M721.JPG" /></a><br />I finally finished this roll of film as we decorated for Christmas. I recorded the decorating of the tree and finished off by changing lenses to my 90mm for a few close ups of the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_16" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">ornaments</span>.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZLYHc4jvtBA9UUgRAP-ZyTNRGqjvO9-9EXbtAIxwrMxlIuY-TtTC9AlDI5cKDh7eL3pSQDXatDlipPkKFcFhclB_o3CB_5CzW_b2GC8A8yjtc7XNhfw3jZIfNfUiHcuFRQnL0b1SBAH9/s1600-h/M727.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 212px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418457355917634610" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDZLYHc4jvtBA9UUgRAP-ZyTNRGqjvO9-9EXbtAIxwrMxlIuY-TtTC9AlDI5cKDh7eL3pSQDXatDlipPkKFcFhclB_o3CB_5CzW_b2GC8A8yjtc7XNhfw3jZIfNfUiHcuFRQnL0b1SBAH9/s320/M727.JPG" /></a><br />My favorite shot was certainly the font picture, but I enjoy shooting black and white film because it forces me to look at things a bit differently. I must admit however, that I do not shoot it enough, and need to put a few more rolls of it through my cameras to hone my skills a bit more.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-18218790603540091632009-12-23T10:06:00.001-05:002009-12-23T10:08:12.099-05:00Samp Tomato Soup, part oneWhile samp for breakfast may have satisfied, or at least filled, my ansenstors, it did nothing for me. I will stick with the southern tradition and opt for grits for my breakfast side. Since I still have better than a pound of samp, I needed to go in a different direction. I opted for a more traditional soup, and figured that a tomato based concoction might be the way to go.<br /><br />I was admittedly lazy in my first soup effort. I had some cans of V8 juice in the refrigerator so decided to throw three cans of V8 into the crock pot with a cup dried samp. The crock pot is definitely my friend when it comes to samp. I cooked it for about six hours in there until the samp had absorbed the liquid and softened up a bit. While it was edible, I wouldn’t say it was good. The samp didn’t work quite as well as I had hoped. I suspect that the viscosity of the V8 juice didn’t lend itself well to softening the samp. I ate most of it over the course of a couple days, but it is not something I will repeat. I will try again with the tomato combination with some tomato bisque soup but my pre-treatment of the samp will be a bit different.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-72071347837283936112009-12-17T14:18:00.006-05:002009-12-17T14:33:47.936-05:00A day with Tiffany & Co.<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSImsDXkh_z93CQ1k6mYeKnjVFB3vlzYnVLTqCaENwIhzSlo7JMW6hxgwvkoSYYroE3rfJ2D3ZFudEu0XVZBOOBoVJQWsxCdeGojlxEaV0jhFJL7RBeeml-o1Gd0yyOGzlFGknihVPSJ2y/s1600-h/Tiffany1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416287854255223602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSImsDXkh_z93CQ1k6mYeKnjVFB3vlzYnVLTqCaENwIhzSlo7JMW6hxgwvkoSYYroE3rfJ2D3ZFudEu0XVZBOOBoVJQWsxCdeGojlxEaV0jhFJL7RBeeml-o1Gd0yyOGzlFGknihVPSJ2y/s320/Tiffany1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div>It was cold outside yesterday, and since I felt like doing some photography, yet still not freeze, I decided to set up for some close up product shooting.</div><br /><div></div><div>Shooting in an apartment limited the amount of space you have, both to shoot and to store equipment, so I tend to go minimal, which means shooting small objects. Jewelry tends to be my favorite subject, and I am well equipped here to photograph it.</div><br /><div>The subjects for the day were a couple of Tiffany & Co pieces that my girlfriend Brooke has bought recently. The first is a ring that she bought. My favorite image of the day paired their holiday red bow on their signature box, along with the pouch and ring on a glass table. </div><br /><div>For lighting I used natural lighting from a window,, which came in at a fairly low angle and used a small macro flash (SB-200) hand-held above the scene to fill in the shadows. I was using my D700, as normal these days, and for a lens I used the 85mm f2.8D PC <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Nikkor</span>. For those not <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">familiar</span> with lenses, this is a lens that allows up half life size magnification and provides movements to control depth of field and "keystone" distortion. This lens is ideally suited for this sort of table-top photography and offers excellent flexibility and image quality.</div><div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PeXU1c8Rqf-hH-r-zBWOKvu6HmQ88dnIbZmrtpBSEV3YPUs9hvUB8x59r5XJ6EY9ol7S9TvdnNX87r3olildjEawZxPFid3XpDaJplQVCAkiMdr4j6RUlEFotkfJ8dV9kgmL0AwkEXd3/s1600-h/Tiffany2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5416288730877790498" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5PeXU1c8Rqf-hH-r-zBWOKvu6HmQ88dnIbZmrtpBSEV3YPUs9hvUB8x59r5XJ6EY9ol7S9TvdnNX87r3olildjEawZxPFid3XpDaJplQVCAkiMdr4j6RUlEFotkfJ8dV9kgmL0AwkEXd3/s320/Tiffany2.jpg" /></a><br /><div></div><div>The second piece was a cross necklace that Brooke gave me for my birthday. Since it was much smaller, I opted to use the pouch for the back ground and concentrate on just the crosses. I used a similar set up, but instead of using natural light, I used two macro-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">speedlights</span> for the lighting. One was positioned to the right side to fill in shadows with the main light above and to the left a bit. I needed a bit more magnification than my 85mm could offer naturally, so I used my bellows set to get a bit more extension. <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">DOF</span> was controlled by stopping down the aperture as well as a bit of tilting. Exposure was first guessed, and then fine tuned, but the <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">iTTL</span> flash feature of this camera does an excellent job despite no information from the lens. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I was quite pleased with the results and posted them to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Flickr</span> as well as here.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">JCA</span></div></div>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-45358875620561969832009-12-11T09:21:00.006-05:002009-12-11T13:54:52.754-05:00Samp for Breakfast<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2752/4169449343_229ae22917_o.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 1000px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 665px; CURSOR: hand" border="0" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2752/4169449343_229ae22917_o.jpg" /></a><br /><div>Samp (aka coarse hominy) is like supersized grits. It is corn with the hull removed and cracked once or twice. Grits has the hull removed and ground to a powder.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>When I was a kid, my father would make Samp about once a year. He'd soak it over night, then simmer it with hamhock. Sadly due to health concerns, no additional salt was added. At the bowl, my brother and I added quite a bit of salt and pepper to make it edible.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I have about two pounds of it that I bought at the Jamesport Country store. My father can regal any interested listener about obtaining the stuff over the years and the efforts he had to go through to get it. In any case, I need to consume the stuff, so I am experimenting a bit in the kitchen.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Since Samp is super-sized grits, I figured I'd try cooking it in a similar way. Being alone for breakfast, I opted for generally the same recipie. Here's what I found from day 1:</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>3 Tablespoons grits</div><br /><div>1-1/4 cups water (need more water than grits because it cooks much longer</div><br /><div>1-1/2 tsp margarine or butter</div><br /><div>salt to taste</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Combine water, margarine, and salt. Bring water to a boil, add samp. Reduce heat and simmer for 32 minutes. Serve hot.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The key is to cook it long enough to soften the grits enough to remove the crunch. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The next samp experiment will be Samp for dinner. I am thinking modifying a corn chowder recipie and see what comes out.</div>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-77189855549867941762009-12-10T14:06:00.006-05:002009-12-10T14:24:40.872-05:00The first roll.As you can imagine, I don’t get to shoot a great deal of film when I am at sea working. While I carried a film camera during the first few years of my career, the outfit was cumbersome due to the fact that I had to carry an always limited amount of film with me. In addition, I had to wait until I returned home in order to get it processed. This added up to little motivation to shoot film on my trips.<br /><br />Home is a different story. Most of my cameras are film cameras. In fact, there are always a few that do not see a roll of film cycled through them during my four-month vacations. I just don’t shoot that much film. Much of it is due to the cost I am afraid. I have a weird sense of “cheapness” where I will spend thousands of dollars on a lens but will baulk at buying a few hundred dollars of film and processing. This is not just in photography, but in other things as well, but beyond the scope of this.<br /><br />In any case, I take a camera out and load it with film and then see what inspires me to shoot. The cheapness I have with film has one advantage however, I am always thinking when I depress the shutter of a film camera. I know that I only have twenty four or thirty six frames to use, and that slows me down. With digital, I have hundreds on a card, and after a five-minute download, have hundreds more to go, with little immediate cost. Digital is great for sports, but you also get sloppy.<br /><br />When I returned home this time, my first roll of film was a roll of Fuji Velvia 50 slide film into my Leica R8. The film is a fine-grain, highly saturated slide film that is designed for nature and wildlife. The slow speed means remarkably fine grain and the colors really “pop” when they are projected on a screen. I like this film with the Leica because the Leica lenses really draw well with this film. The color rendition and sharpness of the lenses really allows the film emulsion to shine. The only two real drawbacks are that the film does not do well with skin tones and it is quite slow.<br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G7cvvXQfVTKQndDrw4N9kyxEbFjdQk7fYCxc2cHrssJ69seslMcp3l_0KA0wONwfvVPhAj8R_LOTifc-5mEpkcRicY17CXWJ8H5cavCZy5OXyvik_Mj6sPEmI7gWO9TXEEZTYC3-NVya/s1600-h/Jesus.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 218px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413688575119328050" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1G7cvvXQfVTKQndDrw4N9kyxEbFjdQk7fYCxc2cHrssJ69seslMcp3l_0KA0wONwfvVPhAj8R_LOTifc-5mEpkcRicY17CXWJ8H5cavCZy5OXyvik_Mj6sPEmI7gWO9TXEEZTYC3-NVya/s320/Jesus.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I shot this roll in three outings. The first outing was a walk in the new river-walk park on the Wilkes-Barre side of the Susquehanna River. I brought only one prime lens with me, as is often the case with my Leica’s, as I only have primes, and I rarely carry more than one. This day I decided on a short telephoto lens in the form of a 90mm Summicron-R. To those new or ignorant to Leica terminology, “Summicron” refers to a f/2 lens. This one is the last generation spherical lenses, and is quite sharp and has lovely color rendition. </div><br /><br /><div>Being that it was late fall, there was little color to take advantage of, so I tuned my eye to form and shapes rather than the color of things. Perhaps I could have used B&W film instead, but I did not. The Market Street Bridge and the new concrete walkways in the park lent themselves most to this outing. My favorite image is one of the statue of Jesus with outstretched hands at King’s college across the street appears to stand on a a slightly blurred concrete wall with grass in the foreground. The foreshortening effect from the telephoto lens helped with this to make the statue appear somewhat on the same scale and plane as the wall, despite being at least a quarter of a mile away.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZh-SUIaQZmf5Ka_zEMPULFmHuHATOoyVipgiHhdwTVd2foJnEVDDamRqomgC9KTF-MwE3DSKCyhEA3jp5SpEQ7CszpuajDE-2mCJKxfL3_uwlHDl2gmK9tLCgdbzFcqJa61sNH-0-rPf/s1600-h/goose2.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxT1YiAd8mi4-XDcEwN3PXG1tBnSoDY4F9Ejf_SN2dtAVvP0j0HWQdm_5qYkK6NzTqRmbktT_Ww1WsAgSe3DJftdOA8KwOlAJxY0FP5nHMZDjYQG5LDPClVywL8suua8nJN4x5pHvmrYI/s1600-h/Columbus+Square.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 217px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413688858867910034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxT1YiAd8mi4-XDcEwN3PXG1tBnSoDY4F9Ejf_SN2dtAVvP0j0HWQdm_5qYkK6NzTqRmbktT_Ww1WsAgSe3DJftdOA8KwOlAJxY0FP5nHMZDjYQG5LDPClVywL8suua8nJN4x5pHvmrYI/s320/Columbus+Square.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The second outing was with my widest Leica, a 21mm f4 Super Angulon. This time I went to the Public Square in downtown Wilkes-Barre. They had set up their Christmas tree and a local Church had set up a crèche as well. I got up close and low to the crèche and while I liked the composition, the image fell a bit flat with some lost highlight details on the frame. I also shot a rather banal image of the tree, and since it is blocked in by a chain-linked fence, there is nothing terribly artistic about it. The favorite image of mine from this outing was an image similar to the crèche, only with the statue of Christopher Columbus. There were wreaths and flags around the statue, and the image really worked. The vignette inherent with this lens added some darkening to the sky which emphasized the statue even more and was most pleasant to me. After a bit of scanning and post processing, I even had an image printed from this frame.<br /></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k-0eP9wr9-B7TwnlxPg39c3HjUP5jjObXhPjAA-riKMemM5Ka6qXBIYnNO-cDnIg2ddwxSlZpjrPKAdGzNgyIz2fRklXYc-zm_rj2rx4kFNGOV_NMrTu-poHxb56fZ_os3vpnFM0CWBy/s1600-h/goose2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 203px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413690229324359346" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k-0eP9wr9-B7TwnlxPg39c3HjUP5jjObXhPjAA-riKMemM5Ka6qXBIYnNO-cDnIg2ddwxSlZpjrPKAdGzNgyIz2fRklXYc-zm_rj2rx4kFNGOV_NMrTu-poHxb56fZ_os3vpnFM0CWBy/s320/goose2.jpg" /></a><br />The final outing with this roll of film was to Kirby Park in Kingston, PA, which is right across the Market Street Bridge from Wilkes-Barre. There is a small pond in the middle of the park and I wanted to see if there were any wild fowl there that might be so kind as to allow me to photograph them. As you can imagine, birds, even the large ones like geese and ducks, require long lenses to photograph effectively, as they usually don’t allow you to approach them without great stealth and effort. For this outing, I had a long telephoto lens, a 560mm f4 lens. This is a large and heavy setup requiring my heavy tripod and gimbaled head. I went a bit “rogue” for this shoot as far as wildlife shooting is concerned by leaving the motor drive at home. The R8 had a nice drive, but the manual wind is much quieter and I was not expecting to be shooting action sequences in anycase.<br /></div><div><br />This was my first time using this lens and it lived up to expectations. While it is manual focus, the geese I shot were slow moving enough for me to get exacting focusing and careful compositions. I gleefully shot off the remaining half of the roll before breaking down the rig and carting it back to my car. My favorite of the bunch is an image of a lone Canadian goose as he wearily eyes my activities from my perch. The sun had come out at just the correct time and was behind me, which offered wonderful lighting to capture them as it was late afternoon during the “golden hour.”<br /><br />Once the roll was finished, I packed it up into one of my pre-paid mailers and sent it off to Los Angles to the lab I use for my E-6 processing. This is an at least ten-day round trip to send it to the West Coast and then back again, so as usual, the use of slide film is not only expensive, but an exercise in patience. Still, when that box arrives in the mail, it is a good feeling to place the slides on the lightbox and then to project them onto the screen for the best photographic viewing. Slide film is what I really love about shooting film, and is well worth the wait. </div>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-14981051220611515522009-06-18T06:33:00.001-04:002009-06-18T06:35:29.299-04:00A letter to DadWe had a fire today in the galley. Ironically, I was wearing my last EVFD T-shirt today. I was on watch and it was 1645 when the fire alarm went off. I sent my AB Gill down to the galley deck with the radio, but he hadn’t gotten far when I got a call from the galley saying that the stove (grill) was on fire. I told them to hit it with a fire extinguisher and immediately sounded the fire/emergency signal on the general alarm. The captain was there about a minute later and I was out the door racing down the outside ladders. On my way down I heard the engineers call out that power was secured to the galley.<br /><br />I got to the galley and found that some of the serving windows were still open and the 3rd mate firing off his second 15# CO2 extinguisher at a fire that was licking out of the back of the grill. I threw the windows shut and screamed for him to drop the CO2 and grab some dry chemical extinguishers. He was a bit out of his element and was just blasting away. I told him to hit the fire which seated it, but it flared up every 30 seconds or so. I grabbed another can and started showing him where I wanted him to spray the agent.<br /><br />Of course now the galley was getting smoky and full of dry chemical, and I didn’t have SCBA or a suit on. I screamed down the ladder for a pack, but my Bosun, in his excitement, started suiting up instead. FF1 material they are not, and I finally had to run down there myself, and shoving people out of the way, threw a pack in about 30 seconds and ran back up to tend the fire.<br /><br />Finally I had three other guys there with extinguishers and fire suits and SCBA. We had the fire beaten down, but we couldn’t get to the seat with the grill lid. I used some fire gloves and tried to lift the grill but couldn’t get enough grip or leverage to get under the thing. I ran out the door and grabbed the nearest fire axe and headed back; but not before yelling out the door for another axe. Apparently there was a bunch of crashing about before another axe was located, and with the axes, we pried up the grill lid and my boys hit it with a cross stream of dry chemical. With that the fire was out, but there was smoke and agent all over the deck.<br /><br />I used a combination push/pull ventilation on the deck with a positive supply in one door and then a suction out the other door. I then alternated doors to air out each space individually. I also had the CE fire up the galley hood exhaust fan to clear the galley a bit.<br /><br />The second mate watched the exposures and we had a successful execution of the fire. The biggest irony of this whole situation is that three days ago I told the captain that I wanted a fire drill underway. I told him that I didn’t know the crew and I wanted a drill. I also knew that one of the galley people was brand new, and another had just gotten back from vacation. So, naturally I had a galley fire in the drill. Not only was it in the galley, I told them that it was the grill on fire. They weren’t quite clued in at that point, but I walked them through it and we had a full dress response to the fire. Afterwards, the 3rd mate demonstrated fire extinguishers at the safety meeting. 48 hours later we were putting all of that training to good use and of course it didn’t go at all like we trained. Still, no one got hurt and we isolated the damage to the stove and some food loss.<br /><br />As for cause, there was a 400V ground that hit the engine room literally minutes before the fire started so I suspect that one of the heating elements or other wires under there had some insulation failure and arced, causing the grease in the grease trap to light up.<br /><br />After the fire, I told everyone that we were having a picnic on the stern and the steward had to put out tuna and other sandwiches he had in the refrigeration boxes since the ribeyes they were about to cook weren’t going to eatable. I also got the captain to spring for a couple of cases of soda. As I dropped the cases on the table, I said that I’d love to give everyone a double ration of rum, but I didn’t have any, so Coke a Cola would have to do.<br /><br />This has been a heck of an opening act for this tour. I hope the last of the excitment is over.<br /><br />JeremyLight and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-15789981276773540872009-05-26T16:21:00.003-04:002009-05-26T16:40:39.842-04:00Crumpets<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxePKLUemXqaK4BveXo7LyS6VOw18xIzhbOxNRQ9p0S1whgniDf159Q4RZR6gquZBQIdS426TquUnPrw8cpPZOWQa5SM5rl5w10UFLE6EqKSelK5YnBkmzJqk-pVRKbG74pHNbjDyZsDpB/s1600-h/L1000983.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340234275883341234" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxePKLUemXqaK4BveXo7LyS6VOw18xIzhbOxNRQ9p0S1whgniDf159Q4RZR6gquZBQIdS426TquUnPrw8cpPZOWQa5SM5rl5w10UFLE6EqKSelK5YnBkmzJqk-pVRKbG74pHNbjDyZsDpB/s320/L1000983.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0r4WbIEPHfSRMMPw3RSIXE5pqeSNBzi9NGPqXwZl6KX_MackYh3wIAQSc9zaKCit0J1-soa0E3mjupkKzSFnZuSeWsvTnJ6H4UbZbm_8-DrjtJQ05XuiTmlzQP2SSZoYMOoqkJNuIlV9/s1600-h/L1000980.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340234270896404850" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0r4WbIEPHfSRMMPw3RSIXE5pqeSNBzi9NGPqXwZl6KX_MackYh3wIAQSc9zaKCit0J1-soa0E3mjupkKzSFnZuSeWsvTnJ6H4UbZbm_8-DrjtJQ05XuiTmlzQP2SSZoYMOoqkJNuIlV9/s320/L1000980.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgxdtvFTOQESp5rIN_BNcnd2CLL7wXqvk1Sz1XZDHnUieEIJ-sg8GTvEph3Aub2NM-szArKOTkguGfjOPVbx3zQn0e6ogHZyRyBrGgKNEWorI2la7Dx1TbLUK-JkEZ6K083Y18hxVoCNY/s1600-h/L1000977.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340234267801936370" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgxdtvFTOQESp5rIN_BNcnd2CLL7wXqvk1Sz1XZDHnUieEIJ-sg8GTvEph3Aub2NM-szArKOTkguGfjOPVbx3zQn0e6ogHZyRyBrGgKNEWorI2la7Dx1TbLUK-JkEZ6K083Y18hxVoCNY/s320/L1000977.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div>When Brooke and I were in Dallas this weekend for a wedding, we wandered into a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Williams</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sonoma</span> store in the mall and found egg rings. These make perfectly circular eggs that fit on an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">English</span> muffin. They are 3" diameter rings designed to work on the stove top with little handles that allow you to manipulate them without the threat of burning yourself. While I am sure that they work quite well with eggs, I wanted them for baking instead.</div><br /><div></div><div>I purchased them and when I got back home I looked up a crumpet <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">recipe</span> on the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Internet</span> (this modern technology is great for this kind of thing). I made a quick run to the grocery store for yeast and some all-purpose flour and was in business.</div><br /><div></div><div>Crumpets look a lot like English muffins sans nooks and crannies. They are made from a batter rather than a dough, hence the need for the rings. They require a lot more time to prepare than <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">biscuits</span> which is probably why they are not terribly popular. I tend to have them with tea and jam and until now have had to buy them imported from England in specialty shops. As you can imagine, they aren't all that great after coming across the pond and waiting on the shelf until I can buy them.</div><br /><div></div><div>Crumpets are actually quite easy to make. All you need is water, sugar, yeast, flour, salt, baking soda, and milk. First you activate the yeast by adding it to the warm water and sugar mixture. This has to spend time "activating" Once the yeast solution is all bubbly, you mix in the dry ingredients and the milk. This whole batter has to then rest for about 30 minutes.</div><div></div><br /><div>Towards the end of the rest period you preheat the pan on a fairly low heat with the rings (I spray both pan and rings with cooking spray to make it easier). When you are ready, you spoon the batter into the rings and let them cook for about 12 minutes on the first side. When this time has elapsed remove the rings and then flip them like pancakes to cook the top for about 2 minutes (the top will be brown).</div><div></div><br /><div>This whole process takes a good 90 minutes with my four rings so its not a quick meal by any means, but then again, anything you do with yeast is going to take quite a while.</div><div></div><br /><div>Once they are cooked you can have yourself a nice cup of tea with crumpets and your favorite jam.</div></div></div>Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-65652895793987640282009-05-26T16:03:00.002-04:002009-05-26T16:21:21.292-04:00Nikon F4 and "G" series VR primesWhile the Nikon F SLR mount hasn't changed since 1959, the ability to mount the lens on the body doesn't necessarily mean that all lenses maintain all functionality on all bodies, even if they have <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">compatible</span> mounts.<br /><br />The F4 era camera bodies were the first generation of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">autofocus</span> and program exposure bodies that were made by Nikon. The tricky marketing problem Nikon faced at this time, in the late 1980's was maintaining <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">compatibility</span> with the older <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MF</span> lenses that most users owned from the manual focus era. The Nikon F4 maintained remarkable <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">compatibility</span> with most of these lenses, but as time progressed, the lenses were updated and full <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">compatibility</span> with the newest lenses is no longer feasible with the F4.<br /><br />The newest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nikkors</span> that own are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">AFS</span> "G" lenses and some have vibration reduction (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">VR</span>). The biggest issue with the "G" lenses is that they do not have aperture rings that were required by the F4 to control the lens iris in the exposure modes most often used by advanced users. The loss of manual and aperture <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">priority</span> exposure modes is a big loss while using the F4. In addition, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">VR</span> feature is not supported by the F4 as it does not have the multiple AF sensors that are required to use this feature. This is not a huge loss in <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">compatibility</span> compared to the exposure modes, but still frustrates the user of a high-end lens to have a key feature disabled on a longer lens.<br /><br />While most users are aware of the aforementioned limitations of the "G" lenses on the F4, it took some experimentation with my AF-S 200 f2G <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">VR</span> and F4s to find some other quirks in the lens/body combination.<br /><br />The first thing that I discovered is that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">DOF</span> preview lever does not work properly. On later model bodies, the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">DOF</span> is an electronic operation, but on the F4 is is still a mechanical operation where the button operates a cam that moves the iris control lever. With the "G" lens, it moves the lever to the f22 position and will not depress to the camera-selected aperture.<br /><br />The second issue that I found concerns the selection of the buttons on the front of the lens. The function of these buttons can be selected to perform one of three tasks with modern bodies: 1) AF-lock, 2) memory recall, and 3) AF-on. The first two functions work quite well. The AF memory can be set and the focus point recalled in an instant with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">AFS</span> motor. AF lock also works quite well, but the AF-on button not only fails to function, but will totally disable the AF system in the camera. So if your AF doesn't work when you mount this lens, check that you aren't selected to "AF-on" on the lens itself and see if that doesn't fix the problem.<br /><br />While the new "G" lenses aren't the greatest thing to try and use on the F4, you still have the option if you move to the correct exposure mode and don't mind loosing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">VR</span> (if the lens offers it as an option).Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-77984008337151431202009-05-20T09:49:00.002-04:002009-05-20T09:53:27.220-04:00Romance in 1864This is a diary entry from my Great-great grandfather <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barabus</span> T. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Billard</span> on when he got married:<br /><br />"Cold with snow on the ground. Towards night I went down neck* and took a wife unto myself during the evening."<br /><br />* "Neck" meant down a road to his wife's family farm.<br /><br />I can only imagine what the actual proposal sounded like. I find it interesting that he began with the weather and then didn't even mention his wife's name.<br /><br />To be fair, I have read some of his letters from the battlefield to his wife Maria Jane, and he <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">definitely</span> showed a softer side in those writings.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-42625216733574634122009-05-13T11:27:00.000-04:002009-05-13T11:28:26.401-04:0010 Things we will never see in Washington1. The child of a president attend the DC public school system<br />2. Defined Contribution Congressional pensions<br />3. An actual decrease in the gross expenditures of the Federal Government<br />4. Repayment of the Social Security and Medicare “Trust Funds” by the Federal Government without additional borrowing from other sources.<br />5. A politician who donates more than the required taxes to government and refuses to take deductions<br />6. A pay freeze on elected officials until the budget is balanced<br />7. Reading every page of every bill by every member of congress before voting on the bill.<br />8. Congressional Term Limits<br />9. An end to gerrymandering<br />10. Reducing government involvement in the lives of the Citizens.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-12302014715904361462009-04-15T10:39:00.001-04:002009-04-15T10:39:34.321-04:00MMC DayToday is the day, no I don’t mean tax day, as that is nothing new; but rather it is the day that the US Coast Guard starts issuing the Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC). The MMC looks almost exactly like a passport on the outside, except that it is a unique color and doesn’t have the word “passport” on it. Inside are pages, with artwork reminiscent of the license. The MMC will have pages giving the same verbiage as the License, Certificate of Registry, STCW and/or Merchant Mariner document. Essentially people with multiple credentials will now have a single booklet instead of several pieces of paper. To add endorsements, the USCG will now send stickers to adhere into the booklet instead of requiring the booklet to be sent to them.<br /><br />I am not a fan of this new credential. While it will certainly be easier to manage, I also believe it will be easier to manipulate by those who wish to add greater endorsements to their MMC. Once the MMC is issued, I think that it will not be too difficult to create stickers that can be attached to the book that gives ratings in excess of the current credential. Given that people will not start looking closely at the inside pages, and will probably just scan the document, it worries me that there is an opportunity for fraud.<br /><br />I am just glad that I was able to get one of the last paper licenses issued, although I do feel saddened that I was unable to get my chief engineer’s license in the same form. It will be a funny thing to see in the next few years as 8x11 inch licenses hanging on the wall of the ship (a legal requirement) will slowly be replaced by a photocopy of a document much smaller and much less impressive looking.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-84280334855923774092009-04-14T20:37:00.001-04:002009-04-14T20:39:11.441-04:00Reflections on Piracy upon earning a Master's TicketOn April 9th, I was issued a license by the US Coast Guard to serve as Master (Captain) of Steam and Motor vessels of unlimited horsepower upon the oceans. This has long been a professional goal of mine and I will always remember the circumstances surrounding this short period of time around the time when my license was issued.<br /><br />While it was a great personal achievement to earn this license, it came at the same time that pirates off of the coast of Somalia were holding a US flagged merchant ship hostage. While the ship was soon liberated, the Master, Capt Phillips was being held captive by the four rogues who had boarded his ship. This brought home the realities of my career and the risks and responsibilities associated both with shipping in general and the job of Master in particular. Capt Phillips took decisive action to mitigate the attack which undoubtedly allowed the crew to quickly retake control of the ship, yet in doing so, put himself in harm’s way by surrendering himself to the pirates, and was held hostage for several days until the US Navy SEALS were able to free him unharmed.<br /><br />Just after Capt Phillips was freed on Easter Sunday, I called my parents and my father pointedly asked what I would do under these circumstances. I had to be honest and say that I really didn’t know. I am not sure that I would put myself into the hands of pirates like he did. It would be easy to proclaim that I would certainly follow in Capt Phillip’s footsteps, but until tested in such a manner, it would indeed be hard to say if I would react in the same way.<br />The episode certainly dampened my celebration of getting my license, and has hardened my resolve to better train my crew in security, but there is a job out there and these ships need to move. I hope that in conjunction with the navies of the shipping world, we can end this piracy epidemic on the horn of Africa and make the seas safe to navigate.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-46618785720485039362008-10-12T16:25:00.002-04:002008-10-12T16:28:36.878-04:00Back to workWell I made it back to Saipan. 20 hours of flying and about 7 hours of layovers made for a long trip, but at least it was quiet and safe, so no real complaints.<br /><br />My 2nd mate, Pat, flew out with me as well, so we will join the ship in an hour or so and see what new faces and fun new projects await our return. It is sure to be exciting.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6688757900132444588.post-33572357343556234852008-09-30T12:27:00.002-04:002008-09-30T12:28:09.410-04:00The Financial MeltdownAll I can say, is when there is blood in the street, it's time to buy some stocks.Light and Seahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15641910204033018581noreply@blogger.com0