FM RADIO TRIGGER

I bought this years ago.  This is kind of a one packaging for a few.  The model I bought is the PT-04GY depicted on the upper right corner of the above picture.

I have used this with my cameras and flashes and they all work pretty well together, which is a good surprise.  The battery inside the transmitter still goes on and on after years of occasional usage.  I even connect it to my Hasselblad, or actually the Zeiss lens' PC plug to trigger the flash with no problem.  Just make sure the battery doors are properly closed and maintain good contact and the channel is the same across the board.

I don't know how reliable or unreliable are others.  For me this setup serves my very basic fundamental need for flash photos.

Unless I want to get into off camera flash using a higher than sync speed then I really don't see any compelling reason to upgrade.

Flash at a shutter speed higher than the X-sync speed is a topic that continues to confuse and confound plenty of users.  I've seen an Youtuber who totally got everything backward and yet appears totally authoritative.  When you have that level of confidence, you can do anything you want and achieve world dominance.

In the interest of the general public I shall refrain from talking about flash X-sync.

Nikon D4s

It seems like the Nikon DSLR prices are on a downward trajectory.  An used D4s with shutter count less than 36,000 is asking for $2,200 and having a best offer price option.  I can see the price can be talked down to very close to $2000 if there is no bid.  The frenzy goes to I guess the Z cameras or the D850.  I have never touched a D850 and I don't know how great its AF is.  For me it's all about the AF.  The D single digit line series just gives me more confidence in that regard.  Of course I could be wrong.  Based on my D810 experience the AF is good but I wish it could be better.  Again, the myriad of variables and user technique can render my opinion less than objective.  Anyway, I think the D4s comes down to $2000 is really something.  If the D850 set, meaning the camera and battery grip, sells for less than $2000 and if the AF is really really as good as the D5 then sure why not.

Rainey Park Cyclocross 2018

Sometimes on second look or thought you think, maybe I should have adjusted the exposure somewhat.

This was the only cyclocross I went this year.

I packed my 810, 700, 135mm, 16-35mm and my SB-800.  This is the first time I shot entirely on the 135mm without the 70-200mm.  I found it quite doable and the D700 with the 135mm combination is not terribly slow.  I can't scientifically say how slow or fast it focuses or the out of focus is due to AF ability or simply because of shooting at big aperture like f/2 or user error.  The answer of course can be a bit of each and tend to be complicated.  You believe what you want to believe.

Sometimes you just can't execute what's in your mind's eye.  I got my SB-800 for easy carry and gel-ability.  The about were shot at WB2940 with CTO gel on the flash.

In the middle of the shot, perhaps due to lens change, there is a piece of grass lodged on the sensor the size of Australia, found out later when looking the pictures on the monitor.  Oh well.  I don't have the heart to double check now.

I managed to stuff everything in my ancient tenba bag which I think is more than twenty years old.  My last post also mentioned that I like have the option to pan at 1/8 a second and hence I like to have small aperture.  Sadly the smallest aperture of my 135 is only at f/16.  Usually I mount my long lens on my D700 which has a base ISO 200, so it doesn't help.  That's why in the middle of the shoot I changed my flash camera to D700, 16-35mm and SB-800 and the D810 with the 135mm f/2 fixed lens + than big piece of grass.  No matter what I know about not to change lens or be very careful to change lens in the field, I usually foul up.  It's frustrating and disappointing.  And plus 99% of your shots aren't what you envisioned.

But I guess that's photography.  Or at least my kind of snapshots.

Is f/16 Small Enough of An Aperture?

f/32 would be nice.  People tend to think about the maximum aperture like f/1.4 or f/1.2 or even f/0.95 but sometimes I think about f/32 when I am not thinking about f/1.2, f/1.4, f/0.95, f/2.8, f/4, f/5.6, f/8, f/11, f/16, or f/22.

If you shoot action shot and want to have the alternative of shooting at 1/8 of a second then you have a problem.  Even if you can dial your ISO to 64.  It wasn't even bright sunny f/16 day but rather gray gloomy December sky.   f/16 proves to be a bit lacking.  Of course you can always work around it by like not shooting at 1/8s or stick a ND filter to it ...

The peril of shooting at 1/8 of course is is guaranteed blurry, but may not be the kind of blurry you are aiming at.  And then the dirt on your sensor all comes out to say hi as chances are you are shooting at f/16 or even smaller aperture.

The last time I checked, cleaning a full frame sensor was around $60.  It's gonna hurt very much.

Old vs New Gas Range

When I got my new gas range about five years ago, the thing I noticed right away was it took longer everything.
It took longer to boil water, longer to get anything hot.
I think the difference is, the distance between the burner and the grill is much higher than what it used to be for whatever reason.
I can't help but wonder is it what it contributes to higher utilities bill, shorter appliance life, faster global warming?  Screw the new gas range.

On Photography

I can shoot till my finger fall off but that doesn't mean the pictures are any good.

All the neck and back pains don't translate to good pictures.

You just have to learn to enjoy the process because the outcome sucks.

100% of your pictures suck.

Whirlpool Gas Double Oven Range GGG388LX or GGG390LX

It's generally a mystery what the gas oven model is.  Even you got your use & care guide.

The model number is not as complete as you want it to me.  I think the definitive model number is hidden at the back of the range, which you have to move it away from the wall to find out.

I have a hard time finding any information about the disassembling this model.  Sometimes the repair manual is just mistakenly returned as repair manual.  Repair manual is definitely not the same as use and care guide which I have and much easier to find online.

The part is almost $70 assuming that's what I need.

This is a world of pain even if I am willing to do the repair myself.