Zero Halliburton

I try to find more information about the cases.  But there isn't much to be found.  Then again, if you just try a bit harder you may be able to find something to connect the dots.

I own a couple of Halliburton cases, they are called camera cases.  And since they have Zero as part of the name so they aren't exactly old or prior to the acquisition by the Zero Japanese company.  I am just writing from memory which isn't very good.(Edit:  This proves my memory is really unreliable.  The Japanese company that bought Zero Halliburton is called ACE and it was done in 2006.  ZERO bought Halliburton in 1952)

You would think that a company with this legacy would have more information about old models and their dimensions and what accessories go with them.  Alas, that isn't really the case.  When I first got those cases a few years back, I searched online and I found the Zero Halliburton website just terrible, I'm sure I wrote about that back then.

Halliburton is kind of falling out of flavor I think.  If people want aluminum cases, they might opt for Rimowa.  If people really want to carry the load they opt for Pelican.  Where does it leave for Halliburton, I don't know.

I tried again to find some information on the cases.

This is from Pop Photography 1981.

So my cases are 105 and 111.  At least I now got the model numbers right I think.

I always want to find foam and inserts for them.  And now I find some lead.  Though I have to say foam is not really ideal as they tend to disintegrate in a nasty way.  Hopefully the dividers last.  I barely found one store that sell new old stock for the cases ...

Godox CellsII N

This isn't even listed on Godox website.

So you know it's old.

This is based on the 433Mhz frequency as opposed to their 2.4GHz ones.

I got a pair of these so I can do hypersync on my Sunpak 120J.  I was confident that I can hook it up all right.  Alas, that didn't work out exactly I hoped.

Even my old Neewer is on the 433 frequency but they don't talk to each other.  And I can't attach the CellsII to my 120J through any cables provided.

In the end, the best I can do is to attach my Neewer transmitter to the Godox CellsII receiver and the Neewer receiver attached to the female sync cable to the 120J.  Through that I was able to sync to 1/1000 with almost no banding.

The thing is I can sync to 1/8000 of a second with no banding if I use an optical slave.

To be able to use hypersync is good when I need to shoot high speed under bright sunlight.

I ordered a Pocket wizard cable male mini 3.5mm to household plug to streamline the connection and also to hope the sync may work better.

This is a bit crazy but I can't help myself.

EDIT:
What I thought and what actually is can be vastly different.  Initially I thought I would get all the features of my Nikon branded SB-800 to work remotely (the hot shoe connector on the transceiver is only single pin so that sort of give away there is no other communication to the flash except to fire). As there is no user manual on the company's website and the one I found is for Canon ... so it's a bit difficult to confirm things.  I believe this CellsII-N would control Godox's own Wistro strobes, like the AD180 or AD360 or similar models but branded differently.  The good news is the trigger is still hypersync capable with varying degrees of success depending on how high the speed you go and the trigger connection.  Waiting for my eBay PocketWizard 3.5mm to HH to trigger the flash directly from the CellsII N

Flash

Godox is stirring up the market place the past 5 years that you can't help but notice them.

Profoto is, I heard, threatens to sue Godox for something something.  We will see.

I got a set of 433Mhz trigger from Neewer which is I think just another name from Godox.  It comes with a transmitter and 2 receiver.  After years of very occasional use, I changed the little battery inside the transmitter.  The set has been quite good, it's not like well built or 100% fool proof but it works.  The battery door is not so well closed so sometimes there is bad connection.  But other than that I am happy with the purchase.  Now most of what Godox makes are 2.4Ghz so I don't think I can use the existing cheapo 433Mhz receivers.  The price of those running of 433Mhz is definitely cheaper but then you feel like you are not future proofing your purchase.

My SB-800 can do high speed sync, that's the trick sync by pulsating the flash above the sync speed of the camera.  Then of course I have a pair of Sunpak 120J, which can't do no Nikon high speed sync.

The question is can they all do hypersync, that's by timing the flashing output and make sure of the long duration assuming they are long duration of the manual flash full output?

It seems to be there is a high chance that they can IF the trigger supports high speed sync.

That's if the trigger supports high speed sync then it will probably most likely can do higher sync when the flash is set at manual and full power.

I haven't got the change to test it on my gears as of now, my set of trigger is just a pure trigger, there is not other magic.

For the past five years of so, Godox has been cranking out models after models and it certainly gaining traction in the market place.  Consumers are happy but not so much from the big name strobe manufacturers.

I am interested to see if I can break the x-sync barrier by using hypersync or high speed sync by using remote radio trigger.

macOS 10.14.5 and APFS

Previously my macOS was on the older file system.  Finally I got the OS updated to 10.14.5 and then moved it to APFS.  I had to put back the old video card so I can access the boot up option menu.

I actually updated it to 10.14.5 first so I could have left it alone but then I felt like to update the file system to APFS as chances are the next subsequent update may also work against me if I am on the old file system.  The software update from macOS simple won't find update on the old file system.

The macpro3,1 2008 is on it very last leg and I don't know how long it can last.  The next OS can be in the offing and totally obliterates this model.  I mean this is on borrowed life already as Apple's Mojave officially doesn't support this old model.

iPhone for Video

I usually carry dual DLSRs with 16-35 and 70-200 for events.  I seldom take video.

Then sometimes without any warning I got asked to take some video.  I could have used my D810 for video but then number one it would screw up my setting for stills even I have another camera.

So my video equipment of choice is whatever iPhone I am carrying and shoot it using Filmic pro which gives me some controls I feel I need.  Would I invest in Beastgrip, I absolutely, because I am such a sucker.  I would buy the anamorphic lens and whatnot.  But then I don't have any more money.  So I have to put everything on hold.  I even have problems getting some hard drive.

Youtube Ad Remover ad

I couldn't think of any ad that's more meta more ironic in an earnestly non ironic way.

I am a some what believer of the free market in the sense that I don't necessarily object to junk mails whether those put through your front door or your electronic inbox.  Sometimes I even voluntarily subscribe to some mailing lists.  But there should be a fine line between spam and scam.  I draw the line on scam.

For Youtube video, I just click skip or if sometimes when that's not available you just have to sit through it.  I totally get if it's free you are the product kind of thing that's the business model of Youtube and Facebook.  Ad is a business model that feeds a sizable workforce.

4K 60fps Youtube

You have fast Internet connection and you think you can play some UHD 4K from Youtube with no problem.  Wrong.

I don't have the very specifics but I can't really play Youtube 4K on my Mac in most or all cases I tried.  (I know I should say all cases but let's keep it not scientific)*

The video just stutters.  It has nothing to do with my connection speed.

I think it's because Youtube uses the V9 codec or something something that Apple doesn't support.

If you run the Safari browser it doesn't even try, the video just gives you 1080p as the best option.  When uses Chrome, it lets you play with 2160p with stutter every 2 seconds or so.  1440p is fine though.

So that's the state of Youtube 4K on a Mac.

I no longer have any "convenient" access to a PC to test it out.

*The only uploader whose 4k video can play smoothly is Filmic Box, so I don't understand, I don't think they lie as the Settings does show it's 4K 2160p.  So I don't understand.  But all else plays stuttering.  This only applies to using the Chrome browser; Safari still falls back to 1080p and doesn't bother with 4K not even try.

update:  I think using Chrome on Mac, I can play 2160p (probably at 30fps) but it stutters at 2160p60fps.

update: I got the chance to play 2160p60fps on my 2012 MBP and it plays flawlessly.  So I stand corrected.  It "must" be something else.  I was playing it on a 2008 MACPRO3,1 with the GTX 770 GPU, the rig isn't meant to be running the latest greatest OS X so this defect of playing the 2160p60fps maybe a small price to pay.  Safari does still lower the playback to 1080p60fps.

Streaming News from Youtube

Perhaps when they do the news they don't have streaming in mind.

I don't see any of those Youtube video from CNN are date stamped.  CNN has a habit of running the BREAKING NEWS on its crawler so almost all the news material is breaking news and you just don't know how current they are by looking at the screen and the screen alone.  I just wish they would date stamp all the material on screen.  Without live TV, streaming is the next best alternative.  Though I lose the sense of how current the material I am watching.

No matter, I think making perviously broadcast material available on Youtube for streaming on Youtube is great as it's a free service.

Chromecast Ultra

I splurged.

I have no 4K TV and yet I got a Chromecast Ultra via the trustworthy eBay.  I lowballed the seller and we met in the middle.  That's the only way to go.

Officially the Chromecast is selling for $35 and the Chromecast Ultra is fetching $69.

I don't know much about the technology, I think that kind of goes without saying as I am going through life without knowing anything basically.

I have tried that with Vudu watching what else America Ultra.  Both the video and audio are very good indeed.  Youtube casting is equally impressive.  I cast Youtube from my Mac desktop/Chrome browser as well as via iPhone's YouTube app.

Casting is a no brainer.

But setting up the Chromecast hardware needs a bit of work as I needed to install the Google Home App first.  I didn't know about it as I thought it was 100% plug and play.  Not so.  I can't remember exactly but a year ago, my LG was able to do casting without nothing installed both from Youtube and Netflix.  Then kind of all of a sudden the cast doesn't work at all.  So I always got the impression the cast just works.  So when I plugged in the CU into the HDMI, I thought it just works but neither the iPhone nor the Chrome on desktop would see the device.  I thought the seller sent me a dud, which is actually quite rare.  Knowing that I don't know nothing so I looked up the Chromecast hardware and bang installing the Home app.  I must have read it before when I did my research but since my experience before I just thought it would just work.  Oh well something something happened, which I didn't know better.

The video and audio exceed my expectation.

Haughty

I appear haughty and disdainful as I get older.  I always tilt my head when I talk to people as I need to look through the bottom of my trifocal lenses.

macOS Mojave 10.14.4 MacPro3,1 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 2 GB

They work!

After a year, I finally got myself the GTX 770 2 GB card.  The display is much better now.  I am no gamer but I can appreciate some fluid browsing.

It's a little bit of a hassle, yes, anything involves any slight extra effort I consider it a hassle.

I got to order 2 power PCIe power cable for the card, mini 6-pin to 8-pin.  The card is a MSI branded one, it's very quiet "even" it has two big fans.  I don't think they are running but if they are they are awfully quiet.

The GPU is not a Mac specific graphic card but it boots up just without the boot screen which I can live with.  If I need it I can use the old card for this purpose.

Now this 2008 Mac Pro is more alive than before.

UPDATE:  I also have to live with the "fact" that the HDMI won't be outputting audio in this macpro3,1.  Oh well.  Let me return this card.  Just kidding.  I am happy this eBay dumpster diving found works.

How Long to Marinate

How long do you marinate?  Does anyone ever do any scientific study on this subject?  On poultry, red meat or even fish?

Would it plateau off or even suffer from diminishing return over time?

When I prepare a steak, I only season it instead of marinate it.

If I were to marinade any meat or poultry, I say probably one to three hours the least, if you are prepared, over night won't hurt, like brining an entire turkey overnight.

Hotpot via my iPhone

I meant to write hotspot but I guess subconsciously I love hotpot too much.

My FIOS connection used to be 75/75 and in most days the speed is up or exceed spec.  Linking my laptop through hotspot is not terribly bad actually.  Even when it is around 10Mbps download.

The screen capture is from Google's speed test.  So according to Google at 20Mbps it's already good for HD streaming.  When I am on hotspot via my iPhone's T Mobile data plan I don't watch YouTube.

UPDATE:  When you reached some cap it then limit your speed.  Oh well.

GTX 770

Latest distraction:

The GTX 680 is pricier and harder to come by.  So GTX 770 is.  The version I got is by MSI with I think 2 8-pin power interface.  Sometimes you asked the seller it takes them forever to respond or not respond at all.

Judging from the manufacturer's web site, it should be a 2 8-pin power interface.  As such I ordered 2 of those cables that enable than connect from the Mac3,1 motherboard to the GTX 770.  It should be a mini 6-pin to the 8-pin.  The thing with this is I don't know if 6-pin is considered mini 6-pin already, or 6-pin and mini 6-pin are two different standards all together.  That's the word mini is just an additional descriptor.  I do see some cable just marked as 6-pin to 8-pin without the word mini.

I hope this combo works as I expect.  It would work, just without the Apple bootup screen, which I can live without.

Probably in three days I'd find out.

Netgear AC750 EX3700

I bought this many years ago and left it alone and almost forgot about it except seeing its wifi id or ssid.

I never needed to power it down.  I just downloaded and installed the firmware to give it an update.

This thing just works.

MacPro3,1 macOS 10.14.4 ATI Radeon HD 2600 XT

This is a passable combination.

My complaint is the graphics is lacking or lagging in some cases.  I am not talking about editing 4K or any video editing at all.  I am talking about typing an URL at the address bar on Chrome.  It's slow.  And when I hit eBay to do some dumpster diving or rummaging, the page can look a bit torn toward the bottom, I don't know if it's some sort of script there that causes it.  My mid 2012 MBP doesn't exhibit these problems at all.  I understand this hack to put Mojave on unsupported Mac hardware has some graphics shortcoming, like dark mode or some sort doesn't play well.

I don't know if it's also because of the 256MB VRAM that's causing the general sluggishness.  This is the stock GPU that originally came with the MacPro3,1 or early 2008 machine.

The most popular GPU upgrade for this kind of Frankensteinish upgrade is the GTX 680 which still commands a some what high price on eBay "even" higher than the similar GTX 770 which supposedly is a marginally higher performance card.  But then again the GTX 680 is said to have a more consistent design across manufacturers making it more flash-able, which is what cheapskates do: buying PC GPU and flashing it to Mac using some ROM or firmware.  GTX 680 is considered very flashable whereas not so much for the GTX 770, unless you are some wizard.

GT630 has a 2GB version and I don't know if it would perform better.  It should be a simple install.
GTX680 or GTX770, more powerful GPUs for sure but you pay a higher price and you need to buy additional power cables to run from the MacPro motherboard to the card.

These cards designed for Windows will boot on a Mac but will not display the Apple boot up screen as they don't have the Mac firmware unless you flash the ROM to make them Mac if they're flashable at all.

MacOS 10.14.4 on MacPro3,1

I need to install this thing on my old machine again, almost from scratch but not quite.

I am not sure if it's worth the effort, not that I have something else better to do, but still.

The graphics card I have only has 256MB of RAM and it shows.  I need to upgrade that if possible.  There is an overwhelming amount of information out there regarding this but for the most part they are pretty confusing especially for somebody who isn't savvy enough.  I can hardly find information that can elucidate the issue somewhat.

Mojave or MacOS 14:
MacPro3,1 is not officially supported but with the right hack from dosdude1.com, it's doable
nVidia is the card that doesn't give problem
The equivalent GPU PC version card may work

I don't need any fancy 4K support, my display is only 2560x1080

Swollen Battery Apple A1382

The sign of a swollen battery was I couldn't press down the touchpad like I could before.  I have been using a separate keyboard and a touchpad for quite some time so I didn't notice that until I used the built-in touchpad.  I almost forgot if it's supposed to be that way.

An online search on the touchpad anomaly returns me the result that it may be caused by a swollen battery.  And as it turned out it was really the battery.

I removed the battery and the touchpad worked just like before.

I could work without the internal battery but anytime if the power cable knocked loose, the system will just shut down.

I went to the usual source like macsales but the third party battery is asking for almost $100.  I even went so far as to chat with them in order to get a discount coupon code.  Alas there was none for me.

After much deliberation, I ended up ordering from eBay.

The battery came as real as it can be except the serial number on the sticker doesn't match what's reported by the MacOS.  Battery health is Normal and has 2 cycle counts.  The manufacturer reported is SMP, same as the original battery that came with the MBP.

macsales still have video suggesting to calibrate the battery or the power management system of the MacBook ... On the other hand, there seems some consensus that the Li-ion battery doesn't need that or draining it to zero percent does harm to the battery actually.  I am a bit confused.  So I didn't do that calibration at least not intentionally.

The original battery is supposed to last for seven hours on a full charge.  It seems like the battery depletes on a linear fashion up to when it's 30% then before I knew it it dropped to 7% which stays there for more than 30 minutes and still going unchanged ...  I guess I am waiting for the system to shut down itself.  It's about 5 hours now.  I don't think it lasts 7 hours but definitely more than 5 hours and it's still going at 7%.  Maybe that's why it needs calibration, not so much on the battery but for the system PMS to know the battery better so it can accurately report the battery power as it depletes?  I really don't know.

100% Battery power began at 8:06 AM
7% at 1:34PM (It has been 7% for a long time)
7% at 1:51PM
2% at 2PM, also message to plug in
shutdown at 2:10PM
so it's 6 hours.

UPDATE: 4/6/2019
The replacement battery seems performing just fine.  So I am happy I didn't buy the more expensive one, most of the time the MBP is powered with an A/C adapter anyway.  Plus this is an old machine I don't want to invest more than I need or afford.  In a year or two I hope I can afford a better machine down the road.

Apple notebook butterfly keyboard debacle

This has been pretty much well documented.  From 2016 till 2018, the butterfly keyboard has nothing but trouble.  The latest being a Wall Street journalist did a piece on the keyboard and Apple acknowledged that there is a small number of keyboards that exhibit problems.

I was burned once by an iBook screen many years ago.  After that it took me like maybe a decade or so to buy another laptop from Apple.

Can you imagine people, well I can, or can I imagine myself spending $2,000 or $1,000 to buy a MacBook and ends up having problems with the keyboard all the time?  The keyboard is the major interface between the machine and the user, how can you screw it up?

Nobody ever asked for a new keyboard design.  Apple, come on, do better.  Fix that keyboard once and for all.

5G

We are getting 5G in 2019.  The We just means some people.  I think maybe in the second half or late 2019 there will be some 5G rollout in New York City.  I am not sure what carrier though.  Verizon seems to have 5G plan for home internet connection ready to roll out some a handful of cities.  The speed is roughly around 300Mbps which is still fast.  With 5G, 4K is more pervasive and realistic.  Verizon would bundle either Apple TV or Chromecast Ultra for their 5G customers.  5G really gives people an excuse to upgrade their hardware.

Internet Pricing and Related Rants

Loyalty doesn't give you any benefit.  FIOS just likes to screw their loyal customers with ever increasing bills.  If you are an existing customer with autopay you are like the best customer that FIOS loves to screw.  Don't bother trying to talk down the bill because there is nothing they can do.  Just cancel and move on and let them get back to you and offer you new customer pricing  For existing customer out of contract, a 75/75mbps I was quoted $69.99 with 2 year contract.  For new customer, 100/100mbps, the price is $39.99.  As far as I know, FIOS is the only provider that gives symmetrical download and upload speed.  Cable ISP has big download and upload differentials.  If you don't care about upload speed then it makes no or very little difference.  If you routinely upload media then I am afraid it makes a difference who your provider is.

Internet pricing is similar to medical billing, nobody knows what is going on.  What's worse than medical billing is Internet companies love to screw their existing customers.   I yearn for pricing like your neighborhood deli where items are sold as priced, a can of Coke is 99 cents and a loaf of bread is $2.99, period.

Fall and Winter

Nothing lasts forever.  I can't wait for the next winter to come along.  The dreaded spring and summer are on their way.

Different From and Every Day

If I hear somebody says "different from" or I read people write "every day" when he means daily,  I immediately think highly about that person.

Fixed Length Lenses

Not all lenses are made the same.  We all know that.  But let me point out the obvious.

I do not like variable lens length much the same I don't like variable f/stop in zooms.  That is lens protrudes or retracts externally when zooming out or in or even simply changing focus distance*.  I much appreciate the lens elements move internally and the overall lens length remains fixed during focusing and zooming.

* the oldie manual focus lenses actually do that, they protrude from a few mm to cm when focusing close, I actually don't get bothered by it.  The AF 135 f/2 DC is truly fixed length no matter what focusing distance.

Auto WB

Auto White Balance.

In the days of film, white balance is something you don't think much about or you think too much about it, like before you shoot anything.  This is the realm of professional, serious amateur or self important photographer I suppose.  White Balance is baked in the film, the only way you can change the white balance is by adding filters to color correct during the shoot or change the film back.

Digital changes that.  One can change the white balance from picture to picture on the fly.

The old filter or gel still apply as photography is still photography.

I have little concern on white balance if I shoot outdoor during the day.  The Auto white balance pretty much nails color temperature.

On the other hand if I shoot indoor with mixed lightning or with lighting I have no idea what temperature it is then I got into problem with auto WB.  If you add flash then you might even have bigger problem.  If I have absolute control like in a studio environment (not that I would find out), like able to shut off all the ambient lighting then problem solved:  just shoot whatever light white balance you using probably in the proximity of 5500K.  Back to shooting indoor event with flash and mixed lighting ... auto white balance just couldn't cut it in my experience.  I feel like I am forced to set WB manually and gel my flash using the same K number.  It's not perfect but I find it better than leaving it to my Nikon and adjusting it post in Light Room.  That's my experience.  Just to add to the mix to complicate things a bit, you can also shoot preset or shoot a 18% grey card as reference.  But I got to the point I feel like I just set the WB at 2900 and be done with it.  No grey card no shooting preset.

Auto ISO

I think this is genuinely a new Auto since the dawn of digital photography.

Back when I shot film, the ISO is fixed with the film unless you change the film back, change mid-roll otherwise you really can't change the ISO on the fly.

The settings of any film camera is likely to be Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Program and Manual.

Digital change this by adding ISO auto.

Often times I dial my setting to Manual so I have control on my aperture and shutter speed.  It's all about the parameters you want to let go and let the camera take control.

I set my base ISO to 64, aperture f/5.6 and shutter speed at 1/250s and WB at 2900K.  Indoor, the ISO can float up to ISO 4000 which is an ISO I can accept.  If you think you cannot accept that high a high ISO, you can set a ceiling so the ISO won't go above that even it's on Auto ISO.

I seldom do Auto ISO shooting Aperture priority, some Shutter priority if I shoot cycling races.

On "newer" camera, there is even a parameter minimum shutter speed under the Auto ISO.   This would be helpful as you don't want the shutter to drop too low if you shoot handheld or unnecessarily high.  Say if you are shooting at focal length of 200mm, in order to maintain reasonable sharpness you want your shutter speed no slower than 1/250s.  Or you can set the minimum shutter speed at Auto in which case the camera would decide what is the lowest shutter speed you can go.  There you can still tweak if you want it biased Slower (to favor slower shutter speed) or Faster or dead in the middle, I left it in the middle.

Shooting Auto ISO doesn't mean that the exposure would always be kind of correct.  If you shoot in bright daylight and set your base ISO100, Manual at f/2.8 and 1/60s, chances are your picture will be overexposed as the ISO will be out of range in the low side anyway.  The correct exposure combination is more likely to be f/16 and 1/100 at ISO100.

Auto ISO still under the "there is no free lunch rule."  Something got to give.

There are three parameters, ISO, aperture and shutter.  You can fix one, let the other two float, or you can fix two and let one float.  Or you fix all three manually.  White balance affects the color temperature which affects the color but I don't consider it part of the exposure.  Some people don't even consider ISO part of the exposure but that's up for debate...

Border

Border (Gräns, 2018) tackles the two most pressing phenomena of our time, trolling and border security.  The film opens with a shaky medium shot where protagonist customs officer Tina is seen looking out from the shore, doubles as her parking lot, at a cargo ship moored at the harbor.  She clumsily picks up a cricket from the dirt and gently puts it on a blade of tall grass, with the car parked she is ready for another day at work.  She is extraordinary ordinary and alarmingly ugly that perhaps not even a mother can love.  I was watching lots of Youtubers opining on IBIS as in in-body image stabilization being the standard of modern filmmaking.  Ha.  It was a bit of a disappointment seeing that opening shot so shaky that any self respecting Youtuber would not approve.

Border is based on a short story by John Ajvide Lindqvist who also pens Let the Right One in.  Both are set in the mystic Nordic Sweden with wacky storylines and even wackier characters who are ostracized by society.  The two stories center on characters that are almost mirror reflections of each other; they are simultaneously the same and yet different.  In Border the woke character is Vore who stays woke and helps Tina woke and discover who she really is, sexually and otherwise.  There is no growth without pain as Tina plays detective at work and her own origin story.  By the end of the film, Tina has transformed.  Instead of gently picking up a cricket and rests it on some landing, she has no qualms of just treating it as food.  The film shocks and awes in its own quiet and subdued way, especially on the sexuality front which is as unpredictable as it can get.  Nothing seems obvious underneath the clothes.  The handheld shaky camera work and the overall art direction seems to suggest documentary and a very much down to earth aesthetic, but the story is just anything but or like the late Lagerfeld says (Border) is very much down to earth but just not this earth.  The movie is rated R.

The Curious Case of Olympus OM-D EM1-X ... and Fuji XT-3

I have not paid any attention to any mirrorless cameras until very recently.

The E-M1X certainly catches my attention.  As I am a fan of vertical grip and what's better than a vertical grip except for an integrated vertical grip.

The Nikon Z power grip is a joke, it's designed by some high school kid who cheated his way through classes.  It's not a a "motor drive" or anything except to hold extra battery.  It's for people who shoot portrait orientation and still use the primary shutter release even they are shooting with a D5 or D4s or with a genuine vertical with shutter release.

The price tag f the EM1-X comes in at $2,999

I will wait for the next iteration when everybody says the AF tracking is as good as any camera out there.

The Fuji XT-3 is about half of the price and allegedly has better image and AF than the EM1-X.

Maybe two years from now if I am not dead yet.

Nikon 20-35 f/2.8

LR never has a profile for this lens.  Now that I can't even use it it is not a concern any more.  Ha.

Quality vs Quantity

There is no quality without quantity.
-- Daidō Moriyama

I don't know how true this attribution is, but I remember it's attributed to Moriyama san.  And I further wonder if he says that in English or in Japanese and got translated.

I think I can get behind this nevertheless.

Back in post war Japan, he must have burnt through tons and rolls of film.

Event Photography

I just want to talk about shooting settings that I use.

I used to shoot almost exclusively on aperture priority.  I guess it's the topic or subject.  I set the aperture which controls the opening of the lens and let the camera take care of the rest.  Back in film days that's the setting I used the most and that's the only auto mode my Nikon FE has anyway.

When I picked up my camera again about a decade ago I faced with more varieties and more flexibilities.  When you shoot film you almost always got stuck with a single ISO and single WB film unless you really shoot professionally and change film back when you see fit in the middle of the shoot.

When I shoot cycling I tend to shoot with shutter priority and let the aperture float and sometimes even let the ISO float.  I don't bother so much as white balance.  Auto white balance is or was my friend.

When I shoot event I'd like to shoot manual, i.e. I fix the aperture and shutter speed and let the ISO float.  I set the base ISO the lowest first or some ISO I think won't go lower.  If I need to freeze people who are walking, 1/250 is the minimum, 1/500 should be ideal but then if you are shooting indoor with low light, you are lucky to get to 1/250 of a second.  If people are just standing there talking 1/60 or 1/125 can certainly freeze the subject.

If I shoot with flash or strobe, I tend to shoot manual but with fixed lowest ISO possible, it could be ISO64 or ISO400 but I'd like to have it fixed.  If the ISO is auto, it's essentially auto exposure and with the flash going off the picture is gonna overexposed for sure.

Event photography can be challenging as it could be outdoor, it could be flash and then it could be indoor with lots of tungsten and mixed lighting; all in one event.  I don't know other brands of camera, but Nikon tends to not auto white balance that well when it's indoor tungsten.  I tend to manually white balance it otherwise it comes out super yellow and orange.

With indoor, outdoor, flash, invariably something is going to screw up.  Like I forgot to set the ISO to not auto.  Or I forgot to set the white balance to auto when I went outside in the middle of the shoot.  I think it's then I appreciate on RAW or NEF format.  The file is certainly savagable even if over or under exposed and with the wrong white balance.

So event photography can be a challenge even I carry two cameras with a combined focal length between 16 to 200mm.  Thanks to high ISO and LR noise reduction, a f/4 max aperture is not as limiting as possibly ten years ago.  I am no Light Room and certainly not a Photoshop wizard but even armed with minimum knowledge I can savage a problematic picture.

Sunpak 120J full blast on silver reflective umbrella on light stand on camera left and right.  1/100s and f/8 at 25mm WB at 5500.  I don't think the skin tone is that great but I tried.  No Photoshop.

Note: as a photographer, there should be no excuse as you should really take control and ownership of the situation. That should be in theory as well as in practice.  Ultimately you are the one responsible especially when things go bad.
Control the situation:
Make sure both eyes can see the camera
Do not use a wide angle setting, I think 35mm should be the widest used as people look wider on the sides if the focal length got wider.  If you can shoot with a 85mm for group go for it but rarely can you shoot like this indoor with that much space.
Keep the camera focal plane parallel to the plane of the subjects.  Use a tripod if you can.
Keep the subject in a straight line across the focal plane or just mildly curved if you must.
Do not mix lightings.  If you can shut off ambient use 100% strobe, do it.

Often times, I don't heed my own advice.

Gel my Flash

Usually I don't shoot with flash in the temple.

This is shot bounced flash to the ceiling.  The ambient is always too yellow and red.  There is no way I can shut out the ambient.

I gelled my SB-800 with a 1/2 CTO.  Manually set the white balance to 2900 or there about.

I am sure the front and the back or the center of the hall has different WB as the left has sunlight streaming from the windows, while the back of the room has more tungsten light from the ceiling.  Then the middle has some fluorescent tubes.  The red lanterns add some orange to the mix as well.  I think gelling the flash is a must if you use flash in this setting otherwise the WB is even more difficult to correct in post.

This is shot with my 16-35 f/4 with the Nikon D700.  IS0640, f/5.6, 1/100, WB2900, flash CTO gel.  Light room adjusted.  I am quite happy with the skin tone overall.

Nikon AF Nikkor 20-35

It's on its way to KEH repair via USPS Priority.

KEH has this flat rate repair for some time but this is the first time I ever use them.  There is no guarantee that it can be fixed.  If parts need to be replaced and they don't have it then I am just paying for a round trip for nothing.

KEH charges $320 for Zoom repair plus $12 for shipping.  Assuming it can be fixed without additional charges, I would be out of about $350.  At the time of this writing, NJ has a version on craigslist that's $400 and it is like pristine with the hard to find lens shade too.  If it's in NYC, I may have a second thought.  Most of the versions on eBay sell around $500 or so.  When I paid for my version about five or six years ago, it was more than $600.  I bought it so I could take some event pictures for the cycling dinner fundraising.  It wasn't a pay gig.  Do I even have a pay gig?  Back then I didn't have a full frame camera so the lens was like a 30-55, my kit lens 17-80 was somewhat unreliable or I just found some excuse to get the 20-35 f/2.8.  It was a good lens.  The only time it failed me was during a Chinese year shooting the parade.  It was freezing, most likely below 32F.  So all the time it was pretty much stuck at f/2.8.  If I knew back then it was sticky blade, I would have just taken it out and gave the aperture lever a workout or simply shoot wide open f/2.8.  That was the only time the lens kind of failed.  I never had sticky aperture blades before until then.

Then I got a donation from my friend the Nikkor 16-35 f/4.  Its color rendition is different I believe and the f/4 is not a problem given the ISO performance of modern DSLR.  Alas, when shooting indoor the f/2.8 still have the upper hand in both areas: the viewfinder is a tad brighter and you can shoot at slightly higher shutter speed.

I can't stand it being a paper weight.

UPDATE: 1/24/2019
1/22/2019 KEH says it needs the part that is no longer available.  So sending back paperweight.  Oh well.  I tried and people tried.

A Part and Every Day

I can't stand them being together when they shouldn't be.

I am a part of that larger movement.

I go to work every day.

Please keep them apart.

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.

Canon New F-1, AE motor Drive FN, Battery Pack FN

I bought the Duracell 28L which is a 6V cell compatible with L544 which is what the Canon New F-1 needs, not only for metering, shutter release but also for the operation of the whole motor drive mechanism.  That's even if the motor drive is fully powered by 12 AA batteries, it won't release the camera shutter or wind the film transport forward at all.  What it works, without the 6V battery, is the meter and the rewind actually, surprise (I haven't actually tested with a film cartridge inside, but the rewind seems to work when the motor drive is not attached to the camera or when attached but quickly stop as the counter hits 0).

So the conclusion is the 1.2V AA rechargeable batteries do work with the motor drive even it's 1.2V not the 1.5V.  The 6V L544/28L battery is required for the motor drive to operate.  A depleted 6V battery enough to operate the meter and even the light but not enough to operate the shutter won't allow the motor drive to run.  So you can't run the motor drive at all if your 6V in camera battery is depleted.

These are the quirks of the system I found.

Canon F-1

The shutter of the Canon F-1 will always stay operational if you remove the battery, i.e. short of any malfunction of the camera.

If the 6V battery is drained, the shutter release won't work even some shutter speeds are mechanically activated.  You need to remove the battery for it to work.

From 1/125s to 1/2000s, flash sync ⚡️(at 1/90s) and B are mechanical.  The good news is all other shutter speeds will "work" too but default at mechanical 1/90s when the battery is removed.

I must have read about it but forgotten.

The Canon F-1 is such a beast, it simply refuses to die or stop working.

Canon Battery Pack FN

This is the battery pack that takes 12 AA battery cells.  It has been working since I bought the set in 2010.  Then it stopped working as the battery drained.  I have never used any rechargeable cells with this.

This past weekend I went to IKEA and bought a bunch of rechargeable cells.

Unfortunately they don't work inside this Canon pack.  They mystery is is the pack broken or does it demand the 1.5V per cell very strictly?  The IKEA cell called LADDA is rated at 1.2V at 2450mAh.

I have yet to buy a whole bunch of cells to test it out.  The pack has no response if I set to it OFF, which is expected, but neither is S and L.  The only time the pack is making an effort as if it's trying to wind the film it's when I set it to H.  It makes some grinding noise as if it's trying very hard to advance the film.  I don't believe it's the contacts or something with the camera itself.  It's either the motor is broken, the switch is broken, or some combination of such, or the pack is working but it has no leeway in terms of voltage.  Though that's a bit hard to believe.  I tested the LADDAs in my Nikon F5 and my Sunpak 120J, the batteries have juice to power them.

I know next to nothing to electricity but I read usually the 1.2V would work on 1.5V appliances as when loaded or when over time, the cell can hardly stay at 1.5V.  But the fact that it takes 12 of 1.5V batteries, if replaced by 1.2V then the voltage variance can be quite big when magnified by 12.

I wonder why I don't just go out and buy 12 of those one time use 1.5V AA cell to prove this theory one way or another.

My initial thinking was something wrong with the "motor drive" or even the camera.  But as I did some trouble shooting here and there, I changed my mind.

This battery pack is really just a pack.  It's separate from the actually mechanism that drives the film, which is done by the AE MOTOR DRIVE FN.  The AE MD FN itself doesn't have any power source and it's a separate piece of equipment.

Diet Prada vs Dolce & Gabbana

Diet Prada won.

Diet Prada single-handedly brought down D&G in maybe less than 48 hours.  The Shanghai show is cancelled.

Cyclocross, Downhill and Track

When I go to cyclocross or downhill, I am careful not to trip and fall.  But things happen.  I did fall a few times, once bad enough that the flash and the camera mounts got ruined.  Not totally ruined but bad enough to malfunction if not repaired.  Bad conditions make for good pictures at least in my case as I can't dramatize my own pictures without the help of bad weather.  The very first time I went to a cyclocross on Long Island, both my flash and camera ended up in Nikon's service center.  It was pouring the entire time.  It was memorable.

This year I think I have a string of unfortunate incidents.  So the cyclocross season is here and yet I can't go anywhere without a car or the resources I need..  My equipment is semi or somewhat functional.  And my mindset is not exactly in photography.

Motley Fool

When investment news is concerned, there is nothing I love to hate more than Motley Fool.  I just love to hate it.

Whirlpool Experience

Got the double oven about five years ago.

Within a year and within warranty, one of the knobs got stuck.  Or the valve.  In layman's parlance, I can't turn the knob.

The repair came and replaced the valve.

The Whirlpool over the range microwave makes noise and smell.  Basically it's malfunctioning.

Then one of the knobs on the range stopped working again.  I can't turn it.  The knob has been resistant to turn when it's hot or in use and now the knob for the  simmer burner head just stopped turning at all.

When you try to find the model number, good luck with that as the model number is always hiding somewhere like at the door on the side or totally behind, that means you have to pull the range from the wall just to know the model number.  I am not even talking about serial number.  This is I suppose not uniquely Whirlpool, all the appliances like to hide their model and their serial number as if they never needed them.  The truth is people need them.  Just stick them front and center.

I think Whirlpool sucks.

Apple Wireless Keyboard 2011

This is essentially a Bluetooth enabled keyboard.  I do find it magical.  I do enjoy typing it.  It's the major interface where I interact with my MacBook Pro.

There are certainly a few iterations of this keyboard.  But I would say they are somewhat minor.

The version I have is I believe the second iteration or could it be third I am not sure.

This version needs two AA batteries to run.  And they basically keep running.  The latest version is powered by some internal rechargeable battery that can be charged by a lightning cable.  I supposed it's good and bad.  When the internal rechargeable battery can't hold a charge what are you going to do?

I like the tactile feel of the keyboard, which is of course subjective by and large.  The more important issue is is this tested and proven to be durable.  I have heard enough horror stories of the new butterfly keyboard.  One of the things I like is this Apple keyboard also allows you to control your audio from the top row kind of function keys there.

My function key F3 has the mission control icon on it.

The connection is fantastic and I experience absolutely no lag as I type.

Things I don't like is it doesn't have illuminated keys.  I would like to have it so I can turn it on when I feel like it.  Also the battery chamber can be somewhat leaky or losing some spring to it.  You have to be careful and make sure that the AA cells don't leak.  And if the spring loses its bounce, you lose connection because of bad contact.  The remedy can be simple and yet quite effective, make tiny disc of ball out of aluminium foil and drop it inside the battery chamber.

I do some digging so you don't have to.  My version is the 2011 version.  It uses two AA cells and the F3 and F4 function keys have the Exposé and Launchpad icons there whereas the 2009 version the F4 key has the Dashboard icon, otherwise they look the same.  Of course if you go shop eBay, you have to be careful, some sellers don't know what they are selling and worse they don't really care.  Fortunately most of my experiences are positive and if it was wrong, they make it right.

Apple wireless keyboards

PhotoPlus Expo 2018

some dude with the D5 and 800mm

seems like i can just upload HEIC file format, wonder if Google just changed it to JPEG or not.  Oh well it "works"

Another year, another PhotoPlus Expo.

The show just got a little smaller each year.  It's is gradual but you can feel it.

Nikon this year gave out its Z launch T-shirt.  I went on the third day and L was gone.  I got an XL but sadly I dropped it.  So in the end I just got a medium.

Nikon, Canon and SONY pretty much took up all the space.

Nikon took a page from Apple resale.  The cameras and lens were just on a bench maned on one or two Nikon staffers.  Gone were the "treasure island" kind of setup where cameras and lenses were behind and under the counter and manned by a team of staffers and were made available upon request.

I got to play with some Z camera and the 24-70 f/4.  Overall I wasn't too excited.  I hand-held a 300mm f/2.8 which was like exceptionally heavy.  This is the kind of lens that I don't think it's practical for how and what I shoot even I have the money.  If I don't need to walk around then maybe it works.  I also played with the D5 and 800mm, that's right 800mm.  For what I have and shoot, I still prefer the SLR kind of cameras.  Between a D5 or D850 and a Z7, I have no doubt want a D5 or D850.  All of my AF-D lenses or older would become manual focus.  And I wonder if my AI or AIS lenses can do matrix metering or not on the Z body.  I think some people may prefer to use native Z lenses anyway.  I am a hoarder and I like my old lenses.  I have not sold any one of my old lenses.

I briefly played with some SONY model and used the eye focusing.  It was pretty good.

I also quite liked the Fuji XT-3 with the motor drive or sorry the grip.  It was really a nice compact camera.  I got to try it with the 200mm f/2.

Kapkur Anamorphic

I have only knew three anamorphic phone adapters until yesterday.  They are from Moondog labs, Beastgrip Pro and Moment.  Moondog labs should be the first one who made those and consistently stocked them,  with accessories like filter adapters no less.  Moment and Kapkur use a dedicated case for attaching the lens.  Moondog provides different models for different phones and a version with 37mm thread, and another with 12.5mm thread to attach to a phone case for newer phones.  Beastgrip provides a version with 37mm that attaches to the Beastgrip pro.  The question is which method provides the best alignment consistently, or does it matter.  I tend to think the custom case provides the best attachment and alignment consistently.  Once the phone is dressed in the case you just need to screw on the anamorphic adapter, i.e. the lens.  There is no guesswork to any vertical or horizontal alignment to play with.

I was at the PhotoPlus Expo yesterday and I was pleasantly surprised to see Kapkur offers anamorphic adapter.  I tried it on for 8 seconds.  I guess it's not bad.

I have no reference of course and I am surprised there isn't any comparison out there among these four adapters.

With phones coming out with twin cameras and whatnot, it seems there is a trend to make a dedicated phone case to attach the lens.  And then in turn, one could just shoot like so or mount the whole setup onto another rig like a Beastgrip to further add shooting features to the setup.

Apple Broadcom BCM94360CD 802.11ac mini PCI-E WiFi WLAN Bluetooth 4.0 Card

This is the board, together with the adapter, I got to upgrade my Mac Pro 2008.  An eBay find from a seller called miraclelove, what a name.  It takes more than a week to reach here all the way from China.  But the items seem good quality.  The guy could use a box to better protect the item but mine survived the long distance odyssey just fine.  The cards appear brand new and in protective plastic bag, probably static proof or something.  It seems like miraclelove is a decent seller who wrote me right away when he shipped the item and emphasized in case something something happened, contact the him or the seller first.  I always appreciate an eBayer who is open to communication.

This has WiFi and BlueTooth together.

In my old 2008 Mac Pro (MacPro3,1) there are four antennae with paper flag marked 1 to 3 and one marked BT which has been attached with the BT module that came with the Mac Pro 2008 system.  I removed the old BT module and set free the antenna for later use on the new module.  I read somewhere regarding the antenna placement it says the BT antenna should be placed on the 3 position and the 3 antenna should go to the 0 position on the board.  I guess something  must have changed or this wire attachment simply is not for this card.  So the first time I did it,   the BT wasn't working.  It wasn't working at all.  It was like it didn't exist.  WiFi was great though.

The second time, I just followed what the Broadcom card says and attached the antenna accordingly with the BT antenna attached to the 0 position on the board, and bang, it worked.

WiFi is very strong, it's the AC standard.  BlueTooth I can't really tell as my attached devices aren't all that new.  The BT magic keyboard is the second iteration that uses two AA batteries.

I have to say with poor eyesight it's a miracle that I can attach the four antennae, it's just very very difficult to feel your way to the connector.  Using the wireless magic keyboard is such a breeze.  Got to pay attention not to let any battery leak to the battery compartment though.

iPhone Non Excitement

I think since iPhone 6 the excitement has been so much subdued.  And with every new iPhone coming out of the pipeline there are following reports saying the sales are faltering.  I can't say I am surprised.

I long for the day there was only one or two models of the iPhones.  I just now went to Apple's site, where I picked see all the iPhone models; there are all together thirteen ranging from iPhone SE to iPhone Xs Max.  Though Apple and at least T-Mobile online stores only carry from iPhone 7 and up, that's eight models with different color, memory size to choose from.  The choices are confusing.

If you don't have any eye problem like presbyopia, I wouldn't choose the Plus models (unless it weight almost the same as the iPhone 6).  From my experience with the 8 Plus I find the model just too heavy.  I like the iPhone SE but then the screen is just too small.  The iPhone 6 seems to be a good compromise between screen size and weight; and it's much lighter in my hand than the 8 Plus.  I wonder if all the Plus models are that heavy.  I suspect that's part of the reason I got all these shoulder and neck pains.

MacBook Pro 2012

Once upon a time I owned a 12" iBook but then the screen died and I felt like I got burned.

Then in October 2014, I ordered a refurbished 2012 15" MBP directly from Apple.  My research says that that is the last MBP model that allows user upgrades.  My experience is I upgraded the RAM from 4GB to 16GB and have removed the SuperDrive for another hard drive storage.  For the boot drive, I upgraded the stock 500GB 5400rpm hard drive to a SSD.  I have since then upgraded the SSD from 240GB to 480GB and have swapped in new harddrive when the existing one was full a few times.

It's not retina display but I am OK with that.  It can drive an external display at 2560x1080 at the same time.

The keyboard gives me no problem and neither is the trackpad.  I like the keyboard and the trackpad right where they are.  I mean the trackpad is right there I don't like to move my hand to grab the mouse for a walk.  For a desktop I opt for the keyboard and trackpad combo as well.  I never like the mouse that much.

Fast forward to the current 2018 MacBook or MBP.  I am somewhat leery of their butterfly keyboard.  Even the latest third iteration of that design.  Apple just started selling the 2018 models refurbished.

Officially, the 2012 MBP is the last MBP hardware that Mojave supports, anything older is not supported.  So my 2012 lives another year or two.

Levi's Trucker x Filson Jacket

I own one of them.
I always find it unbreathable and smell a bit funny as it's made of waxed tin cloth.  If you live in a dry locale with low humidity it would be comfortable.  I am always partial to pure breathable cotton.  No matter what the tag says on those high tag fabrics, or this low tech waxed fabrics, I always find them somewhat waterproof but definitely not breathable.  And I hate it.  I think one better off just wearing the good old wool.  The only celebrities I saw or left an indelible impression with this piece of garment is the late Anthony Bourdain and the very much alive Jake Gallenhaal.

iPhone 6 DIY fixed

The iPhone 6 has been broken for more than a year.  I didn't get the chance to fix it or I didn't feel compelled to fix it until just a few days ago.

There are no shortage of information out there teaching you how to fix the screen or whatever that ails your phone.

I think the number one most often fix is the screen.  By screen it means the front facing glass or the top shell.  As the top shell is more than just a piece of glass.  Although as a consumer and when you talk to the repair shop, you'd like to say it's just a shattered screen of glass as if . . . .  No, it's not just a piece of glass.

I was going to spend from $15 to $70 just for the top shell.  The takeaway is you got what you paid for and fortunately there are some good parts out there just as there are some that deviate quite substantially from Apple's specifications.  You just have to manage your expectation accordingly hoping that the vendor gives the right information.  If the vendor is selling an aftermarket part at $15, an aftermarket premium at $20 and an OEM part for $50 for example, you better believe the aftermarket $15 is just passable, the color maybe off, the touch response is not so great and the shell can barely put back in.

In the end, I got something like $31 for the shell glass and digitizer included it's rated S+, the vendor's way of saying very very good; I have to transfer the small little parts from the broken shell to the new one, mainly the fingerprint biometric home button at the bottom, the little front camera, proximity sensor ...  Buying just the glass is cheaper but then you have to really clean up the shattered shards of glass from the old one before you have to glue the new one back on.  Most of the video I watched didn't take that route.  So to recap, you have about three options, just change the glass; change with a new assembly but transfer old small parts from old shell; or buy a full assembly including small parts.  Note that the old original biometric home button works only with that phone any new home button won't do the fingerprint authentication--that's why you need to transfer the home button from the old to the new if you want fingerprint authentication to work.  Any new non original home button you bought would only act as home button but can't do the fingerprint biometrics authentication.

Having the right tools is crucial.  I can't tell you how many times I stripped the screws before I bit the bullet and bought something just a bit better.

With presbyopia it's very hard for me to see and handle those 00 Philips screws and ribbon connectors.

It took me two goes of take apart and put back together to get everything work.  The first time the headphone jack was not working.  Then later I found out neither was the earpiece at the top of the shell, that's no sound coming out.  I you Google that, you will find all the usual so called fix, clean the lint and dirt out of that headphone jack which didn't help in my case, or use an original Apple headphone.  Or worse case scenario, buy the headphone jack replacement which would have set me back at least another week or so.  I decided it's probably some bad connection, it's just a blind faith on the parts and no faith on my eyesight and assembly skill.  I tend to blame myself if something doesn't work.

My hunch was right.  The second time around the headphone jack works and so is the earpiece at the top.

The battery removal was a pain.  The glue was super strong.

All said and done, I waited for three days and spent close to $60 for parts: top assembly, new battery, and two sticky strips.  If a repair shop asked for $100 or less for the same repair, just give the money to them.

Solovair, Dr Martens and Lifestyle

Lifestyle is just a dirty word, it has no credibility.  It's a turn-off.  Please remove any lifestyle collection, there shouldn't be such a thing called lifestyle.

A chance encounter on old men hangout that's FB, I came across Solovair.

Just don't go to the site that's run for the US market.

The British one is better for at least one reason.  It gives the lengths of different lasts that are used to make the shoes and boots.  I have never seen something like that.  I think this is something painfully obvious but nobody is doing it.

Again, giving the size of the last doesn't guarantee a good fit but it's indefinitely better than just a number or conversion from UK sizing to US sizing.

iPhone 6 resurrection

I have an iPhone 6 which is not functioning well.  Mainly two issues.
The screen is cracked.  It cracked lengthwise.
It doesn't charge that well or hold a charge that well.

My solution:
Order a display and a battery replacement.

I ordered the S+ rated display replacement which supposedly is very close to the OEM from Apple but I will be the judge.  I hope the new battery will fix any battery charging issue it has.

2012 15" MacBook Pro Power Button and Keyboard malfunction.

I opened and closed, not the lid, the 2012 15" MacBook Pro half a dozen times to change out the RAM modules and to add and replace the harddrives.  I thought I am experienced not to mess anything up

Long story short, this time around when I close everything, both the keyboard the the power button acted funny, very iffy and some of the keys don't work or work intermittently and they work or don't work the next time I reboot or open and close the back cover.

I went to panic mode as this is my beloved MBP, I spent countless hours and take pride in upgrading it--quote possibility the last MBP that can be upgraded or fixed by the users.

In the end thanks to YouTube, I finally figured out what I did wrong inadvertently.

Instead of removing the battery connection like I should be before any operation, I messed up the keyboard connection.  Even the keyboard connection is protected with a metal guard with two screws.  When I finally figured that out I realized the lock lever was in the open position instead of the locked position and hence the iffy performance of the keyboard,  I locked it down and bingo all the keys work and so is the power button.

I thought it was messed up by some magnet as I also for a few seconds left the ifixit tool kit on the logic board . . . even I don't believe that's the cause but then you never know for sure.  Then I thought maybe I messed up some of the cables, but they are actually cables for the harddrive or CD-ROM (thought I changed it to another harddrive anyway), or for the keyboard backlight.

I did so many Google searches in the end, I just I found a tear down on Youtube so I know exactly which and where is the keyboard connector.  And bingo, that was the one I messed up when I initially tried to detach the battery connector.

https://youtu.be/xAHtxNVOXZI

Best Offer and Bid

Usually Best Offer comes with Buy it Now.  Yesterday was the only time I saw Bid and Best Offer but without Buy it Now.  With Buy it Now, I know what the seller wants price wise then I "low ball" an offer to test the water as I have three offers anyway.

It's a first for me to see that Bid and Best Offer only.  With Bid you know that's the threshold price for the item.  The seller would jump off the roof and just seethe in anger if you were to offer a price even lower than the initial starting bid, actually I wonder if eBay even allows that.  I know eBay would remind you if your offer is lower than the recent sold items or something like that.  As a potential buyer you always want something for nothing or realistically for the minimum relatively speaking.  As a buyer, I look for accurate, precise detailed description of an item.  If the seller is too lazy to take a picture of the actual item, instead he just uses generic pictures and description, what does it tell about the seller, would the seller bother to resolve any issues you may have when the sales don't come through as expected?  Say for example for an Apple Magic Keyboard, there are at least four iterations of the keyboard which one are you selling?  If the seller is ignorant or too lazy or both to find out then what does it tell you about the seller.  That being said if the item price is low enough then it may not matter after all.

I don't use any software to bid and I bid the highest I would ever pay and don't regret it, OK sometimes I do but that's just life.  And I never bid early or bid often; I bid the last five or ten seconds.

MacBook Pro Trackpad Handwriting

Prior to macOS Mojave, the trackpad handwriting would never stick around for long.  It simply disappears after sleep or whenever it decides to disappear.

I have the macOS Mojave installed for two weeks and the trackpad handwriting still sits neatly on the there so in my book Mojave is a great success, it finally fixes something not a lot of people care.  I mean the fix could be incidental but hey I will take it.  Before Mojave I have seen a few threads mentioning about this annoyance on the Apple discussion forums but there aren't really
any real solution to it.  Trackpad Handwriting isn't exactly great great but I like to have that option always sitting there when I want to use it.  I prefer to use the iOS handwriting.

Lining

All my Schott jackets have some lining which are not cotton or wool.  I am not talking about the zip out linings.  The zip-out linings of my 141 are faux fur type.

What I am trying to say is for jacket lining I much prefer a smooth material, like silk or acetate type that facilitates easy putting on and off and in general all kinds of movements.  So I don't know what Schott or other manufacturers are thinking when they make jackets with cotton or wool lining.  It's not exactly a show stopper but I personally would much prefer a smooth lining.

AF-S 80-200 f/2.8

I've never owned or used this lens before.  Instead I have the AF-D version.  The AF-S is supposed to be faster.  Nikon discontinued this lens and replaced it with the AF-S 70-200 f/2.8.  I have the first version a friend of mine gave me.

If you have extra cash but not extra enough to buy the AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 then perhaps this AF-S 80-200 f/2.8 is not a bad choice at all.  If I ever break the AF-S 70-200 f/2.8 then I won't be able to replace it.

Auto focus of AF-D lenses won't work on the Z cameras with the FTZ adapter.  More reason to get the AF-S instead of the AF-D 80-200 f/2.8 lens.

Phone Number

Thirty years ago, I memorized a bunch of phone numbers.  I still remember my home number from way back when my family got a rotary phone.

Now, I don't even remember my own cell number.  I keep the post-it the T-Mobile sales left me with my own phone number written on it.  It lost its stickiness so I guess I really have to commit the number in my memory.

Mojave on MacPro3,1

The power splitter came.

Chucked the SSD into the drive bay.  I didn't bother to get any adapter at all.  I figure the clipped on power and data cables would "secure" the SSD no problem.  I just saved myself a couple of days and $10.  I formatted the SSD and proceeded to install Mojave.  It went on no problem.

The on board Bluetooth is iffy.  I guess I need to upgrade that.
For internet connection, I just share the MacBook Pro using a RJ45 cable.  It works pretty well.  The MacPro doesn't come with one though I am going to get one comes this Saturday.

The graphics is a tiny bit sub optimal.  This has been documented on the patch documentation.  The windows title bar doesn't have transparency.  So it's expected.  When I use Safari the graphics shortcoming becomes more apparent; some buttons on webpages would appear smeared when navigating.  The Safari tabs also would smear when mouse over.  This happens in day or night mode regardless.  Strange enough, it doesn't exhibit this behavior on Chrome.  When I wanted to do a Command-Shift-5 to capture that smear, the screen refreshes and it's gone.

I am using ancient USB keyboard.  It's just not any USB keyboard but a DELL by Microsoft keyboard with number pad and all the special buttons for web browsing which I have no use on a Mac environment.  It's raised and supposed to be ergonomic.  But it's just way too big for the desk..  The mouse is an optical one with a click wheel which doesn't work on scrolling.  Oh well.

So I am think of getting

Magic Keyboard
Magic Mouse
WiFi and Bluetooth for Airdrop and Handoff
One or two 4TB of HDD

Liongate

As far as I know, Liongate is really good at encrypting or obfuscating its DVDs.

First Time Boot up the 2008 MacPro3,1

Here are the updates:-

I got the dosdude1 program to patch the Apple installer.

I downloaded the Mojave installer from Apple and even verified good by the patcher program.  But when it actually ran it complained can't mount.  I reformatted the USB thumb drive one more time, downloaded the patcher program one more time but still no go.  I don't find lots of information other than you must have the wrong install program (from Apple?) or you need another 16GB USB thumb drive.  Oh no!  OK, so I tried using the patcher's program utility to download the mojave again, instead from Apple, I don't know where it was from but worth a try.  This was like the last resort as it would take some 30 minutes to download.  Hey this time it worked.  So it's a mystery to me.  As the original mojave is from Apple and checked ok even by the patcher program why it failed I don't know.

So the patcher program created this modified installer which doesn't discriminate against old hardware or something something so my MacPro3,1 from early 2008 can install mojave.

I checked the installers by eyeballing them they look the same to me.

My build isn't quite ready as I am still waiting for the power cable splitter to power the STA SSD which is going to be installed on the optical drive bay.  It doesn't come with any drive at all.  So I have no way of booting it up from any existing old OS.

Anyway, I tried to boot from the USB drive.  And the MP came alive!  Since the SSD is not ready so I can't really install mojave from scratch.  The odd thing is I have another 3.5" HDD in the 2nd bay, I wonder why it can't see it.  I hope I can install and boot from the lower bay of the 5.25" optical drive bay, that's the goal.

I guess I need to wait till Tuesday to find out.

Screwdriver Set

If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.  Or in my case, if you have one screwdriver, all the screws look the same.

Most of the time this doesn't work.

I keep learning this the hard way.  I don't know how many times I screwed up because of using the wrong tool, to be exact, some dollar shop screwdriver, the wrong size one to unscrew and screw.  Needless to say, the experience has been frustrating and counter productive.

I think I must have told myself to buy a nice set of precision screwdrivers a dozen times.  But that never happened until today.

I have checked out Wiha and Wera.  Since I need the good ones.  Alas, the price isn't all too bad but they just don't have the right pieces in one set.  In the end, after spending the entire day looking, I opt for the ifixit set for a whopping $59.99.  I was just too tired to look any further.

I don't open my computers too often as I don't do this for a living.  I do this like once a year when I need to replace the harddrive when it runs out of space.  A few years from now I guess chances are all the old upgradable Macs would be too outdated to mess with and all repairs or upgrades would be impossible except to the real professionals.  I wonder what will happen to OWC or Macsales or other Mac parts resellers.

For the foreseeable future I think I will still be upgrading 2 or 3 Macs.

https blogspot

I wonder why blogspot doesn't automatically goes https instead it allows http.

It's just weird something like this from Google.

Of course, I don't discount I don't know what I am doing or talking.

UPDATE:
Well, it's under basic setting, https redirect.  Blogspot provides this as an option.  And I thought it's a must.  Anyway it as an option is good I suppose.  I just thought it should be by default.  Anyway.  Good enough for me.

Nikkor 20-35

This lens has to be retired for the time being.  I simply don't want to spend the money on repairing it.  I didn't bother to make the trip to the shop to let them check it out.  I predict it's anywhere from $200 to $400 to repair it.

I will stick with my Nikon 16-35 f/4 for now.

Stripped Screw

I swear I am going to get the best set of screwdrivers.

A stripped screw turns out to the the biggest hurdle for my upgrade.

Sad.

Not touching it now.

MacPro3,1

Sometimes projects find me.  Not the ones that are you know earn me any money.  But the kind that are quite fun to work with but would burn a small hole or two in my wallet.

A friend of mine gave me this giant cheese grater or otherwise known as Mac Pro.  It's a 2008 model with 32GB of RAM but no HD whatsoever.  I am not currently having lots of disposable income so I have to savage whatever parts possible to make it run again.

I need a keyboard, a wired one at least in the beginning.  I have a PS/2 keyboard ... was thinking about getting an adapter for PS/2 to USB--this is really low I know.  Then I remember I actually have a Dell Microsoft keyboard Fung gave me long time ago.

USB mouse, which I have.
Install macOS Mojave
macOS  Mojave Patcher
2.5" 240GB SSD from before

To Buy list:
A DVI male to male cable
16 GB USB thumb drive
2.5" to 3.5" adapter

To Buy Later:
WiFi and Bluetooth module
more 3.5"HD
Bluetooth keyboard
Bluetooth mouse
PCIe card for USB3 ports

Nikkor AF-S 24-85 f/3.5~4.5 G

This was my first AF lens, bought long after I got my Nikon F5.  For a long time I just used MF lenses on my Nikon F5 adamantly.

I only used this lens occasionally and for a short period of time as I seldom took pictures and I discovered "pro" lenses.  I bought it from Canoga camera out in California.  I still remember the time I did my research on buying an AF lens and the moment and whereabouts when I placed the order, weird.  Back then I shot film and I was happy with the lens granted my point of reference was 4x6 prints and I must be in awe how the AF-S worked.

Now I "have to" revisit this lens again.  My pro grade 20-35 suffered from a fall and is out of commission.  I don't think I ever shot any digital using this 24-85.  I wonder if I shoot at f/8 or f/11, does it even matter?  When the lighting situation is difficult I think a f/2.8 helps or if you dig the f/2.8 or larger aperture rendition.  In terms of build, for me, as long as the mount is metal I am kind of OK with the rest.  All lenses broke from fall and impact, plastic or metal.  Sometimes I believe a lens shade helps alleviate the impact better than any metal construction.  That being said, I appreciate any well made lenses that last for decades.

Believe it or not, this lens together with its dedicated lens shade were Made in Japan.  The LC-67 lens cap was Made in Thailand.

Both Ken Rockwell and Moose Peterson raved about this lens if you ever need any affirmation of your purchase.  It's very interesting to read how Moose marvelled the lens cap LC-67 as I guess back then the squeeze-in lens cap was a rarity and the LC-67 was quite possibly among the firsts if not the first to use this squeeze-in mechanism.

S, M, L against numbered sizing

When I see S M L kind of sizing I shake my head a little.  Especially if the outfit in question is priced at a fairly high price like a $600-700 leather jacket.

I take it it can have XS, S, M, L, XL and for numbered sizing 36, 38, 40, 42 and 44.  So are they same?  I really don't know.  I tend to think when one uses SML sizing, it's just a bit unrefined and for lower priced goods.

Many if not most manufacturers still not disclosing what those letters or numbers mean exactly even for those selling online.  I think that's crazy.  Does 42 mean the jacket is 42 inches pit to pit or it means it's supposed to fit body with a chest size 42 inches?  Even for those sites that provide a size chart it's not clear to me what 42 means.  I wonder how can online retailers get away with actual measurements.  Some sites say true to size, what does it even mean?  Just give out the true garment measurements already.

I feel like eBay sellers do a much better job in general.

AF DC-NIKKOR 135mm f/2D

I don't know if Nikon USA has any rule in naming or calling its lenses but this is how it's listed on Nikon USA as of today.

So much ink has been spilled on this lens ... and I am going to spill a bit more.

This lens has a built-in hood that I have no idea how it's supposed to work, does it lock, do you just pull it out, are you supposed to turn it, clockwise or anticlockwise or something something.  I really have no idea.  Sometimes it just seems to be somewhat stuck.

The lens has an aperture ring.  What's old is new again.  I just read the new Canon R or more precisely the new RF lenses (not rangefinder by the way) has a ring that can be programmed to work as aperture.  Didn't they do that in the beginning of the time?  This lens provides defocus control meaning you can control the out of focus look either in front or behind the focused subject or you can simply leave the defocus alone and leave it in the neutral position.  The thing is if you need to work fast and you need to change the aperture, chances are you might forget to change the defocus setting following the change of the aperture.  For example you set you f/stop at f/2 and you set defocus at R2, to match the f/2 aperture you set.  Somewhere along the way, you want to shoot at f/2.8 but hey you are too busy composing and whatnot and you just left the defocus setting unchanged at R2 insteal of R2.8 as you preferred.  Not a huge deal in real world situation but psychologically it makes you feel sloppy and incompetent.  Unless I have ample time I would leave the defocus in neutral position.

Is AF fast?  This is relative and I don't have any scientific way to say one way or another.  Given that it's a prime D lens, so I assume it's not that fast by modern AF-S standard.  However, I use it to shoot velodrome cycling and I don't think it's bad or unuseable.  I tend to blame myself if I miss focus.

One thing I have to mention, some say chromatic aberration is not a problem ... I say it is.  Again it's relative.  When I shoot with this lens I make sure I check enable lens profile and remove chromatic aberration in Light Room.  On the other hand, when I use the relative modern 16-35 and 70-200 I never notice any chromatic aberration at all.  I am not saying CA shows all the time, it rears its ugly head on edges where light and dark color meet.  Sometimes when you shoot you just go I can be bothered with oh I can't use this lens or that lens because I am shooting back light with high contrast or lots of whites on the edges.  The lens basically gives a purple halo around the subject.  I suspect if I use Nikon's software it may clean up better.

135mm at f/2 is pretty shallow depth of field.  It can work to your aesthetic as much as against it.  But you have that option to deploy the lens at f/2 should you want to.  Modern cameras have astonishing high ISO performance so shooting at f/2 or f/1.4 or f/0.95 is more of a preference than a necessity.

Shooting with fixed focal length can be challenging and oddly satisfying as if you want to challenge and hence prove yourself in composition.