Recent content by Petrochemist

I recently came across a Gitzo Std 4 tripod with their R No 4 pan tilt head at a boot sale. It seems steady enough for my monorails & is definitely lighter than my 058B so I willingly forked out the £15 they were asking :p I should be shooting lots of 5x4 this weekend, so perhaps I'll be able...

It is indeed, I go by petrochemist on most forums, but there are a few I joined before coming up with that handle. FWIW I should be playing with barrel lenses this weekend, as Ian Grant on the UK LF forum is hosting a barrel lenses session - well worth the travel time IMO :)

I keep fooling myself that I'll give it another try, maybe sometime next century?

The link Google gave me is https://dwarflab.com/en-gb/products/dwarf-2-smart-telescope Very small (204 x 62 x 130mm weighing 1kg) & not looking like a telescope at all. They seem to be able to align themselves and then find the target for you. With results like these I can see them catching on...

The first two situations are common enough that I tend to sleep through the events our sky was clear for :( Note despite the hype, Lunar eclipses are seen about twice a year, & meteor shows of one type or another are more common still - between the two they must account for cloud cover for a...

My work includes testing the fuel (mainly ay the BTCC & it's support races now) to ensure no-one is adding go faster juice (or simply buying from a non authorised supplier). As such I have to be around to take samples & test them at the end on nearly every session. It get's me into the circuits...

If your coming from a D7500 I suspect you might find a fixed lens camera a bit restrictive. In which case can I suggest you consider micro four thirds? Used systems can be within your budget & still allow you to change lenses depending on subject. This option should be significantly...

I also find panning awkward with a monopod. I'm used to swivelling at the waist & that certainly doesn't work with the pod! My preferred lens for motorsports is a 150-500 which gets rather heavy after a race or two, so I'd love to be able to get the pod to take the weight! Like Eucris I...

I get good (freshly ground) coffee free at work so the 2hour trip wouldn't be worth it. (FWIW my eye tests are also free as a 'VDU user' so I shouldn't complain)

I've never come across them - perhaps I need another coffee (don't get them with my eye tests). Google suggests the nearest branch is central Cambridge about 2hours away.

To my eye the birds at the bottom are fine adding context, but the grey one above and the severely out of focus one with a strong reflection do detract from the shot somewhat. Like Dale I found the halo around the subjects head distracting, it made me think of over sharpening artifacts, but...

I added a J2 to my camera options about six months ago. Initially I was rather keen on it but it's native lenses have let it down heavily - two thirds of the native lenses I got for it are faulty - in any of my other systems have more than 1 in 10 lenses have issues is unheard of! One of my...

That's even quicker than the special '1 day' service I paid for. Yes we got the passports on the day of the interview but we had to wait a week to get the interview...

High Time I added some more: MN17 'Fly' by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr Helios 1000mm f/8.7 scope handheld adj usm by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr P1160570b by Mike Kanssen, on Flickr

I always thought 'well done' was the wrong term, badly over done is more appropriate, & in several cases I've seen 'shoe leather' would fit. As Nod suggests their Rare is possibly a bit over done. With a good cut 'Blue' is preferable IMO.