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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 26, 2012 22:46:13 GMT -5
I went out this morning with a misbehaving Oly - I think it knows I'm preparing to buy a replacement and, in Australasian parlance, is spitting the dummy accordingly. A few missed shots due to randomly misbehaving buttons did not improve my mood. One trouble I have when taking photos in China is that as a 6'2" laowai (foreigner), I tend to attract much unwonted attention from would-be subjects. This is why I'm interested in a small and quiet system (the OM-D has my attention). The primary problem is people staring at me. The second? People immediately turning to see what the heck the crazy laowai is so interested in. I get many photos of backs of heads. Anyway, here are some which I think worked. Mostly involving personal transport and crumbling architecture. This is the nearest true village to my on-campus apartment. Just about 1200 metres, as the crow flies, from where I'm write this. A slice of morning life in working-class China. Michael.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 24, 2012 9:13:32 GMT -5
Nice finds, Doug.
I have a similar Capital meter - maybe slightly newer (I bought it new in about '99). I learned very quickly the vagaries of hand held selenium meters and how to use one 'properly'. The Samyang flash is intriguing too.
Michael in China
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 24, 2012 8:39:20 GMT -5
Ahhhh, apart from the fact that I'm not there for the all-day breakfast, methinks that there is a missing utility pole, or maybe some building mounted cabling, the reflection of which can be discerned in the upstairs window directly inboard from the Mars Foods signage.
Am I on the right track?
Michael in China
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 21, 2012 16:42:03 GMT -5
No photo of my 1966 Mk II Singer Vogue. It was a nice car. Even had walnut trim.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 20, 2012 17:36:08 GMT -5
Dave, it is inevitable that we're going to argue over a term as imprecisely referenced as 'supercar'. I thought that we were really both being anachronistic, as I was sure it was a very late-sixties word which really came into vogue in the 70s. Well, Wikipedia came to the rescue, and traced a far older etymology: 'An advertisement for the Ensign Six, a 6.7 L (410 cu in) high-performance car similar to the Bentley Speed Six, appeared in The Times for 11 November 1920 with the phrase "If you are interested in a supercar, you cannot afford to ignore the claims of the Ensign 6."'
Also, in the US, supercar predated the term musclecar, to describe the big engine, mid-sized car so beloved by some gentlemen here.
But I think it is fair to say that supercar had, by the late seventies, come to mean something reasonably specific: 'During the late 20th century, the term supercar was used to describe "a very expensive, fast or powerful car with a centrally located engine", and stated in more general terms: "it must be very fast, with sporting handling to match", "it should be sleek and eye-catching" and its price should be "one in a rarefied atmosphere of its own".'
The D-type is clearly not a supercar because it is something else - a sports racing car. Likewise, Thrust SSC is a record-breaker. I'd also argue that the E-type was not a supercar for two vital reasons: firstly, it was 'affordable' and secondly, like the Tiger, it was 'practical'. As has been pointed out by the irreverent trio on Top Gear, as well as many motoring books, while not cheap, E-types were not out-of-reach exorbitant. They were giant-killers which achieved huge popularity. In short, they were too successful (and good) to be true supercars.
Just a thought.
Michael.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 19, 2012 5:12:14 GMT -5
My own nugget of info, which I hope is a fact rather than an ESPN-type factoid, is that Caroll Shelby 'couldn't understand' the public's obsession with the Cobra versus the Tiger, with the latter being, in his eyes, the all-round better (practical) car.
Actually, I think he knew full-well why the public loved the Cobra - hence the extra frames he registered as per the story above. His comment, if he truly did make it, is more a musing on our taste for the irrational. Who wants a practical male status symbol? It's really a bit of an oxymoron, isn't it.
The AC Cobra was arguably the world's first supercar, with all the silliness that implies. The Tiger, on the other hand, with its Grand-Tourer roots, remained a car one could (if very lucky) drive down to Monte Carlo with girlfriend, luggage and camera (a Leica, of course) safely stowed.
Sadly, unlike Wayne, I can speak only theoretically about the merits of a Cobra versus a Tiger. But dreams are, indeed, free; so lets all our favorite deity that we had Caroll Shelby to fire up those dreams for as long as we did.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 9, 2012 5:47:32 GMT -5
Bob, I also miss using my favourite cameras.
I had a quick play with an X1-pro and was frankly disorientated. It may look like a rangefinder, but the experience is quite different. I might add that I didn't really like the Contax G either when I tried one 10 odd years ago. But the biggest drawback of the X1 for me is that I'm a left eye shooter. On an old rangefinder this sometimes awkward but on the X1 it leaves a ugly great nose smudge on the back screen. Eugh. For this reason, I'll be intrigued to try the EM. But REALLY, I just want my old F3!
Michael.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on May 8, 2012 6:48:41 GMT -5
Here in Zhuhai, there is a lab which handles B&W. That's it. This in a city of 1.5 million souls. No colour (C41 or E6). Closest for that is Hong Kong.
The fraction of my camera collection which I brought with me to China has become just that. A collection. I have some Lucky B&W film for when I get the urge, but the chore of processing is just disheartening. I can, however, buy B&W chems online, from Chinese vendors, so home processing and scanning is an option.
Am now facing the decision of seriously embracing digital, and agonizing over whether to go OM-M5 or X-1 Pro. But THAT is far to OT to discuss here!
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Apr 20, 2012 3:04:18 GMT -5
Sorry to post late on this.
Ugly or not, USD four dollars for a PF-1 isn't a bad buy at all.
Over here, a PF-1 will go for anywhere from CNY 150-300 (approx. USD 23-46).
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Apr 6, 2012 4:35:01 GMT -5
Wow! Berndt's comments on camera choice are pertinent. Nevertheless, Michael's work is further proof that talent (bags of it in his case) and attention to detail remain the x-factor in producing arresting photographs.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Apr 6, 2012 4:29:19 GMT -5
I'm officially envious and look forward to vicariously enjoying your camera through your work.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 27, 2011 23:00:22 GMT -5
Thanks all, for the comments.
Mickey, it was a stiff sea breeze rather than a gale blowing the palms. Basically there was nothing substantial between the trees and the South China Sea, so although technically still a breeze, the warm subtropical wind had some oomph behind it.
Mik, I entertain my students with photos of a mature Douglas Fir in my garden in NZ. Since the photo was taken after about 10cm of snow had fallen, when I ask what kind of tree it is, the students invariably (and cheerfully) call out, "A Christmas Tree". They (or the good ones, at least) dutifully write down 'Fir tree' when I tell them the conifer's proper name.
Dave, that was the question I thought/hoped would arise. BTW, Macao or Macau? Both are acceptable, though I think the latter is now more officially preferred. I try to use it, but occasionally slip up when typing fast. All the local signage on this side of the border uses 'au'. Michael.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 27, 2011 1:03:42 GMT -5
Curiosity - Heng Qin, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China. Although I like photographing architecture, I'm aware that photos sometimes need people to act as a focus of interest. Heng Qin Island is one of those amazing Chinese projects which makes any observer wonder 'when will it all end?' The island, which currently holds a sleepy fishing village and a few low-end hotels, is being made-over as a duty-free zone. A ring road is being built around the island, and there are literally scores of cranes building an instant city of hi-rise apartments. I was trying to capture the forest of cranes and pile driving derricks without any success. Just boring shots with no real interest. Then a typical Yamaharley 125cc mini cruiser tootled round the corner. Dad looked at me as I quickly panned onto him. Son stayed glued to the cell phone. By the time I released the shutter, dad had glanced the other way to see what the hell the stupid laowai was photographing. Voila! Personally, I like the result. The moto gives movement, the people give interest (where were they going?) and the rider looking the other way eventually (I hope) focuses the viewer's attention on the plethora of cranes. Or am I being delusional?
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 25, 2011 7:54:54 GMT -5
John - a very handsome camera. Although I've never managed to successfully un-gum congealed lens grease without disassembling the focus helix, I'm all for your approach as a first resort. I reckon my success rate for successfully reassembling the helix must be a shade over 50 percent.
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Post by nikkortorokkor on Sept 23, 2011 6:03:09 GMT -5
Also, well done from me.
Likewise, I've had a few 'half inched' (rather embarrassingly on one occasion) and given some away, but it's been a long while since I was approached to sell one.
MT
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