Shooting with extremely long lenses like the 150-600mm Sigma requires higher shutter speed and to compensate for this, higher ISO levels are required. This gave me a chance of seeing the result of using 6,400 and 10,000 (and higher) ISO sensitivities. And I will tell you I am extremely impressed. I have a hummingbird picture at 6,400 that is perfectly fine. I’m sure if I subjected it to very close scrutiny and blew it up to 200% I’d find issues. And that would be crazy. My point is this camera has really excellent 6,400 ISO results. The next test is to take some photos at that sensitivity in a low light indoor environment. If it passes that test then this is the camera I was looking for when I was looking for a successor for the Sony A-850 in 2011. The A850 was a great camera. It had a best in class 24 megapixel sensor and shot beautiful 100 ISO photos. Even 200, 400 and even kinda sorta 800 ISO photos were also very good. but try to take photos in a restaurant at 100 or even 800 ISO. You’ll have motion blur and worse. So I used to take 3,200 and 6,400 ISO shots that looked like a Monet painting with color noise swirling around everything. I tried to convince myself that I liked the result but it was pathetic. Now here I am a mere seven years later and all’s right with the world. Well, that’s assuming the indoor tests go as hoped. That also assumes the low light autofocus is as advertised. Stay tuned. Results will follow soon.
Month: May 2018
15MAY2018 – Quote of the Day
He got this one right.
The greatest evils in the world will not be carried out by men with guns, but by men in suits sitting behind desks
15MAY2018 – American Greatness Post of the Day – Why is Trump A President Like No Other by Victor Davis Hanson
My post here is an echo of an echo. Hanson is giving a description of Conrad Black’s biography of Trump, “Donald J. Trump: A President Like No Other“. Victor Davis Hanson is very often a good read, no matter the subject, and this article is no different. It has inspired me to get this biography even though I recently read a different (and less friendly one) one. I liked Hanson’s review so I reviewed it! Seriously, there’s nothing groundbreaking in this article but if you are interested in the biography and like Hanson’s style it’s a nice read.
[post script – After further reflection this is actually an echo of an echo of an echo. I’m writing about Hanson writing about Black writing about Trump]
14MAY2018 – Quote of the Day
The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor.
Shooting Sigma Canon Mount Lenses with the Sigma MC-11 Adapter on the Sony A7 III – Part 1
Last Thursday I received the following equipment from LensRentals.com:
- Adapter – Sigma MC-11 Canon EF to Sony E, serial 51758012
- Bag – Lowepro Lens Case 11 x 26cm, serial S810466
- Case – Sigma LS-137K , serial S814943
- Filter – Sigma 105mm Protector, serial S645658
- Filter – Sigma 86mm Protector, serial S641204
- Hood – Sigma LH1164-01, serial S498651
- Hood – Sigma LH927-01, serial S412678
- Sigma 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG OS HSM A1 S for Canon, serial 51367833
- Sigma 180mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG HSM OS for Canon, serial 13268931
- Tripod Foot – Sigma 150-600mm S, serial S872113
- Tripod Ring – Sigma 150-600mm S , serial S872109
- Tripod Ring – Sigma TS-21, serial S454931
I mentioned in an earlier post that I watched a video that the TheCameraStore guys did that tested Metabones and Sigma (MC-11) adapters for Canon mount lenses onto Sony e-mount cameras. In the video they said that on Canon brand lenses the Metabones adapter was better than the MC-11 and had pretty good autofocus. But they also said that on Sigma brand lenses (of Art, Sport and Contemporary series) in Canon mount the autofocus was virtually identical to native Sony lens autofocus. Now that really got me thinking. Sony lacks really long glass and a 200mm macro lens. Sigma has a 150-600 that is pretty sharp and a 180mm f\2.8 macro that is also reputed to be good. The 150-600 is part of the Sports series and therefore one of the lenses that the MC-11 is tuned for. The MC-11 isn’t programmed for the 180mm macro so that was a question mark. I decided to rent them and the MC-11 and test them out.
Between work responsibilities and bad weather I’ve only had a chance to do a little testing but I have confirmed that the MC-11 does give the 150-600 truly excellent autofocus very similar to a native lens on the A7 III. And the 180 macro does not have that native autofocus programming with the MC-11. The display registers an array of rough squares for the focus points. This looks like the older autofocus from the version II A7 cameras. So I can confirm the accuracy of the description of the MC-11’s ability on the Sports series. The 180mm macro autofocus is definitely at a lesser level than with the specified series lenses.
But I still am interested in the 180 macro as the best choice for the A7 III camera. So I’ve been trying it out for some bird photos including hummingbirds. So far I like the results. Next I’ll try some butterflies if they show up in the next week or so.
Monster Hunter Siege by Larry Correia – A Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review
Larry Correia’s Monster Hunter series has been a fun experience for me. His stories feature heroic monster hunters battling the unalloyed evil of the world’s varied monster population. The Shacklefords and their associates have turned wholesale slaughter of the undead into a lucrative enterprise but one that has taken its toll on the family. Included in this attrition are three recent victims who have been turned respectively, into a werewolf and two master vampires. But what makes it a pleasure is that none of the monsters and none of the hunters ever seem tempted to wax poetic on the need to increase the world quotient of social justice. The diversity of the characters is measured in species of monsters dispatched or the variety of allied supernatural creatures such as trailer-park dwelling elves, death-metal loving orcs and gangsta gnomes who get featured in a story. Correia never once discusses the need to ascertain the correct gender fluid pronouns of any zombies before blowing their heads off with a rocket propelled grenade. So, the books are very much action oriented. Shooting monsters is their forte.
But I am happy to relate that Larry’s storytelling abilities are definitely becoming more nuanced. In Siege one of the highlights of the book is a sustained dialog between the protagonist (Owen Pitt) and his nemesis. In this scene Correia gives the devil his due. In fact, I think his evil character may actually seal the show. Of course, there is still plenty of combat and monsters being blown up. And Larry further clarifies the mythology of his universe. So never fear, there’s plenty of explosions to warm the heart of all Monster Hunter fans. But Larry is definitely steering the series into a more complicated plot. Larry has shown that he is not averse to killing off some of his characters. And some of that goes on in Siege. But what is also clarified is that he is braiding at least five separate strands of supernatural intervention and even some of the “good guys” may not get along together. So, we shouldn’t expect any imminent resolution of the larger threat that has been growing in the background. If anything, the details at the end of Siege further complicate the future for Owen and his family. But that’s alright. Larry seems in control of his material and expanding the scope of the story to epic proportions.
So, if you are already a Monster Hunter fan then the good news is that Siege is a very worthy successor to the series. And if you are new to the series then rest assured that your investment will pay off with an already good number of sequels to satisfy your monster killing quota and with every indication that Larry will continue to expand the Monster Hunter saga into an urban fantasy franchise comparable in size and quality to Jim Butcher’s Dresden files. The only shortcoming to the story is that the only mention of Agent Franks is retrospective to the previous book. We’ll have to wait for the next book to see his smiling face.
Curbing My Enthusiasm
So yesterday I allowed my unbridled exuberance to get away from me (The Trumpocalypse Picks Up Steam) and today I’m feeling the let down as my feet touch the ground again. That’s okay. It’s better to try your wings once in a while, no harm done. But let’s then look at the negative side of the picture today:
- The wall isn’t built or even funded.
- Thirty million illegal aliens still inhabit the U.S.
- Robert Mueller wants to interview President Trump.
- Justice Kennedy hasn’t ended his reign of judicial terror.
- The Clintons still infest Planet Earth.
- Affirmative action is still the law of the land.
- Smarmy college students still hector the normal people about white privilege.
- Twitter, Google, YouTube, Facebook and Amazon still function as on-line speech police against the Right.
- Virtually every college in the country is a propaganda indoctrination center.
- California and New York (and several other states) criminally interfere with the enforcement actions of the Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents.
- Nancy Pelosi hasn’t been euthanized yet by either PETA or the American Humane Society.
- Rosie O’Donnell hasn’t yet been assigned the status of food aid, rendered into 250,000 MRE and flown to North Korea as part of the peace deal.
Well, okay, those last two were just added for fun but you get the picture. There’s still plenty for President Trump to do in the second half of his first term. I shouldn’t be so happy. It’s unwarranted. And yet I am!
I’m sorry, I can’t feel down. Looking at all these problems only increases my belief that the Republicans despite their epic cowardice and stupidity will benefit from President Trump’s popularity and hold onto the House and Senate. This won’t be for their sake but it will be the American people’s desire to help Donald Trump. And I think the Mueller investigation will end without doing any real damage to the Trump Administration. And I think that Sessions will finally clean out the rat’s nest of cabalists in the Justice Department. And I now believe that President Trump will get to appoint at least one more Supreme Court Justice. And finally, I’ll go out on a limb and say that the Supreme Court will find in favor of the baker in that Gay Marriage Wedding Cake Trial travesty. And that last one is just a hunch. Common sense says that Kennedy will go out with one last assault on normal Americans. But somehow the change in the climate makes me think Kennedy will try and strike a balance if for no other reason than to moderate the anger that is growing on the right toward all these outrages against common decency.
So there it is. I’m slap happy from all the winning. Maybe I’m completely delusional. Time will tell. But the sun is shining, the birds are singing and all’s right with the world in this best of all possible worlds. Well except that Nancy Pelosi and Rosie O’Donnell still walk the earth. Well, that can wait for the second term I guess.
11MAY2018 – Quote of the Day
Xenophon was a practical man. That must have frustrated his mentor Socrates. The thought of that pleases me immensely for some reason. I guess it’s my hate for Plato. Here’s more of an observation than a quote.
When the interests of mankind are at stake, they will obey with joy the man whom they believe to be wiser than themselves. You may prove this on all sides: you may see how the sick man will beg the doctor to tell him what he ought to do, how a whole ship’s company will listen to the pilot.
Xenophon
11MAY2018 – American Greatness Post of the Day
Chris Buskirk interviewed Michael Anton ( link ) about his tenure in the Trump Administration. There are a number of interesting things in the interview. But toward the end they talk a bit about Anton’s opinion of Donald Trump. As opposed to the usual disillusionment we typically hear from former administration members Anton is extremely positive about his former boss. Here are the more important ones I gleaned from the audio interview.
“He was just right about the issues that mattered right now and that’s why I supported him.”
“I knew him reasonably well … wasn’t having dinner with him … was a staff guy … but was around him a lot over the course of fifteen, sixteen months.”
“Liked him enormously, respected him enormously … there is a patriotic core to him that burns very hot.”
“He’s in it for the right reason, is doing it for the right reason … he didn’t have to do any of this.”
“He’s governing as President almost purely out of love for this country.”
Both Buskirk and Anton were educated at Claremont-McKenna College and were pupils of Harry Jaffa who was associated with the Claremont Institute. I have found the people associated with the Claremont Institute to be extremely aware of what is currently at stake in our political situation and perceptive about the actual value of the various players on the political landscape.
The Trumpocalypse Picks Up Steam
I sense a stirring in the force. Even the NeverTrumpers detect the turning of the tide. The New York Times is starting to talk about it. I’m not saying that I’m tired of winning but I definitely notice that the orcs are starting to waver. Politico has written off the Senate as unreachable for the Democrats. The generic Congressional Preference Poll has gone from Dems +10 to even. What a wonderful place to be in the spring of a Mid-Term election year. I noted recently that the NY Times is providing us with the acceptable “ intellectual leaders of the dark web.” To me that says they’re trying to blunt the force of the tsunami headed their way. Next will come the congressional “moderates” reaching across the aisle to come up with sensible (understand liberal) choices for the Supreme Court. Before you know it the MSM will start touting the remaining liberal Republicans as elder statesmen and intellectual leaders of the Grand Old Party, “the party of Lincoln.” We’ll be told that good old American compromise is the bedrock virtue on which all others rest. And then the wackiest of all transformations will occur sometime around the beginning of Trump’s second term. We’ll hear about how moderate Trump is but how radical Pence has somehow become. How we need to find a better candidate for 2024 that better reflects the spirit of the times. Possibly Mitt Romney or even JEB!.
Let’s hope that Republican leaders (?!) and voters have learned something from the Bush years. Don’t trust the Dems. Ever. And if you get them on the ground put your foot on their throat and keep it there. Permanently. These people are the problem and the ones who want to compromise with them are idiots.
I look forward to a few things happening this spring. I assume the rest of the FBI cabalists will be fired and hopefully prosecuted. The Mueller Investigation will be terminated either willingly or unwillingly. And I hope to see the Supreme Court come out on the side of the Wedding Baker. Even that idiot Kennedy will have to own up to religious freedom existing in the Bill of Rights. Beyond that we’ll see. I hope the #metoo movement will continue to terminate Democrat slimeballs. And if somehow the Republican congress can manage to get out of its own way, I even have hope that the House of Representatives will remain in Republican hands. I say this because all the ballyhoo about the blue wave seems like self-generated hype by the MSM.
So fellow deplorables, ask not what your Uncle Donald can do for you, ask what you can do for Uncle Donald. After all, he’s achieved more than anyone imagined he could. Make sure you don’t gripe every time the MSM paints a decision or an action as “unconservative.” Remember what the Bible says about the Devil quoting scripture. In Trump we trust is the mantra and until he sells Alaska back to the Russians I’m firmly in the “Trump Can Do No Wrong” crowd.