There are three activities that each take two hours. Braking and steering while braking where you are told to get up to 40 miles an hour and then slam on the brakes so you get within 1 foot of the line of cones, then steer around the cones at 40 miles an hour and slam the brakes on afterward. Slalom, where you weave in and out of the cones, one side fast, U turn, one side slower, U turn, repeat. Then the skidpad, where you go in an oval without steering – using the throttle to steer out and in.

I’m well into the driving simulator thing, so I’m familiar with the theory and have spent a great deal of time pretending to do these things, so doing them in real life is what I’ve been pretending to do for ages. My heart didn’t race, I didn’t lock up, I knew exactly what to expect, but I was feeling the whole experience for the first time really, and really it was a blast.

The only regret I have is that we learned that sunblock can expire. Both of us got thoroughly roasted from the neck up (it was only 65ish all day). But I’d do it again in a moment. What a blast.

This is on top of me learning that the transmission is slipping intermittently and won’t pass the next smog (16 months away and counting). A transmission rebuild with a 3 year warranty is $3800, Factory rebuilt is $5500, not including tax and so on. Yay. So I’ve already got the replacement car itch when this happens. Ole car, you’re not making a very good case for yourself.

Just the same, it’s so much cheaper overall to just keep fixing Old Stiggy, and I have the math that tried to disprove it.

Short story – at 20 kilomiles per year, keeping the car I have, even if I do replace the transmission and fix pretty much everything wrong with it, works out by far the cheapest solution over the next 7 years, INCLUDING an engine replacement. Note that most of the cars on that chart are used, not new. I was trying to prove that it’s getting too expensive to keep, but it doesn’t work out that way yet. But if I get stranded too often, I’ll stop caring what my retirement fund thinks of the decision.

Grr. I guess you can reach me at home until Tuesday or so. I guess I’ll be re-gluing the headliner, flushing the brake fluid, and waiting for the FedEx guy.

Anyway, the seat has to go to make room for things like safety equipment. Combined with donated office chair base and… voila! The most comfortable eyesore ever to roll into your home office.

Saturday, as I’m sure you all know, is/was the 24 Hours of LeMans (the real one, in LeMans, France), which is still running and will end in about 5 more hours. Audi has lost two cars to spectacularly devastating crashes, with both drivers walking away. A Porsche driver was not so lucky and was taken to the ambulance on a gurney, no word yet. The Audi – Peugeot rivalry is in full swing, with the lone remaining Audi driver in front of the three Peugeot drivers. Hot stuff, but I have to sleep. Just the same, a 24 hour race has spent something like 4 hours under the safety car speed limits (they had to rebuild a wall from one of the crashes), and that’s a LOT of time. Formula 1 is in Canada this weekend, so it’ll be weird to think that we could actually watch it live (until Austin or South America again). Practice 2 was good, even the accidents aren’t hitting walls, and the course looks fast. We have qualifying to watch still, which I tend to like better than the actual races. I’m odd like that.

I spent the day washing our car and van. My car still draws respectful comments from neighbors. However, and I’m still not sure how, it’s been covered in ants. I have a couple theories. One is that the tree at work I’m parking under is leaking ants, and the other is that I did see an ant on the ceiling over my car in the garage. Maybe they are falling off the ceiling onto the car and never quite finding their way off again. Just the same, I’m tired of them, and so is Child Two. But after the washing, perhaps they’ll go.

Evening had us go out to see Pirates of the Caribbean IV, which was a laugh; a definite apology for the last two. Babysitter was Child One’s school teacher, who the dog adopted, then forgot, then adopted, then forgot… what a stupid dog. We had fun, came home, checked on the race, and here we are around 1 A.M.

What a great day!

(Monday after race resumes)

Turns out that all the drivers in the multiple heavy crashes seen during the race fared pretty well (have to check on the news yet this morning), but what an incredible race. The P1 class drivers were mere seconds apart after 24 hours – HOURS – of racing. What a race.

The most obvious answer is that I feel the need for some sort of catharsis. In the same way that sometimes people like riding roller coasters. The speed and physical sensation is fun – it invokes (imagine something deeply chemistry or biology sounding here). Juices flow. I smile. This is good.

But here’s the weird bit. I can get a similar emotional reaction from a good session with Gran Turismo or rFactor, minus the physical reaction of having been thrown around corners and hopefully not crashed a 10-to-100 thousand dollar car weighing 1 to 3 tons and damaging this meaty thing my mommy gave me. The thrill is real enough, the physical reaction is of course different.

There is something to be said for my weekly trip up the narrow twisting roads of the Santa Cruz mountains as a detour on my way to work. I get to feel a little of the inertia of a real car in tight corners, the roar of a real engine, the smells and sensations and sounds of a real car going beyond it’s minimal tasks of coasting along a straight highway at the speed limit or sitting quietly at a stoplight. But what about those menial tasks invokes the physical reaction of me wanting to stomp the gas, screech away from the lights and take corners at 45 mph to offset the tedium? Why do I suddenly need this sensation?

Maybe because it’s just AWESOME.

First observation – babies are heavy. I mean, ours is only rated as a 23 pounder, but man, water for 3 plus the pack plus the camera plus one lens ended up somewhere in the 60 pound range, I’m sure. Now, I know I’m out of shape for this kind of thing, but my stars.

Second observation – the superzoom lens and camera did okay for where we were. I put it on ISO 400, program mode, and just let it go. This is after all, what it was meant to do. The 18s are a little warpy and fade more than I like in the corners, in the middle it looks pretty good actually, and on closeups it just looks average. The contrast is never great, the colors are not wonderful but not bad, and it’s just not a sharp lens; but I didn’t really expect it to be. I’ll reserve speculation for later in the article. Once we got near the top, I switched out the 18-200 for the 12-24 to get the view from the top in. I did a quick-n-cheesy pano spin of the view for stitching once we got home, recovered my breath, showed the kids San Francisco, Oakland, and our house in San Jose all from one view (nice!) and then we turned back for the shade and refreshing downhill walk to the van. (See July08 folder on www.smurfless.com for more/bigger.)

Third observation – the 12-24 is a nice lens for tripod work, but on the D2x, it’s just not fast enough for shady walking shots. I should have switched to auto-ISO or gone to ISO 800, but I didn’t, and that cost me some none too good shots of us descending. Honestly I don’t miss those pictures, but it did reinforce my geeky desire for the new D3/D700 generation with all the extra ISO horsepower they hold. It also reminded me that for day tripping, I should just switch to my auto-ISO custom setting every time instead of thinking I’d remember to adjust. I was too busy trying not to have a stroke.

But a new camera would knock my 360 precision template out of line, I must not succumb. I must resist! But I am weak. I may be able to wait until the next generation comes out, but it’s hard to say. At least the D2x continues to work, where my D1x just plain ate batteries like candy. The D2x is still after all this time a reliable beast, and 12 megapixels is quite a big image for all its perceived weaknesses compared to newer cameras.

So part of why I’m rattling this off is that I wanted to compare this to the ounce-counting camp. Am I really getting a chance to do something better for the what, 5 pounds of extra gear I’m hauling with me? I’ve seen decent pictures come out of point-n-shoots, and what I’m doing is essentially the same work, but the images are bigger, more clean, and believe it or not, easier on the eyes. I’m certainly getting more exercise, but is it worth it? I guess that’s subjective, but I certainly got a couple shots I’m happy I took with a decent camera. Once the kids can carry themselves, I can easily see carrying a tripod with a light ballhead as well, although perhaps not my 360 Precision. And while I liked having the full range of the zoom, I think I’d only use it on scouting for “real pictures” using heavier lenses and a tripod, because I’m just not happy with it as a fine picture lens. I feel that the far cheaper 28-105 gives far sharper pictures although without the fun VR and -S suffixes. The contrast is better, the falloff is about the same, and the images are just plain sharper. Plus it feels lighter. Maybe I’m nitpicking, but I think next trip I’ll just go with the 28-105. And besides, once I get a full frame camera, the 28-105 remains a full-resolution lens. And it’s cheaper. It’s hard to argue those if you’re shopping.

So, I think it’s time to either hand the VR off to my wife who would probably get full use of it and then sell off the other two lenses she has (kit + 70-300 junker) or just sell it and not disturb what she has going. Either way, I think it’s not going back in my kit. I think I want a medium telephoto that doesn’t suck, which I hear the 80-200 f/2.8 is the answer to.

1. Create a new PTGui project.
2. Add your bracketed shots.
3. Turn on Advanced.
4. Skip everything until the HDR step.
5. Go to the Panorama Editor window and use the “Fit to picture” thing that clips off as much black as it can.
6. In the HDR tab, set it up the way you want. I like my contrast at about 20% for this shot.
7. Skip to the Preview/Output steps as you normally would.

This just saved me buying an additional piece of software, and I’m honestly quite pleased with the result. Thanks guys!

I went to a meeting with someone presenting information on multi-flash shoots, specifically mobile multi-flash shooting (like weddings, etc.). He presented a lot of examples of his work, and in the end he tried to set up a head-shot shoot right in front of us. The pictures turned out terribly. And here’s why in my opinion. He didn’t read the manual. He was eyeballing everything. “Oh, I’ll set the box over here and set it to this, then set the backlight to that, then set this one over here and a reflector over there. Now I’ll pull out my light meter and wave it around, and then ignore it and cast it aside. Now lets shoot! Oh look, it didn’t work.”

In the manual for my Nikon flashes, they give you a set of tables that cover the ratios of ISO to cone to distance, resulting in the settings you input on the flashes if you don’t have TTL available. Being the nerd I am, I went so far as to turn this table into a query app for my Palm, so now when I’m setting up my SB-80 DX, I put in the 4 variables, read the output, and I’m done. I don’t have to guess. I know that this is “Exposure 0″. I should update it with my SB-800s, but I’m moving off my Palm largely in favor of my iPhone. I guess I could whip up some PHP instead. Back to business.

So why is it that this guy that spent easily $2000 on flash equipment and who knows what on classes missed out on such a simple trick? And why is it that I figured that out on my own when the unknown list of teachers and counselors he’s had haven’t pointed him to that? Is it antiquated information? Is it too hard? I seriously think he could have saved the shots in front of us by doing the three lookups he needed and putting his flashes on pure-slave mode, skipping the expensive radio transmitters.

AND, here’s where I get to put my money where my mouth is. Next month’s meeting contest is for flashed photos. I have an idea or two of what I want to shoot and how, but first I have use Yep! to pull up my flash’s manual.

First, my car is “older”. 11 years. It’s a nice sports car, but the
engine won’t last forever, and the power is definitely off it’s
original spec. The body and interior are in great shape, but the
engine is going to need a good deal of improvement to get back to
“sports car” condition. It’s
due for an oil change, so I can talk to my mechanic shop about it
then. But there are used M5s for 30ish and even less… and they would
fit more kids, sit just as well at the train stop under a cover, using
more expensive parts and tires, and attracting more attention of the
kind of people that should probably not see a used M5 covered at a
park-n-ride. So maybe I should go look into econoboxes, right? Well,
my common daily drive is to elementary school for a dropoff, then to
the train station to park until 6:30 when the shuttle comes in, or a
50 mile round trip to work, and I rarely go out at lunch.

But let’s back up a bit. Why in the WORLD am I looking at cars? My car
is fine. It’s probably fine for another 100 kilomiles (currently at
106.5 kilomiles). It looks fabulous, sounds great, has the aftermarket
bluetooth adapter, iPod adapter (the kind that does NOT stink), and
aside from the looming threat of a coolant system rebuild (plastic
gets old after 10 years), it’s fine. But I looked up how much it is
for carbon fiber body panel replacements to cut some weight off, maybe
shed a few pounds of stuff to drive back and forth, accelerating and
decelerating at every stop and turn, but the fact is that $800 for a
new hood and $900 for new, less safe doors aren’t really my thing. A
new exhaust would pep the engine up a bit, paired with a cold-air
intake it’d be a nice less-expensive upgrade to keep it feeling lively
while I run it into the ground for good.
And back to the car – it’s paid for. Do you see why I’m worried? I
should not be looking at cars at all seriously. But I’m not sure I’m
doing anything other than just looking at what’s there now so that in
3 years when I’m starting to get serious about a replacement, I’ll
know what the off-lease cars I’m looking at were when they were new.
Because I’m completely sure I’m not going to buy any car for 60k, no
matter how cool the new M3 looks, or how absolutely I would love to go
burn off the tires and an entire tank of gas on route 9.

My camera is fine. So it’s not worth the MSRP any more, as there is a
new bumped up version of it out plus another very significant model
improvement (D3), but the camera is slightly over 12 megapixels,
handles GPS and panoramas flawlessly, again, is paid for, and my
biggest complaints about it are pretty much trivial (see previous
post). I would like to get a couple of my lesser lenses sold off and
replaced by their bigger brothers in f2.8 or f1.x range, but that’s a
serious outlay for what amounts to just plain better pictures that I
still don’t have enough time to get to until the kids are older. And
yet yesterday, I whipped up a text list of the 5 lenses I’d like most
to get, amounting to some stupid amount nearing $10,000. Why? Why do I
need to have this roadmap in front of me?

My house (townhouse/condo technically) is fine. It’s perfect for how
we live at the moment. But my wife wants a yard, and I want to spend
less than 50% of my paycheck on housing – more if you include property
taxes. And I see houses – actual 2500+ sft houses in other areas of
the (county, country) that would give us both options, but with the
standard array of problems getting to them. 1. Jobs – present and
future, 2. Real-Estate selling issues, 3. Real-estate agent fees, 4.
schools, etc. etc. etc. But yet I look. Not often, not seriously, but
I look.

So as to why, I’ve got a couple theories, and you know how my theories
go. Feel free to stop reading any time you like.

First, I’ve always been a looker. Maybe I’m a toy-voyeur, loving to
look at things that aren’t mine. I don’t feel like that’s the right
answer. Maybe I’m bored. I personally think that’s it. I just like to
see what’s out there, what’s coming next. Where are we taking what we
learned last year and making it better.
Maybe I’m a moron.
Second, there are specific problems with the things I have that make
me want to improve them. I’m not saying what I have is bad, but I’m
always adjusting things, fiddling with them to make them fit better
with what I want. But when I get things
to the way I want them and mostly leave them alone until I don’t like
them again.

So, comment away. Do you do the same thing? Is this behavior I should
abhor in the future? Am I just the archetypal wasteful American, doing
his thing, leaving wanton destruction in his path while searching for
perfection? Or am I just human?

One day I should do a D2x love and hate list. Remind me about that.

Today can be that day. I love a lot of things about my Nikon D2x, but there are a couple things I could wish were different. And just to be different, I’m going to set about it in Con-Pro order, because I’d rather get the worst out of the way.

Con

Auto ISO should have both an upper and lower boundary, and include EVERY ISO option, not just the factory’s favorites. The noise in the HI-x ISOs are nuts, but if I think it’s an acceptable risk and it saves the shot, then so be it. But at least give me the option.

The d-pad on the rear of the camera feels more flimsy than I like. The locking ring should lock the control in the same way the D1x did – push plastic under it so I can tell it’s locked. And selecting the middle click on that control is nearly impossible without accidentally triggering a direction.

I wish the “Func” button on the front was easier to tell from that other button that I never use. It used to be the only button there and it was far more friendly to find. Maybe I’m just not retraining well.

Noise at high ISOs is nuts. I know you’ve fixed this on the D3. But still.

I was taking pictures of the moon during the eclipse. Noise cancellation seems to rob the sky of all color. What the heck is that about?

Nikon, your mac software is a joke. Please just include Aperture or Lightroom in the future. That’s what we’ve all wanted anyway. And this isn’t limited to Nikon RipOffNX or whatever it’s being called these days. Nikon Scan crashes quite regularly with no explanation at all. Nikon View is an abomination and should be dismembered and buried at sea. Send a couple engineers over to Apple and a couple over to Adobe and feed them the information they need, and for crying out loud leave software to people that know software.

Please, we’re begging you, put a plate between the sensor and the outside whenever the lens release catch is opened. Guess when the sensor is most vulnerable to “dust”. Guess what makes it most easy to protect that valueable resource. Come on.

The CF door is harder to open than on the D1x series. Don’t ask me how, but it always takes me two tries to open it. Maybe this is on purpose, but I liked it the easier way.

1.5x multiplier is annoying for wide angle work, and if I get to the D3, I’m going to be furious at my collection of now “low resolution” DX lenses. Unless I keep the D2x for just panorama work, which is a possibility that strikes fear into my retirement plans.

I want an easier way to “return to these settings whenever I power off.” A power-on default custom set (Custom A shooting settings, Custom A other settings).

The flash is much better than on the D1x where I mostly set it to manual/aperture mode and let it fly, hoping for the best. But keep on it, I’m sure you’ll get it in one or two more iterations. I’m really much happier with Aperture mode on the D2x than anything at all on the D1x, which really was a frustrating camera to flash with.

Meter White Balance down to 2000 kelvin please. Have you NOT dealt with real incandescent lights before?

Pro

Now that that little rant is out of the way, let me get on to the things I love about it.

Everything.

The colors show wonderfully when you understand what you’ve been doing wrong all these years.

The full-auto matrix metering is spectacular for 85-90% of all pictures you take. There are occasional issues with super-high contrast shots (usually more than 4 stops difference), where it generally will meter to the highs instead of the lows, but that’s a nitpick. It does wonderfully.

The top speed of the shutter is wonderful.

Long-exposures with noise cancellation are greater than I could have hoped for, especailly after what the D1 series did with them.

The extended periods of waiting on the buffer to write out to disk from my D1x days are long gone.

9 frames a second is an insane feeling, and it’s great to have when you need it.

The prints can be astonishingly huge. Bigger than I could ever think to actually make. Seriously, if you print at 300dpi (pretty normal for my stuff), that’s 14.3″ by 9.5″, uncropped. And if you’re doing large prints (24″x18″ and up), 300dpi is overkill anyway (for me) – 150dpi on that and you’re not stretching on a 30″x20″ canvas. I’ve only ever ordered one of those, and that was on the D1x, not even the D2x. And it still looks pretty good.

It FEELS like a serious camera. It’s not a toy, even though you can set it to “Toy Mode” and still get the most amazing snapshots.

The battery life is amazing. I had the terrible D1x battery issues, and that really was the death of that camera. You just couldn’t count on it. So when I ordered my D2x, I included 3 batteries. Had I known that they fixed EVERYTHING, I would have only picked up two. But I think of it this way – I’m probably good for a week of shooting on 3. I wish I could say the same for my AA supply for the flashes and Hyperdrive.