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All the parts in this image were not officially released to the public. I have obtained them through other collectors and resellers. From left to right:
• prototype SNOT plates
• a test print
• a Q-Element
• a Grangemouth test brick
• a Satin-Light blue minifigure
These items have been collected because of a genuine hobbyist interest in, and enthusiasm for, LEGO history, production, engineering and quality control. Finding and understanding these items, is like an ongoing treasure hunt that is shared with a community of like-minded LEGO fans.
The items
Prototype parts
Prototype parts, like the prototype SNOT plates in the photo, are "early models" of part designs. The parts never made it into production in this form. They are generally used to evaluate the part design (for example to evaluate the concept, visual appearance, user-experience testing, ...). The parts are usually discarded afterwards.
The parts that I own have been sold in LEGO's internal shop for employees or have been given away in lots that LEGO donated, for example for promotional purposes.
Test bricks
LEGO required that the chemical companies and manufacturers followed a strict quality control programme using test bricks. They often manufactured other plastic products also. The quality control process that was in place for their work for LEGO, was frequently also applied to their other plastic products. As a result, test bricks can be found in a wide range of materials and colours that were never used by LEGO itself.
Initially, old production moulds were used. These bricks have the LEGO logo on all studs. Later specific test brick moulds were made. Initially, those also had the LEGO logo on all studs. After that, bricks with the letters ABCD with varying stud size were used. Later those were replaced by bricks with the letter C on the studs. These days, several other letters are seen.
Nightshift Grangemouth test bricks
In the late 1970s some employees at Borg-Warner wanted to experiment with some of the excess plastic from the regular LEGO production and used the mould to produce bricks with a "granite effect", like the multicoloured brick in the photo. The bricks they produced were given to children. They did not see this as a problem, because the marbled "granite" bricks could be clearly distinguished from real LEGO products. This might have been done with permission within the factory, or they might have been produced during night shifts, but LEGO was not pleased about it. As the story was told on BrickLink, the bricks were eventually spotted by a LEGO representative and the mould was taken away.
It looks like soon after, the test moulds with LEGO logos were replaced with test moulds without LEGO markings. From now on, if any unofficial products that might not meet all quality standards made their way to the general public, it would be clear that these were not official LEGO products.
Test prints
A lot can go wrong while printing on LEGO parts. That is why LEGO has a quality control process for printing. We find both print alignment calibration parts and parts that are printed on the "wrong" base colour, like the minifigure head in the photo.
We assume that these wrong-coloured parts are usually test prints, made on whatever colour was available in the machine at the time but not on the intended colour. This way, the final print design can be evaluated while any test parts can easily be separated from the later actual production parts. That way, there can be no confusion and only the correct parts can be included into sets. Even with all that care, things can still go wrong. Technology can fail, printers can run out of ink, etc. As a result, incomplete prints or misaligned prints are also found.
These parts used to be very rare, but in recent year many have found their way to resellers. They have been included in charity gifts that LEGO made, and some German resellers that seem to have access to LEGO's leftovers get them.
Q-elements
Q-Elements are parts that are made by LEGO for use in model shops. The model shops can request certain parts in unusual colours when they need them. That is how the transparent dark blue brick in this photo was made. They are intended to be used by these model shops only, and as a result they probably do not have to meet all the strict quality requirements that the parts that are released in sets have to meet. That would explain why transparent parts are available to model shops but not in sets. Leftovers from these model shops are sometimes sold or given away.
Mould test runs
Moulds require maintenance. After a mould has been disassembled, maintained and reassembled, a test is needed to ensure that everything works properly. Traditionally, red and transparent material has been used for these tests because some flaws are more visible using these colours.
Few of these parts have shown up, although the number seems to be increasing. These parts used to be rare, but are not hard to find now (finding a random part is easy, finding a specific part is still nearly impossible).
The parts are still often sold as "rare prototypes" by resellers who wish to increase the price.
"Nightshift minifigures"
Before 2020, only very few transparent minifigures were known to exist. They were probably really part of initial mould testing (looking for hidden flaws in the first parts made in a new mould). These were extremely rare. Also, a red Darth Vader helmet was known. That part was probably also made during a first mould test. It sold for such a high value, that later clone brands made "replica prototype helmets" and sold those on Ebay.
In 2020, several transparent minifigures found their way to online sales platforms. The figures were made with genuine LEGO parts, made in unreleased colours. As far as we could tell, the parts originated in the Mexico factory. They were received with enthusiasm by several collectors who were willing to pay serious amounts of money for them. Soon, more minifigures became available. In order to increase collectability and related value, soon accessories like helmets/headgear and weapons were added to the minifigures. Minifigures related to themes like Star Wars and Batman became available in a wide range of colours. When these figures were first made, I expected LEGO to stop them soon. For some reason, LEGO has not done that or has not been able to. By 2022, the range of colours has increased to include 9 or 10 colours with glitter and 11 colours with satin have been made or announced (including the figure in this photo). Many of those colours were never released with those additions in officially released LEGO products.
Because the quality standards that normally apply to LEGO parts did not fully apply to these figures, deviations could occur. Several transparent parts are already known to crack. There is a good reason why LEGO does not release full-transparent minifigures. The available combination of material and design is not suitable for this application. This is an important quality consideration for LEGO products, but it does not appear to be for these unofficial released parts.
I would guess that these parts are made in small quantities during mould testing after maintenance. That would keep them out of the regular LEGO production lines, and possibly out of strict supervision.
Replicas and clones
Finally, there are replica's and clones, which are parts that were "inspired" by actual LEGO bricks. Made with "Is no fake, is copy"-ethics. For example, we have seen
• Replica stickers or replica prints on genuine (unprinted) LEGO parts, especially for expensive collectible sets
• Replica Plant Leaves 6 x 5 (part 2417) that were made "only in colours that LEGO did not make", until LEGO made some of those colours later...
• Replica train wheel rubber, to replace old parts that have deteriorated over time.
• Custom chromed parts, making it difficult to find the parts that were actually chromed by LEGO
• And finally last year there was a story that Chinese clone bricks were found that used the LEGO logo. As far as I know, this is the first time that suspected clone bricks might actually have used the LEGO logo. Usually, people just think that parts made in another mould version must be fake.
These fake parts often violate the intellectual property rights of LEGO (and franchises like Star Wars when those stickers/prints are copied). For collectors, they can make things very difficult. How to separate genuine or even rare valuable items from cheap knock-offs?
I don't have any of these in my collection, but I would probably be interested in a few of those rumoured Chinese Fake-LEGO-2x4-bricks with LEGO logo...
Reasons to collect
Treasure hunt and the community - It's a fun hobby
People still frequently find items that have never been seen by our community before. Finding them, sharing them online, and engaging the community bring both joy and social interaction with fellow collectors. The new items provide an opportunity to everyone to learn something new and to gain new insights or better understanding.
There is also fun in the chase. Figuring out what is out there and where to find it. Gotta catch 'em all!
And, finally.... Ohhh, Look how beautiful this new brick is!
Understanding history and product design
Through collecting these items, we can learn about LEGO's history. By comparing them, or thinking about why things are the way they are, we can learn about the evolution of technology and ideas. Every brick tells a story, about when and how it was made, about the challenges that had to be overcome or about the people that made and used them.
Conservation of knowledge and unique items
By finding, collecting and conserving items that are otherwise unobtainable and that might otherwise be scrapped and destroyed, we preserve tangible items that tell us the stories behind them in a visible way. When we find these items, we are often also finding the stories relating to these items.
Telling a story
Finally, when the items and their information become available, we can use those to tell a story. We can share what we have found in exhibitions or online, like on this Flickr page. Through these items and their stories, we can help people understand their rich history.
Ethical considerations
Collecting unreleased items?
While collecting, a collector should consider the implications of his or her actions.
We could consider several aspects:
1) Why the parts were made;
2) How the parts became available;
3) Who benefits from them;
4) Confidentiality and conflicts of interest.
Most of these parts were made as part of LEGO's design or quality control processes. They were made by LEGO or by their suppliers because they were needed.
Although the parts were not made to be released to the general public, most parts that do find their way out of the factories seem to do so by legitimate routes. They are, for example, included in sales or donations of leftover parts. There are stories where chemical companies have given test parts to their employees.
In most cases the person who made the parts did not personally benefit from them. The parts were often seen as unusable leftovers that could be donated or as interesting gifts to contacts or people who were involved in their development, or simply as toys for children of employees. Only later, often decades later when these children were grown up or when the employees died, did these parts make it to the secondary market. Resellers make some money by finding and selling these items.
As far as I know, confidentiality and conflicts of interest have not caused any issues yet. Considering confidentiality, we might happen to find information that could (still) be confidential. The basic principle should be that we, as fans of LEGO, do not wish to do any harm to LEGO. As a result, intellectual property and proprietary information should remain confidential. We can, however, share all publicly available information (including when it takes some effort of specialist knowledge to get it) about the items we find and our thoughts about them. Collectors might have personal friendships with people in the professional communities. We can ask for information, but we should respect their professional limits in what they can or cannot share and respect confidentiality when they ask us to remain silent about something.
Stimulation of illegitimate behaviour
In the case of the minifigure, a new situation seems to have occurred. It looks like someone, or probably a small group of people, is actively benefiting from an illegitimate activity. They have discovered the LEGO AFOL collectors market, and have found that serious money can be made by selling "unreleased prototypes", especially of minifigures related to collectable themes like Star Wars or Batman.
We cannot be certain as long as no official statements are made by LEGO, but it seems like these parts are made using LEGO moulds and LEGO materials without proper authorisation and without financial benefits for LEGO. This might be a form of theft, by the employee(s) who used the facilities and materials for personal gain. When buying these items, we might support and stimulate this kind of behaviour.
I consider the "nightshift minifigures" an interesting example of how LEGO employees and LEGO collectors deal with these items. Because of that, I do think that some of these parts have a place in my collection. I do however do not wish to stimulate the production of these figures much. That is why I choose to limit myself to a few parts. I will not buy any for resale or trade. That is just my approach though, every collector will have to make his or her own choices here.
Rollei Superpan 200 reversed to slide in PQ Universal
Antihalation layer removed to mimic the Kodak HIE look
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SUE975 “Venus de Usera” calle Juan Español 47
www.sue975.es/VENUS-DE-USERA/venus-de-usera.html
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Paisaje Sur. Plan de Mejora del Paisaje Urbano en Usera y Villaverde
Artistas de vanguardia decoran las fachadas, muros y otras zonas con “graffitis” de diseño
Un experimento sociológico en Nueva York instaló dos coches en barrios muy diferentes de esta ciudad: el suburbial Bronx, y el bohemio y elegante Village. A ambos vehículos se les rompieron las ventanillas. El que se colocó en el Bronx, a las 24 horas había sido vandalizado y estaba destrozado. El del Village, lo mismo. “Cuando un espacio está degenerado, esa sensación se contagia, y se acelera la degradación”, concluye el concejal de Las Artes, Pedro Corral. Precisamente para evitar este efecto, se han elegido los distritos de Usera y Villaverde para la segunda experiencia de Mejora del Paisaje Urbano en la capital, un experimento que lleva el arte urbano más vanguardista a las zonas degradadas de los distritos periféricos. La idea es convertir lo que hasta ahora era un espacio abandonado –una tapia de un solar, una fachada, un muro medianero entre bloques...– en una referencia artística para los vecinos. Lo hacen contando con éstos, con artistas vinculados a los barrios y de renombre en el panorama del arte urbano. Con sus creaciones, dan una nueva vida a lugares que están abandonados, sin uso o que el tiempo ha deteriorado. Les dotan de una nueva personalidad, y en función del artista y de la inspiración del lugar, pueden llegar a transformar una plaza, un solar o una medianería sin aparente gracia en un rincón lleno de arte, y convertir las calles en auténticos museos al aire libre.
Este plan, desarrollado por la Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural y Calidad del Paisaje Urbano del Ayuntamiento de Madrid, se enmarca en las líneas estratégicas encaminadas al fomento de la creatividad, la participación pública, la colaboración con los distritos y la difusión del paisaje urbano.
Paisaje Sur engloba un conjunto de actuaciones en Usera y Villaverde, tras el éxito del proyecto piloto en el distrito de Tetuán. Las acciones incluyen intervenciones sobre muros deteriorados, en plazas duras y la mejora y acondicionamiento de huertos urbanos. Participan artistas y colectivos, organizaciones ciudadanas, agentes culturales, económicos y sociales de los barrios, en coordinación con las Juntas Municipales de distrito. Los espacios y el tipo de intervenciones se han decidido tras analizar las necesidades de cada distrito así como los posibles ámbitos de actuación del proyecto. Además se ha contactado con el tejido asociativo y vecinal de los diferentes espacios a intervenir para involucrar a los vecinos en esta "puesta en valor" de sus barrios.
Entre las intervenciones, se encuentran murales realizados por creadores y colectivos de artistas radicados en el distrito. También se han acondicionado espacios o solares con huertos urbanos ya creados por los vecinos, con la intención de mejorar sus infraestructuras y dar apoyo a sus usuarios. Asimismo, se van a realizar acciones sobre plazas duras, mediante la creación de infraestructuras y espacios culturales portátiles demandados por los vecinos en plazas con poco uso para su gestión ciudadana. Se organizan, además, charlas con los vecinos para explicarles las acciones y se han nombrado coordinadores vecinales para que, como agentes sociales con conocimiento del contexto social y cultural, coordinen y difundan el proyecto dentro de cada uno de los barrios a través de visitas guiadas.
Estos proyectos se están llevando a cabo de la mano de Intermediae-Matadero Madrid, que han contado con Basurama, PEC, Todo por la Praxis, Zuloark, Las Ciento Volando, Jóvenes Creadores de Villaverde, Cruz Roja de Villaverde, Asociación Vecinal La Incolora de Villaverde, Servicio de Dinamización de Espacios Públicos de la Asociación La Rueca, Asociación de Vecinos Zofío de Usera, Sala Kubik Fabril y Espacio Oculto. Además han participado destacados artistas como LAGUNA, 3TTMAN, SUE, SPOCK y DOSJOTAS en el distrito de Usera; y LIQEN, ESCIF, SAM3, ARYZ y E1000 en el distrito de Villaverde.
Durante el año 2014, se han realizado doce de estas intervenciones en varias localizaciones diferentes
took my minolta hi-matic g out for a test run and didn't realize that for the 1st half of the roll it wasn't set on automatic. This one is the best of the worst :-)
expired film
April 21, 2013 - Kearney Nebraska US
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We had another storm cell develop right @ sunset. Just to the west of the city and it was moving rather slow. 8-10mph to the east.
Didn't know what to expect at first but it was producing some nice strikes every few mins. As I was setting up I thought I had enough light but I didn't have the exposure set correctly. First few pics are shaky due to my inability to set it up on a tripod. I forgot it @ home. So everything was done by hand. I was a little late to the game on this storm.
This storm had some incredible positive cloud to ground & cloud to cloud lightning. Just wish I had that tripod..... Still some good captures. Severe warning on this storm didn't come until it was almost on us. She really put on a Epic show of Light & Storm!
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Copyright 2013
Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography
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May 4th, 2012 - Northern Buffalo County Nebraska US
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I Seriously, wasn't going to go out this night... Had a weeks worth of hell, and I really just wanted to do was get off work and go home. I was tired, I was cranky, it was the first weekend I've had off in a Month...
As soon as I pulled into the driveway @home, I could hear the weather radio going off and my storm capturing sensation came over me. Listening to the bullitins coming over the radio and I Freaked!. The storms were closer than I had thought. NWS just put warnings for Northern Buffalo County for super fast development of strong to potentially super severe, with large hail, and possible Tornadoes.
Photography Chance of a lifetime... Even though someone could cast me as a member of the Walking Dead....I was a trooper and I didn't wimp out! Luckily I had the my camera on the charger... Grabbed all my equipment & I hauled A** North... 20 mins later I found myself in the perfect spot, under the perfect conditions!
Cresting over northern Buffalo County, ready to cross between Pleasanton & Ravenna Nebraska, this cell was rapidly building and already had tornado warning on it. Incredible CG lightning in front of the storm cell was just to good to capture, with lighting firing off every few seconds.
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Copyright 2012
Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography
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Taken at a custom bike show just at the end of the before times. Lots of really interesting bikes, but really hard to photograph due to the high level of visual noise. In the end I just have a bunch of detail shots of things that interested me technically about the bikes.
I've taken a break from posting as regularly as I was - whilst it's been good this last 18 months being able to raid the archive and get out stuff that I never published, I'm now at the point where I think I need more inspiration and new photos, otherwise the quality will take a nose dive. I'll still try to keep posting, but really I need to get out and shoot more.
Original images shot with an iPhone 5.
Composited and edited with an iPad using Photoshop Touch, StripeCam, ProCreate and Leonardo.
Some people have asked me how I create my images on the iPhone and iPad so I have created a website www.iphoneographycentral.com on which myself and many of the world's leading iphoneographers share our work flows via step-by-step tutorials. If you are interested in learning more about taking and editing photographs on your mobile phone using the many apps available, please visit www.iphoneographycentral.com.
This is Don Wolterstorff, a true landscape photographer. An artist really.
He occasionally allows me to follow him around and steal some of his ideas and techniques. I think he does this knowing that I will never match his skill level, therefore I will never truly compete with his output.
He's OK for a Nikon user.
Thanks for letting me tool around with you Don.
Check out his photo stream www.flickr.com/photos/119860342@N02/
Oh yeah, photo taken somewhere in the wilds of Washington State.
I don't think she does ..............
Created for dA Users Gallery Challenge 132 – LS Couple Stock 2
Models with thanks to LetzteSchatten-stock
Porsche 991 Targa | ADV.1 Forged Wheels
Wheel Specs:
ADV05|S
Finish Disc: Matte Bronze
20x9 | 20x12
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Created for dA Users Gallery Challenge #56 – Miss O’Hara 7
Model with thanks to LongStock
You can help the billions of animals across the world who suffer everyday, if you care enough ,
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July 29, 2025 - South of Oconto Nebraska
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July 29, 2025 - North of Oconto Nebraska
Shelf cloud moves majestically over a wide expanse of green fields. The landscape defines the calm before the storm.
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Copyright 2025
Dale Kaminski @ NebraskaSC Photography
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Visit my Photostream Archive (On Flickr) of Severe Weather
Fotografin: Anne Woyand
__________________________________________
ENGLISH:
Important:
-> My photos are copyright protected.
-> I find it very negative when I find my photos in Youtube or other social media channels, because maybe I would have nothing to do with this music, the text or the channel.
-> Who does not ask who does not win.
-> If you want to use my photo, write me an email. And then we clarify the usage rights and whether I would like at all that you use my photo / my photos.
-> If I find photos in, for example, Youtube, I try to get in contact with you first, if this should be unsuccessful, then I must report you.
And Youtube could delete your Youtube channel. Do you want it?
-> I find it sad, if one does not ask before, whether one may use it.
And it is not enough to give my name. See points one and two.
-> It is nice, that you like my photo so much, but you used it in bad quality. That does not give me much.
So think about what you're doing. Did not injure my rights.
Just ask me. Something worse than a NO can not come.
GERMAN:
Wichtig:
-> Meine Fotos sind Urheberrechtlich geschützt.
->Ich finde es sehr negativ, wenn ich meine Fotos in Youtube oder anderen Social Media Kanälen finde, denn vllt möchte ich gar nichts mit dieser Musik, dem Text oder dem Channel zu tun haben.
-> Wer nicht fragt, der nicht gewinnt.
-> Wenn du mein Foto verwenden möchtest, dann schreibe mir eine Mail. Und wir klären dann die Nutzungsrechte und ob ich das überhaupt möchte, dass du mein Foto/ meine Fotos verwendest.
-> Wenn ich Fotos in zum Beispiel in Youtube finde, versuche ich erst mit dir in Kontakt zu treten, sollte das erfolglos bleiben, dann muss ich dich melden.
Und Youtube könnte deinen Youtube-Channel löschen. Willst du das?
->Ich finde es traurig, wenn man nicht vorher fragt, ob man es verwenden darf.
Und da reicht es auch nicht aus, wenn man meinen Namen angibt. Siehe Punkt eins und zwei.
-> Es ist schön, das dir mein Foto so gut gefällt, aber du hast es in schlechter Qualität benutzt. Das bringt mir nicht viel.
Darum denke drüber nach, was du tust. Verletzte bitte nicht meine Rechte.
Frage mich einfach. Etwas schlimmeres als ein NEIN kann nicht kommen.
user name / Chee Sheng, Ng / 誠（まこと）
photo title / Gion Shinti Kobu Kabukai, Higashiyama (Miyako Odori)
location of photo / Gion Shinti Kobu Kabukai, Higashiyama
time photo was taken / April 6th 2010
Sony RX1 User Report.
I hesitate to write about gear. Tools are tools and the bitter truth is that a great craftsman rises above his tools to create a masterpiece whereas most of us try to improve our abominations by buying better or faster hammers to hit the same nails at the same awkward angles.
The internet is fairly flooded with reviews of this tiny marvel, and it isn’t my intention to compete with those articles. If you’re looking for a full-scale review of every feature or a down-to-Earth accounting of the RX1’s strengths and weaknesses, I recommend starting here.
Instead, I’d like to provide you with a flavor of how I’ve used the camera over the last six months. In short, this is a user report. To save yourself a few thousand words: I love the thing. As we go through this article, you’ll see this is a purpose built camera. The RX1 is not for everyone, but we will get to that and on the way, I’ll share a handful of images that I made with the camera.
It should be obvious to anyone reading this that I write this independently and have absolutely no relationship with Sony (other than having exchanged a large pile of cash for this camera at a retail outlet).
Before we get to anything else, I want to clear the air about two things: Price and Features
The Price
First things first: the price. The $2800+ cost of this camera is the elephant in the room and, given I purchased the thing, you may consider me a poor critic. That in mind, I want to offer you three thoughts:
Consumer goods cost what they cost, in the absence of a competitor (the Fuji X100s being the only one worth mention) there is no comparison and you simply have to decide for yourself if you are willing to pay or not.
Normalize the price per sensor area for all 35mm f/2 lens and camera alternatives and you’ll find the RX1 is an amazing value.
You are paying for the ability to take photographs, plain and simple. Ask yourself, “what are these photographs worth to me?”
In my case, #3 is very important. I have used the RX1 to take hundreds of photographs of my family that are immensely important to me. Moreover, I have made photographs (many appearing on this page) that are moving or beautiful and only happened because I had the RX1 in my bag or my pocket. Yes, of course I could have made these or very similar photographs with another camera, but that is immaterial.
35mm by 24mm by 35mm f/2
The killer feature of this camera is simple: it is a wafer of silicon 35mm by 24mm paired to a brilliantly, ridiculously, undeniably sharp, contrasty and bokehlicious 35mm f/2 Carl Zeiss lens. Image quality is king here and all other things take a back seat. This means the following: image quality is as good or better than your DSLR, but battery life, focus speed, and responsiveness are likely not as good as your DSLR. I say likely because, if you have an entry-level DSLR, the RX1 is comparable on these dimensions. If you want to change lenses, if you want an integrated viewfinder, if you want blindingly fast phase-detect autofocus then shoot with a DSLR. If you want the absolute best image quality in the smallest size possible, you’ve got it in the RX1.
While we are on the subject of interchangeable lenses and viewfinders...
I have an interchangeable lens DSLR and I love the thing. It’s basically a medium format camera in a 35mm camera body. It’s a powerhouse and it is the first camera I reach for when the goal is photography. For a long time, however, I’ve found myself in situations where photography was not the first goal, but where I nevertheless wanted to have a camera. I’m around the table with friends or at the park with my son and the DSLR is too big, too bulky, too intimidating. It comes between you and life. In this realm, mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras seem to be king, but they have a major flaw: they are, for all intents and purposes, just little DSLRs.
As I mentioned above, I have an interchangeable lens system, why would I want another, smaller one? Clearly, I am not alone in feeling this way, as the market has produced a number of what I would call “professional point and shoots.” Here we are talking about the Fuji X100/X100s, Sigma DPm-series and the RX100 and RX1.
Design is about making choices
When the Fuji X100 came out, I was intrigued. Here was a cheap(er), baby Leica M. Quiet, small, unobtrusive. Had I waited to buy until the X100s had come out, perhaps this would be a different report. Perhaps, but probably not. I remember thinking to myself as I was looking at the X100, “I wish there was a digital Rollei 35, something with a fixed 28mm or 35mm lens that would fit in a coat pocket or a small bag.” Now of course, there is.
So, for those of you who said, “I would buy the RX1 if it had interchangeable lenses or an integrated viewfinder or faster autofocus,” I say the following: This is a purpose built camera. You would not want it as an interchangeable system, it can’t compete with DSLR speed. A viewfinder would make the thing bigger and ruin the magic ratio of body to sensor size—further, there is a 3-inch LCD viewfinder on the back! Autofocus is super fast, you just don’t realize it because the bar has been raised impossibly high by ultra-sonic magnet focusing rings on professional DSLR lenses. There’s a fantastic balance at work here between image quality and size—great tools are about the total experience, not about one or the other specification.
In short, design is about making choices. I think Sony has made some good ones with the RX1.
In use
So I’ve just written 1,000 words of a user report without, you know, reporting on use. In many ways the images on the page are my user report. These photographs, more than my words, should give you a flavor of what the RX1 is about. But, for the sake of variety, I intend to tell you a bit about the how and the why of shooting with the RX1.
Snapshots
As a beginning enthusiast, I often sneered at the idea of a snapshot. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to appreciate what a pocket camera and a snapshot can offer. The RX1 is the ultimate photographer’s snapshot camera.
I’ll pause here to properly define snapshot as a photograph taken quickly with a handheld camera.
To quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So it is with photography. Beautiful photographs happen at the decisive moment—and to paraphrase Henri Cartier-Bresson further—the world is newly made and falling to pieces every instant. I think it is no coincidence that each revolution in the steady march of photography from the tortuously slow chemistry of tin-type and daguerreotype through 120 and 35mm formats to the hyper-sensitive CMOS of today has engendered new categories and concepts of photography.
Photography is a reflexive, reactionary activity. I see beautiful light or the unusual in an every day event and my reaction is a desire to make a photograph. It’s a bit like breathing and has been since I was a kid.
Rather than sneer at snapshots, nowadays I seek them out; and when I seek them out, I do so with the Sony RX1 in my hand.
How I shoot with the RX1
Despite much bluster from commenters on other reviews as to the price point and the purpose-built nature of this camera (see above), the RX1 is incredibly flexible. Have a peek at some of the linked reviews and you’ll see handheld portraits, long exposures, images taken with off-camera flash, etc.
Yet, I mentioned earlier that I reach for the D800 when photography is the primary goal and so the RX1 has become for me a handheld camera—something I use almost exclusively at f/2 (people, objects, shallow DoF) or f/8 (landscapes in abundant light, abstracts). The Auto-ISO setting allows the camera to choose in the range from ISO 50 and 6400 to reach a proper exposure at a given aperture with a 1/80 s shutter speed. I have found this shutter speed ensures a sharp image every time (although photographers with more jittery grips may wish there was the ability to select a different default shutter speed). This strategy works because the RX1 has a delightfully clicky exposure compensation dial just under your right thumb—allowing for fine adjustment to the camera’s metering decision.
So then, if you find me out with the RX1, you’re likely to see me on aperture priority, f/2 and auto ISO. Indeed, many of the photographs on this page were taken in that mode (including lots of the landscape shots!).
Working within constraints.
The RX1 is a wonderful camera to have when you have to work within constraints. When I say this, I mean it is great for photography within two different classes of constraints: 1) physical constraints of time and space and 2) intellectual/artistic constraints.
To speak to the first, as I said earlier, many of the photographs on this page were made possible by having a camera with me at a time that I otherwise would not have been lugging around a camera. For example, some of the images from the Grand Canyon you see were made in a pinch on my way to a Christmas dinner with my family. I didn’t have the larger camera with me and I just had a minute to make the image. Truth be told, these images could have been made with my cell phone, but that I could wring such great image quality out of something not much larger than my cell phone is just gravy. Be it jacket pocket, small bag, bike bag, saddle bag, even fannie pack—you have space for this camera anywhere you go.
Earlier I alluded to the obtrusiveness of a large camera. If you want to travel lightly and make photographs without announcing your presence, it’s easier to use a smaller camera. Here the RX1 excels. Moreover, the camera’s leaf shutter is virtually silent, so you can snap away without announcing your intention. In every sense, this camera is meant to work within physical constraints.
I cut my photographic teeth on film and I will always have an affection for it. There is a sense that one is playing within the rules when he uses film. That same feeling is here in the RX1. I never thought I’d say this about a camera, but I often like the JPEG images this thing produces more than I like what I can push with a RAW. Don’t get me wrong, for a landscape or a cityscape, the RAW processed carefully is FAR, FAR better than a JPEG.
But when I am taking snapshots or photos of friends and family, I find the JPEGs the camera produces (I’m shooting in RAW + JPEG) so beautiful. The camera’s computer corrects for the lens distortion and provides the perfect balance of contrast and saturation. The JPEG engine can be further tweaked to increase the amount of contrast, saturation or dynamic range optimization (shadow boost) used in writing those files. Add in the ability to rapidly compensate exposure or activate various creative modes and you’ve got this feeling you’re shooting film again. Instant, ultra-sensitive and customizable film.
Pro Tip: Focusing
Almost all cameras come shipped with what I consider to be the worst of the worst focus configurations. Even the Nikon D800 came to my hands set to focus when the shutter button was halfway depressed. This mode will ruin almost any photograph. Why? Because it requires you to perform legerdemain to place the autofocus point, depress the shutter halfway, recompose and press the shutter fully. In addition to the chance of accidentally refocusing after composing or missing the shot—this method absolutely ensures that one must focus before every single photograph. Absolutely impossible for action or portraiture.
Sensibly, most professional or prosumer cameras come with an AF-ON button near where the shooter’s right thumb rests. This separates the task of focusing and exposing, allowing the photographer to quickly focus and to capture the image even if focus is slightly off at the focus point. For portraits, kids, action, etc the camera has to have a hair-trigger. It has to be responsive. Manufacturer’s: stop shipping your cameras with this ham-fisted autofocus arrangement.
Now, the RX1 does not have an AF-ON button, but it does have an AEL button whose function can be changed to “MF/AF Control Hold” in the menu. Further, other buttons on the rear of the camera can also be programmed to toggle between AF and MF modes. What this all means is that you can work around the RX1’s buttons to make it’s focus work like a DSLR’s. (For those of you who are RX1 shooters, set the front switch to MF, the right control wheel button to MF/AF Toggle and the AEL button to MF/AF Control Hold and voila!) The end result is that, when powered on the camera is in manual focus mode, but the autofocus can be activated by pressing AEL, no matter what, however, the shutter is tripped by the shutter release. Want to switch to AF mode? Just push a button and you’re back to the standard modality.
Carrying.
I keep mine in a small, neoprene pouch with a semi-hard LCD cover and a circular polarizing filter on the front—perfect for buttoning up and throwing into a bag on my way out of the house. I have a soft release screwed into the threaded shutter release and a custom, red twill strap to replace the horrible plastic strap Sony provided. I plan to gaffer tape the top and the orange ring around the lens. Who knows, I may find an old Voigtlander optical viewfinder in future as well.
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Sony RX1 User Report.
I hesitate to write about gear. Tools are tools and the bitter truth is that a great craftsman rises above his tools to create a masterpiece whereas most of us try to improve our abominations by buying better or faster hammers to hit the same nails at the same awkward angles.
The internet is fairly flooded with reviews of this tiny marvel, and it isn’t my intention to compete with those articles. If you’re looking for a full-scale review of every feature or a down-to-Earth accounting of the RX1’s strengths and weaknesses, I recommend starting here.
Instead, I’d like to provide you with a flavor of how I’ve used the camera over the last six months. In short, this is a user report. To save yourself a few thousand words: I love the thing. As we go through this article, you’ll see this is a purpose built camera. The RX1 is not for everyone, but we will get to that and on the way, I’ll share a handful of images that I made with the camera.
It should be obvious to anyone reading this that I write this independently and have absolutely no relationship with Sony (other than having exchanged a large pile of cash for this camera at a retail outlet).
Before we get to anything else, I want to clear the air about two things: Price and Features
The Price
First things first: the price. The $2800+ cost of this camera is the elephant in the room and, given I purchased the thing, you may consider me a poor critic. That in mind, I want to offer you three thoughts:
Consumer goods cost what they cost, in the absence of a competitor (the Fuji X100s being the only one worth mention) there is no comparison and you simply have to decide for yourself if you are willing to pay or not.
Normalize the price per sensor area for all 35mm f/2 lens and camera alternatives and you’ll find the RX1 is an amazing value.
You are paying for the ability to take photographs, plain and simple. Ask yourself, “what are these photographs worth to me?”
In my case, #3 is very important. I have used the RX1 to take hundreds of photographs of my family that are immensely important to me. Moreover, I have made photographs (many appearing on this page) that are moving or beautiful and only happened because I had the RX1 in my bag or my pocket. Yes, of course I could have made these or very similar photographs with another camera, but that is immaterial.
35mm by 24mm by 35mm f/2
The killer feature of this camera is simple: it is a wafer of silicon 35mm by 24mm paired to a brilliantly, ridiculously, undeniably sharp, contrasty and bokehlicious 35mm f/2 Carl Zeiss lens. Image quality is king here and all other things take a back seat. This means the following: image quality is as good or better than your DSLR, but battery life, focus speed, and responsiveness are likely not as good as your DSLR. I say likely because, if you have an entry-level DSLR, the RX1 is comparable on these dimensions. If you want to change lenses, if you want an integrated viewfinder, if you want blindingly fast phase-detect autofocus then shoot with a DSLR. If you want the absolute best image quality in the smallest size possible, you’ve got it in the RX1.
While we are on the subject of interchangeable lenses and viewfinders...
I have an interchangeable lens DSLR and I love the thing. It’s basically a medium format camera in a 35mm camera body. It’s a powerhouse and it is the first camera I reach for when the goal is photography. For a long time, however, I’ve found myself in situations where photography was not the first goal, but where I nevertheless wanted to have a camera. I’m around the table with friends or at the park with my son and the DSLR is too big, too bulky, too intimidating. It comes between you and life. In this realm, mirrorless, interchangeable lens cameras seem to be king, but they have a major flaw: they are, for all intents and purposes, just little DSLRs.
As I mentioned above, I have an interchangeable lens system, why would I want another, smaller one? Clearly, I am not alone in feeling this way, as the market has produced a number of what I would call “professional point and shoots.” Here we are talking about the Fuji X100/X100s, Sigma DPm-series and the RX100 and RX1.
Design is about making choices
When the Fuji X100 came out, I was intrigued. Here was a cheap(er), baby Leica M. Quiet, small, unobtrusive. Had I waited to buy until the X100s had come out, perhaps this would be a different report. Perhaps, but probably not. I remember thinking to myself as I was looking at the X100, “I wish there was a digital Rollei 35, something with a fixed 28mm or 35mm lens that would fit in a coat pocket or a small bag.” Now of course, there is.
So, for those of you who said, “I would buy the RX1 if it had interchangeable lenses or an integrated viewfinder or faster autofocus,” I say the following: This is a purpose built camera. You would not want it as an interchangeable system, it can’t compete with DSLR speed. A viewfinder would make the thing bigger and ruin the magic ratio of body to sensor size—further, there is a 3-inch LCD viewfinder on the back! Autofocus is super fast, you just don’t realize it because the bar has been raised impossibly high by ultra-sonic magnet focusing rings on professional DSLR lenses. There’s a fantastic balance at work here between image quality and size—great tools are about the total experience, not about one or the other specification.
In short, design is about making choices. I think Sony has made some good ones with the RX1.
In use
So I’ve just written 1,000 words of a user report without, you know, reporting on use. In many ways the images on the page are my user report. These photographs, more than my words, should give you a flavor of what the RX1 is about. But, for the sake of variety, I intend to tell you a bit about the how and the why of shooting with the RX1.
Snapshots
As a beginning enthusiast, I often sneered at the idea of a snapshot. As I’ve matured, I’ve come to appreciate what a pocket camera and a snapshot can offer. The RX1 is the ultimate photographer’s snapshot camera.
I’ll pause here to properly define snapshot as a photograph taken quickly with a handheld camera.
To quote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” So it is with photography. Beautiful photographs happen at the decisive moment—and to paraphrase Henri Cartier-Bresson further—the world is newly made and falling to pieces every instant. I think it is no coincidence that each revolution in the steady march of photography from the tortuously slow chemistry of tin-type and daguerreotype through 120 and 35mm formats to the hyper-sensitive CMOS of today has engendered new categories and concepts of photography.
Photography is a reflexive, reactionary activity. I see beautiful light or the unusual in an every day event and my reaction is a desire to make a photograph. It’s a bit like breathing and has been since I was a kid.
Rather than sneer at snapshots, nowadays I seek them out; and when I seek them out, I do so with the Sony RX1 in my hand.
How I shoot with the RX1
Despite much bluster from commenters on other reviews as to the price point and the purpose-built nature of this camera (see above), the RX1 is incredibly flexible. Have a peek at some of the linked reviews and you’ll see handheld portraits, long exposures, images taken with off-camera flash, etc.
Yet, I mentioned earlier that I reach for the D800 when photography is the primary goal and so the RX1 has become for me a handheld camera—something I use almost exclusively at f/2 (people, objects, shallow DoF) or f/8 (landscapes in abundant light, abstracts). The Auto-ISO setting allows the camera to choose in the range from ISO 50 and 6400 to reach a proper exposure at a given aperture with a 1/80 s shutter speed. I have found this shutter speed ensures a sharp image every time (although photographers with more jittery grips may wish there was the ability to select a different default shutter speed). This strategy works because the RX1 has a delightfully clicky exposure compensation dial just under your right thumb—allowing for fine adjustment to the camera’s metering decision.
So then, if you find me out with the RX1, you’re likely to see me on aperture priority, f/2 and auto ISO. Indeed, many of the photographs on this page were taken in that mode (including lots of the landscape shots!).
Working within constraints.
The RX1 is a wonderful camera to have when you have to work within constraints. When I say this, I mean it is great for photography within two different classes of constraints: 1) physical constraints of time and space and 2) intellectual/artistic constraints.
To speak to the first, as I said earlier, many of the photographs on this page were made possible by having a camera with me at a time that I otherwise would not have been lugging around a camera. For example, some of the images from the Grand Canyon you see were made in a pinch on my way to a Christmas dinner with my family. I didn’t have the larger camera with me and I just had a minute to make the image. Truth be told, these images could have been made with my cell phone, but that I could wring such great image quality out of something not much larger than my cell phone is just gravy. Be it jacket pocket, small bag, bike bag, saddle bag, even fannie pack—you have space for this camera anywhere you go.
Earlier I alluded to the obtrusiveness of a large camera. If you want to travel lightly and make photographs without announcing your presence, it’s easier to use a smaller camera. Here the RX1 excels. Moreover, the camera’s leaf shutter is virtually silent, so you can snap away without announcing your intention. In every sense, this camera is meant to work within physical constraints.
I cut my photographic teeth on film and I will always have an affection for it. There is a sense that one is playing within the rules when he uses film. That same feeling is here in the RX1. I never thought I’d say this about a camera, but I often like the JPEG images this thing produces more than I like what I can push with a RAW. Don’t get me wrong, for a landscape or a cityscape, the RAW processed carefully is FAR, FAR better than a JPEG.
But when I am taking snapshots or photos of friends and family, I find the JPEGs the camera produces (I’m shooting in RAW + JPEG) so beautiful. The camera’s computer corrects for the lens distortion and provides the perfect balance of contrast and saturation. The JPEG engine can be further tweaked to increase the amount of contrast, saturation or dynamic range optimization (shadow boost) used in writing those files. Add in the ability to rapidly compensate exposure or activate various creative modes and you’ve got this feeling you’re shooting film again. Instant, ultra-sensitive and customizable film.
Pro Tip: Focusing
Almost all cameras come shipped with what I consider to be the worst of the worst focus configurations. Even the Nikon D800 came to my hands set to focus when the shutter button was halfway depressed. This mode will ruin almost any photograph. Why? Because it requires you to perform legerdemain to place the autofocus point, depress the shutter halfway, recompose and press the shutter fully. In addition to the chance of accidentally refocusing after composing or missing the shot—this method absolutely ensures that one must focus before every single photograph. Absolutely impossible for action or portraiture.
Sensibly, most professional or prosumer cameras come with an AF-ON button near where the shooter’s right thumb rests. This separates the task of focusing and exposing, allowing the photographer to quickly focus and to capture the image even if focus is slightly off at the focus point. For portraits, kids, action, etc the camera has to have a hair-trigger. It has to be responsive. Manufacturer’s: stop shipping your cameras with this ham-fisted autofocus arrangement.
Now, the RX1 does not have an AF-ON button, but it does have an AEL button whose function can be changed to “MF/AF Control Hold” in the menu. Further, other buttons on the rear of the camera can also be programmed to toggle between AF and MF modes. What this all means is that you can work around the RX1’s buttons to make it’s focus work like a DSLR’s. (For those of you who are RX1 shooters, set the front switch to MF, the right control wheel button to MF/AF Toggle and the AEL button to MF/AF Control Hold and voila!) The end result is that, when powered on the camera is in manual focus mode, but the autofocus can be activated by pressing AEL, no matter what, however, the shutter is tripped by the shutter release. Want to switch to AF mode? Just push a button and you’re back to the standard modality.
Carrying.
I keep mine in a small, neoprene pouch with a semi-hard LCD cover and a circular polarizing filter on the front—perfect for buttoning up and throwing into a bag on my way out of the house. I have a soft release screwed into the threaded shutter release and a custom, red twill strap to replace the horrible plastic strap Sony provided. I plan to gaffer tape the top and the orange ring around the lens. Who knows, I may find an old Voigtlander optical viewfinder in future as well.
So! Imagine had this idea to build Rapture from Bioshock. At a CoWLUG meeting he showed me the part he had built (not shown), and I offered to help get it done in time for Brickworld.
After playing Bioshock (for the first time) for a few minutes to get a feel for the city, I worked on the ocean floor [while he worked on the ocean ceiling]. That's pretty much everything you see here, obviously. So, when you see Rapture at Brickworld, I did the sand! :D
Big daddy/little sister are Imagine's, though. Sorry they're not in focus. :(
** This is an 8.5 minute video so has to be downloaded to see the full version as only 3 minutes are shown in the Flickr interface.
** For non-Pro Flickr users, the download limit appears to be 3 minutes on download as well, and so there is a link here-
www.rail.tightfitz.com/Video/Barrow_Hill_&_Stavely_Ca...
* Barrow Hill
So, on Saturday May 28th, just before moving on to the Canal Basin at Staveley and the weekend celebrations there, a small diversion was made to call in at the Barrow Hill Shed, to see what was to be seen.. In the first 22 pictures in the video, taken during the normal Shed opening times on the Saturday morning, a series of traction can be seen, and in order this is-
* BR class 40, D212/40012 'Aureol', Works No. 2669/D429, built by The English Electric Company Ltd & The Vulcan Foundry Ltd
* EWS class 37, 37521 & class 08, 08685 plus others behind these two which were not noted
* a line of 5 or more DRS class 20s, numbers unreadable from the angle taken, tut tut, no notebook!
* D5054/24054 'Phil Southern', built in 1959 by British Railways at Crewe Works with Power Unit, Sulzer 6LDA28, see-
www.elrdiesel.info/fleet-24054.php
* D4092, 'Christine', a class 10 0-6-0, diesel shunting locomotive built at Darlington in 1962.
* class 45, 45060, 'Sherwood Forester, more details here-
pioneer-diesels.co.uk/blog/?tag=45060
* Some Harry Needle class 20s with a grey diesel shunter in the foreground
* IEMD 01 shunter
* class 20 GBRf, 20905
* Ruston Diesel Shunter, D2996, 07012, was at Scunthorpe Works, as stated on Wikipedia, but not any more/
* D5814 class 31, 31414, see-
www.brdw.co.uk/class31/class31-414.html
* E3035, class 83, 83012, English Electric/Vulcan Foundry Works numbers 2941/E277, built in July 1961, withdrawn in March 1989
* EWS class 08 shunter, 08685
* Virgin Trains, class 82, 82101
* GCR 506, 'Butler Henderson'
* BR Scot Rail class 37, 37403, 'Isle of Mull', earlier numbers were D6607 & 37307
and with two of the younger enthusiasts, Casper & Oscar, attempting to drive off with one of the diesel locomotives, Casper clearly watching the gauges as he eases the throttle open whilst Oscar engages 'primary drive'... Another BR shunter can be seen in front of 'Butler Henderson', on the form of class 03, 03066. With a few of the innards of Scott Rail 37403, 'Isle of Mull' on the platform at 'Roundhouse Halt' at the region's iconic and the UK's only surviving Roundhouse Locomotive Shed, coded 18D by the LMS and 41E by BR, time to move off to the festivities at the Staveley Canal Basin, in the 2nd part of the video.
* Staveley Canal Basin
Along with the pictures taken here during the afternoon festivities, which were very good, more information can be found relating to the Canal Trust and its partners from, The Chesterfield Canal Trust-
www.chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk
along with the IWA, the Inland Waterways Association with the Water Recovery Group being part of the IWA-
The trust held its 2016 Canal Festival at the newly refurbished and just recently completed, Staveley Basin, over the weekend of the 28th-29th of May, now, last year. Fortunately the weather was with them and it turned out to be a very successful weekend, see-
chesterfield-canal-trust.org.uk/general-news/
These 2nd set of pictures in this 8.5 minute video, taking up over 6 minutes of the total time, shows the various activities going on at the Canal Basin, some of the attractions of which, I have to say, 'The Urban Gypsies' to my mind were the best. Shots of the various activities, the canal cruisers and folks generally having a good time on and off the water and finally a short excursion along the as yet unfinished section along to where the canal will go under the track-bed of the now denuded 'Seymour Branch line', the canal then following the route alongside the GCR's old London Extension line towards the Rother Valley Country Park. From there the canal will rise up the hill to the western portal of Norwood Tunnel where it will eventually join up with the end of the other section of the canal at Kiveton. For details of this end of the work and a view inside Norwood Tunnel, 164Mby, 10m 28sec, see-
www.rail.tightfitz.com/Video/Norwood_Tunnel_2016-conv.mp4
At present the Canal water flows out of the basin through the town lock and ends up running through a pipe, over-flowing into a rough catchment area where it is finally diverted back from whence it came; the River Rother. This is as far as the navigation goes at the present time and the 1st shot shows 'Seth Ellis', built by Soar Valley Steel Boasts Ltd, having come about and moored up just this side of the temporary dam wall, waiting for its return journey through the lock. Much of the space still looks like a building site but the Canal Trust had made a great effort to make the event safe and look good with plenty of folk about to ask for information.
There were boats a-plenty of one sort or another, cruisers, canoes and more traditional craft. An evening event was the 'Parade of the Illuminated Boats', an after-dark saunter down towards where the Staveley Iron & Chemical works used to be located, opposite Mill Green. More antics from the Urban Gypsies as they 'frolic' about the place and the odd partial view of the Morris Dancing brigade.
There are several interesting characters to see here and there around the lock side and just before the excavator operator, Mr. Oscar A. Aujla, takes the final shot, a look at the yet to be completed route along from the basin overflow to around the corner under Hall Lane and then on to where the canal used to pass under the railway line.
This line, took freight moves from the Midland Line, off to the left, across the canal here and on to Seymour Junction at Poolsbrook, where it branched, the north-east line, with another branch, Oxcroft Junction, to the Oxcroft coal depot at Mill Lane, passing through Clowne, Creswell, Langwith & Shirebrook, the latter with its own branch to the colliery at Thoresby, and then through to Mansfield and points south. The other branch line went south-east to the large pits at Markham & Bolsover, on the east side of the M1 motorway at right next; this once derelict space is now being developed for contemporary industrial use and there was talk of some of this being rail connected again ... but that looks to have come to nothing.
All the tracks from Poolsbrook along to Clowne, Oxcroft Colliery and Markham Colliery have now been lifted, some of it, unofficially, in addition, the signal box at Seymour Junction, still visible on the 1999 and 2007 Google Earth views, was burned down after 2007 and the site has now been cleared. The Canal Trust, I was told, was in negotiations with Network Rail regarding the canal passage under/across the Poolsbrook branch line trackbed, which can be seen towards the end of the video, and as I understand it, NR wanted to maintain the availability of the track bed for future use but this now appears not to be the case. If so it will mean the canal trust does not have to dig another, rather deep, lock to pass under the railway line, though in a way it would be good to keep the layout as it is with a new lock under the track-bed, just in case! but that's a lot of effort if trains are never to run along here again.
The views at the end show the aspect facing towards the canal basin and looking along the now denuded track-bed towards Seymour Junction with, at that time in May, a profusion of wild flowers growing at either side of the track with the canal bridge visible at lower right where the palisade fence, zigzags into the picture; hardly worth having it there anymore! There is a shot of the rusting footbridge over the track-bed the bridge now not really needed and who knows what its fate might be once the canal passes though here with its towpath.
Closer to the basin, on the walk back from the railway formation, a shot of the point at which the canal waters flow back down to the River Rother, the exit from the muddy canal bed being below the large rectangular structures which can be seen on the left in the picture.
Coming to the end of the walk back from the point at which the canal will take its course up along the GC's old London Extension trackbed from Staveley to Killamarsh, an end on view looking into the canal outlet on this side of the town lock, with two of the cruising barges moored up and the 'Ice Cream Man' doing a brisk trade. Finally, Mr. O.A Aujla takes charge of the mechanical digger for the final shots at the canal basin, the Waterway Recovery Group instructing him on how to manipulate a road cone into the air and deposit it somewhere else.
Finally, a look back at the scene along the Poolsbrook Branch from a similar location seen in the earlier shots today. The last two shots show the scene as it looked in February, 2014, just over two years before today's festivities. The 1st looks west, towards the canal basin, with not much in the way of the canal excavation having taken place at this time; though rainwater is accumulating in the course of the canal bed. The track-bed, though weeds are everywhere, is still in its original double-track form and it wouldn't have taken much effort at this stage to re-open this line. The 2nd, and last picture in the video, is the view looking in the opposite direction and south of east towards Poolsbrook and Seymour Junction and again, the lines are in reasonably good condition and could be brought back to life for container use along to the land once occupied by the Markham and Bolsover Collieries; now sadly, it seems, not to be.
Here endeth this 'End-of-Year' piece, though there is another part to follow next in relation to developments with the route of the HS2, and I hope it provides some enjoyment and viewers feel its worth down-loading and taking a look. A very Happy and Prosperous, and hopefully less turbulent, New Year to one and all. Many thanks for your continued interest, remarks, additional information and other comments over last year, I appreciate it all...