Ah, Samson? Non! Just the morning sun striking a pull down blind.

7 years. 7 long, arduous years I’d spent working meticulously to hide my true nature, what I really was, from those around me. And just like that, in a moment of weakness, I let my emotions get the best of me and threw it all away. It was bound to happen at some point I suppose. I’d spent so long trying to cut myself off from the Force, letting the reminders of the teachings I had worked my whole life to master just slip away over time. But in a galaxy under the Empire, a mistake like the one I made means certain death. That’s why I’ve decided to make this holojournal. I’m going to try to detail my thoughts and the explain what has and will happen to me, for whoever may care one day.

I suppose I ought to start from the beginning, give a bit of background on myself. Jericho Chaser. That’s my name. Or it has been for the last 7 years. Before that I was Jerrus Ch’Noa: valiant Knight of the Jedi Order. Heh. I had spent my whole life, 25 years, dedicated to the Order. It was all I knew, all I was. And then that day... that day my whole world collapsed around me. I lost everything... everyone... I even lost a part of myself, in a way. After that, I tried to survive. I traveled from planet to planet, port to port, trying to get by and stay low.

Eventually I settled on the small Outer Rim planet of Nixio. So insignificant it doesn’t even show up on some star charts. The perfect place to lie low. But I came to learn the people of Nixio had a secret. Many of them were part of a group that called themselves The People’s Freedom Coalition. They allowed freedom fighting cells across the galaxy to use Nixio as a stop to stash and run supplies and weapons as they moved throughout the galaxy. It was a perfect plan, and it worked without a hitch for several years. I joined up and helped where I could, using my tool repair shop I had opened to help fix snd repurpose old weapons for the freedom fighters. The leader of our coalition was an old Separatist who had served in the Clone Wars. Everyone simply called him The Colonel, and no one dared to challenge his word. I had my apprehensions about him at first due to his background, but he was no Count Dooku or Viceroy Gunray. He simply wanted a free galaxy, and at this point we had a common enemy in the Empire.

We continued on helping freedom fighters lie low and gather supplies from our small outpost planet, when on one fateful day, a small transport pulled into our city carrying a team of insurgents who had just narrowly escaped an Imperial research base. They had managed to steal schematics to top secret Imperial weaponry that was in the early stages of development, and had come to us looking for a place to lie low. However, it wasn’t more than a few short hours when an Imperial Star Destroyer roared out of hyperspace over Nixio. Almost immediately, TIE bombers screamed down to the surface and dropped a deadly barrage on our city. After the initial bombing, the Empire began to deploy its ground troops. All of the members of the People’s Freedom Coalition scrambled to gather our weapons and set up barricades in the streets. The Colonel barked orders at us as we dashed around in preparation. We had drilled for this dozens of times, but most members of the coalition were simple artisans and shopkeepers with no real military or combat experience. We were all nervous, and most of us seemed to know that this was a somewhat futile fight.

I was outside of a small bar alongside the Colonel when the right began. “Jericho, I need you to stay close to me during the fight,” he had said. “Things will get ugly and I know you’ll have my back.” I swore I would protect him at all costs.

Not long after we heard gunshots ring out. Imperial stormtroopers were pushing on us throughout the city. Our fellow fighters shouted out orders and information about where the enemy was on the comms, however it wasn’t enough. Pretty soon, we saw stormtroopers charging ahead at us. As they sprinted up the stairs towards our barricades, the troopers began to fire their blasters at us. We ducked behind our barricades and tried to return fire, but the Imperials were just too much. The Colonel began shouting for more reinforcements when a stormtrooper with a rotary cannon opened fire. I made a move to return fire myself, when suddenly I saw the Colonel get hit with a barrage of blaster bolts. He fell to the ground with a thud, just as more of my fellow freedom fighters began to be cut down as well.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I shouted.

I felt my blaster fall out of my hand, and when I opened my eyes again, the stormtrooper with the rotary cannon had flown backwards down the stairs, knocking over his fellow troopers. A wave of dread washed over me as what I had just done dawned upon me. All of my work to hide, to bury my connection to the Force and blend in, and I had just thrown it all away in one emotional burst of anger. What had I done? I knew I needed to flee. As much as I wanted to help my fellow fighters, I felt in that moment an overwhelming sense that I needed to protect myself over anyone else. Looking back now, I was weak. I should’ve stayed and fought, tried to help until I couldn’t anymore. That’s what a Jedi would do, what a Jedi ought to do. But I’m not a Jedi anymore am I? I haven’t been a Jedi for 7 years. And that’s why I’m hiding in the forest outside of the city now, trying to figure out what to do next.

The Imperials have captured the city now. No doubt if they haven’t done so already, they’ll execute every last one of the people I’ve come to call my friends. Should I run? I could sneak back to the city and maybe steal I ship. I’ve always been a decent pilot. All I would need to do is beat a few TIE’s and maneuver out of range of the Star Destroyer’s cannons. It’s certainly doable. Heck, I did it before. Not like this, but eerily similar. I ran when the most important person in my life needed me, all those years ago...

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Wow! That was a long one. But writing has always been my favorite part of MOC building, haha! It’s been over a year since I built a MOC but I finally found the motivation for something. Hope you like it!

Weakness

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We do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses. Hebrews 4:15

An industrial design graduate from a Singapore university was challenged in a workshop to come up with a novel solution to a common problem using only ordinary objects. She created a vest to protect one’s personal space from being invaded while traveling in the crush of crowded public trains and buses. The vest was covered with long, flexible plastic spikes normally used to keep birds and cats away from plants.

Jesus knew what it was like to lose His personal space in the commotion of crowds desperate to see and touch Him. A woman who had suffered from constant bleeding for 12 years and could find no cure touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, her bleeding stopped (Luke 8:43-44).

Jesus’ question, “Who touched me?” (v. 45) isn’t as strange as it sounds. He felt power come out of Him (v. 46). That touch was different from those who merely happened to accidentally touch Him.

While we must admit that we do sometimes wish to keep our personal space and privacy, the only way we help a world of hurting people is to let them get close enough to be touched by the encouragement, comfort, and grace of Christ in us.

Lord Jesus, I want to be near You and know You so that when I’m in contact with others they can see You through me.

A Christian’s life is the window through which others can see Jesus.

Credits: Our Daily Bread (odb.org)

Some background:

The JGSF’s Type 01 “Shin-Hei” military Labor was a derivative of the highly successful civil HL-98 “Hercules 21” construction labor manufactured by Hishii Heavy Industries, which itself was a thorough development of the HL-97 “Bulldog”. Following an accident with a "Bulldog'' in 1998 the new model adopted an electronically controlled suspension, auto speed control, and a canopy system that eliminated the vibration, noise, and poor riding comfort that were the weaknesses of early two-legged Labors. Another novelty was the HL-98’s completely sealed cockpit with VR view of the surroundings for the pilot which offered highly improved crew protection and comfort and also allowed operations in potentially hazardous environment.

Three prototypes were built and the Japanese government ordered 99 production models, which entered service with the JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in 2001 but was also adopted by three JGSDF’s pioneer units.

Technical Data:

Code name: Type-01 "Shin-Hei"

Unit type: Military labor

Manufacturer: Hishii Heavy Industries

Operator: Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF)

Number built: 102

Accommodation: pilot only, in heat-, water and ABC-insulated cockpit in front torso

Dimensions:

Height overall (w. sensor boom): 9.42 meters

Height (hull only): 7.45 meters

Width (at shoulders): 5.12 meters

Minimum revolving radius: 5.5 meters

Weight:

7.89 tons (dry/empty)

9.22 tons (fully equipped/armed)

Armor materials:

Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and aluminum hull;

Additional composite armor against small-caliber weapons

Optional reactive armor tiles against armor-piercing weapons

Powerplant:

unknown

Maximum weight lifting capacity:

2.9 tons

Equipment and design features:

Flexible boom with visual and acoustic sensors, range unknown

Heat-, water- and ABC-protected cockpit with 48h air supply

Articulated manipulator hands with opposed thumbs

Full VR pilot interface

Armaments:

No internal weapons installed, but an articulated and stabilized hardpoint on the right shoulder

could accept several weapons, including a 25 mm machine cannon with 150 rounds in a drum

magazine or a launcher with 6x LMAT anti-tank missiles.

Additionally, handheld close and ranged combat weapons could be deployed, as well as a wide

range of pioneering tools

The kit and its assembly:

Some time ago I got my hands on a “reasonably priced” Patlabor IP kit set from Good Smile Company/Moderoid. The company created molds/kits for a wide range of Labors that appear in the original TV series and the movies, thankfully in the old Bandai kits’ rather esoteric 1:60 scale. This range also included a lot of civil Labors, which were formerly only available as dubious vinyl kits. The kit set I got was the HL-98 “Hercules” and ASV 99 “Boxer” combo, two civil construction Labors that shortly appear in supporting roles in the early Nineties movies. I did not have concrete plans for the kits upon purchase, but one of them would certainly become/remain a commercial/civil vehicle – and that will be the Boxer, due to its glazed cockpit. The Hercules Labor looked rather aggressive (at least to me, a little like a small brother of the menacing Phantom robot), and I rather thought that it would be better suited as a police or even military vehicle.

I eventually went for the latter concept; my build/conversion would more or less fall into the timeframe of the rather realistic and politically-heavy Patlabor 2 movie, around 2002, when Labors had, after teething troubles, become a more common sight and fully integrated into public services. Therefore, the HL-98 would become a “classic” JGSDF vehicle, not an exotic prototype anymore, reflected in its equipment/mods and the livery.

A word about the kit…. After initial enthusiasm I was a bit disappointed by the HL-98 kit, though. While it looks flashy and crisp in the box, molded in a peach orange tone with some dark grey details on alternative sprues (that are shared with the Boxer, beware not to throw them away!), the kit revealed the designers’ niggardliness. First of all the kit had been designed to be a rather simple snap-fit model. This is per se not a bad thing, many recent Bandai mecha kits are designed this way to appeal to newbie modelers who can put the model together, put stickers on it, and have a functional action figure within 15 minutes. However, Bandai’s designers still have the advanced modeler in mind and typically offer an alternative water slide decal sheet, and the kit is designed to be built in segments that can be built and painted separately, to be assembled in a final step, e. g. thanks to vinyl caps and clever detail solutions that might require one or two parts more, but that pays out elsewhere.

The Good Smile Company kit(s) lacks this thought altogether, and the number of parts has been reduced to a point that some parts, which would normally require 2 halves, have been molded and cast with “holes”. This might not be an issue, if this would remain invisible – but it isn’t and that’s really disappointing for such a “modern” kit! For instance, the undersides of the feet or of the hips are just “hollow”. Additionally, where a Bandai kit would offer a small, flexible vinyl cap in a joint, half of that joint is in the HL-98’s case completely molded in an ABS-esque material that is quite soft and poorly accepts any paint – the toy aspect seemed to have priority during the molds’ design process! Sure, you can work with this basis, but I feel painfully reminded of the early IP robot kits from the Eighties which did not offer any vinyl caps at all and a very cumbersome, not well thought-through matryoshka layout for arms, legs and torso, so that building separate modules and assembling them as a final step was impossible or required thorough mods.

Beyond these fundamental issues the kit went together quite well. The IP material is solid and thick, but many openings had to be painted before assembly to hide the material’s orange base color. Fit is also not too god, at least for such a modern mold – while the designers tried to hide part seams in natural panel lines, those seams that remain visible are very prominent and require PSR.

Most of my mods went onto the upper torso, including a sensor boom from a Patlabor Brocken on the left shoulder, the prominent LIDAR fairing (from a Bandai Patlabor Ingram Unit 3’s head) or the shoulder gun (from the scrap box, from a ruined 1:144 Run-Valam mecha, plus a drum magazine scratched from leftover Patlabor Brocken parts).

The “mitten”-style hands were also procured from a Bandai Brocken kit, replacing the HL-98’s original pincer-like three- and four-finger manipulators. To emphasize the military aspect, I added reactive armor tiles to the front and the shoulders, cut from 1mm styrene sheet. They beef up the look and add a military touch to the Labor/mecha.

Painting and markings:

A very dry and truthful replication of the typical JGSDF tank/vehicle livery in Dark Green/Dark Earth, and for this purpose I procured the respective authentic tones/paints from Tamiya, namely YF-72 and -73. However, these appear rather pale for what they are supposed to depict? IMHO, the tones rather remind of early WWII RAF Dark Earth and Dark Green (or even British Army Bronze Green) than those Tamiya suggests? Esp. the green is very greyish and close to the German RAL 7009 (Grüngrau), while the brown is very similar to FS 30118 (from the USAF SEA scheme). Dubious, maybe Tamiya’s engineers tried to integrate scale effects?

However, I gave the Tamiya paints a try and eventually stuck to them, even though the contrast between the green and the brown is surprisingly low. I considered adding black contrast stripes here and there (as applied to JGSDF AH-1Fs) but refrained from that when the Labor looked quite good in the basic two-tone camouflage. The pattern was improvised, an attempt to recreate the typical wide-striped JGSDF vehicle camouflage on a humanoid shape.

Once the basic colors had been applied, I gave the model an overall washing with thinned dark brown acrylic artist paint, to emphasize surface details and somewhat darken the rather pale tones, and some post-shading with slightly lighter basic tones (Revell 67 and 87) for weathering and a less uniform look. Decals/markings came next and were improvised with material from 1:72 JGSDF tanks and a Hobby Boss AH-1. After that the whole model was dry-brushed with khaki drab and light grey (Humbrol 72 and 64, respectively) to emphasize details and edges.

An overall coat with matt acrylic varnish followed. The lights around the hull were created with chromatic PET foil, the LIDAR on the forehead was painted glossy black to simulate a translucent fairing for the laser emitter. As a final step the model received a thorough weathering/dusting with watercolors and mineral pigments, esp. around the lower regions of the model but also on the upper surfaces, simulating accumulated dust and mud.

A conversion project that took a while to materialize, due to the inherent problems caused by the kit’s design as a highly simplified snap-fit kit. However, the “militarization” of the HL-98 worked well, and with relatively simple means – it looks quite purposeful now. I just wonder about the Tamiya paints, which are supposed to depict authentic JGSDF tones (I cross-checked that with Tamiya’s JGSDF tank kits like the Type 10 – the instructions recommend FY 72 and 73, too, or their rattle can alternatives). But esp. the green looks very pale and faded, I am not sold on it, even though I eventually stuck with them, and the Labor does not look bad with the low-contrast camouflage.

Lame-O (2015)

I don't buy nearly as many compilations as I did when I was younger. I actually picked this one up quite some time ago, but have just been dragging my feet on reviewing it. I had mostly bought it for the at the time unreleased Beach Slang song, Although I was also already familiar with Hurry and Spraynard. Also, I should note that this is a benefit compilation and all proceeds from this album are going to United Cerebral Palsy.

Spraynard start things up with another one of their passionate, Iron Chic style punk rock offerings. "Haulin' Oats" is every bit as good as anything else they've released, so this is definitely not a throwaway. Next up is The Weaks. I've not heard of them before, but they really surprised me with their offering. "Call Me Away" is big and crunchy like the best kind of failed 1990's major label band. Reminds me a bit of Fig Dish. I really dig this song. Modern Baseball fills out the last song on the A side. This is a band I have heard of before, but never really listened to anything of theirs. I'm not sure this song will be one to change my mind as it's kind of slow and boring.

Side B doesn't start off on the best foot. "Old Joe" by a band called Marietta is pretty dull and unremarkable, just plodding along. Things pick up with "Shake It Off" a fantastic song by Hurry, though it is also on their most recent full length album as well. Still a highlight for sure. Finishing up is a fully acoustic version of the Beach Slag song "Too Late To Die Young." It's really not too dissimilar from the version that ended up on their full length, though there's lots of extra static on the vocals on this compilation version. It is a good song, but it's not really all that necessary if you have the Beach Slang album.

Still, this is a good little compilation for a great cause. More than anything The Weaks song really blew me away, I'm going to have to look into those guys a bit more.

V/A - Strength in Weakness

lame-orecords.bandcamp.com/album/strength-in-weakness

At Freud's Bathhouse & Diner in Winnipeg, Canada. imtrying.net/ikwmwa

The exhibit & zine expo.

7 years. 7 long, arduous years I’d spent working meticulously to hide my true nature, what I really was, from those around me. And just like that, in a moment of weakness, I let my emotions get the best of me and threw it all away. It was bound to happen at some point I suppose. I’d spent so long trying to cut myself off from the Force, letting the reminders of the teachings I had worked my whole life to master just slip away over time. But in a galaxy under the Empire, a mistake like the one I made means certain death. That’s why I’ve decided to make this holojournal. I’m going to try to detail my thoughts and the explain what has and will happen to me, for whoever may care one day.

I suppose I ought to start from the beginning, give a bit of background on myself. Jericho Chaser. That’s my name. Or it has been for the last 7 years. Before that I was Jerrus Ch’Noa: valiant Knight of the Jedi Order. Heh. I had spent my whole life, 25 years, dedicated to the Order. It was all I knew, all I was. And then that day... that day my whole world collapsed around me. I lost everything... everyone... I even lost a part of myself, in a way. After that, I tried to survive. I traveled from planet to planet, port to port, trying to get by and stay low.

Eventually I settled on the small Outer Rim planet of Nixio. So insignificant it doesn’t even show up on some star charts. The perfect place to lie low. But I came to learn the people of Nixio had a secret. Many of them were part of a group that called themselves The People’s Freedom Coalition. They allowed freedom fighting cells across the galaxy to use Nixio as a stop to stash and run supplies and weapons as they moved throughout the galaxy. It was a perfect plan, and it worked without a hitch for several years. I joined up and helped where I could, using my tool repair shop I had opened to help fix snd repurpose old weapons for the freedom fighters. The leader of our coalition was an old Separatist who had served in the Clone Wars. Everyone simply called him The Colonel, and no one dared to challenge his word. I had my apprehensions about him at first due to his background, but he was no Count Dooku or Viceroy Gunray. He simply wanted a free galaxy, and at this point we had a common enemy in the Empire.

We continued on helping freedom fighters lie low and gather supplies from our small outpost planet, when on one fateful day, a small transport pulled into our city carrying a team of insurgents who had just narrowly escaped an Imperial research base. They had managed to steal schematics to top secret Imperial weaponry that was in the early stages of development, and had come to us looking for a place to lie low. However, it wasn’t more than a few short hours when an Imperial Star Destroyer roared out of hyperspace over Nixio. Almost immediately, TIE bombers screamed down to the surface and dropped a deadly barrage on our city. After the initial bombing, the Empire began to deploy its ground troops. All of the members of the People’s Freedom Coalition scrambled to gather our weapons and set up barricades in the streets. The Colonel barked orders at us as we dashed around in preparation. We had drilled for this dozens of times, but most members of the coalition were simple artisans and shopkeepers with no real military or combat experience. We were all nervous, and most of us seemed to know that this was a somewhat futile fight.

I was outside of a small bar alongside the Colonel when the right began. “Jericho, I need you to stay close to me during the fight,” he had said. “Things will get ugly and I know you’ll have my back.” I swore I would protect him at all costs.

Not long after we heard gunshots ring out. Imperial stormtroopers were pushing on us throughout the city. Our fellow fighters shouted out orders and information about where the enemy was on the comms, however it wasn’t enough. Pretty soon, we saw stormtroopers charging ahead at us. As they sprinted up the stairs towards our barricades, the troopers began to fire their blasters at us. We ducked behind our barricades and tried to return fire, but the Imperials were just too much. The Colonel began shouting for more reinforcements when a stormtrooper with a rotary cannon opened fire. I made a move to return fire myself, when suddenly I saw the Colonel get hit with a barrage of blaster bolts. He fell to the ground with a thud, just as more of my fellow freedom fighters began to be cut down as well.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I shouted.

I felt my blaster fall out of my hand, and when I opened my eyes again, the stormtrooper with the rotary cannon had flown backwards down the stairs, knocking over his fellow troopers. A wave of dread washed over me as what I had just done dawned upon me. All of my work to hide, to bury my connection to the Force and blend in, and I had just thrown it all away in one emotional burst of anger. What had I done? I knew I needed to flee. As much as I wanted to help my fellow fighters, I felt in that moment an overwhelming sense that I needed to protect myself over anyone else. Looking back now, I was weak. I should’ve stayed and fought, tried to help until I couldn’t anymore. That’s what a Jedi would do, what a Jedi ought to do. But I’m not a Jedi anymore am I? I haven’t been a Jedi for 7 years. And that’s why I’m hiding in the forest outside of the city now, trying to figure out what to do next.

The Imperials have captured the city now. No doubt if they haven’t done so already, they’ll execute every last one of the people I’ve come to call my friends. Should I run? I could sneak back to the city and maybe steal I ship. I’ve always been a decent pilot. All I would need to do is beat a few TIE’s and maneuver out of range of the Star Destroyer’s cannons. It’s certainly doable. Heck, I did it before. Not like this, but eerily similar. I ran when the most important person in my life needed me, all those years ago...

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Wow! That was a long one. But writing has always been my favorite part of MOC building, haha! It’s been over a year since I built a MOC but I finally found the motivation for something. Hope you like it!

Some background:

The JGSF’s Type 01 “Shin-Hei” military Labor was a derivative of the highly successful civil HL-98 “Hercules 21” construction labor manufactured by Hishii Heavy Industries, which itself was a thorough development of the HL-97 “Bulldog”. Following an accident with a "Bulldog'' in 1998 the new model adopted an electronically controlled suspension, auto speed control, and a canopy system that eliminated the vibration, noise, and poor riding comfort that were the weaknesses of early two-legged Labors. Another novelty was the HL-98’s completely sealed cockpit with VR view of the surroundings for the pilot which offered highly improved crew protection and comfort and also allowed operations in potentially hazardous environment.

Three prototypes were built and the Japanese government ordered 99 production models, which entered service with the JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in 2001 but was also adopted by three JGSDF’s pioneer units.

Technical Data:

Code name: Type-01 "Shin-Hei"

Unit type: Military labor

Manufacturer: Hishii Heavy Industries

Operator: Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF)

Number built: 102

Accommodation: pilot only, in heat-, water and ABC-insulated cockpit in front torso

Dimensions:

Height overall (w. sensor boom): 9.42 meters

Height (hull only): 7.45 meters

Width (at shoulders): 5.12 meters

Minimum revolving radius: 5.5 meters

Weight:

7.89 tons (dry/empty)

9.22 tons (fully equipped/armed)

Armor materials:

Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and aluminum hull;

Additional composite armor against small-caliber weapons

Optional reactive armor tiles against armor-piercing weapons

Powerplant:

unknown

Maximum weight lifting capacity:

2.9 tons

Equipment and design features:

Flexible boom with visual and acoustic sensors, range unknown

Heat-, water- and ABC-protected cockpit with 48h air supply

Articulated manipulator hands with opposed thumbs

Full VR pilot interface

Armaments:

No internal weapons installed, but an articulated and stabilized hardpoint on the right shoulder

could accept several weapons, including a 25 mm machine cannon with 150 rounds in a drum

magazine or a launcher with 6x LMAT anti-tank missiles.

Additionally, handheld close and ranged combat weapons could be deployed, as well as a wide

range of pioneering tools

The kit and its assembly:

Some time ago I got my hands on a “reasonably priced” Patlabor IP kit set from Good Smile Company/Moderoid. The company created molds/kits for a wide range of Labors that appear in the original TV series and the movies, thankfully in the old Bandai kits’ rather esoteric 1:60 scale. This range also included a lot of civil Labors, which were formerly only available as dubious vinyl kits. The kit set I got was the HL-98 “Hercules” and ASV 99 “Boxer” combo, two civil construction Labors that shortly appear in supporting roles in the early Nineties movies. I did not have concrete plans for the kits upon purchase, but one of them would certainly become/remain a commercial/civil vehicle – and that will be the Boxer, due to its glazed cockpit. The Hercules Labor looked rather aggressive (at least to me, a little like a small brother of the menacing Phantom robot), and I rather thought that it would be better suited as a police or even military vehicle.

I eventually went for the latter concept; my build/conversion would more or less fall into the timeframe of the rather realistic and politically-heavy Patlabor 2 movie, around 2002, when Labors had, after teething troubles, become a more common sight and fully integrated into public services. Therefore, the HL-98 would become a “classic” JGSDF vehicle, not an exotic prototype anymore, reflected in its equipment/mods and the livery.

A word about the kit…. After initial enthusiasm I was a bit disappointed by the HL-98 kit, though. While it looks flashy and crisp in the box, molded in a peach orange tone with some dark grey details on alternative sprues (that are shared with the Boxer, beware not to throw them away!), the kit revealed the designers’ niggardliness. First of all the kit had been designed to be a rather simple snap-fit model. This is per se not a bad thing, many recent Bandai mecha kits are designed this way to appeal to newbie modelers who can put the model together, put stickers on it, and have a functional action figure within 15 minutes. However, Bandai’s designers still have the advanced modeler in mind and typically offer an alternative water slide decal sheet, and the kit is designed to be built in segments that can be built and painted separately, to be assembled in a final step, e. g. thanks to vinyl caps and clever detail solutions that might require one or two parts more, but that pays out elsewhere.

The Good Smile Company kit(s) lacks this thought altogether, and the number of parts has been reduced to a point that some parts, which would normally require 2 halves, have been molded and cast with “holes”. This might not be an issue, if this would remain invisible – but it isn’t and that’s really disappointing for such a “modern” kit! For instance, the undersides of the feet or of the hips are just “hollow”. Additionally, where a Bandai kit would offer a small, flexible vinyl cap in a joint, half of that joint is in the HL-98’s case completely molded in an ABS-esque material that is quite soft and poorly accepts any paint – the toy aspect seemed to have priority during the molds’ design process! Sure, you can work with this basis, but I feel painfully reminded of the early IP robot kits from the Eighties which did not offer any vinyl caps at all and a very cumbersome, not well thought-through matryoshka layout for arms, legs and torso, so that building separate modules and assembling them as a final step was impossible or required thorough mods.

Beyond these fundamental issues the kit went together quite well. The IP material is solid and thick, but many openings had to be painted before assembly to hide the material’s orange base color. Fit is also not too god, at least for such a modern mold – while the designers tried to hide part seams in natural panel lines, those seams that remain visible are very prominent and require PSR.

Most of my mods went onto the upper torso, including a sensor boom from a Patlabor Brocken on the left shoulder, the prominent LIDAR fairing (from a Bandai Patlabor Ingram Unit 3’s head) or the shoulder gun (from the scrap box, from a ruined 1:144 Run-Valam mecha, plus a drum magazine scratched from leftover Patlabor Brocken parts).

The “mitten”-style hands were also procured from a Bandai Brocken kit, replacing the HL-98’s original pincer-like three- and four-finger manipulators. To emphasize the military aspect, I added reactive armor tiles to the front and the shoulders, cut from 1mm styrene sheet. They beef up the look and add a military touch to the Labor/mecha.

Painting and markings:

A very dry and truthful replication of the typical JGSDF tank/vehicle livery in Dark Green/Dark Earth, and for this purpose I procured the respective authentic tones/paints from Tamiya, namely YF-72 and -73. However, these appear rather pale for what they are supposed to depict? IMHO, the tones rather remind of early WWII RAF Dark Earth and Dark Green (or even British Army Bronze Green) than those Tamiya suggests? Esp. the green is very greyish and close to the German RAL 7009 (Grüngrau), while the brown is very similar to FS 30118 (from the USAF SEA scheme). Dubious, maybe Tamiya’s engineers tried to integrate scale effects?

However, I gave the Tamiya paints a try and eventually stuck to them, even though the contrast between the green and the brown is surprisingly low. I considered adding black contrast stripes here and there (as applied to JGSDF AH-1Fs) but refrained from that when the Labor looked quite good in the basic two-tone camouflage. The pattern was improvised, an attempt to recreate the typical wide-striped JGSDF vehicle camouflage on a humanoid shape.

Once the basic colors had been applied, I gave the model an overall washing with thinned dark brown acrylic artist paint, to emphasize surface details and somewhat darken the rather pale tones, and some post-shading with slightly lighter basic tones (Revell 67 and 87) for weathering and a less uniform look. Decals/markings came next and were improvised with material from 1:72 JGSDF tanks and a Hobby Boss AH-1. After that the whole model was dry-brushed with khaki drab and light grey (Humbrol 72 and 64, respectively) to emphasize details and edges.

An overall coat with matt acrylic varnish followed. The lights around the hull were created with chromatic PET foil, the LIDAR on the forehead was painted glossy black to simulate a translucent fairing for the laser emitter. As a final step the model received a thorough weathering/dusting with watercolors and mineral pigments, esp. around the lower regions of the model but also on the upper surfaces, simulating accumulated dust and mud.

A conversion project that took a while to materialize, due to the inherent problems caused by the kit’s design as a highly simplified snap-fit kit. However, the “militarization” of the HL-98 worked well, and with relatively simple means – it looks quite purposeful now. I just wonder about the Tamiya paints, which are supposed to depict authentic JGSDF tones (I cross-checked that with Tamiya’s JGSDF tank kits like the Type 10 – the instructions recommend FY 72 and 73, too, or their rattle can alternatives). But esp. the green looks very pale and faded, I am not sold on it, even though I eventually stuck with them, and the Labor does not look bad with the low-contrast camouflage.

"Don't compare yourself with others who seem to skip along their life-path with ease. Their journeys have been different from yours, & I have gifted you with fragility, providing opportunities for your spirit to blossom in my presence. Accept this gift as a special treasure; delicate, yet glowing with brilliant light! Rather than struggling to disguise or deny your weakness, allow me to bless you richly!" (Sarah Young) ~ My journey is my own, my road has been laid before me by him & though I struggle (oh how I struggle) & feel so weak, confused even, He sees me as a glowing bright light! Remember he has you right where he wants you for one super unique purpose! Walking by faith, being still, working on knowing even more & finding the blessings right in front of me daily <3

Keswick probe for a weakness in the Oldham defence in rugby union's North Lancs/Cumbria league. The Lakelanders won 17-0 a fourth-versus-sixth promotion battle at Davidson Park to climb to second, four points behind Salford-based leaders De La Salle. Any of the top six in an astonishingly tight league could still finish top.

Match statistics:

Admission: free. Programme: none. Attendance: 125. Scoring sequence: 7-0 (5mins); 10-0 (29mins); 17-0 (77mins).

Some background:

The JGSF’s Type 01 “Shin-Hei” military Labor was a derivative of the highly successful civil HL-98 “Hercules 21” construction labor manufactured by Hishii Heavy Industries, which itself was a thorough development of the HL-97 “Bulldog”. Following an accident with a "Bulldog'' in 1998 the new model adopted an electronically controlled suspension, auto speed control, and a canopy system that eliminated the vibration, noise, and poor riding comfort that were the weaknesses of early two-legged Labors. Another novelty was the HL-98’s completely sealed cockpit with VR view of the surroundings for the pilot which offered highly improved crew protection and comfort and also allowed operations in potentially hazardous environment.

Three prototypes were built and the Japanese government ordered 99 production models, which entered service with the JGSDF Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade in 2001 but was also adopted by three JGSDF’s pioneer units.

Technical Data:

Code name: Type-01 "Shin-Hei"

Unit type: Military labor

Manufacturer: Hishii Heavy Industries

Operator: Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces (JGSDF)

Number built: 102

Accommodation: pilot only, in heat-, water and ABC-insulated cockpit in front torso

Dimensions:

Height overall (w. sensor boom): 9.42 meters

Height (hull only): 7.45 meters

Width (at shoulders): 5.12 meters

Minimum revolving radius: 5.5 meters

Weight:

7.89 tons (dry/empty)

9.22 tons (fully equipped/armed)

Armor materials:

Fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) and aluminum hull;

Additional composite armor against small-caliber weapons

Optional reactive armor tiles against armor-piercing weapons

Powerplant:

unknown

Maximum weight lifting capacity:

2.9 tons

Equipment and design features:

Flexible boom with visual and acoustic sensors, range unknown

Heat-, water- and ABC-protected cockpit with 48h air supply

Articulated manipulator hands with opposed thumbs

Full VR pilot interface

Armaments:

No internal weapons installed, but an articulated and stabilized hardpoint on the right shoulder

could accept several weapons, including a 25 mm machine cannon with 150 rounds in a drum

magazine or a launcher with 6x LMAT anti-tank missiles.

Additionally, handheld close and ranged combat weapons could be deployed, as well as a wide

range of pioneering tools

The kit and its assembly:

Some time ago I got my hands on a “reasonably priced” Patlabor IP kit set from Good Smile Company/Moderoid. The company created molds/kits for a wide range of Labors that appear in the original TV series and the movies, thankfully in the old Bandai kits’ rather esoteric 1:60 scale. This range also included a lot of civil Labors, which were formerly only available as dubious vinyl kits. The kit set I got was the HL-98 “Hercules” and ASV 99 “Boxer” combo, two civil construction Labors that shortly appear in supporting roles in the early Nineties movies. I did not have concrete plans for the kits upon purchase, but one of them would certainly become/remain a commercial/civil vehicle – and that will be the Boxer, due to its glazed cockpit. The Hercules Labor looked rather aggressive (at least to me, a little like a small brother of the menacing Phantom robot), and I rather thought that it would be better suited as a police or even military vehicle.

I eventually went for the latter concept; my build/conversion would more or less fall into the timeframe of the rather realistic and politically-heavy Patlabor 2 movie, around 2002, when Labors had, after teething troubles, become a more common sight and fully integrated into public services. Therefore, the HL-98 would become a “classic” JGSDF vehicle, not an exotic prototype anymore, reflected in its equipment/mods and the livery.

A word about the kit…. After initial enthusiasm I was a bit disappointed by the HL-98 kit, though. While it looks flashy and crisp in the box, molded in a peach orange tone with some dark grey details on alternative sprues (that are shared with the Boxer, beware not to throw them away!), the kit revealed the designers’ niggardliness. First of all the kit had been designed to be a rather simple snap-fit model. This is per se not a bad thing, many recent Bandai mecha kits are designed this way to appeal to newbie modelers who can put the model together, put stickers on it, and have a functional action figure within 15 minutes. However, Bandai’s designers still have the advanced modeler in mind and typically offer an alternative water slide decal sheet, and the kit is designed to be built in segments that can be built and painted separately, to be assembled in a final step, e. g. thanks to vinyl caps and clever detail solutions that might require one or two parts more, but that pays out elsewhere.

The Good Smile Company kit(s) lacks this thought altogether, and the number of parts has been reduced to a point that some parts, which would normally require 2 halves, have been molded and cast with “holes”. This might not be an issue, if this would remain invisible – but it isn’t and that’s really disappointing for such a “modern” kit! For instance, the undersides of the feet or of the hips are just “hollow”. Additionally, where a Bandai kit would offer a small, flexible vinyl cap in a joint, half of that joint is in the HL-98’s case completely molded in an ABS-esque material that is quite soft and poorly accepts any paint – the toy aspect seemed to have priority during the molds’ design process! Sure, you can work with this basis, but I feel painfully reminded of the early IP robot kits from the Eighties which did not offer any vinyl caps at all and a very cumbersome, not well thought-through matryoshka layout for arms, legs and torso, so that building separate modules and assembling them as a final step was impossible or required thorough mods.

Beyond these fundamental issues the kit went together quite well. The IP material is solid and thick, but many openings had to be painted before assembly to hide the material’s orange base color. Fit is also not too god, at least for such a modern mold – while the designers tried to hide part seams in natural panel lines, those seams that remain visible are very prominent and require PSR.

Most of my mods went onto the upper torso, including a sensor boom from a Patlabor Brocken on the left shoulder, the prominent LIDAR fairing (from a Bandai Patlabor Ingram Unit 3’s head) or the shoulder gun (from the scrap box, from a ruined 1:144 Run-Valam mecha, plus a drum magazine scratched from leftover Patlabor Brocken parts).

The “mitten”-style hands were also procured from a Bandai Brocken kit, replacing the HL-98’s original pincer-like three- and four-finger manipulators. To emphasize the military aspect, I added reactive armor tiles to the front and the shoulders, cut from 1mm styrene sheet. They beef up the look and add a military touch to the Labor/mecha.

Painting and markings:

A very dry and truthful replication of the typical JGSDF tank/vehicle livery in Dark Green/Dark Earth, and for this purpose I procured the respective authentic tones/paints from Tamiya, namely YF-72 and -73. However, these appear rather pale for what they are supposed to depict? IMHO, the tones rather remind of early WWII RAF Dark Earth and Dark Green (or even British Army Bronze Green) than those Tamiya suggests? Esp. the green is very greyish and close to the German RAL 7009 (Grüngrau), while the brown is very similar to FS 30118 (from the USAF SEA scheme). Dubious, maybe Tamiya’s engineers tried to integrate scale effects?

However, I gave the Tamiya paints a try and eventually stuck to them, even though the contrast between the green and the brown is surprisingly low. I considered adding black contrast stripes here and there (as applied to JGSDF AH-1Fs) but refrained from that when the Labor looked quite good in the basic two-tone camouflage. The pattern was improvised, an attempt to recreate the typical wide-striped JGSDF vehicle camouflage on a humanoid shape.

Once the basic colors had been applied, I gave the model an overall washing with thinned dark brown acrylic artist paint, to emphasize surface details and somewhat darken the rather pale tones, and some post-shading with slightly lighter basic tones (Revell 67 and 87) for weathering and a less uniform look. Decals/markings came next and were improvised with material from 1:72 JGSDF tanks and a Hobby Boss AH-1. After that the whole model was dry-brushed with khaki drab and light grey (Humbrol 72 and 64, respectively) to emphasize details and edges.

An overall coat with matt acrylic varnish followed. The lights around the hull were created with chromatic PET foil, the LIDAR on the forehead was painted glossy black to simulate a translucent fairing for the laser emitter. As a final step the model received a thorough weathering/dusting with watercolors and mineral pigments, esp. around the lower regions of the model but also on the upper surfaces, simulating accumulated dust and mud.

A conversion project that took a while to materialize, due to the inherent problems caused by the kit’s design as a highly simplified snap-fit kit. However, the “militarization” of the HL-98 worked well, and with relatively simple means – it looks quite purposeful now. I just wonder about the Tamiya paints, which are supposed to depict authentic JGSDF tones (I cross-checked that with Tamiya’s JGSDF tank kits like the Type 10 – the instructions recommend FY 72 and 73, too, or their rattle can alternatives). But esp. the green looks very pale and faded, I am not sold on it, even though I eventually stuck with them, and the Labor does not look bad with the low-contrast camouflage.

When I was young, I'd finish school early on Fridays. It was before my mom would get home from work, so I would walk over to the hospital where my mom worked and wait for her to finish her shift. It was a few hours, and that's asking a lot of a little kid. When I was well-behaved, we would go to the vending machines downstairs and I could get an ice cream sandwich.

Since then, whenever I'm in the hospital, I can't help but have one.

talking about weakness

thegoldensieve.com

A good thing continues

Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.

The A7/r game-changer?

In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.

The RX1 is smaller and more discrete

This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.

The D800 has important functional advantages

On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.

Okay, so what is different from the last review?

For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.

My “be-there” camera

The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.

The family camera

I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.

Where to go from here.

So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.

Go to Page with image in the Internet Archive

Title: An essay on the prevention and cure of vocal, pulmonary, dyspeptic, nervous, spinal, female, uterine, and child-bed weaknesses : and also of hernia, piles, and prolapsus-ani, etc., by mechanical supports, consisting of braces, props, girdles springs and bandages, adapted to the above maladies respectively : with the opinions of distinguished medical men on the subject

Creator: Banning, E. P. (Edmund Prior), b. 1810

Publisher: New York : [s.n.]

Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Contributor: U.S. National Library of Medicine

Date: 1850

Language: eng

Description: Will digitize

Condition reviewed

If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.

Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.

Read/Download from the Internet Archive

See all images from this book

See all MHL images published in the same year

See all images from U.S. National Library of Medicine

thegoldensieve.com

A good thing continues

Some six months ago, I posted almost 100 images and a few thoughts I felt were missing from the many existing RX1 reviews. The outpouring of support and interest in that article was very gratifying. When I published, I had used the camera for six full months, enough time to come to a view of its strengths and weaknesses and to produce a small portfolio of good images, but not enough time to see the full picture (pun intended). In the following six months, I have used the camera at least as frequently as in the first six and have produced another small set of good images. It should be noted that my usage of the RX1 in the last six (and especially in the last 3) months has involved less travel and more time with the family and around the house; I will share relatively few of these images but will spend some time sharing my impressions of its functionality for family snapshots as I am sure there is some interest. And let it be said here: one of the primary motivations to purchase the camera was to take more photos with the family, and after one full year I can confidently say: money well spent.

The A7/r game-changer?

In the past six months, Sony have announced and released two full-frame, interchangeable lens cameras that clearly take design cues from the RX1: the A7 and the A7r. These cameras are innovative and highly capable and, as such, are in the midst of taking the photography world by storm. I think they are compelling enough cameras that I wonder whether Sony is wasting its energy continuing to develop further A-mount cameras. Sony deserve credit for a bold strategy—many companies would have been content to allow the success of the the RX1 (and RX1R) generate further sales before pushing further into the white space left unexplored by camera makers with less ambition.This is not the place to detail the relative advantages and disadvantages of the RX1 versus the A7/r except to make the following point. I currently use a Nikon D800 and an RX1: were I to sell both and purchase the A7r + 35mm f/2.8 I would in many ways lose nothing by way of imaging capability or lens compatibility but would pocket the surplus $1250-1750. Indeed this loyal Nikon owner thought long and hard about doing so, which speaks to the strategic importance of these cameras for a company trying to make inroads into a highly concentrated market.Ultimately, I opted to hang onto the two cameras I have (although this decision is one that I revisit time and time again) and continue to use them as I have for the past year. Let me give you a quick flavor of why.

The RX1 is smaller and more discrete

This is a small a point, but my gut reaction to the A7/r was: much smaller than the D800, not as small as the RX1. The EVF atop the A7/r and the larger profile of interchangeable mount lenses means that I would not be able to slip the A7/r into a pocket the way I can the RX1. Further, by virtue of using the EVF and its loud mechanical shutter, the A7/r just isn’t as stealthy as the RX1. Finally, f/2 beats the pants off of f/2.8 at the same or smaller size.At this point, some of you may be saying, “Future Sony releases will allow you to get a body without an EVF and get an f/2 lens that has a slimmer profile, etc, etc.” And that’s just the point: to oversimplify things, the reason I am keeping my RX1 is that Sony currently offers something close to an A7 body without a built-in EVF and with a slimmer profile 35mm f/2.

The D800 has important functional advantages

On the other side of the spectrum, the AF speed of the A7/r just isn’t going to match the D800, especially when the former is equipped with a Nikon lens and F-mount adapter. EVFs cannot yet match the experience of looking through the prism and the lens (I expect they will match soon, but aren’t there yet). What’s more, I have made such an investment in Nikon glass that I can’t yet justify purchasing an adapter for a Sony mount or selling them all for Sony’s offerings (many of which aren’t to market yet).Now, all of these are minor points and I think all of them disappear with an A8r, but they add up to something major: I have two cameras very well suited to two different types of shooting, and I ask myself if I gain or lose by getting something in between—something that wasn’t quite a pocket shooter and something that was quite a DSLR? You can imagine, however, that if I were coming to the market without a D800 and an RX1, that my decision would be far different: dollar for dollar, the A7/r would be a no-brainer.During the moments when I consider selling to grab an A7r, I keep coming back to a thought I had a month or so before the RX1 was announced. At that time I was considering something like the NEX cameras with a ZM 21mm f/2.8 and I said in my head, “I wish someone would make a carry-around camera with a full frame sensor and a fixed 35mm f/2.8 or f/2.” Now you understand how attractive the RX1 is to me and what a ridiculously high bar exists for another camera system to reach.

Okay, so what is different from the last review?

For one, I had an issue with the camera’s AF motor failing to engage and giving me an E61:00 error. I had to send it out to Sony for repairs (via extended warranty and service plan). I detailed my experience with Sony Service here [insert link] and I write to you as a very satisfied customer. That is to say, I have 3 years left on a 4 year + accidental damage warranty and I feel confident enough in that coverage to say that I will have this beauty in working order for at least another 3 years.For two, I’ve spent significantly less time thinking of this camera as a DSLR replacement and have instead started to develop a very different way of shooting with it. The activation barrier to taking a shot with my D800 is quite high. Beyond having to bring a large camera wherever you go and have it in hand, a proper camera takes two hands and full attention to produce an image. I shoot slowly and methodically and often from a tripod with the D800. In contrast, I can pull the RX1 out, pop off the lens cap, line up and take a shot with one hand (often with a toddler in the other). This fosters a totally different type of photography.

My “be-there” camera

The have-everywhere camera that gives DSLR type controls to one-handed shooting lets me pursue images that happen very quickly or images that might not normally meet the standards of “drag-the-DSLR-out-of-the-bag.” Many of those images you’ll see on this post. A full year of shooting and I can say this with great confidence: the RX1 is a terrific mash-up of point-and-shoot and DSLR not just in image quality and features, but primarily in the product it helps me create. To take this thinking a bit further: I find myself even processing images from the RX1 differently than I would from my DSLR. So much so that I have strongly considered starting a tumblr and posting JPEGs directly from the RX1 via my phone or an iPad rather than running the bulk of them through Lightroom, onto Flickr and then on the blog (really this is just a matter of time, stay tuned, and those readers who have experience with tumblr, cloud image storage and editing, etc, etc, please contact me, I want to pick your brain).Put simply, I capture more spontaneous and beautiful “moments” than I might have otherwise. Photography is very much an exercise in “f/8 and be there,” and the RX1 is my go-to “be there” camera.

The family camera

I mentioned earlier that I justified the purchase of the RX1 partly as a camera to be used to document the family moments into which a DSLR doesn’t neatly fit. Over the past year I’ve collected thousands and thousands of family images with the RX1. The cold hard truth is that many of those photos could be better if I’d taken a full DSLR kit with me to the park or the beach or the grocery store each time. The RX1 is a difficult camera to use on a toddler (or any moving subject for that matter); autofocus isn’t as fast as a professional DSLR, it’s difficult to perfectly compose via an LCD (especially in bright sunlight), but despite these shortcomings, it’s been an incredibly useful family camera. There are simply so many beautiful moments where I had the RX1 over my shoulder, ready to go that whatever difficulties exist relative to a DSLR, those pale in comparison to the power of it’s convenience. The best camera is the one in your hand.

Where to go from here.

So what is the value of these RX1 going forward, especially in a world of the A7/r and it’s yet-to-be-born siblings without an EVF and a pancake lens? Frankly, at its current price (which is quite fair when you consider the value of the the body and the lens) I see precious little room for an independent offering versus a mirrorless, interchangeable lens system with the same image quality in a package just as small. That doesn’t mean Sony won’t make an RX2 or an RX1 Mark II (have a look at it’s other product lines to see how many SKUs are maintained despite low demand). Instead, I see the RX1 as a bridge that needed to exist for engineers, managers, and the market to make it to the A7/r and it’s descendants.A Facebook friend recently paid me a great compliment; he said something like, “Justin, via your blog, you’ve sold a ton of RX1 cameras.” Indeed, despite my efforts not to be a salesman, I think he’s right: I have and would continue to recommend this camera.The true value of the RX1 going forward is for those of us who have the thing on our shoulders; and yes, if you have an investment in and a love for a DSLR system, there’s still tremendous value in getting one, slinging it over your shoulder, and heading out into the wide, bright world; A7/r or no, this is just an unbelievably capable camera.

BTS of Surroundings' music video, Weakness/Progression.

www.jameskilian.com

Contact | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr | 500px

आप आपने शरीर पर बहुत ध्यान दे रहे हे उसके बावजूद भी किसी प्रकार का कोई परिणाम आपके सामने नहीं आ रहा हे वजन नहीं बढ़ रहा ? आप बहुत ज्यादा समय अपने काम को देते हे जिस वजह से शरीर पर धियान नहीं दे प् रहे हे ? आपने काम में बहोत व्यस्त होने की वजह से खाना वक्त पर नहीं ले पाते ? ये सभी चीज़े आपका वजन नहीं बढ़ने देती हे यदि आपको जल्द से जल्द वजन बढ़ाना हे तो आपको "अश्वशक्ति पाउडर" का सेवन करना सशुरु करना करना चाहिए । यह अश्वशक्ति पाउडर पुरुषो के वजन को प्राकृतिक रूप से बढ़ने में मदद करता हे वो भी बिना किसी प्रकार के साइड इफेक्ट्स के यह आयुर्वेदिक सप्लीमेंट सबसे अच्छा हे ।

अश्वशक्ति पाउडर को लेने के फायदे

1-अपनी भूख बढ़ाएँ,

2-अपना अधिकतम संतुलित वजन बढ़ाएँ,

3-कमजोरी दूर करें,

4-शरीर को मजबूत और मजबूत बनाता है,

5-भारत का नंबर 1 वजन बढ़ाने वाला पाउडर।

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Ayurvedic Health Care:-www.ayurvedichealthcare.in/

Phone: +91 95581 28414

www.homeworktutor.org/downloads/sec-400-week-3-learning-t...

My weakness now is in focusing, depth of field, and sharpening. I don't seem to have an eye for them so I need to practice more. I got so addicted to birds, I forgot about macro shots. I don't have a dedicated macro lens.. I wish I did but my current lenses just works fine for now. I got too many for my own good anyway.

Just practicing..

Taken with a Nikon D300.

Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 with 20mm TC

* Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30) [+]

* Aperture: f/5 [+]

* Focal Length: 50 mm [+]

* ISO Speed: 450 [+]

* Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV [+]

* Exposure Program: Aperture priority [+]

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Shred FX Strong Muscle mass are the weakness for every man. Every guy wishes to increase his toughness and want to obtain the strong body and also muscular tissues. Women always value all those men who have the solid muscular tissues and having the body with abs. To have a hard time to obtain the solid muscular tissues males strive at the gym to reach their goals. I want to obtain the enhance body because am truly fed-up with my slim and also without developed body. To achieve this, I need to obtain the solid workout. But the improper truth was that I was unable to do hard work out because of the reduced stamina degree and also because of my bad efficiency. I began to look for the supplement that will certainly aid me in my exercise performance compared to I check out the Shred FX. When I review its top qualities, I understood that this is the supplement that I am looking for. Without squandering my more time, I got this supplement and also using it. When am using this supplement, I felt adequate level of stamina to perform my workout in the day-to-day routine. Furthermore, this supplement additionally helps me to boost my sexual desires and also provide the energy to do well with my partner after doing the hard work out at the fitness center. Click here supplementvalley.com/shred-fx/

Go to Page with image in the Internet Archive

Title: An essay on the prevention and cure of vocal, pulmonary, dyspeptic, nervous, spinal, female, uterine and childbed weakness : and also, of hernias, piles, and prolapsus-ani, etc., etc. : by mechanical supports, consisting of braces, props, girdles, springs, galvanic attachments, and bandages : adapted to the above maladies respectively, with the opinions of distinguished medical men on the subject

Creator: Banning, E. P. (Edmund Prior), b. 1810

Publisher: [New York : E.P. Banning]

Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Contributor: U.S. National Library of Medicine

Date: 1853

Language: eng

Description: Date from p. 30

NLM copy, in yellow printed wrapper

Condition reviewed

digitized

If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.

Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.

Read/Download from the Internet Archive

See all images from this book

See all MHL images published in the same year

See all images from U.S. National Library of Medicine

7 years. 7 long, arduous years I’d spent working meticulously to hide my true nature, what I really was, from those around me. And just like that, in a moment of weakness, I let my emotions get the best of me and threw it all away. It was bound to happen at some point I suppose. I’d spent so long trying to cut myself off from the Force, letting the reminders of the teachings I had worked my whole life to master just slip away over time. But in a galaxy under the Empire, a mistake like the one I made means certain death. That’s why I’ve decided to make this holojournal. I’m going to try to detail my thoughts and the explain what has and will happen to me, for whoever may care one day.

I suppose I ought to start from the beginning, give a bit of background on myself. Jericho Chaser. That’s my name. Or it has been for the last 7 years. Before that I was Jerrus Ch’Noa: valiant Knight of the Jedi Order. Heh. I had spent my whole life, 25 years, dedicated to the Order. It was all I knew, all I was. And then that day... that day my whole world collapsed around me. I lost everything... everyone... I even lost a part of myself, in a way. After that, I tried to survive. I traveled from planet to planet, port to port, trying to get by and stay low.

Eventually I settled on the small Outer Rim planet of Nixio. So insignificant it doesn’t even show up on some star charts. The perfect place to lie low. But I came to learn the people of Nixio had a secret. Many of them were part of a group that called themselves The People’s Freedom Coalition. They allowed freedom fighting cells across the galaxy to use Nixio as a stop to stash and run supplies and weapons as they moved throughout the galaxy. It was a perfect plan, and it worked without a hitch for several years. I joined up and helped where I could, using my tool repair shop I had opened to help fix snd repurpose old weapons for the freedom fighters. The leader of our coalition was an old Separatist who had served in the Clone Wars. Everyone simply called him The Colonel, and no one dared to challenge his word. I had my apprehensions about him at first due to his background, but he was no Count Dooku or Viceroy Gunray. He simply wanted a free galaxy, and at this point we had a common enemy in the Empire.

We continued on helping freedom fighters lie low and gather supplies from our small outpost planet, when on one fateful day, a small transport pulled into our city carrying a team of insurgents who had just narrowly escaped an Imperial research base. They had managed to steal schematics to top secret Imperial weaponry that was in the early stages of development, and had come to us looking for a place to lie low. However, it wasn’t more than a few short hours when an Imperial Star Destroyer roared out of hyperspace over Nixio. Almost immediately, TIE bombers screamed down to the surface and dropped a deadly barrage on our city. After the initial bombing, the Empire began to deploy its ground troops. All of the members of the People’s Freedom Coalition scrambled to gather our weapons and set up barricades in the streets. The Colonel barked orders at us as we dashed around in preparation. We had drilled for this dozens of times, but most members of the coalition were simple artisans and shopkeepers with no real military or combat experience. We were all nervous, and most of us seemed to know that this was a somewhat futile fight.

I was outside of a small bar alongside the Colonel when the right began. “Jericho, I need you to stay close to me during the fight,” he had said. “Things will get ugly and I know you’ll have my back.” I swore I would protect him at all costs.

Not long after we heard gunshots ring out. Imperial stormtroopers were pushing on us throughout the city. Our fellow fighters shouted out orders and information about where the enemy was on the comms, however it wasn’t enough. Pretty soon, we saw stormtroopers charging ahead at us. As they sprinted up the stairs towards our barricades, the troopers began to fire their blasters at us. We ducked behind our barricades and tried to return fire, but the Imperials were just too much. The Colonel began shouting for more reinforcements when a stormtrooper with a rotary cannon opened fire. I made a move to return fire myself, when suddenly I saw the Colonel get hit with a barrage of blaster bolts. He fell to the ground with a thud, just as more of my fellow freedom fighters began to be cut down as well.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I shouted.

I felt my blaster fall out of my hand, and when I opened my eyes again, the stormtrooper with the rotary cannon had flown backwards down the stairs, knocking over his fellow troopers. A wave of dread washed over me as what I had just done dawned upon me. All of my work to hide, to bury my connection to the Force and blend in, and I had just thrown it all away in one emotional burst of anger. What had I done? I knew I needed to flee. As much as I wanted to help my fellow fighters, I felt in that moment an overwhelming sense that I needed to protect myself over anyone else. Looking back now, I was weak. I should’ve stayed and fought, tried to help until I couldn’t anymore. That’s what a Jedi would do, what a Jedi ought to do. But I’m not a Jedi anymore am I? I haven’t been a Jedi for 7 years. And that’s why I’m hiding in the forest outside of the city now, trying to figure out what to do next.

The Imperials have captured the city now. No doubt if they haven’t done so already, they’ll execute every last one of the people I’ve come to call my friends. Should I run? I could sneak back to the city and maybe steal I ship. I’ve always been a decent pilot. All I would need to do is beat a few TIE’s and maneuver out of range of the Star Destroyer’s cannons. It’s certainly doable. Heck, I did it before. Not like this, but eerily similar. I ran when the most important person in my life needed me, all those years ago...

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Wow! That was a long one. But writing has always been my favorite part of MOC building, haha! It’s been over a year since I built a MOC but I finally found the motivation for something. Hope you like it!

a li'l collage :)

At Freud's Bathhouse & Diner in Winnipeg, Canada. imtrying.net/ikwmwa

The exhibit & zine expo.

As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round.

Go to Page with image in the Internet Archive

Title: An essay on the prevention and cure of vocal, pulmonary, dyspeptic, nervous, spinal, female, uterine and childbed weakness : and also, of hernias, piles, and prolapsus-ani, etc., etc. : by mechanical supports, consisting of braces, props, girdles, springs, galvanic attachments, and bandages : adapted to the above maladies respectively, with the opinions of distinguished medical men on the subject

Creator: Banning, E. P. (Edmund Prior), b. 1810

Publisher: [New York : E.P. Banning]

Sponsor: Open Knowledge Commons, U.S. National Library of Medicine

Contributor: U.S. National Library of Medicine

Date: 1853

Language: eng

Description: Date from p. 30

NLM copy, in yellow printed wrapper

Condition reviewed

digitized

If you have questions concerning reproductions, please contact the Contributing Library.

Note: The colors, contrast and appearance of these illustrations are unlikely to be true to life. They are derived from scanned images that have been enhanced for machine interpretation and have been altered from their originals.

Read/Download from the Internet Archive

See all images from this book

See all MHL images published in the same year

See all images from U.S. National Library of Medicine

Processed with VSCOcam with x1 preset

7 years. 7 long, arduous years I’d spent working meticulously to hide my true nature, what I really was, from those around me. And just like that, in a moment of weakness, I let my emotions get the best of me and threw it all away. It was bound to happen at some point I suppose. I’d spent so long trying to cut myself off from the Force, letting the reminders of the teachings I had worked my whole life to master just slip away over time. But in a galaxy under the Empire, a mistake like the one I made means certain death. That’s why I’ve decided to make this holojournal. I’m going to try to detail my thoughts and the explain what has and will happen to me, for whoever may care one day.

I suppose I ought to start from the beginning, give a bit of background on myself. Jericho Chaser. That’s my name. Or it has been for the last 7 years. Before that I was Jerrus Ch’Noa: valiant Knight of the Jedi Order. Heh. I had spent my whole life, 25 years, dedicated to the Order. It was all I knew, all I was. And then that day... that day my whole world collapsed around me. I lost everything... everyone... I even lost a part of myself, in a way. After that, I tried to survive. I traveled from planet to planet, port to port, trying to get by and stay low.

Eventually I settled on the small Outer Rim planet of Nixio. So insignificant it doesn’t even show up on some star charts. The perfect place to lie low. But I came to learn the people of Nixio had a secret. Many of them were part of a group that called themselves The People’s Freedom Coalition. They allowed freedom fighting cells across the galaxy to use Nixio as a stop to stash and run supplies and weapons as they moved throughout the galaxy. It was a perfect plan, and it worked without a hitch for several years. I joined up and helped where I could, using my tool repair shop I had opened to help fix snd repurpose old weapons for the freedom fighters. The leader of our coalition was an old Separatist who had served in the Clone Wars. Everyone simply called him The Colonel, and no one dared to challenge his word. I had my apprehensions about him at first due to his background, but he was no Count Dooku or Viceroy Gunray. He simply wanted a free galaxy, and at this point we had a common enemy in the Empire.

We continued on helping freedom fighters lie low and gather supplies from our small outpost planet, when on one fateful day, a small transport pulled into our city carrying a team of insurgents who had just narrowly escaped an Imperial research base. They had managed to steal schematics to top secret Imperial weaponry that was in the early stages of development, and had come to us looking for a place to lie low. However, it wasn’t more than a few short hours when an Imperial Star Destroyer roared out of hyperspace over Nixio. Almost immediately, TIE bombers screamed down to the surface and dropped a deadly barrage on our city. After the initial bombing, the Empire began to deploy its ground troops. All of the members of the People’s Freedom Coalition scrambled to gather our weapons and set up barricades in the streets. The Colonel barked orders at us as we dashed around in preparation. We had drilled for this dozens of times, but most members of the coalition were simple artisans and shopkeepers with no real military or combat experience. We were all nervous, and most of us seemed to know that this was a somewhat futile fight.

I was outside of a small bar alongside the Colonel when the right began. “Jericho, I need you to stay close to me during the fight,” he had said. “Things will get ugly and I know you’ll have my back.” I swore I would protect him at all costs.

Not long after we heard gunshots ring out. Imperial stormtroopers were pushing on us throughout the city. Our fellow fighters shouted out orders and information about where the enemy was on the comms, however it wasn’t enough. Pretty soon, we saw stormtroopers charging ahead at us. As they sprinted up the stairs towards our barricades, the troopers began to fire their blasters at us. We ducked behind our barricades and tried to return fire, but the Imperials were just too much. The Colonel began shouting for more reinforcements when a stormtrooper with a rotary cannon opened fire. I made a move to return fire myself, when suddenly I saw the Colonel get hit with a barrage of blaster bolts. He fell to the ground with a thud, just as more of my fellow freedom fighters began to be cut down as well.

“NOOOOOOOOOOO!” I shouted.

I felt my blaster fall out of my hand, and when I opened my eyes again, the stormtrooper with the rotary cannon had flown backwards down the stairs, knocking over his fellow troopers. A wave of dread washed over me as what I had just done dawned upon me. All of my work to hide, to bury my connection to the Force and blend in, and I had just thrown it all away in one emotional burst of anger. What had I done? I knew I needed to flee. As much as I wanted to help my fellow fighters, I felt in that moment an overwhelming sense that I needed to protect myself over anyone else. Looking back now, I was weak. I should’ve stayed and fought, tried to help until I couldn’t anymore. That’s what a Jedi would do, what a Jedi ought to do. But I’m not a Jedi anymore am I? I haven’t been a Jedi for 7 years. And that’s why I’m hiding in the forest outside of the city now, trying to figure out what to do next.

The Imperials have captured the city now. No doubt if they haven’t done so already, they’ll execute every last one of the people I’ve come to call my friends. Should I run? I could sneak back to the city and maybe steal I ship. I’ve always been a decent pilot. All I would need to do is beat a few TIE’s and maneuver out of range of the Star Destroyer’s cannons. It’s certainly doable. Heck, I did it before. Not like this, but eerily similar. I ran when the most important person in my life needed me, all those years ago...

————————————————————————————————————————————————

Wow! That was a long one. But writing has always been my favorite part of MOC building, haha! It’s been over a year since I built a MOC but I finally found the motivation for something. Hope you like it!

This image is excerpted from a U.S. GAO report, available here: www.gao.gov/products/GAO-11-463T

There are people who could reflect lives of others, in order to reveal strengths and weaknesses...

Model: Abdull-Aziz

Location: Dickson's House, Kuwait

Technical Information:

Camera - Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III

Exposure - 1/1000sec at f/1.2

ISO - 100

Lens - Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

Focal Length - 85mm

Fliter - No

Teleconverter - No

Extension Tube - No

Flash - No

Tripod - No

Capture Time - 11:47am

The front fogs tend to overheat, resulting in molten armatures...

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.

I must admit, nerds are my weakness.

Still bored....and it's only Tuesday. I was able to get a 3 hour nap in today. I can't believe how much I sleep. I don't know if one week is going to be enough for me to get back on my feet........:-/

def not organic, prob full of hormones and all sorts of chemicals, but i rationalize it by saying 'but there's no sugar'!

i'm embarrassed to say how much of this i eat in a week. it's prob destroying my liver and keeping me from obtaining the six-pack i so long for!

Each Zodiac Can Be A Better Zodiac If It Can Fight These Weaknesses

My Villain that I purchased as part of the 50 vs 50. I printed the picture in 8 x 12 format. I could not get the full picture, some border were available that fit the art to hang on the wall.

Name: Sweet Cheeks

Standing: Villain

Power: Controls toy teddy bears

Weakness: Static electricity

Part of the 50 vs 50 by Len Peralta.

I really struggled with this theme. There are so many different definitions and interpretations of the word weakness and I couldn't help but think about the word's negative sides, and that can be hard to express and very personal. I don't get personal very often, and it's hard to open up and make it about myself. I especially don't take self portraits. But it's all I could think about.

I am not always the strong person I try to appear on the outside. Sometimes I feel a weight on my shoulders. I do all the things I'm supposed to do, but at the end of the day I feel tired and weak. I feel aching in my neck and back that never really go away.

We all have weaknesses, we all feel weak sometimes. But maybe being able to push through and keep going, look at the positive side of things and be grateful for the life we're living really makes us strong.

BTS of Surroundings' music video, Weakness/Progression.

www.jameskilian.com

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