Antievolution.org - Antievolution.org Discussion Board -Topic::Wildlife

Posted: April 22 2013,10:15

whoops!

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“Why do creationists have such a hard time with commas?

Linky“. ~ Steve Story, Legend

Henry J

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Posted: April 22 2013,11:40

That tree just wasn't up to building code specs!

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Posted: April 22 2013,12:51

Quote (Henry J @ April 22 2013,11:40)

That tree just wasn't up to building code specs!

That or they didn't have a good structural engineer. Either way, I'm sure their will be a lawsuit.

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we IDists rule in design for the flagellum and cilium largely because they do look designed. �Bilbo

The only reason you reject Thor is because, like a cushion, you bear the imprint of the biggest arse that sat on you. Louis

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Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 22 2013,17:34

I was casting about for some way to get better results out of my $26 Vivitar 500mm lens, and remembered gunstock-style lens mounts. A quick trip to eBay showed that there is a commercial-off-the-shelf system, the BushHawk. However, I object to paying three to fifteen times more than I paid for the lens to buy the stabilizer. (Never mind the discrepancy in price between lens and camera.)

So yesterday I ascertained that we had an old piece of 2x6" board lying about, and with table saw, jigsaw, sander, and drill, I came up with this:

The underslung cutout allows me to rotate the lens and attached camera body. I still need to add a bit of Velcro and mount a Nikon remote release, but I took a few minutes to try the system out. Even without the remote release, this is a big improvement over trying to hand-hold the lens and camera by itself. Notice the focus helicoid between the lens mount and the camera body; when handheld, the helicoid tends to bind rather than turn. On this, I can effectively turn the focus ring.

Yeah, I need to scrub my sensor.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

The whole truth

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Posted: April 22 2013,23:52

That's a clever mount, Wesley. Another good starting point for a camera mount is a wooden or aluminum crutch, which can be picked up for a few bucks at a thrift store or maybe even less at a garage sale. The lower part of the crutch can be cut off just past the handle or a few inches beyond that if more length is need to attach accessories like a microphone for video work.

Crutches have holes for adjusting the position of the handle which can be used to attach a camera and/or accessories and of course more holes can be drilled if necessary. The rails of a crutch are pretty narrow but a wider platform for the camera (and/or accessories) can be bolted to the crutch rail if necessary. A piece of stiff aluminum 1/8" plate a couple inches wide and a few inches or so long will work. A piece of wood would also work and if thick enough it would allow camera rotation if the lens is what is attached to the platform.

A modified crutch may not be suitable for long, heavy lenses. I haven't tried my 500 and 600mm lenses on my modified wooden crutch. The nice things about a crutch are that it's cheap, lightweight when the bottom is cut off, it has a pad that is comfortable against the inner shoulder, it has an adjustable handle, and a wooden one especially is quite strong (they're often laminated).

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. - Jesus in Matthew 10:34

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. -Jesus in Luke 19:27

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Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 23 2013,08:42

Velcro is a wonderful thing. I added the remote release to the telephoto rig. (Though, technically, I don't think the 500mm is a telephoto: it really is physically just about 500mm from primary optic to film plane.) And a morning stroll to the edge of the bigger pond got me a couple of passable shots of my neighbors. In each case, I've provided the resized full image (approximately APS-C coverage) and a cropped version.

Getting closer would help a bunch. I'll have to work on that.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

Lou FCD

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Posted: April 23 2013,09:57

Es ist sehr gut.

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“Why do creationists have such a hard time with commas?

Linky“. ~ Steve Story, Legend

Posts: 4991
Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 23 2013,20:34

Another entry in the cheap long lens arsenal, this one a Pro 400mm f/6.3, probably manufactured in the late 1960s or early 1970s. It cost me $11 plus shipping off eBay. I had to disassemble it to strip some fogging off an element, something that becomes obvious if you pass light through indirectly. I like using something like a dark monitor for a background.

Anyway, I attached the 400mm to the rig and took another walk around the yard. We have some woodpeckers who nest in a dead palm tree. This one was in a tree near that.

I'm stopping down to f/11 whenever I can with both lenses. Preset lenses are a pain, but the 400mm is way ahead of the 500mm ergonomically. The preset ring turns easily, and the focusing happens at the front end of the lens.

I could still stand to get lots closer.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

dhogaza

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Posted: April 25 2013,19:23

Wesley, I've shot with a homemade shoulder stock for 20 years. I don't use it currently because my IS mid-range teles are easily hand-holdable, and I'm not strong enough to hand-hold my 6kg 600/4 non-IS even with the shoulder stock. Well, I can hold it with the shoulder stock, I just can't hold it *still*. If it had IS I could manage it. I envy those with Canon's latest 600/4 IS which weighs less than 4kg ...

But I used to use it with my 3kg 300/2.8 non-IS with and without 1.4x and 2x extenders before I sold it.

dhogaza

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Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: April 25 2013,19:24

Ran across these cuties while at Ridgefield NWR (WA) a couple of days ago:

The whole truth

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Joined: Jan. 2012

Posted: April 25 2013,21:02

Quote (dhogaza @ April 25 2013,17:24)

Ran across these cuties while at Ridgefield NWR (WA) a couple of days ago:

Oh goodie, the painted toitles are out. I almost went to the RNWR yesterday but decided to go to the Gifford Pinchot National Forest instead. It was a beautiful day out there.

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. - Jesus in Matthew 10:34

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. -Jesus in Luke 19:27

dhogaza

Posts: 525
Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: April 25 2013,23:16

Too much information, if I see you, I might have to shoot you.

With a camera, of course :)

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Joined: Sep. 2009

Posted: April 26 2013,10:49

Quote (dhogaza @ April 25 2013,19:24)

Ran across these cuties while at Ridgefield NWR (WA) a couple of days ago:

Neat shot! I like that!

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we IDists rule in design for the flagellum and cilium largely because they do look designed. �Bilbo

The only reason you reject Thor is because, like a cushion, you bear the imprint of the biggest arse that sat on you. Louis

Posts: 4991
Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 26 2013,19:16

Do we have an entomologist in the house?

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

Henry J

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Posted: April 26 2013,21:08

Would this help? :D

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Posted: April 26 2013,21:18

Quote (Henry J @ April 26 2013,21:08)

Would this help? :D

Work?!

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

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Posted: April 26 2013,21:18

Quote (Henry J @ April 26 2013,21:08)

Would this help? :D

I don't think it specifies what the insect is. :p

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"At our church�s funerals, we sing gospel songs (out loud) to God." -- FL

"So the center of the earth being hotter than the surface is a "gross
violation of the second law of thermodynamics??" -- Ted Holden

The whole truth

Posts: 1554
Joined: Jan. 2012

Posted: April 26 2013,23:07

Quote (Wesley R. Elsberry @ April 26 2013,17:16)

Do we have an entomologist in the house?

I'm not sure but it may be a leaf footed bug nymph, family Coreidae.

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. - Jesus in Matthew 10:34

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. -Jesus in Luke 19:27

The whole truth

Posts: 1554
Joined: Jan. 2012

Posted: April 26 2013,23:25

Wesley, this leaf footed bug nymph looks a lot like yours:

http://www.whatsthatbug.com/2010.......ted-bug

Edited by The whole truth on April 26 2013,21:25

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. - Jesus in Matthew 10:34

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. -Jesus in Luke 19:27

The whole truth

Posts: 1554
Joined: Jan. 2012

Posted: April 27 2013,23:21

dhogaza, are you aware that there is a Black Necked Stilt at RNWR? It's hanging out in the partially flooded field on the south side of Rest Lake.

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Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. - Jesus in Matthew 10:34

But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me. -Jesus in Luke 19:27

Posts: 1431
Joined: Sep. 2009

Posted: April 28 2013,06:16

A few shots of some Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) that I took yesterday at Banshee Reeks Nature Preserver in Loudoun County, Virginia:

Male and female. The male is the one above.

Another of the male and female

This one came and sat right behind me, about 8 or so feet away.

And yes, they are getting ready to mate.

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we IDists rule in design for the flagellum and cilium largely because they do look designed. �Bilbo

The only reason you reject Thor is because, like a cushion, you bear the imprint of the biggest arse that sat on you. Louis

Posts: 1431
Joined: Sep. 2009

Posted: April 28 2013,06:19

Here's shot of a tree swallow flying. I am surprised I actually got this shot.

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we IDists rule in design for the flagellum and cilium largely because they do look designed. �Bilbo

The only reason you reject Thor is because, like a cushion, you bear the imprint of the biggest arse that sat on you. Louis

Posts: 322
Joined: Mar. 2013

Posted: April 28 2013,06:23

Here's a special treat:

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"At our church�s funerals, we sing gospel songs (out loud) to God." -- FL

"So the center of the earth being hotter than the surface is a "gross
violation of the second law of thermodynamics??" -- Ted Holden

Posts: 4991
Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 28 2013,08:29

This is a view near dawn of the side yard, looking mostly to the west. Part of small pond on left, woodpecker nest tree slightly right of center.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

Posts: 322
Joined: Mar. 2013

Posted: April 28 2013,08:50

Quote (Wesley R. Elsberry @ April 28 2013,08:29)

This is a view near dawn of the side yard, looking mostly to the west. Part of small pond on left, woodpecker nest tree slightly right of center.

When I was in Florida, I actually saw a:

--------------
"At our church�s funerals, we sing gospel songs (out loud) to God." -- FL

"So the center of the earth being hotter than the surface is a "gross
violation of the second law of thermodynamics??" -- Ted Holden

Posts: 4991
Joined: May 2002

Posted: April 28 2013,08:56

Quote (Arctodus23 @ April 28 2013,08:50)

Quote (Wesley R. Elsberry @ April 28 2013,08:29)

This is a view near dawn of the side yard, looking mostly to the west. Part of small pond on left, woodpecker nest tree slightly right of center.

When I was in Florida, I actually saw a:

I live a bit far north and in too close to town to expect to see one of those. I haven't kept up; back in 2010 there were a bit more than a hundred panthers, and that included the females imported from Texas to try to counter the various genetic problems that the small Florida population was showing, like "kinked tail".

Whenever I drove across Alligator Alley, I had to hope that I would not encounter one at high speed on the road. It would have been a bit tough to explain to my colleagues at work.

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"You can't teach an old dogma new tricks." - Dorothy Parker

Posts: 322
Joined: Mar. 2013

Posted: April 28 2013,09:13

Quote (Wesley R. Elsberry @ April 28 2013,08:56)

Quote (Arctodus23 @ April 28 2013,08:50)

Quote (Wesley R. Elsberry @ April 28 2013,08:29)

This is a view near dawn of the side yard, looking mostly to the west. Part of small pond on left, woodpecker nest tree slightly right of center.

When I was in Florida, I actually saw a:

I live a bit far north and in too close to town to expect to see one of those. I haven't kept up; back in 2010 there were a bit more than a hundred panthers, and that included the females imported from Texas to try to counter the various genetic problems that the small Florida population was showing, like "kinked tail".

Whenever I drove across Alligator Alley, I had to hope that I would not encounter one at high speed on the road. It would have been a bit tough to explain to my colleagues at work.

Funny...It looked like you lived in south of ~~Costa Rica~~ Florida. There is still I think 160, maybe 200 now. There was another genetic problem, where the mails only had one testicle, or maybe even none.

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"At our church�s funerals, we sing gospel songs (out loud) to God." -- FL

"So the center of the earth being hotter than the surface is a "gross
violation of the second law of thermodynamics??" -- Ted Holden

dhogaza

Posts: 525
Joined: Feb. 2006

Posted: April 28 2013,09:49

Quote (The whole truth @ April 27 2013,23:21)

dhogaza, are you aware that there is a Black Necked Stilt at RNWR? It's hanging out in the partially flooded field on the south side of Rest Lake.

Yes, I just heard that friday, ran into someone at Bowerman Basin who told me so. �That wasn't you, was it?

dhogaza

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Joined: Feb. 2006