Your weekend accomplishments.

[mpc]

Researching a new Camera... anyone got anything to say about the Micro-four thirds (MFT, M43) systems sold by Olympus, Panasonic-Lumix? Very compact interchangable lens mirrorless DSLRs using electronic viewfinders so they are much smaller and lighter and simpler than Nikon, Canon DSLRs with swing-up mirrors, the MFT sensors are a bit smaller than the big DSLRs but way larger than the sensors in the point and shoots. So the image quality should be nearly as good...

I don't know which model she has... a retired co-worker's wife teaches Photoshop at the local community college and is a semi-pro photographer. She's used Lumix cameras for quite some time now though I don't know which model(s). I can't ask right now as they are out of state at his family farm. I know it has interchangeable lenses and many manual settings though I don't know if her camera(s) is/are aperture priority or speed priority or either. What I've seen from it though are quite good.

mpc

[mahfuz]

Mowed the lawn, broke the drive belt
Washed the mower, after a very long time
Installed new dishwasher
Installed mosaic tile backsplash in the kitchen; grouting was harder than I expected
Installed LED under cabinet lights; came out nice
Managed to shoot a staple on the side of my stomach Did not hurt as much...

[JimD]

I will also say that I like my Nikon P-500 camera. It is a point and shoot but with a 36X lens. I think the latest has a 60X. I'm sure a SLR would do better but I am not willing to carry all the lens to make it do everything the P-500 will do. My recomendation is a high end point and shoot.

[LCHIEN]

I will also say that I like my Nikon P-500 camera. It is a point and shoot but with a 36X lens. I think the latest has a 60X. I'm sure a SLR would do better but I am not willing to carry all the lens to make it do everything the P-500 will do. My recomendation is a high end point and shoot.

I have a P&S Olympus that has 36X zoom and 12MP. I bought that about 4-5 years ago and while I have taken a lot of picture with it I used to own a 35mm SLR with a lot of lenses and do a lot of photography.

What the point and shoots have is a small sensor which makes megazoom lenses possible in the form factor we have now.

What they fail at for fine photography that I miss is
1 very fast lenses (small F-number like 2.0, 1.4 etc) allowing small depth of focus for effect
2 not very small lens openings (like f16, F22) for large depth of focus - mine only goes to like f11
3. not responsive enough for action shooting
4 sensor areas are small (noise and color issues) vs. large areas for DSLR which are much quieter and higher performing but also cost more.

[Neal]

For the weekend May 30-Jun1....

Applied a coat of Poly to my UTS project.
Mowed, suckered and tied tomatoes, "fed" (ie miracle grow) all of the plants in the flower and veggie/herb beds. (we grow a few tomatoes, two banana pepper plants, a pablano pepper, enough basil to choke a horse, and a couple of other small potted herbs to go along with our decorative landscaping).

Helped my son pull enough weeds to fill 2, 5 gallon buckets at his mowing job.

Smoked three Boston butts for my daughter's graduation party (which is
accompanied by the requisite prep and clean up).

set up, Attended and cleaned up said graduation party

Had to come to work to get some rest!

[Richard in Smithville]

This weekend was the first time I have ever been on roller blades( not counting when I bought them seven months ago-tried them on for fit in the store). Didn't do too bad and only went down once when I got over confident and went too fast. Glad I spent the money and bought all the protective gear too!

[LCHIEN]

So here's the finished bird feeders.
Weathered original on the left.
Ordered my camera but it hasn't come yet - backordered.

[jussi]

Mine was spent going broke at a garage sale. But smiling all the way. My jaw hit the floor when I got there. I've never been to a sale with so many high end hand tools. Also picked up some really large forstner bits. Largest was 3-1/8".

[capncarl]

My wife an I spent the weekend finishing up changing all of our passwords, bank accounts, reloading contacts into our new phones and tablets after our theft. The theft was on day 1 of 6 of our vacation to one of our favorites, Dahlonega Ga. We checked in to the motel at 6pm and unloaded our luggage into the room and dashed off to meet friends for supper. When we returned all of our stuff was gone, including a checkbook with too much info to be in the wrong hands, my tablet with lots to much info for crooks, photo inventory of my shop, house and guns, all of our cameras, electronics and chargers, clothes, shoes, prescriptions etc. I had the Dahlonega police contact our county police to put my house on a watch patrol until we arrived back home and we contacted the bank to freeze our accounts. Vacation over, we slept in out clothes and headed home early the next morning to start changing banking accounts before they were accessed by the low life scum. At least they did not get my .44 that I was carrying concealed! Now on with our lives replacing the gone items and recovering the loss from the motel. Another lesson learned.

[atgcpaul]

Mine was spent going broke at a garage sale. But smiling all the way. My jaw hit the floor when I got there. I've never been to a sale with so many high end hand tools. Also picked up some really large forstner bits. Largest was 3-1/8".

I've got to ask, how much did that Bridge City stuff set you back?

My wife an I spent the weekend finishing up changing all of our passwords, bank accounts, reloading contacts into our new phones and tablets after our theft.

So sorry to hear about this and on vacation, too. Hope it all works out.

[capncarl]

Jussi, your weekend was really productive! Those planes are dolls. Did you buy the items on the tables or was that the for sale? I've run across several good estate sales like that, you have to jump on it with both feet before the consignment shop buyers grab it. A lot of what I have bought in haste I have not used and probably won't, but doggone it looks good in my shop.

[jussi]

I've got to ask, how much did that Bridge City stuff set you back?

Everything on the table and these clamps and forstner bits set me back $700. I did not intend to spend that much. I ended up going to the atm 3 times Every time I thought I was done something else kept calling me back, saying quick go get more money and buy me before someone else does. One good thing about buying alot of the items is you get a better discount. They were more than fair with the prices.

Jussi, your weekend was really productive! Those planes are dolls. Did you buy the items on the tables or was that the for sale?

I bought everything on the table. They still had a few Lie Nielsen and Bridge City tools and tons of expensive carving tools. Wish I knew more about carving. They had a few Japanese planes which I was really interested in, but not knowing the language and what is a good brand I didn't want to buy blindly. They also had tons of clamps. One guy bought most of the Bessey parallel clamps and I ended up getting the 6 he didn't get.

[capncarl]

Nmr

I went to an estate sale advertising woodworking tools where the sellers father had passed away and his kids were "dispersing" his belongings. It was so sad seeing the vultures just picking through his cabinets and tools knowing that they would be in the flea market or consignment store within hours. I started a buy pile an laid claim to a set of #2 thru #6 Stanley planes. I also bought an older c-man lathe mfg by Emerson on a nice drawered cabinet that was full of the old mans small tools. When I was going through the drawers I found all of his measuring tools neatly organized in the top drawer, just like I do my own. In these treasures was an award medallion from the school art league of NYC dated 1918. His initials, AH Jones was engraved in it as all the tool were scratched in. My mother was a Jones but I could find no connection. I did not disturbed the contents of this drawer, I only use his tools and put it back where I found it in respect of the Mr. Jones that I never had the pleasure to meet.
Lots of nice finds are to be had at these sales but it hurts to think that our tools may meet the same fate some day.
Capncarl

[LCHIEN]

So here's the finished bird feeders.
Weathered original on the left.
Ordered my camera but it hasn't come yet - backordered.

Instant gratification.
Hung the new feeder. Trying out new OM PEN E-PM2/40-150mm zoom.
Ten minutes...

[Pappy]

Attended ROT Biker Rally festivities...

On 6th Street downtown Austin



And the lot party at Cowboy Harley