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April 29,2013- Boxster Spring Prep... |
The Spring Prep ritual for the Boxster was completed this weekend. We swapped out the Firestone WinterForce snow tires for the Hankook Ventus summer ones, checked the battery, and did a bunch of maintenance procedures (tire pressure, 4-wheel alignment, control arm lubrication, etc.) to get the car ready for top-down weather.
The Firestone WinterForce performed quite well this Winter under all kinds of condtions: really cold; slushy wet;, heavy snow. We had full confidence driving the Boxster whether we were in the city or on the highway. However, they were definitely not designed for the 60º weather we had been experiencing last week. We took advantage of the beautiful weather and swapped them out for the Hankook Ventus. BTW, the Kurgo TireTotes we got back in 2007 are still... [more] - Boxster Spring Prep
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April 24,2013- Hanging The Bird Cottages... |
When we found these whimsical bird cottages, available exclusively at Gardener's Supply Company, we knew that they would be perfect for the RainyDayGarden. They come as a set of three (one of each color), have a metal roofs, and are perfectly sized for song birds such as nuthatches, titmice, wrens and chickadees.
The blooms on the trees and vines in RainyDayGarden have started coming in. We thought it best to get the bird cottages up ASAP, but the weather did not cooperate. Things finally cleared on... [more] - Hanging the Bird Cottages
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April 19,2013- Fujifilm X100S Full Auto... |
We have spent the last week getting familiar with the feel and functions of the Fujifilm X100S . The short of it is: this camera is a pleasure to handle and a joy to use. As the X100S has many shooting options (aperture-priority, shutter-priority, full auto, manual, etc.), special modes (HDR bracketing, film simulation bracketing, etc.), and customizations (white balance compensation, exposure compensation, etc.), we thought it best to start off with no tweaks and in full-auto mode. With full-auto we can concentrate on the overall ergonomics of the camera and focus on taking pictures (instead of changing settings). There will be plenty of time to play with the knobs later.
Full-auto mode is engaged when the shutter speed dial, auto-focus slider, and the aperture ring are all set to "A." In this configuration the computer inside the X100S makes all of the decisions on shutter speed, lens opening, ASA setting, and focus. All we have to do is... [more] - Fujifilm X100S : Full Auto
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April 12,2013- Birdbath and Birdhouses... |
Spring is definitely on its way. The temperature outside has been fluctuating between 40º and 60º+. April showers have been signaling to the plants that it is time to get busy. The daffodils, tulips, day lilies, and others have started to poke through the wet ground. Crocuses have been popping up, some in the oddest places, all over the RainyDayGarden. The forecast for this weekend is warm and sunny, so it will be the perfect time to clean up the garden and put up some of the new items we found at Gardener's Supply Company.
The items that caught our eye were the birdhouses with the metal roof and the metal birdbath with the three-legged stand. Both items are exclusive to... [more] - Birdbath and Birdhouses
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April 10,2013- MFA: Samurai! |
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, is renowned the world over for breadth and depth of its Japanese collection, holding as it does over 100,000 artefacts. When we heard that the MFA was going to put together an exhibit of samurai armor, we naturally assumed that it would be drawing from its archives and showcasing some of the pieces not often displayed to the public. But, we were wrong: the MFA's "Samurai! Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection" exhibit was organized by the Ann & Barbier-Mueller Museum in Dallas, in collaboration with the MFA, and features outstanding items from a private collection. According to Malcom Rogers, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the MFA, "This exhibition superbly complements the Museum's own collection of works from Japan because the MFA is weaker in this particular area." Now to say the MFA is "weak" in any particular aspect of their Japanese collection is to say the New England Patriots is "weak" in their offensive options, but we digress.
The incredible quality of this exhibit is evident at the entrance. Visitors are greeted by three suits of armor, any one of which could've been the centerpiece of an exhibit on Japanese armor that would've left its viewers satisfied. However, there are 140 more objects from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller collection awaiting inside. Be prepared to be... [more] - MFA: Samurai! Armor from the Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller Collection
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April 8,2013- Fujifilm X100S Accessories... |
There is a surprising number of cases out there for the Fujifilm X100 camera: full body, half jacket, leather, neoprene, etc. The X100S has the same physical dimensions as the original X100, so any case which works with the first version will fit just fine for this updated model. We thought about how we'd be using the camera and what we wanted from the case we'd house it in, and decided that JnK Handworks of South Korea was the vendor best able to provide a case that met our needs. We highly recommend readers check out their "About" and "Work" sections and click through the slide shows and video. Even though their site is mostly in Korean, you don't really need to understand the language to see that their work is amazing.
JnK makes all of their cases by hand. This means you can order leather, color, stitching, and features in any combination you like. We opted for the following: Rally Tan leather, snap-on back cover, metal tripod hole. It takes a few weeks for the folks at JnK to get the order out, but judging by the result, even if the wait was longer, it would still be... [more] - Fujifilm X100S Accessories: JnK Handwork case
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April 5,2013- Fujifilm X100S Accessories... |
The Fujifilm X100S came with a few accessories (lens cap, nylon strap, USB cable). While the lens cap and strap are functional, we felt a camera this beautiful deserved something a bit more luxurious. While waiting for the camera's arrival, the interns spent that time researching for accessories worthy of pairing with the X100S. Their efforts revealed a surprising range of choices and prices for cases and straps, and even lens hoods. We have narrowed the list and will be taking a closer look at them over time.
One of the design goals of the original X100 was to make a compact camera that offered the best image quality without compromise. They have achieved that through the incorporation of a newly developed, non-interchangeable, non-collapsible, fixed focal length, high-performance FUJINON 23mm f/2 fixed prime lens. We expect that we will taking our Fujifilm X100S everywhere. However, the slip-on cap that came with the camera just did not seem like it would provide sufficient protection for the lens of a camera that is expected to be... [more] - Fujifilm X100S Accessories: Lens Hood
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April 3,2013- Fujifilm X100s FirstShots... |
A Point-n-shoot camera should be exactly that. People should be able to take it out of the box, set everything to Automatic, point it at something, and start shooting. We have done that test to many digital cameras over the years and the Fujifilm X100S is the first one to impress us with its right-out-of-the-box results.
The layout of the X100S' dials and buttons is well thought out. All of the basic features were easily understood and readily accessible. The battery came charged. All we had to do was pop in an SD card and turn the camera on, and... [more] - Fujifilm X100s FirstShots
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April 2,2013- Fujifilm X100s FirstLook... |
We held off from getting the Fujifilm X100 when it was first announced in 2010, even though we REALLY wanted one, because we had committed ourselves to spending some quality time with the Nikon P7000. When we heard that Fujifilm would be updating its X100 series, we knew we would not miss being at the front of the line this time around.
The X100 has had a devoted following since its launch, but as with any first-generation product, it had some shortcomings/idiosyncrasies which surfaced once the camera was released. Fujifilm listened to its users and has both addressed those issues and added some new features to attract more fans to the growing X100 base.
As soon as we got the shipping notice that the camera was on its way, we looked out the window every time we heard a... [more] - Fujifilm X100s FirstLook
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