Ron's Log

January 25, 2022

Who Could Want This?

The Digi Swap website. There's a video near the top of that page. Just watch it.

The idea is you take your old film SLR, remove its back, attach a chunk of machined aluminum that Digi Swap sells you, and to that machined aluminum thing you attach your iPhone on which you have installed the Digi Swap app. You set the ISO on the iPhone, but shutter speed and aperture are controlled on the SLR. You press the shutter release on the SLR to take a photo. Just to be perverse, I suppose, you then have to use the SLR's film advance lever before you can take another photo. Most of my film SLRs have automatic film advance, so I guess I'm just never going to get to enjoy all the wondrous benefits of this device, none of which I can think of right now.

It's not available for sale yet. There is no price estimate. I imagine the machined aluminum device will have to be customized to fit different SLRs. They say they are developing devices to fit medium format cameras as well as 35mm. They don't mention Android, so they may not be planning to expand beyond iPhones.

In a world where all film production ceased and all digital interchangeable lens cameras disappeared, you would still only need this device if you wanted to use some lenses that just couldn't be digitally faked on an iPhone. Extreme telephoto or wide-angle lenses come to mind, but maybe there are others.

Here's a brief article about it (with reader comments) on DPRview.com.

Digi Swap will be at the Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2022 (CP+) in Japan, if you want to see a demo, February 24 - 27.

Filed under Photography,Technology | January 25, 2022 at 07:49 PM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2022

Four Grave Photos

All of these were shot on Kodachrome in October 1990. I was probably preparing for the Tour De Graves or participating in the actual tour. The Tour De Graves was a bicycle ride that visited most (if not all) of the city-owned cemeteries in Boston. That proved to be too long a ride for some of the people who turned out for it, so in subsequent years it was shortened to exclude the cemeteries that are further out from the center of the city. These photos (or some of these) might be in Mt. Hope Cemetery, but I have been unable to determine for sure which cemetery any of these are in.

Filed under Cycling,History,Photography | January 23, 2022 at 07:20 PM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2022

Four Old Kodachromes

Provincetown as seen from the Pilgrim Monument (1)
Provincetown viewed from atop the Pilgrim Monument, Kodachrome, 1991.

Bunker Hill Monument (1)
The Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown, Kodachrome, 2002.

Christ Church - Old North Church (1)
Old North Church, Kodachrome, 2002.

It's downhill from here
Riding to a bike rally in way-upstate New York I crossed over this divide, Kodachrome, 1992.

Filed under Cycling,History,Photography | January 22, 2022 at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2022

Zakim Bridge - 2002

These were all shot on Kodachrome on one day in October 2002 when the new Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston was opened for pedestrians to tour.

Filed under Architecture,Photography | January 19, 2022 at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2022

Ivermectin Guinea Pigs

Four inmates in the Washington County (Arkansas) jail contracted COVID and were treated with ivermectin without their consent or knowledge. They are suing.

Filed under Health | January 17, 2022 at 06:52 PM | Comments (0)

"I Have Been To The Mountaintop"

Full text. MLK's final speech, the night before he was murdered.

Filed under History | January 17, 2022 at 06:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 16, 2022

On Broadway

Jewish Lights Over Broadway Tour Group
Not my photo. This came in a recent email from the Museum of Neon Arts. Somebody shot this at the conclusion of the Jewish Lights Over Broadway Tour. I'm the one in the white sweatshirt wearing a pink cap. Left of me (on my right) is Edmon Rodman who led the tour. I think we lost three or four from the group at the mid-point of the tour, the Grand Central Market.