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R5 Mk II arrived yesterday, and by "arrived" I mean I drove to the post office and picked the damn thing up. The camera body is comparatively small and lightweight vs an equivalent DSLR. The 5D IV with its battery grip feels like a hulking behemoth in comparison. Even the 5D classic a chonker next to the R5. Funny how much bulk a pentaprism adds. The R5's UI is ...Canon. I had to figure out how to enable shutter activation when "no lens is attached" to use my manual focus glass. From the get go, the R5 pestered me relentlessly to set it up with my iPhone. That necessitated making a "MyCanon" account ...which I did on my laptop, with a real web browser and password manager. Then I had to sign into Canon on my iPhone and pair the two devices. The entire process made want to buy a view camera from 1920. I own zero R lenses and probably won't for quite some time. I am totally buying an R mount anamorphic. I started with the Canon EF to R adapter and it did what it said on the tin. The lens I had closest was the 135L, which says more about me than it. For reasons unclear to me, Canon ships their bodies set to fast burst mode. My 30D came that way 20 years ago. Some fussing later, and I had single shot and daylight white balance set (AWB is the devil.) Of course, the first actual keeper shot I took was with my beloved Super-Takumar 35mm F/3.5, a lens design that goes back to the 1950s. My copy is from the 70s and while it's far from perfect lens, I love how it renders things. This marks only the second time I've used the 35mm Takumar with a full frame sensor. Its ass is too fat for EOS bodies and on the 5D IV, it requires mirror lockup and live view to use. I find that workflow to be a miserable PITA, so I only ever used the 35 with my EF-S bodies (of which I have 3 ...for reasons.) While I loved the shots I got with the Tak on a cropped sensor, I knew I was losing out on much of the flavor of the lens by not having it on full frame. It's like own a Mac tube preamp and not using the phono input. The Fotasy M42 to R adapter is very well made. I had to enable the "shoot with no lens attached" setting or the shutter won't work with non-electronic lenses. Of course, the second lens I tested was the 35mm Takumar's 50mm, radioactive, F/1.4 sibling: There are a lot of variants of the F/1.4 Takumar, and mine is among the least desirable. The original 8 element version proved to be too expensive to produce and is a bit of a white whale amongst collectors. Besides being radioactive and yellowing, my version has a terrible coating and makes giant orange hexagon flares. Of all the lenses I own, it might be the one with the most "character." The 50's posterior isn't as bulbous as the 35's, so it's far less invasive inside the camera body and as a result I've shot with it on full frame for years. Before lunch today I had a go with the Nikon F to Canon R adapter (also made by Fotasy.) I have never been good friends with the Nikon lens mount. It's backwards. Also, I have owned precious little Nikon glass over the years. The only ones I shoot with are the mighty 300mm F/4, an excellent 50 F/1.8 I got from a certain 🐵 in 2010(!) and the decidedly mixed 18-200mm VR. Of those, the 300 was the obvious choice. I replicated a shot I took nearly 20 years ago of the house across the pond. Manual focusing a long lens with an EVF takes some getting used to. The R5 has a zoom peek function, but I as of yet haven't figured out how to use it. That's it for now. I'll out some modern electronic AF lenses tomorrow. What a silly idea.

Melvin Sparks' Sparks!

Came across this by Talitha MacKenzie. She has done some modern takes on "Mouth Music" and "Waulking Songs," but she also writes and sings some protest songs as well. Like the first one below; she doesn't hold back much 😅. Second one is a live version of a cool song from her album Solas.

Music on TIDALSheena Ringo - Shouso Strip -Winning Strip-Listen to Shouso Strip -Winning Strip- on TIDAL in exceptional sound quality, or on your choice of service

^ I have no way to justify this as stylistically they’re so similar, but if you’re like me and not exactly a fan of Movie Guy Richie, a second vote for Television Guy Richie. And speaking of fun and the use of “cunts”…

Just finished Season 2. A worthy Guy Richie concoction at the intersection of dodgy geezers and -- checks transcripts -- posh cunts. Quite the ride with some fabulous locations, wardrobe and interiors.

Those silly 18th century Koreans ruminating on what they feared most could come across as repetitive in 2026. I think these fine K-pop folks are just keeping to the grossly outdated lyrical tradition of pansori and trying to make it fresh with modern K-pop grooves. The good news is, I think they've succeeded. This song was played every time the South Koreans scored a goal in the world cup, and the original video has over 20 million views. I love learning about other cultures through music but didn't expect it to come from K-pop. Claude says: In 18th century Korea, tigers were a real and common danger, not just folklore. Korea back then had a notably dense tiger population, enough that the Joseon government kept dedicated tiger-hunter units, called chakhogapsa or similar, specifically to deal with maulings and livestock attacks in rural areas. Tiger attacks on people and livestock were frequent enough that they shaped a lot of Korean culture and superstition from that era, which is actually where that Leenalchi song "Tiger Is Coming" draws from, it's adapting a traditional pansori story rooted in that same fear and reverence.

Did it land?

Palo Alto snagged a Hauser & Wirth and it opened today with its inaugural exhibition ‘Calder | O’Keeffe.’ So long lines, sun, mobiles, “flowers” and wine.

^ Thanks, will give the rest a listen! I’m not 100% sure, but I think the tiger is coming down. The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A mighty beast descends from the deep, wooded valley With a mottled coat and a massive tail Over a bal (six feet) in length, swaying its silkworm-like head Forelegs thick as quivers, hind legs stout as winter melons With ears split wide and claws sharp as iron sickles Scattering turf roots and coarse sand in a rushing spray It opens wide its scarlet maw And lets out a roar—"Wuh-ri-rung"—as if the heavens were collapsing And the earth suddenly caving in; the soft-shelled turtle, in a panic, Shrinks its neck and lies flat and still The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley Swaying its silkworm-like head, ears split wide With a mottled coat and a massive tail Over a bal in length, forelegs thick as quivers Hind legs stout as quivers, claws sharp as new sickles Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like snow in the dead of winter Opening wide its scarlet maw It stands tall before the turtle, letting out a booming roar That engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth were caving in Startled, the turtle shrinks its neck and lies flat and still The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley Swaying its silkworm-like head, ears split wide With a mottled coat and a massive tail The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down The tiger is coming down, the tiger is coming down A beast descends from the deep pine valley It comes down Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high, Over a bal in length; forelegs like arrow-quivers, Hind legs like quivers too, claws sharp as sickles; Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like white snow in midwinter, Flinging them wide with a rattle, gaping its scarlet maw, Standing tall before the turtle, letting out a thunderous roar— A sound that engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth itself might cave in. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, A beast descends through the deep pine valley; Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high, Over a bal in length; forelegs like arrow-quivers, Hind legs like quivers too, claws sharp as sickles; Scattering turf roots and coarse sand like white snow in midwinter, Flinging them wide with a rattle, gaping its scarlet maw, Standing tall before the turtle, letting out a thunderous roar— A sound that engulfs the mountains and streams, as if the earth itself might cave in; The turtle, startled, shrinks back its neck and lies flat and still. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, A beast descends through the deep pine valley; Shaking its silkworm-like head, ears split wide, Body mottled and striped, tail held high. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down. The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger comes down, The tiger comes down, the tiger... Coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down A tiger is coming down, a tiger is coming down

Agreed 👍

Improvised focaccia. I started a dough for making pizza but forgot I didn't have cheese. So I let it rise longer than normal and hit it with olive oil and shallots and garlic, a bunch of spices and baked it on the pellet grill. maybe not as good as pizza but my gosh it is good.

LEENALCHI - SUGUNGGA LEENALCHI on Qobuz https://open.qobuz.com/album/u0icfdl0p72e3 Someone always explains my thoughts better than I can. So, ill just say, I can no longer say I hate K-Pop. I like one K-pop album and it's this one. I'll let some dude at Qobuz take it from here: SUGUNGGA sounds like a genre argument settled by force. Leenalchi's four pansori vocalists--Ahn Yi Ho, Choi Su In, Park Soo Bum, and Ra Seo Jin-deliver the album's 18th century turtle-and-rabbit narrative in the tradition's characteristic guttural, almost strained vocal style, full of sudden pitch shifts and rhythmic hiccups that are clearly deliberate technique... ...Leenalchi's willingness to let centuries-old vocaltechnique carry just as much rhythmic weight as the bass and drums rather than floating decoratively above them is an approach that could easily flatten into a gimmick over a full album, but SUGUNGGA keeps the groove genuinely propulsive rather than merely novel, letting the tradition and the funk each pull their own weight. Ex.

I have concluded it's not just a me thing and they actually kick ass. Do with this what you will.

If you typed "design a band to make Stretch squee" into Claude, this would probably come out. 🫠

After Mikey’s post listening again - Swift’s folklore

Great, just what we need....TWO fucked up and degenerative old men running these countries!

Putin, 73, Gets Confused in Stuttering Speech to Reporters. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

The pain of living on MV. Four different "updates" on the delivery of my new camera. Two trips to the post office. No fuckin' camera. The clerk's advice was to try back tomorrow.

So this happened to me... I seem to be late to the game. Great to see/hear Serj anytime. So I had to figure some things out. and There are more - but they are more reactions not analysis. Video pulls a lot from Matrix (and many others)

Joe Pass' Songs for Ellen Ex.

A genius of love having soup. Not really why this photo appeared in my world but I love it for some reason.