jpelg

Posting this here instead of the "Consumerism" thread, as likely only viewers here would possibly find this interesting in any way. I've always wanted a try a medium telephoto on my full-format DSLR, mainly for portraits. So, when an inexpensive Rokinon 85mm 1.4 in the Sony A-mount sat on B&H's used site for a few weeks, in a weak moment I succumbed to the temptation & placed the order: Literally the first snap from my A900, in a dark living room with one lamp lit, at f1.4 yielded this, which shocked me in its [insert typical "medium-format like" or "3D" quality superlatives here], particularly since it's manual-focus with the usual sliver DOF at minimum aperture: Of course, I've yet to reproduce anything since that approaches these qualities. So clearly I got very lucky on my first snap & will have to invest more time to learn how to get the best out of this big chunk o'glass. Also, so far I've only shot in B&W (which is my current favored MO), and yet to play with the color output (and deal with the reported CA at minimum apertures). But it's a beautiful piece to fondle & hear the clicks from the aperture ring.

Task (HBO) - wow, intense watch...

Happy Birthday Dusty!

Happy birthday x3, y'all!

Are you a fan of the original Joe Grado HP-1000 series? Did you try both sets of pads with the HP100SE?

Twisted Metal (Peacock) - An amnesiac is enlisted to drive across a post-apocalyptic USA wasteland to pickup & deliver a package on the promise of a better life. Apparently based on a series of Sony Playstation games of which I am not familiar. Think The Transporter meets Mad Max. Mackie brings the self-deprecating swagger, while Beatriz brings...herself, which is always great. Qwerky & (violently) fun. I am about halfway thru season 1, & think it's lots of fun.

Holy shiznit, Wayne I am so sorry to read about this. Hopefully those nurse spent a little "extra time" on your birthday 😉. Wishing you a speedy recovery, buddy.

Claudia Cardinale, the famed Italian actress, passed away on Tuesday. Not sure which one of her movies - quite possibly "Once Upon A Time In The West", or just as likely "The Pink Panther" - sparked my initial crush in my early, prepubescent years. But I just knew she had "it": "Ciao bella". RIP

Happy birthday!

Benchmark has made changes/improvements to their DAC line over time. The DAC1 USB you have uses an Analog Devices AD1853 dac chip like its predecessors, but upgrades the stereo-outs to LM4562/LME49860 opamps, which should sound better(read: smoother) when connected to another amp than the original DAC1 that many people heard back in the day. The DAC1 PRE updated all the op-amps to LM4562/LME49860 opamps, so the headphone-out should sound better too. The DAC2 line changed the converter chip to the ES9018, which adds DSD64 decoding capability, if that is relevant to the content you play. The DAC3 line changed the converter chip to the ES9028PRO. I have no idea if that sounds any better, or what it would take to detect a difference. IME, the hardware component factors that affect the sound of a DAC is the converter implementation, along with the output stage. For me, the DAC2 line was/is the sweet spot when it comes to price::features::performance for Benchmark.

Happy Birthday!

Thank you guys. Always much appreciated. Dang, I'm "getting" old 😜

One of the greatest clothing designers ever, Giorgio Armani, has died at the age of 91: I am sure he came into my orbit in 1980 as the person who created Richard Gere's iconic looks in the movie "American Gigolo": RIP to a legend in the industry.

The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix) - fun to see Brosnan & Mirren in more, er...light-hearted roles (compared to their characters in the show Mobland). Other septegenarian British heavy-hitters, including Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, & Jonathan Pryce provide support. Enjoyable, easy watch. Set up for a sequel, so those writers better start putting pen to a page asap! 🤭

Woot has the Nikon D800 (Body Only) for $999.99 for anyone still interested in getting their DSLR freak on. Update 8/29 - price drop down to only $899 now.

^I was today-years old when I found out this type of thing existed!

^I need to watch "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". It's been a minute: Watch Terence Stamp’s iconic scene from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert | News | Independent TV

The Day of the Jackal (Peacock) - series based on the 70's movie of the same name. Really good, and a well-curated soundtrack as well!

The Lazarus Project (Netflix) - an absolutely crazy take on the time-travel sci-fi genre. Just finished binging S1, now starting S2. Awesome.

Happy Birthday!

Paradise (Hulu) - not what I expected (in a good way). Only 8 eps in this first season, & ep 7 is very intense. Hoping for a second season.

Happy Birthday!

Dept. Q (Netflix) - An Edinburgh-based detective involved in a shooting gets re-assigned to a newly-formed cold-case department. A crazy set of twists & turns connects all the dots. We liked it alot. Hopefully there will be an S2.

Happy Birthday!

Woot has Sennheiser HD800S again at $1299 Haven't seen the Senns at that price for a while.