SN 5001299 just showed up on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/395152928804

Great price for the condition IMO.

Very interesting. It's nice to see a microscope focusing block compared to the rails. In my experience these blocks are better in almost every way than the usual rails, and can be very finely controlled at very small step sizes using a WeMacro MicroMate. Also it is worth noting that some rails have...

When going from APS-C to FF (A7rm4) a while back, I found that I got much better results overall with higher mag objectives. Obviously due to the larger frame I needed to increase my magnification, but I did not need to double it for the same coverage. On APS-C I had been devoted to 5x objectives as...

Sorry I won't be here to grab a beer and meet your wife. Gonna have to be next time I get down your way again. Good hunting (treasure, that is!)...Ray

You're absolutely right but I only have the A for now hehe But it's good to know it should be fine for that weight, precision-wise it's okay for what I have now and it's within acceptable levels, I was just worrying about those bearings - and frankly I didn't trust my math :lol: I'm sure I'll go fo...

The images we're discussing in this thread were generated by neural nets. Even a couple years ago the best they could do was produce vaguely subject relevant blobs. This technology is completely distinct from how a 3d special effect is rendered. The tools used in the past were not as sophisticated,...

rjlittlefield wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 17, 2024 10:54 pm

Did you perhaps see the post in some other forum?

Yes, my bad, and sorry to waste your time. The introduction was over on the Manual Focus Forum. Here is the link if anyone is interested:

http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic.php?t=84961

AI tools have been capable of this type of image since before 2000. No offense Ray but they absolutely haven't. But of course they have. AI has been around for a very long time. It only became useful for use in CGI in the mid to late 90's, but by 1997 the majority of Hollywood productions were usin...

Though I've never seen one of those with bushing problems, broken insert or anything of the sorts - maybe those were the older FL bellows? No, FD Autobellows. One of my early postings on this forum was regarding the repair of an FD Autobellows I bought with a 20MP lens: https://www.photomacrography...

BTW, I almost emailed you for help when I thought the lens was stuck, right before I decided to try the warming trick! Hah! not sure what I would have said. Rik helped out with suggestions for my last issue, though I ended up using a different technique. Main thing with these tight lenses is to mak...

I've cannibalized many bellows to fix bushing problems. Quite a few of the bellows I've purchased, mostly Pentax but a few Canon, had broken bushings. I usually send them back, but often folks don't want them back and give refunds, or give a big discount to avoid returning them, so I've ended up wit...

I recently saw an introductory post by "ChatGPT". It was an interesting read but I can't seem to find it. Did it get deleted?

I'm in the middle of a 1x shootout using old glass. This lens, for $16 cost will fit right in. The main problem is they are optimized for F22 #-o so wide open at f/9 there are some CAs, definitely not APO wide-open. Do you know if this is the case for other f/9 process lenses like the Nikons as well?

I have no beef with AI imagery when used in the right context (e.g. art or entertainment). But in areas that are supposed to be factual, i.e. news, documentaries or things like nature/wildlife photography, (or anything even *called* photography), then AI-generated imagery has no place at all. Wheth...

chris_ma wrote: ↑

Wed Jan 17, 2024 3:59 am

a google image search finds this image in older webpages back to 2009, where AI wasn't capable of this:

AI tools have been capable of this type of image since before 2000.