2010-01-12
F*ck. Off. Samsung.
The way they are marketing their new NX-10 really sucks. If I were an engineer at Samsung who had worked on this project, I'd be heading down to marketing to slap some people around.
2010-01-04
At last: The Takahashi FCT-125
I am in Oita, Japan visiting relatives and have finally got my hands on my Tak FCT-125. I bought this unseen and had it delivered to my relatives here.
In order to try it out, and to have an equatorial mount I can use on visits, I picked up a Vixen GP mount and an AL-90 tripod for a good price from Yahoo auction.
I intended to get a HAL-130 tripod, but couldn't get one delivered in time. The FCT-125 is a little over the capacity of this setup, but the GP seems to handle it well. I'm tempted to get motors so that I can do some imaging when I'm here.
The skies are fairly dark here, and last night the clouds cleared. Before the Moon rose, I got the best views of M42, M45 and the Milky Way around Auriga I have ever seen. Despite being low in the Sky, the "arms" of M42 extended to the edge of a Pentax XW20. M43 was easily visible with direct vision, the dark nebula between it and M42 also very evident. The core showed mottling and lots of detail was visible the arms and above (i.e. south of) the trapezium. I suspected some nebulosity around the Running Man nebula, but couldn't be sure. Rigel was easily split with a Meade Series 4000 15mm plossl, and a 5mm Ortho, despite the low elevation and fairly poor seeing.
The wide-field views of the Milky Way were stunning, with thousands of stars visible in one field of view.
Despite being over capacity, the GP worked perfectly well. I found an extra-long counter-weight shaft, also on Yahoo auction. This allows using less weight to balance the scope, and I was able to use just one 3.7kg weight. The AL-90 tripod is much smaller and lighter than the HAL-130. This would be a nice setup to use with mid-sized scopes for travel.
I didn't waste time faffing around with testing the optics. I'll wait until I'm back under Singapore's bright, muggy skies before doing that. There doesn't seem to be any immediately obvious problems and overall the scope appears to be near mint condition.
I also managed to find the f/4.5 reducer for the FCT. I'll try this out when I have time back home. Strangely, another brand new reducer turned up for sale a week after I bought mine.
I also got a Borg 1.04x 35mm flattener and 67 flattener, again from Yahoo auction and in excellent condition.
In order to try it out, and to have an equatorial mount I can use on visits, I picked up a Vixen GP mount and an AL-90 tripod for a good price from Yahoo auction.
I intended to get a HAL-130 tripod, but couldn't get one delivered in time. The FCT-125 is a little over the capacity of this setup, but the GP seems to handle it well. I'm tempted to get motors so that I can do some imaging when I'm here.
The skies are fairly dark here, and last night the clouds cleared. Before the Moon rose, I got the best views of M42, M45 and the Milky Way around Auriga I have ever seen. Despite being low in the Sky, the "arms" of M42 extended to the edge of a Pentax XW20. M43 was easily visible with direct vision, the dark nebula between it and M42 also very evident. The core showed mottling and lots of detail was visible the arms and above (i.e. south of) the trapezium. I suspected some nebulosity around the Running Man nebula, but couldn't be sure. Rigel was easily split with a Meade Series 4000 15mm plossl, and a 5mm Ortho, despite the low elevation and fairly poor seeing.
The wide-field views of the Milky Way were stunning, with thousands of stars visible in one field of view.
Despite being over capacity, the GP worked perfectly well. I found an extra-long counter-weight shaft, also on Yahoo auction. This allows using less weight to balance the scope, and I was able to use just one 3.7kg weight. The AL-90 tripod is much smaller and lighter than the HAL-130. This would be a nice setup to use with mid-sized scopes for travel.
I didn't waste time faffing around with testing the optics. I'll wait until I'm back under Singapore's bright, muggy skies before doing that. There doesn't seem to be any immediately obvious problems and overall the scope appears to be near mint condition.
I also managed to find the f/4.5 reducer for the FCT. I'll try this out when I have time back home. Strangely, another brand new reducer turned up for sale a week after I bought mine.
I also got a Borg 1.04x 35mm flattener and 67 flattener, again from Yahoo auction and in excellent condition.
2009-12-29
Bah
Cloudy weather in Oita, where I will be spending New Year.
I was hoping to try out my Tak FCT-125 for the first time - I bought it in Japan, unseen, and had it delivered to my in-laws. Oh well, at least I can bring it home. Shiny shiny.
The cold weather will be a nice change from Singapore and I'll enjoy the trip to Kyushu.
I had to shrink the image to stop WordPress screwing up the aspect ratio. WordPress appears to be buggy as all hell.
I was hoping to try out my Tak FCT-125 for the first time - I bought it in Japan, unseen, and had it delivered to my in-laws. Oh well, at least I can bring it home. Shiny shiny.
The cold weather will be a nice change from Singapore and I'll enjoy the trip to Kyushu.
I had to shrink the image to stop WordPress screwing up the aspect ratio. WordPress appears to be buggy as all hell.
2009-12-13
Still b0rked
The Big-endian specific date bug in php is still not fixed in Ubuntu, and I can't be bothered compiling php from source, so the dates are still wrong.
Meanwhile, in the irrational desire department, we have the Norhtec Gecko Keyboard!
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/12/18/norhtec_keyboard_pc/
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/norhtec-gecko-surfboard-keyboard-pc-18-12-009/
Not as good a spec as the Eee keyboard, maybe not as cool as the TouchBook, but I love the retro look and it would make a decent little server at the low price of USD99.
Meanwhile, in the irrational desire department, we have the Norhtec Gecko Keyboard!
http://www.reghardware.co.uk/2009/12/18/norhtec_keyboard_pc/
http://www.geeky-gadgets.com/norhtec-gecko-surfboard-keyboard-pc-18-12-009/
Not as good a spec as the Eee keyboard, maybe not as cool as the TouchBook, but I love the retro look and it would make a decent little server at the low price of USD99.
2009-11-20
b0rked
b0rk b0rk b0rk is b0rked due to b0rkage in php. All years are showing as "0000", and all new posts are being created in year "0000". I'll just wait for the updated php package rather than recompile from scratch.
2009-11-16
Nothing doing
Clouds, rain, thunder and more clouds. Not much going on recently.
I bought 72mm and 82mm IDAS LPS-P2 filters to use with camera lenses. On the modified 5D, unlike cropped-frame cameras, there is no room to put an "FF" filter behind the lens and in front of the mirror box. So, I will use these filters on the front of lenses. They can also be used with my E-620, and in 'scopes that can cover a medium format frame.
After trying to buy Kenko R64 filters, which apparently have been discontinued, I bought various B+W 091 MRC filters from B&H. Stacking an 091 filter with an LPS-P2 results in a very wide (30-40nm) H-alpha filter.
In the testing pipeline is:
Scopes:
Lenses:
In the "hack write-up" pipeline:
I bought 72mm and 82mm IDAS LPS-P2 filters to use with camera lenses. On the modified 5D, unlike cropped-frame cameras, there is no room to put an "FF" filter behind the lens and in front of the mirror box. So, I will use these filters on the front of lenses. They can also be used with my E-620, and in 'scopes that can cover a medium format frame.
After trying to buy Kenko R64 filters, which apparently have been discontinued, I bought various B+W 091 MRC filters from B&H. Stacking an 091 filter with an LPS-P2 results in a very wide (30-40nm) H-alpha filter.
In the testing pipeline is:
Scopes:
- Pentax 125SDP vs TOA130F w/35 flattener
- Pentax 125SDP with 67 reducer vs TOA130F with 35 reducer
- Borg 125SD 67 reducer vs 35 reducer
- Borg 125SD with 67 flattener
- Tak FCT-125
- Pentax 75-SDHF vs Sky-90 vs FSQ-85ED vs Borg 77EDII (and perhaps WO M80FDII)
- ETX-90 vs Q-3.5
Lenses:
- Pentax 645 300/4 ED IF
- Olympus OM 300/4.5
- Olympus OM 350/2.8
- Olympus OM 250/2
- Canon FD S.S.C Fluorite 300/2.8
- Sigma 400/5.6 APO
- Olympus ZD 150/2
- Nikon 180/2.8 ED
- OM 50/1.8 vs OM 50/1.4 vs OM 50/1.2 vs Pentax 55/1.8
- OM 24/2.8 vs OM 28/2.8
- CZJ 135/3.5
In the "hack write-up" pipeline:
- Vixen SXW Dec adjustment
- QHY8 fix follow-up
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