Mind in the Syber Space (and Under the Hormone)

There was a rather sad news on the radio that a girl committed a suicide after bullied on SNS.

In reality, it was only a line of letters on a screen, still we take it as a message from somebody

and interpret it in a certain context —– some time too seriously.

(And in this case it even caused a girl to hang herself.) 

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With Twitter accounts in my name  (though, whether they are “mine” or not is arguable since

they are created by somebody else. :-))  I used to receive a lots of direct massages to my Email,

of which most of them were saying  “Somebody spreading dreadful rumour about you ~> See

this”  or  “lol, I laughed so much of this picture of you ~> See this”   and lure to get virus or 

see AD —– (Though, I only guess, since I never ever clicked and open. I don’t know what’s there.

Then I set a filter “Twitter, Direct massage” automatically go to the bin.)

= The reason is that there is absolutely no possibility, somebody I don’t know can make any

serious rumour about me, or post a photo with my name on it (since, all of my ID is fake.)

Other reason is, if it was true, it must be a fun to other people = enjoy it yourself.

Make the world smiley place is a good things, why not ?

If anybody doing it on behalf of me, I’m very much thankful. 😀  

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To deal with Syber Space, I prepared to the worst scenario, hence I don’t give real ID as

much as I can.   As I got friends who are (were?) Anarchist, Hacker, (ex?) Terrorist, etc etc. and

know a bit of computer, I’ve seen a program which can generate all the combination of possible

Password and hack-in etc etc. = I don’t trust so-called Security at all.

So, if I got to do Net-shopping I use a bank account which got only just-enough balance left.

False ID to each registration prevents two information joint together.

(You know, First name + Post code can find “Who you are and the full address”. To add DOB can

access NHS data. From here, to hack-in to Banking data is just a matter of keyboard. etc etc.

—– And on top of those, such as Google is keeping all of our Net history in their side.

A hidden file of Picasa is keeping extract sample photos of naughty site you’ve visited.(not me) 🙂

—– search your HDD, [Photograph, Picasa, Information] or check ALL the files in your Picasa!

—- and those information has been given to the National Security.  You remember?  ! ! !)

We are completely naked in the Net.  = So, remember to use snail-mail if you are dealing with

something dubious.   Utilize a convenience of Internet, free of cost, having certain trade-off.

 

We human being is a social animal, and rather vulnerable existence, hence very susceptible to

the environment and the social-environmental condition.   Therefore, we were genetically

programmed to pay attention to others, though, to take other’s words too serious is a trouble of

the person who read it. = It is a juggling work.   To listen what other’s say might be important, but

in the same time, to detached from it, is also important.  Other’s words could be crucial though,

just put a distance and think “Who the person bother to send such a message is ? And what’s the

intention ? Hasn’t this person got anything else to do ?” = such observation will shed a light to

the situation. —– And much more importantly this detached mind-set prevent us

to be deflected by the emotion.

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Still, to take an other’s message in certain context is depend on the mind of who read it.

In a philosophical view, the things in the world is not really existing but only in the mind,

let alone such as a message in the Net. = It is an indirect-indirect flimsy existence.

And physically they have no danger. Just delete it.

And the Buddhists may not believe the Self is even a real existence = if the Self is not there,

why afraid to be harmed or lost in a Syber bulling.

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 Yet still, if you take matter in a mind too seriously, this article may show you the reality,

Mind is not a kind of Holy existence in a mysterious sanctuary.    There may not even be a

so-called spirituality.    They might be all in a delusion.

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The two faces of the “love hormone”

By Brian Dodson

August 6, 2013

Often called the love hormone, oxytocin has shown the ability to enhance social bonding,

decrease anxiety and encourage an overall feeling of satisfaction with life. A new study out of

Northwestern University, however, finds that this ancient hormone has a dark side, and is capable

ofstrengthening unpleasant memories, fear, and anxiety. This Jeckyll and Hyde behavior results

from the fact that oxytocin has a general strengthening effect on social memories, without regard

to their polarity.

Although discovered in 1906, study of the emotion-altering effects of oxytocin are still in their infancy.

Experiments on humans as well as animal models strongly suggest that oxytocin is associated with

pair bonding, social recognition, ethnocentricity (the “in group” effect), increasing trust, decreasing fear,

and even improved wound healing. An interesting example of this class of effects can be found in a

2012 study which showed that oxytocin caused men in a monogamous relationship to maintain

four to six inches more space between themselves and an attractive woman in a crowd, while

having no effect on single men.

Other, less positive properties of oxytocin dosage have also begun to be reported.

For example, a study from the University of Haifa found that the emotions of envy and

Schadenfreude (pleasure in another’s misfortune) were increased by internasal administration of

oxytocin. Further research suggests people with borderline personality disorder, whose major

symptom is a tendency to withdraw from social interactions, exhibit less trust when treated with

oxytocin. This was particularly true in those who were sensitive to rejection. Clearly, oxytocin’s

effects on people’s emotions are not as simple as originally suggested.

This new study from Northwestern University demonstrates that oxytocin is associated with

emotional pain. In increasing the strength of social memories, it may be the reason that stressful

social situations (bullying, abuse, ridicule, rejection) can easily be brought to mind long after the event.

The intensity of such memories can be such that the memory feels almost like living through the

original event every time you think of it.

The Northwestern study, carried out by Dunbar Professor Jelena Radulovic’s group, found that

during a stressful social experience, oxytocin is released and activates a part of the brain that

intensifies the memory. Oxytocin also increases the susceptibility to feeling fearful and anxious during

stressful events going forward. It seems likely that oxytocin also intensifies positive social memories,

but this has not explicitly been examined as yet.

Professor Radulovic’s study is the first to link oxytocin to social stress and its ability to increase

anxiety and fear in response to future stress. The researchers also discovered the brain region

responsible for these effects – the lateral septum – and the pathway or route oxytocin uses in this

area to amplify fear and anxiety.

The findings surprised the researchers, who were expecting oxytocin to intensify positive emotions

in memory, based on its long association with love and social bonding.

“Oxytocin is usually considered a stress-reducing agent based on decades of research,” said

Yomayra Guzman, a doctoral student in Radulovic’s lab. “With this novel animal model, we showed

how it enhances fear rather than reducing it and where the molecular changes are occurring in our

central nervous system.”

Far from a simple “cuddle hormone,” oxytocin appears to have the same complex interaction with

human health and behavior as most other hormones. While a good deal of progress has been made,

there is still work to do when it comes to to unknotting the tangled ball of yarn that is oxytocin’s effects.

Source: Northwestern University  —– The link to the Original article 

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PS:  If you are a hard-core Spiritualist, you may not happy with this kind of materialistic

view though, this view doesn’t conflict with Lord Buddha’s teachings at all. Far from it, 

Lord Buddha’s fundamental teaching of the Karma = Cause and Result is nothing but a

Scientific Rationalism.   Hence, when one dies, its mind, spirit goes with.  No Atman exists.

Nutrition of the soil and the water with plenty sun, the plants grows.

This is nothing but the science.  Hence, the Testosterone in a body drive a man to do the sex.  

So, here the Physiologists talked about how Oxitocin causes in our body and gives the effects

to the mind. ——  This is the Very mechanism of the Karma.

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Zen in Action (3) — Latent Thinking

At moment, I’m in chaos of shifting the mountain of boxes again. Some of the regular readers

may remember, I said the same before, though it was for fitting new window but this time it

is for electric re-wiring. It’s mean, I have to shift those to the window-side to vacate the

wall-side for the electrician to access all the power-points, switches etc. (I’m not happy at all.

= so-called Electric safety standard has been changed and they say all the system has to be

kept-up, blah blah = keep industry busy to make money, but I’m dubious about

why the contract has gone to this company.)

So that, fortunately or unfortunately, I had to dig-up the boxes berried to the bottom which

I haven’t seen since when I moved to here.

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In common-sense, people only has what is essential to the own immediate life, the essential

for the daily life. —– ideally a Buddhist remained in their bare minimum though it’s the matter

of how the person define who he is = a Buddhist bikku (literally a beggar who forsaken all his

possession for a sake of seeking the truth) may needed to have one cloth to cover his body and

one bowl to receive food (then to drink, and take a water to wash himself etc.)

—– in this context when I found that the followers of

Lord Buddha had umbrella, I was very surprised (let alone the umbrella had been already

invented then ! —– this sort of analysis would lead to see the timing when Agama Sutras was

written, or its authenticity.)

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In fine day, still carry an umbrella for if it starts a rain, or carry a bowl in case if anybody

offer a food are all in the speculation (may happen but not on that moment) = in other words,

it’s only in the mind.     I wonder what Lord Buddha instructed to this matter to his followers ?

So, the teaching of “Live in the Moment” include the situation “Could happen next moment” too.

So, I carry a mountain of material to make something which could happen in any moment. 😀

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Don’t cling to your thought but leave the matter to the Dharma (occurrence of the Karma).

This “thought” meant be a kind of thinking we are doing in lingual form. —– as a matter of fact,

as Neuroscientists found that 90% of our thinking has been done subconsciously without convert

it to the lingual form. Even when we are in Mushin and totally occupied by one action, our Brain

is still in full working state unless we choose to have meditative state.

This “subconscious thinking” is no other than what we call [intuition], [hunch], and often giving

an [insight], or [inspiration] and those are the very “Latent Thinkings”.

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In comparison, what we learned in lingual form such as somebody’s words or what we learned

from the books will stay as the lingual memories.

We can say “I understood” is in fact, lexical understanding of an abstract notion of the word and

its meanings but not what it is in practice.

But what we experienced and learned in real life always carries the tag of emotion yet this

emotion is very difficult to convert and express in the words, because the tag in the emotion is

a part of the said “Latent Thinkings”.     In most of the case, lingual memory stay like a distant

objects and not necessary relate to the emotion hence, it is not necessary takes a part

in the “Latent Thinkings”.

The words “Be careful, it’ll bite you” stay as the words until after you were actually bitten =

Then, it will be imprinted into your subconscious with a pain, and “Be careful” become part of

your “Latent Thinking”.

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This is the very reason why actual practice or experience is so important to our life, and what

Lord Buddha said “Don’t believe  what others said but think yourself”

(better still through experiences).

—— (One of my Kinetic Sculpture “Cupidon / Archer” which was made mostly discarded material

—— I’ve picked-up, such as aluminium angles etc.  Except an Air-pomp (yellow one) I bought.  

—— The motor came from a Cooling-fan ) (Moving image is in youtube —> Click right column)

—– through experiences since my childhood, I knew, such as an aluminium angle is so useful

to make a structure, or such as a discarded printer contain very useful motor etc. = I collected

and stashed them in my room = hence made mountains of junks. So, when like this unexpected

situation occurs, I have to work hard to shift the boxes.

—– bad still, it’s an unusually hot summer.

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Macro Flash-light / Small Flash on Goose-neck

This must be a “You got to be joking” kind of funny, cheap adaptation of a flash for Macro

photography. —– And I would say “Why not” 😀

Since, most of my existing flashes, except Canon 430EX-II are not compatible for the latest DSLR

to give TTL flash control, I needed to buy one for Macro-flash modification which I described

it in a former post.

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The flash I found second-hand was 270EX-II, which is using only two batteries hence pretty small and

light enough to mount on top of a Goose-neck, instead to have internal modification I did before.

Decisive fact was that I already have [off the camera flash cable] made by Sunpak more than

20 years ago which was similar to the German SCA300 adapter system used by Metz, Agfa etc.

Sunpak tried to make the adapter for all the cameras which has been started to have new function, not

only ready-light, TTL flash control but even for focus-light for AF which was newly introduced AF camera.

Because of the Camera design was keep changing while adding new function, it was a hard task to

keep-up. —– On the end Sunpak became out of breath and bankrupted.

—– so, on that time lots of Sunpak products became obsolete and sold in a give-away price.

Once, Sunpak was a dominant force in the flash-light market with very innovative design and

versatile system such as the interchangeable head system with Telephoto head, Infra-red head,

Bare-tube head etc. not mention they produced very powerful model as well.

So, when I saw a box-full of their [Flash Extension Cable] in a camera shop, I bought all of them at once,

more than 20 cables for every type of cameras. —– Flash shoe is an awkward component to make

ourselves,  (still, I worked to make and modify, such as adding one more TTL contact to Pentax type to

make it Nikon type etc.  🙂 )  therefore, it’s better to keep enough supply of many types in hand,

and it’s got very useful coiled cable as well..

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DSLR camera manufacturer is selling their [Flash Extention Cable] and all of their Female connector has

only 1/4” Tripod screw. = Once flash was put on the cable, it has to be mounted on a stand, otherwise it

has to be held by a hand.      In contrast, the best thing of the Sunpak Extension Cable is, male and

female can be coupled, in other words flash can be perched on top of the camera, only 45mm

higher position.   So that, it can be changed Flash on the camera to hand-lighting just by pressing release

button (which can be locked as well)  hence, as far as I know, this is the best designed [FlashE xtention

Cable] in the history and the materials and the construction are also very good.

———– (Photo above:  1″ Aluminium C-channel is the best to make many structures.  

———–  And  3/4 ” Square Pipe will just fit inside, hence they can make best coupling system !  

———–  And they could be easily cut by hand tools, though it’s a very tedious work.  🙂 )

So, my modification was just Epoxy glued  female connector on top of a goose-neck and made a small

piece of aluminium channel to connect the goose-neck to the camera bracket which is the in-hose

standard to connect any of my flash-light systems to the cameras.

—– To use the 270EX-II flash as a Macro-flash, thanks to the flexibility of goose-neck, flash can be

positioned (more or less) where ever desired, with or without bouncing diffuser.

—– following photos are the Test sample of each lighting.  (Focus and  F  were Fixed)

————- (The Lens was CanonEF Macro 100mm F2.8 with home made “Ultra Proxer” / F2.8)

————- (This last set of sample photo was using   F11 —— slight difference of lighting changes

————- the character of the subject ! —– See the difference on enlarged images ) 

(And the sample photos in the field will be followed )  😉

—– those photos are taken in my room (I’m still busy dealing with boxes  🙂 ) of a small visitor,

Beetle, head to tale  6mm or 1/4″ big, using Ultra Proxer on Canon EF 100mm Macro

with 270EX-II flash and extension cable. 

 

(

(([]

——— (Photo Left : 100mm Macro at F16 + Ultra Proxer, 270EX Flash with Diffuser — taken x2 size.

——— Photo Right : same setting but at F 2.8 ) 

 

Close-up Lens on EF-Macro Lens

Well, those top two photos were taken by Canon EF Macro 100mm F2.8 Lens alone.

This Macro lens has internal focus system and it will be focused down to the life-size.

 For general macro work,  it is convenient to use though, for me,  life-size is often just

not close enough.  So that I specially made additional Proxer / Close-up lens my self.

As I detailed in the post, By using the Proxer, the Lens can close to  x2 size, and

in addition, it creates almost phenomenal out-of-focus Bokhe.

The Bokhe created by this additional lens looks almost like Air-blush Graphic work.

Still, since this Proxer was made out of the front element of a Zoom Lens, it got double

lens Achromatic construction, no Chromatic aberration was appeared and the focused

image is quite sharp, corner to corner, even when the lens aperture was fully open.

All those photos, except top two,  F-aperture was set to F2.8 and the Camera was

set to AV mode.  Auto focus does work though, as the nature of this kind of

close-up work, I used manual focus.   

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Royal Baby-Boy’s relation to Beyonce ! ?

There was a joky talking of the DJ in BBC Radio-1 mentioning that a researcher found

the Royal baby-boy (born 16:24 today)  is distantly related to a singer Beyonce,

as 23^rd Cousin twice removed.  —– I found a likely source in this link —-

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/royal-baby-will-be-distantly-

related-to-beyonce-jayz-brad-and-angelina/story-fni0b8dv-1226676989090

I don’t have enough knowledge how so-called family-tree was traced, therefore I have no idea

what this “23^rd Cousin twice removed” graphically mean.

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There was a hype many years ago about “ 6-Degree of  Separation” —– How we are

connected each other where ever we are in this world.

Sound somewhat miraculous story though, (in fact I never read the story or seen a film,

so that I do have no idea what sort of theory or research behind)

have you ever thought about this matter by yourself ?

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It was a sort of the observations after “Facebook” that we may connected to somebody completely

out of our knowledge if we traced the indirect connection next by next.

Such as I have rather exotic friends of African, Arabic etc etc. and of course each of those friend has

their own friends or relatives in their society

= in effect, my connection spread to those countries as well.

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So, just think about, how many friend or relatives you got ?     I guess it is pretty safe to

say 100, but if we include acquaintances and far relatives, it could be well over 1000.

—– Assuming, you are connected to 100 people, and all those people has their own 100,

but half of the people are overlapping = it’s mean, through 100 direct connection, it

spread to 100×50 = 5000  indirectly.

And those 5000 could connected to further 50 each, and so on.

So, just have a multiplication — 100x50x50x50x50x50 as of the 6-degree.

You will find the total number is well over the whole population in the world.

If all the world population was included in this link, no wonder, no-one can be alone.

It is a natural situation without resorting such FANCY theory.  😀  

Anybody could be trace back to anybody in the world. —– That’s a theory though,  

asking “Do you know Yoshi, or could you ask your friends ?” and extend this to whole

world population, how long would it takes time, let alone the cost of communication.  

= utterly useless dreamy theory.  

6-Degree mean whole world population = of course if you ask whole world,

at least 100 people knows Yoshi.  But Who can do it ?    😀   😀   

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If you DO think yourself, you will realize, that there is no such miraculous theory.

—– Any how, a scientist said to be traced back all the European population to the original

7 ancestors who came and settled to southern Europe.    Since then, those 7 families might

have inter married, thence they are all related.   So, there couldn’t be anything to surprise

an American singer has blood connection to English who was happen to be Royal.

(There was even a story, that English royal blood has some relation to Indian.)

Don’t be deflected by fanciful story and waste the time in useless gossip.

Don’t believe what others say, think yourself.

As Lord Buddha said. 🙂

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Ultra heavy Proxer — Close-up Lens from TV Zoom

Those photos were taken by Zeiss 85 mm F 1.4 lens, with my handmade Proxer was

attached to it.  The Proxer = Close-up lens was  in fact, a front element of a Canon

TV-Zoom lens which I’ve cannibalized from a broken lens.  (hence cost nothing  😉 )

As the original lens was a very expensive TV  lens,  it has a very high-quality

Achromatic lens.  ( Even ED glass may have used in its construction.)

In most of the case, it is not very difficult to disassemble the lens —– in this case,

after unscrew 14 small screws, the front Lens was disengaged from its focusing helicoid.

—– then it was glued to a 67 mm filter ring.  (filter glass was removed beforehand)  

Front-element of this lens works as a close-up lens, hence with 85 mm lens it act like

a life-size Macro converter.  —– And with large 1.4 F-aperture, it gives very shallow

depth of field. (and very big Bokhe ! — Still, the focused image itself is quite sharp ! )

——(Metric ruler was shot in 45 degree.  Left: F1.4  /  Center: F2.8  /   Right: F5.6)

Though, this 3 cm thick solid glass in a solid metal helicoid is really heavy, almost

the same weight of 85 mm lens itself.   😀 

(The photo above :  Left was taken F1.4,    but Right photo was F5.6 )

(In those photos, look at how the single hair of fluff was captured on F 1.4  

= Please click and enlarge twice)

As you can see from the photos above, off-focused Bokhe is a bit too much for

most of the people’s taste though, that is what I’ve been after.

(This effect couldn’t be mimicked by PS ! ) 

—– to get this effect, I tried many Soft Focus lenses, Filters, Pinhole Photo,

Double-density Pinhole, even Double Focus in Double exposure.  

But there is no sharp core in a Pinhole photo, and the Double exposure has

the trouble to keep the subject exactly in the same position etc etc.  

= After many many years of attempt,  now I think, I got what I wanted.  

Only a problem is, this TV-Zoom Proxer gives only life-size close-up image.  

May be I need to find another lens which got longer focal length.  😀

Still, it’s a start.

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Ultra Proxer — Recycled from Old zoom lens

Proxer is an old name to call Close-up lens which attach on front of the lens.  

The lens I’m talking here is a front lens element  I’ve scavenged from an old zoom lens 85~210 mm F 3.8,  sold under many different names —– the photo was in the previous post (first photo, Front lens was near the left end).

Most of the close-up lens consist simple convex, single meniscus lens mounted on a filter frame.   Same idea to put a magnifier before camera lens and take close-up  photo.  It was convenient to have a small adapter lens to take closer picture, as in the old days there was no such things like a macro setting on the Primary lens (Standard lens).  

—– To make a high-performance Proxer,  I did some cut and bonding works with epoxy glue, which was worthwhile to create a treasure out of junk.  🙂 

Photo left :  Don’t hesitate to hack-saw a lens barrel.  Once disassembled and the glass was removed, even a precision optical device, is a piece of metal.   = What it used to be is only in your mind.  On this moment you are dealing the work to create something new.  What required here is a careful but very simple and boring push and pull work.  😀  

Center photo :  To the front lens, hack-sawed front barrel (which got 58mm  filter screw )  was screwed back and a filter ring was bonded to its rear side with epoxy glue.  

Photo right :  The finished close-up lend was attached on the front of the Canon EF 100 mm  Macro lens, which also has  58 mm filter size.

You might be wondering,  while having macro lens already, and having a skill to use the lens in reverse etc.  = all sorts of close-up trick, why do I need to have yet  another close-up lens. —– well, all of my Macro lenses were down to the life-size, in other words, they take a picture of  36mm x 24mm is the closest.  I simply wanted to close a bit more.  (My attention tend to go rather small things.  🙂 )

—– And a real intention was to have much more exaggerated out of focus Bokhe.  (I’m tired with clear images which is everywhere and too easy to come by today.)     

Photo left :   With this close-up lens, when the master lens,  100 mm Macro lens was set to the infinity,   a small dole (36 mm tall) looks like this. (taken F 2.8)

Center Photo :  With close-up lens, when the Master Macro lens was set to the life-size, it produces  x2 larger image (dole’s head is 10mm).   Have look the Bokhe in F 2.8 = max open).  (This Bokhe is quite close to the Olympus Zuiko 50 mm F 2 Macro lens ! )  

Photo right :  A small beetle who happen to came to my room (it’s too hot these days,  the window was fully open) this photo was taken with a bounced flash-light with F 11.

Unlike most of the Proxer, this home-made close-up lens has double lens chromatic structure,  and fully coated. = Think, a cost of common cheap Proxer, and a Front lens which is the most crucial part of the lens structure in a  zoom lens.  

= Difference of quality is obvious.     As you can see it in those sample photos.  

A photo of a moth parched on the wall in my room, taken by EF 100 mm Macro with the handmade Proxer. = With F 2.8 the depth of focus is really shallow still, in the focused area, the image is very sharp.

This is a test shot of the screen of a Tablet (a photo of my umbrella).  This close-up lens maintained very high quality of the image = Very even, corner to corner.  And this is at F 2.8 ! (See details, by click it, and again)

Left photo is Macro lens alone and about  1/2 size.   Right photo is, with close-up lens but Master lens was set to Infinity.   Hence this combination can take photo from infinity to  1/1  and with this Proxer to  x2.  (By the way, Canon 5D mk-III has dreadful red-color cast when ISO was set to 6400.   In AWB and in any setting.  Though, at  ISO 100 much better.  = See the photos below)

(Photo left :  5D but Mk-II.   Photo Right :  The ISO setting was  100  = Much better !)(Those are hand-held photos = only for Color reference.)  To be fair,  I show you the photos by Nikon D810’s color  in similar setting.

(Photo Left :  Nikon D810 — ISO 3600    Photo Right :  Same but ISO 100   Both with Micro Nikkor 55mm F3.5 — 1/2 )

Higher ISO setting mean, very low out-put of image sensor has to be amplified electronically to its limit.    While amplifying to such extent, still linearity has to be maintained, while the out-put of each BGR may not having exactly the same character.

= Can of warm is opened.  🙂   In the same time, higher amplification also amplify the noise as well.  

—– I admire and praise  the people who managed it and brought the benefit of very high ISO setting even if it was not (yet) perfect.

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Junk Lens — How to recycle ?

After digital revolution,  analogue age old lenses become almost a junk. 

Simply,  the camera  and the lens today are too different from their predecessor.

As the lens has to work with the camera which got so many functions therefore

the lens also needs to function such as auto focus, electronically position controlled

F-aperture, distance-coded focus not mention high zoom ratio, of which the zoom

position was also electronically coded. (Those code were used to control Flash-light)

= In order to deal with all those electronics, the lens having its own microchip and

able to communicate with camera’s main CPU.  

Without having those electronics, lens couldn’t be used on the camera —– except 

Canon EOS   (It can take any lens include a Pinhole in AV-Mode,  of course with

manual mode as well.  — But,  Nikon couldn’t make even a single image out of pinhole,  

without giving quite  complicated procedure to set-up the camera side. )  

Though, don’t misunderstand,  even today,  the optics is still optics, it works on the 

same principal,  hence  if you get a convex lens and concave lens scavenged out of old

camera lens, it would make a telescope for a kids to experiment.  Or use them to project

an image or focus LED light etc etc. 

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The lens design has also changed a lot such as the use of aspherical lens  (in fact most

of them are a so-called Compound lens,  aspherically moulded plastic was stacked on

a glass lens) —– nevertheless, I admit, today’s lens is very well designed in deed.

(Though, why they became so big and heavy ? — considering, how compact camera

became so small and light, while able to take more or less the same picture.    😀 ) 

In those aspects,  may be there is no point to give a damn to the old lens though, still,

such as  F-aperture diaphragm has changed almost nothing (only driving mechanism

may have changed to motor etc.   And the front lens is still, good achromatic lens.  

Not mention the focusing helicoid which is impossible to make by ourselves,  still

having lots of use, not only in the photography.

= We can scavenge a lots out of such old lens.  —– As a matter of fact, good old 

non-plastic lens is far easier to disassemble and Re-use.   (Plastic built lenses were

NOT designed to be serviced as they were built by snap fit or heat-weld.)  

(Lens above is a Canon TV lens, it must had a price of many thousands of pounds. )

The best thing is,  we can find those old lens in a camera shop’s junk box,

with a price of couple of pounds, if not free. 

 To disassemble those lens, there may not need to have more than small

+ AND – screw drivers.  (but need to use the brain a lot = it is a puzzling game) 

In coming posts, I’ll show you what I’m going to do with those “Components”

saved from old lens.

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Heavy Assignment — Winding Grip for Hasselblad

When I mentioned my “One hand Shooting” somebody accused me saying that I’m

bluffing such as Hasselbrad couldn’t be used by one hand. —– On that post, I didn’t

go into the details as the post was talking about the flash-light.  

Well, the photo above is the set-up of my “Mid grade shooting”. (I used to make a

joke  “Photo job is just like a set menu = ingredients and the price is accordingly,  

(in Japanese expression, 松, 竹, 梅 定食 / Pine, Bamboo, Plum set).  Pine set uses

either 5″x4″ or Pentax 6×7  with two or three studio flashes, heaviest tripod and an

assistant, therefore the charge would be in the order of thousand+,  Plum set would

be hand-held Pentax 6×7 or 6×6 Hasselblad with may be two lenses. (it depends —)   

Bamboo set is by 35mm camera with Agfa Flash-light — still with umbrella.    🙂

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I’ve been using my Hasselblad with modified winding grip.  Hence, right hand alone

can wind and click the camera.  Left hand having the flash though, this flash (with

umbrella) can be instantly joined to the camera bracket hence free the left hand to

adjust the focus, or with the aid of focusing handle, even right-hand holding the grip, 

stretched finger can easily adjust the focus.  (Shutter speed and F-setting will

be done on the beginning as the flash has an auto control, and the lighting in the

room or in the event is more or less constant )

—– Once get used, there was no problem.

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 This winding grip was originally for the Bronica camera and I modified it for

Hasselblad.  (in order to couple with grip’s mechanism,  wind-up nob of Hasselblad

was also modified)  

And in the photo, the Prism Finder which looks a bit odd, was originally for Cowa SIX

camera. (I put Flash-light Ready-indicator to this Prism Finder through Hot-Shoe as

well —– click a camera before the flash-light was ready, and loose one frame is not

a joke, considering 120-6×6 film gives only 12 frames / 220 Film gives 24 frames )

——– (Photo above :  Olympus T45 with 70cm Umbrella to use on a light-stand)

—– As long as it works reliably, it is enough for my use.   Cosmetics is out of scope.

Though, to use a camera in such arrangement  (Flash-light is Olympus T45, the most

powerful and quick-charged flush then) is literally deadly heavy to the hand. 

= It was a price to pay for the quality, but it also justify the charge.  (Trouble of the boss

in the Japanese companies are, they themselves got pretty expensive camera such as

top Nikon or Leica, still they never seen the monster like this = it makes them to

convince that the professional is totally different,  and to pay for its quality.)  😀

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To put some effort to make everyday’s work more comfortable and to improve the

quality, it is what Buddhist calls  [Mindfulness]  to be a life in photographer.  

And those modification work, by hand-tool is a bit by bit work, rather simple manual

work = typical Zen Buddhist’s practice.     So, I would say, it’s better than to spend the

time than to watch useless TV program (anyhow I don’t have a TV  🙂 ) or drinking in

a Pub (neither I drink alcohol or fizzy drink).  = This is the Zen attitude to the life.

Still, I wouldn’t say I’ve achieved something much more than watching TV though,

for me it was a better fun, actually able to see a tangible results.   😉

—– By the way, this Hasselblad was internally half modified, hence I couldn’t sell,

since remained in my hand, together with an EL Body, 250mm lens and 5 of 70mm

film-magazines etc. which nobody wanted to buy — now I got nice antic collection,

starting from Red bellows Kodak Folding No.1 etc, hundred of the antic cameras.  😀

—– it’s mean, some Zennist still got bad habit = collecting junks !  —– I think, to pay

respect to the inventor of each cameras and to guess how those people found the

way to design, and its thinking process  is a very interesting mind-game. 

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Flying Angel — Wire Figure

This is my Angel,  yet another wire-figure I made on 2007.  (So, those photos were

taken by that old Kodak camera, and the photos were clopped —- hence, pretty low

quality photos)  But not PSed, the figure was really in the air (hanged from the tree).

When I brought this to a gathering of Dorkbot, the figure made a well known artist

Anne Bean, frozen 5 min—– ( I was frightened, such good artist can memorize all the

structure and able to make identical copy  🙂 )  

Strangely you may found, this lady has no neck.   Her right hand holding the head.  🙂

Wire used was  1.6mm garden wire,  and I was planned to make it x5 size, it’s mean

life-size,  by 8mm copper tube though, I realized that, if I made this in my room,

I can’t take it out  😀

—– One day, when I got big studio, I’ll do it (though, seemingly never happen  😀 )

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