Nikkor Fisheye 7.5mm on Sony A7R

This odd-looking lens is one of my 5 fisheye collection, Nikon’s earliest fisheye lens, 7.5mm F5.6 Circular Fisheye lens.  Since it was designed for a Nikon F camera with its mirror locked up, it was not very useful member in my collection.  I did a test shot when I got it from my friend on 80s, but since then it was just sitting in a corner of the box, while me thinking, one day I’ll use it, one day —-. (As I got Yoshi Handy which can take whole circular image on 6×6 format, I didn’t have much reason to use it.)  But when I saw it again, I suddenly realized, Why do I need to go a whole trouble of film shooting, “Mirrorless camera has no need of mirror-up” = So, it came to the Venerable Sony A7 camera.

Yes, in deed, the lens nicely fit onto a Sony A7 body with beautiful viewfinder image.

This lens was designed to use in a scientific field, such as to take picture of the whole sky to measure and analyze the amount of the cloud (so, I heard — don’t ask me what that mean.  🙂 ) therefore the lens got built-in 6 filters (for Infra-red image, Red or Orange filter is the essential). 

My lens seemed to be made in 1967 and amazingly Nikon produced a lot of this lens —- my serial number showed more than 1100 !   (Other than a popular kit lens, the most of the lenses doesn’t sell more than few hundred —– I would be surprised if Canon had sold their EF 85mm F1.2 lens more than 300 all together. —– Think, how many people in the world need to use such special but subtle effect, while able to pay so much money ?   In comparison, scientific institute need to have certain facility = the lens can be sold to each institute in the world while public foot the bill.   Similar to that, even a boring book can sell to each library, as they need to list every book.)

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Exploding Battery

It is a well-known fact that the battery could explode and even start a fire.  I’ve seen many exploded battery, still never encounter a fire started by a elec’ device = When its fails, such as a short-circuit or a component failure, it makes a big bang (exploded electrolytic capacitor may make a lots of mess = blow out a chemical) = the circuit was burnt out therefore no more power to start a fire. (so far)

The photo here above was a Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery which has been exploded with big bang  (= blow out the hydrogen gas) !    The battery itself came from Lidle with a price of  £2.99 for 4x AA (said to have 2500mAH !) —– We can’t expect a quality from such a price but the manufacturer needed to get lid of the dead-stock which was rejected by the good vender or brand, even for a scrap price — still I didn’t anticipate an explosion.  I’ve seen many coin type battery exploded but this is the first time to see AA type exploded in such severe way. 

In this case, I was near by and disconnected the charger from the main at once.   But if it was happened while I was away, it could be rather dreadful to be happened ! (Don’t leave the battery in a charger while it was ON not attended.)   Be careful.    Prepare for the worst.

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Mystery of the Pigeon Egg

After pigeon chick was taken from the nest in my veranda, the egg was left there and stayed for another 10 days or so.   Then it was moved out of the nest and apparently eaten by somebody. —– but, who did it ? ? ? 

Mother hen-pigeon herself ?  Or Craw kind ?  Or rodent kind ?  But something strange was, why the egg was moved from the nest ?  To clack open and eat it could be done on the spot and didn’t need to move from the nest.  Or an attempt to take the egg to somewhere els was made ? — but the plan was abandoned then the egg was eaten there instead.

I could have put a kind of infra-red sensor activated video camera sort = yes “could” but I wasn’t such keen — and the egg has been left to its fate any way. = out of my hand.  Don’t worry, Nature and their life is just goes on. = One egg was lost though, the other did fill a stomach and that might be fed to her own chicks.  Everything was related and connected.  

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Judas Tree

If you are familiar with a flower of Sweet Pea kind, you might noticed that this is the same group.  Yes, this plant belongs to the group, used to be called Leguminosae.  Yes, Legume = Beans.   And among the Leguminosae, she must be having the funniest story. 

This tree said to be originated from middle east, Judea country, hence its name.  But the other story was that, this is the tree of which Juda of Iscariot hanged himself, hence it was named so.  Yet, others say, because the tree’s seed pod dangling from the tree trunk, which resembling a hanging body, hence the name.  —– In that case, when the body of Juda was dangled from the tree, people found the similarity ?   Waite a moment, the seed pod of the tree has been dangling from the tree even before the human being inhabited the area, let alone Juda himself. —– M m m ! ?   Which came first ?     

Even more funnier story was that this tree was registered by the Israel Government as a protected species.   It seems, their Government was anxious to keep enough number of tree for their population, when they need.  

What a poor tree.   Isn’t there anything better to hang ? 

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Daikon Flowers — ?

Like most of the root vegetables, this Daikon (Japanese white Radish / Mouli) started to shoot before I eat. (I bought 4 Daikons  for £1 ! = Even if I eat it every day, it would take at least 4 days.)  Like Ginger, Onion, Garrick etc if they shoot too big (more than 2″) before I noticed, I dare to cut it off, instead I plant it to a pot and let it  grow, for me to play good hypocrite.  Ready butchered meat, chicken or fish kind by somebody else is easy to eat (somebody else got blood on the hand = not me), still I can kill and boiled alive the vegetables, bean etc without any hesitation and eat them.  Though, when I see their vigorous activity on front of my eyes, I get a bit shy.  So, I put it to a pot.  Generally, they start rooting and grow up. 

But this Daikon took different direction.  Without showing any interest to start even single root, she just started to shoot up. —– I realized that she is growing flowering stem.  Was that because I left enough Daikon flesh as an energy reserves, so that she doesn’t need to seek any more nutrition from the roots but went to grow flowering stem straight.  Or was it the season to go flowering anyway ?

So the serious question arose, “Has she made a choice = instead to grow roots but go to flowering ?”  And was that because she noticed that she got enough reserve to do ?  Or hard-wired program / internal clock directed her to grow flowering stem as a season’s imperative.  But how she did know the season ?  Did she assess the amount of sunshine, or the length of daytime ?  —– What so ever the decision made === Where was it processed ?  Has she got any CPU or a kind of brain ? —– OR was it just a hard-wired (Genetically programmed = When time comes, one gene activated, and started the Flowering Process like a chain reaction.)  —– You may say it IS just a cut off tip of a garbage === still having so much so high level decision-making of which the mechanism IS beyond our comprehension. 

= I wrote those above almost two weeks ago, thinking when I saw her flowers, I would put its photo into my post. —–  Though, it turned out to be not so. = It seems, subdued light in the kitchen window wasn’t good enough.  But in the same time, the dry air seems killed off the flower buds. === Nature or Daikon’s condition didn’t go as what I expected. = They got their own rules and rationals.  And the environment was not meet the plan of the Daikon itself.  ( I did give a mist of water splay time to time though, apparently it didn’t help.)  What we believe we know something and thinking / expecting something might be just a fraud. 

Days passed.  This is what they are now.   It is the end stage of the cut off top of a Daikon which was hoped to have the flowers.  I’m not sure the point, any good of what I did. —– was that just a useless interference, mess-up to the Daikon’s fate ?   Or my greedy expectation to see the flowers ?    Whether it was the more natural scenario for the Daikon tip to rotten and die in the rubbish bin or was it kind to give a yet another opportunity ? —– while considering the main body of the Daikon was died in horrifying agony while boiled alive. 

Life and death is a complicated issue.   Still, it is questionable if I were entitle to mess-up with other’s life in the first place.  (Let alone, killing and eating them while pretending to be friendly with them.)

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What a hell = Pigeons

I found a pigeon in my veranda — sound may not be strange at all, but it was not a kind of visiting bird but nesting one.  When I open the door and step out, the pigeon fly away.  Then, I noticed a nest behind a plant pot.  I think, I stepped out at least two weeks ago.  Still, I’m not sure whether I just didn’t notice it then or the nest was made after that day (it is not likely, because the nest is having not only an egg but already feathering chick as well. —– It seemed the hen-pigeon didn’t comeback after that.  So, the abandoned chick had to go alone under a  cold night.  — Yet, next morning, surprisingly the chick was very active.  As no sign of the mother / hen-pigeon I decided to feed the chick.  (Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a generous person.  Every week, I’m eating chicken etc = not vegetarian, not a friend of earth.  Still, strangely, time to time I did take care of baby animal (such as to revive stillborn kittens) or bird chick.  Simply because I had to DO something.) 

From my experience, I know how to feed baby chick. (It’s no use to put a birds-feed on front of  baby, as they don’t know to peck a feed by themselves.) === So that, by putting the fingers between the chick’s beak (to open them wide) then inject rather runny prepared meal (such as ground rice, wheat, bean, smashed maze, piece of apple all mixed-up with water) into the chick’s throat.  You must be horrified to hear such brutal practice though, this is perfectly harmless and effective method. —– only an alternative was, chew the grain / birds-feed in the own mouth and feed the chick, mouth to beak. (not very hygienic way — to the man or to the chick may be arguable.)  

As a sign of how the chick was happy with this rather brutal force-feeding, chick started to think my fingers as the mother’s feeding beak, so, started to peck and beg.

But, my honest feeling is, I hate this.  I absolutely hate.   Once I started, I have to continue this till the chick grown up.  Other trouble is, since the chick got me imprinted, wouldn’t fly away to join other pigeons.  And well may be the pigeon become a stoker to follow and watch me all through the life. (I know this, as it happened before, when I was in Japan.)  It’s no good to my life or pigeon’s life neither.   Fundamentally there is no way out, unless the mother Pigeon comeback,  It’s really a trouble.

—– I don’t know whether it was just a coincidence or was it the mother bird / hen-pigeon = a pigeon came several times (following day as well) (photo above right) and perched on the edge of kitchen window as if she wanted to know the well-being of her chick.  (May be she can hear her chick chirping even in a distance.)  (Sound getting like a pigeon’s soap-drama isn’t it ? )

—– This trouble in its reality is, feeding 3~4 times a day, cleaning the shit 10 times a day !  (Chick aim the bottom outside, so, take the chick out and wash the plastic container = this endless task is nothing but a hell in deed.  And yet another trouble is, as I have to wash my hand after I touched the chick, the hand became too dry = You see, why I said, I hate this !)  😀   (So, don’t ask about the egg left in the nest.  I can’t give my bosom to hug the egg all day = that egg must embrace the fate when mother bird abandoned it.  —– I can do what I can.)

—– Then, you might start to wonder why do I need to do this ?   Yes, this IS what the Karma mean.  You can not cherry-pick your Karma.  When it’s come, it has come.  And when it’s come, we have to deal with it with our best we can.  

One episode in the Agama scripture showed the understanding and the attitude of Lord Buddha toward the coming Karma.  In this episode, Lord Buddha was not expecting any query, let alone argument of why or what for kind, but just follow and do ( = own opinion or judgement was not asked = in other words, the expression of the SELF or existence of the SELF / Atoman was not expected ).  This is what the Buddhism is.   And this is the Zen.

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PS :  Whatsoever the Zen, the Chick died on the day before yesterday (on 18th).  On 17th, I was out half day.   So that, before I go out and after came back, I fed the Chick more feed. Then after that, the Chick drunk a lots of water — and vomit.  Did I fed too much for one time or while I was out, the Chick had been dehydrated ?  Or, since those two days, I put a boiled egg yolk mixed to the feed — was that wrong ? (Hen-pigeon eat many insects = so, it was a kind of supplement = that what I thought.) —– Anyway, the shit of Chick became smaller and became rather inactive.  Then yesterday morning, I found the Chick lying its side and the body temperature was rather low.  I gave warm wather bath. (But now I know, it was not the matter of the temperature, = Chick’s internal energy generator has been stopped working = it was no use to warm up from outside.) —– While I was drying up wrapped in the tissues under warm fan heater’s air, the Chick was loosing its response and became completely inactive.   It was the Chick’s final moment. —– the day later, I buried the dead Chick, under a flowering Juda’s tree in the wood nearby commons.

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Reset the Canon body

It seems, when people use Sigma lens on Canon DSLR camera, sometime this trouble would happen = the camera start to show this sign and the lens stopped to work despite the other Canon lens was still working.

Even though the electronic contacts between the body to lens were clean and perfect —– camera just stop to recognize the lens and block all the functions. — As a matter of fact, there may not be any trouble exists, still the Canon body stop to function (as it was programmed so = to give a hard life to Sigma.   😀  ) 

Don’t panick.  You (and your Sigma) would be OK !  The remedy to this kind of trouble in the most of the electronic gear is the same (= same as your PC). = Just reset the gear / Switch off and restart.  In the Canon DSLR case, while that Sigma lens was mounted on the Canon body, switch off and take the battery out — after a while put the battery back and switch the camera on. —– You see !    Have a nice day.  Have a good shooting.

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Paulownia / Princess Tree

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If you see only a flower of this plant, you may well mistaken it as a flower of foxglove, but this flower blooms on the 10m tall tree.

This is a tree called Paulownia, AKA  Princess Tree.   This tree was named by a German doctor who brought it back from Japan, Franz von Sieblod.   Russian Royal Princess, Anna Pavlovna helped Siebold to compile the book of Japanese Flora, hence the name of this flower was dedicated to her. — (U and W in Poulownia can be pronounced as V !)

In the east, this tree (could grow even 15m tall) has been used to curve music instrument and make the furnitures for a bride. (The wood repel the insects, hence protects the Kimono inside)  So that, when the parents got baby daughter, in tradition, they plant this tree and the time of her wedding, the grown tree was used to make dowry furnitures. —– How sweet the story isn’t it.   🙂

If you see (and smell) this flower, you will be convinced how noble this flower is. —– Why noble ? —– She doesn’t have a pompous beauty like a big rose, or the Somei-Yoshino Cherry like over whelming gorgeous power, and she looks rather humble, still its presence makes your mouth shut.  Siebold must have felt the same.

It must be well-known, that the Japanese Emperor’s emblem is the Chrysanthemum flower.  And the emblem of the Japanese Royals is this Paulownia flower. — (Cherry flower is the emblem of the Japanese military force.)  It shouldn’t be confused that the Shogun was just a minister of defence under the Emperor,  and the authority of the Japanese Emperor and the Royals never touched by anybody in the past 2600 years.   So, Japanese Empire and her Emperor is the longest continuing one blood line entity in the world history.   (Second longest is the British though, their blood line often changes = current royals is in fact germans. —– So, when British Queen shook hand with Japanese Emperor, she took her grave off.)

Untill two days ago, I didn’t know this tree was here and I was thinking only another tree in the north London.

This group of plants used to be called Labiatae (since its looks, and as in the same group of foxglove, Sage, rosemary etc) though, now they were called Lamiaceae and the botanical classification is lots more complicated.  (May be the study of gene might have found which species is closer each other etc.)

When I saw this tree from a distance, I thought it was a Jacaranda, —–  I have a quite soft spot to the pale violet-coloured flowers, I don’t know why, and the smell of this flower has been imprinted to my subconscious since I was small.   And its associated memory coming back at once.   It was THE MOMENT to see a lost friend again after many many years !

Fallen flowers still giving nice fragrance —– this is how royals smell !   And you know, royals never fart !   😀

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All mighty Good

 It said to be 500 years since Martin Ruther cause a revolution in the history of Christianity.  In the time of authoritarian Catholic, Martin Ruther started to preach, to communicate with the God in the common language, not in Latin.  (Obviously, even all mighty God didn’t have a multi lingual capability then !)

In the 13th century when western Christian mission arrived to Japan, they found that the Japan was the most awkward place to preach. — Japanese asked to those missionaries “If your God was such all mighty, why he couldn’t come here by himself while speaking in Japanese ?”  Of course, those western monks couldn’t answer the question. = So, they failed to convert Japan into Christianity and failed to make it into a colony, so even now, the Christian population in Japan is only about 1%. (Though, I’m not sure this figure include Muni as a part of Christian population.)

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Puzzling Cherry

Seeing this picture, very few of you will noticed that this is in fact a quite familiar place.  In deed, I’ve shown the photos of here in my blog a lots of times if not over hundred.   This is a very corner of the green patch I described as a flower meadow in my blog in the past three years. 

Why I’m fussing about was, the wild cherry trees growing here, now having a full bloom.   What’s wrong ? —– Nothing wrong.     But I just wondering how those cherry trees came here.  What I dubbed Instant flower meadow was created by the local residents on June 2014 simply by spreading the seeds of the meadow plants.   So, I guess that, those more than ten cherry trees, all about the same size, looks the same variety, must be started to germinate here then as the same lot. (= not accidentally brought by the bird as an individual seed.)   So, they all together are now three years old siblings and having the flowers first time. 

In the past, I was thinking that those small trees were the seedlings of the nearby Multilayered Cherry tree.   But now a fraud was exposed !    The bag of the “Meadow Flowers Seeds” were adulterated with cherry seeds = and its right or wrong have to be strongly questioned.  Ever growing those cherry trees wouldn’t go together with the idea of a flower meadow. —– May be closer to the real nature and its cycle of the plant though, those wild cherry were too obstructive to “The Meadow”.  They are not expected to grow in a garden patch of a council housing estate here.

The particular cherry itself was a rather primitive wild cherry.    So, I want to see this flowers have cherry fruits and eaten by the birds.  (then spread to other locations. —– would it really happen ?) 

You might be noticed a phenomenon, that the most of the cherry blossom doesn’t have the siblings under the tree.  First of all, not all of them makes cherry fruits, let alone good to eat fruits. Because of them were created only for the sake of beautiful flowers, and often those variety was infertile.  Especially the most popular cherry in the world, Somei-Yoshino was originated from just one tree discovered in the Somei village in the west of Edo (Tokyo) 150 years ago.    From that tree, all the Somei-Yoshino were artificially propagated by grafting one by one.  ( But now, with the limit of the genetic strength, the Somei-Yoshino is coming to their end, and the nursery had stopped to produce any more Somei-Yoshino, following a direction of  the Japanese Gardening Association.    It was replaced by the next generation “Jindai Akebono” ! —– You can Google this story.)

So, the under the Somei-Yoshino tree, there even a single seedling germinate.

PS : ————————

Now its middle of June.  I found the cherry fruits on that Puzzling Cherry !  (Quite modest size and the taste wasn’t too bad.   🙂

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