10 years on the east coast and I've never witnessed a lift-off. What a great sight. It's too bad I've just now discovered this when only two left. Another ham and I, K4GTM-Guy, tried to listen in on the transmissions between shuttle and launch control on 259.700, but could only hear static. Next launch I'll bring a bigger antenna.
We tracked the shuttle until it separated from the solid rocket boosters which left with a flash of orange. After that, there was no contrail to follow and it was lost in the sky. As the crow flies, we are 250 miles between us and Cape Canaveral. As others check in from around the coast, it will be neat to here who had the best vantage point. Only 2 more launches!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Review Pentax Optio W90
Well the reviews are in from the field.... I've had the Pentax Optio W90 for 3 months now. I bought this cute little number because I needed a small, slim point and shoot camera that I could take hiking, kayaking, and to the beach without worry. At under $200 with 12.1MP, this seemed like as good a place as any to put my photographic trust. So far, it hasn't let me down. In traditional style, it took me 2 weeks to settle on the make and model. The first few trips on the open top kayaks, I was careful to keep it dry and safe. It took great pictures and the insides stayed dry; now it's an all out test! I gave it to the kids to take underwater pictures at the pool last week, and the camera came back dry. This weekends kayak trip it got dropped in the mud, so I rinsed it off in the salt water, and returned home to a like-new looking camera. Four salt-water kayak trips, 3 camp outs and one trip to the pool. This is turning out to be a very rugged camera.
The picture quality is bright and colorful. My SLR still takes better pictures, but until you hold them side by side, it's hard to spot a difference. The camera has a myriad of quick menu settings to help maximize the camera to your environment. Underwater, landscape, portrait, etc. Changing modes and enabling/disabling the flash is quick and convenient. There are a few features that are interesting, but I haven't found use for yet. The 'face recognition' and 'smile capture'. Face recognition finds faces and makes sure they are the focal point. I have this set to 'on', and occasionally I'll see it activate. I suppose when it does I'm being saved from a poorly focused shot. The smile capture is a whole different animal...
Smile capture watches a face for the smile, and snaps the shot. Great for portrait shots of the kids. However, if you don't know that it's active, it can also be frustrating. It leaves you feeling like the camera may be broken or delaying the photo. I've missed shots because I was waiting for a 'smile.' So, after reading the manual and understanding it's function, it's now turned off until I need it. The menu system makes quick work of turning it back on.
Dirt and grime can't touch this cameras rough and tough external, except for the screen. This camera has no view finder, so the screen is an important, and brilliantly bright component. It is also the weakest link. First day out, a grain of sand scratched the screen. Day 2 - I cut-to-fit a cell phone screen saver to fit over the display screen and I worry no more. Easy fix.
Surviving a drop in the water is one thing. Retrieving the camera after it has been dropped in a South Georgia black water creek is another. So I invested in the Pentax Optio floating wrist strap. This item is not well publicized on the web, but it's a smart little device. I now clip and un-clip it to other things I don't want to loose in the water. Well worth the few extra dollars. After all, there's no one down there taking pictures.
The things I don't like are a short list. I wish it took conventional batteries. It will be hard to take this camera traveling with the goofy battery charger. Even if it took AAA Lithium batteries, that would have been a better choice. An extra charger is too much baggage. The other nagging item is the screen protection. The screen actually sticks out from the body farther than any of the buttons. As a result, it is the first to grind into the counter top if it's laid face up. A raised lip or ring around the screen would go a long way to keeping it scratch free.
All and all, it's performing great so far.
The picture quality is bright and colorful. My SLR still takes better pictures, but until you hold them side by side, it's hard to spot a difference. The camera has a myriad of quick menu settings to help maximize the camera to your environment. Underwater, landscape, portrait, etc. Changing modes and enabling/disabling the flash is quick and convenient. There are a few features that are interesting, but I haven't found use for yet. The 'face recognition' and 'smile capture'. Face recognition finds faces and makes sure they are the focal point. I have this set to 'on', and occasionally I'll see it activate. I suppose when it does I'm being saved from a poorly focused shot. The smile capture is a whole different animal...
Smile capture watches a face for the smile, and snaps the shot. Great for portrait shots of the kids. However, if you don't know that it's active, it can also be frustrating. It leaves you feeling like the camera may be broken or delaying the photo. I've missed shots because I was waiting for a 'smile.' So, after reading the manual and understanding it's function, it's now turned off until I need it. The menu system makes quick work of turning it back on.
Dirt and grime can't touch this cameras rough and tough external, except for the screen. This camera has no view finder, so the screen is an important, and brilliantly bright component. It is also the weakest link. First day out, a grain of sand scratched the screen. Day 2 - I cut-to-fit a cell phone screen saver to fit over the display screen and I worry no more. Easy fix.
Surviving a drop in the water is one thing. Retrieving the camera after it has been dropped in a South Georgia black water creek is another. So I invested in the Pentax Optio floating wrist strap. This item is not well publicized on the web, but it's a smart little device. I now clip and un-clip it to other things I don't want to loose in the water. Well worth the few extra dollars. After all, there's no one down there taking pictures.
The things I don't like are a short list. I wish it took conventional batteries. It will be hard to take this camera traveling with the goofy battery charger. Even if it took AAA Lithium batteries, that would have been a better choice. An extra charger is too much baggage. The other nagging item is the screen protection. The screen actually sticks out from the body farther than any of the buttons. As a result, it is the first to grind into the counter top if it's laid face up. A raised lip or ring around the screen would go a long way to keeping it scratch free.
All and all, it's performing great so far.
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