What are some of your other hobbies?

[woodstock]

I have a new Canon 30D and a year+ old Canon Powershot SD500. and an old old Canon AE-1 Program...

 

[ScottM]

I have a new Canon 30D and a year+ old Canon Powershot SD500. and an old old Canon AE-1 Program...

Since you showed us yours I'll show you mine

Cannon Sure Shot S70,
Kodak 2 meg pixel thing I don't use anymore
Sea & Sea MotorMarine U/W camera with:

• 16mm lens
• Optical viewfinder
• Twin strobes
• 4:1 Macro lens

Olympus OM2 with:

• Vivatar Series 1 28-70mm f2.8 zoom
• Vivatar Series 1 70-210mm f5.6 zoom
• Olympus 50mm f2.2 lens
• Motorwinder 2
• Celestron 1000mm F11 mirror lens
• a bunch of other filters and stuff for it.

Old Zeiss portable bellows camera from WW2 Germany that dad got from a German (not a live on either) along with a luger that is long gone.

BTW I would be willing to trade or sell the Sea and Sea and/or Olympus stuff if anyone is interested.

 

[Capt Kirk]

Right now my "hobby" is clearing my subdivision out to the main road. Sigh.

Dr. B.,

Calls to mind a quote from some war movie or another...the character was a British sargent major IIRC...."There is no problem that the right amount of explosives can't solve.".

Len

 

[ScottM]

Dr. B.,

Calls to mind a quote from some war movie or another...the character was a British sargent major IIRC...."There is no problem that the right amount of explosives can't solve.".

Len

This may disprove that statement, they had a whale of problem.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Vmnq5dBF7Y

 

[Shipoke]

Well Elizabeth ,the only thing i can say is i'm a toy buyer
Plane
Vette
Harley
23 ft. power boat
Bicycle
Scuba
RC airplanes
and anything else i can find
Dave G

 

[fgcason]

Bunch o' folks with photography for a hobby. What's your favored medium/type?

Right now it's digital 2.1mp though I need more camera than I have sometimes. I'm learning technique for good pictures and the instant review and no cost developing capability goes a long way. I run the saturation down to B&W for some very nice effects occasionally.

I did some astrophotography in college. Real film. I want to get back into that eventually using film. I need my own developing room though. "Here, develop all frames no matter what" just doesn't get done at the stores or camera shops.

 

[JRitt]

I am a real hands on type of guy. I love to build and fix anything. By profession I maintain Medical Equipment so I work on just about every type of technology you can think of (Hydraulics, pneumatics, electronic controls and monitoring, computers). I am in the process of remodeling my current house to sell (in about 18 months) so I can build my own tornado resistant, low maintainance, low utility and quiet house. Afte that project is done I plan on building a kit plane (most likely a Jet A piston powered RV-10)

 

[woodstock]

Right now it's digital 2.1mp though I need more camera than I have sometimes. I'm learning technique for good pictures and the instant review and no cost developing capability goes a long way. I run the saturation down to B&W for some very nice effects occasionally.

I did some astrophotography in college. Real film. I want to get back into that eventually using film. I need my own developing room though. "Here, develop all frames no matter what" just doesn't get done at the stores or camera shops.

digital P&S has come down drastically. you can get my same camera, quite decent, for around 300 now I think. I spent 550 on it May 2005 and am still mad it went down in price so quickly. it's 7.1 MP

 

[woodstock]

Scott, I still don't have a spare lens on my new one. I'd like to get something in the 2.8 or lower range and I guess telephoto as the current lens is a little wide angle (it's a zoom but doesn't zoom in as much, mostly out). I just don't want a MASSIVE lens as I will then never carry it.

what I'd really like is to replace the one I have as its main lens, but lower than 2.8 and maybe widen its range a little (a little wider, a little farther out).

 

[Bill]

Olympus OM2 with:

• Vivatar Series 1 28-70mm f2.8 zoom
• Vivatar Series 1 70-210mm f5.6 zoom
• Olympus 50mm f2.2 lens
• Motorwinder 2
• Celestron 1000mm F11 mirror lens
• a bunch of other filters and stuff for it.

Mmm, OM cameras. I have an OM-1, with about a similar compliment of lenses. I have to Minolta bodies, a tough as nails been dropped onto hard floors many times SRT-201, and a MD-11 with autowinder. Again, similar set of lenses for these.

I love the old match needle cameras, and only used the MD-11 in sutter priority for sports.

Digital is inimpressive, a Cannon S30, but at least it has shutter and apeture priority, as well as the usual program modes.

 

[Bill]

Bunch o' folks with photography for a hobby. What's your favored medium/type?

For me, it's B&W film.

It's been so long since I've shot seriously that I couldn't tell ya based on what is on the market these days. Was head photographer for our HS yearbook jr and sr years, and we shot lots and lots of Tri-X for indoors no flash candid shots. Used Pan-X when I could use a flash for pre-arranged shots (team photos, etc.). And for sports, usually pushed the Tri-X to 1600.

We had a nice B/W darkroom at school, and developed both film and prints. No nicer way to spend the last two periods of the day than sitting in the dark, listening to the Police, and sniffing stop bath. Oh those were the days. Something very theraputic about spending time in the dark room.

 

[p8cleared2land]

Being late to the thread, this is going to sound like an echo!

I showed horses in highschool, played piano, lettered in gymnastics. Love travel (all modes and destinations--from backcountry hiking to big city jaunts ), shooting, farming, swimming, running (seasonal cycle--I'm just coming up on 30mi/wk), reading, computers, and skiing (I just got an instructor position at our local resort). I'd love to sail--only been once.

I'm not really into cats, tho.

Petra

p.s. I'm currently studying French (to keep a certification)--parle-vous?

 

[woodstock]

Petra, it's eerie how alike many of us are...

I can't believe I left out learning languages. I spent a lot of time on that back in the day - I even translated French for the Smithsonian as a volunteer. what's funny is that I had started volunteering for the Air and Space museum in 1989, going through their files for folks who would write in and need copies of certain photos, occasionally documents for research projects, etc.

one time I came across a document in French and told them I could translate it for them. (the French as you know were pioneers in aviation). that document kind of launched me into translating a lot of things for them over the years. It's been about 3 years since I've done anything for them though...

 

[astanley]

Bunch o' folks with photography for a hobby. What's your favored medium/type?

For me, it's B&W film.

I have two vices - large format Velvia (for landscape shooting, which I have no patience for anymore), and Fuji Neopan 400 and Fuji Acros 100, both pushed a stop when developed. I like very, very contrasty photojournalistic style portraits of people. I hate taking posed shots. In fact, I won't even print most posed shots. Like this:

... which wasn't posed, she was trying to keep it together (keep from melting down before walking out), so she was focusing on "proper" posture.

I also shoot a fair amount of slide color film, usually Kodak Ektachrome E100VS. (The above shot was actually Fuji T-64, which I shot for the "blue" cast it gave the shots.

I get into fights with my digital brethern all the time over digital versus film. Don't want to do that here

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[Frank Browne]

I don't really consider myself a photographer, but I have an old Minolta 35mm SLR that I use with a tangent arm platform that I built myself for taking photos of celestial events such as comets. Below is a photo of Comet Hyakutaki that I took in March 1996. 4 minute exposure on Kodak 800 asa film.

 

[Anthony]

I'm sorry, this thread keeps reminding me of the Monty Python skit when the contestant at the game show was asked about hobbies. I think it was Michael Palin who responded . Hobbies? Yes..... Golf, clubbing baby seals, strangling small animals and m*asturbating.

Hilarious!

I hear Adam only does two of those four.

 

[Everskyward]

I'd love to sail--only been once.

I'm not really into cats, tho.

I definitely would have learned to sail if I had continued living in the SF Bay area. However, Colorado has an uninspiring amount of water.

Not into cats, oh no!

"Je ne parle pas francais," is about all I remember from HS French.

 

[p8cleared2land]

I don't really consider myself a photographer, but I have an old Minolta 35mm SLR that I use with a tangent arm platform that I built myself for taking photos of celestial events such as comets. Below is a photo of Comet Hyakutaki that I took in March 1996. 4 minute exposure on Kodak 800 asa film.

This fall I was camping and the sky was soooo beautiful! There were more stars than black spaces in between. I tried to capture it with my Canon Powershot. I saved this photo because it makes me laugh...never seem to have the right tools...

 

[Ghery]

Bunch o' folks with photography for a hobby. What's your favored medium/type?

For me, it's B&W film.

Cameras of varying vintage and medium.

My old Minolta SRT-102 would still be my number one camera except:

1. Film is expensive and you don't know what you got until you spend even more money. A recent ad in a photography magazine offered a 36 exposure roll of Kodachrome 64 and developing for a combined total of over $16.

2. Since mercury was outlawed in batteries the only technology that will provide the meter battery is zinc-air. Pull the tab to activate and you've got about 3 months before buying another $8 (last time I looked) battery.

That said, if I got back into film, I'd pull it out, clean it up and use it in a heartbeat. Love that match needle system and multiple focus systems (split image, multiprism, general focus as you move out from the center).

Now, my number one camera is an Olympus C470. 3.2 megapixel. 10x optical zoom lense. Point and shoot, with all the attendent advantages and disadvantages. All in all, takes pretty nice pictures as long as you are happy with the automatic settings. Manual settings require wading through menus. I hate menus on test equipment, and even more so on cameras.

Sony Alpha is on my Christmas list. I've got to get back to using an SLR, but digital pays for itself so quickly (see film and developing above). Image stabilization in the body, so you don't pay for it with each new lense. 10.1 megapixel (better have a large memory stick installed). Shutter or aperature priority, plus easy shifting above or below the computed setting. Autofocus starts up as soon as an IR sensor detects that you're in position to shoot (it detects your body heat and fires up when you put your eye to the view finder).

 

[wsuffa]

I have an old Minolta SRT-101, with a couple of lenses. Hard to beat the old mechanical system.

Also sport a Canon EOS-3 (film) and a Digital Rebel (digital SLR) that share the same lenses. I may replace the digital with the XT version after I get a new job. I have an array of lenses and accessories for the Canons.

I like the Ilford B&W films, though I sometimes use a slower Kodak B&W, and a variety of color films. I prefer slides to negative film.

I invested in a Minolta high-quality film scanner a couple of years ago. Impressive results, though more noise than the direct digital camera. Still, a great way to save old photos and manipulate them in Photoshop.

We're blessed with 2 pretty high quality film labs down here, one is three blocks away. They've always done a great job, at a fair price. Less and less business from the film... a fair amount of their work is not top quality, press-ready work from digital media.

Somewhere, in one of my boxes, is darkroom gear. I may never use it again....

 

[AirBaker]

Wakeboarding
Scuba
Computers and general techie tinkering
Home Audio / Home Theater
Hiking / Exploring

 

[astanley]

I have an old Minolta SRT-101, with a couple of lenses. Hard to beat the old mechanical system.

Also sport a Canon EOS-3 (film) and a Digital Rebel (digital SLR) that share the same lenses. I may replace the digital with the XT version after I get a new job. I have an array of lenses and accessories for the Canons.

I like the Ilford B&W films, though I sometimes use a slower Kodak B&W, and a variety of color films. I prefer slides to negative film.

I invested in a Minolta high-quality film scanner a couple of years ago. Impressive results, though more noise than the direct digital camera. Still, a great way to save old photos and manipulate them in Photoshop.

We're blessed with 2 pretty high quality film labs down here, one is three blocks away. They've always done a great job, at a fair price. Less and less business from the film... a fair amount of their work is not top quality, press-ready work from digital media.

Somewhere, in one of my boxes, is darkroom gear. I may never use it again....

I have two superb labs within 45 minutes of my house. The quality of a clean, dip-and-dunk E6 line plus hand-developed B&W is unmatched, IMO.

I am debating rebuilding a darkroom - I had one in high school that I scrabbled together for next to nothing, but sold for gas money, go figure. I miss printing my own shots, however, I have a great relationship with my printer at Newtonville, so...

I have a digital P&S I bring cycling, primarially due to the small size. But I haul the 35mm SLR when I want good pics... and so far, few digital bodies have impressed me to the point where I think I can pull down the same results time after time, without resorting to digital editing.

Cheers,

-Andrew

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[bluesky74656]

Let's see...

Music (Guitar, vocals)
Audio Editing, and a bit of live mixing
Video Editing
Pretty much anything computer related
Jeeping (and ATVs and snowmobiles occasionally)
A bit of bowling.

I used to be a fair hand at Baseball, but I haven't played in years.
Oh, et je parle français.

 

[flyersfan31]

I have one of them there Vivitar 70-210's for my OM and I think it's a POS! Never liked it, don't know why I bought it.

Had no idea there were so many photographers on the board!

 

[JasonCT]

Sure are a lot of shutter bugs!

 

[Bill]

I have one of them there Vivitar 70-210's for my OM and I think it's a POS! Never liked it, don't know why I bought it.

Had no idea there were so many photographers on the board!

I much prefer two ring zooms.

 

[Bill]

Sure are a lot of shutter bugs!

Satisfies both technical and creative urges, just like flying. I likewise find a large intersection of the sets pilots and motorcyclist, and pilots and sailors. Must be things that either lean or lean to turn.

 

[Dart]

I guess my main hobby is building scale model aircraft. I build mostly 1/48 scale but sometimes venture into larger scale a/c (1/32 scale). I don't build very many "out of the box" but scratch build cockpit detail, instument panel, etc.

I see there are not many modelers here. I LOVE scale modeling (mostly WWII aircraft and ships) and railroading (HO or N gauge). Dad destroyed the HO layout when he drove thru the garage wall (now THAT was NOT funny!). Can't wait for the last kid to graduate college so I can have a modeling room again.

Haven't had the time (or space) for many hobbies during the last ten years. First the divorce, then a new family, now it seems someone (kids, elderly parents) always seem to need to move back in. Family can really eat into hobby time and money (luckily I consider it a privilidge from God to be able to be there for them ).

Tennis elbow killed my golf.

The only thing I wont give up is my boating and related activities (well, OK I got bored with lugging SCUBA crap around thirty years ago, I actually prefer free diving). Currently we are sailing a 2006 Hunter 36 with all the toys. We also have a partneship in a 21 ft commercial-style power boat for fishing and river running.

My favorite hobby these days is spending time with my wife. We like to travel somewhere outta state at least once a year, outta the states at least every few years. Doing Alaska cruise in July '07, (a "life list" trip for both of us). We have the boat, annual passes to Busch Gardens, season tickets to the Opera, share season tickets to the Magic Games... It's not so bad!

 

[Bill]

Currently we are sailing a 2006 Hunter 36 with all the toys.

Nice! We have an older Beachcomber 25 cat ketch. Picture is of a sister ship.

 

[tonycondon]

well i guess ill chime in.

Used to:
Tennis
Video Games
Pedal Tractor restoration

now:
Aviation
Cross Country Soaring specifically
trying to pass Aerospace Engineering classes

 

[gkainz]

Pedal Tractor restoration

hmmm... I have an old pedal tractor ... it's a John Deere from around '59 or '60. Used to have a matching wagon but that's long gone ... I'll have to dig up or take some new pics -

 

[Eamon]

I also played piano when I was growing up and somehow I still have it, but the only one who has played it in a long time is Eamon. Thanks E!

.

Thanks for being such a gracious host. Thanks for showing me all the great beer

 

[Eamon]

Classic Car collecting and restoration
Playing, writing & listening to music
Home restoration
Motocycles
Power & Sail boating
Travel
Dining
RC cars, boats & airplanes

I want to start brewing beer or making mead
I need to start skiing again...... Mari, Do you ski??

 

[Everskyward]

Mari, Do you ski??

I was a skier back in the dark ages. Wonder if it's something you never forget how to do, like riding a bicycle, or flying an airplane. On second thought, I never did it very well the first time. I remember coming down the hill in that toboggan...

 

[alaskaflyer]

Hi all-

Back from Canada. Anyway,

Skiing
Mountaineering
Used to do a lot of kayaking but have let that go somewhat
Poker (is that a hobby? Donno, but play about once a week and in Vegas occasionally)
Mountain biking when I get the chance - did a lot more in AZ and Utah when I lived there than I do up here

 

[astanley]

Hi all-

Back from Canada. Anyway,

Skiing
Mountaineering
Used to do a lot of kayaking but have let that go somewhat
Poker (is that a hobby? Donno, but play about once a week and in Vegas occasionally)
Mountain biking when I get the chance - did a lot more in AZ and Utah when I lived there than I do up here

"Mountaineering isn't a hobby, it isn't fun. It's a study in masochism and frostbite Russian Roulette" - somewhere on rec.climbing, or NEIce, I forget which...

Have you topped out Denali? We're looking to do Kathadin and Washington this winter, first winter alpine trip ever...

Cheers,

-Andrew

 

[astanley]

Classic Car collecting and restoration
Playing, writing & listening to music
Home restoration
Motocycles
Power & Sail boating
Travel
Dining
RC cars, boats & airplanes

I want to start brewing beer or making mead
I need to start skiing again...... Mari, Do you ski??

Hey E...

I've brewed for a long time. Have a bunch aging as we speak. If you ever have the time, fly up here and you can brew a batch with us...

Cheers,

-andrew

 

[alaskaflyer]

"Mountaineering isn't a hobby, it isn't fun. It's a study in masochism and frostbite Russian Roulette" - somewhere on rec.climbing, or NEIce, I forget which...

Have you topped out Denali? We're looking to do Kathadin and Washington this winter, first winter alpine trip ever...

Cheers,

-Andrew

LOL! I'm usually thinking along the lines of that quote on the way up...until I reach THE SUMMIT. You know what I mean?

I will probably never have the opportunity to climb Denali until I leave this park for the next one, which seems illogical I know but is a function of timing and time commitment. In the meantime I have to be satisfied with the occasional visit to one of the camps, and climbing other, minor peaks.

Good luck, I think that winter climbs are the bomb. Not so much up here though, too $@%& cold.

 

[alaskaflyer]

It's been so long since I've shot seriously that I couldn't tell ya based on what is on the market these days. Was head photographer for our HS yearbook jr and sr years, and we shot lots and lots of Tri-X for indoors no flash candid shots. Used Pan-X when I could use a flash for pre-arranged shots (team photos, etc.). And for sports, usually pushed the Tri-X to 1600.

We had a nice B/W darkroom at school, and developed both film and prints. No nicer way to spend the last two periods of the day than sitting in the dark, listening to the Police, and sniffing stop bath. Oh those were the days. Something very theraputic about spending time in the dark room.

Brings back memories...was a photography nut in junior high, high school and college, had my own dark room at home, was semi-pro for the home-town newspaper for a while, shot sports and local events.

Haven't been serious in a long time. Still have an eye I guess - and still have my original Pentax K1000 in a box in the basement!

 

[woodstock]

this thread has really taken off! so many cool things we all do. I think you can tell more about someone by what they like to do in their SPARE time than their job. it's funny that around here the first question standard is "what do you do" or "where do you work" when it should really be "what are your hobbies".

curious - how many card players do we have here? not a hobby I guess, more of a pastime, but, it seems like playing cards on a regular basis is more mid-western than either coast... we played a lot growing up (not that PA is mid-west but we are really close to Ohio so I used to hear that when I moved here, a lot... "you mid-westerner") and in fact my family still does when we all get together for hols.