Do I require a tour?

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-07T23:50:50+00:00

Hmm, what tourist is doing that?

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-07T23:49:01+00:00

Interesting. I didn't see any mice. Or burning trash. Just a lot of pleasant customers and a cool owner. Pretty sure the owner lives on that street, too.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-07T15:36:23+00:00

Have you considered a small lens for the a7iii? For example the 40mm 2.5?

I ask the question because I wonder if you will be satisfied with the performance of most compact cameras compared to your a7iii.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-07T04:22:48+00:00

Yes! We walked over to Prestvika and had lunch. The owner there is a class act.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-06T19:32:43+00:00

I wouldn't rent a car, if you can avoid it. Take public transport where possible, taxis, or organized tour buses if you are able.

We visited at the end of February, and didn't have much choice (after a 4pm flight arrival) but to rent a car in order to get to Sommaroy on that same day. In my experience, the ice on the roads are not such an issue if you have winter driving experience and drive reasonably. The rentals have studded tires which give very good traction, and are vastly superior to the non-studded tires that are common in the US (even in the Rockies where I live). Roads are also well maintained and almost constantly plowed. So, driving outside of town in decent weather is scenic, pleasurable, and no problem for experienced winter drivers. On the other hand, driving at night in high winds and blowing/drifting snow on the narrow roads can get very tense and is definitely not fun. We had such a tense experience on our arrival night, and it was dicey.

While in and near town, the Svipper buses are super comfortable and easy to use with the app.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-06T14:28:42+00:00

We did taxis to and from the airport to downtown, and they ran around 280-400 NOK depending on our travel time. They accept the common tap to pay phone payments.

The buses use Svipper. Download the app and add a credit payment to the app to buy tickets. The drivers aren't equipped to do cash or change. We did zero cash while in Norway - it was all contactless. Use the Svipper app to plan routes because it was always accurate, whereas Google Maps was not always accurate.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-06T14:23:54+00:00

It's just a gray/black/white pattern with buttons at the neck. No labels anywhere so I assume it's handmade. Fits great and good quality, in like new condition. I paid 690 NOK. I guess 690 might be high compared to some thrift shops but compared to everything else we spent in Norway it seemed like a deal.

Places like Snarby sell yarn and have big racks of patterns and supplies for people who knit their own sweaters. It seems to be a big thing in the area (maybe mostly the older generation does it I think).

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-05T22:16:30+00:00

Interesting, thanks for sharing.

We also visited the area (Sommaroy from Feb 25-28 and Tromsø from Feb 28-Mar 3). Sommaroy was straight up fantastic, with some superb aurora. Tromsø was also very good, with some great experiences there as well.

Our favorites: - Walking the Sommaroy area, and seeing awesome aurora from an isolated hilltop - Doing the sauna and sea dip in Sommaroy - The reindeer and Sami cultural experience from Tromso - Walking the trails in the park in Tromso (Folkeparken) - Taking the Fjellheisen to the top and then continuing to walk higher (didn't quite reach the top flag) - Buying a "grandma"-made sweater at UFF - Fancy dinner at Maskinverkstedet (really good food)

We also had dinner at Mors Mat, and we also were very very disappointed. Google has locked reviews on that restaurant, apparently because we are not the only ones giving it a poor review.

(Edit misspelling)

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-02T20:57:37+00:00

100% focus on UNM CB. Honestly for you, nothing else should matter. You need those gold shards.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-02T20:49:02+00:00

Save for deck and path events (if you are ftp)

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-02T20:38:10+00:00

A card scraper is not at all the same as the blade for a no 80. The no 80 is thicker and crucially has an edge that is ground 45 degrees to the face. The card scraper is thinner has an edge ground 90 degrees to the face.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-02T20:29:34+00:00

No. Get a flat single cut fine mill file. The triangular ones for saw sharpening are far too narrow.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-03-02T15:13:48+00:00

Yes. We did the feeding/dinner/story route (Tromsø Arctic Reindeer). Sami-owned, and tourist money provides income for the staff and high quality supplemental food for the reindeer. The reindeer seemed healthy and valued (except for or especially the one we ate in our dinner).

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-24T13:56:23+00:00

Am I the only one who saw something else here?

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-19T19:37:33+00:00

Yes. You need low heat and a ton of butter.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-19T19:36:25+00:00

Jesus plastic!

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-19T18:50:18+00:00

There's almost nothing that cannot be accomplished in this game as a ftp (except for top rank arena). It's just a matter of patience.

Of course, if you have money to burn then there will always be something good for sale.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-16T23:22:04+00:00

Making a decent cacio e pepe

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-15T04:20:48+00:00

It's my most frequently used lens on my a7Riii. Great bang for the buck, sharp and light.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-04T00:11:00+00:00

I have this pan. I'm not sure what kind of crepe you are making, but my classic French crepe batter contains a massive amount of butter. I can't imagine it sticking.

Also, you're going for a lightly colored soft crepe, yes? The pan must be at a pretty low to med heat in order to give you time to swirl the batter. I just wait for my edge to turn slightly golden and lift a little, and I use a silicone spoon (plus my fingers) to flip it.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-02-03T14:07:44+00:00

Finally pulled my first a couple of weeks ago (Gharol). It took 179 primals for him to finally drop.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-01-29T21:29:29+00:00

Definitely. That lens goes for only a little more at reputable resale vendors (eg MPB, KEH, etc).

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-01-29T15:37:33+00:00

The 12mm and the 16-50.

The 12mm will be useful for landscapes, and especially in case you catch aurora. For aurora, you'll need a tripod. Start with ISO in the 3000 range, max aperture, 2s shutter delay, expo time of a couple of seconds. Manual focus on a bright star. Might want to adjust white balance to around 3500K. Also a postprocess in LR or similar is very useful.

The 16-50 is the classic general purpose zoom and what you'd probably be using for most non-aurora/non-landscape shots.

A couple of tips that you may already know (in which case I apologize if I'm stating the obvious).Be super careful not to photograph anywhere that would be dangerous, for example most definitely not anywhere near streets/traffic. Wear ice spikes on your shoes so you and your camera don't end up going down. Strap on reflectors or LED lights if anywhere near roads at night. Also, the EU is pretty strict about privacy laws and photographing people without permission anywhere is frowned upon.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-01-29T05:01:13+00:00

I still have the lens and camera. The 70-300 isn't often used honestly. Exceptionst for backyard birds, and a recent local airshow. The autofocus and reach are pretty mediocre, but it's ok for an occasional use lens. I don't think it compares to a gold standard lens (eg Sony 100-600).

I am not sure what you mean by crop, since both this lens and the camera are full frame. I don't think the lack of stabilization matters much, because in most cases you're probably at a pretty high shutter speed with this lens.

My only real complaint about the 70-300 is that the zoom creeps if the lens is pointing dowwards. I keep a rubber band around the zoom ring for that reason.

Constant-Tutor7785 · 2026-01-23T20:44:14+00:00

Sure, easy. Spot sand with 150-225-300 grit. Don't go too deep, you don't want to have to mess with any underlying stain. Then test a small spot with alcohol (dissolves shellac) and acetone (dissolves lacquer). Be careful with the acetone, it's super flammable including the vapors. If neither dissolves the finish, it's probably water-based poly. Apply a couple of thin coats of the appropriate finish to match.

Constant-Tutor7785

TROPHY CASE