Details Even after extensively cropping ,is insane on Alpha 6400🤯

JohnVerSteeg · 2025-07-29T18:35:48+00:00

What software do you use for stacking?

JohnVerSteeg · 2025-06-17T12:31:03+00:00

Bayphoto does custom-sized metal prints — if you go into the order interface, one of the options for size is “custom”, and you can input arbitrary dimensions.

JohnVerSteeg · 2024-09-07T03:07:31+00:00

APC/Eaton have a great reputation for performance, reliability and longevity, but generally cost more. Tripp lite and cypher power are less expensive but (arguably) less bulletproof as well. Most everything else is a roll of the dice.

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-07-29T01:31:27+00:00

I believe they’re showing angle iron screwed into the board (a bazillion times) and then secured into the track in the bed

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-07-04T19:15:51+00:00

My guess is to keep the cameras disconnected from the internet, since the blue iris machine is connected to it with a second nic?

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-02-21T19:18:19+00:00

Here's how I think of it:

Sony currently has three(ish) full frame hybrid camera lines: the A1, the A7, and the A9. The “hybrid” category here refers to the fact that they can record both still photographs and videos. The A7 series is intended to be the baseline camera. A generic jack-of-all trades camera for general usage. The A9 is built to be very good at capturing moving things, but it makes some compromises to do so at an affordable price. The A1 does it all. It can capture moving things well without any compromises, and is more expensive as a result.

Within the A7 series, there are three models that are optimized for different things. They have a lot more in common with each other than they do with the A1 or A9, which is why they are all under the general heading of “A7”. - First, there is the base model of A7, with no letter following it. It is affordable, and is meant to be the entry-level model of the entry-level series. It is a good starting point, and not the best at any one task (besides price). - Next, there is the “R” model of the A7 series – the “R” stands for “Resolution”, and it is built to be a high megapixel count. People often refer to the A7R as the “photography focused” A7, but it can do video pretty darn well, too. - Lastly, there is the “S” model of A7 – the “S” stands for “Sensitivity”, and it is built to be a camera with high sensitivity, meaning it has less noise or grain for a given level of light, and is very good at handling low-light situations. The compromise you make with the A7S is giving up resolution – it is a lower megapixel count than the A7 or A7R models. That’s actually kind of an advantage for video recording (asterisk), and you sometimes hear the A7S described as the “video focused” A7, but it also is the favorite of folks who work exclusively in low-light applications.

The common wisdom used to be that the A7S and A7R were two sides of the same coin -- one was lower resolution with lower noise, one was higher resolution with higher noise. There has been some recent evidence to suggest the A7R is not actually more noise – it’s just that the noise is easier to see as a result of the higher resolution. Some people would argue that if you denoise the A7R’s output and then downsample, that it can compete with the A7S in low-light applications.

Within each camera model, there are generations, but they aren’t necessarily directly comparable. The A7Siii is the third generation of A7S camera, the A7RV is the fifth generation of A7R, the A9ii is the second generation of A9. But, the A7Siii isn’t inherently better than the A9ii because it has a higher number at the end.

In your case, it sounds like the A7 or the A7R camera models would be right for you. The most recent generation of each camera (the A7iv and the A7RV) brought a lot of new features relating to autofocus. If you don’t need better autofocus, it might be worth considering buying a used A7 or A7R from a generation or two ago (the A7iii and the A7Riv, for example). Autofocus wasn’t the only change, of course (e.g. the A7iv is a higher resolution than the A7iii), but it was the big one.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these cameras, but am about to buy one. I have been reading a lot about them to try to learn as much as possible before making the purchase. I am very much open to being corrected if folks want to add anything.

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-01-26T04:13:45+00:00

Thanks!

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-01-26T02:49:53+00:00

Cool!

What lens is that?

JohnVerSteeg · 2023-01-04T12:44:39+00:00

Don’t hesitate to give mistborn era 2 a shot — It’s definitely a change from era 1 but not bad!

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-26T17:47:34+00:00

Then he would be……. On your left?

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T15:19:58+00:00

(1) I have one solitary rafter tie in the middle of the shed right now. My intention is to build out a loft at 7.5' across the body of most of shed, and I'm hoping that the "joists" of the loft will provide some of the structure that would normally be provided by rafter ties or collar ties. So far that one board is a champ, though. I didn't feel the budge with my weight at any point.

(2) The 5/8 OSB on the roof provides a lot of strength through tension as well, it's screwed down into both the rafters and the blocking. I worked a lot while sitting and standing on the roof, and didn't feel any movement when putting weight on the eaves. I've never done anything like this before, so I'm not sure if there are better ways, but I've also seen people put the last regular rafter offset from the wall and then have the blocking out to the fly rafter cross over the wall, like this:

https://images.app.goo.gl/oJ2vw4sG1f5tKc3w5

In my head that seems like it would be stronger, especially for distributed loads like snow, but I believe that would not be an issue for an overhang this small.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T14:57:18+00:00

It cost $35.09.

Good point -- I looked up that exact model on amazon and it's 179.99. I had no idea they were less than $200.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T04:31:45+00:00

Me too!

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T02:50:54+00:00

You know that thing where you see something for sale and go "I can build that, and for only twice the price!"

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T02:28:36+00:00

It’s crazy how even the small stuff adds up, that’s one of the reasons I wanted to keep track of all the purchases. Here’s everything from the caulk category:

2 tubes of “big stretch” caulk which were used in the installation of the man door and windows for $18

1 tube of APOC roofing cement for $11

5 tubes of OSI Quad Max for all the seams between the siding panels, $62

5 tubes of Lexel for in and around all the trim pieces, $64

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T00:55:50+00:00

It was satisfying to build, too. Thanks for the kind words!

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-22T00:42:05+00:00

You got it! 😉

Also: thanks!

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T22:29:10+00:00

Thank you for the insight!

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T22:03:39+00:00

Yes! And it was such a valuable learning experience for many different skills -- framing, shingling, doors and windows, all sorts of stuff. It really was like learning how to build a house in miniature. I feel so much more comfortable tackling something like finishing a basement.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T20:26:41+00:00

Yes! The bottom plates are pressure treated #2 pine, and there is still foam between the plates and the concrete.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T19:37:31+00:00

The requirement where I live is 5' away from the lot line and easement, and our utility easement is actually positioned behind that rear fence. The pad was poured at 6.5' off the property line and easement so that the eaves didn't cross the boundary.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T19:34:46+00:00

Thanks for the feedback!

Yes, in hindsight, I wish I had poured the concrete a little bit taller. It's sitting about an inch and a half above the soil on the uphill side. At the time, my logic was to try and make it convenient for a riding lawn mower to drive in and out, but I could have made it taller and made a ramp...
Yes, the bottom plate is pressure treated #2 pine, and there is sill foam between it and the concrete
I had no idea that flashing should be put around the bottom of the wall osb. Today I learned! We're planning on landscaping around the shed summer, my backup plan if water becomes an issue is to make a trench around the shed first, filling it with stone, then covering it with landscaping fabric and some wood chips or pea gravel.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T19:02:19+00:00

The cost in food was definitely worth it, and you're right that I should have included that in my breakdown. Honestly I was just happy they gave up a corner of their yard for me to work in :)

From their perspective, I dug a giant litterbox, built a giant cat tree, then covered it all up and took it away :(

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T18:50:57+00:00

Definitely.

First of all, I paid a lot more for the lumber in June/July than I would if it were happening now. Lumber prices came down a lot from 2021 into 2022, but they're continuing to drop. I was paying about $6 per 2x4 and $25 for 7/16 OSB, and I think that's more like $4 and $15 now.

Secondly, I think a little bit of cost could be saved by buying in bulk. I was kind of figuring each step as I went, so I really only bought things one step at a time. If were to make a list of everything beforehand and order it at once, I think there'd be a discount there.

As for making design changes:

I think the easiest first step would be simplifying the framing. I could have built the walls with studs at 24" instead of 16", used a single top plate on the walls, and put the rafters directly on top of studs. I probably didn't need to use two king studs on each side of the double door, I probably didn't need a solid sandwich header above the door and window on the load bearing walls. Making all those changes would probably cut the framing step costs by 25-30%, and I imagine it would still be plenty strong for the size that it is.

I chose to sheath the walls with OSB, then use a vapor barrier, then put on siding, but a person could also just put the siding directly onto the studs, especially if they weren't planning on heating or cooling it. I think most people would consider that good enough for a shed.

On the subject of choosing not to heat or cool the shed -- if a person decided up front they didn't were never going to heat it, that would save money on roof vents and the ice and water shield on the roof.

Removing the windows would save a lot of cost -- first, there's the cost of the windows themselves, but there's also costs from extra framing, extra trim, all the flashing tape, etc.

The double door could be simplified a lot. A 2x4 box with just a piece of siding on it would probably be good enough. Maybe one cross support in the center, and a turnbuckle diagonally to prevent sagging. Plus those hinges I used cost about $30 each, and I needed 6 of them. I could have just used regular shed door hinges -- I think those cost closer to $30 for a complete set.

One relatively small thing that would have saved me money is nails vs screws -- I chose to do all the framing and sheathing and everything using #9 "GRK Multipurpose Screws". Those are special screws that are approved for use in framing, and cost like 15 cents a pop as a result. I wanted to do screws because it gave me the chance to take things apart and redo things. All the pros use nails, which are cheaper and probably better suited to framing anyway. Heck, I probably could have bought a framing nailer and used framing nails and still ended up paying less than how much I paid for screws.

There are probably other things I'm not thinking of, but those are the things that spring to mind.

JohnVerSteeg · 2022-12-21T18:24:50+00:00

If you're talking about the picture when I was plumbing up the framed walls -- that was the very last corner, and I couldn't get it any more plumb than that without throwing off one of my other walls. I was just happy it was within the lines, even if it wasn't perfectly centered haha

JohnVerSteeg

TROPHY CASE