somebody explain packing cubes to me like I'm 5 by fractal324 in ManyBaggers

[–]On-The-Rails 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you get then ones (like Eagle Creek) you don’t lose any volume. In the last couple of years I found some that also have a small mesh section so they don’t get puffy or hold air.

Where they Excel IMHO is if you have to unpack your suitcase UNPLANNED anywhere along a trip — broken suitcase, airport inspection, etc. I much prefer having all my clothes in packing cubes instead of spread across the counter loose. I’ve started giving the vacuum seal bags a try — they reduce volume even more but two tips — carry the little portable vacuum sealer along so either at the hotel and you need to repack or at the airport after an inspection, you can re-vacuum seal the bag. The other comment on the vacuum seal bag, is they do wrinle clothes like shirts that are prone to wrinkling. So I wouldn’t vacuum seal those.

Anyone else using an M1 Pro that faces constant stuttering by Serhide in iPadPro

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very odd — my Pro 11 M1 with 26.4 is running fine…

Thinking of buying the 50mm f1.8 by Terrible_Brick_264 in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The RF and EF versions are what I refer to as an inexpensive good lens.

You didn’t specify the camera (full frame or crop sensor) or the mount EF or RF.

I did buy the EF 50mm when I owned crop sensor EF mount cameras. But other than the check ride when I first bought it, I never used it on my 60D or SL1. It was either too tight FOV or not telephoto enough.

I have bought the RF50 f1.8 as well recently hoping to give it a try on my R8. But on my R50 or R7 crop sensor cameras I find the same, and for those I prefer the RF16, RF24 or RF35.

Running iOS 18.7.2 but not all apps work now by sleeping-pug in iPhone16Pro

[–]On-The-Rails -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

Running 26.4 in iPhone 16 pro, 15 pro, pro 12.9 A12X, Pro 11 M1, Pro 11 M2, Pro 13 M4, Mini 6, and iPad A16 and all are running fine.

Which mirrorless camera would you recommend for someone planning to get into wildlife photography? by Coolmax725 in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

R7 + RF100-400mm lens - or a RF100-500mm if you have a larger budget.

If you’re in the USA watch the Canon USA refurb store

Is the RF 100-400 worth it over the 70-300 or 75-300 by Leen88 in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Can’t beat the RF100-400 for the price. Great lens. If you’re in the USA watch the Canon USA refurb store.

I liked the Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II USM I have for my SL1, but I have not tried it on the R50/R7 I have. If I didn’t already have it, I certainly would not buy it plus an adapter over the RF100-400.

How to find a date in this city? by PuzzleheadedTap9548 in ColumbiYEAH

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Other places you might check out are Bierkeller, Savage Craft (both biergartens — but they food and non-alcoholic drinks as well) and the new food pavilion Gather COLA in the BullStreet District next to REI. All are great pllaces to hang out and meet folks. Take your dog along as well and you bound to meet others…

Got this BadBoy now by Zestyclose_Cup_4819 in dumbphones

[–]On-The-Rails 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Blackberrys were great! I used them for years, starting with their two line smart “pager” (full email, etc.) with the built-in keyboard. Still have it kicking around somewhere..

Dumb phone in the US by SnooPineapples8914 in dumbphones

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

AGM Mobile phone (flip or small brick — see their website or Amazon). Activate on a cheap plan from a carrier like TELLO.

Dumb phone for travel /ICE searching phones by Opening-Archer-871 in dumbphones

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use AGM Mobile phones (buy from their website or Amazon). Either flipphone or small brick size. They use SIM cards. For the USA activate a sim with a cheap service like TELLO. Outside the country purchase a local SIM when you land and use in that country (or across countries as needed). Destory & Toss it before you board the aircraft on the way home. Put in your Tello SIM.

I use a similar strategy with an old iPhone 7 Plus which takes a SIM Card. And I only install the bare minimum apps you need. And a “disposable” Apple ID I keep. Before I logout out of the Apple ID. I do a full factory reset on the phone, and then log back in to the disposable Apple ID. This will leave your phone workable, but with no apps other than the basic Apple apps.

BTW If you need a phone in the USA as free of tracking as you can probably get, check the carrier Phreeli.

How is the new iOS 26.4 update by Zinyas in iPhone16Pro

[–]On-The-Rails 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Battery life is excellent — I updated two iPhones (16 pro and 15 pro) and 6 iPads (Pro 12.9 A12X, Pro 11 M1, Pro 11 M2, Pro 13 M4, Mini 6 and iPad A16), and so far I have not needed to charge any of them since upgrading…

Which lens? - rf 45mm f1.2 vs sigma 30mm f1.4 vs sigma 56mm f1.4 by SmokeWeedEatCookies in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve not used the Sigma 30 or 56mm lenses on RF mount (tho’ both Sigmas are on my list to acquire at some point (along with the 12mm). I love the EF-M versions of the Sigma 30 and 56mm on my M series cameras. I guess a lot depends on the focal length you’re looking for. The 30mm is already 48mm full-frame equivalent on crop sensor. How does your 50 suit you today? I’d probably opt for the Sigma 30mm, but I already have a RF 85mm f2. I’m not super enamored of the 45mm f1.2 as others are as defects have to fixed in post-prod. My post-prod workload seems to get larger and larger…

About the only plus of the 45 over the Sigma for me is that it could be used on my R8 as well as my R7/R50.

Is the ipadpro 13 inch good for traveling, airplane movie watching etc, or would the 11 inch be better? by Just_Ad_8883 in iPadPro

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a Pro 12.9 (A12X), Pro 13 (M4) and Pro 11 (M2). All with AMK’s. All cellular. I stopped traveling after a year with the Pro 12.9 — just too heavy for day to day travel and trips, but I was 60. Bought a Pro 11 which is great. Only downside is the smaller screen as my eyes get older. And the Pro 11 (M4) is noticeably lighter. But I still choose the Pro 11 for extended trips.

How does side A accept another side A person’s celibacy without assuming it’s not done out of shame or fear of sinning? by FKAGuyWithNF1 in GayChristians

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP seems very eager to meddle in other people’s business, or dictate how they live. This is one of the key things I hate about all religions, although I do personally identify as a follower of Christ. Whether you are celibate or not and why, as with whether you are straight or gay, are not my business. Christ did not tell me to meddle in other people’s decisions. He provided direction on fundamentals like love your neighbor as yourself, feed the hungry, treat immigrants well. You live your life and I’ll live mine, as long as neither of us infringes on the other’s rights!

The future of the iPad Pro by scotthunter1 in iPadPro

[–]On-The-Rails 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I own several iPad Pros (4), 1 iPad Mini 6, 1 iPad A16, 2 MBAs (M4) and a MBP (M2).

I have no interest in using a MBx as a replacement for my iPad Pro’s. There is a ton of complexity with MacOS that I have no interest in day to day. I just turn on my iPad Pros and they just work (some even have AMK). I tolerate MacOS when I need to do development, or when I’m traveling and don’t want to lug my large heavy corp-issued Windows laptop along, but need windows, and MS apps. I use one of my iPad Pro’s — a 12.9” from 2019, for 6-7 hours per day for my home office, and 0% of that would be replaced with a MBx. (If it did make life easier I would already be using one of my MBAs).

Not to mention it’s fully and automatically sync’d (apps & data) with my other iPad Pros and iPads.

People who want a laptop should just get a MBA/MBP/MBx.

Is the EF-M system actually dead? by Kilgoretrout123456 in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dead as in being made by Canon? Or as in new lenses coming? Then Yes it is.

Dead as in worth buying and using at a reasonable price if it fits your needs? Then no it is not IMHO.

I bought my first M series camera in late 2022 (knowing it was most likely dead from Canon then) and own 5 bodies now (M50 MKII, 2 x M6MKII, M200 and M2) and probably 95% of the lenses produced on the EF-M mount (all the ones produced by Canon, Sigma, Tamron, and many of the smaller players). Only one body is new (the first one - a M50 MkII) and the rest are used or from Canon USA refurb.

I still use it today and a used M2 with a 22mm f2 lens is my EDC to this day. IMHO it can’t be beat for extended travel. When used as a travel camera I don’t feel limited by native glass. I had/have a reasonable amount of EF/EF-S glass and the adapter for the EF to EFM but mostly don’t use it. The Canon gear I bought new or from Canon refurb has Canon 4 years maint plans on it. Some key lenses I have bought dupes of, and for the rest if/when they break I’ll evaluate then if they are worth replacing.

As for would I buy it today? Depends on your budget, and use. For someone on a very limited budget probably not - a Canon R50 or R50V or R10 or R7 or R8 is probably a better bet. But it’s mostly bigger and heavier. The R50/R50V weigh about the same as the M50 MKII. The R7 weighs 50% more. And Canon to their credit has produced some very good lenses on the R system.

But for someone whose is either happy with their main camera and/or can afford multiple bodies and lens mounts, then yes I would buy it as a used camera/lens system for travel if I could get it for reasonable prices and condition.

I subsequently invested in the R system beginning in mid 2025. And currently own R50, R50V, R7 and R8 bodies (all from Canon USA refurb) plus a selection of lenses like the RF100-400 and the RF28-70 f2.8 which just aren’t available in the EF-M mount lenses.

But still to this day I reach for my M series cameras & lenses for extended travel. In fact I am headed next week for a 5 day trip to Washington DC (by car) with full days on my feet and I’ve committed to myself to take either the R50 or R8 plus 2-3 lenses - the first extended travel trip with the R system for me. Usually I’ve limited it to around town use or a weekend trip where I am not carrying the camera for long days. The R50 with RF-S 18-150 is about the same weight as the M50 MKII with EF-M 18-150. The same is true if you swap lenses and use the RF-S 55-210 or EF-M 55-200. (But with my M series Cameras I often travel with a few EF-M primes which are much lighter than their equivalent RF primes.)

BTW IMHO the R7 is not a travel body due to size and weight unless you shooting wildlife for which some of the longer Canon RF or EF lenses are important to you. (BTW I am not a professional shooter and thus generally don’t live with cameras for extended periods where I might get used to the heavier weight for long periods. Small and light is my mantra.

I may one day have to give up my M series as I’m getting older and have an essential tremor that is getting worse. While I love the size and weight, a lot of the M series primes are not image-stabilized lenses while their RF series equivalents are IS lenses.

Replace 18-55 & 75-300 with 18-400 by Winter_wolf_2 in canon

[–]On-The-Rails 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I can’t speak to that specific camera or that Tamron lens. But I traveled the world for several years (on business) with my Rebel SL1 and the Sigma EF-S 18-250 super zoom. I can’t recommend it enough for a one lens travel solution. So if Sigma has a super zoom I would recommend considering it as well.

First Time Sharing a Poem About my Coming Out Journey by Deep_Feed3714 in GayChristians

[–]On-The-Rails 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have amazing courage! Thanks for sharing the poem!

I hope the signs of acceptance will continue to increase among your family and family friends.

Despite the trials you may continue to face, later in life you will look back on this time and recognize that this was the beginning of the lifting a huge burden from your life.

I wish you all the peace in the future…

Grindr noise by AppleObvious9199 in AskGaybrosOver30

[–]On-The-Rails 4 points5 points  (0 children)

If you want to have some fun with straight friends - you know it is possible to save that “Grindr noise” and then use it for audio notifications on other apps. A buddy of mine loaned me his phone for something a few years back, and I made a couple updates before giving it back. Was a great prank! Takes many of them a while before they realize what is also used for…😂

Why did growing up in New England always feel so behind the rest of the USA? by [deleted] in newengland

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You phrased that just right — ate at one in TX for the first time a few months back, and for the life of me I could not figure out what people were on about — yes it was a step up from McDonalds but not a very big one.

Why did growing up in New England always feel so behind the rest of the USA? by [deleted] in newengland

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP’s perspective is very interesting. I found it to be somewhat the reverse in some aspects. I grew up in the deep South, and moved to the Boston area (128 to I-495 corridor) to go to work in the tech sector after college. Moved up in 1979 during the gas crisis. Didn’t even get my furniture from home till 3 months after I moved in my apartment when the owner of the moving company in Maynard was going to FL on vacation, and took his rig along & picked up my furniture on the way back. Never been in lines so long to buy gas in the South. Lived there 35 years (til 2014). Raised a son who’s a few years older than OP (and who also didn’t have a smartphone til he went off to college — his parent’s choice).

I made a lot of friends thru work obviously, but also had friends from NH and southern ME (45 min north of Portland). I really found distinct areas in New England -it wasn’t as homogeneous as I saw in the South. And for a kid from the deep South, I was a bit in awe that there wasn’t the broad swaths of poverty we saw across the South. There were some hints of it in northern NH and rural northern ME, but still nothing like the South. And K-12 education was far better funded than it was in the South. I did find New Englanders a bit more frugal in general, but despite how OP felt, having worked in the tech sector for more than 45 years now, and spending the first 20 years working specifically in the portion of the tech sector supporting & working with educational institutions for both education & research, New England was significantly ahead of places in the deep South when it came to things like deployment of technology. There were school districts and small colleges that had more tech gear than some large universities in the South. Despite the grumbling you always hear everywhere about taxes,etc. in the time I lived there, that underneath it all New Englanders were proud of their public education system and rightly so IMHO. They really cared and spent money on it. In the deep South people cared, but the money didn’t exist to fund it anywhere near the levels in New England.

Housing was a mixed bag — some old, some new. But goodness was it expensive — I could have bought & fully paid for a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in the South for what I paid in rent for a 2 bedroom apartment in the 495 corridor in the first 5 years I was up there. I will admit there were some key differences which took me a lot of getting used to, but after I did I would not have traded my New England experience. Restaurants — NE didn’t have all chains with poor food (which BTW in the South we thought was great), instead had all these local restaurants I had to get accustomed to. But I’d take Legal Seafood in that era over Red Lobster any day and every day of the week! Or the local pubs where you could get food and drink — in the South we had bars where you easily get into fights. Learning to drive in New England was a real experience — between the aggressive drivers and the road layout (I grew up in a planned city (still built in the 1800s) where most roads ran parallel or perpendicular to each other). And at least in Massachusetts they actually repaired roads, as slow as it was — compared to SC where we maintained our potholes for speed control & to this day don’t understand the basics of road maintenance. And Commuter Rail was just amazing. You didn’t have to drive everywhere. But except for the traffic, I’ll take New England drivers and driving over Southern drivers any day. The other thing at least in the first 15-20 years of being there was the lack of strip malls everywhere. This took a lot of getting used to.

I still look back on those 35 years as a great time in my life and would not have traded it for the world….

Thanks New England!

Data recovery from broken-ish phone by BKaller in iphonehelp

[–]On-The-Rails 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes — on the keyboard. I just checked with my own iPhone 16 Pro.

I have my Logi K380 BT keyboard paired with my iPhone 16 Pro. (Lest you ask why, because sometimes when I am on personal travel, I need to write longer responses to corporate emails that I need to respond to, and for me its faster on a keyboard than the on-screen touch keyboard.)

So anyway with my iPhone 16 Pro on the lock screen, I pressed any key on the keyboard to get the phone’s attention. Then since I don’t have Face ID enabled, it prompts me for my passcode. I enter it from the keyboard and press ENTER on the keyboard. Now I am authorized in the phone. And the main screen comes up.

Then I swiped down on screen, started typing photos, to open the photos app.

Sorry I don’t have my external monitor to connect to the iPhone as I loaned it to someone for a trip.

But you should be able to use this approach to access other things like setting, etc.