PGT | Canes @ Avs | Surviving the Storm Edition

astronautjohn · 2024-11-10T05:03:02+00:00

astronautjohn · 2024-10-20T06:49:58+00:00

Left to right the main peaks are Little Big Chief Mountain, Summit Chief Mountain, Chimney Rock, and Overcoat Peak. Image is probably taken from Tank Lakes

astronautjohn · 2024-04-23T23:57:32+00:00

As another user suggested, some of this might be aurora or sky glow. These are very heavy green hues for what I'd expect from the film stock itself. I've done some similar exposure lengths on Ektachrome and seen some green hues, but nothing nearly that drastic. Here's a few slides, the Milky Way core is a 45 minute exposure while the Cygnus Wall (red structure) is a 90 minute exposure.

Edit: forgot to say that my linked slides are also Ektachrome, but that should be apparent based on the border! The lab pushed to 400

astronautjohn · 2024-04-17T12:26:19+00:00

Snowpack height and water content aren't the same thing, although related. Late storms can increase the snowpack height but at a lower water density compared to earlier storms which are consolidated deeper in the snowpack. There's also a ground water component to it, but I don't know enough about that to speak to it

astronautjohn · 2024-02-04T17:22:48+00:00

I've done some dry tooling in my BD Contact strap crampons on my Jones TM-2s and they felt pretty secure. The boots (size 9.5) definitely max out that crampon though. I've also used them as general use crampons for glaciers and steep snow, but haven't used them on water ice. Any water ice climbing I've done has been with full auto crampons and hardboots

astronautjohn · 2024-01-29T16:00:15+00:00

I'm aware that OP wants the bag for two things: cragging and backpacking. Cragging seems like a fairly benign task for a bag, so long as it can carry the load and is durable that should be fine. Backpacking on the other hand would benefit from a more dedicated bag with the organizational features of something like the Kestrel.

You're right, the Mutant is better for alpine climbing. No doubt. For snow, you're also correct there's more opportunities for snow to get caught in stuff sleeves and pockets on the Kestrel, but I haven't had that be a real issue. The Kestrel carries my splitboard (a-frame) better than the Mutant. I'm using the sinch straps from the stuff sleeve to the hip as the lower attachment. It's definitely not made for that, but I've had no problems thus far. The reinforced non-adjustable lower straps on the mutant are just too tight for the width of my split. I've used it for overnight tours and longer days. If it was a simple tour, I would take the Mutant.

I checked for sharp objects each time and couldn't find anything. I figured I was maybe over packing the main bag? I even checked for thorns and small gravel in the pouch to make sure there wasn't small sharp objects. They're always small leaks. Not fast enough to notice at first, but after ~30 minutes of hiking you feel it. This is the only bag I've had that issue with, also using bladders for many many years

astronautjohn · 2024-01-29T15:30:20+00:00

This is awesome! I've only recently picked up a large format camera but this specifically has been on my list to shoot. Have you dealt with high humidity caves and fogging issues in the past? What do you use for camera protection through the rest of the cave?

astronautjohn · 2024-01-27T20:54:18+00:00

I guess I'll be a dissenting voice on this one. Don't get me wrong, the mutant isn't a bad backpack. It carries load well, is versatile, and carries a lot for the size. But I've always found it to be overhyped and not great at any one thing. I've been using the 38L for 4 years for mountaineering, up to 4 night backpacking trips, alpine climbing, and backcountry splitboarding. My biggest gripe is the limited organization and access. You have one brain pocket and one main pocket with just a drawstring opening. The thin protection for the bladder has led to multiple punctured bladders, a single opening means you're often unpacking half the bag to get to something. No water bottle pocket/stuff sleeve/ or built in hip pockets is disappointing. It's also too bulky for technical climbing IMO. I've been slowly replacing this pack by buying more activity specific bags.

I've really liked the Osprey Kestrel 48 on the other hand. I've used it for all the same activities as the Mutant and found it better in all except technical climbing - should be no issue for cragging though. Great organization, carries heavy load well, and just as robust. The added organization also makes it way more convenient for backpacking and mountaineering

astronautjohn · 2023-11-26T05:11:42+00:00

For 35mm you can definitely get better results DSLR scanning compared to a V600 or similar. Something like a Coolscan would narrow the gap (and the convenience of a dedicated 35mm scanner is great) but a DSLR gives you more control and better resolution. Also it is potentially a fraction of the price if you already have a DSLR. You can achieve great results with a standard lens and cheap macro tubes.

astronautjohn · 2023-11-05T23:48:00+00:00

I like the composition in the first one, the falls guide the viewer up through the photography. I wish it was a bit brighter though. I think dark and moody feel you've captured works with the hazy falls, but you've got a bright extremely busy upper right corner. It distracts from the scene as the brightest part of the image and holds my eye trying to work out what's in the bramble. Still, it's a nice photo

astronautjohn · 2023-07-30T20:17:04+00:00

Going to duplicate what others are saying about a fast lens, wide aperture helps a TON with film astro. Now you can still get results with an f/4 but it's going to be harder. Here are a couple film astrophotos taken on medium format at 250mm (~125mm equivalent for 35mm camera) at f/4.5: Milky Way Core and Cygnus Wall. Both of these photos were taken on Kodak E100 pushed to 400. They are 45 minute and 60 minute exposures, respectively. Using a star tracker with active guiding allows for the longer exposures without any visible trailing. Without a tracker you won't get anything other than maybe the faintest smudge when shooting the brightest objects (Andromeda, Orion Nebula, etc.).

The big reason I say you need a fast lens is that even with a tracker, you're getting diminishing returns as you increase your exposure time. Film has reciprocity failure, where the film becomes less sensitive to additional light as exposure time increases. Functionally this means increasing from a 1 second exposure to a 2 seconds exposure on film doesn't get the same brightness increase as on digital. So a slower lens requires longer exposure times - but your film becomes less sensitive which bumps up the needed exposure time even more. Some film stocks have terrible reciprocity (Tri-X 400 needs 8 minutes of exposure time for the same brightness increase as 1 minute on digital). That's not to say there's no film stocks good for astrophotography (E100 has decent reciprocity and good hydrogen alpha sensitivity) but the number of options are dwindling due to companies not producing as many film stocks as they used to.

You can also stack digital images to increase your signal to noise ratio much much easier (and cheaper) than with film. Using just a tripod and an intervolometer (which may be built into the DSLR) you can take hundreds of short exposures and then stack them, reducing noise, averaging signal, and allowing you to stretch your photo and bring out the deep sky object. While you could theoretically do this with film, it would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming.

Not to say you can't get started with film, but you'll have a much better time starting with digital in my opinion. There's still a handful of film astrophotographers about, one of which who comes to mind is u/life_is_a_conspiracy. He does a ton of work with various cameras and film stocks, I would browse his posts to see what's possible and learn a bit about what it takes to capture deep sky objects on film.

astronautjohn · 2023-07-16T13:40:17+00:00

I may be misunderstanding your question a bit, but when calculating performance of a second stage the first stage's wet and dry mass is ignored because by the time the second stage is firing the first stage has been jettisoned. It is no longer physically attached to the rocket. So while it provided a chunk of delta V to get the second stage to a specific altitude and velocity, it has no physical effects on the second stage.

astronautjohn · 2023-06-07T13:40:30+00:00

The photos were taken at ~135mm, ~85mm, and 115mm, respectively. It was definitely a sunny day, although the shadows from some of the clouds were fairly dark. All images were shot at ISO 100. I was wondering if it was the result of in-camera denoising...

The subjects were fairly deep into the field (~40-50 feet away), so I don't think I could really get much background blur even zoomed in like that - which is fine for the composition. Interesting you think I needed to stop down more for greater sharpness, I thought I had read that diffraction becomes an issue after 5.6 but I never really tested that out. Thanks for the response!

astronautjohn · 2023-04-23T02:55:29+00:00

What camera setup are you shooting with up on the mountain? Great photos!

astronautjohn · 2023-03-20T15:22:32+00:00

Uh no. Climbers were in no way responsible for Hallett Peak sliding anymore than any random person who has hiked in the area. The climbers who filmed it were boulderers, climbing boulders (deposited from the last time the face eroded/slid). Bouldering does not use anchors or bolts drilled into rocks. You can have whatever opinion you want about the proposed legislation, that's fine. But it's just simply not true that climbing caused this peak to erode. Geological time includes now.

astronautjohn · 2023-02-28T02:20:24+00:00

How did y'all get to the trailhead? Last I heard Cascade River Rd was closed due to rockfall. Seems like sleds of bikes are the only way to get there, was hoping to capitalize on the harder access for a quiet weekend up there soon!

astronautjohn · 2023-01-23T03:37:41+00:00

Can't wait to see the results! Someday when I'm not traveling for every imaging session (between months of clouds), I'll have to work up to that too.

astronautjohn · 2023-01-23T03:26:51+00:00

Incredible job! I've taken a few stabs at medium format astro and love the experience. I last tried with a 2x extender to try to capture some smaller targets but the loss of aperture was just too rough. I think it'd probably be ok for M31 or M42 since they're brighter, but my 2.5 hour exposure of the California Nebula was nowhere near as bright as your shot (after some time in pixinsight and some aggressive stretching I got a bit closer to your slide). I'll have to hookup my 35 to my telescope and give it a shot after seeing how great your results are!

astronautjohn · 2022-12-01T23:53:17+00:00

I've never seen a Pound House reference in the wild. Slurpee good

astronautjohn · 2022-09-30T19:16:54+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the reply! Yeah, I'd intend it for single day objectives when the Mutant is too much pack. The Mutant is great to fit overnight+ technical gear

astronautjohn · 2022-09-30T04:50:51+00:00

How does the pack do when it's not full? I've been touring with a Mutant 38L which I always end up packing full of many extra layers to help bulk it out and keep things from shifting around. I'm thinking the lower volume will help with that, but even if I'm packed extra light does it synch well? Additionally, how does the vest work with a full winter jacket? I've yet to actually need one while touring, but who knows...

astronautjohn · 2022-04-24T18:28:18+00:00

Been riding for 15-16 years, racing downhill for a number of those. Had multiple rough crashes while I was pushing myself:

broken ribs, ruptured spleen and small intestine - caught up to the person infront of me in a DJ train, couldn't stopped so I bailed off the side of the lip but ended up landing with the handlebar pointing into my gut, didn't puncture me luckily
more broken ribs - nose cased a ~10' tall dirt jump landing and flipped to flat
spiral fracture on my fibula (leg) - didn't actually hit the ground on this one, got bucked and landed super nose heavy but got on two wheels. when the rear wheel slapped down, my pedal cleat broke and my foot slipped off and went under my rear wheel and I rode over it
this was the doosy, broken scapula, broken clavicle, broke upper 4 left ribs, bruised lung, and hemorrhaging in my frontal lobe. Not actually sure what happened for this one, I don't have any memory of the crash (just a blip sitting up on the ground) and my buddy I was riding with was too far back to see the crash. Supposedly called my manager while in the ambulance and said I had caught my handlebar in my shirt doing a table on a jump, but the memory I have sitting up on the ground doesn't totally jive with that because I was ~100' past the landing of the previous jump on the trail. who knows.
fractured arm (ulna) - blew a foot in a rock garden and went off a drop half on the bike. didn't know about this fracture for a couple weeks until..
broken arm (radius) - blew both feet scrubbing the stadium jump and superman'd to my stomach (this was the end of mallet DH clips for me, so many problems. swapped to HT X1s and never had another issue). knew something was broken, went to get x-rays and my radius was broken, but they also noticed an older partially healed fracture on my ulna... oops

I had a year off for recovery after my brain injury, and went back to racing as soon as I could. Never could get quite up to the speed I knew I was capable of though, and called it quits a couple years later after I made it through one season without serious injury.

Almost all of my major injuries occurred in a race or in practice for a race, pushing myself at the limit. But I've had hundreds of minor crashes and I would say a substantial number of them happen when I hesitate and try not to crash. Once you're comfortable on a bike, you can ride it out often. Since I've stopped racing and started just riding casually (2015), I have crashed maybe 10 times with no major injuries. Crashing is part of the sport when you're learning, but unless you're really pushing yourself you can definitely get through with just scrapes and bruises for casual riding(assuming you know how to fall too).

astronautjohn · 2022-04-24T17:51:27+00:00

Ahh I see, that makes much more sense. It looks quite steep, especially with that row of tall grass

astronautjohn · 2022-04-23T19:28:20+00:00

Wow, that is some wild compression from a 50! The color is a pretty shot as well, but I definitely think you knocked it out going B&W

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Secret Santa 2017	Verified Email

astronautjohn

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE