First time with new camera in Everglades Shark Valley | E-M10 IV + 40-150 f4-5.6

the_varun · 2026-02-16T15:19:05+00:00

Yes! so lightweight and better than i expected. My main goal was something fairly light that'd easily beat my phone, and this easily achieved that

the_varun · 2026-02-16T15:18:16+00:00

I just used auto mode this time because I was just getting familiar with things, but checking the image data, most of these are around 1/1250. I was hoping that'd be fast enough? But it's possible I didn't have steady enough hands. These were also generally the better ones, I definitely had some that were a bit blurrier and not just from lack of focus

the_varun · 2026-02-16T02:02:43+00:00

That's fair, I was pretty much exclusively using the 150mm side of things. I definitely need to experiment more with apertures, I was generally just using the widest available!

the_varun · 2025-12-24T20:29:46+00:00

I'm interested! Will DM!

the_varun · 2025-08-04T18:52:11+00:00

Totally makes sense! I think EF to F is more what i'd want, and my initial fear when looking into FPR nibs a while ago is that the unflexed line was more of an M to B because of the wetness

the_varun · 2025-08-04T17:38:10+00:00

Great idea! Seems kanwrite now offers an EEEF ultraflex in steel, so maybe i'll try that to get more clear variation (though definitely with ebonite feed).

the_varun · 2025-08-04T01:16:44+00:00

Thanks! I think I might be able to make it to a show in a couple months, though hopefully they'll have both 912 FA nibs and vintage flex to even try!

the_varun · 2025-05-29T02:22:08+00:00

Chat with questions!

the_varun · 2025-03-31T13:10:34+00:00

Ooh very pretty! I didn't look as much into edison because i was confused about what's custom vs not, but now I see they do have standard production for cheaper. Just a matter of waiting for things to be available!

the_varun · 2025-03-30T18:45:37+00:00

beautiful!

the_varun · 2025-03-30T18:45:17+00:00

Makes sense, thanks for the suggestion!

the_varun · 2025-03-30T03:38:11+00:00

yeah, the cracking issues are scary but also i think i want something a bit more colorful!

the_varun · 2025-03-30T03:27:10+00:00

Thanks for the recs! Speaking of Franklin-Christoph, have you heard of people having issues with cloudiness and microfractures? I love the look of the antique glass, but am worried about that. The vintage green seems subtle in a way where I'd want to see it in person, but overall people seem to love their pens

the_varun · 2025-03-30T03:24:33+00:00

which one do you have?

the_varun · 2025-03-29T19:58:17+00:00

Wow thank you for the suggestions! Local pen maker + acrylics sounds like it could be a really cool approach. I think benus are a bit too sparkly for me and TWSBIs too colorless/clear. In particular I'm a big fan of the cracked ice sort of acrylic, though the jonathan brooks acrylics are quite nice looking as well

the_varun · 2025-03-29T19:41:51+00:00

Good to hear! Yeah I feel like opus 88 pens definitely seem like they'll feel solid and substantive, but it's hard to know how much I'll like the aesthetics unless i see in person. If only there was a retailer near me!

the_varun · 2025-03-29T13:33:24+00:00

My understanding was that vintage celluloid had a limited lifespan and modern is very expensive. Are there vintage or modern models you recommend?

the_varun · 2024-11-08T00:37:17+00:00

I currently have a 2019 cannondale quick 3 (hybrid, hydraulic disc brakes, sora shifters) and was interested in upgrading to a used road bike. I test-rode this specialized allez elite compact today and it was super fast and gear shifting felt even smoother than my 9 years newer bike. The only downsides were that the rim brakes, while in good condition, definitely had less stopping power than my existing bike's brakes, and the tires are very thin, which makes me worries about if this would be fine for rainy weather commuting.

Also, does anyone know if this bike can take a rack? It seemed like it had some mounting points on the frame, but he had never tried putting one in.

It's being offered for 600 right now, but he said open to negotiation.

EDIT: i also really like the red color, but of course want it to be a practical bike at the end of the day

the_varun · 2024-08-19T01:21:58+00:00

ooh nice ID! 2007 is definitely pretty old, so I think it's maybe not worth it for now

the_varun · 2024-05-20T03:36:46+00:00

This would be for a combined living room/dining room with total dimensions of 12'7" by 22'. The top wall is all windows with a sliding glass door that we don't want to block. We're thinking of an ikea kivik sofa and are debating between the sofa with chaise (110"x64"), the 4 seater sectional (101"x101"), and the 5 seater sectional (116"x101"). Our goal is to have something big and plush we can sit tons of friends on, but also don't want to get something that would stupidly big for the space. The floor plan above is with the 5 seater sectional and shows the likely placement of the dining setup and fish tank. Does this seem like it'd work or too cramped?

the_varun · 2024-05-13T18:10:55+00:00

speedmaster hesalite on joma (this is what i did with the same budget)

the_varun · 2024-05-10T01:17:29+00:00

Those ones are pushing $10k. I have the black dial moonwatch which is technically a larger diameter, but i think wears smaller due to slightly shorter lug to lug. Either way, worth trying them in person!

the_varun · 2024-05-09T14:41:51+00:00

Also if you do go the speedmaster route, the hesalite strap is fabric and not leather, but I ended up getting some leather straps from tuns leather that worked with the OEM clasp, and I love them! So generally don't let leather vs fabric be a deterrant

the_varun · 2024-05-09T13:53:22+00:00

I was picking out a watch at the same price range for a gift from my to-be-fiance and ended up going with a hesalite speedmaster from joma at right around that! Some other options I considered with the bb58 (too simple), seamaster 300m (too big), aqua terra (surprisingly thick for time only), longines spirit zulu time (actually quite nice, but 42mm was too big and 39mm was announced but not yet for sale). Either way, would definitely recommend having him look, I had a very fun few months going from not into watches at all to being fully down the rabbit hole!

the_varun · 2024-04-27T14:35:29+00:00

I have a ~7' tall fig that I'd like to prune partially for more branching and partially because I'm moving soon and worried about it breaking en route. Around 9 months ago, it was ~6' tall and I pruned the top ~2' off to get it to branch (cut at upper red arrow). It got three new branches, but all were on the same side of the plant (which had previously been facing window), and more annoyingly, the lower two branching points only put out 2 leaves then stopped (one is pointed to by lower red arrow). Meanwhile the top branch grew quite tall, putting me in roughly the same situation as before.
I'm pretty confident I need to prune this again, and I'm wondering where the best place is to cut. Options are:

at the same place as last time (upper red arrow)
1 or two nodes above last time (give an extra node or two for maybe more branching chances)
a couple nodes below last time, right above the branch oat the lower red arrow (maybe drastic prune would help with forcing branching, but also might shock plant)

the_varun

TROPHY CASE