Brad East has written a critique of Practicing The Way by John Mark Comer and as with all things Brad East, it’s a thought-provoking critique with plenty of appropriate praise. Pinging @KyleEssary in case he hasn’t read it.
Camera decision fatigue
I’ve got a few camera options
- iPhone
- Ricoh GR (10+ year point and shoot)
- Olympus Mju ii (pocket film camera)
- Hassleblad 500c
- Nikon z50
The recent bout of new film cameras has given me a desire to hit the streets with my Olympus again, but I suspect I’ll end up just taking my iPhone for the same reason I normally do.
Camera decision fatigue
Here’s how my typical thought process looks.
- Oh that’s makes me want to use my [insert camera] again
- Ah, but that camera [doesn’t have enough photos/is too big/needs more film/is fixed lens/required me to bring more lenses/]
- I’ll take [Insert other camera] instead
- Ah, but that camera [doesn’t have enough photos/is too big/needs more film/is fixed lens/required me to bring more lenses/]
- Repeat X times
- Oh, it’s late. I’ll just not take a camera. (but I always take my phone).
By trying to pick the best option, I pick no option.
There are exceptions, but as I just wrote, they are exceptions, not the norm. And that’s a real shame as every camera I own is great. Sure, I’d love a newer GR with IBIS and wifi to make transferring images faster, I’d also love a full frame Nikon, but those are small details in the big picture.
While the iPhone is a great camera, the other cameras have their own charms.
A mission to use other cameras more
So I’m committing to rotating my cameras better.
They all need a run around and stretch of their legs to make sure they aren’t getting rusty (in some cases literally). And by forcing myself to take one picture a day on one camera, I’m sure I’ll have some fun experiments.
I’m fully aware that I will probably have failed this by next week, but if I don’t try then I will certainly have failed.
**If you are struggling with camera decision fatigue, maybe you’d like to try too. **
Now where’s my Olympus…
In more film news, there’s a new Rollei 35 AF coming! And Japanese Camera Hunter has the only working prototype.
Pentax has a new film camera (its first for 20 years!) and its…weird.
- Half frame
- 37mm focal length (in full frame terms)
- It’s in portrait mode normally
- It has zone focusing, but also focuses a bit
It’s not for me (my olympus mju ii is great) but I’m glad to see a new option. I’d love to see a new ricoh gr film option too!
I’ve been exploring the Theos think tank research into religion and voting in the UK.
- UK voting intention by religion — Anglicans lean more right, more community practice leads to leaning more left.
- Religious views of key election issues — again regular religious attendance leads to a shift to the left.
The thing that’s most interesting (to me) is that non-religious is the most left wing, but in every religion, regular religious community practice leads to a shift to the left.
Took me a while, but I finally finished my sketchnote summary of Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer.
It’s amazing how skepticism I am of even one republican having the guts to defend the integrity of the judicial system. My current prediction is about 75% call it a witch hunt and politically motivated and the rest just avoid it and stay quiet.
Curiously kaitlyn is such a well done podcast. The idea is great — little kids theological questions answered by acamedic theologians and then summarised for kids — and so perfectly matches the host.
I can confirm, Obsidian sync is far better than using iCloud sync. The mobile app loads like a regular app.
Okay the new iPad-Pencil 3d shadow of the pen you’re using is pretty crazy but practical too. It helps you adjust for the right nib position. I didn’t see this in my little play around because I didn’t use pencil kit and I suppose procreate isn’t supporting twist yet.
A 10 minute play with the new iPads
On Monday, I popped into a local tech shop to try the new iPad Pro and iPad Air.
I wanted to see what the new pencil was like and how the Air’s screen held up. Why? Well, I’d love to replace my current iPad with its multi-year-old white spot on the screen and Apple Pencil 2.
At the same time, I don’t have unlimited money to drop on any old tech purchase I want. So if an M2 iPad Pro or Air fits my needs, then that’s far better for me. (Of course, either would. My current iPad is fine and I could do my little sketches with any device, so it’s not really a question…and yet.)
Apple pencil issues
I picked up the Apple pencil straight away and… nothing.
My guess was the pencil wasn’t charged so I clipped it on and tried another iPad (the Air this time) — the same issue.
I went back to the first iPad thinking the pencil would be ready now. NOPE!
Eventually I managed to use the pencil on the 13" Air but it was a real hassle and I’ve heard similar pairing issues from other users. I don’t know if this is caused by the new magnet position but it’s not something I’d expect from a display iPad with 100% charge in the pencil.
What screen difference?
I know the Pro’s have an amazing screen and I’m sure John Siracusa can spot that instantly…but I couldn’t point to a difference. (Although I’ll walk this back in a second)
I was really expecting to notice the slower screen refresh especially with the pencil but I didn’t pick up on it with the Air. It seemed great quality and responsive.
Now, I didn’t really get to try the Pro (the pencil didn’t work) and I didn’t really stretch or directly compare the two screens. I’m 100% sure that if I had, I would have noticed the difference. But from just casually picking the iPads up and having a 10 minute play around in procreate, I didn’t spot any weaknesses in the Air.
Where’s the home button
I found my muscle memory kept searching for the homebutton on the side of the iPad — but there was none.
I know I’d unlearn this habit within a day or two but it’s amazing how ingrained these things become. And while swiping up from the phone felt very natural, the iPad didn’t seem as natural to me.
So what will I get?
Honestly, I think I’m not going to get one…yet. BUT if my iPad died today and I had to get a new one…I’d probably buy an iPad Pro M2. The new features sound great, but I don’t need the power of the m3 and I’d sacrifice the pencil pro’s benefits for the faster screen refresh of the Pro.
I’m sure if I played with the m3 pro more, justified it as a business expenses, and if the next iPadOS adds some extra advantages of the m3 or new iPads, then that might change. But as for now, I’m still happy (ish) with my current iPad.
Sunak finally calls an election. Looking forward to finally hearing a manifesto from Labour.
