I bought a Kern Macro Switar 50mm F1.9 back in 1968 and it has never failed to amaze me with its resolution and the quality of the 35mm negatives it produced. I have never regretted that purchase, and as far as I am concerned, it was one of the best lenses made for 35mm use. Good luck with finding one. John

"A letter of reprimand is better than no mail at all!"

Shutterbugger2,
You are correct it was the Kern Macro Switar, 50mm F1.9, and it focuses down to 7". Mine is extremely sharp, without any aberrations. It came with a test negative of a resolution chart, tied to the lens serial number. I think I paid $165 for it in 1968. It has served me very well right up to when I switched to digital. Sorry you were given a defective one to test. That seems to be unlike them.
John

A letter of reprimand is better than no mail at all!

I started out in 1955 when my parents’ friends gave me a Brownie (Hawkeye, I think) for my birthday. My Dad was in the Air Force and we lived on a base, so I had access to the photo hobby shot, and learned how to develop and print my film. They had big, professional enlargers and the Airman were kind enough to help me learn the ropes. Later, a college room mate had an early Alpa. I purchased an Alpa 6C and then the Alpa Macro-Switar lens. It came with a negative of a resolution chart so demonstrate what a great lens it was, and it truly was a great lens. Then in 1969 I got a Nikon F with the Photomic finder and was in heaven...a camera that told you what exposure was correct–wow! I had those two cameras until about 2016, when I broke down and crossed into the dark side (went from film to digital) with a Nikon D7200. About three years later I moved up to the D850, and love all three of my Nikons. I still take out my Alpa and fondle it ever so lovingly. I still believe that it was built in the Alps by Swiss elves, with its continuously variable shutter speeds, well, not really continuous, but with speeds in between what was marked on the shutter speed dial. Back in the early 1970's I also ventured into 4x5 with a Calumet view camera, and lugged that thing along with a heavy Vivitar Tripod, plus case of film holders all over Yosemite Valley. Unfortunately I did not have a 4x5 enlarger, so I could only get my negatives and chroms printed by someone else. I was also fortunate enough to attend the Los Angeles Art Center, College of Design, and take two private seminars with Earl Theissen (the glamor photographer for Collier’s magazine). I also met Ansel Adams at a lecture he gave in the LA area. Boy, I have been so lucky, its been a great ride!

John

A letter of reprimand is better than no mail at all!

I have used Affinity for photo stacking and it works great. It is easy to use. I also have avoided the subscription versions of other programs because the spectre of them raising the subscription rate from the current $10 to something more pain full is always there. Once one subscribes and is locked in one is really at the vendor's mercy when it comes to rate raises.

Take a look at Affinity Photo. It is currently on sale for 20% off or about $40. It does everything that PS does (I think?) and is far easier to learn because there are a plethora of tutorials available that run between 3 to 7 minutes each and are very clear, detailed, and easy to understand. Good luck.

Unbelievable, does he work for the government?

Mathematically Brilliant... It has an indisputable mathematical logic. This is a strictly
mathematical viewpoint... and it goes like this :What Makes 100% ?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have
all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 103% ?What makes up 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:

If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K = 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E = 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But ,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E = 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%

And,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T = 2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20= 103%

AND, look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G = 1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%

So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty,
that while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close,
and Attitude will get you there. It ’s the Bullshit and Asskissing that will put you over
the top.
Now you know why Politicians are where they are!

Loosecannon,

I am in Carmichael, about 7 miles from downtown Sacramento,
and the air is really bad. I can notice difficulty in breathing, also
many people I see in their cars are wearing those cloth face masks.

If you and your wife have asthma, stay away, or bring oxygen and
double the number of inhalers you normally use! It is really BAD.

AirWalter,

Thank you for posting this. It was very enlightening.

John

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. I really do appreciate the thought, time, and effort you spend in answering my questions. It is very warming to be part of this community wherein members share so freely, and are willing to actually do something to help me. UHH members, you are terrific!

John

Knowing that a goodly percentage of the UHH membership are over 60, I wanted to find out if any of you have encountered this problem, and if so, how you resolved it.

I have finally gotten to the age where I could afford some good photographic equipment, but the Universe has a sense of humor, and whilst it now gives me the equipment I always wanted, it took away the physical ability to fully use and enjoy it. Specifically I speak of the terrible feeling of vulnerability I have in going out alone to parks, nature areas, and reserves to photograph, the fear of being robbed, and the fear of falling and not being able to get back up.

Certainly I cannot be the only geezer who has felt these fears, so how do the rest of you handle them? I will be grateful for all thoughts and suggestions.

John

I think the photograph is beautiful; in NO way does it look like an "amateurish attempt".
You hit it out of the park! Thank you for posting.

Roller skates with a key.

Mark,

You are correct, Hazel Scott was indeed one incredible woman. Thank you so
much for the reference. I very much enjoyed her music and viewing the video.

John

Bob,

There is an operation that greatly helps control a person's shaking. It is called "Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery". It is an overnight stay in the hospital. Before I had DBSS, I could not hold a cup of coffee without it sloshing over the sides of the cup.
Now I can enjoy coffee and even use a spoon with soup. Although I did not have Parkinson's, I had what is called a familial tremor and it slowly progressed to a "whole lot of shakin' going on" stage. The operation consists of the surgeon drilling a hole in
the patient's skull, then inserting a multi-electrode probe into the brain. The probe has a set of wires that the surgeon runs under the skin, down the neck and to the front of the chest. A small control unit with a five year battery is implanted in the chest and the patient is given a controller to turn the device on in the morning and off at night. The controller also allows the voltage to the probe to be changed if necessary. Normally after the surgery, the patient visits his/her neurologist to have the baseline voltage, pulse width, etc., set. Then the patient is monitored every six months or so to ensure that the amount of control is acceptable.

I had the surgery about three years ago and would do it again in a heartbeat. Prior to the surgery, I tried several medications, but they either made me very groggy during the day, or they interfered with other, more essential meds.

By the way, a client who has Parkinson's told me about it and with the Parkinson's the difference is amazing. He demonstrated
by turning the DBS off and allowing his Parkinson's to take over. He shook like crazy. Then he turned it back on and no shaking. Marvelous.

I hope this is good information for you. Good Luck, John