Nikon began in 1917 and will likely be around in some form in 2117. They took major write offs and posted paper losses along with some very real losses this past year. Obviously that can’t go on for ever. I think with their diversification into sophisticated imaging, Nikon and Canon are well placed for the future. Image creation is going to change as computing power expands into AI and post processing gets more and more user friendly. How cameras evolve, both on phones and as stand alone tools, will likely surprise us a little. I’m confident that Nikon, at some level, will still be there.

Too many factors play into the profitability of a multifaceted multinational to make judgements based on just one year. If losses become a trend though, Nikon will be selling parts of itself to different venture firms. But the loss could have multiple causes, and they may not follow year in and year out. As for medical optics, my favorites are Olympus and Pentax. From what I see, Nikon and Canon are not really players, except maybe for table top microscopes. IMHO Zeiss makes the best surgical microscopes, followed by Leica. Zeiss optics are superb and have been for decades. Once again, neither Canon or Nikon are big players. Now for golf, it’s definitely Nikon.

I use it on my long lens Nikon 200-500. I am often sticking it out a window or over the edge of a Land Rover to photograph animals. I’m glad that it protects against the dings and chips that otherwise would occur. I received an education on careful carrying by accidentally dropping a mid range lens or two over the years, but have only once wished it was covered with a lens coat because of a small nick creating a tiny sharp edge. That’s not a problem with newer plastic polymer lenses.

I don’t agree with some of the list, but I’ve made it to 28. Other than Phuket, none of the other places are on my list of places still to visit. Cairo, Rome , Washington DC, Krakow, Kyoto, Shanghai, Jerusalem, St. Petersburg, Florence, London, Boston, Copenhagen, Cusco, and Dresden are all places that I would consider for the list.

Take a small 3-4 outlet power strip that tolerates 220 volt to charge off of one plug.
Large African cities, like cities in the US, have very dangerous areas, especially for tourists. Be very smart and very aware. I love cities.
Pack light, you can get stuff washed.
The entire coast from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth is spectacular.
Put your camera down sometimes, enjoy the scenery and the company you’re driving with in the Land Rover.
I almost never shoot manual on safari. I missed too many shots. I usually use a fixed ISO of 800 with controls on A with an fstop set at 6 or 8, or a higher ISO with cloudy days. One exception is shooting from sunlight into shadows, but I try and remember to go back to A when we drive away.
In 1981 I got some great shots at Kruger with my only lens, a 50 mm, using Kodachrome. My current preference is a Nikon 200-500 on one camera and a 70-200 on another body. I don’t change lenses often.
One of my all-time favorite African safari pictures is of a squirrel. Look for the birds and small animals.
I use Pacsafe products to secure my valuables. I find a converter is most often the object stolen from my room, never a camera or lens, so I carefully keep everything in organizer bags and secure the bags.
Going to a traditional tribal village with traditional tribal gender behaviors can be upsetting to women.
Take close ups of animal faces every chance you get.

I have worked with many, many military medical personnel and have little doubt about their exceptional capabilities and their ability to care for people. They are lights out great. Mobile hospitals with medical personnel for over flow will be a huge life saver, especially in areas with inadequate hospital beds, like California. The military is set up exactly for such an undertaking. They certainly can help administer the vaccine. However, I have little respect for the ability of the federal government to integrate with the manufacturers, create a distribution chain, protect the vaccine in transit and provide for efficacious administration in a fair and logical sequence at the local level any better than is already happening. I interface with the federal government in regards to health care frequently, and it isn’t pretty.

As the world is seeing, the first experience with such an undertaking as vaccinating their country’s entire population is going to be rough the first few weeks. Vaccination experts predicted the difficulties, even with years to plan. This isn’t a surprise. Federal interference and starting again would be disastrous without a ready infrastructure. The federal government does not have a ready infrastructure. Public health is constitutionally a State function and the federal government has institutionally behaved accordingly for over 2 centuries. On the Federal level, it would be starting from scratch on a complex undertaking when time is critical. It doesn’t make any sense to me.

I’m just happy that everyone commenting is anxious to get the shot. One of the problems in vaccine distribution is that so many people are rejecting even getting the shot that the vaccine sits idle. I got my second shot Monday with noticeable fatigue and a few aches yesterday. Better now though.

As for distribution, I have been fatally scarred after working within the VA system. I simply can’t believe that the federal government would do a better job then the very imperfect states who have a public health systems in place. Every country (except maybe Israel) is having trouble with the distribution of the too scarce life saving resource, we shouldn’t feel special in the US. I am unaware of a federal system or organization that could administer the vaccine in an equitable rapid fashion based on tiers of need. And as wonderful as our service women and men are, please don’t say the military, the impetus for the term FUBAR. It’s tough enough to find people to execute the census, let alone professionals to administer a shot in an environment safe enough to deal with a very rare case of anaphylaxis.

Depends on how small you want. The Micro 4/3 system gives you an excellent range of interchangeable lenses and superb quality. It fits in between the Sony 100 series and ff mirrorless. The Panasonic G9 is currently my travel camera. It is tough, waterproof and full featured. I put the body with a Lieca 12-60, LUMIX 35-100 and a pancake 20 for street photography in a 6”X8”X10” bag that I can easily carry cross shoulder everywhere I go. It slips into my carryon backpack. I still travel with my D850 when shooting wildlife in Africa or on road trips. If I only want a pocket camera, my phone works great.

I just came across your quote and realize that you are stating what you have heard. I am well aware of the often misquoted studies on masks. Good studies overwhelmingly show that uniform extensive mask wearing is beneficial from a public health standpoint in preventing spread. Period. From a medical standpoint, arguing that masks are not helpful in preventing COVID spread is the scientific and moral equivalent of suggesting that routinely driving through red lights in a dump truck is OK because personally you are unlikely to have an increased risk of harm when compared to stopping at the intersection. You might not have benefit from wearing a mask, but My family certainly will be at a lower risk when you and everyone else wears a mask. If you negligently put my family at risk by driving through red lights, you can bet I’ll get upset. Same with not wearing a mask. You have every right to put yourself at risk by not getting vaccinated, so it is looked at differently.

Currently, most spread occurs when masks are off in small groups of family and friends or with prolonged exposure in tight spaces even with masks. No one will be happier than me when the masks are put on a shelf: I’ve been using an N95 mask all day 5-6 days a week since March. Hateful things, but I made it to get vaccinated.

Having said all this, I don’t agree with the heavy handed bans. Outdoor spread is unlikely as is spread when masked individuals are spaced in well ventilated areas, like stores and churches.

If you are not getting vaccinated, please be careful. COVID is not a bad infection, unless it is. Then it is utterly devastating. I hope you and yours stay safe and has a nice holiday season.

Pfizer is the only one available right now, Moderna will be out next week.

Received the vaccine this morning. No aches, a little odd light headedness for an hour or two. No big deal so far. It didn’t even hurt going into my left shoulder. We’ll see what the second dose brings next month.

Nurses, and many, many other health care professionals, have been amazing during this entire ordeal. Unfortunately it is a marathon and we are heading uphill still with 10 miles to go. I hope everyone will show their appreciation to those putting their lives on the line by wearing a mask, keeping social gatherings to a minimum and social distancing and bending the infection rate curve downward. The vaccines are obviously not magic wands, but they will save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Mask requirements won’t change anytime soon. I anticipate trying to smile under a mask for the next 6 months, even if vaccinations are widespread. Companies will hide under liability concerns when asking for proof of vaccination, but I hope to feel comfortable peeling off my mask simply because vaccinations are so widespread that COVID is no longer an issue, not because I’m in locations that mandate vaccination as a prerequisite to entrance.

My thoughts, take it for what it’s worth. The study is fascinating and raises interesting questions which it doesn’t come close to answering because it has small numbers, no true control group, and involves a viral infection and a response that creates a very complex relationship to the host immune system, a system dramatically altered by age. I hope this and many other questions related to COVID are fully explored in the next several years. Like HIV and AIDS research in the 80’s and 90’s, the research on COVID will open up avenues of understanding with potential clinical applications that we can hardly imagine now. Nothing pushes basic medical research like the wide spread death of thousands upon thousands of otherwise healthy individuals. I think the motivation for the research is both concern for patients and a chance to tackle big questions.

Having read the scientific literature extensively, I am far more worried about yet unknown long term complications from a moderate to severe Covid infection then I am about the vaccine. I’ve been a lead investigator on numerous FDA studies and the reporting of severe reactions/events to participants occurs worldwide to all lead investigators within 24 hours of the event, and mild events are reported within a week. The people involved at all levels of testing in Phase 1 to 3 are OCD and the parameters are stringent and independent of government and drug manufacturer’s intrusion with sites spread throughout the country. When AstraZeneca tried to soften their data last month, it took no time for the testing industry to blow the whistle.