Has anyone had the a USB card reader crap out? What are the symptoms?

Mine is a multi-reader installed in one of my computer drive bays. I've tried two different types of cards (CF and SD) which their respective cameras show have images stored on them.

The drives do not indicate a card has even been plugged in when the cards are inserted correctly and completely. The drive indicating light is on. This is the first time in about two weeks I've used it. It has been working perfectly for the past 3 years.

Backbone Rock, eastern Tennessee, just below the Virginia line. That rock is the thickness of a single lane road, and you can walk on top!

In number 1, it looks like your lens focused on the Cypress instead of the heron. Other than that, it's great.

That castle in Villefrance sure brings back memories of the old days. I'm talking the mid-60's, when I was aboard one of Uncle Sam's cruise ships. Got paid, too, lol.

That 645D must make some pretty awesome images. Was the original 645 2-1/4" format?

At least take a kayaker's dry bag to keep the camera in when not actually shooting, a small towel, and a water bottle which can be used to lightly dampen a corner of the towel for wiping salt off, as well as for drinking.

Drybags come in many different sizes and are available at any canoe/kayak dealer.

DPullum

Please don't get me started on optocouplers, LOL. Before retirement, I worked with a congenital idiot who, when faced with a failed electronic circuit, always pronounced the optocoupler was shot. Some of those circuits did not even have one. Apparently it was all he knew about electronics.

I wish I knew the aspect ratio of my camera's sensor, but then I would have to figure out how to put that information to work in a meaningful way. Just goes on and on...

Photo journalism and cinematography are two such courses. Art courses with emphasis on photography are also possibilities.

I scan my slides on a Canon 9000F scanner. It can scan up to 9600dpi which is close to the original slide resolution, especially those shot on Kodachrome 25, 50, and Ectachrome 100, of which I have plenty. B&H Photo around $200.

Granted, scanning at that resolution creates huge files, but the results are worth it, especially if you set the scanner software for best appearance before making the final scan; you can do quick previews. If you have slides with similar brightness levels, you can scan 4 at a time.

I personally have a problem photographing a slide onto media whose native resolution is significantly lower than that of the slide. I believe someone smarter than me has figured out the resolution of quality slides is around 25 Megapixels

P.S. The 9000F is a great regular flatbed scanner, too.

In the fields of artistic endeavor, wine making, and fine cigars, personal opinion weighs heavily in what is considered "good," and what is considered "bad." Once the technical requirements of the product are met (composition in art, lack of harshness in wine, and construction in cigars), all the rest is personal opinion.

Too many people, the "critics", pass off their opinion as some sort of mystical insight into the subject. Worse than that, other folks take the pronouncements of the critics as gospel, basing their opinion on what the critics said.

Art is good if I like it. Wine is good if I like it, and a cigar is good if I like it. I don't need some "aficionado/critic telling me what is "good," and what is not!

There is still lots of room for us "purists," and those who don't think so can go ............! I've always been taught that capturing the exact image "in camera" whenever possible, is the best way to demonstrate one's skill as a photographer. To be fair, sometimes a little PP is necessary. Even Ansel Adams "cheated" in camera, and in the darkroom. To use PP for making ho hum photos "pop," I have mixed feelings about that. I think HDR (although I haven't tried it, yet) is ok, because it's just combining in camera images, somewhat like Adams did. Just do it in a way that looks natural, not like some of the HDR images I've seen on here, which looked like paintings.

I guess the bottom line is this: If you use PP to gussy up a photo, be honest about it.

As for manual over auto, there is at least one very talented individual on this forum who shoots only in auto. Since I was told this in a PM, I won't say who, but his/her exposures are spot on.

There are devices you can use to calibrate your monitor...Spyder being one, and there are others. It reads the color space of your monitor, compares it with a known standard (Adobe RGB, for example) and tweaks the software to match. Your printer also has to be adjusted, which is more or less problematic depending on the printer's software.

Trailerman

Are those the bridges at Charleston, SC?

Don't get me started on that debate!!!