#From the aforementioned battery expedition | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

rutujamnm · 10 months

Text

What is the Future Scope of Hydrogen Vehicles?

The use of hydrogen-powered vehicles is becoming more and more common as a way to cut greenhouse gas emissions and switch to more ecologically friendly transportation systems.

Hydrogen Vehicles Future Scope

The future holds many exciting possibilities for hydrogen vehicles, also known as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Download - https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/industry-practice/RequestForm.asp

The following salient features suggest that the future of hydrogen-powered cars is bright:

Zero-Emission Transportation:

Hydroplanes can be used to shift to zero-emission transportation. As efforts are made to mitigate climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, hydrogen vehicles have the potential to play a key role in the decarbonization of the transportation sector.

Unlike cars with conventional internal combustion engines, hydrogen-powered vehicles do not emit any pollution from their tailpipes. These gadgets are safe for the environment and contribute to better air quality because the sole byproduct of hydrogen fuel cell technology is water vapor.

Long Driving Ranges and Quick Refueling:

The long driving ranges of hydrogen vehicles, which are comparable to those of conventional cars, lessen range anxiety when compared to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). This has significant benefits for applications such as long-distance travel, public transportation, and heavy-duty transportation.

An automobile that runs on gasoline or diesel may be refueled in about the same amount of time. Drivers may enjoy a streamlined and comfortable refueling experience by filling up their hydrogen tank, which typically only takes a few minutes.

Energy Storage and Grid Balancing:

Hybrid vehicles have the potential to serve as energy storage devices. Hydrogen can be produced via electrolysis and stored in the car's tank for use during periods of excess renewable energy generation. The hydrogen that has been stored by the fuel cell may then be utilized by it to transform back into electricity, creating a power source that may be fed back into the grid or used to meet peak demand for electricity.

The ability of hydrogen vehicles to store energy can offset the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources and contribute to the development of a more stable and resilient energy infrastructure.

Diversification of Energy Sources:

Vehicles fuelled by hydrogen allow the transportation sector to diversify its energy sources. Hydrogen may be produced from a wide range of feedstocks, including renewable energy sources like solar, wind, and hydroelectric power. The energy system is more resilient and sustainable when it can manufacture hydrogen in a flexible way.

The transportation sector might become less reliant on fossil fuels by utilizing hydrogen as fuel, which would increase energy security and minimize the environmental impact of mining and burning conventional fuels.

Continued Technological Advancements:

The field of hydrogen fuel cell technology is still undergoing research and development. To make hydrogen vehicles more competitive in the market, efforts are being made to improve the affordability, robustness, and efficiency of fuel cell systems.

With the realization of economies of scale and advancements in technology, fuel cell systems and hydrogen infrastructure should become more affordable, making hydrogen vehicles more affordable for consumers.

Government Support and Policies:

Governments around the world are aggressively pushing the development and usage of hydrogen-powered vehicles through financing, incentives, and laws. The aforementioned projects aim to expedite the growth of the hydrogen economy by encouraging the building of hydrogen infrastructure, such as refueling stations.

In order to promote the use of hydrogen vehicles, research and development activities, and the development of infrastructure, countries such as China, Japan, Germany, South Korea, and South Korea have implemented ambitious programs and provided financial support.

Industry Collaboration and Investment:

Major automakers, energy companies, and technology providers are funding the development of hydrogen car infrastructure. By working together, these organizations are pushing technological advancements, encouraging creativity, and expanding the fleet of hydrogen-powered cars.

Manufacturers and developers of hydrogen infrastructure are working together to create a robust network of hydrogen filling stations in order to encourage the growth of hydrogen-powered automobiles. Air Liquide and Toyota's cooperation is one instance of this.

The future uses for hydrogen-powered vehicles seem promising as these elements come together and develop. Given continued support, advancements in technology, the creation of infrastructure, and the involvement of stakeholders, hydrogen vehicles are expected to play a significant role in the achievement of sustainable, zero-emission transportation and the reduction of carbon emissions in the coming years.

Read More- https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/industry-practice/hydrogen/hydrogen-vehicles

#HydrogenVehicles,#GreenTransportation,#HydrogenEconomy,#CleanEnergyFuture,#RenewableTransport,#FuelCellTechnology,#SustainableMobility,#ZeroEmissionCars

0 notes

littleclevercat · 7 years

Text

Musings - Diamond Breakers' space forces

The Diamond Breakers in their doctrine of void combat focused on swarm tactics. No matter how much enemy may had spacecrafts, Perturabo’s void-flyers used the enormity of space as their advantage. Instead of forming a wedge, they were grouped up into so-called “constellations”: a 3-D formations, which allowed star-flyers not to hamper each other (large starships grouped up in the center of each constellation, while smaller escorts moved around them). That also affected their choice of starships - they favoured Oberon-class and Victory-class dreadnoughts to battle-barges, as these models of warmachines were much more suited towards swarm tactics. The escorts - battlecruisers, light cruisers and destroyers - served as defenders for dreadnoghts, intercepting boarding shuttles or anti-spacecraft missiles, or could take part in swarm attack, launching valleys of missiles. Yes, the swarm attack meant for them “launch as much missiles as possible at several targets, so that enemy will fail to destroy all of them”. After launching valleys, spacecrafts used lances and Nova cannons to destroy the largest enemy void-flyers, and, finally, at close range accelerated and fired their broadside batteries of macrocannons, as the high speed was an excellent defense against boarders.

Perturabo also showed creativity - for example, when he had to conquer a well-defended planet, the Lord of Metal ordered Mechanicum to send several asteroids and comets towards it. While enemies were busy destroying them, his Expedition fleet attacked orbital fortresses from the flank, swarming them with missiles and blowing them up. In addition, his techmarines developed a method of “explosive teleportation” - instead of teleporting Astartes to the board of the enemy void-flyer, they teleported a nuclear or antimatter bomb. With obvious results.

Against superior forces the Diamond Breakers used Hit & Run or “Divide and Conquer” tactics (and the aforementioned trick with asteroids and comets, for example).

Finally, the distinguishing characteristics of Diamond Breakers’ spacecrafts were a total lack of illuminators - they were replaced with sensor arrays - and a preference to locate the command center in the depth of starship, making it very hard to damage.

P.S.: as you can imagine, if in that AU the battle at Phall happened, it would be very… different.

P.P.S.: is there anything you may add?

P.P.P.S.: the next article is going to be about Stormwalkers’ space forces. As far as I can say, they are more focused upon taking over planets and therefore had more Battle Barges.

#submission #text #discussion

1 note · View note

terryblount · 5 years

Text

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Title Update #5 available now on PTS + full patch release notes

As promised, Ubisoft has released Title Update #5 for Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 on the PTS (Public Test Server). PC gamers will be the first players that will enjoy – and test – the new changes and improvements that are coming with it. Moreover, Ubisoft has also revealed the full patch release notes for this new beta update.

According to the release notes, The Division 2 Title Update #5 adds two new main missions, Manning National Zoo and Camp White Oak, adds new Classified Assignments as well as Expeditions.

Expeditions are free events that bring players to unexplored locations around D.C. to discover new narrative and gameplay opportunities.

Furthermore, this update adds Story Difficulty to the Washington National Airport raid, Raid Completion Time to Clan Leaderboards, enables the Audio Slapback System, overhauls the Skills and comes with numerous bug fixes.

Do note that not all of the aforementioned new features are in the PTS build. In order to test all of the content coming in the next update, specific features will be released in various phases over the next couple of weeks. Yesterday, only the Manning National Zoo and Camp White Oak story missions were made available and on July 3rd the Discovery Mode difficulty for the Washington National Airport raid will be made available.

On July 5th, the first location of an Expedition site will be available. On July 6th, the second location of the same site will open for players. The third location opens on July 7th, completing the full Expedition site.

The PTS version will directly appear in your Games on Uplay, and from there you can download and install it as a normal game. Below you can find the changelog for Title Update #5.

The Division 2 Title Update #5 Release Notes

New Main Mission: Manning National Zoo

Emeline Shaw, the leader of the Outcasts, has fallen back from her defeat on Roosevelt Island and barricaded herself deep in the Manning National Zoo. To get to her, you will need to fight through the blockades and the Outcasts who protect her to put an end to her violence.

New Main Mission: Camp White Oak

The Black Tusks and their leader have set up a strategic position close to an estate nestled deep in the woodlands, and your assignment is to take them down and capture him in the new Camp White Oak mission.

New Experience: Expeditions

Expeditions are free events that bring players to unexplored locations around D.C. to discover new narrative and gameplay opportunities. These sites offer unique challenges and lore not found anywhere else: new collectibles, treasure rooms, environmental puzzles, unique boss mechanics, and more await every Agent who embarks on our Expeditions!

New Classified Assignments

Aquarium

Datacentre

Shepherd Reward System – Call for Backup

Added the ability to earn the “Shepherd” title by responding to call for backups and earning endorsements. An agent who received help will be able to endorse the helping agent.

Raid

Added Story Difficulty to the Washington National Airport raid.

Added Raid Completion Time to Clan Leaderboards. This leaderboard ranks clans based on how quickly they were able to complete the raid as a clan-only party.

Exotics

New Exotic: Diamondback Exotic Rifle

Lever action rifle

5 round magazine

100 RPM

Talents:

“Agonizing Bite”

Diamondback randomly marks an enemy. Hitting that enemy consumes the mark, guaranteeing a critical hit with +20% total damage. A new random enemy is marked afterwards, and whenever you reload.

“Deep Fangs”

After hitting 5 marked enemies, gain +50% reload speed, +20% total damage and all shots fired are guaranteed critical hits for 10s.

“Shedding Skin”

While drawn, each time a round is loaded, gain +20% bonus armor for 3s. While holstered, each time you reload or cycle your current weapon, gain +8% bonus armor for 2s

New Exotic: BTSU Exotic Gloves

Black Tusk gloves

Talents:

“Elemental Gadgetry”

Skills that apply status effects gain +50% status effect duration and +50% skill haste

“Energy Infusion”

Whenever you apply a status effect, your gloves become infused with that for 60s. While infused, you gain +10% skill damage, +10% skill healing and repair and +10% skill duration for each Utility (yellow battery) on your gear.

“Charged Proxies”

Whenever you throw a skill, 1.25s after landing, it creates an explosion applying the infused status effect to all enemies within 6m. Enemies affected by the infused status effect take 50% more damage from your skills.

Heroic Bosses now drop Exotics

Only exotics that the player is qualified for.

For world drop exotics it requires that the player has the drop previously

For crafted exotics, it requires that the player has the blueprint

The purpose of dropping these is to allow a chance to get GS 500 variants without upgrading, or get materials to upgrade other exotics

These exotics can be team shared to other players.

Exclusive Exotics, for example the Eagle Bearer from the Washington National Airport, will not be part of the exotic loot pool.

Weapons

New Assault Rifle: Carbine 7

30 round mag

790 RPM

By default rolls with a new talent:

“Overflowing”

Every 3 reloads from empty increases your magazine capacity by 100%

New Light Machine Gun: Stoner LMG

580 RPM

200 Mag capacity

By default rolls with a new talent:

“Overwhelm”

Suppressing an enemy, that is not currently suppressed, grants +5% weapon damage for 10 seconds. Max stack is 5.

Weapon Mods

Added Flashlight attachments for pistols.

Skills

_Developer Comments: We took a hard look at the current meta. The builds that are fun, effective and popular. We knew that skill builds, while it being something people want to play with, was nowhere near competitive. We knew there was an explosives damage build that was on the fringe of popularity, but none that actually relied on really good skill mods driven by skill power.

We analyzed the best damage builds and survivability builds out there and looked at their efficiency – how fast they kill, how fast they can clear content, how fast they can take down enemies – and mapped that to our skills. How much more power do skills need to get from 3K skill power (our current maximum requirement on skill power mods) to compensate for all the damage bonuses the player is “giving up” on gear to reach that skill power?

Then we looked at each skill and what it should be good at (burst, sustain, single target damage, survivability etc) and went to work tuning the mods to make a skill build approach the efficiency of a “red” damage build or a “blue” tank build.

To that effect, here are the current changes to skill mods power levels, and in some cases base numbers, on skills.

Skill Haste

Cooldown Reduction has been replaced with skill haste. Skill Haste works equivalent to speed. So, 100% Skill Haste reduces cooldown by 50%, like a car speeding up by 100% getting to its destination in half the time. This means that the player can invest in more than 100% Haste and still get something back. It also means there’s a diminishing return to Skill Haste, as opposed to cooldown reduction where each point was actually worth more than the last one. This allows us to have a good amount of Skill Haste possible from gear, but even larger amounts granted by high skill power Skill Mods, granting skill builds more frequent access to their souped up skills.

To that effect, these are the changes to Skill Haste (formerly Cooldown Reduction):

Hard caps removed.

All current +Cooldown Reduction on existing gear becomes +Skill Haste, with an increase of 33% to their rolls

Surge Talent – Increased Skill Haste from 10% to 20%

Specialization skill mods (granted from each spec tree)

These now require 0 skill power to run.

Their bonuses are locked to a pretty high roll, making them the best power-to-performance mods in the game.

There are still higher value mods of these types that can be found in the loot pool, however those do have Skillpower requirements.

Hive

Extra Payload – Damage increased from +30% to +100%

Experimental Blend – Changed from flat value increase to percentage based increase of base Healing amount (+50%)

Nitroglycerin Mixture – Damage increased from +30% to +100%

+50% Healing variant added

Cooling Vents – Skill Haste increased from +20% to +100%

Internal Storage – Charges increased from +30% to +100%

Swarm Control – Charges increased from +30% to +100%

Turret

Magnetic Rail – Damage increased from +30% to +150%

Lubrication Gel – Duration increased from +60% to +100%

+100% Burn Strength variant added

Cyclone Magazine (Generic) – Added to loot pool

+4 Extra Mortar Ammo

Cyclone Magazine (Demolitionist) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

+3 Extra Mortar Ammo

Spare Parts – Skill Haste increased from +20% to +50%

Organic Circuits – Duration increased from +60% to +100%

Ammo Box – +50% Mortar Radius variant added

SHD CPU V.2 (Generic) – Added to loot pool

Damage increased from +7% to +150%

SHD CPU V.2 (Demolitionist) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

Damage increased from +7% to +100%

Multi-tool – Skill Haste increased from +20% to +50%

Pulse

Nickel-Chromium Wire – Skill Haste increased from +60% to +100%

+200% Remote Pulse Skill Haste variant added

Silicon Carbide Coil – Charging Speed increased from +30% to +50%

Microwave Amplifier (Gunner) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

+30% Confuse Duration

Exploded Blueprint – Skill Haste increased from +60% to +100%

Heating Mantle – Charging Speed increased from +30% to +50%

Directional Transmitter (Gunner) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

30% Cone Size

Seeker Mine

Mini Electric Motor – Skill Haste increased from +40% to 100%

Delivery System Upgrade – +100% Damage variant added

Ball Bearings – Damage increased from +30% to 100%

Magnetic Disc (Generic) – Added to loot pool

+100% Skill Haste

Magnetic Disc (Survivalist) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

Skill Haste increased from 9.7% to 80%

Phosphorus Ingredient – Healing increased from 60% to 100%

RDX Pellet Payload – Damage increased from +30% to +100%

+100% Burn Strength variant added

Larrea Tridenta Infusion (Generic) – Added to loot pool

+100% Healing

Larrea Tridenta Infusion (Survivalist) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

Healing increased from +14.5% to +50%

Chem Launcher

Piranha Solution – Damage increased from +30% to +100%

+100% Burn Strength variant added

Chromatics Training – Radius increased from +30% to +50%

Slip Fit Tube – Skill Haste increased from +30% to +50%

Cell Penetrating Peptide – Healing increased from +60% to +100%

Hydrochloric Infusion – Damage increased from +30% to +100%

Ultra-Thin Cartridges – Radius increased from +30% to +50%

Liquid Nitrogen Cooling System – Skill Haste increased from +30% to +50%

Pharmacokinetic Enhancer – Healing increased from +60% to +100%

Drone

Graphene Battery (Generic) – Added to loot pool

+100% Duration

Graphene Battery (Sharpshooter) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

Duration increased from +14.5% to +80%

Electric Soldering Tool – Skill Haste increased from +40% to +100%

Gimbal Vibration Damping – Health increased from +60% to +100%

Blitzkrieg Blasting Powder – +200% Striker Damage variant added

Carbon Fiber Frame (Generic) – Added to loot pool

+100% Skill Haste

Carbon Fiber Frame (Sharpshooter) – Removed Skill Power Requirement

Skill Haste increased from +9.7% to +80%

Reinforced Rotor Blades – Health increased from +60% to +100%

Terminal Ballistics – Damage increased from +30% to +200%

Trauma Analyzer – Healing increased from +30% to +50%

+50% Deflector Duration variant added

Gaffer Tape – Duration increased from +60% to +100%

Hollow-point Bullets – Damage increased from +30% to +200%

Electropulsing Stimuli – Healing increased from +30% to +50%

+100% Fixer Skill Haste variant added

Shield

Titanium Reinforcement – Health increased from +45% to +110%

Shape-memory Alloy – Deflected Damage increased from +20% to +100%

Cementitious Material – Holstered Regeneration increased from +60% to +100%

Weaved Aramid Fiber – Health increased from +45% to +110%

Supramolecular Networks – Active Regeneration increased from +20% to +50%

Liquid Metal Microdroplets – Holstered Regeneration increased from +60% to +100%

Thermoresponsive Polymer – Deflected Damage increased from +20% to +100%

Smart UHMWPE Lexicon – Active Regeneration increased from +20% to +50%

+110% Ballistic Shield Health variant added

Firefly

Alignment Valve – +100% Damage variant added

Tungsten Compound – +100% Damage variant added

Propantriol Adhesive – Skill Haste increased from +40% to +100%

Microfiller Resin – Skill Haste increased from +40% to +100%

Crafting

The Crafting Bench is now upgradable and will then allow to craft gear up to a Gear Score of 500.

It will require one gun and one gear piece of 490 GS or higher to build, and after that, the player can craft GS 500 items.

Deconstructing high end gear pieces now predictably grants brand materials.

Blueprints that were previously only on projects, control points or weekly vendors are now shared over all 3 sources

This means if you are looking for a blueprint that used to only be on projects, you can grind alert level 3 or 4 control points.

Players can now recalibrate crafted gear and weapons, as well as use them as a source for recalibration.

Vendor

Cassie Now sells GS 500 items. She sells normal gear, some exotics and named weapons.

NPCs

NPCs no longer double heal their armor.

Players can now damage NPCs rappelling on ropes with explosives.

Fixed an error during the calculation of weakpoint kill stats.

Players can no longer easily pass through Black Tusk Warhounds.

Control point officers no longer instantly revive players if the player has just used the Chem Launcher.

Outcasts suicide rushers now blow themselves up closer to their target.

Improved player feedback when trying to pick up ammo with maximum signature weapon ammo.

Inspecting a player now allows inspection of weapons, grenades and skills.

Intercepted projectile by the deflector drone now do a % damage.

Players will now gain control quicker after dropping down.

Reduced Depth of Field strength when aiming.

Improved reload and interaction prioritization. Holding down the interact button will now cancel reloading and start the interaction.

Improved player replication for situations where players have widely different connection quality. This should reduce inconsistent speedup and freezing of players.

Audio

Slapback System enabled: The gunshot echo system that was featured briefly in the private beta prior to launch has been re-enabled.

Localization

Improved Arabic voice-over localization.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue causing players to become stuck during the “Reach the first hall” objective in the Air & Space museum mission.

Fixed a loot exploit in the Invaded Capitol Hill stronghold.

Fixed enemies becoming stuck in their spawn rooms in the “Museum Water Source” side mission.

Fixed “Neutralize the hostile” objective not updating correctly in the “Agent Edwards Support” side mission.

Fixed an issue causing older versions of the Tobii Eye Tracker to be unresponsive.

Fixed an issue causing the “Aim at Gaze” option for the Tobii Eye Tracker to be inaccurate.

Fixed an issue causing NPC weapon audio to be stuck in a loop under certain circumstances.

Fixed an issue causing missing weapon audio when firing immediately after having switched from a grenade.

Fixed an AFK related exploit in the Conflict PvP mode.

Fixed several locations on Conflict maps where players could ignore damage when behind cover.

Fixed an issue relating to interacting with ECHO’s when in a group.

Fixed an issue causing the Chem Launcher cooldown to reset when restocking ammo.

Fixed Special Field Research objective “Complete 5 Public Executions with Marksman Rifle” not progressing under certain circumstances.

Fixed the Special Field Research progression circle to be consistent with other progression circles.

Fixed an issue where players incorrectly could vote kick a member during a boss fight in the Roosevelt Island stronghold on challenging difficulty.

Fixed an issue where the Turret skill could deploy inside a wall under certain circumstances.

Fixed an issue causing the Reviver Hive to not revive players when thrown.

Fixed Skill Mods requirement having an invisible decimal, resulting in incorrect power requirement information.

Fixed an issue where NPC’s from a Warhound Convoy could spawn in an inaccessible area.

Fixed an inaccessible bounty location in the Judiciary Square zone.

Fixed abnormal NPC behaviour when suppressed outside of the players view.

Fixed an issue where the Black Tusk Medic’s drones would self-destruct in the Dark Zones.

Fixed the Conflict UI being misaligned when using Dual Monitors and the Offset UI option.

Fixed performance drops when browsing player inventory on Xbox One.

Fixed performance drops when opening the Ubisoft Club Challenge tab on PC.

Fixed a clipping issue with the Gunner Uniform when equipped on a female character.

Fixed an issue causing loadouts using the same skill to revert all affected loadouts to the same skill mod.

Fixed the Banshee Pulse Skill Mod description to state that it applies Confusion status effect on affected target.

Fixed an issue with the Motion Sickness mode causing the player’s FOV to change drastically when enabled.

Fixed an issue where signature weapon ammo could drop mid-air.

Fixed several areas where players could leave the playable map.

Fixed several areas where players could fall through the world.

Fixed several areas where players could vault into water. Don’t go swimming with all that gear, agents!

Fixed several areas with missing climb prompts.

Fixed several areas where the player could become stuck in the open world.

Fixed several areas where the players could become stuck in missions.

Fixed several world objects with missing cover prompts.

Fixed several occurrences of Delta errors when interacting with world objects.

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 Title Update #5 available now on PTS + full patch release notes published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

0 notes

coffeeescapism · 6 years

Text

The Minolta SRT 201 is my all-time favorite camera. This is not because it does any one thing well, but rather that it does nothing at all wrong. A lot of photographers swear by gear that isn’t necessarily the best or most expensive, instead opting for gear that is familiar and reliable. The SRT 201 is the epitome of this concept. For me it has been my faithful workhorse. It was my first real Film SLR when I was first learning to take pictures back in the tenth grade. If it wasn’t for this piece of glass and metal, I might not consider myself to be a photographer today,

The SRT is built like a tank. The heft when you first pick it up is substantial, and makes you realize you are holding a proper photographer’s tool. The mechanical operation is satisfying and feels durable. I’ve used mine without issue for the better part of decade, and despite camera being 43 years old, I have never had a single problem with it. Every button and dial answers with a substantive click that really inspires confidence in the mechanism. Even my darling Contax (my current film shooter) with its electric shutter lacks such substantive sounds. The Contax always sounds like it’ll break if I look at it the wrong way, whereas the Minolta I feel would survive an expedition to Siberia and back (apt as the mechanical operation of the Minolta is impervious to cold, unlike the Contax).

Minolta lenses aren’t quite Zeiss sharp, but they are certainly close enough. Some of my all-time favorite pictures have been taken with either this camera, or one of its lenses strapped to my Sony A7. Because the SRT isn’t a Contax or Nikon, bodies and lenses don’t command as high a price as you might expect for the quality of the lenses. The 54mm f/1.4 in particular is a bargain lens with a razor thin depth of field. The lenses are solidly constructed metal, and despite years of me throwing mine into my rucksack (sometimes with no protection other than two lens caps), they have worked without fail and show no signs of stopping.

The metering system is TTL and read via a little needle and matching circle on the right side of the viewfinder. You can engage the meter via a small knurled switch on the bottom of the camera, (you will need to use your fingernail to move it, which isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world). This on/off switch is beyond useful, as I haven’t changed my camera battery in about five years, and it is still working. Best of all, unlike SLR or Rangefinders from the 60s, the SRT201 uses standard camera batteries! No Mercury replacement battery required. I find the metering to be uncommonly accurate. Only under the most difficult of lighting conditions do I find I need to do much exposure editing in Lightroom. Typically, what the camera gives me is spot-on. Over the years, I’ve certainly grown to trust this camera’s metering just as much as I have its mechanical operation.

If it sounds like I’m in love with this camera, it’s probably because I am. Though I am experimenting with Contax Zeiss lenses now to get that little extra bit of sharpness, it’ll be hard to beat the already stellar kit of Minolta lenses I have at my disposal. The SRT 201 is a faithful photographer’s companion. It has seen me through every phase in my learning of photography, and whether it be the camera body or its lenses, this camera continues to earn near constant use from me no matter what photographic endeavor I am setting out on. If you can get one in as mint condition as I have, you will not be disappointed. Below you will find a small gallery of some of my favorite snapshots I’ve taken over the years with this camera. They are either with the aforementioned 54mm f/1.4 or the 24mm f/2.8.

Minolta SRT 201: The Most Faithful Camera The Minolta SRT 201 is my all-time favorite camera. This is not because it does any one thing well, but rather that it does nothing at all wrong.

#35mm film #Black and White #camera #camera review #Film #film camera #Film photography #Film SLR #Minolta #Minolta SRT 201 #Photography #SLR

0 notes

livingnomadstyle · 8 years

Text

After we left Oregon, we were headed to the US Southwest. However, there were a few things we wanted to see in Northern California. So we found a mountain cabin for a week that allowed us to go exploring in San Francisco, since that was our main destination in the region.

I will be the first to admit that San Francisco was not as expected. We have been to a lot of big cities across the United States and many of them were trash ridden, as could be expected due to the population. However, I will say that most of the areas we explored in San Francisco were clean, well maintained and, above it all, the streets were wide enough to maneuver (a problem that exists in many big cities).

We explored much of San Francisco, over a 2 day period. We were efficient in our planning but did not feel hurried in our explorations.

Golden Gate Bridge

One of the most well-known bridges in the world, the Golden Gate Bridge is an architectural marvel. It set the world record in 1937 as the longest suspension bridge in the world at 4200 feet. The Golden Gate Bridge has since been overtaken by the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan, at 6352 feet, as the longest suspension bridge. Even though it does not hold the crown for longest suspension bridge, it is still held in worldwide acclaim and is a stalwart representative and top tourist destination for San Francisco.

In order to explore The Golden Gate Bridge and surrounding area, you need to find parking. If you are coming from the north, you have to cross the bridge, pay the toll and then cross the bridge again if you want free parking on the Northern End. If you are wanting free parking and coming from the Southern End, you simply need to traverse to across the bridge to find parking on the North Side.

We were coming from the Northern Side and opted to pay for parking. So, we crossed the bridge, went through the toll, turned around and pulled off at the last exit before crossing the bridge. It will direct you to the Presidio / Fort Point Area. you will exit to the right. Then I would suggest staying in the right lane, following to the right. At the stop sign, make a left and follow the road to the first turn off for parking. I suggest not going down to Fort Point to park. It is VERY crowded. The first parking spot gives you proximity to the bridge and the parking is relatively inexpensive.

From here we followed a dual foot and biking path up towards the bridge. We took a path less traveled and it brought us by different Batteries (areas of gun powder and weapon storage) that were used to defend the harbor area. We eventually went through a tunnel and came out near the information center. It did afford us a few picture moments to snag great images of the Golden Gate Bridge.

We eventually made it out and up to the actual bridge. We entered the bridge and made our way almost half way across. There were many bikers on the other side as well as walkers and joggers on our side. Standing and walking on the bridge was an absolutely exhilarating experience. It is worth the walk.

Golden Gate Park

After the Golden Gate Bridge, we visited Golden Gate Park. This park is not adjacent to the bridge. We left the bridge area and drove all the way to one end of the park by going on Geary Blvd west and then going south on 47th Ave. We took 47th to JFK Dr and made a left (east). This allowed us to drive through the whole park.

The main attraction for us was the buffalo. Sure, nothing compares to seeing a stampede of buffalo in the wild. But, seeing buffalo in the center of a major California City was a new one on us. So, we had to drive through and check it out. This park is massive. You will see a multitude of areas where you can pull off to enjoy the outdoors. It was an interesting park, to say the least.

Painted Ladies

How many of you have watched Full House? Most Americans who watched TV in the late 80s to early 90s have likely seen or heard of it. In the intro there is a park featured where you can see a section of row houses that are all painted uniquely. The park is Alamo Square and the houses are called the Painted Ladies.

We took a moment to swing by there. Mama Nomad is a big Full House fan. There was some renovations going on at Alamo Square. But, we were still able to find a parking spot and view as well as capture images of these fine row houses.

Japantown

From the Painted Ladies, we headed over to Japantown. Our eldest Nomad Son, Noah, has an affinity for Japanese Manga and Anime and his brothers have a shared interest. There is a book store in Japantown that is a 2 story, Barnes and Noble type book store that specializes in Manga and Anime. So, we had to check it out.

Noah did some research prior to us visiting. He found Kinokuniya (the aforementioned 2 story one) and at least one other one. However, as we searched while we were there, we found that none other existed in the area by the time we visited. But Kinokuniya was and it was very busy. If you have an affinity for Manga or Anime, you need to visit this place.

Ghiradelli Square

After Japantown, we headed for Ghiradelli Square. Ghiradelli Chocolate is a famous chocolate company known the world over. There is a square in San Francisco known as Ghiradelli Square that hosts the chocolate company’s retail outlet as well as some other business retail fronts. I cannot honestly tell you what else was there. We pulled up, paid for parking, got some ice cream based creations from Ghiradelli Chocolate, ate them and left. I can say that what we ordered was, indeed, scrumptious.

Lombard Street

From Japantown we made our way to Lombard Street. To be more specific, we made our way to Lombard Street between Hyde Street and Leavenworth Street. This is an area considered to be on the the crookedest streets in the world. It is at a severe downward angle and encompasses 9, almost U-Turn level turns within one block. We journeyed down it in Ebony II, a Ford Expedition Extended Edition vehicle. Let me just say it was tight maneuvering but very exhilarating.

Chinatown

The Chinatown in San Francisco is actually the first, oldest and largest Chinatown in the world (outside of mainland China, of course). We were going to eat noodles at the House of Nan King. When we got to the area, almost the entire area was closed to vehicles. They were celebrating a Chinese New Years Parade and most streets were blocked.

We drove down and around many blocks, which led us to the financial district, but never back into Chinatown. It was getting dark and parking was near impossible, so we ventured outside of San Francisco to a little restaurant across the Golden Gate Bridge, in Sausalito. Parking was easy, prices were reasonable and the food was great! We simply told ourselves a story that Chinese Entrepreneurs moved to Sausalito from San Francisco for better parking and that we found one of those gems.

Alcatraz

After Chinatown, we went back to homebase because it was getting dark. The next day we headed into San Francisco and in the direction of the ferrys for Alcatraz. We looked into parking the day before. Most of the reviews for parking reported that people with out-of-state plates, like us, had their vehicles broken into. So, we launched SpotHero, found parking at the Holiday Inn Express and booked. We figured that nothing would happen to Ebony II at the Holiday Inn Express Valet Parking. And, fast forward to the end, we were right. We recommend this parking.

After parking and walking to Pier 33 (about 3/4 mile from the parking area), we got in line for the ferry. There is only one company that runs the ferry. We suggest that you buy your tickets at least 48 hours in advance. Also, please note that there is no food on the island. You can bring food. They simply do not serve it. You can get some at the pier or on the ferry, if you are hungry.

We arrived on the island and immediately walked up to the area to watch the short documentary of the island. It is something we highly recommend that you do. It gives you a lot of background and context about the island. For example, did you know it was a military installation first, in order to protect the harbor during the gold rush? Then it houses military prisoners and then Federal prisoners; until it was finally closed in 1963.

In 1969 it was occupied for more than 19 months by Native Americans making a stand against the US Government in relation to the land taken from them. It was this action that was cited as the event that turned things around for Native Americans and their rightful lands, here in the US. Finally in 1986 it was turned into a National Historic Landmark.

We explored and walked all over that island. We saw the cell blocks, where the prisoners who escaped and were never found, slept. We also saw cells for Al Capone, Bumpy Johnson and more. We explored the outside garden area, the solitary confinement, the recreation area and much, much more. Did you know that the kids of guards lived on the island in apartments? Yep! They traveled, by ferry, to San Francisco for school everyday and returned to Alcatraz every night.

We were even treated to seeing and meeting William Baker. He was an Alcatraz Prisoner who stayed there from 1957 to 1960. He has been in prison for most of his life. After spending more than 50 years in prison, he wrote a book called Alcatraz #1259 and has been on the straight and narrow ever since.

Summary

Again, San Francisco was not as expected. It is not somewhere I would want to live. But, it was a great city to visit. We experienced a lot of different cultures, famous spots and history; both known to us and unknown. It is a place worth visiting, at least for a few days. Safe Travels.

Exploring San Francisco After we left Oregon, we were headed to the US Southwest. However, there were a few things we wanted to see in Northern California.