Adrian Condon
-
Posts
1,119 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Events
Blogs
Posts posted by Adrian Condon
-
-
Hi Folks,
I was dreaming and then woke up.........
The topic we talk about most often is the Weather:
The weather forecast on the Scope Nights app... as at Thursday 24 Oct 12:30
Friday night 25 Oct....... Poor with heavy rain
Saturday night 26 Oct... Partly cloudy with rain showers
Sunday night 27 Oct..... Mostly Clear. great!
Monday night 28 Oct..... Mostly Clear even better
Tuesday night 29 Oct.... Poor Rain
Wednesday night 30 Oct... Poor. Rain
Thursday night 31 Oct..... Mostly Clear. Great
Friday night 1 Nov..... Mostly Cloudy
Saturday night 2 Nov... Overcast
No further dates given.
So we have clear nights and poor nights for improving our whiskey tasting skills
Travel safely,
Adrian
-
Hi Damiam,
Since my tripping practice, there is no such thing as a safe trip!!!!!!!
Anyway I am hoping to arrive safe and sound and lets hope everyone else achieves that as well....
Adrian
-
3
-
-
Hi Julian,
Don't worry about me falling over, I have done it twice since May, both times the dog tripped me up......
So I am well practiced
Have a safe trip.
Adrian
-
Hi Dai,
I hope to leave before dawn on Saturday morning and arrive around 13:00.
Will be available Sunday....thinking of having lunch at the Harbour Inn.
All the every best.
Adrian
-
1
-
-
Hi Dai,
It is getting closer to the Star Party........
There will be clear skies or hazy evenings tasting the pure gold.
Have a safe trip.
Adrian
-
I think I will kill two birds with one Guinness Cake.....
Adrian
-
Hi,
There is an excellent butchers in the middle of Newton Stewart, plus a few eating places and pubs.
On Tuesday mornings, there is a travelling butcher to the site and then there is the fishmonger. The cod fillet is great and so are the ribeye steaks and they do eggs and potatoes as well.
There is The Harbour Inn in Garlieston about 15 minutes by car. They do a very good carvery on a Sunday. The locals are very friendly and it has a beautiful live fire, a wonderful item after a cold day in a tent!
Cheers
Adrian
-
3
-
-
Hi Ian,
If you are cooking breakfast, remember I am a "friend " of yours........ I will do the cornflakes.....nearly impossible to burn.....
Looking forward to meeting up.
All the best
Adrian
-
Hi David,
Well Done..... you are always full of good ideas.....
What sort of make-up do I need? ... gentle answers please.
Cheers
Adrian
-
1
-
-
Hi Folks,
I am sitting in my tent near Swanage in Dorest, practicing for the Galloway Star Party... the wind speed is a meagre 40 MPH at present and yes there is rain....
Having a glass of Whiskey.
One needs to be prepared for Scotland.
The lights are swinging beautifully..........
The temperature is mild at the moment, just got back from a fish supper in Swanage.
Looking forward to the 10th year of Galloway star parties.
Cheers
Adrian
-
3
-
-
Hi Dai,
Brilliant news.........
Let's hope there is no wind when you are putting your tent up otherwise you need to put some running practice in before you travel North.
All the best.
Adrian
-
1
-
-
Hi Hadyn and Christina,
Glad to hear that you are booked in for the duration. I am trying to work out what gear to take. Will discuss IoM Star Party 2020 with you while we have lunch at the Harbour Inn.....
Will be in touch before the Galloway Party.
Dai.... I plan to arrive on the Saturday before Hadyn so will have a trip to the bird hide in Wigton plus Sunday lunch at the Harbour Inn!!!
All the best.
Adrian
-
2
-
-
Hi Dai,
Great offer of helping with the tent..... trust we will not need to run across the field.
Hoping for good weather.
All the best for now.
Adrian
-
HI Dai and Ian,
I have booked in for Saturday 26 October to Monday 4 November and on Pitch 19.
So, if you two thought that you would have a quiet chat with beer, tough.......
I look forward to the event..... 10 years of perfection with a great crowd....
I spoke to Lesley this morning and she is having a busy Easter with tons of campers appearing at the campsite in brilliant Scottish sunshine.
Trust you two are in the best of health.
Cheers
Adrian
-
1
-
-
Hi Da
Nobody to drink beer with...... pity
i hope to go up early so we can dine at the Harbour Inn
Will keep you posted
cheers
Adrian
-
1
-
-
Hi Sachakins,
Nice to see that you have found an unknown camera to me! Well Done. Mirrorless 4/3 cameras are making inroads in the camera marketplace, this system has been in existence for 10 years.
So the technical issues usually associated with any new systems have been resolved, so ignore any old reviews..... Olympus and Panasonic are the original companies that drew up and agreed the basics of the design characters. The Olympus and Panasonic have completely interchangeable lens, ie a Panasonic lens will work on an Olympus M4/3 camera and visa versa.
The M4/3 system has a complete range of lens from entry level, enthusiasts and a fabulous Pro range from Olympus (with prices to match). The Panasonic top lens range are also brilliant.
Remember these lens have a crop of x2 so a 25mm lens on a M4/3 camera is equivalent to a 50mm lens on a Canon full frame camera.
The image quality is excellent, people who pixel count have rubbished the quality, but 95% of the time it is nigh impossible to see the difference in large prints, I have seen the same shot using both M4/3 and full frame Nikon cameras and the prints were about 1 metre high. The 5% is where the full frame wins if shooting in the dark where the noise on high ISO is more noticeable. Up to ISO 3200 the quality is the same.
Have a look at a review of the Y1 camera at. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1AL5HsKNw4 (not what happens on modern M4/3 cameras)
The M4/3 cameras from Olympus and Panasonic leave the Y1 on the camera shop shelves! Have a look at the Olympus OMD E-M10 mkiii (mark 3) is an entry camera little more expensive but offers excellent quality.
I have been a Canon user for years but transferred to M4/3 system 2 years ago. I have a top of the range Olympus OMD E-1 mkII and a number of Pro and Premium range lens. I have used it at the Galloway Autumn Star Party this year and happy with the results of the Milky Way using ISO 1600 and 20 second shoots.
If you want a camera for daytime and star images I recommend then an Olympus or Panasonic M4/3 would be a good choice also a Canon and Nikon used cameras are also a good choice.
Canon and Nikon are moving to mirrorless cameras, the advantages are lighter cameras, and since the mirror does not flip up during exposure, the image is viewable all the time. Plus what use is on the screen is what you get on the image so you have less image reviews
If you are interested in M4/3, and I get a free moment I will put a few images on the SGL if that will help you make a choice.
Happy Hunting!
Adrian
-
Hi Mike
I as usual plan to attend........ ( I suspect Lesley has my name already pencilled in )
It should be a great event with the getting older regulars and the new star party starters..... given the dark clear skies and the craic it is hard to see why not....
All the best
Adrian
-
3
-
-
Hi all you Tasco devotees,
There is a vintage Tasco 60mm f=1000 on eBay with amazing mags......
Thought you might like to purchase so that it can be on display at SGL10.
Should the seller not be using Sotherbys, or burying it for Time Team to dig up in a future programme?
I think I have one in the loft, I tried using one with my son about 30 years back. Total agony.
Cheers
Adrian
-
Hi Paul,
I have dealt with Green Witch ( Lee ) recently, he is excellent at emails, good advice on the telephone and is honest on availability of items.
I purchased a Telrad for my dob about a year ago, it is an excellent product, easy set up and alignment procedures and easy to use. I have just purchased a Kendrick heater strip for my Telrad to prevent dew from forming on it.
I have tried using a small finder scope but found it not easy with glasses.
Cheers
Adrian
Galloway Autumn Star Canp 2019
in Star Parties & Astro Events
Posted
Hi Mike,
Spoke to Lesley this afternoon.
They had sunshine this afternoon but expecting rain tonight.
Lesley believes the field will dry out fairly quickly.
Julian is on pitch 18 as there is a caravan on pitch 17 but should be leaving either tonight or tomorrow morning.
Getting things ready to pack, it was too wet to pack the car today
All the very best.
Adrian