Critique Welcomed Contrail Over Concrete Assembly of God

[Brian Moore]

Concrete, Washington. Contrails in a clear sky always attract my attention.

Sigma DP1 Merrill.

 

[Wes Hall]

That halo of light from the sun is so fitting here, it's capturing American Christianity in multiple meanings when I look at it, and to clarify I am not religious. Thanks for sharing Brian, I now want a Merrill series DP more than I already did

 

[Brian Moore]

That halo of light from the sun is so fitting here, it's capturing American Christianity in multiple meanings when I look at it, and to clarify I am not religious. Thanks for sharing Brian, I now want a Merrill series DP more than I already did

Thanks a lot Wes. FYI: I'm not religious either. But I'm a sucker for contrails in clear blue skies and the church was a convenient foil for blocking the sun to my front. The DP Merrill is a challenging camera to use (devours battery power at a prodigious rate, slow to write files, slow to focus, very poor high ISO performance, and the proprietary software necessary for RAW file processing is a pain). But good results can be had. @Rob MacKillop once owned the one I have. Incidentally this one developed a significant flaw in the sensor a few years ago. (A quite visible + pattern appeared in the top right corner in any frame with blue skies.) Rob never gave me any warranty on the damn thing (@Rob MacKillop ) so I took it to Sigma HQ on Long Island NY (fortunately I had business in the area) and they sent it to Japan for repair. About 8 weeks later the camera showed up at my home. Fixed and cleaned up. And they also fixed a weak spring in the battery/memory card door. Value added. All at no charge, despite the fact that I was not the original owner, that it had originally been sold in Scotland (ie,..."gray market" to a camera manufacturer in the USA), and that it was several years beyond any warranty Rob would have had as original owner. So, I am now a big fan of the Sigma Corporation as well as this DP Merrill camera.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Brian tells everyone he bought it from me, but the truth behind his acquisition should be told too. I was sunbathing one day (we had sun in Scotland for one day once) and I fell asleep, camera in hand. When I woke up, the camera had gone. There was also a burning smell, followed by a lot of pain. It turns out someone from Rutherglen near Glasgow, but with a phoney American accent, had seen me lying there with the camera by my side. The rogue covered me in goose fat - they do that in Rutherglen - which helped the sun cook my body - and ran away with my camera. Flight records show that a Mr B Moore was booked on the same flight to the US that my camera was on. Not that I would ever accuse our dear friend of two unspeakable crimes, but we should all be aware of who we are potentially dealing with here! Anyway, Interpol are hunting for the thief-cum-fryar, and a big clue will be the + I scratched onto the camera’s sensor…

 

[Brian Moore]

@Wes Hall I was too generous in my description of the camera's provenance. The truth is that scoundrel @Rob MacKillop deceived me into paying far too much for the camera and then adamantly refused to honour the warranty. Now he admits to having sabotaged the machine also! It is an outrageous exploitation of an innocent and trusting man! His claim of a goose fat fry-up at my hands is laughable on its face; Ruglonians are well-known for their honesty and righteousness! (Besides, I have it on good authority that it was lard, not goose fat, that fried him up.) I hereby request the Horizon Police, those terrible terrible people whose commandant is a kindly old gentleman who inhabits this place (@Pete Askew ) investigate this matter! Goose fat indeed..... Dundonian make-believe!

 

[Brian Moore]

Furthermore @Wes Hall the scoundrel's claim of having had sunshine in Scotland once clearly undermines the veracity of the outrageous tale he has spun regarding my acquisition of the camera.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

The scoundrel adds insult to injury by admitting to using lard on my heavenly body instead of the high-quality goose fat it deserves! I should have known a Weegie (aka Glaswegian) would never have considered using the fat of the noble and majestic goose! Lard, indeed!

 

[Brian Moore]

The scoundrel adds insult to injury by admitting to using lard on my heavenly body instead of the high-quality goose fat it deserves! I should have known a Weegie (aka Glaswegian) would never have considered using the fat of the noble and majestic goose! Lard, indeed!

"Weegie" indeed...! How dare you, sir! You know full-well it is the Royal Burgh, an esteemed and ancient town, from which I hail! Be aware, sir, that if forced to countenance any further willful denigrations of my ancestry I shall empower my Second to demand satisfaction.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

My third will kick him in the goolies!

 

[Brian Moore]

My third will kick him in the goolies!

 

[Wes Hall]

I feel most sorry for @Pete Askew when he is required to both kick some goolies (been a long time since I heard that term for the low hanging fruit) and potentially get his dueling glove out to slap the unconfirmed animal fat (was it even 'real' lard...it may have been a vegetable substitute!) scoundrel.

If it pleases the court, I would like to offer some impartial council; clearly we have a combined case of 'Foveon Sickness' a not uncommon blight that has caused irrational sales, purchases and regrets following use of the superior sensor cameras. The clarity and subject separation in the images of these cameras is known to make grown Weegies and their refined brethren swoon like they were in the presence of William Wallace.

The settlement of this matter is but a mere trifle. The honorable @Rob MacKillop should put aside his germanic red dots and purchase another Sigma, whilst the honorable @Brian Moore should render suitable finest goose fat to saute Mr MacKillop in the manner he is accustomed.

On a sunny day of course..

In Scotland.....

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Sounds good to me. Thank the Lord in Heaven we have English judges keeping us in check, eh Brian?

 

[Brian Moore]

Sounds good to me. Thank the Lord in Heaven we have English judges keeping us in check, eh Brian?

I agree Rob. This English judge, @Wes Hall, seems positively Solomonic in his wisdom, and it would be my pleasure to comply with his verdict; if ever there comes a sunny day in Scotland.