Glory be, they may actually be running soon (whatever "soon" means we have yet to find out).
The weird bit is that they are going to run double sets in the city at 67m long, that will cause more traffic jams as the length means more chance of blocked intersections.
The tram network they had worked quite well until the pressure of commercial interest (and most likely bribes paid to politicians) saw it all ripped out in the late 50's to early 60's and smelly diesel buses replace them in the canyons of the city and beyond.
The only thing that makes sense in Sydney is the building of the Metro lines, so new lines and stations and most tidily underground.
[Guy] Thanks for the example shots, Cyril, and it helps make me get off my backside and thinking about practical lightweight solutions for air travel without getting caught up in the pixel peeping hysteria that seems to envelop the M4/3 forum at least.
Preparing for travelling, trying to balance my enthusiasms, punctilious inclinations, and responsibilities, by wrestling between preparing for every eventuality or just winging it, I keep in mind G.K.Chesterton’s aphorism “If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing badly”. So if a picture looks okay on my 5k screen, it’s more than adequate for the needs of my personal ideosyncracies.
Yes, many in the camera forums totally ignore the watchability test and insist on noses against screens at 100% view to make sure every little pixel is properly behaving itself.
But having spent a lot of time, effort, and (with octogenarian travel insurance rates in mind)
Yes, I'm hitting higher insurance at age 78, and also the hassles of car hire with one company insisting on doctor's certificates etc to prove that I'm still alive and upright. They need to catch up with what is happening - from retirement to age 89 is simply senior citizen and 90 and up we could be classed as "old".
....money, getting to some remote spot, I want to make sure that the opportunity of a five minute photo stop can be savoured again in the comfort of home. As versatile a range of capabilities as possible is necessary to maximise my chances of getting a suitable shot, so I consider at least a pair of small cameras with complementary capabilities is necessary - the pair also going some way to insuring against mechanical failure of a single camera. Fixed lens cameras reduce the range of capabilities, but also reduce the cost of risk of loss by accidental damage or theft, and complexity of operation. And my choices have to fit conveniently with all my necessary daily kit in a shoulder bag - I don't like belt bags.
Last trip was with the compact Sony in a small belt pouch, and an easy to carry small snoot bag over the shoulder cross body strap so it doesn't slip off accidentally. No problems at all to manage, but the idea of two small cameras in two small belt pouches does appeal more, The bigger belly belt bag was used by me in film days and definitely don't like it, the little belt pouches work better or even some custom made dual small camera pouch would work, as long as it is not bulky and doesn't snag on furniture as i walk past.
It was only about a decade ago that it started to become easier to find fixed lens cameras with wide angled zoom lenses, as manufacturers realised that the distortions of low cost lenses could be ameliorated by in-camera digital processing, and I was glad to use them for many cramped situations. Conversely, more recently, small, fixed lens ‘Action’ cameras with very wide ‘fisheye’ lenses have become acceptable, despite considerable distortion. But I find them unsuited to my needs. They seem to me better suited to video in action situations which I am unlikely to encounter. And I feel video takes up too much time - capturing and in post - though I am willing to use time lapse series to document routes taken in strange cities, and the ZR Casios seem to have a more suitable range of timing for that.
I bought one of the Sony tiny action cameras years back mainly for the reason of mucking about with approx 1:24 scale model trains. Good for easy trackside shots, small enough to ride on cars in the train, provides nice and interesting video.
Sweeps are really chancy, some cameras have real problems to allow it to happen reliably, plus also some strange stitching errors happen at times. I avoid using them now and way prefer some very wide angle lens, or shots stitched with something like the free Microsoft ICE.
and better stitching apps have minimised the need for wide angle lenses in many outdoor situations, cramped situations and dim lighting require fast, wide lenses, or, at least for still subjects, relatively long exposures or means to take and merge numerous bursts. Previously, I used the LX3 with accessory 18mm lens in that role, later the LX7 and accessory. But despite its superior IQ, I felt the bulk, weight, additional charging needs, and difference in menu weighed more heavily against the LX7 than the ZR5100’s slightly narrower coverage, and reliance on burst merging rather than outright optical speed.
My old LX3 still gets a few shots, its raw files plus DxO Elite and Prime noise reduction turned it into a new camera.
I still have my first 35mm camera, bought in 1956. Though unused for years, it still works.
In my case first camera was a Minolta SR1 SLR in 1960 and still have it but the oil and grease has dried up and it has ceased to function now.
In the last two decades I’ve bought about two dozen digicams. Few that were kept still work.
Yes, plenty of digital camera here too from 2002 onwards and they all still work fine when an occasional recharge and play happens. An old favourite is the Ricoh R3 at 5MP and it still provides darn good results, same battery as the Panasonic LX3 which is handy.
And as technology continues to rapidly change, I’m averse to rushing madly into more costly ‘better’ models, although the rate of improvement in phone cameras suggests that one may supplant the ZR5100 in the next few years, if some equivalent to an EVF can be arranged, to overcome screen glare, and permit eye level framing; leaving me needing only a replacement for the ZR800 when it finally succumbs.
One day they may invent a colour screen that works well in bright light, a bit like the Kindle screens that seem to behave OK for people reading outdoors.
The Sony RX100M6 was for my wife to get better low light shots than the Casios and that has worked, but it is a hugely expensive camera and will need to keep working for many years to pay its way. It does have a useful EVF but we both prefer to use the screen only.
As for M4/3 my 2013 vintage Olympus E-P5 does all that I need so it will suit me for years yet if I look after it (I have a pair so can even out the wear on them by swapping occasionally), and the electronic goods gods are kept happy.
Currently though I seem to have less enthusiasm for cameras and fiddling with images. I have yet to properly sift and sort and organise the recent Ireland+England trip, we have yet to see clearly exactly what we took. Catching up on gardens and many unfinished tasks has kept me fully occupied since returning.
Regards..... Guy
