New photo toys arrived, and it looks like we’ll have to cover the flowers tonight

My new Induro carbon-fibre monopod arrived today.  It matches the material and construction of my tripod, which is awesome in multiple ways.  I only have one set of maintenance and setup tools to carry with me, and motor-memory won’t have to recall settings depending on the support device in use.  I also got a Manfrotto RC0 quick-release adapter for the monopod, which I’m using instead of a standard ball head.  The RC0 is the same thing that I use on my tripod ball head (a Manfrotto 488 with integrated RC0).  Now that means only one plate system for the camera, so yay for that.  The RC0 adapter I got for the monopod came with another plate, so that’s going into the big bag to be used with the flash or a second camera, when necessary.

While I was setting up the adapter on the monopod, I also took the opportunity to do a little bit of maintenance on the tripod head.  I noticed that when I was out with Jenny on a particularly cold day taking some winter city pictures, the part of the head above the ball where the RC0 plate attaches was a little loose.  I couldn’t figure out exactly what it was, but saw a set screw that looked loose.  I temporarily tightened it so that I could finish the shots, and then packed-up and went home.  I then promptly forgot to tighten it with the correct tool.  I used the tripod several more times without issue.  Last week, I took it out to shoot the Riverview musical, and noticed that it was a little loose again.  This time, I wrote myself a reminder to fix it when I got the monopod and was configuring it.  The little set screw at the bottom of the RC0 mount where it attaches to the ball is designed to help prevent rotation about the attachment screw.  If the mount rotates around the attachment screw, it can become loose, which leads to a wobble.  It also will cause a failure when used in portrait mode with the mount at a 90-degree angle.  That would be somewhat embarrassing.  It was an easy fix, though, and should be good for a while.  I’m a little surprised that they didn’t just make the ball attachment mount slightly eccentric, which would have pretty much eliminated the need for a set screw.  A keyed or eccentric mount would have eliminated rotation about the ball axis, which is precisely what the problem was that caused the original wobble issue.  Hmm.  Well, it’s quite happy now, and I expect it will probably stay that way for some time.

I also got a new SanDisk “Extreme” 8GB CompactFlash for the camera, in addition to a second battery for the camera.  The memory card came with a free offer for the RescuePro data recovery software system.  I still do that sort of thing manually when I’m need to, but having some software to help speed-up the process is always a good thing.  Fortunately, I usually don’t have to do it anymore, but I do it to keep up my skill at least a little bit.

Now I’m realizing that I have this nice collection of gear, and virtually no labels on any of it.  Later today, I’m going to go on a labeling kick with a sharpie.

In other news, I’ve gotten a few requests for information about weddings.  I’m hoping to book a few soon.

The weather around the area here is supposed to take a somewhat colder turn for the next few days.  I’m concerned that we’re going to have to cover our flowers to keep them from a frost.  The daffodils are only starting to bloom now, and I’d rather like to see them making our front beds bright for a little while.  Old sheets to the rescue….

Jenny and I had the chance to go to the Phipps Spring flower show again yesterday evening, this time with my parents.  It was a good time.  We went out to dinner at the Sharp Edge in Friendship after the show.  I have some additional photos to process from that trip.  It was fun seeing the Spring flowers a couple of weeks after we had originally seen them.  Everything was fuller, more open, brighter…  I can’t wait until our tulips come up!