Lens Alignment - Focus Tune

Since my lens is an old non IS 600 F4, I decided if any lens would probably need a micro adjustment, this would be the lens.

After a ton of searching I decided on the Lens Align MK II tool from Michael Tapes Design. So I ordered it and put it together in only a couple of minutes.

One of the things I quickly found out was, my eyes weren't what they use to be. I'd set everything up and it seemed the more I stared at the screen, the more I was seeing things :)

Luckily, Michael also has another product called Focus Tune. Simply, the photographer takes 4 shots at adjustments -20, -15, -10, -5, 0, 5, 10, 15, 20. Then let Focus Tune import the files and decipher what
might be the best value to use. That definitely saves my eyes :)

Everything works great except for one thing...the documentation...or more to the point, no documentation. At a minimum there should be a guide that comes with the software.

That brought up the next problem. Finding the 'correct' documentation. All I could find was the documentation for 1.0 with a note that 2.0 was being worked on. If your documentation isn't ready, don't release the software, cause that brought me to the next problem.

I was getting an error when I tried to have Focus Tune evaluate my images. I went to the web site and searched for the error. Turns out there is a 2.0 manual, but the only way I found it was via that thread
I was reading in the forum. Which as it turns out I found out I just wasted at least an hour of my time
because of new recommending settings.

Now I have to start all over again.

The tool and software, I'd give that an A. The documentation, I'll be generous and give it a D+.

North Chagrin Reservation Going Down Hill

One of the near no hit misses in my area WAS North Chagrin Reservation. For the past, oh, about two years, it's been going down hill...fast!

I was there this past Saturday and the place looked awful. It's almost like nobody knows how to use a weed eater. In the back of the Nature Center is a garden that is setup for the birds. This place use to be beautiful. There were plenty of feeders. There were plenty of perches for the birds to land. There was even a little pond.

Now, it looks like a bunch of weeds. If the perches were still there, I couldn't see them because of the weeds. So it's a safe bet the birds couldn't see them either. I counted at least one seeder on the ground. The path around the garden is gone because of the weeds. The funny part is, they have the area surrounded by a fence, as if anybody would even dare to go in there in the first place.

At the pond itself, which was known for the wood ducks, has anything but wood ducks. If you're lucky, and I do mean lucky, you might find a pair of wood ducks. Otherwise, be prepared to look at a bunch of Canadian Geese.

Hopefully the cause of all of this is due to a fired groundskeeper and everything will be tended to soon. If not, and if I worked there, I'd be embarrassed to tell anyone that.