Despre bine

Un inceput cu totul si cu totul nicaraguan, in forta. Tolerante mici, ca la un Zeiss Contarex. Nu stiti la ce ma refer, nu? Este exact ca atunci cand pregatesti un cocktail, esti barman, si clientul iti spune sa ii controlezi gradul de alcoolizare din shaker. Marius de la Flair ar sti la ce ma refer. E ca atunci cand vrei sa prinzi un post indepartat la un radio vechi, iti trebuie o mana fina ca sa faci angrenajul sa ramana acolo, intre virgulele dintre megahertzii AM-ului, dar printre pocnituri o voce vorbind in araba iti umple camera de cedri, de suk si de chemari de muezin. Ciudat este ca simt aromele destul de distinct, trec aproape din neatentie de la una la alta. Aroma se schimba subtil, de la lemn la piele, se calmeaza, e ca un motor care toarce discret. E bine. Ani la randul le-am reprosat tobbaconistilor din Bucuresti golul dintre havane si low endul dominican.  Cei de la Rooms au incercat sa umple acest gol, dar cu prea putin fler si in consecinta cu putin succes. Nu sunt un mare amator de havane, am invatat sa apreciez sumatrele celor de la Hajenius, Opus X ul celor de la Fuente, Macanudo-ul ocazional sau Pleiades-urile, atat de underrated, dar cu care ma impac atat de bine. Fortat de imprejurari, am descoperit explozia de exotism din Cuaba, finetea unui Ramon Alonnes sau mai nou consecventa unui Diplomaticos, alt brand pe care nu ma asteptam sa-l vad in Romania. Ei bine, golul a fost umplut. Cei de la Vinexpert au adus in Romania trabucurile Oliva. Ca sa intelegeti mai bine la ce ma refer, Oliva V Torpedo a luat pentru prima data in istorie un rating de 94 de puncte de la Cigar Aficionado, undeva in 2007; un Montecristo nr. 2 a luat doar 92 de puncte, iar Opus X-ul celor de Fuentes doar 91. In genere, Oliva reuseste sa ramana in mod costant la peste 90 de puncte, de vreo 7 ani incoace, lucru cu atat mai surprinzator, cu cat discutam despre un price range de sub 10 dolari.

Bottom line, treceti pe la Vinexpert si incercati un Oliva V Torpedo, o sa fie una din surprizele placute ale acestui sfarsit de an. Si daca tot treceti pe acolo, incercati si Nub-urile. Nub Cain in mod special, un blend de "straight-ligero", promite sa fie ieftin si bun, asa cum ne-a invatat Gilberto Oliva ca trebuie sa fie un trabuc. Ah, si inca ceva. Un trabuc bun se cunoaste dupa finish. Cea ce tocmai mi se intampla acum, si e in continuare foarte bine, ceea ce va doresc si voua pe finalul asta de an.

Holy Grail (The miniature version)

The Compass Camera was manufactured by the Swiss watch-makers Le Coultre et Cie for the Compass Cameras Ltd., based in London. It was conceived and designed by Noel Pemberton Billing, an airman and Member of Parliament. The camera was launched in March 1937, and it was at least available in London until 1941.

‘Compass: the embodiment of scientific system in miniature cameras. Built like a watch – as simple to use.’
- Advertisement, 1938

The other way of looking

Go ahead, have it all. Why bother focusing? Just take the picture and decide later what should be in focus and what shoudn't. Check out another revolutionary camera that promises to deliver a different way of looking at things: the new Lytro. 

O teorie alternativa despre cauzele crizei mondiale

Jazz si altele

Incercati Jacky Terrasson, Harold Lopez Nussa sau un Fred Pallem absolut incredibil, din seria concertelor live de la Le Duc des Lombards. Eu am mai pus peste asta si un solo foarte bun al lui Pedro Negrescu pe Autumn Song al lui Johnny Raducanu, undeva in Brasov. Si in aceasi seara, un drum pe la Gaudeamus si "Requiem. Nu stii nimic despre mine" in Bucuresti.

A fost incredibil de bine. Uitasem ca viata poate fi asa.

Iaca am mai luat un premiu

... unul mic si amarat la Internetics, sectiunea Telecomunicatii, tot pentru "Scrie pe cer". Da' e de luat, nu e de dat, Domnul fie laudat. Lasa ca facem altadata succese internationale.

It's here

The best 50mm on the planet: the Summicron f2.

What to have (V)

A Peterson Hudson. A reinvented classic, a slightly bent bulldog I fell in love with.

Robert Longo

A picture from his excelent series Yingxiong (Heroes).
More here.

The Empire Strikes Back

This is a smart move that will probably stay in the history of photography: Polaroid makes a comeback with Z340, the digital instant photography system.The camera uses 3x4 Zink inkless film that prints in full color in under a minute and a 14 megapixel sensor. More here.

Zenul pentru gradinari

Imi doresc sa fiu un pitic de gradina.

Jane Bown

Jane Bown, 60 years of portraits.
More here.

What to have (IV)

A 1953 De Soto Adventurer

Where to drink in Bucharest

If what you drink is more important than the decor, it's quite simple: Flair Angel. A while ago, five of the best Romanian bartenders thought about having a place of their own, up to their high standards of bartending. Meet Marius Gogoasa,  a.k.a. ObyWan, Costin Bucur a.k.a. Creasta, Adrian  Caradeanu a.k.a. Postasu, Ionut Ivanov a.k.a. Lipoveanu, Valentin Luca a.k.a. FlairManiac. We are talking Mount Olympus here: Vali is one of the best bartenders in the world, as confirmed at the The Roadhouse Flair World Finals, his friends coming close by.

So get there. Ask for a drink. Watch the show. Sip it. And you just had one of the best drinking experiences in the world.

What to have (III)

 No, seriously, this is a pipe, made by the best Romanian pipe maker out there - Rolando Negoita.  

Atelier 7, from the Art Deco series.

Where to go

Istoria în 192 de imagini. Afişul polonez 1917 – 2007

O expozitie buna, un pic prea centrata pe posterul social si propagandistic si mai putin pe posterul de film/teatru, care a facut celebra scoala poloneza. Oricum, de vazut. O mai gasiti pana pe 8 ianuarie la Muzeul Naţional de Artă al României, corp Ştirbei (str. Ştirbei Vodă 1-3, intrare prin dreapta Muzeului).

What to have (II)

A wonderful, oversized rusticated Moretti pipe.

DIY: Improvising a tamper

Like the most of you, I have developed this special ability of making my pipe tampers disappear into thin air, from time to time. Let me tell you one thing: while stupidity kills, simplicity and improvisation keep you alive. And the best way to improvise on the go is to base your solution design on widely available resources.

If you need an instant pipe tamper, just get a coin and a paperclip.
First, fold the paperclip.
Second, insert the coin into the grip.

Here you go, you have an instant pipe tamper, just light up and have a smoke... Merry Christmas and... matches, anyone?!

How to sell shoes

How to kill Claudius

What to have (I)

Pereche de pipe Peterson din perioada pre republicana (1906, ca sa fim mai exacti). 

Jocul numerelor (II)

8 din 10 femei si-ar schimba samponul in Fa Nutriskin. 

Si totusi de ce nu o fac, domnule copywriter?

Gand cu Osama

Daca Osama bin Laden ar fi jucat intr-un musical, stiti cum s-ar fi chemat?
Unora le place Hajj-ul!

All rejoice!

Scrie pe cer e pe short list la Golden Drum :)

P.S. (late edit) Cineva in mod cert nu a tinut pumnii, altfel nu imi explic cum am pierdut. Ia, aratati palmele, sa vedem cine nu are semne rosii ...

Jocul numerelor (I)

Aplicator magic dublu. Gene de pana la cincisprezece ori mai voluminoase.

Steve McCurry: a retrospective

Holy Grail

"...In the mid-1930s, a legendary soft-focus lens, the Thambar 90mm f2.2 was designed, and made in small numbers between 1935 and 1949, no more than 3000 units. It is a rare collector's item today."

Why should you use film

Damn good news

Ricoh's GXR, one of the most versatile systems out there just got better. The company just announced a M-Mount module ($649) that houses a 12 megapixel APS-C size sensor and of course, a Leica M-Mount to attach your favorite Leica glass. To complement the manual nature of Leica-style shooting, they've added various new features including a focus-assist function for increased manual shooting accuracy. Available this September. 

What does it mean, in the long run? That Fuji, along with other competitors, will do the same and most probably will have to do it quite quickly. We should get prepared for a Fuji X200 / X300 for Christmas, I reckon.

Holy Grail (The cut throat edition)

"...Wilkinson-Latham contacted Charles Rose, head of the experimental workshop at Wilkinson Sword Company's factory in Southfield Road, Acton, London W3. He charged Rose, and the firm's foreman   grinder, Mr. Martin, with the task of producing three prototype Fairbairn-Sykes knives.

Of these three prototypes, one is known to survive. Fairbairn kept it with him until the day of his death. From 1942 to 1960, he carried it in an OSS All-Ways scabbard. This scabbard, known among OSS trainees as the "pancake flapper," was designed by Fairbairn for the OSS and manufactured in the United States.

Wishing to spare the collector the nuisance of counterfeits, we will omit giving a detailed description of this prototype, save to say that it has distinctive features in common with the other two prototypes.

Of the two remaining specimens, one was presented to Sykes and is presumed lost. The other was retained by the factory. It was, in time, given to Wilkinson-Latham's grandson, Robert, when the latter was eleven years old. A year later, Robert traded it to a school chum for a bayonet. We may set our fancy to work, and imagine this unique specimen resting in the collection of some fortunate, although unknowing, knife collector."

Camera porn

A curious accident (involving a certain cat)

Beautiful Swear Words

via Laur.

O mina perfecta in muntele de sila.

Iarasi atingem peretii cu mana.

Andre Kertesz la MNAC

Despre placerea intima a lecturii. Merita vazut.

Nice and short

Hometown, de Gheorghe Andrei. Filmat cu o lentila tilt-shift.

Daca

... as fi avut timp, as fi mers aici.

Quite a busy week-end

I've seen a good movie on Friday, bought a Dahon Mu Uno bike on Saturday, been Editor's Choice on badorgood.com for the second time with "Hunted" and smoked my first Arturo Fuente Opus X on Sunday.

More to come. Stay tuned.

Just a good movie you should see

Good Music

Must listen: Youn Sun Nah live at the Jazz sous Les Pommiers Festival. Next year, it's gonna be Normandy all over again. Caen, just one hour away of Port en Bessin Huppain.

Holy Grail (The too late edition)

Lot #821: James Dean's Rolleiflex Camera, Tripod and Case Circa 1954

"This was James Dean's Rolleiflex camera, tripod and case that was given to him by his close friend and photography instructor Roy Schatt while he was learning photography. The famed photographer, responsible for the iconic photographs he took of Dean in 1954, including the "Torn Sweater" series, was Dean's friend and teacher in the last year and a half of Dean's life. At that time Schatt loaned this camera equipment to Dean and he can be seen with the camera here in one of Schatt's famous shots of Dean at the Dakota in New York City. Walking with Schatt and actor/friend Martin Landau, Dean jumped over a rail in front of the Dakota and Roy took this photograph of Dean photographing them. These images and details of the close friendship between Schatt and Dean can be found in Schatt's famed book "James Dean, A Portrait" which accompanies this lot. The camera and accessories come from Roy Schatt's family and a letter from the family accompanies this lot."

Estimate:                                                              $6,000-$8,000
Minimum Bid:                                                    $1,000
Final Bid (Includes Buyers Premium):     $5,026.80
Number of bids:                                                 5
Ended:                                                                  10.16.2010

Well, too late.

Sunt cei sapte pitici in drumul lor spre mina.

    16         3           2         13


     5         10         11         8   


     9          6           7         12   


     4         15         14         1

Un descriptor

... pe o firma, undeva in drumul spre masa de pranz: ''sisteme de umbra".

Fotografic, stam bine

All rejoice, Peter Pan este  Editor's Choice pe badorgood.com :)

How to sell 2000 billboards

Well, let's say you've got a friend who's a doomsday profet and he convinces his 200 million fans that they should invest some money into letting people know all about those earthquakes and that big famine that will come... sounds a little far fetched, isn't it? :) More here.

On the M6 TTL dial

The great Italian designer, Alessi, said that the Leica M camera body is one of the few designs of the 20th century which he thought was so perfect he would never try to change.

Well, I can tell you right now, he never used the damn thing. If he did, he would definitely change the shutter speed dial (among other things).

The M6 TTL dial is suppose to be, let's quote Leica on that,"... ergonomically perfect: it is easy to use and can be operated with the camera held to one eye.". I beg to differ. First, it's hard to get with the camera held to one eye. Second, I would say that "buttery smooth" is not an accurate description of its action. I don't know, maybe the butter I get uses a different recipe - I would say that one finger, thumb or index easy action could qualify for this description, but this is not the case.  I understand both aesthetics and the need to protect the dial from accidental tripping, but I would gladly trade putting a supplementary on/off  switch for the meter (it could be easily accommodated on the battery cover compartment, that could become an on / off switch itself) over the need of having a 1 mm bigger, a little bit forward moved, onward protruding dial that will make index operation a breeze. 

I bet that having a 1 mm rubberized grip on it will definitely improve the ergonomics of the design. Also, it wouldn't hurt to have a smoother action, but unfortunately this is not for me to tackle with.

So, this is it. I have a new project to play with. 

Wishlist revisited

Hasselblad 500 C/M sau un SWC
Lentile: un 60 mm si un 80 de mm;


Rolleiflex 2.8F. Merge si un 3.5E sau F:)


Voigtlander R4A (gata, s-a rezolvat, l-am luat)
Lentile: un Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.1 sau 1.5, un Nokton 35mm 1.8, un Ultron 28mm 2.0,  intre timp mi-am luat un Ultron 35mm 1.7 si un Skopar Snapshot 25mm 4 necuplat; un Color Heliar 75mm 2.5 pentru portrete; APO Lanthar-ul de 90mm 3.5 asa, sa fie un telefoto in casa; vizoare pentru toate lentilele de mai sus (prietenii care poarta ochelari stiu de ce);

Nikon D7000 digital, un FM2/Titanium si un F6 pe film
Lentile: un 50mm 1.4 pentru Nikon, un 12-24mm, 85mm 1.4, 85mm 1.8 avem, multumim pentru intentie.

Fuji X100 sau X300 cand o sa iasa. Daca o sa iasa.


Leica CL
Lentila: Summicron-ul de 40mm 2

Leica M6 TTL sau M7; un M9, peste 5 ani;
Tri-Elmar ul de 28-35-50mm 4
Summicron-ul  de 50mm 2
Summicronul de 35mm 2
Elmarit-ul de 90mm f2.8

M-am cam linistit cu SLR-urile:
Canon AE-1 Program
Olympus Pen FT
Pentacon Six

Niste rangefindere:
Zeiss Super Ikonta A 531/2
Zeiss Super Ikonta B 532/16 (din toata saracia, inainte sa platesc darile la Stat...)
Zeiss Ikon Kolibri (Guess what... :)
Zeiss Werra
Contax Zeiss IIA/IIIa
FED Siberia
Plaubel Makina 67
Hasselblad Xpan sau un Fuji TX-1 (more or less the same)
Hensoldt Hensa Reporter
Gandolfi Precision
Steinheil Casca II 
Konica Hexar RF
Konica Hexar AF
Canon L1
Yasuhara T-981
Mamiya 7II

Sa intram si in compacte:
Ricoh GR21 sau un Ricoh GR1s
Ricoh 500G
Leica Minilux
Leica CM
Rollei 35 SE
Fuji KlasseW
Minox 35 GT
Olympus 35SP 
Nikon 28Ti sau 35Ti
Minolta TC1
Konica S3 Auto
Olympus XA
Olympus 35RD
Yashica T5

Instant things:
Polaroid 690
Polaroid 600SE

Asa, mai pe departe: o Moskva, un Kiev, un Kalimar Reflex, un Bencini Comet III, un Tessina, un Graflex de presa, un Minox Riga, un Minox MX, un Exakta Varex VX, o lentila Zeiss Sonnar Ultron de 50mm 1.5, o prisma metered pentru Bronica ETRSi, un incarcator profesional, un set de 8 acumulatori R6 buni.

si mult timp liber, daca se poate.

Looking back

Emil Hossu.

News flash

Aviz domnisoarelor: floarea de coral roz este noua proteina de casmir. Pai cum pentru ce? Pentru spalat pe creier.

Epiphanies

I know that this one is not for the average Joe, but I've had two revelatons lately: the Ilford Delta XP2 black container lid works perfectly as a back cover for the 35mm f1.7 Voigtlander Ultron lens, while a Spitfire beer will fit perfectly inside a medium neoprene lens pouch.

In other words, I've just came back from Kent. And the Spitfire is really really good, just like its advertising.

Holy Grail

"1949 -50 TSVVS - A remarkable camera taking the Contax bayonet mount and Leica body to produce a hybrid camera. Produced in very small numbers for presentation to senior officers in the Topographic Service of the army air force known as the TSVVS. A much modified Fed with brass body rather than aluminium fitted with a genuine Contax bayonet mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar f1.5 or f2 50mm lens taken as spoils of war from the Zeiss factory at Jena. Again a lot of fakes in circulation. The true origin of the TSVVS camera is still unknown. Two major circulating theories are that the camera has either been manufactured at Moscow's Almaz factory or it had been ordered for manufacture by the Soviets from East Germany (possibly Zeiss, but it is also not confirmed). This camera is probably the most mysterious in nature out of all Soviet cameras. An old belief that this camera was made by FED factory is disputed by the fact that the body is wholly made out of brass and it is different dimensions physically than the FED-1 cameras..."

Suntem pe FWA Public Shortlist :)

E bine, zic.

Scriepecer + Best ads = Love :)

Bai, vestea buna e ca scriepecer.ro e mentionat pe Best Ads la sectiunea Best Interactive of the Week. E pentru a doua oara in istorie cand un proiect romanesc ajunge prin sectiunea in cauza, baietii de la X3 ne-au luat-o inainte.

Vestea proasta e ca mi-am gasit masina cu bara fata busita in parcare. Probabil ca zeii advertisingului au cerut un sacrificiu, e singura explicatie.

Holy Grail

Especially for the North American market, a special edition of the Rollei C 35 with an artificial leather covering in traffic-red, yellow-orange, deer-brown, steel-blue and white was produced, counting 100 items for each color. But as these test samples did not cause much interest, they were not quoted in any price list.

Looking over the table

When reason fails, you get Brand Managers.

Accidental

Exista o legatura inspaimantatoare intre mita data de romani doctorului si aplauzele de la aterizarea avioanelor low cost. Intr-o tara in care se aplauda mult si mai ales aiurea-n tramvai, intrarea in normalitate va fi in mod cert lipsita de aplauze. Slava Domnului, suntem atat de marlani, incat nici nu o sa stim ce ne-a lovit.

Glass nost!

This is definitely the best idea in packaging i've seen for quite a time: Marks & Spencer does wine in a glass. The only downside is that's not really glass, but plastic. Well, can't have it all.

Fumer, c'est mourir un peu

Daca vreti sa ma faceti fericit, iata o reteta simpla: pe 30 noiembrie mergeti la vila Marcel Dessault cam pe la opt seara - o sa o recunoasteti usor, nu sunt multe stabilimente pe Champs Elysees cu un avion de vanatoare Mirage in curte - da' dupa ce iesiti de la retrospectiva Monet de la Grand Palais, ca altfel e pacat de dupa-amiaza de dinainte. Intrati la Dorotheum si licitati pentru obiectul de mai sus. Dupa care il impachetati frumos, ma sunati si imi spuneti ca aveti o surpriza pentru mine. Pai cum de ce? Pentru ca dupa ce o sa dati un milion si jumate pe un "Sarut" licitat in acelasi lot, cei cinci mii de euro pentru pipa asta cioplita in joaca de Brancusi  o sa vi se para peanuts money. Practic e contravaloarea pontului.

E, acum o sa se vada cati miliardari seriosi si iubitori de tara imi citesc blogul. Domnule Vantu, this is a huge PR opportunity: repatriati o opera de arta, o sa va iubeasca toate femeile din Gorj!

Adam (Paradise Lost)

Here I was, 50 meters offshore of this small white sanded island in the Libyan Sea, floating effortlessly in pure turquoise waters. Then I saw him, sitting under his tree, innocence lost.

I swam back, grabbed my camera, changed to an 85mm lens in 3 seconds flat. I covered the 100 m between us fast but stealthy. When I reached the scene, she was there, and so was her guilt; they were silent, questions unasked. I went unnoticed.

One eternity later, she left; the world, in all its uncanny splendor, was waiting for her. He went back under the tree. I frozed for 20 seconds, hidding in plain sight, stone still.

He stud there, head in his hands, the same image of desoIation that got me there. I shot six pictures. Then I rested.

Ardelenii stiu sa vaca

"Napolact - lapte din inima naturii, cum numai ardelenii stiu sa faca."

Avem doua ipoteze de lucru, dar si o posibila explicatie: ori laptele asta e procesat de ardeleni, deci nu mai e chiar natural cand ajunge in ambalaj, ori ardelenii in cauza dau lapte. Sincer. cred ca avem de-a face cu un copywriter din regiune, cu ochi mari, privire blanda si uger plin de insight.