Tuesday, January 27, 2009

The camera for sale, continued


The body shows some signs of wear; the picture's white balance is wrong; I've had enough of this, I'm going to bed.

The B&BBQ picture (made from multiple photos stitched together) on the Crockett California group page on facebook was taken with this camera.

Another picture of the camera for sale


The back of the camera.

The XT's lens


The XT's EF 28-90mm lens. I got this as a refurbished lens from Adorama Camera just after I got the camera.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Dysfunctional Canon XT \ 350D for sale, $190


I have a Canon XT, with a factory refurbished lens, a new battery and a new charger (works with AC and in the car), a homemade AC adapter, two new memory batteries, a lens caps and a body cap.

I'm asking $190.00

Here's the catch:

This camera has the ERR99 problem: every so often the camera will display the message "err99" and not do anything else for a while, and then it works again, maybe hours or days later. When the camera's not working, if there's a battery or a power adapter in the camera then there's a buzz like a small geared motor running for some fraction of a second; the sound repeats about twice every second.

This could be due to a problem with the shutter or mirror mechanisms; it could also be a problem with the electronics. The problem could be that the camera was abused in it's childhood, and has a deep-seated fear of success. Or maybe it's just lazy, or it just doesn't like people much.

Two of the basic fixes for the problem that the Canon people recommend are to remove both batteries, turn the power switch to 'on,' and leave it like that for a few minutes; the other is to clean the lens contacts on the lens and on the body with a pencil eraser.

I've tried those, and I've replaced the memory battery, and it works for a while, and then the problem comes back. I decided that I didn't want to take the camera apart to see what's bothering it, so I'm selling it as-is instead.

You might be able to fix it, or you could send it to the Canon people to be fixed (and I think that your final cost for the camera will be around what you would pay for a refurbished camera.)

For information about the err99 problem:
http://www.google.com/search?q=canon+err99

And search eBay for the prices of "as-is" XTs. They're still expensive, so the camera body has value as it is. It could be parted out to get the most return on it, if it can't be fixed. If want to try and fix it, and you can't, then you should be able to sell everything and recoup your costs.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Mt. Diablo some more



Near the summit, looking North-West.

Drive-by photo of an oak tree on Alhambra Ave.


I keep trying to get a decent picture of this tree - while simultaneously driving at 50 or 60 mph on a two-lane road. This one has some weird colors on the right, a lot of noise, and some windshield dirt.

The hawk sitting on the phone pole kept the photo out of the bit bucket.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Mount Diablo


This is a rock formation is called "Devil's Pulpit," and it's near the summit of Mt. Diablo.

This didn't turn out as well as I'd like; it's not very sharp, and the sky is kind of ugly (and I had to crop it to remove part of a hat).

Self portrait #1


This is a picture of me reflected in a curvy glass thing at SF MoMA. In an undistorted picture I would be much taller and more muscular, and less dork-like.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Blog?

The word blog sounds like the thing you say when, while examining plants out in the garden, you find a slug on the back of your hand.

[waving hand furiously to dislodge mollusks] "Blog! Bloggggg!"

It's kind of fun to imagine this happening to someone else.