Berto

What is the weight of all the gear etc? Did you look at the specs on that benro? I use that as my principle tripod (since technically I never shoot in a studio everything is travel, am-rite?) I really really like it. Dad got one too. But then again my heaviest set up is the D3100 with the sigma 10-20.

Where were all the sweet aerial shots? Saw the dude playing with the RC there. LOL at the RAM with the tow mirrors flipped up, didn't even have a ball on the hitch.

So this week I decided I would catch up on the truck cleanliness. Last week put a new wheel bearing on it, then ended up needing to do new calipers, and a turbo back stainless exhaust :yay:. Then it hauled us down to black mountain. So anyway got it washed and then sealed the paint with the Zaino sealer instead of wax, lets see how long it lasts. For the pics below I was actually out looking for subjects to a photo assignment 'Abandoned and discarded'. Found a few abandoned barns but they had 'private property' signs posted and I just didn't man up. So I got a few pics of the truck. I know these aren't great but the forum is dead so deal with it. After I got home I realized my ISO was at 1600 a(FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU). 1 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2557.jpg 2 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2568.jpg 3 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2593.jpg 4 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2558.jpg 5 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2560.jpg 6 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Dodge%20Ram/051312_2578.jpg

Its basically the same concept as the Allergy shot. If you expose yourself to the allergens on a regular basis, eventually your body will build antibodies against it. Obviously this only targets pollen allergies. I have VERY severe allergies, nothing seemed to work. Been on Nasonex this year and it has literally changed my life. You can't just spray when you feel the allerges are coming on, you realy have to spray once a day to keep it working right.

So the video is pretty boring. I had another one that was a bit better but it was too long an deleted by Youtube (after 2.5 hours uploading!!!) Basically this is at Black Mountain in Evarts, KY. You may have seen a few of the other pictures from the trip. The video starts at the top of what is called the 'stadium' ( 1/4 circle worth of climbs with 4-5 steps on the way up, lot of fun to jump on the way up) Then at the bottom there is a real rocky trail (its a huge pain to go up) there are lots of pretty good sized rocks and make it hard to climb. The video really doesn't do it justice. Towards the end there is a pretty good drop off, You can see me chicken out from riding my buddies quad down it, I HATE riding someone elses quad. Default resolution is really crappy, you can pick 720p. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYqUQdiCjs4 Anyway here is a pic at the helicopter pad on the top of the mtn. http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Black%20Mountain%202008/DSC04263.jpg Now i'm ready to GOPRO tail of the dragon

Might want to try 're learning' the IAC (idle air control valve) I had weird idle issues after I finished my swap, the IAC was not calibrated. To calibrate it, unplug the valve, then key on (do not run the engine) for some time (30 secs just to be sure) then key off. Plug the sensor back in, Key on for a few seconds then start it up. the IAC should be calibrated at that point. might fix the issues and is easy enough to try.

Just a tip, background (to me) is just as important as the object in the shot. You can have the cleanest car in the world and have the best composition, but if you have your apartment's car ports in the background and you are 1 ft from the curb, it just loses its appeal. IMO. While if you go somewhere try to find a background it actually makes it look like a true 'photo' rather than a 'I washed my car and I want to post it on craigslist' snapshot.

Here is a quick picture of the location we saw the moon at. This was our first ride so we got to see the fog lifting out of the valleys. Unfortunately I was too worried to get my good photo gear muddy. http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Black%20Mountain%202008/DSC04259.jpg http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Black%20Mountain%202008/DSC04263.jpg

Unfortunately I was in Kentucky 4 wheeling without my camera gear. But I captured incredible shots for my memory bank. We rode up at night to a helicopter pad at the top of one of the mountains and caught a beautiful site of the moon. It was amazing, really wish i had my camera.

Search no longer I was in the same predicament as you and have the answer! I had a garmin 650 and the battery was wore out and it was locked up on me (a fresh battery fixes it but oh well. Garmin 2450LM http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-Widescreen-Portable-Navigator-Lifetime/dp/B003ZX870E/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1336093787&sr=8-1 Reasons its awesome. - 5" display (you can pick smaller displays and they are cheaper) - Most importantly, it has a powered cradle. This means when you remove the GPS the chord stays with the cradle. This is important because most other models you have a USB micro or mini connection which was not designed to be cycled so much and ends up wearing out. The cradle connection is much more robust and designed to handle removal better. My previous garmin (650) had a power cradle also and I loved it. - lifetime maps - didn't care for traffic, I hear it sucks anyways. If you have any questions let me know I really am glad I took the plunge on it. I use it when I travel for work and personal trips.

Lowe's has it. Haven't used it yet, was considering doing the Lip on the RX-7 in it but ended up using hammered paint.

I have the factory service manual if you have any questions on torque specs let me know. I just turned 100k on mine did everything myself (haven't bled the brakes yet), if yours has the chain shouldn't need changed. They say to check it for stretch but its really not necessary if you are up to date with maintenance. Spark plugs was mega easy. I went with Iridium NGK's They are expensive. Got the set of 4 from Ebay for $45 I think.

I got this stuff for my daily drivers. For the shine snobs its not as good as wax but supposedly protects pretty well (its a sealant). Anyone have first hand experience with more info or anecdotal evidence than me? http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-CS&Category_Code=Zaino&Product_Count=7 There is light wiping required but not nearly as intensive as wax. Just spray on and wipe off.

Civic get Mobil 1 synthetic 0w-20 every 5k with pure one filter of mobile 1 filter LS1 RX-7 gets Mobil 1 Synthetic 10w-30 every 5k or 1 yr. same filters as above. Ram gets Valvoline Premium blue 15w-40 with Fleeguard filter w/stratapore.

nice!

Caliper was seized.... everything ok now.

there is a 2 second delay (instead of the 10 sec). I use that instead of digging through my bag for the remote most of the time.

Since you are using a tripod any way for these shots (1 sec plus) I would kick down the aperture a bit.

Yeah they were wearing very even, not a single problem. I can't remember how tight they fit over the bracket but I can check it out (these calipers suck to get off). Both sides seem hard to turn but I can't remember what it was like before. But one side is CLEARLY harder than the other.

So I did one of my front bearings on the truck While I was in there saw that my pads were getting low so I went ahead and got some thermoquiets from advanceautoparts. I went out for a test drive and bedding the pads in, didn't even get to any hard stops and there was smoke rolling off my right front. Stopped to let it cool. drove back slowly on backroads back home. Put the truck up on jackstands everything seems to be assembled right. Both wheels seem hard to turn but the one that was smoking was damn near impossible to turn. Took the wheel off and leveraged the pads back off the rotor some, everything seemed to turn good but then when I applied the brakes again to set them on the rotor and got out to turn the wheel it was seized up again. Long story short everything work great but the caliper doesn't seem to want to rebound back once the brake is released. Is it 'seized'? I've never dealt with seized brake components so not sure if thats what happened. Just doesn't make sense that I wouldn't have noticed it before? the braking has been great. Any input appreciated. Are the new pads maybe too thick?

If I could do it all over I would go with the D5100. I believe I have grown out of my D3100 in less than a year. But its still a great camera that I will probably use as my primary for the next 2-3 yrs. Here is a link to my 10-20 mm sigma lens http://www.columbusracing.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96813&highlight=%27sigma%27

I had my remote flash, with umbrella/stand. But the batteries died. I'll make sure I have them charged up for her 1 yr pics.

cheapoair.com usually seems pretty good. That airtran dealio seems legit too, might have to try them next time I book personal travel

Did the 9 month shoot for my buddy's little girl (closest I'll ever have to a neice!) I love some of these shots but my focus just was not spot on. They are thrilled since most of these are going on 4x6's, but I'm bummed because I know I could do better. This time instead of my 35mm f1.8 I went with the 55-200 lens so I could be a bit farther back. 1 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Fred%20Miranda%20Forum%20Entries/Berto%20Photography/Misc%20Photography/041512_Kenli9mo_2467edited.jpg 2 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Fred%20Miranda%20Forum%20Entries/Berto%20Photography/Misc%20Photography/041512_Kenli9mo_2480edited.jpg 3 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Fred%20Miranda%20Forum%20Entries/Berto%20Photography/Misc%20Photography/041512_Kenli9mo_2500edited.jpg 4 http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c192/BertoBizkit/Fred%20Miranda%20Forum%20Entries/Berto%20Photography/Misc%20Photography/041512_Kenli9mo_2433edited.jpg

nice shots i like 4, 7, 12, and 14.