Vast angle of view

Ridgeline trail between Fox Hollow & Willamette, May 9. (Lumix GX-85 w/14-140mm zoom.)

It’s 22:22, 24-hour notation. 10:22 p.m. colloquially here in the U.S. Not my normal blogging time. I was planning to write an entry this morning, and planning not to do any radio today. But instead, the RFR urge bit me and I succumbed, and neglected the blog. However, here I am!

We had a nice week of mellow celebrations: our legal marriage anniversary (38th!), my birthday, our “big wedding” anniversary (2 days after our legal hitching, in our backyard), and Mother’s Day. 

My 2025 birthday gadget has been great: a Leica 9mm f/1.7 ultra wide angle lens. Very bright and sharp, with a lovely and vast angle of view. I’ve only shot around the house and out in the yard with it; still waiting for an opportunity to test it out in public. I want to do interesting things with it, not just basic landscapes, so probably downtown and university architecture, and maybe I’ll try street photography at Saturday Market or something. We’ll see.

The 9mm has been living on my new GM1. It doesn’t overwhelm the tiny camera body like many micro four thirds lenses tend to. I actually quite like the combo. The lens is light and has a diameter not significantly exceeding that of the GM1’s lens mount, so my fingers aren’t crowded.

It’s been a coolish day, raining off and on, interspersed with some periods of sun peeking through clouds. We stayed inside and enjoyed our gas fireplace with the kitties.

Radio Free Random: I’ve been playing with two different setups over the last few days. One) is “Studio B” which is a basic mixer + 2020 MacBook + CD player + microphone to a streaming computer (Windows 10 running OBS Studio) that sends the signal to Mixcloud over the internet. I use the Mac for playing tracks, chatting in the Mixcloud chatbox, and googling. Two) is “Studio X” which is my new MacBook running everything, no added gear—just music streaming software for playing tracks, an app called Blackhole routing audio internally to OBS which streams out to Mixcloud over wifi, and a browser for chatting and googling. I use the MacBook’s built-in microphone for voiceoves, which works okay but is a bit echoey and picks up ambient sounds in the house. I have to tell Mrs. Random “Okay, I’m doing a voiceover in 20 seconds” so she doesn’t think I’m talking to her and so that she doesn’t suddenly start talking to me. It works out.

New webcam view for Radio Free Random (Studio B)

What’s new is the addition of webcams, which my audience has been gently clamoring for. I guess seeing the DJ while he works is alluring in some way. They like the feeling of connection that a live visual adds. For Studio B, I purchased a new webcam last week, and for Studio X I use the MacBook’s built-in webcam. Now I have to make sure my hair is combed, I’m shaved, there’s nothing caught in my teeth, and I’m reasonably dressed—at least from the waist up.

Here are a couple shots with the new 9mm lens….

Today in front of our house. It just parked there for five minutes and then left.

Our "monster rose" in a far back corner of our backyard. That fence on the left is 8 feet tall.