Category: Nikon

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 19, 202610:09 pm

Bodacious Bather

Sometimes you can’t let a bad photo go. Focal point is not on the bird, because of my clumsiness handling the autofocus. I was rushed after seeing the predator swoop down for a refreshing dip and drink at the water puddle.

I used some of Lightroom’s detail editing tech to recover as much clarity as the tools and my skills could accomplish; no AI fakery. The close-cropped Featured Image comes from Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens on Dec. 16, 2025. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 200, 1/500 sec, 200mm; 10:45 p.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 17, 202610:10 pm

An Iris for Your Troubles?

All I wanted was to share the Featured Image, converted to JPG from RAW. More than an hour after I started said process, progress was zero. The photo was pixeled in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom and editing option was greyed out. No online search, even with Artificial Intelligence insight, revealed any discernable solution.

I worked on ARM-based Samsung Galaxy Book4 Edge, running native Lightroom. I eventually abandoned the effort, because the night waned away; I don’t like to give up without solving something. I instead processed the NEF file on Intel-based Microsoft Laptop Studio, which is older and considerably slower—and with atrociously disappointing battery life.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 16, 20269:54 pm

That’s not a Citrus Tree, It’s a Grove!

To commemorate the (so far) unceasingly unseasonably warm weather, I present the Featured Image and companion, which communicate something about living in Southern California. Look at the tree, which, unless my eyes are mistaken, presents several different citrus fruits.

Yesterday was the hottest day during this protracted summer-like period here in San Diego. Temperature reached 26 degrees Celsius (80 Fahrenheit). Today marked a slight cooling trend: 25 C (77 F). We can expect about the same air temperature tomorrow.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 3, 20268:56 pm

Nikon Zf: Alley Harley Film Grain

Early fourth quarter, Nikon released firmware version 3.0 for the retro-styled Zf, which I own. Among the many new features is built-in recipe (e.g. filter) film grain, which styling is succinctly named. When flipped on, the camera captures a standard photo in RAW and nostalgic film look in JPG.

But how meaningful is it, really? Let’s compare with the alley Harley that I photographed in early December 2025 using the zf; I converted the color original to monochrome in post-production. The Featured Image was film grain-stylized in camera, six days later on the 16th of the month. Additionally, the Zf has a dedicated switch for shooting black and white; both capabilities were active.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 1, 20269:27 pm

Return to Facebook

As explained yesterday, major anniversaries are coming, or recently passed, for a number of the cloud services that I have long subscribed to. For example, X, formerly Twitter, reached 20 years on Christmas day. Yeah, I registered in 2005. YouTube will be two decades on July 20. Then there is Facebook—around October 1.

I don’t love Facebook. The user interface is needlessly complicated, which must mean that’s by choice. For one, co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is a socially handicapped geek, and he designed a social network that defines how people interact online? Seriously? For another, the company’s profit-driven business model is all about time online—how long can somebody stay engaged and exposed to advertising. Deliberate design helps achieve that objective, by making people click, click, click.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 11, 20259:30 pm

Something Sweet Before the Sour Comes

Two weeks to Christmas, time comes to start spreading holiday cheer—decorations, too—and pledge to keep the spirit alive all through the upcoming year. My wife and I dispatched holiday cards today, for the first time in a couple of ages (yeah, too long a time). A final batch goes in the mail tomorrow—followed by, during the coming days, distribution to local friends and neighbors.

The candy canes come courtesy of San Diego Zoo, where we saw them on Nov. 10, 2025. Yeah, Christmas starts early there but means less this year because of the big bah, humbug coming on January 5. Parking will no longer be free for everyone at the zoo, nor in adjoining Balboa Park.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 10, 20258:19 pm

In the Alley with Harley

San Diego’s three-season Summer makes motorcycle riding an enticing transportation option for many residents. Then there is California law, which permits cutting the lane; it’s a common practice, too. You’re stuck in traffic, for example, while a motorcyclist weaves between vehicles and advances.

The practice is all the more unsettling, when a motorcycle suddenly races up from behind between you and other fast-moving cars, SUVs, trucks, and more! I am surprised that there aren’t more accidents caused by the driving tactic. I needn’t say but must: Don’t text and ride, please.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 2, 20259:52 pm

University Heights Fall Festival 2025

According to the Camelot Climate Index, San Diego has the best weather in the United States. San Francisco and Los Angeles follow close behind. But even with three seasons of Summer, October can prove to be unpredictable. Cooler, cloudier days are common enough to spoil outdoor public events.

Organizers of the University Heights Fall Festival, and all the locals attending, lucked out on Oct. 18, 2025. Blue skies, drier air, and pleasant 28 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit) made the annual gathering the outdoor destination of the area. Families abounded, and I wondered where hide all these young parents and kids. I don’t see many about otherwise.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 15, 202510:17 pm

The Rally That Wasn’t Much

The majority of political email automatically goes to the junk folder. I never designated the status, choosing instead to let Gmail haul the messages away by default. But one from Amy Reichert of Restore San Diego plopped into my inbox this morning. “Stand with us as we call on Governor Newsom to reject AB 495”, she wrote. A rally was scheduled for 10 a.m. PDT at San Diego Unified School District offices about 10 minutes’ walk (thanks to traffic lights) from my apartment. I had to go.

Depending on who you speak to, AB 495 either protects immigrant kids threatened by ICE raids or puts them at risk because the law would let seemingly anyone intercede and grab your children. The thinking there is that California is about to enable anyone to legally snatch kids—ah, for their protection. They could belong to non-immigrant families and be taken using other justifications.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 8, 202510:09 pm

The Rally at 1526 Meade Avenue

The city’s obsession with adding more housing shocks by the day. Cute, historic homes are leveled and replaced by multi-level residential buildings that are typically rentals (no condos for you, Bud) and explicitly turn out to be so-called micro-units (tiny space, big monthly payment). These new builds tower over single-family homes and/or two-story apartments/condos, dramatically obliterating local character and robbing existing homes of airflow and sunlight.

Justification: Housing shortage. That’s a lie. According to Zillow, there are currently 18,499 rentals available across San Diego County. For sale: 8,101 homes. That sure looks like plenty of inventory to me. According to Point2Homes, which business is helping people find places to rent, there are 6,142 “housing units” in my community of University Heights. Zillow says 279 of them are currently for rent; but not all list on the service, so the number should be higher.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 22, 20257:21 pm

Park and Fine

A strange, dystopian drama of greed and malice plays out in San Diego—as the mayor and city council seemingly punish citizens for failing to approve a ballot measure last November that would have raised the local sales tax. The taste of recently reaped parking revenues, from a new ordinance, has the city chasing cash like sharks drawn to blood in the water.

On Jan. 1, 2025, but not fully enforced for another two months, a new statewide daylighting law went into effect that technically prohibits parking vehicles any closer than 20 feet from a crosswalk. But practically, any intersection where someone can cross applies. Initially, San Diego meter men and women handed out $77.50 tickets—more than 4,000 in less than the first 60 days. The, ah, program was so successful that the city quickly raised the fine to $117.50.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 30, 20257:29 pm

A Better Place to Be

This afternoon, I took the NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens out for a field test, attached to Nikon Zf. I trucked over to Old Trolley Barn Park, where I expected to find people who could be photographed discreetly from a distance. That’s my purpose for the zoom: Candid captures that don’t demand closer proximity—something Leica Q2 required all the time, thanks to its (fabulous) fixed 28mm f/1.7 lens.

On such a pleasant day, I expected to see more people hanging out on the grass. My timing was off; choices were few. The Featured Image and companion are close crops of single shots; I gave myself one opportunity for each.