ARM Revisited!

Back in 2009, I wrote the series of articles on rail barge service between Seattle and Whittier, Alaska. I rode this tug, Western Towboat's "Alaska Titian," from the Lake Washington Ship Canal to Harbor Island,

where she made up with the "F/B Whittier Provider." This unique barge carries a deck load of rail cars, and shipping containers and other stuff on an overhead rack.

Poor photos are showcased in this offering. Citing "Executive Privilege," I foist them off on my quality conscious audience, with the lame excuse that I have not mastered my latest acquisition, a Panasonic Lumix ZS50.

I've only had the camera for about a week, so am still learning how to use it with confidence. Riding a ferry at dusk, on a windy stormy evening, obviously not the setting to learn-on-the-fly, setup the control ring for shutter speed!

ColReg 13 - Again!

Wednesday afternoon, I was returning from an appointment in Seattle. Noting the time, around 5:30 p.m., I was curious to see if we would cross paths with Alaska Railbelt Marine, now Alaska Rail Marine, which I knew departed Harbor Island, Seattle, around 5:00 p.m. each Wednesday, on her conveyor belt service to Whittier.

Soon after we departed westbound from Edmonds, I gazed to the south, and noted that the eastbound ferry, "Walla Walla," had stopped, shortly after departing Kingston Washington. And quickly it became apparent why:

The westbound ferry I was riding, "Spokane," departed Edmonds at 5:25 p.m., and created another contentious ColReg 13 passing situation, involving the eastbound ferry "Walla Walla," Mediterranean Shipping Company (another MSC vessel) container ship "Anya," and Alaska Rail Marine (ARM) rail barge service to Whittier, Alaska, with Western Towboat "Alaska Titan."

Belching a huge plume of black carbon-laden smoke, the 5,043 t.e.u. MSC "Anya" throttled up from cruising speed to flank speed, completing a starboard - port passing of the "Alaskan Titan."

Flipped Camera

The latest camera is the Panasonic Lumix ZS50. I had previously spent months researching compact camera form factor and specifications.The main selling points that prompted me to acquire the Nikon CoolPix 7800 was articulating monitor, hot shoe, and 3.5mm audio jack. But the Nikon P7800 went away on eBay a few weeks ago, replaced by former 2nd place choice, Panasonic Lumix ZS50.

•  Long reach zoom; Nikon 7.1x vs. ZS50 30x.
•  Vastly superior 1080p HD video recording; Nikon, 1080/60i, at 18.8 Mbps. vs. Panasonic 1080/60p, 28 Mbps. (Higher bitrate = better quality.)

When I shoot some of the rail video I am planning, I will fall back to the tried and true audio recorder and clapper/slate for sound synchronization in my digital video solution, Sony Platinum 13.

The bitrate made all the difference in the world. I shot video with the Nikon 7800 at the Polar Pioneer shoot, and was royally pissed off at the "focus hunting" and lack of 1080p/60.

As a career videographer, building my first TV studio in 1972, I knew the pioneers in video were JVC (Japan Victor Corp.), Panasonic, and Sony. So, I asked myself, why would I look to Nikon for video excellence?

This gnawed at me so incessantly that I sold the CoolPix P7800 on eBay and purchased the Panasonic Lumix ZS50, within the past few weeks. The switch was a zero-zero expense!

Since becoming a Septuagenarian, I've made a determined effort to pack a high performance camera that will fit in my shirt pocket. The objective; to be free from a bulky camera and camera bag, allowing unencumbered freedom, whilst exploring with my Production Assistant "GingerSnap," leash on my left hand.

I had a bad accident with GingerSnap years ago, trying to grasp a bulky camera, camera bag, and wriggling doggie, which resulted in her suffering a broken leg.

I have succeeded with the ZS50. If only the ZS50 had a dedicated 3.5 mm audio input, articulating monitor and hot shoe, I would be in camera heaven.  But like all photographers, I've had to refine my expectation.

As you can see from initial results, I've a long learning curve to master my "downsizing is best for me" shirt pocket camera modus operandi.