Cameras, scraped knees and unconscious determination of value

[Ian David]

OK Nick - in the interests of science we now need to work out what piece of kit you own that is as valuable to you as a gonad. I will start working on the details of the experiment
I am sure I have a cricket ball around here somewhere...

Ian

[tlitody]

Neat.
You fell like a cat. A cat will always land on all 4 legs.

Ah but if you drop a piece of buttered toast it always lands butter side down. So what happens if you strap a piece of buttered toast to the back of a cat and toss it out the window? Which up does it land?

[Rick A]

Ah but if you drop a piece of buttered toast it always lands butter side down. So what happens if you strap a piece of buttered toast to the back of a cat and toss it out the window? Which up does it land?

Not that again--we covered that in another thread.

[nick mulder]

Ahhh, the joys of the net - somehow we're now talking about strapping toast to cats and experimenting with gonads

[Poisson Du Jour]

Oh Lord, here we go.

[Curt]

Nick, the Mamiya comment got me thinking about an experience I had in the Valley of Fire State Park in NV. I had my Mamiya on a tripod in my left hand with the tripod extended and under my left arm. I was walking on the side of the road and went off and there was a steep deep ditch and I started down, I picked up speed so reflexes in full action I started to speed up to out run the momentum. I ended up making a flat sliding landing with my left arm stretched out and up to keep the camera from doing a face skid. I tore my knees out and my right palm, elbow and arm had road burn. What a mess, I was alone and got back to the rental car and cleaned up with a paper napkin and half a bottle of water. I was bleeding all the way back to Las Vegas were my wife was at a medical convention. She took one look at me and said what a klutz. Reflexes saved the camera though.

Curt

[nick mulder]

So I'm sensing an obvious theme that I'm not alone in my experience - are cameras and other items of worth serving as proxy babies here ? At least in the part of the brain that deals with this ?

I do note that one member here managed to throw his 'baby' into a river however - very biblical :rolleyes:

[Wade D]

So I'm sensing an obvious theme that I'm not alone in my experience - are cameras and other items of worth serving as proxy babies here ? At least in the part of the brain that deals with this ?

I do note that one member here managed to throw his 'baby' into a river however - very biblical :rolleyes:

LOL I would've saved if I could but that water was deep and COLD! That's what I get for using a 50 year old original leather strap. I'm willing to take a few bruises for my gear.

[Chriscc123]

So I'm sensing an obvious theme that I'm not alone in my experience - are cameras and other items of worth serving as proxy babies here ? At least in the part of the brain that deals with this ?

I do note that one member here managed to throw his 'baby' into a river however - very biblical :rolleyes:

I've had similar experiences, for example, falling some way down a 1000 foot clif/hill, (only went 10 feet down, still scary as all get out), (although was only carrying a little rebel, (digital (was out of film) ) I still managed to make sure my camera didn't get a scratch on it, (almost lost my hat, a stetson)

[Paul Jenkin]

I'm not sure if it's the same principle but "back in the day", when I was a fit and agile young man, I was walking up Striding Edge on the way to the top of a mountain called Helvellyn (in the English Lake District). I stopped briefly to take a photo but, realising I had my 135mm lens on the front of my OM2n - when I wanted something more wide angle - I started to change lenses. Bad move.

As it was very cold (it usually is in winter at 2,300 ft + above sea level) I'd lost a fair bit of the feeling in my hands and promptly dropped both lenses mid-manoevre. Both lenses bounced merrily down the mountain. With zero thought for the possible consequences, off I went after them. Only after getting a bout 50 feet down the VERY steep drop did I remember the story of Robert Dixon who, in the mid-1800's disappeared and was found at the foot of striding edge being watched over by his faithful hound.

As it happens, I don't have a very good head for heights but the point is this - I was more than prepared to risk life and limb for the sake of a couple of easily replaceable lenses. Was this act of abject stupidity related to my junior years or would I do it again today. Hopefully, I won't ever have to find out.