Orchids & Whisky should never be mixed, except on internet pages.
Read MoreWith A Whisky #5
in with a whisky, Blog
drink
I adore a good, strong coffee.
Aroma
in Blog
I made the transition from instant coffee to real coffee during my PhD. The difference is so dramatic, that they're essentially different drinks, and should be treated as such. I used to drink copious amounts of instant coffee, with milk and at least two teaspoons of sugar -- a PhD does strange things to a person!
These days I enjoy so much about coffee. Its preparation. The smell after beans are freshly ground and roasted. The aroma of a freshly poured, strong, black coffee.
OJ
in Blog
A nice big glass of ice-cold orange juice is a refreshing way to start the day. The little remote is for my Sony digital photo frame which sits below our TV, cycling through many, many photos I've taken since moving to Japan. I was never keen on digital photo frames when they first appeared, because most look like crap. This Sony one is sleek and modern looking, with a great screen. Its glowing Sony logo can be turned off, too; a nice touch.
I was asked about the "wide open" [maximum aperture] performance of the Sigma 30mm F2.8, so I took this photo wide open. I've included a few 100% crops below, so you can judge its performance for yourself. Personally, I love this lens... and it's a complete bargain! The bokeh isn't as nice as the Zeiss 24/1.8 in my opinion, and its microcontrast is a little less intense. It is sharp wide open, though. The Zeiss 24/1.8 is sharp wide open (at f/1.8), and at f/2.8 the Zeiss is extremely sharp, but retains its great bokeh. The Zeiss is 24/1.8 and the Sigma 30/2.8, so they're often compared, but they're essentially, completely different :)
