Until recently, the best Micro Four Thirds body has been the Olympus E-M5. Great IQ, built-in viewfinder, stabilisation, a complete package of wonderfulness. Now there is the Olympus EP-5, which has upgraded specifications compared to the E-M5; but no built-in viewfinder. If you pay for the optional stick-on viewfinder, you will end up paying more than an E-M5; but then you get the better specs (including a better viewfinder). It’s a lovely piece of kit (I have had a hold and the construction is so solid); but it is hard to fathom why Olympus has dropped two very similar models into the same price area. Presumably the current E-M5 is about to head downwards in price, or be discontinued, and/or there will be a higher grade and therefore more expensive OMD range offering later in the year.

I’ve been a fan of Danny Boyle since Shallow Grave, and what a career he has had since then. Trainspotting, Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later and 127 hours which had a plot that would seemingly guarantee a miserable viewing experience. Instead, like all his films, it was an effervescent riot of colour, camera angles and music; much more joy than you could reasonably expect from a ninety minute story about a man who gets his arm trapped by a boulder and ends up hacking it off with a blunt knife.

There are very few computer games which I would want to play over an extended period of years. I either become sick of the gameplay, or something similar comes along with much slicker graphics which is more enjoyable.

One game which achieved legendary status and years of enjoyment in the Spike household was RollerCoaster Tycoon. Originally released in 1999, the game was hugely popular and was extended with some add-on packs before being upgraded as RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, and eventually as (no surprise) RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (RT3) some ten years ago.

Fresh from my processing disaster, I developed another film last night. This was my usual Kodak T-Max 100 ISO, taken from the Yashica 12 which I used to duplicate the shots from the Yashica 635 (I am still in evaluation mode). The film is still bowed in the scanner, so sharpness is not of the best; but pleasing enough to my eye.

In the background, the reality of your dream home, before they slap a covering over it.

She who must be obeyed is always on the lookout for ways to improve my sartorial elegance. Personally I would mark myself a full ten (out of a hundred), but she is not so impressed.

Some time ago she decided my scruffy flip-flops could be improved by the acquisition of a pair of Birkenstock sandals, and she told me so.

You need a pair of Birkenstock sandals.

Why?

Because your current sandals are cheap rubbish that are falling to pieces.

My adventures in film photography are progressing slowly, although yesterday they took a step backwards. Ran a film through my newly acquired Yahsica 635, but the result after processing was not pretty. Nothing wrong with the camera, it seemed to be exposing and focusing correctly; but the negatives indicated that I was shooting in a snow storm rather than on a sunny afternoon.

It could be something in the way I processed it, although I have a consistent approach now that seems to work. More likely a result of the rather obscure film I picked up in Bangkok just to stick in the camera; either the film had some problems or the way I processed it was wrong. Either way, twelve crap shots, but at least a confirmation that the camera focuses OK and some nice swirly bokeh is possible; if you could see it through the blizzard.

Still, with Instagram and the myriad special effects built into cameras nowadays, I will pretend I meant to do this and merely switched on the “snow globe” effect on the back of the camera:

You will no doubt not recall a recent post where I recounted the sorry tale of my broken tripod and my poetic efforts to stir the tripod company into action.

In summary, I needed a rubber letter “T”, a bolt and two washers to make my Three Legged Thing tripod whole again. My magnificent poem had failed to elicit a response, and a follow-up mail had also got me nowhere and I was close to taking Kevin up on his offer to call them up and give them a good talking to. Fortunately for them, they were spared the wrath of Kevin by announcing that bits were in the post and that “no donkeys or tramp steamers were involved in the logistical chain”.