A small magnifying glass already comes on one over-stuffed model of Swiss Army knife. Now we need out own version of Swiss Army knife, with a full-sized Peak 7X fold-out loupe, a filter wrench, a filter ring dent puller, a fold-up ladder for too high tripod extensions, etc; and yes, perhaps a built-in fire extinguisher too.
Not just a corkscrew, but a long wood coring bit - just in case you need to check the age of a Bristlecone pine!
I caught my speed graphic shutter on fire accidentally leaving the focal plane shutter cocked. It's not a bad idea to keep a cap on the loupe if it's not stored in a pocket.
(to extinguish it, I remembered stop, drop, ROLL, and tripped the shutter to roll up and extinguish the fire) It smoked and stunk, but it was patchable.
Well, John, I don't advocate those boring attachments. I do know exactly which Bristlecone is now regarded as the oldest one ever found, and have photographed it several times. No, none of my prints will inform the viewer of that, or its location, amidst my other Bristlecone shots. The previous record holder once had a sign in front of it, and got vandalized - a particular well-known photographer took a saw to one of its limbs for sake of a fireplace mantle trophy.
"I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White
Well, the culprit in question had the nerve to brag about getting away with it to a backpacking pal of mine who lived right across the street from him back then, and saw the limb himself numerous times. But no sense going further. Let the dead rest in peace. I merely referenced the incident in relation to the wisdom of no longer drawing attention to the oldest trees, and tempting that kind of thing. They do still have a sign in front of the "Patriarch tree", the largest known bristlecone, but not the oldest. But the same individual was known for quite a few similar violations of known rules intended to protect fragile or irreplaceable natural wonders. Yet nothing has done more damage overall than posting GPS coordinates or maps online, and drawing herds to what were once tightly held local secrets.
Bookmarks