Mokka mit Schlag

Garden Tortrix Moth, Clepsis peritana, Hodges 3688
Irvine, CA, 2009-07

Today’s moth is a fairly commons species, and comes to light on my balcony fairly often; but it’s also relatively small at just over a centimeter. This photo is several times actual size. I didn’t get a decent photo of one until quite recently. It’s a pest of strawberry farms, and although Orange County is mostly paved over these days, there are still a few farms dotted around here and there including Tanaka Farms just a couple of miles down the road from me.
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I’ve had it for about six months now and given it more than a fair shake, but ultimately I’m not happy with the Tamron AF28-300mm F/3.5-6.3 XR Di LD Aspherical (IF) I got for my primary lens for the EOS 50D. When I put this lens on, I want to be able to shoot at the long end, and I spend a lot more time there than at the short end. Unfortunately it’s just not nearly sharp enough for my tastes at 300mm. Even on a tripod with image stabilization turned on, it needs a shutter speed below 1/400s, ISO no bigger than 200, and aperture f/8.0 to f/11.0 or thereabouts to achieve adequate sharpness. That’s just too limiting. Even then, it’s far from perfect. I’ve gotten a few good shots with it like this Snowy Egret in Mason Park in March, but that’s about it:

Outside direct sunlight, it really doesn’t perform well at all. In fact, this image stands out precisely because it is so sharp. By contrast, I routinely get images that sharp while handholding my non-stabilized Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, like this Great Blue Heron from San Joaquin a few months later:

Most of my Tamron shots end up looking like this American White Pelican from the Salton Sea instead:

So I think it’s time to look for a new general purpose zoom lens. What are my options?
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Children of Earth just finished on BBC America last night, and despite having to get up at 5:15 A.M. this morning for a marsh census, I couldn’t avoid staying up to watch it. Wow. Russell T. Davies surpassed himself and reached new levels of creepiness with this one.

Sadly it was marred by an ending that would have embarrassed a Star Trek TNG writer. Torchwood might as well have saved the day by reversing the polarity on the deflector shields. It was that bad. I can think of at least five preferable and more plausible endings: (Light spoilers follow)
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San Diego County, California, February 28, 2009

Do you recognize this bird?
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About a year and half ago when I moved across the country, I started using my MacBook as my main machine. By now, it is way too plugged into external hard drives, external monitors, headphones, KVM switches and other devices to comfortably move around the house. I’d consider replacing it with a PowerMac desktop, but that would likely cost more than a second, cheap laptop that I can use around the house, the library, the university, the park, the coffeeshop, and other places I like to just write. A NetBook might do, but I really want a good sized keyboard. here’s what I’m looking for:
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Glyphodes onychinalis – Hodges#5199.1
Fullerton Arboretum, June 28, 2009

The moth is an Asian species that’s been in Southern California for the last 10 years or so. It was first identified in 2000 down the road in Newport Beach; and I’ve also found it on my balcony in Irvine in the evening. I have not ID’d the spider. I didn’t even notice it in the field.
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