A Walk in Sleepy Hollow – Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse

by Posted in Buildings/Structures, Landscapes Leave a comment
sleepyhollowlighthouse-1

Another restoration – this time of the iconic Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse. The major renovation started after the 4th of July weekend in 2022. The project will restore the lighthouse, stabilize the structure and prevent further deterioration. Work consists of repairs and repainting to the exterior cast iron, replacement of windows and doors, repair of cracks in the cellar, cleaning and re-pointing of the foundation masonry, restoration of the interior plaster & painting finishes and repairs to and restoration of all the wood floors. The work will also include reconstruction of the intermediate landing between the bridge and gangway, a new security gate on the mainland and new electric and exterior lighting. This is part of Westchester County’s $3.4 million capital project. The facility is expected to be closed for at least 10 months.

The project will restore the Tarrytown Lighthouse, stabilize the structure and prevent further deterioration consists of repairs and repainting to the exterior cast iron, replacement of windows and doors, repair of cracks in the cellar/caisson area, cleaning and re-pointing of the foundation masonry, restoration of the interior plaster and painting finishes throughout and repairs to and restoration of all the wood floors. The work will also include reconstruction of the intermediate landing between the bridge and gangway, a new security gate on the mainland, and new electric and exterior lighting.

Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XF 35mm f1.4 R

A Walk in Sleepy Hollow – An Eagle

by Posted in Statues Leave a comment
eagle-1

It now stands outside the Philipse Manor Metro North Station, but it was once one of 11 that graced the historic building’s monumental clock towers for 12 years at 42nd Street and Park Avenue.
In 1910, as the station began renovations to become the Grand Central Terminal building we are all familiar with today, the huge cast iron eagles were removed and dispersed throughout the region. One of these eagles was obtained by the Philipse Manor Company, landing at the station by 1911.

The eagle was itself restored in its present location in 2019.

For some pictures of the restoration and more on the history of the eagle see here:

eagle-2

Taken with a Fuji X-E1 and Fuji XF 35mm f1.4 R

A new digital camera

by Posted in Sony A7IV Leave a comment
sonyA7IV-1

Actually it’s the first brand new camera that I’ve bought in over 10 years. I recently sold some property and I promised myself that after the sale was complete I would treat myself to a new (rather than the used cameras I’ve been buying of late) camera. After my usual tortured selection process I ended up with a Sony A7IV (seen above with a Samyang 45mm f1.8 lens). I bought it soon after it came out in December, 2021.

Camera type: Full-frame mirrorless
Announced: 21st October 2021
Sensor: 33Mp full frame (35.9 x 24.0mm) BSI Exmor R CMOS sensor
Lens mount: FE
Sensitivity range: Stills: ISO 100-51,200 (expandable to ISO 50 to ISO 204,800), Video: ISO ISO 100-51,200 (expandable to ISO 100-102,400)
Still Image format: Jpeg, HEIF, raw (Sony ARW 4.0)
Video format & compression: XAVC S: MPEG-4 AVC/H.264, XAVC HS: MPEG-H HEVC/H.265
4K Video (XAVC HS): 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit, NTSC): 60p (150 Mbps / 75 Mbps / 45 Mbps), 24p (100 Mbps / 50 Mbps / 30 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 10bit, PAL): 50p (150 Mbps / 75 Mbps / 45 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, NTSC): 60p (200 Mbps / 100 Mbps), 24p (100 Mbps / 50 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, PAL): 50p (200 Mbps / 100 Mbps)
4K Video (XAVC S): 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit, NTSC): 60p (150 Mbps), 30p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 24p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:0, 8bit, PAL): 50p (150 Mbps)5, 25p (100 Mbps / 60 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, NTSC): 60p (200 Mbps)56, 30p (140 Mbps), 24p (100 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, PAL): 50p (200 Mbps)5, 25p (140 Mbps)
4K Video (XAVC S-I): 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, NTSC): 60p (600 Mbps)56, 30p (300 Mbps)6, 24p (240 Mbps), 3840 x 2160 (4:2:2, 10bit, PAL): 50p (500 Mbps)5, 25p (250 Mbps)
Movie functions: Audio Level Display, Audio Rec Level, PAL/NTSC Selector, Proxy Recording (1280 x 720 (Approx. 6 Mbps), 1920 x 1080 (Approx. 9 Mbps), 1920 x 1080 (Approx. 16 Mbps)), TC/UB, Auto Slow Shutter, Gamma Disp. Assist
Autofocus system: Hybrid AF with 759 phase detection points and 425 contrast detection points, Still images: Human (Right/Left Eye Select) / Animal (Right/Left Eye Select) / Bird, Movie: Human (Right/Left Eye Select), sensitive down to -4EV
Maximum continuous shooting rate: 10fps
Viewfinder: 0.5-inch 3,686,400-dot EVF with 100% coverage and up to 0.78x magnification
Screen: 3-inch 1,036,800-dot vari-angletouchscreen
Image stabilisation: 5-axis giving up to 5.5EV compensation
Storage: Dual: 1: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II) & CFexpress Type A slot, 2: SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I/II)
Battery: NP-FZ100 rechargeable Li-ion battery giving 610 images with the screen
Dimensions (WxHxD): 131.3 x 96.4 x 79.8mm / 5 1/4 x 3 7/8 x 3 1/4 inches
Weight (including battery & memory card): 658g / 1 lb 7.3 oz

There’s a good review of it here.

I’m very pleased with my purchase. For some pictures taken with this camera and a variety of lenses see here.

Taken with a Sony A77II and Minolta 50mm f2.8 Macro lens