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Enable “browse” mode with RHEL autofs

At $WORK I had a requirement to have all autofs mounts in NIS show up as directories in the filesystem. This means that if you have a NIS map called auto.data file that mounts everything under /data/sharename that sharename has to be visible, even if it’s not mounted. This allows users to have a list of all possible NFS automounts.

In Solaris the default behavior is to make all these mount points visible but in RHEL 6 (and Centos I’m sure) the default is to have this feature disabled. Which means unless a mount is active it’s not visible in /data.

This behavior can be controlled by the BROWSE_MODE=”yes” setting in /etc/sysconfig/autofs. Once this is set just issue an autofs reload and your automounts will populate with their mount directories.

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Proper maximize button in OSX

If you’ve come from another operating system like Linux or Windows you may have noticed that there is no real maximize button on OSX windows. The green plus symbol button is called “Zoom” and tries to resize the window to fit the content. Unfortunately this doesn’t always work well and if you’re used to other GUI’s you might be expecting more of a traditional maximize button.

This is where a program called Right Zoom comes into play. It changes your green + (zoom) button into a traditional maximize button. It’s simple, free and does exactly what I want.

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Fujifilm discontinues FP-3000B B&W instant film

So this summer I finally got a polaroid back for my Mamiya RZ67 camera (aka the brick). After being mildly disappointed with the films from the Impossible Project in a $3 polaroid 600 camera I’ve started shooting the two remaining peel apart instant films with my Mamiya. Fujifilm FP-100C (iso 100 colour) and FP-3000B (iso 3000 B&W) are both pretty awesome.

FP-100C has rich warm tones which I really enjoy.

Playing with nana

And FP-3000B produces a super contrasty positive and a sharper, less contrasty negative which can easily be scanned with a typical flatbed scanner.

Afternoon Snack

Of course, now that I’ve grown fond of this type of photography Fujifilm has announced the upcoming discontinuation of FP-3000B. I’m sure FP-100C can’t be far behind. I’ve already missed the boat on shooting FP-100B which was discontinued a few years ago.

I get why they’re doing this, you can’t sell something that doesn’t make money if you want to survive but I’m really bummed out by it. I guess I’m going to spend the majority of my film budget stocking up on FP-3000B.

EDIT: If you are sad about the end of FP-3000B, please go here and sign the petition. I’m not sure if it will have an effect but it’s worth a shot.

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Music is everything

I’m not really one for mobile photography but this commercial for VSCO’s new iPhone app makes me want to try it (you know, if I had an iPhone). The musical score by The Soil And The Sun is perfectly executed and the cinematography is very pretty.

I’d also love to try their film lightroom presets but they’re a bit pricey for my hobbyist budget.

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Mirrorless: Two months in

I’ve had the Fuji X-E1 for two months now, I’ve taken around 600 frames with it. So far my impressions are generally good with the camera. The combination of the 18-55 f2.8-4 lens and the Xtrans sensor in the camera have produced some excellent results. The camera’s ability to take a great image far outshines my own.

I love the size of the camera, small enough to fit in my messenger style bag but big enough to properly fit in my hand. The electronic viewfinder is crisp and didn’t take much time to get used to. I like the ability to review my photos through the viewfinder, a great feature in bright light.

Working with a circular polarizer requires a little extra effort since the EVF adjusts the exposure as you turn the CPOL. The result is you can’t properly see the effect the CPOL is having on your image. The fix is to simply lock your exposure with the AE-L button or hold the shutter button down halfway to lock the exposure. Once this is done you will be able to see the changes in the EVF.

The sensor on the Fuji X-E1 is quite good. It’s super crisp (no AA filter) and it’s low light performance is pretty incredible. I can comfortably shoot at iso 3200 and 6400 and still get a usable image, great for street work at night.

I also love that if you choose to shoot with any of their film simulation modes or adjust your image aspect ratio; these changes are immediately represented live in the EVF. If you shoot B&W square cropped images the EVF displays a square image in B&W. Great for previewing how things will look ahead of time.

My next step with this camera will be to get another lens, something really wide for portraits. Maybe the 35 f1.4 or the new 56 f1.2 that’s supposed to come out soon. The Fuji lenses have a lot of awesome packed into a small package.