Casio Edifice EF527D-1AV with Slide Rule

If you are looking for a (very, very) cheap alternative to the almighty Navitimer, this lovely model from Casio might just be the machine that you're looking for. Rated at just under 100 USD on the Amazon.com, this timepiece has the usual famed Casio quartz precision associated to a quite precise slide rule computer.

Besides the slide rule, it has a chronograph function (no split time, tho), a screw-lock crown and it's water-resistant up to 100 meters, which is more than enough for a watch that is not intended for underwater activities. There's a very interesting review of it on the Forum Watchuseek, posted by the user Nanok.

Although fun to use, the slide rule is not that intuitive. You have to train to understand the logic within it. The Casio Web Site has a page loaded with simple examples here.

And if you look at the Wikipedia, you'll find this page loaded with information about it. If you dig deeper, and also in the Wikipedia, you'll find a page devoted to the E6B flight computer. This later one is, basically, the slide rule that is present on this Casio watch.

This is a very handsome watch and my personal experience with it is quite positive. For such a cheap equipment, its precision is astonishing, either in the quartz machine and in the slide rule computer, which is quite accurate (it's Japanese, after all). Although with a large dial, this watch is quite light on the wrist. Doesn´t bother you at all. The luminescent hands, however, are not the best. In fact, they are quite weak. So, it's not that easy to see the time at night and in an unlit neighbourhood. Also my 43 years old eyes are no longer what they used to be, for very short distances viewing. So be warned about that if you suffer from the same problem, because the slide rule engravings are really small. I think it's time for me to buy my first glasses, since I'm reaching for a loupe quite often, when using this watch for calculations.

All in all a nice piece of watchmaking. A great one, if we consider the price. It's a Casio, is it not?

Praia da Conceição, Olinda, Pernambuco

Facing the ocean.

Picture taken with Nikon D40X and cheap Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G ED II AF-S DX kit lens. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Volcanic Earth

Massive telluric forces shaped the face of Madeira ages before we humans started to walk on the surface of the planet. Even today, while hiking in the pristine central massif of this highly humanized island, we have the feeling that we are facing the dawn of the Earth. We just need to climb above the clouds.

Picture made with Nikon F100 and Nikkor 28-105mm AF f/3.5-4.5D kit lens. Kodak Ektachrome 100VS scanned in Nikon Coolscan VED and post-processed in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Being in the right place at the right time

Landscape photography is mostly that, right? But even if we happen to be on the right place and things, nevertheless, still look dull, we can always sit down, relax and enjoy the view. The right time may happen at any moment.

Fog bow (or glory) near the Pico Ruívo Mountain Hut. Fog bows are similar in formation as the common rainbows, however since the water droplets that reflect the sun light are much smaller than the ones on rainbows, they always have weaker colours.

Picture taken with Nikon D40X and Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6G ED  VR kit lens. Post-processing (increasing saturation and contrast, slightly underexposing) in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Sunset in a romantic belvedere

The belvedere close to Montanha Restaurant, East of Funchal, is a cherished place for lovers and photographers alike. From it, we have one of the most magnificent vistas to the South coast of the island...

... and the sunsets over Funchal bay are, most of the times, memorable:

Both pictures taken with Nikon D40X and cheap Nikkor DX AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.01.

The shape of the Earth

Galen Rowell once wrote that he liked to take pictures to treeless landscapes because the absence of vegetation allowed him to see the shapes of the Earth.

Although I would love to totally agree with him, I have to refrain my enthusiasm when I think about Madeira.

The forest fires that seem to become a Summer a habit since three years ago are allowing us to see the island's geological shape. That's a fact.

But at what cost? Desertification?

I guess his opinion is valid to the desert planes and high mountain massifs of the world. Actually it's valid to every region in the planet where the forest cover was never a part in the natural equation. At least during the most recent geological Era.

But in my island this does not hold true. Since its origins, Madeira was always a luxurious place, rich in water and vegetation.

Then in come the people and, as Lee Marvin wisely sang in "Paint Your Wagon",  gum it up good.

So... do I like to see my island's natural shapes? Yeah. But sometimes I miss her trees.

The shape of the Earth, as seen from the mouth of a tunnel, in the Levada do Folhadal, near the Encumeada Pass.

Picture taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2 and cheap Panasonic Lumix 14-42mm kit lens. Post-processing in Adob Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.

Funchal old town

Once a bad neighbourhood, the Funchal old town is now a central reference in the city's nightlife and cultural movement.

The cobbled narrow streets are cleaner. Commerce shops, restaurants and bars abound. And there's plenty of tourists walking around, giving the place a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Much like being in Lisboa's Bairro Alto. Only smaller.

The painted doors are one of the attractions in this charming city quarter, with the artists competing amongst themselves for the most original idea or just for showing their unique vision.

Believe it or not... this is a door.

Pictures made with Nikon D300 and Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX Macro DC HSM. Post-processing in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom, ver. 4.1.