I took a walk a couple of days ago to take some photos with the new 135MM prime lens. I like the results but I don’t love them. The light that day was weak, diffused behind clouds. So I mostly stuck to close-in objects, using the long lens as a macro instead of a telephoto.

This first photo is a good example of the lens’ sharpness as a macro. Any blur is due to yours truly not having 20/20 close-in vision for focusing. The detail when you zoom in on this is amazing. Thanks, Fuji 26 megapixel sensor.

The depth of field (or extreme lack of such) with this lens is amazing. It’s probably less than one inch at these settings.

I could have done a better job framing this one, but it’s still not bad. The colors have not been enhanced or retouched – this is just the lens and the image sensor.

In this next one we’re starting to see some of the bokeh I hoped the lens would produce. We also see the extremely narrow focus field again.

I’ll take it back out on a spin on a sunnier day soon and get some true telephoto shots.

On Trump’s second impeachment – should the Senate spend the time to try and convict him?

In a word, no. He’s already been impeached twice and that’s good fodder for the historical record. He just hasn’t been convicted by the Senate.

Biden should turn his new DoJ loose on Trump and the whole crime family, plus send signals to state AGs that the Feds will do whatever can be done (legally) to support their state-level prosecutions.

That allows the Senate to do the best it can to enact Biden’s urgent agenda, as opposed to being mired in Trump bullshit for months. This also precludes the possibility of the Senate failing to convict (again) and Trump taking a MAGA victory dance about that failure (again). Let the impeachment stand for what it is.

Finally, I think DC insiders overestimate how punishing they think their impeachment/conviction action would be. Trump’s legacy is already a raging dumpster fire. Being convicted by the Senate won’t materially add to the dumpster fire. But a few Senate leaders are looking for revenge in the name of accountability. Let the courts bring Trump to accountability. They’ve got larger, pointier teeth.