W♥M

Lens Update: 24-70mm F2.8

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

Now that I’m enjoying my Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens (honestly, I should have bought this lens much sooner). That expensive price was a deterrent, but now that I have it, I can truly see why the price was justified.

The autofocusing is just the best I’ve used, and the clarity in the GM glass is much, much better than my previous lens. Maybe I’m spoiled, but now I’m just interested in GM-quality lens. Also, the F2.8 is the best that you can get in a telephoto lens, so it’s just much better than what I was using previously.

Sony 70-200mm GM vs Subway Sandwich

Unfortunately, the large size and weight of the lens takes planning and commitment. That’s perfectly fine for a concert or event shooting, but now that I need is an “everyday” general street-style lens. What I’m looking for is a small lens under 70mm, so I can have the whole spectrum of focal length - from 24 to 200mm between these two lens.

I also need the lens to be F2.8 or better… plus, price is also a big factor in this.

Looking over my options (see chart below), the Sony GM lens are out of the question, based on their prices of $1,698 (for version 1) and $2,298 (for version 2).

For the cheapest lens in this category is between the Samyang 24-70mm F2.8 FE and the Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2, both for $800.

However, I am eyeing on the Sigma lens… which is available as “Art” ($1,100) and the budget “Contemporary” lens ($900). The main difference is the Art lens has higher quality optics and starts at 24mm while the Contemporary version starts at 28mm. I tend to want to spend a little more for the better quality… but is it worth the extra $200?

I’ll have to do a little more research on the matter… but at the moment, it looks like the Sigma lens might be my next purchase. At the moment, there’s no hurry for me to buy one right now. Basically I’ll wait for a sale... or perhaps I will look at the used market (but I have a fear that the used lens might have scratches or dust).

Also, I do want to get a 2x Teleconverter for my 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS, so it’ll essentially make it a 140-400mm. I have heard that it might be better to just spend the extra money to get a 400mm native lens, rather than using a teleconverter because it’s not as a good as a native lens.

Brand	Lens Name	F	Price	Release Date
Samyang	AF 24-70mm F2.8 FE	f/2.8	$800	2021-10
Sigma	24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art	f/2.8	$1,100	2019-11
Sigma	28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary	f/2.8	$900	2021-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD	f/2.8	$800 (discontinued?)	2018-02
Tamron	28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2	f/2.8	$800	2021-08
Sony	FE 24-70 mm F2.8 SEL2470GM	f/2.8	$1,700	2016-02
Sony	FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II SEL-2470GM2	f/2.8	$2,300	2022-04

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS

Read More Sony What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the …

As I previously mentioned, I had my eye on the Tamron 50-400mm lens, since I wanted a nice long reach at 400mm… but unfortunately, due to the F6.3 (at 400mm), it’s not suitable for photographing concerts.

Then, the idea popped in my head to look at the Sony 70-200mm GM F2.8 OSS lens. This is the original lens that started Sony’s Gold Master (or G Master) lens line up in 2016. Sony has four types of lens: basic (not labeled), Zeiss (developed in cooperation with Carl Zeiss), G (Gold), and GM (Gold Master). G Master is the highest tier, basically the best of the best.

For most photographers, any lens, at any F-Stop should be fine in daytime. For people shooting night photography, you want a low F-Stop… so for a time, I just thought the G Master lens was just too expensive.

But as I looked into it, the low F2.8 started to look more attractive. Once Sony released a version 2 of the 70-200 in 2021, prices for the original version dropped from $2,500 to $2,000… making it slightly more affordable.

When you read into it, you find out that the lens can produce 30 frames a second, if you have a camera that can take advantage of it (no third party lens can do this per Sony’s restrictions). On top of that, with a 2x teleconverter, you can turn the Sony 200mm lens to a 400mm (but it will make the lens a F5.6). Finally, Sony’s Ring Drive Super Sonic wave motor, with Double linear motor, combined with Optical Stabilization (OSS), is one of the fastest autofocusing system on the market.

Basically, I’m just trying to convince myself that all these future-proof features are worth the $2,000 I paid for the lens. And guess what? After using it for concert photo shoot, it’s absolutely worth it!

I’m serious, every shot I looked at my view screen and I’m like Wow! That’s sharp! After a few more shots, I’m like all these photos are keepers!

The Sony G-Master lens, at low light, is on another level! I’ve been using the Tamron 28-200mm (F5.6 at the 200mm end), and while the lens performs fine in good light… it does produce grainy or soft images when you’re shooting in poor lighting conditions.

Now for the negative: the first generation of the 70-200mm F2.8 GM lens is heavy. It’s really heavy. Officially, Sony lists the lens as weighing 3.3lbs, but it feels like 5lbs (the version 2 solves the weight problem by bringing it down to 2.3lbs). Basically, you’ll need both your hands to shoot. You’re going to tire out after a long shooting session… so most people use a tripod or monopod. In fact, Sony knows this, and included a removable tripod foot for the lens (which doesn’t fit Arca mounts).

Size Matters: Sony 70-200mm vs Tamron 28-200mm

The lens is also very long at 8 inches (12 with the hood… it’s the size of a Subway sandwich). The reason for this is because of the internal zooming mechanics. Adding the lens hood, the GM lens is twice as long as my Tamron 28-200 when collapsed.

The size and weight of the 70-200 GM lens makes it unconventional to just bring to, like a birthday party, or just randomly doing impromptu street photography. This is a business lens, that requires planning and commitment.

Still, despite the monstrous size and weight, I think it’s a fair tradeoff for amazing image quality. You can always look at version 2, if the weight bothers you, but I don’t think it’s worth the extra $800.

Anyway, from my experience of shooting with the 70-200 GM lens, I think it’s a very, very good lens. I’m going to try and take it on a hike, when the weather is a little warmer.

P.S. I was surprised to see that the 70-200 GM lens came with its own padded carrying case (with shoulder strap). All the lens I’ve ever purchased never came with its own custom carrying case, so this is a very nice addition.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Site Update: George Perez Website 6.0

George Perez Website 6.0 Read More George Perez As you know, we’re big George Perez fans, so it’s with a sad note that I pass along George’s statement about his retirement. After this 2019 convention…

As many of you know, my oldest website, the George Perez Website started in 1998 and eventually found its home on Google Sites in 2008. The website lived there for 13 years, until Google decided it wasn’t profitable for them to maintain... and decided to shut down the classic site service (they offered a new inferior product in its place).

For about two years, I was looking for a new home for the website, and even temporarily moved it to Typepad. While I like Typepad, it’s a very blogging centric service, so it was lacking in a lot of things.

As of 2023, I think I found a new home the George Perez Website, using iBrave Web Hosting Service. They are offering a “lifetime subscription” and “unlimited” service. Normally it’s very expensive, but I got a good deal/flash sale. Sure, I am worried that “lifetime” means the life of iBrave, which may be a year or two, if they end up going bankrupt. The company is very new, only existing since 2021.

For now, it’s working as expected. I’m re-learning everything and it’s going along very slowly. If you have time, head over to thegeorgeperez.com to see the progress so far.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

StackSocial

Read More VPN I've been testing out some free VPN (Virtual Private Network) services. You may have a need for a VPN for various reasons: privacy, ad-blocking/ad-tracking, removing restrictions, etc. …

Ever since I bought my first purchase on StackSocial in Jan 2023, I’ve been addicted to the discounted website.

Looking into StackSocial, it’s own by American company StackCommerce, founded by Josh Payne.

The website specializes in flash sale… So these great prices are only good for a set amount of time. They’ve been around since 2011, even though I’ve never heard of them until earlier this year.

I like deals, and wanted to pass along some things that caught my eye:

Microsoft Office Professional 2021 Lifetime License for $39.99. I bought it for $29.99, but even at $10 more, it’s still a great price. Note that MicroSoft will not support Office 2021, instead focusing on their subscription product Office 365 in 2023.

AdGuard Family Plan: Lifetime Subscription for $30. I was looking for an ad blocker on my iPad or iPhone, so I saw this one-time fee for AdGuard. Unfortunately, reading its fine print, this only applies to new users. So, instead, I signed up for AdLock’s Lifetime for $20… which, apparently “Lifetime” means 10 years to this company.

RealVPN: Lifetime Subscription for $30. There are actually a bunch of VPN Lifetime Sub, so just do a search for your favorite. I did not buy any Lifetime sub, because I was already paying for Atlas VPN… but after my subscription expires, I will likely look for a Lifetime deal. A few years ago, I did some research on free VPNs (which is why I went with Atlas) … and while the “price is right” (free), there are so many drawbacks for free VPN. If you don’t mind paying a one-time price for a “lifetime” subscription, why not? Again, “lifetime” has different meaning to companies, so be aware that when they say lifetime, they mean the life of the company.

Costco 1-Year Gold Star Membership for $60. This includes a $30 digital CostCo gift card, which needs to be used all at once. I believe this only applies to new members. I didn’t look that closely, because I had a Sam’s Club membership for two years, and I found that I don’t shop often enough to warrant paying a yearly membership.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9" 32GB WiFi Space Gray for $499. I already have an iPad Pro 12.9”, and I paid around $900, so for $500, it’s a good price. Note that this item is refurbished (not new), and, looking at the images, it is the first generation iPad Pro from 2018 (which I own at one time).

BirdBike eBike for $899. It’s snowing in Minnesota, and I’m in Winter Hibernation mode, so I’m not buying this eBike anytime soon. But I love the fact that I can pedal, and when I come up to that hill, I can get assistance from the motor. The bike looks good and it does come with free shipping.

PDF Reader Pro Smart PDF Editor & Converter Tool for $39.99. You currently cannot buy any Adobe products without requiring a subscription fee. I don’t have a need to create/edit PDF files, so I’m not buying this… but if you need this software, this $40 price by PDF Technologies is a deal.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Bundle for $4.99. You get two Knights of the Old Republic game for $5, so you’re paying $2.50 for each game. You need Steam to redeem the games.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Lens Update and Winter Hibernation

Read More Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

Happy New Year!

I wanted to buy the Tamron 50-400mm lens for the Sony E-Mount last Aug 2022. On paper, it looks like it was exactly the lens I needed. When I am shooting a concert, I prefer to shoot from the back of the room… and for that, you need a big reach - in this case, the Tamron would go up to 400mm.

When the lens came out in Sep 2022 and the reviews started coming in… it felt more and more like the lens would not be a good fit for my needs. In all the reviews I’ve read and watched, the consistent downfall to the lens is that it did not perform well indoors. For low light lens, you need to a low F-Stop, and for the Tamron 50-400mm, the F is 4.5-6.3. Since I needed the lens for concert photography, this was a deal breaker.

The other thing is the price. I originally thought it the Tamron would cost, at most, $800 (based on other similar lens in this category on other camera companies) … but when I read that the retail price is $1,300, it was a sticker shock. I’m sure the price is fair, based on Tamron’s stabilization system and USB-C updates and settings.

So where does that leave me? While I am pretty happy with the Tamron 28-200mm, I am still looking for a nice, fast lens.

What I am eyeing, is the rather expensive Sony 70-200mm G-Master Lens. It retails for $2,500, but I have seen it as low as $2,000 during the Black Friday/Christmas sale. I know the price is way more expensive than the Tamron, but what the Sony lens offers is the ability to use a teleconverter with the native Sony lens. Essentially you can double the distance, making the Sony lens a 140-400mm lens at the cost of losing some F-Stop.

Speaking of which, the F-Stop for the Sony lens is constant 2.8. This is why the lens is so expensive, you rarely see telephoto lens with this low of a number. It’s supposed to be the best of the best.

One final thing, the Sony G-Master lens has built-in stabilization in the lens. I’ve own and used older native Sony lens, and their stabilization is top in its class. My current Tamron 28-200mm doesn’t have stabilization, so I have to rely on the camera’s body stabilization. I can tell you that it’s not as good.

Since I’m still officially in hibernation, buying the lens is not a priority for now. So, hopefully, by April 2023, when I come out of hibernation, I can find the lens for $2k.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

W♥M Year in Review: 2022 Concerts and Events

Read More Franz Ferdinand As I have suspected, Franz Ferdinand will be on a bigger tour in support of their new album Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, which comes out next week (August 27th) on Domino Records.… The Lemonheads Originally, The Lemonheads were scheduled to play in the closet-sized 7th Street Entry, but seeing as tickets sold-out, they upgraded the band to the full-sized room at First Avenue. … Juliana Hatfield As long as I can remember, Hatfield started her music career with the Blake Babies. When they broke up, she had a massive hit with "My Sister" in her newly reformed band Juliana Hatfield Three …

With only two weeks to go before we close out 2022… let us take a look back at some of our favorite shows of the year. So many bands came back in 2022, no thanks to the pandemic that ended social gathering in late 2019 and going onto late 2021.

If I had to pick just one show to spotlight, I would have to say it was for Franz Ferdinand at the Fillmore in Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022).

There are a couple of things that made this show special. First of all, FF was playing all their hit songs in one show to promote their greatest hits album Hits to the Head. The band was in top-form, energetically jumping and dancing from start to finish.

Second, the Fillmore (officially named Fillmore Minneapolis to avoid confusion with the historic Fillmore in San Francisco - which I have been to see Juliana Hatfield in June 1995) is a relatively new venue and we love the size and how it looks.

Speaking of which, Hatfield recently appeared with Evan Dando as The Lemonheads headlined First Avenue in December 8: “No shade to the very good bands that came before her, but Juliana Hatfield really knows how to knock the wind out of you. I was lucky to catch her and her band back in 2015 playing all of 1993’s explosive Become What You Are but it’s a different vibe without a noisy band sharing the stage. Hers was a staggering solo performance with just an electric guitar and those airy vocals. Beginning with “Everybody Loves Me But You” from 1992’s Hey Babe, Hatfield delicately flowed through songs from her 30-plus year catalogue. The occasional false start, awkward pause or runny nose could not dampen the sting and ache of her music and words: “Little Pieces,” “I Got No Idols,” a searing “Candy Wrappers” (which my friend requested on Instagram!) and of course “Sister.””

I didn’t attend the Lemonheads show due to my continuing self-imposed Winter Hibernation, but it sounded like a great show (especially with both Juliana and Evan on stage together again).

So far, we’ve documented 191 shows in total (with one final pending show for Landon Conrath coming up on December 30th). To see full list head over to W♥M 2022 Shows.

In hibernation,

- Vu

GRAND TOTAL: 191 Shows

DECEMBER 2022 (8 Shows)

• 12/06 Heart to Gold at 7th Street • 12/06 Soft Moon at Fine Line • 12/07 Lemonheads at Madrid • 12/08 Lemonheads at First Avenue

• 12/10 Modest Mouse at Palace Theatre • 12/17 Katy Guillen and The Drive at Bottleneck • 12/21 Classless Act at Lucia • 12/30 Landon Conrath at 7th Street

NOVEMBER 2022 (7 Shows)

• 11/01 Alex G at First Ave • 11/04 Jungle Giants at Turf Club • 11/10 Blu DeTiger at Fine Line

• 11/12 Let's Eat Grandma at 7th Street Entry • 11/18 Plains at First Ave • 11/19 Plains at Knuckleheads (photos) • 11/26 Trampled by Turtles at Armory

OCTOBER 2022 (22 Shows)

• 10/04 Laufey at 7th Street • 10/06 Sigrid at First Avenue • 10/07 Toadies at First Avenue • 10/07 The Head and the Heart at the Armory • 10/09 Broken Social Scene at Palace Theatre • 10/09 One OK Rock at Fillmore • 10/09 Superorganism at Varsity Theater • 10/11 UPSAHL at Fine Line • 10/13 The Ballroom Thieves at Turf Club • 10/14 Alexander 23 at the Amsterdam Bar • 10/14 They Might Be Giants at First Avenue

• 10/14 G. Love & Special Sauce at Steve Tilford Benefit • 10/15 Matt Maeson at the Truman • 10/15 Faouzia at 7th Street • 10/18 Rare Americans at 7th Street • 10/19 St. Lucia at the Truman • 10/19 Spacey Jane at Fine Line • 10/21 Lee Fields at Fine Line • 10/23 Preoccupations at Turf Club • 10/24 Pretty Sick at 7th Street • 10/28 Sammy Rae at First Avenue • 10/28 Flipturn at 7th Street

SEPTEMBER 2022 (25 Shows)

• 09/02 IDLES at The Truman, Kansas City • 09/03 Roger Waters at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City • 09/03 DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix • 09/05 Modest Mouse at GrindersKC, Kansas City • 09/06 Echo & the Bunnymen at Fillmore • 09/06 Phoenix at Palace Theatre • 09/06 Joy Formidable at recordBar • 09/07 Joy Formidable at Turf Club • 09/08 Judah and the Lion at Uptown Theater • 09/09 Twenty One Pilots at T-Mobile Center • 09/09 Afghan Whigs at Fine Line • 09/14 The National at Surly Brewing

• 09/16 Lucibela at the Cedar Cultural Center • 09/16 Highly Suspect at First Avenue • 09/17 Alice Glass at Amsterdam Bar • 09/17 Barns Courtney at recordBar, Kansas City • 09/23 Gaslight Anthem at Kansas City • 09/24 Gaslight Anthem at Fillmore • 09/24 Julia Jacklin at Fine Line • 09/24 Ozomatli at KCLive! • 09/25 Bear's Den at Knuckleheads • 09/25 Tamino at Fine Line • 09/27 The Cult at Uptown Theater • 09/29 Amyl and the Sniffers at First Ave • 09/30 The Avalanches at Varsity Theater

AUGUST 2022 (22 Shows)

• 08/01 Local Natives at First Avenue • 08/01 Sony A7IV at Springbrook Nature Center • 08/05 OneRepublic at Starlight Theater • 08/06 Ian Sweet at 7th St • 08/06 Innovation Festival at Kansas City • 08/07 Belaganas at Fine Line • 08/08 Here and There at Kansas City • 08/09 The Wild Hearts Tour at Surly Brewing • 08/10 Flip Rushmore at 7th St • 08/10 Black Pistol Fire at recordBar • 08/13 The Lumineers at T-Mobile Center

• 08/13 Fitz and the Tantrums at Palace Theatre • 08/16 Silversun Pickups at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 08/18 Peter Hook at First Avenue • 08/19 Hanson at Fillmore • 08/20 Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore • 08/20 Chastity Brown at First Avenue • 08/23 Seratones at recordBar, Kansas City • 08/26 Andy McKee at TPAC, Topeka • 08/29 Telekinetic Yeti at 7th Street Entry • 08/30 iDKHOW at Granada • 08/30 Shame at Fine Line

JULY 2022 (15 Shows)

• 07/02 Kenny Chesney at Arrowhead Stadium • 07/03 City Knights Band at Coon Rapids Festival • 07/08 The Cult at Palace Theatre • 07/11 Japanese Breakfast at First Avenue • 07/14 Country Stampede at Heartland Park • 07/15 Country Stampede at Heartland Park • 07/16 Big Gigantic at Fillmore

• 07/16 Country Stampede at the Heartland • 07/21 Savannah Conley at 7th St Entry • 07/22 Josh Groban at Starlight Theater • 07/23 Molly Hatchet at Sac and Fox Casino • 07/23 Boy Harsher at Fine Line • 07/26 Horsegirl at Fine Line • 07/28 Machine Gun Kelly at Xcel Energy Center • 07/30 Psychedelic Furs at Palace Theatre

JUNE 2022 (20 Shows)

• 06/02 Pink Mountaintops at Turf Club • 06/04 Steve Noonan at Edina Art Fair • 06/04 John Waite at Ranchmart Center • 06/07 Prince Rogers Nelson Way - street dedication • 06/09 Mess Esque at 7th St Entry • 06/10 Jordana at 7th St Entry • 06/11 Nathaniel Rateliff/Sleater-Kinney at RTG • 06/11 Low at Rock the Garden (Garden Stage) • 06/13 Wet at Fine Line • 06/13 Purity Ring at Granada Theater

• 06/14 Crawlers at 7th St Entry • 06/15 La Femme at Turf Club • 06/16 Prateek Kuhad at 7th St Entry • 06/16 Cannons at The Bottleneck • 06/16 The Rainmakers at Olathe Live! • 06/18 The Warlocks at 7th St Entry • 06/21 Fitz and the Tantrums at GrindersKC • 06/23 Meghan Murphy at The Woman's Club • 06/24 Billy Howerdel at Fine Line • 06/27 slenderbodies at Fine Line

MAY 2022 (28 Shows)

• 05/01 Anais Mitchell at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/02 Dorothy at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis • 05/03 Lights at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis • 05/07 OMD at the Fillmore, Minneapolis • 05/07 Fontaines D.C. at First Ave, Minneapolis • 05/07 Ben Rector at Starlight Theater, Kansas City • 05/08 Ashe at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/09 The Mysterines at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 05/12 Cut Copy at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/13 Amyl and the Sniffers at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 05/14 Sir Chloe at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/14 Destroyer at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 05/15 Hatchie at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/18 Vieux Farka Touré at Dakota Jazz Club

• 05/18 Oh Wonder at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/18 ADULT. at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis • 05/19 Tiffany at Turf Club, St Paul • 05/20 Mountain Goats at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/20 Foy Vance at the Cedar • 05/20 MegaCon Orlando 2022 • 05/21 Curtis Stigers at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis • 05/21 Sunflower Bean at Fine Line • 05/22 George Perez Memorial Service at MegaCon • 05/25 Kurt Vile at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 05/27 Belle and Sebastian at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 05/29 4MIX at Minnesota Songkran Festival 2022 • 05/29 Bastille at Uptown Theater, Kansas City • 05/31 Ezra Furman at Fine Line

APRIL 2022 (20 Shows)

• 04/02 KC FanCon 56 at Douglas County Fairgrounds • 04/02 Baroness at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 04/02 Sasami at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/02 Fletcher at Fine Line Music Cafe • 04/10 Brian Jonestown Massacre at First Ave • 04/10 Soccer Mommy at Granada Theater, Lawrence • 04/11 Good Morning at 7th St, Minneapolis • 04/13 Alina Maira at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/14 Lala Lala at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 04/16 Quasi at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis

• 04/16 Snail Mail at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 04/22 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/22 Yumi Zouma at Turf Club, St Paul • 04/23 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/23 Hippo Campus at the Armory, Minneapolis • 04/23 LP at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 04/24 Planet Comicon 2022 • 04/26 Apocalyptica at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 04/27 The Warning at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 04/30 Alan Doyle at Dakota Jazz Club, Minneapolis

MARCH 2022 (18 Shows)

• 03/01 Birthday Massacre at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/01 Maisie Peters at 7th St, Minneapolis • 03/03 Wet Leg at First Ave • 03/04 Claire Rosinkranz at 7th St • 03/04 The Beths at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/06 Illuminati Hotties / Fenne Lily at 7th St, Minneapolis • 03/09 Longest Johns at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis • 03/10 Parquet Courts at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 03/12 Marisa Monte at State Theatre

• 03/13 Dirty Honey / Mammoth WVH at Uptown Theater • 03/14 Mitski at Palace Theatre, St Paul • 03/15 Deafheaven at Fine Line, Minneapolis • 03/19 Topeka Tropics vs Salina Liberty at Landon Arena • 03/24 Yves Tumor at The Bottleneck, Lawrence • 03/24 Circle Jerks at First Avenue, Minneapolis • 03/25 Anna Meredith at Parkway Theater, Minneapolis • 03/28 Airborne Toxic Event at The Truman, Kansas City • 03/28 Girl in Red at Truman, Kansas City

FEBRUARY 2022 (5 Shows)

• 02/05 The Wombats at the Truman, Kansas City • 02/12 Cactus Blossoms at Electric Fetus, Minneapolis

• 02/12 Lunar New Year Celebration at Mall of America • 02/19 Lucy Dacus at Liberty Hall, Lawrence • 02/22 Low Cut Connie at The Bottleneck, Lawrence

JANUARY 2022 (1 Show)

• 01/21 Kacey Musgraves at T-Mobile Center, Kansas City

Franz Ferdinand at Fillmore, Minneapolis (20 Aug 2022)

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide and Kansas City Music Guide

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Steam Deck Update

Technical Specs Processor AMD APU CPU: Zen 2 4c/8t, 2.4-3.5GHz GPU: 8 RDNA 2 CUs, 1.0-1.6GHz Storage 64 GB eMMC (PCIe Gen 2 x1) 256 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) 512 GB NVMe SSD (PCIe Gen 3 x4 or x2) Display 7" - 1280 x 800px (16:10 aspect ratio) Optically bonded IPS LCD Expansion UHS-I supports SD, SDXC and SDHC USB-C with DisplayPort 1.4 Alt-mode support; up to 8K or 4K Read More Steam I’ve put down my $5 to preorder my Steam Deck. I decided to get the $400 entry model. I think that is a fantastic price, considering that I looked at similar handheld PCs, such as the Aya Neo and OneXPlayer, and they are usually $1,000 or more …

When I placed my $5 deposit to buy the Steam Deck in Aug 2022, I was convinced that I wouldn’t get it until 2023. I was so wrong.

I recently got the alert that I have three days to purchase the Steam Deck. So it took a little over a month to finally fulfill my order. It could be that someone else turned down their Steam Deck, due to disinterests, or the email went to a spam filter, or lack of funds, and I may have gotten their Steam Deck… or it could be that Steam really was ramping production to meet demand. Either way, I’m so excited to finally get my hands on this thing.

I bought the cheapest one, because all three version are basically the same device (same chip, same speed), with the only exception of storage. The cheap version comes with 64GB, but I can always expand it with an SD card.

Again, I have been shopping around at various hand-held devices, such as the OneXPlayer and Aya Neo, and they are all very expensive (about $1,000). The only advantage is that those devices runs the full Windows operating system by default, so you can play GOG or Epic games.

With the Steam Deck, you have to go through a lot of trouble to install Windows on the device. Since the hardware is so new, and Windows doesn’t really support it, getting Windows to run on the Steam Deck is difficult.

Now that I’m waiting for the Steam Deck to ship to me, I am shopping for some new Steam Games. I’m excited to see that Sony is making some of their PlayStation games available on Steam, including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, and Horizon Zero Dawn Complete Edition. All of which are Steam Deck verified (meaning they will run on the Steam Deck without issues). Since I probably will never buy a PS5, these PS games are the only way that I’ll get to experience them.

Also, it’s laughable, but none of the PS games will install on my Steam Deck because they’re all over 64GB in size. I probably need to invest in a 1TB SD card ($140) or 512GB card ($70).

Yours,

- Weekend Gamer

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix (03 Sep 2022)

Read More Springbrook Nature Center It's been one year since we did a photo shoot with the Sony A7C at the Springbrook Nature Center in Fridley so I thought it would make sense to do a test run of the new Sony A7IV camera ...

With the Labor Day Weekend coming up, we took a long drive to William O'Brien State Park, along the St. Croix River, to enjoy nature.

We took the official Hiking Club Trail, which is a decent seven miles... although along the trail, you can take extra loops to clock in a grand total of twelve miles.

The trail was varied, from shaded trees, to a railroad underpass, to sharp climbs, to open prairie. wildlife can be seen, or mostly heard.

At the end of the hiking adventure, we stopped by Marine On St Croix to get some late lunch at the Marine General Store. Exploring the area, we heard live music coming from the Brookside Bar & Grill in the back.

For the Summer of 2022, the tavern has a different band playing every weekend.

For September 3rd, we had a trio called DD & Company, who played some swing, western & old-time country, rockabilly, and the occasional Irish jig.

Upcoming show:

Sat Oct 22 2022 at 07:00 pm to 09:00 pm

Carbone's
4705 Cedar Ave S, Minneapolis

DD & Company at Brookside, Marine on St Croix (03 Sep 2022)

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Site Update: Visible to remove Party Pay

Read More Visible I’ve been using internet-only telephone service called Visible for three months now… and I feel I’ve experienced all the pain and strain of using their service. The short story is that this is a very inexpensive mobile service . …

I’ve been using Visible since May 2021, and I have to admit, I love it. For $25 a month, I got unlimited talk, text, and, most importantly, unlimited data. It made me re-think the way I use the internet on my phone, since I’m no longer watching how much data I’m using. You basically use the phone like you were on WiFi, like allowing Google Photos to upload original image sizes or downloading massive Podcast or stream Vudu or Amazon Prime.

The best part is that of the price, you can tether or use your phone as a Hotspot, so one other device can use the internet (for example, my iPad or laptop).

That’s not to say that Visible (a division of Verizon) doesn’t have their issues and problems. I mentioned that this is entirely a “do it yourself” service, if you need tech support, you’re pretty much out of luck.

Still, if you set it up, I think $25 for an unlimited phone service is an amazing deal. You are not going to see that kind of low price from any phone company.

So, some bad news.

One of the key thing I liked about Visible was their Party Pay option, which gives you a $15 discount, if you’re party of a large group. Think “Family Plan”, but none of the party is related to you. Visible will be removing the Party Pay option in October 18, 2022, as they introduce two phone options: a regular service ($30) and a “plus” service ($45).

Look, even an increase to $30 (a $5 increase for me), I think is fine, as long as the service remains the same. I fear that the $30 will be an inferior version of the “plus” service, that’s what I’m afraid of… which means that the service will be a $20 increase for me if I need that “plus” service. $5 is acceptable, $20 is not okay with me.

You can read about it on their website:

Existing members will be required to get a new SIM card to take advantage of all these capabilities. All members, new and existing must update their device software before activating their new Visible or Visible+ plan. Devices that are currently certified for use with Visible services including our new plans are listed in the compatibility checker.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com

Tamron 50-400mm E-Mount lens coming September 22, 2022

Read More Tamron Maybe Tamron heard me, and announced that they are working on the Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067) on July 28, 2022. The new lens will be coming out Fall 2022 … Sony I’m in the market for a new high end camera, so I was debating on buying the Sony A9 (used) and Sony A7 IV, as they were about the same price. For non-Sony camera enthusiasts, let me break down …

You know I’m in the market for a long-reach telephoto lens for usage at live concerts. Right now I’m using the Tamron 28-200mm F2.8-5.6 Di III RXD Lens (since Sep 2021). While it’s a very fast lens (at F2.8 at the short end), I would trade that to get more reach... since I rarely shoot at 28mm.

When I read that Tamron was working on a 50-400mm lens called Tamron 50-400mm F/4.5-6.3 Di III VC VXD (Model A067), it was perfect for my needs.

Recently, Tamron released some additional information about the upcoming lens, including a release date of September 22, 2022, via their products page. One of the key features that I am looking forward to is that the lens will have stabilization called VC (Vibration Compensation) built into the lens! This is much-needed key feature that was absent in Tamron’s 28-200mm. While I didn’t mind it as much (as my camera had a five-axis stabilization in the camera), this is a feature that many shooters are asking for.

The other new thing I’ve learned is that the lens will have an optional tripod mount with Arca Swiss-compatible quick shoe. This suggests to me that the lens is heavy, even though the website lists it to weigh about 2.5 pounds.

For power users, you can set focus limits with their “Focus Limiter” (you would want to do this if you know you’ll never need a certain number set so you can focus faster), which I probably won’t use... but I appreciate the option. Based on the photo, I see you have physical buttons to set your custom focus - so it’s great to see that you can revert back to the default, if your custom is not working for you.

You can get half-macro photography, with a distance of about 10 inches, so if you’re into shooting very close subjects, this is for you. I probably won’t be using this too much, but I like to have this ability.

While most people won’t care for it - I find that the 75° zoom ring rotation arc is very useful. Imagine going from 50 to 400 with just a twist. On one of my old lens, I would have to turn the lens almost a half circle!

The best part is that the lens is about 7 inches, which is a good size for something that can reach 400mm. Of course, it is about 2 inches longer than my 200mm, but that’s the price to pay for more reach.

Speaking of price, that is the one thing that Tamron didn’t mention. I am going to guess that it will cost about $600-$800, based on similar lens.

I guess I’ll find out for myself, when I buy the lens in September or October (depending on availability).

Update: Pre-orders from retailers lists the lens at $1,300... much more expensive than its competitors.

vu ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic