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Variation Facts and Fallacies
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2 Variation Facts and Fallacies
What is normal variation?
When we at Lensrentals started using computerized analysis (we use the Imatest package) to assess the MTF of large numbers of lenses, it became obvious that there is sharpness variation among copies. The example below shows the groupings for several different 100mm lenses: six samples of the Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100, eight samples of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, and twenty-four samples of the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS USM.
|This graph plots center sharpness against a sharpness figure for the whole lens (measured in line pairs per picture height for unsharpened RAW images)
Two things should be apparent from this chart. First, there clearly is variation between the different copies of each lens. On average the Canon 100mm f2.8 IS L lenses are the sharpest, but some copies are sharper than others. And some copies of the other two lenses are sharper again. You can see how this might lead two different reviewers to hold slightly different opinions on which 100mm macro lens is the best.
Second, a true 'bad lens' is truly an outlier, and you can see a bad one way down on the lower left. The difference between a soft or bad copy and the main group is very large. The copy-to-copy variation that occurs between the other lenses is really minor. If you want to know how bad that bad copy is: our techs could identify it looking at JPEGs at 50% on a computer screen, but they'd be unlikely to spot it by looking at a web-sized image.
A second point about copy-to-copy variation must be made: the data above were for all of those lenses on one single camera body. As I've already explained, when you change the body the results change - the overall pattern will look the same, but each lens result will be slightly different. The sharpest lens on test camera A may well not be the sharpest on test camera B.
The example below shows two things. The green triangles represent multiple different samples of a lens shot on the same camera (notice that the range on both axis has been changed to illustrate the difference more clearly). We then took one of those lenses (circled) and shot it on 11 other camera bodies - the performance is represented here by the blue and red squares. As you can see, there is significant variation in the results from the different cameras.
|A single lens (circled) was re-tested on eleven camera bodies (red boxes and blue diamonds)
from two different serial number series. All were brand new from box.
As suggested by our name, Lensrentals is a lens rental house, and as such I'd like to clarify one point: the variations that Ive been talking about don't occur because we're looking at used lenses. When we first started testing lenses, we made sure to carefully compare brand new lenses with our stock lenses to make sure that our quality assurance was keeping the stock lenses in good shape.
We buy new lenses in significant quantities; so we usually start testing a given lens by examining a dozen new copies right out of the box, then we start testing our rental copies. The graph below compares a group of new-out-of-the-box lenses with a group from rental stock to give an example. But in the graph immediately above, all of the camera bodies were new stock.
We've only found one lens so far that did show a difference with age, but results from that aren't used in any of these illustrations (I have discussed this in detail in this article).
Focusing Variation
To give some idea of how small the difference between various lenses really is, we can examine the variation of a single camera's autofocus with a single lens. It's reasonable to assume that you shoot dozens of images with your camera and depend on autofocus to be accurate. You never notice, unless you look very carefully, that if you automatically focus on the same shot several times the camera focuses slightly differently each time. That's why for testing purposes the data points I've shown were obtained using the best possible live-view manual focus for each lens.
But let's look at the graph below, which consists of multiple autofocus shots made with one lens on one camera. First, I let the camera autofocus the lens once, turned off autofocus, and took 4 consecutive shots, represented by the blue diamonds in the graph. In theory they should be identical, since nothing was changed. In reality, they are just a little different, which demonstrates the amount of shot-to-shot variation in the testing method - very little, in short.
Without changing anything, I then moved the focus ring to one extreme or the other, let the camera autofocus again, took a single shot, and repeated that process six times. Those six shots are the red boxes. You can see the camera autofocuses the shot a bit differently each time (and this is with center focus point on a star chart: a near ideal situation). Finally, I focused the lens using live-view magnified focusing four consecutive times (represented here by the green triangles).
|A single lens shot repeatedly with no changes (blue), manually focused 4 separate
times (green), and autofocused 6 times (red).
The scale in this series is changed again to illustrate the point clearly. It should be obvious that the variation of the camera's autofocus system on repeated shots with a single lens is about 1/3 as great as the variation between different lenses. Autofocus microadjustment to the camera would improve the average AF performance to be nearly as good as the live-view focusing but it wouldn't change the shot-to-shot variation (it would shift the red cluster towards the green results but it would remain just as spread out).
So How Big is This Variation in Real Life?
That's really the point of all this. The variation I've described is easy to detect using modern computerized optical analysis. And we've seen that the variation between a truly bad lens and the group of acceptable lenses is very large. But how big is the variation between the different acceptable copies?
The best answer I can give is probably that it might be detectable by pixel-peepers, but not working photographers, at least hardly ever. Lensrentals has six full-time pixel-peepers on our staff (the inspection technicians) who are armed with a large array of well-lit charts to analyze sharpness, aberration, back and front focus, you name it. They can pick out a bad lens fairly easily, but can't tell the difference between the best and worst images in the groups above.
But there's a more scientific way to look at things than 'our techs said so.' The Subjective Quality Factor (SQF) is a measurement developed by Ed Granger and K.N. Cupery in the 1970s for Kodak and used by Popular Photographer for their lens reviews. Basically, SQF uses a mathematical formula, taking the MTF data from the lens (which we get from these tests) to predict with good accuracy how sharp a print would be perceived at various sizes and distances.
I'm not going into detail about SQF (for a more thorough discussion, see Bob Atkins' excellent article or the references below). The important part is that several experts have shown an SQF difference of less than 5 for a reasonably sized print is basically not detectable by human vision.
It's a simple matter to have the computer calculate the SQF from the data we've already obtained in our testing. We arbitrarily calculate it for 8 X 10 inch print size, but the SQF difference would be the same for any reasonably sized print.
The graph below is for the same lens that I used for the autofocus example above, plus I added several other copies of that lens tested on the same camera. Then I had the computer calculate the SQF data for the best and worst copies.
|SQF for 8 X 10 inch print taken from selected MTF points.
As you can see the variation in SQF is less than 5, meaning theoretically, you wouldn't be able to detect the difference in a print. The difference is real and can be detected by Imatest, or by a careful pixel-peeper armed with a few test charts, a large monitor, and too much time on their hands. But it wouldn't be significant enough to make an obvious difference in a print.
So What's the Point of All This?
The main points are fairly straightforward:
1) Every lens and every camera exhibits slight variations relative to its twins that are detectable, but rarely significant.
2) Variations that wouldn't make the slightest difference in a print may seem quite different when the numbers are presented in a lens review. And, just because one copy of lens X is sharper than one copy of lens Y, doesn't mean they all are, or that they all will be in your camera.
3) Occasionally, an acceptable lens mounted to an acceptable camera combine their variations in a way that makes them unacceptable together. The lens may be fine with a different camera, and the camera fine with a different copy of the lens.
4) Really bad, soft, out-of-acceptable range lenses do occur. They are fairly rare though and easy to detect.
5) Camera autofocus is more variable and less accurate than you think.*
* Before you go all Major League Fanboy about the superiority of your camera's autofocus system: autofocus variation exists in every camera from every brand we've tested. Want to prove it? Put a wide aperture prime on your camera, mount it to a tripod, and focus on something in the middle distance. Now move the focus ring to infinity, let the camera autofocus and note exactly where it ends up on the distance scale. Now turn the focus ring to near focus, let the camera autofocus on the subject at middle distance, and note the number on the distance scale. They will be slightly different.
When you buy a lens, and assuming your camera allows you to, you should microfocus adjust it. If you do it properly, using a sensible focus distance, it really does make a difference. Then do some very basic tests to make sure it functions properly, and go take some pictures. If you like the pictures it makes, then keep it.
Oddly enough, the conclusion I've reached from several years of dedicated pixel-peeping and lens analysis is this: Trying to find exactly the sharpest copy of the sharpest lens is a fool's errand: you'll be looking for something that doesn't exist.
Roger Cicala, Lensrentals.com
For more of Roger's thoughts on lens and camera variation - and much, much more, visit his blog.
Feb 5, 2014
Oct 14, 2011
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Nov 22, 2014
Great article! However, I do have one problem. At what point did we decide that a $1500-$30000 lens shouldn't be "almost" perfect?I am sure there are those out there that think even $1500 is not a lot of money, but I'm not one of them! What ever happened to pride in workmanship or QC? Not to mention when did it become acceptable to spend this kind of money for a crap shoot (pardon the pun)? What if you can't afford to buy 3 different $5000 lenses to even try to hit a good lens? Are the tolerances displayed here something that should be acceptable? Yes, I do think I should be able to feel comfortable that my "only" $1500 lens will come to me in usable condition. If they can make one, they should be able to make sure that the odds are better than they apparently have. Buy the way, I would be willing to pay a reasonable price to have a new lens shipped to you first for a bench test before coming to me. No offense, but it is sad that I would have to go to this extreme to begin with.
" What ever happened to pride in workmanship or QC? "
Nothing happened, it hasn't gotten worse, but technology has gotten better (so outliers are easier to spot) and market expectations and price sensitivities haven't really allowed for better QC to keep up... Roger is pretty clear about how significant variations are so I'm not even gonna touch that one.
I have EF 200/2.8L lens that's visibly softer on one side (but only at 100% pixels maginification). I have 5DMarkII that has slight magenta cast on the right side of image (but you need to shoot something really uniform and white to notice it). Well, nothing is perfect it seems, and I really decided not to worry about this too much.
"Tollerance value" is certainly an issue.. and NOTHING is "absolutely perfect", I agree. And if the manufacturers set a high precision level to minimize these types of flaw, then production cost must will increase which'll ultimately reflect an impact on price. This article might make some "perfectionists" understand why they can't get a "perfect" body or lens.
Another issue, one sample out of ten or a hundred is tested (I assume one is chosen randomly from a batch) for QC.. That's acceptable for a 150$ point-n-shoot camera, but for an 1200$ DSLR body or 1k$ lens? That doesn't make any sense.
Why don't you guys on dpreview run a test on various brands about their quality control and publish a detailed review on that? I think that'll help lots of photographers save both their time and money as well as energy?
Thanx :)
My laptop ran out batteries before I finished the end
I made three posts: the first is (Dec 12, 2011 at 21:48:37 GMT) two posts down should be read first.
I just wanted to say that I am not attacking the author but my goal was to fill in the blanks or information that completed the picture of goes into the process control. Maybe because of background in the mfg'ing business the article, to me, painted a picture where things were not shown as controlled as they truly are. So I hope this balances it.
I did leave out in-process qc and final qc. It is one Hell of a lot more than testing samples these days. Specially when it comes to electronic equipment including things like lenses.
Crap, I just checked and one of my posts was lost and cannot remember what I said; probably said enough already.
If their is a change in supplier, the whole process is done again.
In the mfg' process, highly accurate and constrained jigs and fixtures are used to assemble parts such that the absolute minimum operator error impact is allowable. Knowing Canon, Nikon and others use robotic and dedicated automated machines to the critical assembly work.
With respect to screws, these are not critical items because if joining two parts are critical, an indexing tool pin is used which can be accurate to +/-0.001" or better depending on what is required. Screws simply help hold things together, not to locate two critical items. I am not saying the author made this claim but some folks may interpret his statements as such.
The modern machining processes are very accurate. Modern mfg'ing uses something called True Position analysis which when used properly and throughout an assembly and its subassemblies can produce amzaing results that surpass the traditional bias tolerancing. More in next post.
I know I am not the only one that is/was a Mechanical engineer working electronics manufacturing or that we have the market corner on opinions on this topic. But here comes the however.
Generally speaking everything in the article is reasonably accurate but it does give rather bleak picture on the state of manufacturing and tolerance analysis.
I assume Canon, Nikon, and others have state of the art mfg'ing capability. They most likely use computer aided design software capable of sophisticated tolerance analysis before any material is cut or formed. That is, they have a good projection where there the problem areas will be.
All suppliers parts have to meet new part/supplier qualification programs that include: source(this means inspecting the supplier's plant) inspections, source quality control inspections, incoming part qualification programs, and ongoing parts-receivable inspections. I will finish in next post.
What a superb article! I wonder if a photgrapher inspects and adjusts his masterpiece in Photoshop (i.e. pixel-peeping), then does the sharpening or automatic lens compensation made in Photoshop immediately outweigh and override any small errors made visible by a particular lens/camera combination?
It might be ideal to capture a perfectly focused shot 'in camera', but does software sharpening make the issue of tolerances largely irrelvant for most practical purposes (i.e. the perceived visual sharpness)?
In theory you can undo blurring perfectly, but the conditions required for this do not occur in actual images (you need the PSF of the imaging system, zero noise, no quantization error, etc.). In practice this means that software sharpening introduces artifacts, which may or may not bother you.
A related issue is that the tolerance problems may introduce systematic bias (like Roger described above), which shows up as front- or back-focus. This means that the sharpest point of focus in your image may not be where you want it to be (imagine a portrait with the sharpest focus on the tip of the nose). You can only repair such a defect in software by selectively sharpening and blurring just the right areas of the photo, something that would become tiresome very quickly.
As you report live-view AF to be more precise, i.e. with less variation to it, I wonder what your data is on contrast- versus phase-based AF cameras--anecdotal and statistical. Do you get less complaints from four-thirds users than from dslr users? Did you do any experiments on 4/3's lens focussing? Are there any general "truths" to be gleaned on the difference between the systems?
If you want to evaluate the sharpness of your own lenses, or you wish to calibrate the AF fine tuning of your DSLR body, you should try MTF Mapper
This utility is totally free, and source code is provided. Or you could buy Imatest for $300-$5000 :)
Please read the user documentation thoroughly, though.
I would appreciate any feedback, and welcome all discussion!
Excellent write-up.
silly pointless article, this read isn't going to change people's behavior one iota, his time would have been better spent reviewing some photo gear
Great ! I am now paranoid about the nano mearsurements of machined surfaces that can effect optical alignment of lens/camera fit of my next purchase !
Hey Frank C..
The article is interesting and does explain some things about why every lens is not perfect.
Less pointless than at least one comment...
I hope you don't watch movies, then. Watching them and then discussing what problems you had with friends and family over said movie isn't going to change one iota of why family member B thinks it's still a great movie. Instead of watching pointless movies (any movie) could be better spent taking photos. Because we all know that addressing/discussing certain topics is not worth ANY time than it being spent on being productive. Sleep is overrated.
Good eye-opener article. I guess metal lens mounts on lenses are better than plastic ones to lessen wear and tear and maintain some accuracy over usage and time. Live and learn!
Hi Roger - Since we're talking about pixel peeping and focus fine tuning, can you explain why you say the 28-75 Tamron is "...the best lens nobody knows about, and possibly the best bang-for-the-buck of any camera lens, period. Its nearly as sharp as the Nikon 24-70 , particularly on DX cameras, but much smaller, lighter, and cheaper...." I realize your remark about DX hints that the Tamron has soft corners but this seems like reading between the lines. Variations? I've had 4 of these lenses, with and without the motor and none has been particularly good. Granted, the alternative costs a lot more but the difference is equally dramatic; the 24-70 has sharp corners on FX.
My take on the Tammie is several years old, written when the vast majority of photogs were shooting crop bodies (as opposed to less of a vast majority today, I guess). It is weak in the corners on an FX but on a DX I feel it's a bargain: 80% of the performance for 30% of the price. But more than that I was coming from the other direction: in the under $500 lens category there's this and the Tamron 17-50 as the f/2.8 zoom entries. Both are decent lenses at an amazing price, but neither is going to compete with a $1,500 lens wide open.
Very informative article (as were your previous ones), but a couple of queries:
"If they are out-of-spec and get by quality control, then someone, somewhere gets a truly bad camera or lens. It doesn't happen frequently, but it happens. When it does, it isn't a subtle call; it's very obvious the lens is bad."
This doesn't stand up to reason - it suggests cameras/lenses SLIGHTLY out of tolerance always get caught by quality control.
"The reality though is that the only sensible definition of 'best' is 'best with the camera body you are using,'."
And best at your chosen focal length, aperture, focus distance etc...
Then I wonder why your data doesn't show any slightly out of tolerance lenses?
Assuming your interpretation of your data is correct, then it backs up your statement - that when there's an error the error is obvious.
But common sense suggests that it is more likely that a highly out of tolerance lens would be caught by QC than a slightly out of tolerance lens, or at least that there would be a significant number of slightly out of tolerance lenses appearing.
Maybe there is some explanation e.g perhaps when a lens receives a knock during delivery the alignment inevitably moves out by a large amount (and never a small amount).
Great article that confirms much of what I have picked up over the years. I own a Kodak Rapid Rectilinear from about 1900 and one of its 'perfected' descendants - a Zeiss Tessar from the 30s. Yet Stieglitz, Adams, Weston all shot with lenses of that general quality. I shot Nikons in the 60s and 70s and had real need of a short zoom, but was plagued by the softness of Nikons 43-86 zoom until one day a student showed me a sharp 8 by10 he claimed he shot with the 43-86. I tested it; it was sharp! Here is a reverse example of the thrust of the article and clear evidence that things have improved. I recently reentered photography with a 600D and was wowed by the sharpness of the 18-55 kit. Next I bought a Canon IS 100mm macro on reputation. With my rheumy old eyes I really am not sure what sharpness is anymore but I can see a difference between the two lenses. Objects look solider, more real with the macro...more like ,well, Weston's 8 x 10 contacts.
What are you measuring on these graphs? There are no labeled axes. Without telling us what the graphs are really showing, how can we assess anything? Please add x and y axis labels. The graphs are pretty meaningless without them. Thanks.
Trying to keep graphs in the allowed image size made the labels too small so I identified the axis in the text: Both axis are MTF50 in Line Pairs / Image height. The horizontal axis is center point resolution, the vertical is average resolution of the entire lens.
How do I search on dpreview.com for cameras with the front/back focus (aka microfocus adjustment) feature?
At present you can't, but I'll put in on the list of things to consider adding to the database.
Well done article - I would love to have a blow up of that cut away lens hanging on my wall. How do they fit all that stuff in there? Can you imagine designing that in the days before computers?
Roger confirms my intuition on equipment build quality--a "broad" range of tolerance. I went through a quest with two copies of a Nikkor 16-85 zoom. I told tech support that images were "soft" at short focal lengths and with distant subjects the lens never hit the infinity mark. They looked at my samples and said they were within tolerance. I disagreed and they serviced the lenses without improvement. I sent them back with the camera body, a D300, again failure. So, I took equipment to the Nikon repair station in Melville, NY and pleaded my case to the techie. I even shot a series of images of the Nikon headquarters to demonstrate the problem. When the equipment was returned, lo-and-behold, the lenses were sharp. I don't know what repair was performed. As I understand it, a lens calibration with the camera is only good for one focal length; useless on a zoom. Oh, and the lenses still do not hit the infinity mark on distant subjects and short focal lengths. So much for zone focus.
I find the main article interesting however I feel quality should never be an issue it never was with film SLR's you knew what you were buying, you could also focus and set DOF and subject position within DOF from the lens barrell markings. I have never been happy with either of my crop sensor DSLR's (30D&40D&50D) with my L lens even the "kit" lens were "Soft" no pixel peeping required. I also was told by canon that there was nothing wrong twice with all bodies and 3 different L lens. So I experimented because I needed a work around and happened on a set up where i could consistantly repeat the annomallies and which helped me figure out the workaround. I foolishly believed it would improove with next model body but I believe it is a fundamental mismatch of 2.8 L series lenes to crop sensor bodies that canon can't admit.
No 60D for me I have enough paperwieghts I have resurected the F5 and some fuju 100 slide film
BTW Jim I can't get anything sharp in infinty either
This is good to know and not surprising. But I still think it's unintentionally misleading. I've never used a 100 macro of any brand or price that wasn't at least very good. However, I've had many dreadful wide angle zooms that no amount of variation/calibratrion could explain away. Since the consumer can't control the variation, the first question has to be "Are ALL copies of a certain lens, dogs?" It's helpful to know that certain lenses, by design are lousy--and this includes some very expensive ones. My mother would make a great lens reviewer because she would say "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".
Fantastic article, thanks a lot!
I don't even dare to ask if you're willing to disclose all your lens testing data ;)
the next stage is for someone like DPR to take 10 lens copies of each 70-200 f2.8 lenses
Canon L IS
Nikon VR
Sigma OS (Nikon + Canon version)
Tamron (Nikon + Canon version)
and test on 10 bodies Nikon 3Dx and 10 Canon 1Ds MKIII
So we have 30 lenses x10 bodies for Canon and Nikon = 600 tests
Only after that we would have it all settled, not.
The article should be named "There can be only one!".
No actually it would seem that many camera users would like the camera manufacturers to come knocking on their door to check if the particular copy of a lens they have will suit the particular camera the photographer has before putting it on a shop shelf somewhere in the world.
> something like 150 +/- 2 MHz
Are you sure you don't mean KHz? 150 MHz is very implausible for an ultrasonic motor.
Interesting reading, but also filled with some hot air. Solder in a circuit that doesn't conduct as well as some other brand or type of solder? The amounts of solder used in these boards is so small as to have no significant or measurable effect on conductivity.
With lenses as with cameras, you usually do get what pay for, including tighter tolerances. Plus or minus 20% is probably way beyond the tolerance range for Leica glass and probably wider than Canon's L lenses. Also, the better lenses are made of materials that have a similar co-efficient of expansion and contraction so that the critical alignments are held in position regardless of whether it's cold or warm/hot weather.
For me, the bottom line is that the "soft" or inaccurate lens is the rarity compared to the lenses that perform just the way they're supposed to. I also think out-of-focus or front/rear focus issues have more to do with human error and/or a maladjusted camera AF system than they do with the lens itself.
It is HOW the solder is applied. Having 10 years experience In the automotive electronics world, a "small" quantity production line may produce around 200K modules per year, a "large" quantity line in the 1M range. Any manufacturing defect, no matter how small, is bound to surface.
Consider flow soldering: minor flaws show up sooner or later as manufacturing defects, no ifs, ands or buts about it. The defect can surface as intermittent, variable resistance, etc. It may not even surface unless the printed circuit board (PCB) is flexed (or mounted) in a certain way at a certain temperature. Solder itself is subject to manufacturing tolerance, and some brands may not perform (adhere) as well as a (chemically) different brands. PCBs have manufacturing tolerance, ICs have manufacturing tolerances... the effects of all this are multiplicative, and can add up to staggering odds AGAINST producing a perfect product each and every time.
Hot air... I disagree.
You're both right ... except, as always, the proof is in the pudding. The number of lenses or cameras that are out of spec due to variations in solder application or solder type or anything else related to solder, including solder along the PCBs, is so small as to make it a moot issue. In fact, the amount or error that can be attributed to solder application is so small as to be immeasurable ... at least, on a lens or camera PCB. There was far, far, far more error when solder and components were applied by hand and there is far, far, far more error (or tolerance swing) with integrated circuits than with solder application. I believe the mention of the solder is part of the "hot air" of the article.
"...so small as to be immeasurable ..."
Depends on scale. My guess is you've never seen an automobile dashboard that's been melted by a "thermal event".
If I use this same logic, atoms do not exist because they are "...so small as to be immeasurable ..."
Hot air... I disagree.
It's not questioning if errors exist or not, it's about which errors are going to factor considerably the end result. A sniper shooting a soda can from 300ft is probably going to notice scope error first over trigger wobble. Trigger wobble error exists and will incur shake, but not noticeable at 300ft. And atoms do exist. Without Atom and Eve, we wouldn't be here...
"It's not questioning if errors exist or not, it's about which errors are going to factor considerably the end result."
So you are saying that if the probability of an error is small it can be ignored? Sorry, but I can't accept that answer. Any error, no matter how small, is too large if you are the one that happens to experience it.
Could someone comment on 'random' softness that sometimes occurs with zoom lens. Most pictures with lens fine but perhaps once in about 1-200 times an area towards middle righthand side is noticably soft, no pixel peeping required. Has happened with a couple of mid range zoom lenses I've had, once in era of film and one digital. I take thousands of shots per year so this is a significant amount of shots lost and it seems unpredictable as to when it will happen, just at that particular zoom/focus combination which you can't find again to reproduce the effect. Do those computers they use to simulate how the lens will perform cover every possibility of focus/zoom and if they find a particular very small combination of focus/zoom that happens to be soft does it still get through into production?
TORN, that is the reality pf economics. If you expect manufacturers to hold lenses to the tolerances you want be prepared to remortgage your house to pay for just one. The biggest problem I have with these gear forums is the ease with which people can zoom in on photographs to find and complain about minute IQ problems that have nothing to do with the quality of the photograph.
First I follow and appreciate Mr. Cicalas articles for quite some time now.
But with this evaluation of a 20% difference between best and worst acceptable copy being just fine the manufacturers should be very happy.
Follow the argument with the quality rating being barely within the 5-limit then what about enlargements? I prefer to often cut my shots sometimes giving away half of the pixels and thereby increasing the error by a large amount.
In my book a sample variation of 20% is not acceptable to me. At least I want to reach the middle ground and this can usually (!) be archieved by testing 2-3 samples (well knowing that by really bad luck I test three mediocre samples, but hopefully my experience helps me out in this case). Since I am not looking for the top of the best my goal can be reached with a very limited extra effort per lens buy. Ok, the risk of having a really off camera is still there but can be mitigrated by testing my other cams as well.
It is an interesting article - but how reliable is it?
Roger uses an example of a screw diameter - screw diameter does not affect assembly tolerance, though it might cause tightening issues.
In "whats it all about" point 5 there seems to be a misunderstanding of how AF works. If starting AF front infinity and then minimum focus gives different results the size of the parallel part of the target is not big enough relative to the length of the AF detection line.
What is happening is the AF is detecting detail further away coming from infinity and closer from minimum focus that would not occur with a bigger target. This is not "tolerance variation".
I agree lens and body variations likely to show in a 20 inch wide print are rare. If you have fast broadband this link I got from dpreview indicates the various electronic test stages in assembling a Nikon 24-70 - and includes a Nikon AF test target.
quite correct
however "manufacturer tolerance" is key
I presume Canon L lenses have lower tolerance then normal ones ?
Now I am also using Leica. Leica's lenses on my M9 are bank on razor sharp from the factory.
Lower "tolerances" ? probably .......
A few months ago I bought a very old Pentax-M 400/5.6, which didn't work too well with my Pentax K-x, nor the K-5, but excellently with my new Sony NEX-5N, and its K Mount adapter!
Somehow that mix turned up far better, but you have explained it excellently ;-)!
Even with my wife's E-PL1 things seemed better with the 400 (Novoflex K Mount adapter).
Somehow, I think even with the stats and analysis posted here in this article, we will still have daily "my lens is soft" and "I exchanged five copies of my foomatic f/2.8 lens before I got a sharp one" threads.
My used 18-55mm was sharp out of the box but the others were a bit soft - but sharp in liveview with contrast AF. A few minutes with a printed target and microadjust cleared it right up - no complaining and exchanging lenses nonsense because obviously given microns' worth of tolerance, even a "perfect" lens would no longer be perfect after being handled by UPS.
I'd love to see an article by Cicala covering high-end DSLR image "softness" compared to P&S and even entry-level DSLRs, along with an analysis of the underlying causes and reasons for it. And yet, that still would not stop the nonsense.
But even high-end body owners post that they keep exchanging lenses until they get a good one. It is a topic that comes up from time to time and explaining what the impact of even tighter tolerances when it's already in the micron range would have on the price of glass, they still insist that they should not have to adjust for front/back focus (aka microfocus adjustment).
The tolerance on these things is so tight that a lens that is "perfect" on your camera may not be perfect after being subjected to UPS's mishandling of packages, and one that is not "perfect" from the factory very well may be "perfect" for your body when it arrives.
IMHO If it is within the +/- range MFA allows for, it's a keeper (and it's very rare it won't be within that range).
a) MA does NOT correct misaligned elements in lenses
b) In their current implementation, Nikon and Canon MA do NOT work well for zoom lenses.
Yes, but we are not talking about misalignment here (which would be a defect) but about lenses that are within specifications.
I agree that it doesn't work so well for zoom lenses. But current MFA is far from perfect, isn't it? At least I'd want to have different correction values for the long and short end instead of just one.
Why not use the correct word "sample" rather than "copy" which implies plagiarism or worse?
Dictionary.com lists as a definition for "Copy" as,
"one of the various examples or specimens of the same book, engraving, or the like."
So the authors use of the word "Copy" is within the definition of the word.
.... Continued from last post: So when you say that your technicians can easily detect a "bad lens" but not distinguish among the acceptable "variations" in your chart, I think you are conveniently omitting cases in which the lens may be within the acceptable variation at the test point within the frame (or even on average) and yet be yielding images which are to some degree easily detectable as of asymmetrical quality to the naked eye. I bring up this omission because it is the primary mode of failure that I believe reasonable people can easily spot without going so far as Imatest or even charts.
Actually I completely agree (and a great example of the same definition meaning different things to different people). But I consider theses one of the easily detectable "bad lenses". Optically it's readily apparent as a portion of the image not nearly as sharp as the rest. Imatest shows it as acceptable peak sharpness with bad weighted average sharpness.
But I think you've given me a nice lead for a new article: I can definitely do some examples of this.
Dear Roger - Thanks for this new piece in your series. I enjoyed the new information contained here. However, I have one bit of constructive criticism. You go briefly into the aspect of visible decentering (i.e. you mention the phenomenon of some lenses being off target), but you did not go into the obvious effect this has on focus. I am concerned that you downplay this a bit in that this is one of the focus effects that can make a huge visible difference to a working photographer, and it happens more often than any of us would like in lenses like the Nikon 70-200 VR2. The issue is that when an element is notably off center you will get extremely sharp focus in one part of the intended focal zone and dull focus in another part of intended focal zone. Another way of putting this is that the focus zone is skewed rather than perpendicular. Often this reproduces with the lens on multiple camera bodies, i.e. is a true lens issue and can't simply be blamed on lens/body "combination." Cont...
Maybe lenses should have MFA themselves. That would be great.
The interesting thing is lens MFA wouldn't be hard: each lens contains electronic hook-ups inside that the manufacturer uses with proprietary software to adjust focus. It wouldn't fix a decentered or tilted element, but it would make autofocus more accurate if we had the option of accessing those electronics.
An excellent article which is entirely objective, and proves fairly succinctly that the subjective comments about lenses posted in the forums are essentially bunkum.
In real-life situations there is at least another element which - in theory - might affect lens performance: temperature. When using a camera outdoors the temperatures' range may easily exceed 40 degrees (Celsius), and both plastics and metal will be heavily affected ...
Then, of course, there will be slight accidents: most of us will occasionally end up shocking our lenses and cameras both inside or outside our bags ...
The only solution I can foresee is regular calibration : a truly professional camera should be equipped with several calibration options, both a the camera-body level and at the lens level. And the whole system should be regularly re-calibrated, after exposure to shocks or temperature extremes expecially.
Alternatively, I think software might be developed to "virtually" re-calibrate a system by adjusting the electronic manipulation of the collected image ?
Best article yet! I didn't realize all that was involved and now I know. Thanks, very informative article. All the years we've used D-SLR's we've never found one that was unacceptable, this explains why, we were lucky with bodies and lenses. And like you said people are too critical in many cases. With all that said, we've only found one lense (on a micro four thirds) that has an anomaly that we decided was unacceptable, to us anyway. We could never get anyone to tell us if this was the case or if we were maybe expecting too much? Please take a look at this video and tell me if this something that you'd consider as acceptable? I would love to know......
We've had other cameras with video capabilities but none that had this problem, we believe it to be in the lens, as it clicks when mildly shook off the camera like something is loose in the lens. I'd really appreciate an expert's opinion.
Thanks in advance,
Thank you, Panasonic said it was normal, and so did a couple of people here on the forum. I'm still going to use the camera but the lens is a cheap one. I really think they should have fixed it, but they didn't, so we'll have to look for another better quality lens. Thanks now I know I was correct in my assumption, thanks again for a great article.
At the end, what does it mean by microfocus adjust it? How exactly does one do that?
Some middle to upper range changeable lens cameras now allow you to "tweak" the nominal focus point for an attached lens. Plus or minus some amount. The camera then remembers this setting with this specific lens (usually by lens model, not by lens serial number). The Canon 7D has this adjustment while the Canon 60D does not.
For those who think that perfection can be reached by throwing money and QA at something think again.
The most obvious optical example can be summed up in one word - Hubble.
NASA also didn't spend the $$$ to roll the Hubble outside and focus it on anything. This was recommended by the engineers, but alas... Pay me now or pay me later. At least it gave some Astronuts something to do.
Tagomilonga you have justified my argument, not nullified it. No matter how much testing is done there are still possibilities that something could go wrong. Even if Kodak had manufactured the lens there is no certainty it would have performed any better - even if 'properly tested' - I cannot imagine PE would have done zero testing.
Ultimately even for a meg$ project there were restrictions on cost so how do you expect a commodity lens manufacturer to do 100% check on a 'low cost' lens?
No matter how much one spends on QA there will always be a possibility of an error. There is no such thing as 'zero tolerance'.
Read the story behind this gorgeous wedding photo captured at Trolltunga in Norway by husband and wife duo Priscila Valentina Photography. The 14 hour hike in the rain that preceded this shot was TOTALLY worth it.
Go behind the scenes with filmmaker Nick Arcivos, who recently created a beautiful cinematic short film in Paris using only the iPhone X, a couple of gimbals, and a few lights. The results are very impressive.
A Bay Area startup offering a pay-by-the-photo camera service cleverly addresses the pain points photographers experience when they pick up their first DSLR. But can it survive the smartphone?
It's been a big year for software innovations, dual cameras and huge displays. Take a look at our picks for the top smartphone cameras and why we think they stand out.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At the #7 spot is the ready-for-any-weather Olympus Tough TG-5.
By combining his skills as a time-lapse filmmaker and an engineer, Julian Tryba created this out-of-this-world creative 'layer-lapse' of New York City that alternates between night and day in time with the music.
Canon Japan's new lineup of novelty camera-themed gifts was just revealed online, including a lens mug and lens thermos, two retro camera-themed USB drives, and a picnic mat.
The Profoto A1 most certainly isn't for everyone [...] But for those who are used to using the Profoto systems, and want something that pairs seamlessly with the strobes you already have, there is no better companion.
Fujifilm has asked a US district court to clear it of any wrongdoing, after allegedly being threatened with trademark litigation by Polaroid.
While a couple of our reviewers are out testing the Sony a7R III in Arizona, back in Seattle we slapped the camera in front of our studio scene to get a close look at its image quality. See how it stacks up against the competition.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017, and the #8 ranking belongs to the Nikon D7500.
B+W has announced a new aluminum filter holder that offers three slots so users can use multiple filters at the same time. The holder goes with the 2mm thick 100mm square filters it launched earlier this year.
8K video is coming a lot faster than you think, and Blackmagic is ready for it. Meet the DeckLink 8K Pro, a new high performance PCI-E capture and playback card built to handle 'real time high resolution 8K workflows.'
"Glass is everywhere in photography. From Eugène Atget's reflective vitrines to Lee Friedlander's sly self-portraiture, photographers have long been in thrall to the visual complications glass can inject into a composition."
Former Apple Aperture lead developer Nik Bhatt has designed an iOS app called RAW Power that lets you edit raw photos from your professional camera using your phone and tablet.... color us intrigued.
Advertising photographer Blair Bunting got his hands on the new Microsoft Surface Book 2, and it blew him away. Bye bye MacBook Pro...
The OnePlus 5T retains many of the 5's features and specs, but comes with an edge-to-edge display and a dual-camera that is optimized for low light.
Sony's recently announced IMX461 backside illuminated medium format sensor will bring 100MP resolution and almost 2x the speed to the next-gen Fuji GFX and Hasselblad X1D.
With the 'Rent a Hasselblad' camera equipment renting program, the camera makers is aiming to give enthusiast and professional photographers easier access to its medium-format photography products.
They say seeing is believing, and that's exactly what happened when one DPR staffer took the Google Pixel 2 out for an afternoon shooting under challenging conditions.
We're counting down our top 10 most popular sample galleries of 2017. At the #9 spot we have the Fujifilm GFX 50S, a medium-format camera that took CP+ 2017 by storm.
Instagram is testing a new feature that lets you follow hashtags in addition to people, making it possible to keep track of your favorite #landscapes or #portraits without leaving your home feed.
Despite the gigantic volume of second hand film bodies in existence, it seems there is still a demand for new 35mm SLRs with a retro feel. The latest is a remake of the Ihagee Elbaflex from the 1960s, but with a Nikon F mount.
The Polaroid Insta-Share Moto Mod straps an instant printer directly to your Moto Z smartphone, so you can print your photos as soon as you've captured them.
The Mitakon Speedmaster 135mm F1.4 lens is being relaunched in 7 different mounts, including: Sony A, Sony E, Canon EF, Nikon F, Fujifilm G, Pentax K, and Leica L. Got an extra three grand lying around?
In January, Kodak announced it would bring back the beloved slide film Ektachrome. The timeline has been pushed back a bit, but Kodak says you can expect to purchase Ektachrome again in 2018.
Instagram popularity is threatening some of the most beautiful landscapes in the US, as hordes of 'nature lovers' trample over the same spots over and over again in search of the same exact shot.
You'd have to be pretty brave to immerse your $50K RED cinema camera underwater. But if you've got the guts, Gates just released a new housing you can be pretty sure won't wreck your unbelievably expensive toy.
Adobe has released a 'Lightroom Downloader' app for Windows 10 and macOS High Sierra that allows you to download all of your images from the Adobe Cloud, all at once.
After releasing a popular 4K action cam and an affordable mirrorless M43 camera, Chinese camera maker YI is diving into yet another market: 360° VR. Meet the YI 360 VR: a powerful little two-lens camera that can shoot and stream in 4K.


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Hmong Asian American Cultural Club
By Billy Thao
Hmong Asian American Cultural Club will be hosting their second Hmong New Year at Woodbury High School on December, 9th. Last year, Hmong Asian American Cultural Club hosted their first Hmong New Year with a successful result of over 200 guests and raised over $500. However, the club is more than celebrating the Hmong New Year with delicious food, fun games, and cultural performances; it is about bringing the Hmong community together, educating, and celebrating the roots of the Hmong culture.
"The purpose of this club was to gather all different kinds of students to learn about the Hmong culture, to be a part of more than academics, and to engage/inform about who we are, what we do, where we came from, when was all of this change, and why we are in America," quoted Audia Thao, the founder and president of Woodbury High School's Hmong Asian American Cultural Club. "Even though we all enjoy hosting a wonderful event for our friends and families, passion, love, and connecting to our roots are what's important."
Hmong Asian American Cultural Club was founded in April 2015 by Audia Thao and Alli Yang. Back in 2015, the students were slowly straying from the Hmong culture within Woodbury High School. However, the founders had a vision yet had little knowledge of the success and its future: to form a club that could bring back their language and culture, to connect, to feel supported, to share their culture to Washington County, and to come together.
On the first day they had more than 10 students who attended the meeting. Soon, the club began its journey with holding an election, weekly meetings, recruiting more students, and becoming leaders. With addition to the club, the students learn to find comfort within their identities, share ideas, converse about the importance of gender roles, and to create a family.
Today, the board members of Hmong Asian American Cultural Club are: president, Audia Thao; vice-president, Maegi Yang; secretary, Cynthia Yang, and advisor, Jackie Bock.
Since its inception and hosting the first Hmong New Year, Hmong Asian American Cultural Club is confident of their second year of hosting the Hmong New Year and its accomplishments. "I hope that this year we accomplish more than just teamwork, more than just family, more than just an event," said Audia. "I hope we can come out as better leaders, better organizers, and better Hmong people for our community."
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subset: commoncrawl


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Bangladesh: Student activists at risk of torture
Two student opposition activists in Bangladesh, Al Mukaddas and Mohammad Waliullah, have been missing since 4 February. Eyewitnesses saw them being detained by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the Detective Branch (DB) of the Bangladesh Police in Savar, north of the capital, Dhaka. The RAB have denied holding them, with no credible explanation to counter the eyewitness accounts. The men are at risk of torture and extrajudicial execution.


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Salvation could be sweet for the Swedes today.
Team Sweden overwhelmed the upstart Swiss 4-0 before 3,761 witnesses at the MTS Centre yesterday to advance to today's 3:30 p.m. bronze medal match at the same rink.
Sweden will play Finland, th very team which dropped the Swedes, who won the silver medal at the last Olympics, into the second group and spoiled any Swedish hopes to at least repeat their silver-winning ways here.
"We would love to play them again," said Sweden forward Maria Rooth. "We would probably have a better chance against Finland (than Canada) ... We're used to playing Finland in the bronze game so that's probably what's going to happen.
"Our goal with this tournament was to get into a medal game and we're there so we're happy. Everything went well."
In fact, Rooth was not that worried when Finland dropped the Swedes into the second group.
"Not really," she said. "This team is young but we know what we can do and we knew that this team could compete for a medal."
Besides, not only have the Swiss never beaten Sweden on the international stage but the Swedes have not lost in regulation this week, pointed out coach Peter Elander.
"But it's going to be a tough game," he predicted. "We've played (Finland) so much this year and it's one goal each way all the time. So, we have a good chance but it's going to be really close."
"Otherwise, if we're so lucky to be playing Canada, they would probably be crying all night and couldn't play," he joked before Canada beat Finland last night.
Pernilla Winberg notched two goals and assisted on another by Katarina Timglas.
"We knew it would be a tough game and they would try their best," Winberg said. "They have a good goalie (Florence Schelling) so when we get a chance, we have to score. We knew if we played our best, we'd win."
Although Sara Grahn recorded the shutout, Elander had yet to decide who to start in net today.
Switzerland, meanwhile, upset the Germans earlier in the tournament and jumped up to No. 5 from No. 7 in the world rankings.
"At this moment, we are very disappointed about this game but if you think of the whole tournament, we are very proud of what we did here," said Swiss coach Rene Kammerer.
"We're No. 5 in the world now after coming from Division 1 not that long ago and nobody thought we could do this well."
Kammerer then predicted that the Swedes would win the bronze against Finland today.


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Ok you guys…. bare with me for just a minute. I'm feeling a little weepy, probably because I'm pregnant but I still have to share this with you.
First of all, thank you. To each and every one of you that come to The Best Blog Recipes and linked up with us each week. I know I don't personally know you but through your links I get to know you better and you're really becoming my blog family! Second, thank you to those of you that shared our party link on Facebook, Twitter & Google+ last week. We had the most link ups that we've ever had at a party and it's totally because of your kindness and you taking the time to share our party info! I'm feeling very humbled today and feeling very blessed that our blog has taken off so much in the past year and you guys all play a big part in that! I'm not kidding when I say that I get really excited to look at your links each week. All of you bring a special something to the blogging world and you're each very talented in your own way. I hope you know that I feel very honored to have you be a part of our party!
So I guess what I'm trying to say in my pregnant weepy sort of way… I hope you know that you're always welcome here and I hope we can help promote and grow all of your blogs through our party because all of you are important to us!
We'd also love for you to follow us in as many ways as you can while you're here today via the links below:
Pinterest | Facebook | Bloglovin
Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Muffins from The First Year Blog
Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes from My Life Of Travels and Adventures
Fall Fabric Wreath from This Silly Girls Life
Chicken Pockets w/ Feta & Yogurt from Culinary Flavors
Weeknight Roast Pork Tenderloin from Erica's Recipes
Need a featured button for your site? Click Here!
No rules for this party. Link up your posts, whatever they are just please make sure they are family friendly or I'll have to delete them. Everyone is welcome and there is no link limits so go get your party on!
Here are a few other things you might enjoy while you are here today:


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strong resemblance it bore to his
The convict felt confident, he
said, that a-woman with such a
countenance must be good and
kind hearted.
Having only a short time to
serve, the man explained that he
was anxious to have enough
money to give him a new start.
During his solitary moments in
his cell, he embroidered a pair of
pillow shams in intricate patterns
of birds, beasts and flowers. The
shams were made of silk patches
and the manner in which they
were ornamented was pronounc
ed to be unique "by experts in dec
orative fabrics.
The man who signed himself
"Thomas Burns, No. 1." offered
to send the shams to' Mrs. Epp
stein "to dispose of, the proceeds
to be used to enable him with a
temporary start in some state
outside of Montana.
"It would not be policy for me
to linger in this state, where I
have been a prisoner," wrote
Burns. The law would hound me
apd employment would be out of
the question.
"He's an ex-convict he can't
be trusted," would greet me
everywhere." t
, Mrs. Eppstein, who is a mem
ber of the Vittoria Colonna club
and active in uplift work, found
on inquiry that the case of Burns
was worthy.
While she was interesting her
friends in the matter the term of
Burns expired sooner than he ex
pected, and she received another
letter from him asking that she
transfer the proceeds from the
sale of his handiwork to Robert
Vanella, a youth virtually serv
ing a life sentence in the Deer
Lodge penitentiary.
Mrs. Eppstein then turned her
attention to the case of Vanella
and found that he was convicted
on circumstantial evidence of a
murder. He steadfastly proclaim
ed his innocence.
The facts narrated by Vanella
were dramatic, the young man
having been convicted of slaying
a ompanion whom he claimed
had committed suicide because
he was jilted by a girl whom he
Mrs. Eppstein is now interest
ing herself in the case of Vanella
in the hope of amassing new evi
dence that will result in the grant
ing of a new trial. Meantime she
is assisting the mother, who lives
at 36 Madison street, New York.
Burns, the prisoner who saw
the picture of Mrs. Eppstein fol
fowing her marriage, has left the
penitentiary and when last heard
of was starting life anew in a dis
tant state.
'Prevent 'Tears.
To prevent tears in children's
underwaistswhere the garters are
fastened, stitch a .stout tape from
the armhple down to the first but
ton ; slip on a brass ripg, then fold
the tape and stitch back to arm
hole. Then fasten pins to ring.
"What Will My Dollar Da?"
sh'rieks the heavy line for an ad
vertisement. Answer; Dieof Ionesomeness.
xml | txt


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Comment #2 Saturday, December 21, 2013 2:52 PM
Thanks JWFarmer. The widgets are for personal use but if Z71 gave me permission I might upload them.
Comment #3 Saturday, January 11, 2014 3:26 AM
Sweet!!! Where did you get the wallpaper?
Comment #5 Thursday, January 30, 2014 12:01 PM
N-Cyte, I think theAVMAN did them, don't think he released, not sure. I have them, 3, but I can't find them in the gallery.
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text: • Wet hair thoroughly. • Apply Bain Oléo Curl • Massage through the scalp and hair using the flats of the hands and complete the gentle massage technique, emulsify and rinse thoroughly. • Re-apply using the gentle massage technique and leave for a few minutes. • Lather by adding a little water and gently emulsify before rinsing thoroughly.


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Centre for Applied Archaeology
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Press releases
Dig Whitehawk Site Open Day press release 24 July 2014
Results of detailed magnetometer survey press release 3 June 2014
Whitehawk Camp Community Archaeology Project press release 14 April 2014
News articles
'Whitehawk Hill's Neolithic past to be explored in film exhibition at museum' Brighton and Hove Independent, February 29 2016
'A connection with prehistory: artists create film about one of UK's first Neolithic ritual monuments', Culture 24, 9 February 2016
'Site-specific film installation explores Brighton's Neolithic Whitehawk Hill, Brighton Museums, 8 February 2016
'Community archaeology project 'highly commended' at Marsh Awards' Brighton Museums, 12 November 2015
'Highly commended community archaeology project: Whitehawk Camp Community Archaeology Project' Council for British Archaeology, 10 November 2015
'It is great to see the local community getting involved in its historic treasures.' Article by Jason Kitcat in Brighton and Hove Independent, 29 August 2014
'Digging up city's Neolithic past.' Article by Gareth Davies. The Argus, 25 August 2014
'Come and see Dig Whitehawk in action.' Brighton & Hove news article, 22 August 2014
'Dig Whitehawk Site Open Day' UCL Institute of Archaeology article, 18 August 2014
'Whitehawk Hill dig hopes to shed light on first Brighton inhabitants.' BBC news article, 13 August 2014
'Digging Whitehawk: a volunteer's account of exploring Brighton's Stonehenge.' Brighton and Hove News article, 7 August 2014
'Whitehawk Camp Community Archaeology Project wins Heritage Lottery Fund support.' Council for British Archaeology article, 23 April 2014
'Secrets of Whitehawk Stonehenge to be revealed.' The Argus newspaper article, 22 April 2014
'Time Team wanted for Brighton dig.' Brighton and Hove news article, 18 April 2014
'Community Project focuses on Neolithic Whitehawk Camp.' Past Horizons article, 17 April 2014
Photo sets, film, audio clips and games
Stone Age Quest on You Tube, Royal Pavilion and Museums
Stone Age Quest Game, Royal Pavilion and Museums
Red Earth, White Hawk Hill film
BBC Sussex interview with Matt Pope, 23 August 2014 (starts 2hrs, 41 mins)
'Find out who lived in Brighton 5,000 years ago' Interview with Jon Sygrave on AudioBoo via Brighton & Hove City Council
'Archaeologists search for clues of Brighton 5,500 years ago' Latest News interview with Jon Sygrave, 14 August 2014
Murray Ballard (photographer) One Planet Living: Land Use & Wildlife photo-set
Blog posts
'A look back at the Whitehawk Family Archaeology Day.' Blog post by Fiona Redford, Brighton Museum
'Winters Past. A Neolithic Winter.' Blog post by Jon Sygrave for Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere
'Whitehawk Wonders: Family Archaeology Day' Brighton Museum blog post
'Archery and defensive ramparts' Roundhill Rob's blog post
'Skinning a deer with flint tools' Roundhill Rob's blog post
'Whitehawk Hill excavations Chelsea Sweeney blog post
'Digging Whitehawk' Mock Duck blog post
'Whitehawk' Past Rambles blog post


text:
Home / Student Life / Student Life Articles
Student Life Articles
Top 10 U.S. College Spring Break Party Destinations of 2015
You can have your spring break experience and stay on budget!
How to Afford a Private University
You can afford to attend the school of your dreams - you just need to do a little extra legwork.
8 College Must-Dos
There are some college experiences you seriously shouldn't miss out on.
High School Course Selection Tips
It's much easier to have these needs laid out ahead of time than scrambling to organize them at the last minute.
New Trend: Parents Moving to College with Their Students
How would you feel if your parents moved to college with you? These did and, according to a new trend, yours might, too.
Getting the Most Out of Federal Aid
Keep in mind that there is no age limit for receiving aid, and you can utilize these programs whether you're an undergrad or working towards a graduate degree!
App Notifies Parents, Professors When Students Skip Class
Download Class120 to help with your perfect attendance.
Your Spring Scholarship Search
Stay on track with your scholarship search during spring semester.
College vs. The "Real" World
Where do you go from here?
5 Ways You Can Avoid Senioritis
All those hours studying and all the time in class is not worth wasting simply to get lazy at the end of your final year.
Four Simple Study Tips to Ace Your Finals
Take on these four simple study strategies to help you prepare and conquer your finals!
Staying Focused Through Spring Semester
Sorry, but there's no shortcut to this equation: You + Hard Work + Studying + Motivation = Graduation
Spring Break Safety Tips
Fun is only fun if you're smart about it!
The Semester's Top 10 Most Famous College Students
We're guessing it can't be easy to get to class while dodging paparazzi.
Activities on College Applications Are a Must
It's no secret that the competition to get into the most prestigious colleges is at its peak, which goes to say that activities on college apps has never been more necessary.
Spring Break Ideas for High School Seniors
Here are some suggestions on what to do over Spring Break your senior year of high school.
5 Life Lessons From Dr. Martin Luther King
There is probably no other American figure that epitomizes the qualities of leadership and self-sacrifice in the face of overwhelming odds more than Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As we celebrate ...
College Career Center Services & Resources
Your college career center is filled with abundant opportunities!
Strategies for Your College Search
Utilize these strategic college search tips to make yours that much easier!
How High School Courses Prep You for College
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text:
Delftware, also called delft, tin-glazed earthenware first made early in the 17th century at Delft, Holland. Dutch potters later brought the art of tin glazing to England along with the name delft, which now applies to wares manufactured in the Netherlands and England, as distinguished from faience, made in France, Germany, Spain, and Scandinavia, and majolica, made in Italy. See tin-glazed earthenware; Dutch ware.
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DISCOVERY BAY — A fire that started in a garage in a Discovery Bay home caused about $1 million in damage, a fire official said.
The resident was home but got out of the house quickly, and no one was injured.
The blaze at 2010 Greenfield Court, just off Clubhouse Drive in Contra Costa County, started as a vehicle fire in the garage and quickly moved to the house, destroying it, said East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Chief Hugh Henderson.
The fire broke out at 8:50 a.m. and was controlled in about an hour but firefighters spent six hours cleaning up and checking for hot spots, Henderson said.
The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation but foul play is not suspected.


text:
2013-07-18 / Top News
Drug stops made in Highland
MONTEREY — If you thought there was a greater law enforcement presence than usual last Friday, you were right. The Highland County Sheriff's Office joined the Allegheny Drug Task Force and Virginia State Police with a "drug interdiction assignment."
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Empowering deserving military families with educational support and opportunities.
Bubba Watson (FJ golf shoes, SPIDR2 glove) rallied from six strokes behind to beat fellow FJ player Scott Verplank (FJ ReelFit golf shoes) on the second playoff hole to earn his first PGA TOUR victory Sunday at the Travelers Championship. Watson's win was the first Tour win for the new SPIDR2 glove. After sinking a 3-footer for par on the par-3 16th to win it, Watson hugged his wife, Angie, and began crying. He said he was so nervous, he could not feel his arms on the final putt."For me to get into a playoff after shooting 4 under was unreal, and to somehow make that par putt to win was unreal," said Watson, who had the largest comeback on the TOUR since Padraig Harrington also came from six back to win the 2007 British Open.Verplank left his tee shot short of the green on the second playoff hole and missed an 8-foot par putt. Watson, who had a 48-footer for birdie, was able to steady his nerves enough to get it close.Watson almost won on the first playoff hole, hitting a sand wedge on his approach within an inch of the cup from 128-yards out.
Explore SPIDR2 .:
Michael Breed, host of "The Golf Fix" on The Golf Channel explains the features of the new SPIDR2 glove from FootJoy and how it can improve your golf game.
For more with Breed, including valuable tips and tools, visit his website.
Maximum Grip and Maximum Control
Fairhaven, MA – FootJoy, the #1 Glove in Golf and #1 Glove on the PGA Tour, announces the introduction of the new SPIDR2 high-performance golf glove with progressive high-tech styling.
The new SPIDR2 glove delivers superior grip for optimum control, especially at high swing speeds. Targeting players of all skill levels, the new SPIDR2 glove optimizes grip performance for nearly every playing condition.
Features and Benefits:
- DTR™Digital Tac Leather™ - The digital water resistant leather on the entire palm and fingers of the glove provides the ultimate in grip and control in all weather conditions.
- FiberSof™ material - Soft, breathable stretch material is located throughout the back of the hand and along the fingers for a leather-like feel, comfort and consistent fit.
- PowerNet™ mesh - Integrated into the base area of the thumb and back of the hand, improves flexibility, breathability and provides a more consistent thumb fit.
- Power-Locking Closure - Delivers a secure, custom fit. You'll notice the elastic area allows the closure to lock into place for a nice firm fit.
"The new SPIDR2 has been designed and developed for players looking for maximum grip and control with a progressive new look in a golf glove," said Maria Bonzagni, Senior Director of Golf Glove Marketing, FootJoy. "The integration of SPIDR2's proprietary innovative materials provide a powerful grip advantage for nearly every playing condition."
Men's Regular Left S, M, ML, L, XL, XXL Men's Cadet Left S, M, ML, L, XL Men's Regular Right S, M, ML, L, XL
Available: February 1, 2010
Enter to Win a SPIDR2 NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
This Sweepstakes will begin at 12:01 a.m. ET on February 3, 2010 and end at 11:59 p.m. ET on March 2, 2010. Void where prohibited. Open to US residents 18 years or older.


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Release Date: 2003 |
I bet this is hilarious, but I dont think I'll be listening, I'd rather try to see the show in person.
Album Rating: 3.5Most definitely. The songs are reeeeeeally catchy though so if you saw it you would maybe have to get this. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing this live though :upset:
The songs are reeeeeeally catchy
This music kicks ass.
On a similar note, so does the review. Pos'd.
Everybody needs to hear "The Internet Is For Porn" and "Schadenfreude" like right now. I adore both of those tracks in particular.
"The Internet Is For Porn" rocks.
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text: Called Huawei today, They sent me a link to there software suite for the Huawei androids. It is awesome. Lets you manage the phone USB or Wifi over your home wireless connection. If anyone is interested let me know and I will upload or however I need to do it. It lets you manage sync music contacts add contacts remove or install apps and allot more and no more window popups at all for the device. It loads all feature drivers for windows. AND lets you take screenshots (great for support)


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Delphi Schools - starts with D
The 50States Delphi school directory. Find Delphi, Indiana school addresses, phone numbers and other school info.
Go To: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Delphi Community High School
Students/Teachers: 495 / 27
Grades: 9 - 12
501 Armory Rd
Delphi, IN 46923
Delphi Community Middle Sch
Students/Teachers: 421 / 22
Grades: 6 - 8
501 Armory Rd
Delphi, IN 46923


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This dual-purpose 2-in-1 liquid cleanser and toner removes deep-down dirt and oil, for clear, smooth, shave-ready skin. Works gently, without over-drying, to leave your complexion clean, hydrated and fresh. Using a blend of naturally derived surfactants and certified organic ingredients, this PureScience™ formula locks in nature's best to please even the most sensitive skin. Fragrance-free. Oil-free. Dermatologist tested.
What's in it?
- Oat and coconut derived, sulfate-free surfactants gently but effectively cleanse the skin.
- Witch Hazel acts as a natural astringent with soothing properties.
- Certified Organic Sage Leaf and Rosemary provide antibacterial and healing benefits.
- Certified Organic Chamomile and Aloe Leaf help soothe and reduce redness.
**Winner! Best Men's Brand 2017 as voted for by SkinStore customers.**


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Return to Help Index
|Low Price Guarantee
Our Plus 5 Price Match PolicyJL Hufford strives to offer products at the best value, but in this fast-paced world, it can be difficult to keep track of every competitor's website. If you find the identical product advertised and in stock on the internet for less at an authorized dealer in the United States, we will match the dealer's final price and then we will beat that price by 5% of their final price. We will honor price match requests up to 10 Days after your purchase from us if you find a lower price advertised final price at an authorized retailer than what you paid at JL Hufford.
Brands We Price Match
What is a Final Price?The final price of a product is calculated as the total of product price with any advertised web coupons/discounts, shipping fees, and sales tax to the shipping zip code as indicated by official public advertisement by the competing Authorized Dealer's website. For example, if a product price is $99.00, shipping fee is $19.99, and taxes are $8.00, the final price would be $127.99 and we would price match based on this final amount. A competitor's final price is only valid if the product is in stock and available for shipment from their website. The value of any advertised gifts we offer with purchase such as additional products, gift certificates, and JL Hufford Rewards Points are considered as part of the Final Price, and, if a Plus 5 Request is approved, will not be included with any Plus 5 Purchase when the competitor does not offer similar gifts. For example, if we are advertising a coffee maker for $199 with an included pound of coffee valued at $11.99, and a competitor advertises a price of $195 with no similar gift, JL Hufford is already advertising the lowest Final Price.
What are Authorized Dealers?An authorized dealer is recognized by the manufacturer as a legitimate reseller and support representative of their products. Manufacturers do not honor warranties of products purchased from unauthorized dealers. Many websites may claim to be authorized dealers; however, a simple check with the manufacturer can save you the hassles and headaches of a voided warranty. For these reasons, JL Hufford does not price match unauthorized dealers including but not limited to Ebay, wholesale/membership club sites, liquidators and flash-sale websites, and various Amazon Marketplace sellers.
ExclusionsThe Plus 5 Guarantee is not applicable if the competitor's price is based on unadvertised deals, in-store only coupons/discounts, and special sales including product clearance or close-out sales. The Plus 5 Guarantee is also not applicable to product prices altered by gift certificate redemption, "club points", or other promotional money-back pricing. The Vita-Mix 5200 Series blenders are excluded, as these blenders are sold directly by Vita-Mix regardless of where the advertisement is listed. Due to pricing policies, the following brands and products are excluded from our Plus 5 Price Guarantee Policy: Big Train, Blendtec Products, Cappuccine, Consumable Beverage and Food Products, Republic of Tea, and Vita-Mix Commercial Products. JL Hufford reserves the right to determine which price matches qualify at its discretion, and the right to decline a price match request if it results in JL Hufford selling below wholesale cost. If you are uncertain if you qualify for a Plus 5 Price Match, please contact email@example.com or call Customer Service toll-free at 877-554-8336 before you purchase from JL Hufford.
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If you are not satisfied with your purchase, most products can be returned or exchanged within the defined periods listed below and may be subject to a restocking fee (see table below). All returns and exchanges require a Return Authorization number. Please fill out the following form to request a Return Authorization number or you can contact us direct.
If it is our Mistake (errors occur occasionally):
If your product was shipped incorrectly or arrived damaged or defective, we will replace the item(s) at our expense. Please do not use these items, and please report the problem to us, in writing or by phone, within 48 hours of delivery. Some items may receive troubleshooting assistance by our support team or technicians as part of this process to ensure product is defective.
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About Return Shipping:
If an item must be returned due to a mistake by JL Hufford, we will issue the appropriate shipping label at our cost. Instructions will be provided to properly ship the items back to us. For returns or exchanges due to other reasons, we recommend insured shipments with tracking, such as FedEx and UPS.
Please note that items must arrive back to us in the same condition that they were delivered, including the over pack carton, for the applicable refund amount (below) to be issued.
*An RMA number must be issued before returning the item or it will be refused. *
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For refunds of returnable items within their Return Period:
What Products can be Exchanged:
Items designed for Residential Use that are in new, gently used, and in like new condition can be exchanged within their defined period for 100% of their purchase price, less original shipping costs, towards item(s) of equal or greater value. Store credit will be issued after we receive and inspect the product(s).
How Refunds Are Issued:
Once the returned item is received into our facility and the condition of the item(s) is verified, the appropriate refund will be issued within 5 to 10 business days based on the table above.


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Bills add Spikes, introduce Rivers in LB overhaul
The Buffalo Bills reached a contract agreement late Friday with New England Patriots free-agent linebacker Brandon Spikes.
The deal capped an overhaul of the team's linebacking corps.
Keith Rivers, newly signed from the New York Giants, was introduced Friday morning as Buffalo's new starting strong-side linebacker. Kiko Alonso, as anticipated, will move from the middle to weak-side linebacker in the 4-3 scheme of new coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Between those two will be the imposing Spikes, a 6-foot-3, 250-pound, four-year veteran.
Spikes, 26, agreed to terms on a one-year deal, a source told The News, confirming an Associated Press report. It's worth $3.25 million, according to ESPN. He's a significant addition in the Bills' quest to improve a defense that ranked 28th against the run last season.
Spikes has been one of the best run-stopping inside linebackers in the NFL the past two years. The Bills have felt his hard-hitting presence.
Spikes was fined $25,000 for a hit two years ago that knocked the helmet off Ryan Fitzpatrick, then the Bills quarterback. Fitzpatrick called Spikes a "punk" and "not one of my favorite players."
Spikes is viewed as a two-down linebacker, and a guy who can be exploited in space when he's covering the pass. Like a lot of big NFL middle linebackers, he came off the field in obvious passing situations. However, the Patriots did use him in their nickel defense some of the time. Spikes played 53 percent of the snaps in 2013 (despite playing through a sore knee) and 66 percent of the snaps in 2012.
New England has three quality linebackers and did not have a need to give Spikes a pay raise. There also have been numerous reports that the Pats grew tired of the fact that Spikes did not march to the coaches' drums as much as the team wanted.
Spikes did not endear himself to the Pats' coaches last offseason after being the only player on the team who did not show up for any of the offseason workouts.
The Bills no doubt have a good read of Spikes' attitude off the field and in the locker room. Buffalo's new defensive line coach, Pepper Johnson, was Spikes' position coach the last two years with the Patriots.
In Rivers, the Bills think they have an elite athlete who can run, chase and make plays on the side of the field opposite from Alonso.
"Productive, versatile and athletic," Bills General Manager Doug Whaley said of Rivers. "He's going to be what we say is a three- to four-down linebacker."
Rivers was the ninth overall pick of the draft in 2009, but he has not lived up to his draft stature. He spent the past two years as a part-time player with the New York Giants, coming off the field in passing situations. He has received passable reviews overall, but has not been an impact player. He has two career interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. The Giants opted not to strongly pursue his return.
Whaley said he sees a lot of value in a guy who moves so well and has 48 career starts.
"He can stay in on third down and cover because he's got athletic ability, and then he can contribute on teams," he said on WGR Radio. "So this goes back to our mantra of getting value guys."
Rivers, an All-America at the University of Southern California, thinks he can help the Bills' run defense.
"Since my days at SC, I've always been a sideline to sideline type of player," he said. "But at the same time I'm not afraid to play in the phone booth."
"I think that's always been kind of been my specialty, playing the run since Cincinnati and in New York this past year," Rivers said. "It's something I take pride in doing."
Rivers played 37 percent of the snaps for the Giants last season. New York opted to use lighter linebacker Jacquain Williams instead of Rivers for coverage on passing downs.
"I'm definitely excited to work back in to that role," Rivers said of third downs. "They had a guy in Jacquian who they liked better in cover matchups, for whatever reason, but I'm excited to get out there and show you guys what I can do on third down."
Meanwhile, free-agent running back Anthony Dixon also agreed to terms on a contract, he announced on his Twitter feed.
He's a 6-1, 239-pounder who could provide a power-running option behind C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson. Dixon spent the past four years as a backup in San Francisco. He has 148 career carries for 458 yards and eight TDs.
email: email@example.com


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Manuel Bulnes, (born 1799, Concepción, Chile—died 1866, Santiago), president of Chile (1841–51) whose administration was notable for public works improvements, economic progress, and cultural advances. When he was a general, his military victory against the Bolivian–Peruvian Confederation in 1839 assured his election to the presidency. Although the spokesman of the Conservative oligarchy, Bulnes found posts for many liberals in his government, and social and political stability made Chile a haven for many intellectual refugees from other dictatorships. The new interest in learning produced a generation of young intellectuals who openly opposed the oligarchical domination that Bulnes represented. Faced with growing discontent, Bulnes named his successor, Manuel Montt, and had him duly elected; he was obliged, however, to resort to military action to quell a brief but bitter civil war before Montt's tenure was secured. It was during Bulnes's administration that Chile took possession of the Strait of Magellan.
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Once again we see a new collaboration between a baverage brand and an artist. Tom Gauld, known for his comic art, has created several designs for Diet Coke to raise awareness for The Heart Truth. Overall there are 3 different cans and they are being released only in the US. Via CR.
Tom Gauld x Diet Coke
Highsnobiety Design


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Sultry songstress Lana Del Rey offers up a track titled "Yayo," a delicate and heartfelt lullaby. This is the perfect way to whet our appetites as the release of Born To Die is just around the corner (January 2012). Merry Christmas, from Lana Del Rey.
Update: This song has been around for a couple of years, but Lana has re-upped it to her YouTube, so we'll see if it makes the cut on her official debut.
Lana Del Rey – "Yayo"


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This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 10-K filed Mar 19, 2010.
Marketable Securities
Marketable securities, at January 2, 2010 and December 27, 2008, primarily consist of short-term United States Treasury bills and tax-exempt municipal bonds. The Company classifies its short-term
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)
NOTE 1. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Continued)
investments as held-to-maturity. Held-to-maturity securities are those securities in which the Company has the ability and intent to hold the securities until maturity. Because the Company's held-to-maturity securities mature within one year of the purchase date, the securities are classified as short-term marketable securities. Held-to-maturity debt securities are recorded at amortized cost, adjusted for the amortization or accretion of premiums or discounts and such carrying values approximate fair value. A decline in the market value of any held-to-maturity security below cost that is deemed to be other than temporary results in a reduction in carrying amount to fair value. The impairment is charged to earnings and a new cost basis for the security is established. No impairment has occurred for the fiscal periods presented herein. Premiums and discounts are amortized or accreted over the life of the related held-to-maturity investments, as an adjustment to yield using the effective interest method. Interest income is recognized when earned. The fair value of our marketable securities totaled approximately $30.0 million and $25.2 million, as of January 2, 2010 and December 27, 2008, respectively.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 10-K filed Mar 19, 2010.
5. Marketable Securities
At December 28, 2008, the Company maintained marketable securities classified as available-for-sale as follows (in thousands). At January 3, 2010, there were no short-term marketable securities. Gross unrealized holding gains at December 28, 2008 are due to fluctuations in interest rates.
During 2009 and 2008, the Company sold available-for-sale securities for net proceeds from marketable securities of $16,183,000 and $7,857,000, respectively, with realized gains of $7,305,000 in 2009 and no realized gains or losses in 2008. Realized gains and losses are determined on the specific identification method. As of January 3, 2010, the Company had total unrealized losses of $0 reported in shareholders equity as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income or loss, net of any related tax effect.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Dec 9, 2009.
Marketable Securities
Marketable securities are recorded at market value as they are considered available-for-sale. Included in marketable securities are 1,007,406 common shares of a company with directors in common. The portfolio of marketable securities consists of short term notes with a yield of 0.21%, corporate bonds with a yield range of 0.87% - 3.88%, pool fund bonds with a yield of 4.17%, and preferred equities with a yield range of 4.49% - 5.95%. An unrealized gain of $244,410 was recorded in other comprehensive income for the nine month period ended September 30, 2009.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Dec 8, 2009.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, the Company acquired 2,800,000 common shares of Ona Power Corp. (CNSX: OPO), plus common share purchase warrants to purchase up to an additional 2,800,000 common shares at a price of $0.20 until August 20, 2011, at a gross cost of $420,000. As a result of this acquisition, the Company held approximately 14.9% of the issued and outstanding common shares of OPO as at August 20, 2009. Assuming the exercise of the 2,800,000 warrants, the Company would then hold approximately 29.8% of the then issued common shares of OPO (assuming no other warrant or option exercise). Management determined that the value of the warrants to be nil. OPO is considered to be a related party as a result of certain common directors.
As at September 30, 2009, the quoted market value of OPO common shares was $0.36 per share, or a total market value for the Companys share of $1,008,000.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2009, the Company acquired 440,000 common shares of Maxtech Ventures Inc (TSXV: MVT) at a gross cost of $220,515.
As at September 30, 2009, the quoted market value of MVT common shares was $0.40 per share, or a total market value for the Companys share of $176,000.
The carrying values of the investments were increased or decreased to their fair value at September 30, 2009, with the corresponding increase or decreased reflected in the adjustments to other comprehensive income. Fair value adjustments for the nine months ended September 30, 3009 amounted to $543,485 recorded as comprehensive income.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 8-K filed Dec 3, 2009.
Note 4 Marketable Securities
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Dec 3, 2009.
The following marketable securities were held by the Company:
During 2008, the Company sold 7,564,000 shares of Las Vegas, a publicly traded related party for total proceeds of $431,371, which had a total acquisition cost of $2,483,113. Of the realized loss on disposition, $1,058,892 has been reflected in 2006 and the remainder has been reflected in 2008.
The Company owns 6 shares or 0.0% of the total outstanding shares in the capital of Las Vegas, as of December 31, 2008 (2007 7,564,006 shares or 7.4%). Of these shares, 6,670,000 were acquired through the sale of the three card games software (note 9 (c)).
During 2006, the Company owned 2,500,000 shares of Colt Resources Inc. (formerly Colt Capital Corp.) (Colt), which represented 9.3% of the then total issued and outstanding shares of Colt. Colt is related to the Company by one common director. During 2007, the Company sold all its Colt shares for a net gain of $99,011.
Pursuant to a Property Purchase Agreement dated July 31, 2008 with an arms length third party in respect to the sale of the Companys Lithium Properties (Mineral Leases) located in Ontario, as part of the consideration, the arms length party has issued to the Company 25,000 fully paid non-assessable common shares of Coniagas Resources Ltd. (Coniagas), a publicly listed company (Note 7). Subsequent to December 31, 2008, the Company sold all of the 25,000 common shares of Coniagas and received net proceeds of $2,400.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Dec 2, 2009.
The unrealized loss on marketable securities, recorded in accumulated other comprehensive income, has not been recognized as an impairment loss due to the high volatility of the Sierra Geothermal share price.
8 Marketable securities
The securities, classified as long-term, are composed as follows:
The Series B National Treasury Notes (NTN-B) were given as a guarantee to Petros, on October 23, 2008, after signing the financial commitment agreement entered into between Petrobras and subsidiaries that are sponsors of the Petros Plan, unions and Petros, for settling of obligations with the pension plan. The face value of the NTN-B is indexed to the variation of the Amplified Consumer Price Index (IPCA). The coupon interest will be paid half-yearly at the rate of 6% p.a. on the updated nominal value of these papers and their maturities are in 2024 and 2035. At September 30, 2009, the balances of the National Treasury Notes - Series B (NTN-B) are updated according to their market value, based on the average price published by the National Association of Open Market Institutions - ANBIMA.
The B certificates were received by Brasoil on account of the sale of platforms in 2000 and 2001, with half-yearly maturities until 2011 and yielding interest equivalent to Libor plus 0,70% p.a. to 4.25% p.a.
At September 30, 2009, the Parent company had resources invested in a non standard credit assignment investment fund (FIDC-NP), related to non-performing credit rights of its operating activities in the amount of R$ 4.357.190 thousand and R$ 18.885.093 thousand at June 30, 2009. (Item 1.01.04.05 of current liabilities)
4. Marketable Securities
[i] Marketable securities
Marketable securities that have been in an unrealized loss position for less than twelve months are presented below:
None of the marketable securities held as at December 31, 2008 or 2007 have been in an unrealized loss position for more than twelve months.
Table of Contents
Labopharm Inc.
December 31, 2008 and 2007
[thousands of Canadian dollars or other currencies, except where noted and for share and per share amounts]
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Nov 25, 2009.
The following table summarizes the components of available-for-sale financial instruments reported as marketable securities at each balance sheet date:
Note: African Consolidated Resources was sold during the first quarter of 2009 for gross proceeds of $90,099.
This excerpt taken from the VLKAY 6-K filed Nov 24, 2009.
ELETROBRÁS and its subsidiaries classify securities as held to maturity, based on the management strategies for these assets.
The securities held to maturity are recorded at the acquisition cost, plus interest and monetary adjustments, with a contra-entry to income.
In addition, CFT-E1 notes and investment certificates deriving from FINOR (Northeast Investment Fund) and FINAM (Amazon Investment Fund) tax incentives reported in line "other" are adjusted by provisions for losses upon their realization, and therefore, are shown net:
a) PARTNERSHIP INCOME - This refers to income deriving from partnership investments (see Note 16), corresponding to an average remuneration equivalent to the IGP-M variation plus interest of 12% to 13% per annum (p.a.) on the capital invested, as shown below:
b) FOUNDERS' SHARES - shares acquired as a result of the restructuring of ELETROBRÁS' investment in INVESTCO S.A. These assets assure annual income equivalent to 10% of the companies' profit (mentioned below), paid together with the dividends, and will be redeemed on maturity expected for October 2032, by converting them into preferred shares of these companies, as follows:
According to Law 11638/2007, these shares are now valued at their present value, in compliance with CVM Resolution 564/2008 which approved the accounting pronouncement CPC-12.
RELATED TOPICS for VLKAY: