Yup, we've got starlings. We've always got starlings. I like 'em a bit better in the winter, when they don't arrive in gangs; their winter camo garb's better than their summertime dark PJs, too....

Y' really gotta nail the focus, or folks won't take your photographs seriously. The problem with the fully-manual Nikon 1 V1/Minolta lens combination is that 1) I'm out of practice doing manual focus and 2) the camera/lens setup gives you less help than you'd hope. What's more, the electronic viewfinder's not sharp enough for fine focus, as you quickly become aware of its limitations.

From around 1990 to 2004 I had a cataract on my right eye. I could usually still see well enough to frame photographs, but I became heavily dependent on my various cameras' autofocus capabilities. And although I've used my Minolta SR-T101 a bit since my eye was fixed, I've not used it enough to (again) become fully comfortable with a manual focus camera. (And the SRT at least gives you a little assistance.) Anyway, I can see that learning to use this camera's going to require some practice.

Except for the starling thing, this one came out well....