24 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
If you think no spoon is worth $10, you have not lived the life of a backpacker. I bought this lengthy wonder just before setting off on a sixty day bicycle tour. It became one of my most essential items.
The good: Despite the length, the spoon weighs a feather weight .3 oz. This is achieved by coating an aircraft-grade aluminum frame with an anodized shell that makes it safe for eating and tough enough to scrape pots and pans with. Unlike shorter utensils, the long handle allowed me to stir deep pots of boiling water or soup without singing my gloves or hands, and to eat without making a constant mess of myself. At first glance the bowl seemed shallow for soup, but worked out great, especially for boil-in-a-bag stews.
The bad: Well, it's long. Some thought might be necessary for stowing it in compact kits. Also, it's a wee bit dainty. In the first ten minutes I accidentally bent the bowl where it met the handle to a severe angle (I don't know how) but after bending it back, the only damage was a cosmetic line or crease where it had bent.
Anyways, I highly recommend such a lengthy spoon to anyone who spends a good deal of time cooking outdoors. Nine out of ten of my meals required no other utensil.
More info from Moosejaw.com:
Oceanside, CA
If you think no spoon is worth $10, you have not lived the life of a backpacker. I bought this lengthy wonder just before setting off on a sixty day bicycle tour. It became one of my most essential items.
The good: Despite the length, the spoon weighs a feather weight .3 oz. This is achieved by coating an aircraft-grade aluminum frame with an anodized shell that makes it safe for eating and tough enough to scrape pots and pans with. Unlike shorter utensils, the long handle allowed me to stir deep pots of boiling water or soup without singing my gloves or hands, and to eat without making a constant mess of myself. At first glance the bowl seemed shallow for soup, but worked out great, especially for boil-in-a-bag stews.
The bad: Well, it's long. Some thought might be necessary for stowing it in compact kits. Also, it's a wee bit dainty. In the first ten minutes I accidentally bent the bowl where it met the handle to a severe angle (I don't know how) but after bending it back, the only damage was a cosmetic line or crease where it had bent.
Anyways, I highly recommend such a lengthy spoon to anyone who spends a good deal of time cooking outdoors. Nine out of ten of my meals required no other utensil.
More info from Moosejaw.com:
The AlphaLite Cutlery by Sea To Summit uses a durable hard-anodized aircraft grade aluminum combined with a sleek-yet-strong shape to create an extremely lightweight utensil at a surprisingly affordable price. By hard anodizing the aluminum it forms a kind of ‘exoskeleton’, so the shape of the utensils can be slimmer and lighter. This hardened “shell” also encapsulates the aluminum, so there is NO risk of the alloy “leaching” onto food. The long-handled spoon design is perfect for eating out of individual camp food-packets and using tall pots now popular with the Jetboil shapestove / pot kits.
* Features:
* Ultra-light & strong 7075-T6 aircraft aluminum alloy
* Hard anodized aluminum for safe, life-long use
* Smooth matt finish
* Lightest metal cutlery on the market
* Weight:.3 oz (9 g)
23 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
| This review focuses on the 35mm Voigtlander external viewfinder, but you may read my review of the Canon G11 here.
Having shot almost exclusively with a range of Canon DSLRs, I outfitted myself with the G11 for daily carry on the street, and as a camera for grab shots while traveling.
Voigtlander VF impressions: Is the viewfinder durable, and how does it fit in the shoe? Finder accuracy. Let's not kid ourselves. The alignment of the Voigtlander viewfinder with the G11 is not very accurate at any lens position, but is relatively positive at three or more meters, with the lens set 2 movements from full-wide. I crop to taste in post. If shooting closer than 3 meters, I shoot full wide and crop to my original intention later.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'll also be posting the first set of images taken with the camera soon. Q. How can I set my G-series to shoot faster, like snap mode on Ricoh cameras? A. See this blog post. Q. What do you estimate the viewfinder magnification is (relative to naked eye)? A. Hmm.. 50% or more perhaps. That sounds bad but for a wide it is not! It looks much better than the Canon 40D with lens set to 22mm (35 equiv.) and is far brighter, almost like no glass. Q. Is there an FOV crop like the 78% visibility of the built-in finder? A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame. Q. Is there parallax correction? A. The only correction for parallax is manual - that is, myself purposely compensating through experience. I've only been doing it for two days and I'm already getting the hang of it, but YMMV. Think of it as moving to the next level in Tetris: it's harder, but the challenge makes it interesting and rewarding. Q. Is the bright-line frame 4:3 ratio or is it 3:2 ratio? A. 3:2. I like this, since shooting in 4:3 gives me room to crop in post for parallax! Q. Roughly how much visibility is there outlying the bright-line frame (in rough linear or area terms)? A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame. But with this model, the viewfinder is circular. It's not as much as the 28/35 finder but is still more than an SLR. Imagine the 3:2 frame, then draw a circle on the outside that touches all four corners of the guide. Q. Does the finder disable onboard flash? A: Yes it does, which I find very annoying! Not that I often use it, but I want the option to bounce it with a business card. I thought of sliding paper between the contacts to block the circuit but haven't tried it yet. Q. Why not just use the built-in finder? It is free, zooms, has some parallax correction, and is more inconspicuous. A. Yes, the G11 built-in viewfinder is less money, less obvious, less vulnerable, and may have less parallax. But the built-in finder also has less field of view, less clarity, generates less tactile satisfaction, and to me gives less of a sense of fun. This camera is about fun to me; I have DSLRs for business. The 35mm finder is also useful on other cameras and a treat to look through. Q. Why use a 35mm external finder instead of a 28mm? Then it would match the G11 lens at full-wide, right? A. In theory, yes. In practice, no. I nearly bought the 28mm but someone warned me of this: Because any external finder on the G11 suffers from a certain amount of parallax and inaccuracy, using a 35mm finder with a wider lens setting (28-32mm equiv) gives you just enough room to crop without cutting off your original idea. It sounded logical and now i'm finding it makes perfect sense. I'm glad I didn't get the 28mm because there is maybe a 5 or 7% degree of inaccuracy with an external finder, since the G11 was not designed to accommodate it. Links back to this page are appreciated! |
23 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
The Buck Pilot, otherwise known as the Mantis, has been my EDC for several years.
The Pilot is bullet proof, decently holds an edge and is easily cleaned up to razor-sharp. The sturdy design is thin enough not to be noticed in any pocket. The blade features dual thumb assists, locks very securely and flips out fluidly with one hand and some practice. The handle is very ergonomic to my tastes.
Finishes include matte black and bead-blasted steel (mine). A fair deal is about $26. Buck takes great care of customers so expect a decade of great use.
Amazon.com says,
Oceanside, CA
The Buck Pilot, otherwise known as the Mantis, has been my EDC for several years.
The Pilot is bullet proof, decently holds an edge and is easily cleaned up to razor-sharp. The sturdy design is thin enough not to be noticed in any pocket. The blade features dual thumb assists, locks very securely and flips out fluidly with one hand and some practice. The handle is very ergonomic to my tastes.
Finishes include matte black and bead-blasted steel (mine). A fair deal is about $26. Buck takes great care of customers so expect a decade of great use.
Amazon.com says,
Buck Knives 199 Pilot TM is a full sized high tech folding knife with a unique frame lock design. It features a 3-3/8" drop point 420HC Stainless Steel Folding blade, with a thumb stud for easy one handed operation. It is 4-1/2" long closed and weighs 4.2 oz. The Pilot features Stainless Steel Handles with lightening holes along its length and grip ridges along the back for an extra secure hold. It also features a stainless steel belt clip, and as with all Buck Knives, it comes with Buck's 4-Ever Unconditional Lifetime Warranty.
- Includes Knife, Box, and Warranty Registration Card
- The Buck 199 Pilot TM features a 3-3/8" drop point 420HC Stainless Steel Blade
- The Pilot comes with stainless steel handles with lightening holes along its length, and grip ridges along the back.
- The Pilot features a stainless steel belt clip, and thumb stud for quick one hand operation
- The 199 Pilot, as with all Buck Knives, features Buck's 4-Ever Unconditional Lifetime Warranty
23 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
The iNova is a very simple, functional LED light and may be the most popular in America. For five or six dollars, these lights are a steal. I have white and red, and have purchased many for friends and family. Though slightly less bright than certain competitors, the iNova excels in dependability and straightforward operability.
Squeeze once and the light is on at full power. Leave it alone and this mode will continue for ten minutes before automatically shutting off. This may be annoying until you realize key chain lights can drain themselves while you bump into things all day. Squeeze the light twice rapidly to enter dim mode, perfect for reading in a tent at night. Squeeze a third time and blink mode activates. I use this as a beckon on objects at night, such as the tent if I *ahem* leave to commune with nature.
If the light gets drenched it will shut off until thoroughly dry. Nice. Of all basic key chain LEDs, I recommend these.
Oceanside, CA
The iNova is a very simple, functional LED light and may be the most popular in America. For five or six dollars, these lights are a steal. I have white and red, and have purchased many for friends and family. Though slightly less bright than certain competitors, the iNova excels in dependability and straightforward operability.
Squeeze once and the light is on at full power. Leave it alone and this mode will continue for ten minutes before automatically shutting off. This may be annoying until you realize key chain lights can drain themselves while you bump into things all day. Squeeze the light twice rapidly to enter dim mode, perfect for reading in a tent at night. Squeeze a third time and blink mode activates. I use this as a beckon on objects at night, such as the tent if I *ahem* leave to commune with nature.
If the light gets drenched it will shut off until thoroughly dry. Nice. Of all basic key chain LEDs, I recommend these.
23 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
Here is an item I want to love. The design is svelte. The concept seems well executed with a variety of lighting modes tucked into something so compact. Yet I cannot recommend the Photon Freedom as highly as others do.
Let's start with the good. The Freedom features several modes of operation. A single squeeze turns the light on at full brightness. From here one may continue to squeeze. The light will smoothly dim to a very low beam, perfect for personal reading in a tent. Keep squeezing and the light will begin blinking in patterns including SOS and discotheque. Battery life is very efficient and the device weighs virtually nothing. The kit even includes a very handy pivoting, magnetic hat clip!
So what's the problem? Twice I've had these lights just cease to function, owing to a failure in the squeeze button. They just stopped working. If the problem had not occurred twice, I would have considered it a fluke. Too bad, cause they seem to be so well rounded, efficient, and affordable.
Oceanside, CA
Here is an item I want to love. The design is svelte. The concept seems well executed with a variety of lighting modes tucked into something so compact. Yet I cannot recommend the Photon Freedom as highly as others do.
Let's start with the good. The Freedom features several modes of operation. A single squeeze turns the light on at full brightness. From here one may continue to squeeze. The light will smoothly dim to a very low beam, perfect for personal reading in a tent. Keep squeezing and the light will begin blinking in patterns including SOS and discotheque. Battery life is very efficient and the device weighs virtually nothing. The kit even includes a very handy pivoting, magnetic hat clip!
So what's the problem? Twice I've had these lights just cease to function, owing to a failure in the squeeze button. They just stopped working. If the problem had not occurred twice, I would have considered it a fluke. Too bad, cause they seem to be so well rounded, efficient, and affordable.
23 April 2010
Oceanside, CA
I'll admit it. I thought the Leatherman Charge TTi was a splurge, at about $100. Thankfully, on my 2010 sixty-day bicycle tour, I discovered it was one of the most useful and sometimes downright essential pieces of gear to have along. I carry it everywhere now.
The Charge has a good supply of functional tools. Most often I found myself loving the one-hand opening (and astoundingly sharp and resilient) primary blade. S30V steel lived up to the claims. Happily, I can report with ten fingers that the locking mechanism worked well.
Often I used the cord cutter or serrated blade for rope, boxes, and food. The saw blade cut poles for walking and building lean-to shelters. The file kept my nails in order without a clipper. Many a tuna can or beer bottle would have evaded me if not for the Leatherman. The scissors trimmed my bear, hang nails, opened bags, and did most everything. Pliers were invaluable in a dozen ways I never anticipated, especially for the bicycle. I used the wire cutters to clip a zillion thorn bushes from my tent sites.
The bit-driver was more than I expected, though all 8 bits were not equally helpful. The Phillips and flathead were obviously good to have, but one of the bits perfectly fit many of my hex bicycle components and was a life saver. I frequently use the tiny electronics driver, though usually not for the stated purpose.
Of all my gear on the 2010 bike trip, this was amongst the most frequently used, reliable, and helpful. With a twenty-year warranty, I highly recommend a Charge to people who want to have an ever-ready and efficient means for tackling a thousand problems.
Tools:
Oceanside, CA
I'll admit it. I thought the Leatherman Charge TTi was a splurge, at about $100. Thankfully, on my 2010 sixty-day bicycle tour, I discovered it was one of the most useful and sometimes downright essential pieces of gear to have along. I carry it everywhere now.
The Charge has a good supply of functional tools. Most often I found myself loving the one-hand opening (and astoundingly sharp and resilient) primary blade. S30V steel lived up to the claims. Happily, I can report with ten fingers that the locking mechanism worked well.
Often I used the cord cutter or serrated blade for rope, boxes, and food. The saw blade cut poles for walking and building lean-to shelters. The file kept my nails in order without a clipper. Many a tuna can or beer bottle would have evaded me if not for the Leatherman. The scissors trimmed my bear, hang nails, opened bags, and did most everything. Pliers were invaluable in a dozen ways I never anticipated, especially for the bicycle. I used the wire cutters to clip a zillion thorn bushes from my tent sites.
The bit-driver was more than I expected, though all 8 bits were not equally helpful. The Phillips and flathead were obviously good to have, but one of the bits perfectly fit many of my hex bicycle components and was a life saver. I frequently use the tiny electronics driver, though usually not for the stated purpose.
Of all my gear on the 2010 bike trip, this was amongst the most frequently used, reliable, and helpful. With a twenty-year warranty, I highly recommend a Charge to people who want to have an ever-ready and efficient means for tackling a thousand problems.
Tools:
- S30V® Stainless Steel Clip Point Knife
- 420HC Serrated Knife with Cutting Hook
- Needlenose Pliers
- Regular Pliers
- Wire Cutters
- Hard-wire Cutters
- Wire Stripper
- Wire Crimper
- Large Screwdriver
- Large Bit Driver
- Small Bit Driver
- Scissors
- Wood/Metal file
- Diamond-coated file
- Saw
- Bottle Opener
- Can Opener
- 8 in | 19 cm Ruler
- INCLUDED BITS: Phillips and Flat Tip Eyeglasses Screwdriver Bit, Hex 5/32" and 9/64" Bit, Hex 1/8" and 7/64" Bit, Hex 3/32" and 5/64" Bit, Hex 1/16" a
Features:
- Stainless Steel with Premium Titanium Handle Scales
- Stainless Steel Body
- Outside-accessible Blades for One-handed Opening
- All Locking Blades and Tools
- Fixed Lanyard Ring
- Quick-release Lanyard Ring
- Removable Pocket Clip
- Leather or Nylon Sheath
- 25-year Warranty
Measurements:
- 4 in | 10 cm (closed)
- 8.2 oz | 232 g
- 2.9 in | 7.37 cm (blade length)
This review is by no means intended to provide the exhaustive testing data you'll find at DPReview, etc. Rather, I'll give you my real-world opinion of the device, under some unusual circumstances.
Before doing that, allow me to say I am a working photographer with experience ranging across nearly a dozen higher-end cameras, mostly Canon DSLRs. I have fairly high requirements for my gear. I picked up the G11 just before departing on a four-month trip around the United States. Two months of that was a bicycle ride down the Pacific Coast, and the G11 was the only camera with me. I demand much of these poor devices.
Form and Function: Aesthetically, the G11 is robust, stylish, and functionally well thought-out. The menu system is decent but could be more refined. Too easy to press buttons accidentally, especially if you want to hold the camera one-handed while in manual mode. Plenty of automation is present but I rarely use it, preferring instead to manually adjust exposure settings.
Controls were fast in most situations and I found the interface very natural, seeing my background in Canon. However, I was annoyed that while in manual exposure mode, I had to toggle through metering options to get to either aperture or shutter speed adjustments. This is in fact my only gripe. Why is there no way to disable the metering option while in M mode? I hate that I have to cycle through the metering option when going back and forth between aperture and shutter speed settings in M mode! Not a big deal, but an oversight on Canon's part. Also, why can't I see the meter reading when the display is off? Aperture and shutter settings are shown as I change them but not the meter reading. Either I'm ignorant on this, or Canon is. (Note: turns out Canon is ignorant.)
Being used to optical viewfinders (and an analog geek) I up-sold myself into purchasing the Voigtlander 35mm viewfinder, for street shooting and kicks. According to CameraQuest, it's the best 35mm viewfinder in existence. But then again, they sell the thing. I've never used the built-in viewfinder. Contrary to my expectations, though, I use the screen 95% of the time and find it very serviceable. Mine has a big scratch but I could have avoided that by turning it in when not in use. I'd rather have a scratch.
Shutter lag is minimal and almost non-existent with the right settings. I usually capture what I intend, but auto-focus could still be quicker. I have a custom function preset to 2.5 meters at f/4.5, auto-ISO, in aperture priority for anything requiring instant response, with the lens set roughly equivalent to 32mm. Crop in post.
Durability: I accidentally drop tested the camera in the first month. From five feet it hit solid pavement and left a dent in the corner of the body near the lens. Despite the jarring noise (and the resulting nausea) the camera has continued flawlessly for months since. I have exposed the soldier to heavy mists, light rains, severe dust, etc., without issue. (My philosophy is to treat all cameras like disposables, because if they can't handle it, I'll use throw-aways instead. I don't want to baby my every-day-carries.) The G11 gets a pass.
Image quality: I knew what I was getting into when I purchased this setup: a small sensor camera mostly for broad daylight, not above ISO 400 for anything I care about. Since I view this as an alternative to a small film camera with 400 speed film, I accept the modest amount of graininess as a fun alternative to scanning. It's really very good, all things considered. I used this camera almost exclusively for still or well lit scenes, such as landscapes and street shooting, so I was usually below ISO 200. Reasonably sharp wide open, and similar in dynamic range to positive film. A little Photoshop cures these images well.
Conclusion: All in all, the Canon G11 is a reliable, versatile tool for one primarily interested in daylight action / twilight landscape imagery. It's not the fastest, smallest, or cheapest but it might be the toughest and most well rounded.
Check out some of my shots with the G11:
[Click to view larger]
For any more info, leave a question in the comments. Thanks!
FAQs
Q. How can I set my G-series to shoot faster, like snap mode on Ricoh cameras?
A. See this blog post.
Q. What do you estimate the viewfinder magnification is (relative to naked eye)?
A. Hmm.. 50% or more perhaps. That sounds bad but for a wide it is not! It looks much better than the Canon 40D with lens set to 22mm (35 equiv.) and is far brighter, almost like no glass.
Q. Is there an FOV crop like the 78% visibility of the built-in finder?
A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame.
Q. Is there parallax correction?
A. The only correction for parallax is manual - that is, myself purposely compensating through experience. I've only been doing it for two days and I'm already getting the hang of it, but YMMV. Think of it as moving to the next level in Tetris: it's harder, but the challenge makes it interesting and rewarding.
Q. Is the bright-line frame 4:3 ratio or is it 3:2 ratio?
A. 3:2. I like this, since shooting in 4:3 gives me room to crop in post for parallax!
Q. Roughly how much visibility is there outlying the bright-line frame (in rough linear or area terms)?
A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame. But with this model, the viewfinder is circular. It's not as much as the 28/35 finder but is still more than an SLR. Imagine the 3:2 frame, then draw a circle on the outside that touches all four corners of the guide.
Q. Does the finder disable onboard flash?
A: Yes it does, which I find very annoying! Not that I often use it, but I want the option to bounce it with a business card. I thought of sliding paper between the contacts to block the circuit but haven't tried it yet.
Q. Why not just use the built-in finder? It is free, zooms, has some parallax correction, and is more inconspicuous.
A. Yes, the G11 built-in viewfinder is less money, less obvious, less vulnerable, and may have less parallax. But the built-in finder also has less field of view, less clarity, generates less tactile satisfaction, and to me gives less of a sense of fun. This camera is about fun to me; I have DSLRs for business. The 35mm finder is also useful on other cameras and a treat to look through.
Q. Why use a 35mm external finder instead of a 28mm? Then it would match the G11 lens at full-wide, right?
A. In theory, yes. In practice, no. I nearly bought the 28mm but someone warned me of this: Because any external finder on the G11 suffers from a certain amount of parallax and inaccuracy, using a 35mm finder with a wider lens setting (28-32mm equiv) gives you just enough room to crop without cutting off your original idea. It sounded logical and now i'm finding it makes perfect sense. I'm glad I didn't get the 28mm because there is maybe a 5 or 7% degree of inaccuracy with an external finder, since the G11 was not designed to accommodate it.
Was this post helpful? Please share with others. Thanks!
A. See this blog post.
Q. What do you estimate the viewfinder magnification is (relative to naked eye)?
A. Hmm.. 50% or more perhaps. That sounds bad but for a wide it is not! It looks much better than the Canon 40D with lens set to 22mm (35 equiv.) and is far brighter, almost like no glass.
Q. Is there an FOV crop like the 78% visibility of the built-in finder?
A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame.
Q. Is there parallax correction?
A. The only correction for parallax is manual - that is, myself purposely compensating through experience. I've only been doing it for two days and I'm already getting the hang of it, but YMMV. Think of it as moving to the next level in Tetris: it's harder, but the challenge makes it interesting and rewarding.
Q. Is the bright-line frame 4:3 ratio or is it 3:2 ratio?
A. 3:2. I like this, since shooting in 4:3 gives me room to crop in post for parallax!
Q. Roughly how much visibility is there outlying the bright-line frame (in rough linear or area terms)?
A. The field of view with external finders is more than 100% because you can see around the projected frame lines. This allows you to anticipate movement into the frame. But with this model, the viewfinder is circular. It's not as much as the 28/35 finder but is still more than an SLR. Imagine the 3:2 frame, then draw a circle on the outside that touches all four corners of the guide.
Q. Does the finder disable onboard flash?
A: Yes it does, which I find very annoying! Not that I often use it, but I want the option to bounce it with a business card. I thought of sliding paper between the contacts to block the circuit but haven't tried it yet.
Q. Why not just use the built-in finder? It is free, zooms, has some parallax correction, and is more inconspicuous.
A. Yes, the G11 built-in viewfinder is less money, less obvious, less vulnerable, and may have less parallax. But the built-in finder also has less field of view, less clarity, generates less tactile satisfaction, and to me gives less of a sense of fun. This camera is about fun to me; I have DSLRs for business. The 35mm finder is also useful on other cameras and a treat to look through.
Q. Why use a 35mm external finder instead of a 28mm? Then it would match the G11 lens at full-wide, right?
A. In theory, yes. In practice, no. I nearly bought the 28mm but someone warned me of this: Because any external finder on the G11 suffers from a certain amount of parallax and inaccuracy, using a 35mm finder with a wider lens setting (28-32mm equiv) gives you just enough room to crop without cutting off your original idea. It sounded logical and now i'm finding it makes perfect sense. I'm glad I didn't get the 28mm because there is maybe a 5 or 7% degree of inaccuracy with an external finder, since the G11 was not designed to accommodate it.
Was this post helpful? Please share with others. Thanks!
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