Gone Epic

I've spent a lot of time shooting with the EOS-M now, in a variety of situations. I'm finding that I can make it do most things I want it to with a little bit of effort. I've made a few changes or additions to make it work better for me. I've added: - An aluminium grip to the camera, this adds to the bulk, and the weight, but makes it a lot easier to hold onto it with one hand as you are dangling from a rope. - The long lens that I mentioned last time, this allows me to get close ups, and means I need to move less when I'm on the rope, or get decent cliff wide shots from further back - a set of RF flash triggers, great when you want a discrete flash, or don't want to play with photo-triggers - UV filters on all of the lenses - these are pretty much solely to prevent scratches on the lenses... something that is bound to occur in the conditions I shoot in. - a lens hood - this is mostly to save the UV filters and lenses from bashing into the rock as I move...

I finally upgraded the old camera... I'm moving from a relatively high end point and shoot from 2007, to a basic mirror less DSLR from about 2014 - as always my basic requirement is full manual mode, and no weird double flashes that will mess with a slave flash. - size is important, but not overly so, I just want a machine that will do what I want, and allow me the control when I want it. The EOS-M fits these criteria, and is a large step up from the compact that I was using prior. It's not the top of the line, nor the newest, but for something that I will abuse, that suits me just fine. I've got the 22mm pancake lens, an 18-55mm lens, and I've added a 55-200mm lens, allowing me to get close to the action for climbing shots.

I collect blogs to read, and podcasts to listen to at an amazing rate, eventually if gets too much and I start to cull them down a bit. Here's a sample of interesting follows that made it through the last cut. .  Semi-Rad - if anyone is not following it, this is the one I would start with. Think the wit, humour and brilliance of XKCD before it got popular, in articles and flow charts, but with an outdoors slant. Outside Online - The most prolific of this list, a variety of articles on different topics from Outside's website.  Adventure journal - a collection of articles on a number of different topic, similar to Outside, and also includes contributions from Brendon Leonard of Semi-Rad Gear Junkie - will keep you up to date with the latest in gear, including ones that get pulled from kickstarter. It's been a good way of seeing some stuff I might like there, without falling into the wormhole of fund swallowing that is Kickstarter.  Climbing - mostly a...

My reviews are all for products I have purchased, used and either enjoyed, or not.  Let's talk La Sportiva Cobras. I heard about them on my first Thai trip, but didn't have a chance to get a pair until just before the second. So far I've  destroyed two pairs of cobras. They are my go to shoe for almost any route or problem. They have been increasingly hard to find over the last few years, but thankfully it seems like they are coming back, at least in Europe for the 2016 season. They are listed at Sportiva.com (Not LaSportiva.com... ), and now in pretty new colours. But they don't seem to have actually dropped yet, I picked up a few pairs from the Czech Republic on Ebay, along with a pair of pythons. Pros Fit - pretty much perfect for me, they are quite narrow, but being a slipper I recommend trying before you buy.  Sensitivity - The cobras best attribute, the thin sole (3.5mm) means that you can feel every hold and becomes something that you rely on.  ...

Maddie misbehaves if she's on a lead, she's far better off it, but still won't return reliably, and has a fascination with cars that could far too easily be terminal. She also likes to chase runners and cyclists, so anywhere that there are other people is a problem at the moment. The hope is that after dark will be better due to the lack of people, especially in winter, but finding and keeping track of her is harder. I saw the nice <a href="http://www.squeakerdogs.com/collections/poochlight-illuminating-dog-collars"> Squeaker collars </a> and figured that they would be a great solution, as well as making her visible if she did end up on a road. Sadly between the AU dollar and the car work, I couldn't afford the $40 price tag, but I found something similar on ebay for $5. I don't expect it to last nearly as long, and it's not rechargable using CR123 batteries, but it will do the job for a few months while I decide whether it's worth th...