Archive for the 'Shiny new kit' Category

Alpkit goodies

Posted by on April 5th 2008 in Shiny new kit
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Today saw the arrival of a couple of Filo jackets, just in time for the snow that we've been promised over the next few days. These follow hot on the heels of the Hunka bivi bag which I put my name down for at the Outdoors Show. My thanks go to the Alpkit team for their commitment to customer service and for their never-fail next-day free delivery policy.

This influx of new kit has rekindled the outdoors spirit in Chris - all of a sudden, she's reminding me that we've still got to sort out our annual wildcamp together, and that we've got to get the kit lists sorted for our family summer holiday in Norway and Denmark.

Alpkit Sale

Posted by on April 3rd 2008 in In the News, Shiny new kit
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Just in case you missed the heads-up from those nice peeps over at Alpkit - they're having a clear-out of their Filo down jackets, the clearance price is just £50. Grab 'em now while stocks last!

So, which colour do you fancy?

Chris will be Chilli, and I'll be getting a Rocket. So, nothing new there, then.  🙄

My big black 8-incher

Posted by on January 23rd 2008 in Astrostuff, Shiny new kit

During the day, it hides in the wardrobe...

at night, it just wants to go out and have fun, see the sights, shoot the moon, that sort of thing...

I predict that we can look forward to a deep and meaningful relationship.

 

 

It's a Celestron Advanced C8-N, by the way. Here's the low-down:

General Details:

  • High quality 8" reflector
  • 9x50 finderscope with bi-directional alignment screws and a spring loaded pivot support
  • 2" focuser allows for use with 2" or 1.25" eyepieces
  • Slow motion controls for smooth tracking action
  • Heavy Duty (CG-5) German equatorial mount
  • Ultra sturdy 2" diameter steel tripod with accessory tray
  • Includes CD-ROM "The Sky" Astronomy Software which provides education about the sky and printable sky maps

Technical Information:

  • OPTICAL DESIGN: Reflector
  • APERTURE: 200 mm (7.87 in)
  • FOCAL LENGTH: 1000 mm (39.37 in)
  • FOCAL RATIO: 5
  • FINDERSCOPE: 9x50
  • MOUNT: CG-5 Equatorial
  • EYEPIECE 1: 20 mm (0.79 in)
  • MAGNIFICATION 1: 50 x
  • ACCESSORY TRAY: Yes
  • TRIPOD: 2 (two) inch Stainless Steel
  • CD ROM: The Sky Level 1
  • HIGHEST USEFUL MAGNIFICATION: 480 x
  • LIMITING STELLAR MAGNITUDE: 14
  • RESOLUTION: 0.69 arc seconds
  • RESOLVING POWER: 0.58 arc seconds
  • PHOTOGRAPHIC RESOLUTION: 400 line/mm
  • LIGHT GATHERING POWER: 843 x
  • ANGULAR FIELD OF VIEW: 1 °
  • LINEAR FIELD OF VIEW (@1000 YDS): 52.5 ft (16 m)
  • OPTICAL COATINGS: Aluminum
  • SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION: 2.2 in (55.88 mm)
  • SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION BY AREA: 8 %
  • SECONDARY MIRROR OBSTRUCTION BY DIAMETER: 27.5 %
  • OPTICAL TUBE LENGTH: 37 in (939.8 mm)
  • TOTAL WEIGHT: 67 lb (30.39 kg)
  • TELESCOPE WEIGHT: Approx 19 lb (9 kg)
  • COUNTERWEIGHTS: 2x11lb

Normally priced up at around £375, they're currently on sale at £249 (inc. VAT and delivery) at various places, I got mine from Rother Valley Optics.

The Bottle Pod arrives

Posted by on December 11th 2007 in Camera kit, Shiny new kit

Well, the Bottle Pod thing might look like it's a bit of cheap plastic, but it works surprisingly well.

It's marketed for fitting compact cameras and the like to bottles and car-windows, so I overloaded it with my Nikon D50 + 70-300mm zoom, and clamped it to the head of one of my DMM Cirque axes. I had expected the lever-locked plastic ball-head to be a bit naff, but it held the unbalanced camera set-up firmly enough, with no slow forwards-creep. I wouldn't like to load it up too much, though, as the connector might part company from the ball. Still, for short-lens work and compacts, I reckon it'll do a fine job. Time will tell if the plastics used are up to being used in cold conditions... if it breaks, I'll let you know. It weighs in at just 28g.

Don't ask me to test it on one of those festrous walking-poles; I don't own any, and that's the way it's gonna stay.

New arrival – Velbon Ultra Maxi F tripod

Posted by on October 15th 2007 in Camera kit, My reviews, Shiny new kit

I couldn't resist getting my grubby paws on one of these lightweight tripods after reading a lot of favourable reviews about them. I reckon that it's about the right size and weight to take in the pack when I'm walking and/or wildcamping.

 Here are a few pics, with explanatory notes:

Folded length 36cm, weight 958g without the bag.

Fully-extended legs and column. With the Nikon D50 attached (horizontally and landscape), the height of the lens centre-line is 154cm and the height of the view-finder is 157cm. Dropping the column to the minimum setting reduces heights by 23cm.

Legs not extended but at maximum angle, lower section of column removed. With the Nikon D50 attached (horizontally and landscape), the height of the lens centre-line is 22cm and the height of the view-finder is 25cm.

I like the pan-head swing-function - from a landscape orientation, the camera can be tipped 90 degrees either way very easily. The quick-release plate is light enough and small enough to leave on the camera all the time. The centre-column can be inverted for taking pics with the camera beneath the head assembly, useful for taking pics with the camera pointing straight downwards. The Trunnion Shaft System (TSS) is easy to use and seems fairly robust so there's no fiddly leg-locks to worry about - just twist to lock/unlock. There's no centre-brace, so it's not the most stable tripod in the world, but it handles the D50 with 70-300mm zoom well enough, and that's good enough for me.

Another gadget arrives

Posted by on September 3rd 2007 in Astrostuff, Camera kit, Shiny new kit

While I was interwebnet trawling for the right-angle viewfinder, I got to thinking that a remote shutter release for the D50 might be a handy gadget to have around, especially for those moments when I don't want to put down my beer just to press the release on the camera.

The Nikon ML-L3 was the gadget of choice - simple to use (just the one button, all of the other parameters are set in the camera), light and cheap at just £11 delivered from Dzone2 on eBay. Included is one battery and a pouch which will accommodate a spare battery in addition to the remote unit.

It works in all camera modes that I've tested it with. I like the way it works when the camera is set to Bulb mode - click the remote once and the shutter opens, click again and it closes - ideal for exposures up to 30 minutes long.

Please excuse the poor-quality photo (I couldn't be bothered to take off the 70-300 lens just for this shot):
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