#caselogic #camerabag

Before my trip to Southern California last week I wandered into Bimart looking for a more portable tripod I could take with me. They didn’t have one, but I noticed this Case Logic “Action Camera Bag” on sale for $5. Having recently purchased the Case Logic DCB-309 SLR Camera Backpack to replace my broken Lowepro, I found I needed something smaller for hiking, biking, walking around, etc. Don’t get me wrong, I love the DCB-309. I was able to fit my Nikon Z50, two lenses, four days of clothes, laptop, chargers, water bottle, etc. in it for my trip and not check any bags. However, it isn’t convenient for shooting as it isn’t a sling bag. Also, I have a bad back and would prefer not to have a backpack on for an extended period of time.

That’s where this $5 purchase came in super handy and is totally changing the way I can travel and shoot. First it weighs next to nothing and can easily fit into a pocket, backpack, etc. The photos on the package make it look like it is only good for a GoPro or something. Not true. In fact, I can fit my Nikon Z 50 with 16-50mm lens attached, 50-250mm lens, water bottle, and lunch in this thing! It also fits my D500 with 24-120mm lens attached. Opening or closing this bag takes just a split second. The bag comes with a carabiner clip so you can attach it to anything (belt buckle loop, backpack, bike handlebar, etc.) I love this. It works so much better than even a sling backpack in terms of easy access, weight, and mobility. I like it much more than having a camera strapped around my neck as well.

I used the Case Logic Luminosity DSA-101 Action Camera Case yesterday during a long museum visit with great success. No backpack, camera hanging around my neck, or nuisance when not in active use. Extremely easy to have my camera at the ready when I wanted it. Amazing.

I feel like my life has been changed for $5. How often does that happen? You may have to pay a few more bucks than $5 for yours, but this item is worth much more than the less-than-$10 price.

Here’s another thing… even if you don’t need to bring your camera someplace, what if you don’t have enough pockets and want to avoid a backpack? Let’s say you are going on a hike, to a museum, or on a bike ride. You can use this to carry your cell phone, lunch, and bottle of water. Simply hook it to your bike or belt loop.

Posted on December 30th, 2019 under Other. Tags: accessories, reviews, travel related goods. Comments Off on Surprising purchase

Broken zipper on Lowepro 350 AW DSLR Video Fastpack

@Lowepro #caselogic #lowepro

Last year I reported on how Case Logic replaced my Case Logic DCB-308 SLR Camera Sling Backpack under their 25-year warranty. I’ve had no issues with the replacement bag in the subsequent 18 months.

About six months ago my other bag, the one I can also carry my laptop in, stopped zipping in one direction. Then, on my trip to Mexico a couple weeks ago, the zippers stopped working in both directions. Very inconvenient when you are in a foreign country and your luggage is packed to its fullest! I thought I’d try my warranty luck again, this time with Lowepro so I looked up their warranty. In theory the Lowepro warranty is even better than the Case Logic warranty as Lowepro claims their warranty lasts forever for the original purchaser. I still had my receipt for $130, proving I was the original purchaser. However, in practice, the Lowepro warranty sucks because it doesn’t cover things that are likely to fail (like zippers) so now I need to purchase a new bag.

Guess which company I will be shopping with? Maybe this one?

Posted on November 7th, 2019 under Other. Tags: accessories, reviews, travel related goods. Comments Off on Case Logic > Lowepro

III Draakon in Tallinn, Estonia is a fun restaurant for time travel. The food is good and relatively inexpensive too. Read the menu outside as it isn’t posted inside. Once inside, you are transported back to a medieval cafeteria. After ordering, the wench (her term, not mine) asks for a certain number of “moneys” and of course you pay in Euros.

The bowls and cups frequently are partially broken. In addition, the costumed employees all stay in character. One of them ran out to try and kill a pigeon that landed on the table. She was screaming and seemed to be literally trying to KILL the pigeon. The customer at the table was horrified, but it brought a big smile to my face.

The reviews on the internet are hilarious because many customers seem to not understand that the employees are in character. They fault the place for rude employees, unhelpful service, or that you have to use your hands to eat. If some of the customers weren’t so dumb this place would have a perfect 5/5 rating.

Posted on August 1st, 2019 under Estonia. Tags: AF-S DX NIKKOR 16-80mm f/2.8-4E ED VR DX lens, Nikon D500, reviews, signs, tallinn. Comments Off on III Draakon

@aniklasson @TuttleBooks

Houses and Gardens of Kyoto is a coffee table book with more than just gorgeous photos. The descriptions, history, and details provided next to the photos are excellent as well. While there is little to complain about, I do like to point out areas for improvement in even the finest books I review.

First, I would have enjoyed larger photos, even if that meant reducing the total number of photos. The full page photographs are lovely, but many of the postcard or (even worse) stamp-sized photos are simply too little to be much appreciated.

Second, I liked how the photographer (Akihiko “Alan” Seki) edited the images, straightening the distortions that photography creates when architecture is captured. He didn’t overdo things. The photos look natural and not HDRed (perhaps because this was published before the HDR era). However, (and most people who aren’t photographers won’t even notice this but) there are some blown highlights that didn’t have to happen and the occasional indoor flash usage is not nearly as nice looking as the naturally lit interiors.

This is a great book, especially if you have been to Kyoto or are going at some point.

Finally, if there are any authors out there who need a photographer to do a similar book (especially in Japan!) hit me up.

Posted on June 13th, 2019 under Japan. Tags: book review, kyoto, reviews. Comments Off on Houses and Gardens of Kyoto

@aniklasson @TuttleBooks @evacomics

A great book for kids or adults heading to Japan for the first time, or who want to reminisce about their time in Tokyo, I read the entire thing on a less-than-two-hour flight this past weekend. The pictures are fun, the facts are accurate, and the suggestions will lead to discoveries (or enjoyable memories) for anyone and everyone.

My daughter (now 21), who lived in Tokyo for a year when she was 11 years old, read much of A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide: My Favorite Things to See and Do In Japan when she saw it on the nightstand in our hotel room. When she finished looking at it she exclaimed, “I wish there was a book like this for Ecuador!”. She is heading to Ecuador, for the first time, for a month or so on a study abroad in a couple months.

Nice work, Evangeline Neo!

Posted on April 30th, 2019 under Japan. Tags: book review, Japanese Manga, reviews, Tokyo. Comments Off on A Manga Lover’s Tokyo Travel Guide: My Favorite Things to See and Do In Japan