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9 days in the field: Kudos to Sony, Dolgin, Thinktank, Swit, Spudz & Sennheiser
Just a note to say it was instant emersion from the moment I got off the plane at a dirt strip. Thru river crossings, dust, bumps, getting thrown around shooting in the back of a truck, harsh sun and fast moving run and gun, I have to say the Sony EX1r was flawless and a pleasure to shoot with. The rotating handgrip was flat out spectacular and enabled shots not possible with the traditional grip (see photo). Additionally, the histogram and focus peaking let me get well exposed and focussed shots when there was no way to tell visually thru the dust and extreme angles of view.
Since power in the boonies was constantly on and off batteries were critical. The Swit 8u62 were both economical, long lasting but still compact for portability so I had plenty of batteries to leave charge during the day while I was out shooting with the previous day's batteries.
The Dolgin dual EX charger was a lifesaver. It withstood all the on/offs without a hitch and I could depend on it's smart charging to eek out the fastest charge of both batteries.
I've been a longtime user of the Sennheiser SK100 wireless bodypacks and loved them for their rugged metal construction but I picked up a G2 lavalier system and I have to say I'm won over. They are so much smaller and lighter but best of all, they ran for more than 2 days on just two AA batteries. The SK100's were 4 hours at best so I'm converting over to the G2 for all my field gear.
Spudz are the greatest invention since microfiber cloths. I used them as much on my glasses as lens filter. Nuff said.
Lastly, I needed a small-as-possible pack for my EX1r and related gear so it would qualify as an airline "personal item". The Thinktank Streetwalker Pro fit the bill and fit under both jetliner and twin prop commuter plane seats. I love how it stands up and can be carried by the handle. When you've got a loaded backpack on and something else in your hand, it's great to not have to get all the way down on the floor. It also works as a papoose pack as shown below. The side pockets also hold a 17oz Platypus collapsible bottle and zip closed to keep it sanitary. The zippers on the Thinktank kept working though days and days of dust.
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March 19th, 2011, 12:20 PM
