lowepro specialist 85 aw (review)

sold off my offtrail 2 for specialist 85 aw but regretted over the decision due to:

1. 85 aw is more suited for fitting at the back of your waist and not at the side, meaning you can't carry your backpack while using it so there will be a big problem when you hike with it. it is not as versatile as offtrail 2 because of the size.
2. zipping and un-zipping is not as smooth as offtrail 2 due to the positioning of the zip is too close to the edge and obstructed by your body
3. the weight

the weak point of offtrail 2 is due to the positioning of side cases and the strap tightening mechanism. when you are tightening the waist straps, it will be pulling the two side cases nearer to your body at the same time and this causes the soft cases to sink in. you will find it difficult for you to take out the lens from the case after that.

purchase of 85 aw is supposed to solve this and seriously, it does work because all lens can now be fitted inside the bag which is hard and does not sink in during tightening but i did not expect to bump into more inconveniences with this new bag.

right now, i am using the 85 aw as shoulder bag with the shoulder strap provided and i am looking for another belt system that will work for me. perhaps it is time to look at other brands.

update: brought specialist 85aw along with me during the recent cambodia trip. it is not so bad after getting used to it but still, you can't carry anything else on your back (even my smallest daypack) due to the size of this bag.. argh.....

wishlist updated (28th June 2008)

wishlist:

1. camera - nikon d80 $1000
2. tele lens - nikkor 85mm f/1.8d $480
3. pc lens - nikkor 85mm pc micro $1700
4. fisheye lens - nikkor 10.5mm $850
5. square filter - singh-ray inverted GND $150
6. studio strobe - jinbei 300w $700
7. studio accessories - softbox, snoot $300
8. 9ft studio backdrop & holder - white & black $500
9. light meter - minolta iv $300
10. Lowepro offtrail 2 $75
11. Lowepro Fastpack 350 $145

what i have already gotten:

1. camera body - nikon d40 $700
2. wide angle lens - sigma 10-20mm $610
3. standard lens - nikkor 50mm f/1.8d $110
4. walkaround lens - nikkor 18-200mm vr $1050
5. macro lens - nikkor 105mm micro vr $1000
6. angle finder - seagull 3rd generation (1x/2.5x) $60, used
7. remote - nikon ml-l3 $20
8. flash - sb600 $330
9. bag - lowepro specialist 85 aw $75, used
10. tripod - manfrotto 725b c/w attached 484rc2 ballhead $90, used
11. tripod - benro a-500ex $150
12. ballhead - manfrotto 488rc0 $120, used
    
13. dry cabinet - digi-cabi ad050 $60
14. square filter - tianya grad grey, grad blue, grad orange, nd8 $85
15. round filter - hoya, tokina & marumi (uv, cpl, grad grey, fld) $?
16. off camera flash kit - $215
    

spending till date (excluding round filter): S$4675

sigma 10-20mm test shots (the journey)

trying out sigma 10-20mm that i bought from hk last week. overall, the contrast is good with minimum flare problem when shooting with sun in the frame. i vaguely recall that the first version that i owned (have since sold it off due to corner softness problem) has a mf/af switch but this second piece that i owned doesn't have any. it makes setting the hyperfocal distance slightly tedious since there is no mf switch on my camera body either. i will have to auto-focus, with my shutter release half pressed, then re-focus to hyperfocal distance.

sigma 10-20mm test shots (the moments)

lj's beijing trip (the moments)

bro's big day (the moments)

drunk?! check out that face!

taipei, taiwan (the journey)

travelmates:

• raymond, lj

date of travel:

• march 2008

duration:

• 5 days 4 nights

route:

• taipei city -> wulai -> danshui

accommodation (min 1*, max 5* based on my personal opinion):

• friends spring hotel, 1* the counter lady called me 10mins passed the checkout time, telling me that "mister, you haven't return the key to us" and i found it to be quite rude talking to your customer this way. they did not even bother to smile at us when we checked in/out and the worst thing being finding a used condom on the floor, and yes, it is on the floor and not under the bed etc. nothing much around the vicinity, except for good accessibility to the metro station, just 5 mins walk from the hotel. quite surprised at their service level since this hotel was recommended in lonely planet.
• hoya spa and hot spring, 4* it is better than those smaller hotels around it, it was decorated with a boutique feeling in it with a cosy corner on the top floor (open air). all rooms have hot spring bath, which overlook into the river and mountain range. we were being allocated a better room, with wide windows offering superb view since the one we booked is not available due to some mis-communication. the staff were very friendly and helpful, especially the lady for the morning shift, who offered us her own umbrella when ours were being stolen. we have gotten a special promotional package, with breakfast, high-tea, dinner and a bottle of red wine included. the breakfast was great, served at their tiny cafe, and my favourite being their tasty salad.
• forte orange business hotel, 4* superb location with camera street, "audio" street, computer shops, eateries, book shops, train station (both normal and high speed rail), metro interchange, bus interchange all located within 5 mins walk. most of the shuttle buses from airport will terminate at the taipei main train station which makes the trip to hotel affordable and easy. the interior is nicely decorated, clean and equipped with the necessary facilities (lcd, water boiler, safe etc.) and it is relatively safe with key card access to both room and lift. highly recommended.

~ taipei city ~

• getting to taipei city is easy, just take one of the shuttle bus from the airport. there is a ticketing counter and don't forget to tell the driver where to drop you when you are boarding the bus. they won't announce at each of the stop so if you did not signal nor telling them where to stop, you will travel all the way to the last station
• staying at taipei main train station is the best part throughout my trip, since it offers the best accessbility to all the places that i wanted to go with the metro interchange and bus interchange located nearby
• ximending is like the other "walking street" that i have been to in shanghai, nanjing etc. most shops at located at 1st floor of the 2-4 storeys buildings and higher floor are some eateries or restaurants. nothing caught my attention since price tag is high and you can find something similar at wufengpu, but much cheaper. located at ximen mrt station
• longshan temple is a very interesting historical landmark for taipei, being the oldest and biggest temple in the vicinity. plenty of good photographic opportunity and you can drop by for a blessing, if you need any. easily reachable at longshan temple mrt station
• wufengpu is the best place for serious retail therapy. goods are mostly sold at distributor price but try to avoid monday and saturday when bulk buyer are flocking the area for huge purchase. there will be alot of scooters/trolleys moving around the area and the seller has no time to entertain small, casual customers. wufengpu is reachable by mrt, alighting at houshanpi station
• shilin night market is best visited on weekdays. been there on a saturday and you will find that there is basically no space for you to even stand in the alleys. the queue for the food stalls were also too long for us to pursue. went again on a tuesday and things got much better, with plenty of space for you to stroll around, and it is much easier to find seats at eateries. do not alight at the wrong mrt station, it is located at jiantan and not shilin station.
• yangmingshan, did not manage to make it there due to the poor weather, will conquer mount cixing in my next trip

~ wulai ~

• wulai is an outskirt town located 50mins drive from taipei city. it is famous for it's hot spring and mountain range with some nice waterfalls and some other geographical attractions. we did not have sufficient time/relevant transport to explore the whole area, so only visited the waterfall and hotspring on foot. the weather was good and cooling, and mountain range is always foggy with clouds floating around it, making it a very good retreat from taipei city
• you can get there by taking the bus from either xindian mrt (45mins) or taipei main train station (90mins). check out the map at mrt station, the bus stop is clearly indicated there. one way trip costs NT70

~ danshui ~

• danshui is supposingly a very romantic place for couple to visit but since it was drizzling while we visited the place, we went back straight after purchasing some local products so there is nothing much to comment about this place.