Hunting the Elusive

I thought I’d take this blog, for just one post, away from the whimsical cyber-art world we all inhabit, and talk about the persona who is icie in the real world. Actually, no, I won’t. But think of it like a gear thread: the most essential equipment that you might find on me if you happened to meet me perchance on any given afternoon in the weekend. This is the stuff that I’ll bring about when I go on photography outings (and most weekend outings for me are photography outings). Part 2 of this post (after the jump) deals with some of the (gettable) things being released quite soon which I am quite excited about.

I thought I might dump my stuff in front of two mirrors for fun. Unfortunately, could not find an angle where my camera would be able to see itself properly, AND take a nice tunnel photo of the things.

I think I’ve mentioned one or other of these things at various points in this blog. But to start from the top, then work down counter-clockwise:

1) Camera: Sony Alpha 350. “My first DSLR”. It has various shortcomings like above-average noise, no tethered shooting, and a retarded on-camera flash design (does not clear the average zoom lens, causing shadows), but I have yet to outgrow it.

2) Equipped lens: Sigma DC 17-70mm f2.8-4.5 with circular polariser. General purpose zoom lens with its limitations, but has served me well.

3) Bag: STM Sports backpack (15 inch laptop backpack). Has a padded compartment for laptop, but I use it to store fragile stuff like my flash and any extra lens. Funnily, the padded compartment also serves well to keep things cool.

4) Headphones: AKG K171 Studio (1st generation) with custom cord. Got this some time ago and it is provides wonderful sound isolation and clarity. I got a custom cord made for it (the single cord is detachable from the side) because the one it comes with is too long for portable use. The custom stereo cord is serviceable too, so I can fix it when the contacts come loose.

5) Water bottle: Metal “fairydown” 1L. I usually tote around two bottles of water. I don’t use plastic drink bottles because they tend to break down quite quickly. If I run out, I’ll refill at a cooler, or buy a large bottle of water from a supermarket (1.5L or 2L). Much cheaper than conventional small bottles of water.

6) Umbrella: Knirps Fiberline 878 T2 Duomatic. It’s been beaten down quite a bit by long use, strong winds and such, but such is the quality that it just does not give up the ghost. Very strong, very resilient. I always carry this due to the unpredictability of the weather. Has automatic open and automatic close functions, which is suited for fast walking action.

7) Macro lens: Minolta 50mm f2.8 macro. Only bring this out with intent. Usually left at home.

8) Portrait lens: Minolta 50mm f1.7. Great as extra lens to bring out. On the crop camera, it actually becomes a 75mm, becoming just a step above my Sigma zoom lens.

9) Music player: 4GB Black Rock Player (lost my Sony stick player). Yes, it’s an iPod (from the Apple refurbished online store, so cutting down that price premium)…but I got a custom skin made for it. I actually got the 3G Nano on purpose because I don’t like the long form factor.

10) Book: Any random book. This is not actually my current book. I’ve read all of Haruki Murakami’s English-released stuff, but if in a pinch, will re-read. I used to bring my Nintendo DS, but books are (surprising) less boring, and cheap, if you use libraries.

11) External flash unit: Sony HVL-F58AM. Very versatile flash with built-in diffuser card. Is controlled wirelessly by the on-camera flash, and has many degrees of articulation for great bouncing capabilities whether on-camera or off-camera.

12) Tripod: SLIK Sprint Pro GM with non-brand quick-release ball head. Got this quite a long time ago, and it’s quite compact with a host of features that I don’t usually use, but would be useful. I won’t bring it out without intent.

Of course, there is other gear like my mobile phone (an old but slim model which doesn’t get much use), and the camera bag and its cleaning accessories, and my trusty shoes (only have one pair, and it’s been with me for three or four years of continuous use).

One thing to note is that most of my stuff is waterproof (or water resistant, at least). The STM backpack for example, can withstand a drenching if it is not covered by my umbrella. My camera bag is also water-resistant.

Also, I should also note that most of my stuff is quite expensive. I actually do quite a bit of research on the things I buy (except for the Black Rock Player: I was just lazy and desperate because I suddenly lost my mp3 player), and my policy is to dump down a once-off investment on something of lasting quality rather than deal with repeated failure and re-acquisition. I’m not sure if this policy has saved me any money, but I’ve used (and reused) most of my stuff for a long time.

Part II: Gettable things which are coming up soon

First of all, after that thing with huke, I thought you might be interested to know Cospa is releasing Black Rock Shooter T-shirts come May.

I think the black “chained” version is the only one worth getting. HLJ has the T-shirts up for preorder.

Secondly, Tony Taka is releasing an artbook of stuff from Shining Wind (as I am sure most people should already know).

Retail is 3150 yen, 2 April. Amazon has it up for preorder.

Third, I am quite a big fan of livetune feat. Hatsune Miku. IMO, their Re:Package album is one of the best Miku albums released thus far (yes, I think it’s better than supercell). Their Re:MIKUS (Remix in Japlish, geddit?) album comes out 25 March.

BTW, the “wallpaper” above is 1920 x 1500 (though the main area of interest is like a third of the area), hacked from the livetune site’s flash. Also, I have downloaded the “streaming” preview tracks from the site and the archive can be downloaded [here].

BTW, don’t her headphones look like the AKG 171? Just a bit (without the strap and wires), yes?

The tracklist for Re:MIKUS reads like a whole lot of remixes with only a few new “original” songs:

01 Finder (kz's DSLR remix)
02 Packaged (kisk baker's yogamix)
03 Light Song (Hiroyuki ODA remix)
04 Momiji (The Standard Club PIANO DANCE REMIX)
05 Niji shoku (Version by ryo from supercell)
06 Finder (imoutoid's Finder Is Not Desktop Experience Remix)
07 Last Night, Good Night (Mikus Beat remix feat Rap Beat)
08 Lilachorn (kz's Drillhole In My Brain remix)
09 Strobo Nights (RAM RIDER remix)
10 our music (kz's The Beginning of The End remix)
11 D.E.N.P.A. (Collab Event Title Song)
12 Heart Beat
12 Saihate (original by Kobayashi Onikisu)
13 carol (original by kisk baker)

Amazon is selling the album on preorder for 1995 yen.

Fourth, Megami Magazine Creators May 2009 edition comes out on the 25th of March.

Fifth, Eve no Jikan volume 3 DVD comes out on D-rights soon, but expect Amazon to get stock in April.

On the figure side of things, Unity Mei from Good Smile Company will come out within the month, as will Chocolate Shop inspired Gretel.

And that’s it from me. This turned out to be a little more involved than normal, but hopefully it has been useful.