81 replies to this topic

[Unit Seven]

Love the photo of the building Mike!

Nice lens and nice camera never been able to really bring myself to L series lenses (but have been close) but recently got my hands on the EF-S 17–85mm IS. Great lens compared to what I have had previously. Have always loved wide angle and was after the 10–22mm but glad I found this cheap and second hand—while not being as wide it is a great day to day lens. Really good range of zoom and good quality at both ends considering.

Also recently got a Lowepro Slingshot 200AW bag which I really recommend (or the 100AW if the 200 is too big). Never wanted a full backpack but the old over the shoulder bag I used to use always annoyed me—this bag means I have my camera (and appropriate gear) with me more often which means more photo opportunities.

[Hans van der Maarel]

Nice lens and nice camera never been able to really bring myself to L series lenses (but have been close) but recently got my hands on the EF-S 17–85mm IS. Great lens compared to what I have had previously. Have always loved wide angle and was after the 10–22mm but glad I found this cheap and second hand—while not being as wide it is a great day to day lens. Really good range of zoom and good quality at both ends considering.

I've been in dubio of getting either the 17-85 or that 17-55 that Mike has. I have a Sigma 17-70 now that I'm quite pleased with, but sometimes it seems to have some focussing problems. Then again, it may just be me. I've read reviews of the 17-85 that said it wasn't an improvement over the kit lens, and the 17-55 is quite pricy, so I'm kind of holding it off...

Also recently got a Lowepro Slingshot 200AW bag which I really recommend (or the 100AW if the 200 is too big). Never wanted a full backpack but the old over the shoulder bag I used to use always annoyed me—this bag means I have my camera (and appropriate gear) with me more often which means more photo opportunities.

I totally agree on that, I have the Slingshot as well and it's working out just fine. I do keep a CompuDaypack, for those times I need to travel with my laptop and camera stuff though. The thing about DSLR's is that you end up building a collection of lenses, but also of bags for different occasions

[frax]

A hobby that I just picked up is Geocaching, and I am really getting hooked into it! Today I am working at a national test, sort of like SAT, watching the students sweat over math, english, reading comprehension and more, and I went out at lunch and logged a cache.

Goes will with map-nerdiness, hiking and outdoors! I am looking forward to a lot of geocaching during my parental leave, four months starting May 1st...

[P Riggs]

I took up accordion about 6 months ago. On a trip to Paris, my wife and I attended a block party in the basement of a church across the street from where she grew up. There was a woman playing accordion and everybody was singing along. I was hooked. I also play banjo, but both wife and kids complain when I play it. They all enjoy the accordion and my daughter even wants to learn to play.

[mike]

Nice lens and nice camera never been able to really bring myself to L series lenses (but have been close) but recently got my hands on the EF-S 17–85mm IS. Great lens compared to what I have had previously. Have always loved wide angle and was after the 10–22mm but glad I found this cheap and second hand—while not being as wide it is a great day to day lens. Really good range of zoom and good quality at both ends considering.

I've been in dubio of getting either the 17-85 or that 17-55 that Mike has. I have a Sigma 17-70 now that I'm quite pleased with, but sometimes it seems to have some focussing problems. Then again, it may just be me. I've read reviews of the 17-85 that said it wasn't an improvement over the kit lens, and the 17-55 is quite pricy, so I'm kind of holding it off...

Also recently got a Lowepro Slingshot 200AW bag which I really recommend (or the 100AW if the 200 is too big). Never wanted a full backpack but the old over the shoulder bag I used to use always annoyed me—this bag means I have my camera (and appropriate gear) with me more often which means more photo opportunities.

I totally agree on that, I have the Slingshot as well and it's working out just fine. I do keep a CompuDaypack, for those times I need to travel with my laptop and camera stuff though. The thing about DSLR's is that you end up building a collection of lenses, but also of bags for different occasions

Get the 17-55, you won't regret it... and since you have the 70-300 already, you won't miss the gap. the image quality on the 17-55 is much better than the 17-85. it's basically an L lens without the L designation (but it also has the L cost... haha).

I'm a fan of Crumpler bags. I have two of them: a 6 Million Dollar Home messenger style bag and The Whickey and Cox backpack. I like the high build quality of both bags. I've gone through all types of weather with them and they hold up very well to the elements. the 6MH bag is not completely sealed (it is held tight only by velcro and a strap/clip), but it held up to San Fran rainy weather (3 days worth) and spontaneous rain showers in Hawaii. I was very impressed. And the greatest thing about them is that they don't look like camera bags.

[pfyfield]

Let's see...

For several years I was a "working" artist. My bachelor's degree is in art, and I showed my work- primarily woodcut prints- in galleries here in Portland in the Pearl District. I sort of gave that up when I became a cartographer.

I am an every-day all-weather bicycle commuter, and also enjoy long rides on the weekends.

The domestic arts- I love to cook, love to garden, and enjoy working on my house (1913 craftsman).

I have started every day for the last 20 years with the New York Times crossword puzzle. I can't get into doing it online though. I still need the hard copy.

Baseball in general and the Red Sox in particular (native New Englander).

My wife and I have really gotten into visiting the vineyards south of Portland and trying to learn about wine.

I'm taking bass guitar lessons so I can retire as a rock star.

We're trying to learn Russian so we can communicate with our new-found Ukrainian relatives. My wife's mother was taken from her family at age 16 when the Germans invaded Ukraine in 1942 and died when my wife was three. All contact was lost until about 2 years ago when they found us. We visited last summer and will return this summer. We have an aunt and several cousins there.

[Kalai Selvan]

Hi!!!

Interesting topic. I have a crazy hobby of collecting the old paper maps of different times.
Apart from my usual mapping GIS stuff. I collect a lot of guide maps of different cities, countries and start producing digitial data with allmost all the information on it. But i still think that at some stage this crazy hobby again related to gis is going to fetch me some reward in terms of ??????. (But rewards/awards or a sort of encouraging factor for any one..Cool)

Just thought of sharing these info.

Cheers!!!
GISGURU

[Hans van der Maarel]

Interesting topic. I have a crazy hobby of collecting the old paper maps of different times.

Actually... I think most of us do that

[David T]

Baseball in general and the Red Sox in particular (native New Englander).

Another baseball fan! Great! Sadly, you're a Red Sox fan. But, I can forgive that - only because you're a native New Englander, and not a band wagon Red Sox fan.

Unfortunately for me, I'm a Padres fan. *sigh*

To update my own hobbies - I'm enjoying goofing off online, watching a couple of different TV shows (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Dr Who and Grey's Anatomy are the ones I'm watching right now), and playing with my 4 month old! (Actually, that's about all I have time to do these days).

[MapMedia]

during my parental leave, four months starting May 1st...

The benefits of living in Europe.
and Congratulations!

[David Medeiros]

I guess my hobby would be building and using these:



It's my third boat (2 canoes prior to this skiff).

http://www.flickr.co...57606422267083/

[Unit Seven]

Interesting topic. I have a crazy hobby of collecting the old paper maps of different times.

Actually... I think most of us do that

But does that make it any less crazy

[Hans van der Maarel]

Interesting topic. I have a crazy hobby of collecting the old paper maps of different times.

Actually... I think most of us do that

But does that make it any less crazy

True.

Just last night, as I was digging through my "Map Archive" looking for my maps of Washington State and Toronto (my other destinations on the NACIS trip) I discovered a gem that I forgot I had. A nice big panoramic map of the Jungfrau region in Switzerland, done by Berann. I'll see if I can scan and post it when I get back.

[Greg]

I missed out on the camera talk!

geocaching and photography are up there on my list.
(30d with Canon's 10-22USM and an L series portrait lens)

I usually combine the two, taking photos while I hike. I would love to someday create a photography cache.

It would be similar to a multicache, but instead of solving a riddle,
you would have to go out and take a photo of a specific subject. (ie. "Movement" or "Tranquility")
once that photo has been submitted, the co-ordinates would be released to the next cache, which would include another photography subject, and so on until the final cache has been reached.. which could include a prize?

[frax]

Greg - I visited a cool cache here in Sweden, while hiking in August. It once had a disposal camera in it, and all visitors to the cache were asked to take a photo of themselves. The owner of the cache later developed the pics and put the prints in the cache for people to pick up (if they felt like it) - there a lot of them in the cache, and it was really fun to see who had visited the cache, and what other cachers look like! (suprising with the span of ages and people that do geocaching!)

A weird hobby where you don't meet the others very much...