Just returned from a few days fishing in Austria. Still need to work on the report, pictures and video.
Yesterday Apple (finally) released the iPhone 5! It's not a huge surprise as we saw bits of the new iPhone 5 which leaked out the past several months.
Apple managed to improve almost every part of the phone. Probably the best part of the iPhone is that it's still an iPhone and not a lunch box with bright purple plastic housing.
Check out the Keynote for the full presentation of the iPhone 5. Notice Al Gore sitting in front row.
Watch out GoPro, Sony just released the ActionCam and it looks sweet!
This thing comes with a waterproof (up to 60m!) housing as standard, just like the GoPro. Besides the typical wearable accessories the ActionCam has image stabilization, ultra wide angle (170 degree) Carl Zeiss lens and besides 30 fps Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) a whopping high speed recoding mode of 120 fps at 720P to boot.
There's even a wifi version (view & control using your smartphone!). The price is very competitive at around $200 for the non-wifi version and around $250 for the wifi version. Available around october 2012.
The Sony Exmor sensor the ActionCam perform better in low light conditions. Nice 'feature' is that this camera uses the same battery as my HX9V digital camera! Other features are interval recording (for timelapse captures), stereo sound recording and 2 MP still shots. Too bad the mono color LCD screen can't show what your captures look like. Maybe with the wifi-version you can watch it on your smartphone?
This Sony ActionCam isn't as small as the Pivothead, but if the video quality is anywhere near the HX9V I'm sure the larger size and weight will be worth a try. It's cheaper too!
Looks like more camera companies (like JVC's GC-XA1) are trying to give GoPro a run for their money. That's good news indeed!
These small compact cameras are small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. You don't need to carry several lenses because it has it all: wide angle and zoom lens. However filters as add-ons are fairly uncommon on compact cameras.
I think one of the most useful add-on is probably a polarizer filter, also called a circular polarizer filter (CPL). A CPL basically corrects washed out colors especially in bright sunny conditions. It also helps cut out the glare of light reflections, especially on smooth surfaces like on windows and water.
I have seen several DIY-style filters to attach a filter on the HX9V. I recently bought a cheap out-of-production Fujifilm compact camera polarizer filter as an add-on for my HX9V. It can't be attached to the camera in any ways, so I'll have to hold it in front of the lens when I want to take a picture or capture a movie. But the improvements of the images are very impressive.
Now there is a new CPL-filter on its way for the Sony HX-series, RX100 and probably more compact cameras with the same lens diameter. It basically attaches to the front metal ring around of the zoom lens using a magnet. Can't wait to get one!
Update 24 Aug 2012:
Due to huge demand the first production run MagFilter CPL (Circular Polarizer) is sold out.
Update 30 Aug 21012:
The MagFilter CPL is available! Go get one here! I ordered it right away. The 42mm version (for the HX-series) is $26.99? The 37mm (Canon S95/100) is $24.99.
More filters are being developed, which 'piggybacks' to each other so you can use several filters at once.
The new Sony RX100 is the new flagship of Sony's compact camera series. It's the 'pro' version above the HX-series.
I was a bit pissed that I missed out on this camera, because the RX100 saves pictures in RAW format (HX9V only does Jpeg) as well as having more manual control options. The price is a lot higher than the HX9V, roughly twice the price.
But there are a few aspects that I think could have made the RX100 a real killer compact camera. Foremost the wide angle of 28 mm vs the 24 mm on the HX9V.
As I mentioned earlier my top priority is high quality video capture. Although the RX100 is a much better camera in many ways, the video comparison between the RX100 and HX9V really surprised me. Have a look your self.
I have been wondering for a while when current technology would deliver a product that would be able to capture true Full HD movies in a first persons view. A lightweight yet powerful video camera that doesn't make you look like a geek 'wearing' a box or a big cigar on your head.
Well, it has arrived in the form shape that answers my question: the Pivothead sunglasses. There are several styles of sunglasses with built in 8 mp camera able to capture full HD 1080p movies in 30 frames per second (fps). In 720p quality it does 60 fps.
The best part is it comes in several styles and one even with interchangeable polarized glasses! The bad part is it has a hefty price tag: $350 (ouch!).
The view captured isn't as wide angle as many other sports videocameras: 75 degrees rather than almost 180 degrees (GoPro). That might result in a too narrow view for some. There is 8Gb of memory on board, which will record about 60 mins of 1080p video. Since there is no screen built-in there is no way to view the captured video or even erase a footage. You'll need to hook up the sunglasses to a computer to manage the captured video or clear up the memory for the next outing.
The quality of the videos I've seen so far made with Pivothead isn't really exceptional. I will be experimenting with my new Sony HX9V for a while, but when the Pivothead gets an improvement over time it's probably worth a look.
Update Jan 2013: Here's a slightly less expensive, yet nurdy looking, glasses capturing 720p video.
Here's a nice TV documentary about the river Inn in the central alps. The river Inn is one of the longest rivers in the central alps.
This documentary shows how the Inn starts its life in the Swiss alps near St. Moritz and follows its long journey through western Austria and Germany to finally join the river Danube (also known as the Donau) at the city of Passau.
I really enjoyed the documentary. The camera work is top notch with very nice aerial views as well as close ups of the habitants in and along the river, including mating graylings (around 13:30) which I've never seen before.
We're also shown that decisions to tame ('canalize') the river isn't sustainable. Nice to see that parts of the river are given room again to let the river decide its way.
The documentary 'Der Inn' is in German so be prepared to pick up your language. Yet if you don't understand German, it's still an enjoyable show. I'm not sure how long the documentary can be viewed on-line, so don't wait too long if you want to watch it.
Update 19 Dec 2016:
The documentary is now viewable on YouTube:
Due to heavy rainfall we've had the past few days, some parts of Europe are experiencing floods and water drainage problems.
Here's an amazing footage which was shot near a little stream in Switzerland. I doubt there will be any fish left in the stream after the little tsunami?...
Sage is coming up with a new rod series using their propriety Konnetic Technology, or what ever that may be. Unlike all other Sage models these days, the Circa is supposed to be a rod that mimics the slow rhythm of fiberglass or bamboo fly rods.
The series start with a 2 weight rod up to a 5 weight rod. It's obviously going to be a similar softer actioned series like the legendary LL series from the 1980's & 1990's next to their fast rod series One and TCX.
The price starting at $745 up to $775 is simply mind boggling. They must be demanding this kind of money (for plastic rods I mean) because there are people willing to pay such price tags?... I must say I'm curious. It's always interesting to see what Sage comes up with every now and then.
The rods will be available around end of August or September.
What a wonderful little trip. In a strange way this trip also showed what a weird phenomena our weather is. A week before the trip the area was covered with several inches of snow. A good week later it's scorching hot... In April!
I was hoping for nice warm spring conditions, but the three days felt like mid summer. Friday was my first day on the river and by the end of the day I was baked. To prevent my face from getting burned even further next day I wore a Buff with my face covered under my cap. This is a regular sight at a bonefish destination, but surely not in this part of the world...
The water level was higher than I would have liked to start with, but during the 3 days the level got higher and higher. I was worried that this would effect the fishing in a bad way. You know the type of nightmare: chocolate brown milkshake rushing down... But guess what? The river stayed clear, yay!
By the end of the first day the high temperature did start to effect the fishing. The snow in the mountains started to melt making the water quite murky. This was especially evident on saturday. At around 2 PM I had to stop fishing since I couldn't judge the depth of the water anymore. During that night the water cleared up again. In spite of not really ideal conditions the fishing throughout the 3 days was surprisingly good.
As mentioned earlier I brought my ultra light gear with me. It sure is fun fishing with such light gear (2 weight). I generally fish nymphs almost exclusively but I was hoping to do some dry fly fishing with my ultra light gear. There was no surface activity so heavily weighted nymphs like bead heads was the ticket here.
Half way through the trip the rising of the water level meant I had to reach for a heavier rod. A 4 weight is still light but I needed some more back bone to handle the fish heading for mid stream where the current is pretty hefty. I used 5x tippet so too much pressure would mean break offs.
Before this trip I ordered a new tripod (I lost my tripod head as I found out during my previous trip) so I could make some nice video footages. My trusty old Creative Vado did a fine job.
The strong current did mean some challenges to make sure the lightweight tripod and Vado didn't get washed away. Another problem I encountered on this trip was due to the high water level on certain stretches of the river I couldn't find a spot to beach a big fish (one nice rainbow was around 18-19 inches) and take a picture. I don't want to put the fish on a dry bank and get the vulnerable outer skin damaged.
All together this trip has been pretty wonderful. The sun, the scenery, the fishing and the food made this trip more than I bargained for.
I really need to get a new camera before my next trip. The iPhone takes great pictures that's for sure but I don't like the idea of using it on the water without some kind of security (there is no way to attach a wrist strap by the way) to prevent me from dropping it in the water.
Update 4 May 2012:
I bought the Sony HX9V. Since it does capture FullHD movies in 50p, this camera does the job for a very nice price now it is succeeded by new models (same sensor) with only minor improvements (16Mp vs 18Mp). I can't wait to see the improved quality this little camera will capture, it is said to be amazing.
When I was wondering what to do this year, I was looking for a different approach. I've fished bamboo only and graphite only. Why not go ultralight for a change?
So my next trip I'll be bringing along my aged (most of them more than 25 years old) but so delightful ultralight rods like the Tippet and Ultrafine.
These rods from Orvis are simply magic. Although full flexing, they are no whimpy rods. They will cast a double bead head nymph rig without any problem. But boy, these rods are a lot fun to fish. It's often mistaken that light rods can't handle big fish. It's pretty amazing how fast one can play a fish ready to be landed.
So I am looking for a new camera. I have been lately focusing on the Sony NEX-5N, then all the sudden I was wondering what's wrong with a compact camera? I mean they are a lot easier to carry around, especially when you're fishing.
The possibilities won't be as extended as a camera with changeable lenses and the smaller lens won't capture low light conditions as well, but hey, there's a lot to like a compact camera. Get one and you're done! No need to get additional lenses.
Well, the compact camera's sure have evolved the past years. In bright conditions they take DSLR quality pictures. Take a look at the Sony HX9V with a 16.2 megapixel(!) with a 24-384 mm (16x) zoom lens.
I was really amazed that these little buggers are now able to capture video in Full 1080p HD in 50fps! The HX9V is now succeeded by the Sony HX10V, HX20V and HX30V with a 18.2 megapixel sensor.
Correction:
I thought (as read in several reviews) that the HX9V is only is able to capture FullHD movies in 50i but this little bugger will capture FullHD in 50p!You will need an extreme fast SD memory card to ensure the 28mb/s data stream will be saved correctly.
Here's an amazing footage of what the HX9V is capable of. It's a point-and-shoot camera for gawds sake! Hmm... now what?
AVCHD is a format for movie video's that's becoming more popular with videocams and digital camera's. AVCHD isn't recognized by Apple's iMovie 9 and older (iMovie 11 does) or Final Cut Pro 7 and older (successor Final Cut X does). But here's a solution to cope with this problem.
Tiemco doesn't only make hooks and tying tools, they also make some very nice light rods. Yesterday I took a look at the J-Stream 8.8ft #4. This 4 piece rod has a delightful medium action that cast a very delicate line yet has enough power to deliver the fly at 40 feet.
There are several models from this series, ranging from a 8ft #2 to the 8.8ft #4 I casted yesterday afternoon. I really like the cosmetics of this rod: nice small cigar grip that matches the light weight fishing and finished with a full cork reel seat with ring and cup.
Let's talk about proportions on rods:
Almost all productions rods, especially the more affordable brands, on the market have horrible proportions. Just have a look at their light line weight (#2-4) rods. They all have HUGE grips with HUGE reel seats. The same grip & reel seats they use on their #5-6 rods. It looks like Paris Hilton: a lady with shoe size 10...
Here's a nice video on the J-Stream. It looks like the gentleman in this video is the rod designer responsible for the J-Stream rod series. I really enjoyed the effort how the gentleman tries to catch the tiny trout hiding in the undercut bank.
Tiemco is serious about fly rods as we see they asked the famous rod builder Mario Wojnicki to build a series of fiberglass rods for Tiemco. Wojnicki is a master in fiberglass and bamboo rods. His rods are considered gems in both workmanship and performance.
At almost $1300 a piece the Tiemco-Wojnicki rods are serious money. Glass rods from Wojnicki himself starts around $1000 and might be considered even slightly more 'affordable'!
Here's also a nice video about the Wojnicki rod made for Tiemco:
London has an Apple Store. Paris has one and so does Munich. We want one too!
The historic Hirsch building in Amsterdam is now the Apple store. This building was originally built by the Hirsch family for their now defunct department store. The building has had many uses like offices and even a cinema.
Apple is using the corner part of the building for their Apple Store which is located at the most busy area of Amsterdam. Surely it will get the huge traffic Apple Stores get all over the world. We arrived there pretty early and it was already a busy place.
Apple redesigned the interior to their famous Apple Store style. Yes, the famous glass stair is here too! It's nice to see how people are allowed to test a device, be an iMac or an iPad, at their own leisure. If you want to ask a question there are dozens and dozens of Store employees available. The Amsterdam Store has the longest Genius Bar of all Apple Stores so far.
Even kids have their own tables (check out the lower height of the table) so they can have a go with their own device. The spacious interior has a very luxurious yet very friendly atmosphere. I've only seen people smile and enjoy their visit.
The Apple Stores generates some of the highest revenue per square meter of all retail stores in the USA. I'm sure it's no different here. Apple Store gives the potential buyer the utmost pleasurable buyer experience one can get. I doubt any other flag ship store from Nokia or Microsoft gets the similar responses or experience.
Since my good 'ole Fujifilm Finepix E550 died during my last trip, I have been looking around for a replacement. Compact cameras are easy to carry around but I want to do more creative video filming in the future.
The video capabilities of compact cameras are impressive these days, but there's a limitation. The current DSLRs are almost professional video camera's. But I hate the bulkiness and the weight of a DSLR.
How about the new generation of mirrorless and interchangeable cameras like the Sony NEX-5N or the Panasonic GH2? They are a lot smaller than the DLSR's and have interchangeable lenses for flexibility. I'm really impressed by these new generation cameras.
Besides taking very good pictures some of them are also capable of shooting 1080p 60fps movies. The pixelation of moving streams of the movies I shot using my Creative Vado is because of the compression it uses as well as the low frame rate of 30fps.
Still need to read more reviews, comments and watch videos captured by the Sony NEX-5N. But man, it sure is a step ahead of what I have seen so far using pocket videocams...
Here's an amazing footage just to see what this Sony camera is capable of:
Update 30 Aug 2012:
Sony is releasing the successor of the NEX-5N, the NEX-5R.
Nice new features like more manual control, adding apps to gain new features (wow!) and wifi.
Well, I haven't tried or even hold any of the new Windows Phone yet, but I do have been reading the reviews and writings about them.
Although the new tile-based user interface Microsoft embraced for their mobile OS seems to be a huge new direction for the guys at Redmond in terms of user friendliness. However from a distance it still looks 'not quite'.
Well, it's gone before you know! Both Rotterdam and Amsterdam venues sold out on the last day before the shows.
We had a great show in Rotterdam and an even better show in Amsterdam. Tuschinksi is located down town Amsterdam with the parking problems that goes with it, but people all still gathered to this historic cinema to enjoy the show.
Nick couldn't attend the show so Morten Huwyler from the sponsor Imago joined me as co-host of the show. Thank you Morten for a great two days man!
Unfortunately the mind blowing footages of Slovenia in the feature movie Hatch didn't make it to the show. Nick had some last minute problems with the logistics that comes with the editing, narration and converting the movies files to high definition DCP-format.
Surely the final DVD will include many glorious footages of the gin clear (get it?..) streams of Slovenia. Probably the hottest trout destination in Europe at the moment.
RISE Fly Fishing Festival 2012 edition will continue with the European tour until early April.
Go team RISE!
Thank you Rudy van Duijnhoven for providing the photo's.
Patagonia has a new wading boot out that has superior gripping power. These boots have aluminum bars attached on the sole and it's supposed to have amazing traction on difficult surfaces most other soles have problems.
If you want just the same traction using your current wading boots, then the Patagonia's removable cleats might be the solution. These cleats are worn around your current wading boots, but the price is pretty horrible: $199!!
I was looking through some old Fly Fishermans this afternoon. Always nice to see what was going on back in the good 'ole days! And look what I ran into in the May 1983 issue. Haha, every few decades we invent something new and in the end it's just recycling previous ideas!
Update:
Here's a review of the Patagonia Rock Grip wading boots.
Just returned from a few days fishing in Austria. Still need to work on the report, pictures and video.
Yesterday Apple (finally) released the iPhone 5! It's not a huge surprise as we saw bits of the new iPhone 5 which leaked out the past several months.
