Updates Gallery Books Links About These are my opinions and field notes, but I'm sure you know that already- I'm no professional gear reviewer, I'm no collector, I'm a photographer, a writer, a skater, but most of all, an artist. That said, you'll see gear from a $2 pen- a Pilot G2 that I find invaluable, the longboards I use to get around, to the inexpensive Pentax K100D that I shoot with regularly. Stay tuned. For information regarding equipment I've used in the past, please see my page on Previous Gear. Apple Power Mac G5 (2.3GHz dual core, nVidia 6600 graphics, 512MB ram/256MB vram, 250GB HDD) 
In late August 2009 I finally picked myself up from my bootstraps in a manner of speaking. I ditched Windows once and for all when I picked up a used scratch and dent G5 from an eBay wholesaler for $540 shipped. It was password locked, which I circumvented, and for a time, OS X Tiger was running sketchily, though it was a self resolving update issue. Despite that, It runs fairly smoothly and speedy for a dinosaur in the fast paced computer world. There were also copies of Adobe CS4 and Toast 6 preinstalled. which I hope to hang onto. So far, I'm off to a rocky start but I am glad to have transitioned over when I did. Oh, and I dig the temperature gauges (reminiscient of the time traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future), but the blue lighting not so much. I plan on using this machine for the forseeable future, it still has many years of life left methinks. It's going to be one mean machine when I'm done... Pentax K100D "Black K" 
Inexpensive, reliable, and most definitely capable. The K for the modern age, pretty much. It's capable of making 20x30" prints, if not larger if one knows what they are doing. I purchased the K100D back in 2006 after being a Nikon shooter for a short while and never looked back. Does it make me a Pentaxian? I don't know, but the camera sure is a blast. It's outpaced by today's standards but is rapidly becoming as cheap as some film SLR bodies on the used market and is very useful even now (the average price for a K100 body on the used market is around $250 in 2009). Its Shake Reduction stabilizer, depth of field preview, mirror lockup, and use of AA batteries come in quite handy, as does the sensitivity to light and bolder, more expressive colors than I can get in any compact. Why is it blacked out? So when I'm out and about the camera doesn't tend to catch your eye- I'm proud to shoot Pentax, I just don't feel the need to make a big deal of the fact in public. It uses a strap from an old K1000 that is very sturdy. I set mine to +2 bright saturation, +2 sharpness, and -2 contrast. I do this to compensate for dynamic range and don't have access to ADR built into my camera. Also worth noting is that exposure compensation breaks auto ISO on the K100D, the only fast fix I've found that fits is ISO 800, it's reasonably fast, looks decent enough with grain, and doesn't compromise detail for the most part. I mention this because of my use of program auto and aperture priority modes, it lets me get the shot quickly, though I don't use this all the time. I typically set auto ISO to 200-1600 if I'm out in the field. Sigma 17-35mm f/2.8-4 EX Aspherical 
Over the summer of 2009 I decided to make all my lenses compatible across film and digital for future projects. I picked this Sigma ultra-wide zoom because of the price and speed, both very reasonable. I purchased used from KEH once again and the only time they've made an error over the course of me being a customer with them was sending an 82mm filtered version of the lens instead of the slightly more compact 77mm. Not a big deal, I just have no 82mm filters right now and don't want to pit the glass. I intend on matching this lens to a ZX-5 or SF1n for film use. I also hope to keep it around for filming in HD with a K-x; one body for film and another for digital stills and video is becoming more and more exciting of a proposition. Vivitar Series 1 70-210mm-A Macro f/2.8-4 
Perhaps the most sought after of all Vivitar lenses for Pentax K-mount; I had been searching for one of these lenses for quite a time, and finally obtained one in late March 2009. The image quality, speed, and close focus capabilities are immensely versatile. it was in immaculate condition when I got it and the 70-210's build quality is fantastic- all metal, engraved and filled markings. This lens was built by Komine, which produced the best quality 70-210 lenses sold under the Series 1 label, according to the 28 at the start of the serial number. There are a couple quirks to it as well. The aperture on modern cameras as far as I am aware always thinks that wide open goes to f/2.8, even at 210mm. This would indicate a stop or two of underexposure at the long end of the zoom, but this is a non-issue. Also, from 70 to under 100mm, the minimal focus is five feet and creeps closer as focal length increases. From 100 to 210mm the minimal focus distance decreases to around two and a half feet and is very nice for working with smallish things. The focusing action is also very broad, one nearly rotates the lens 300 degrees from end to end to focus; the front rotates and changes length while focusing, the length of the lens is constant while zooming. A nikon 5T or 6T APO-close up adaptor can be fitted for life size or greater than life size magnification. Additional information on close up lenses can be found here: http://www.angelfire.com/ca/erker/closeups.html and there is immense detail on this lens gathered at Mark Roberts' photography site. In the field so far it produces high quality images though perhaps not free of fringing like the Sigma 300mm APO-Macro, but the close focus is closer and the results comparatively sharp. I've yet to subjectively evaluate bokeh for portraiture purposes but it sure looks promising. It's also compact for its specification, yet solid and hefty. It must weigh around two pounds. I've been able to carry it in my belt pouches as opposed to on my belt with my 300mm. Below are two images that attempt to compare side the notable aspects of both my telephoto lenses. If you click each image, you will see the metallic portion the lighter, specifically the patent number. The Vivitar zoom (above) gets closer to the subject but the Sigma (below) is exceptionally well corrected, even for a beat up lens, and the flash isn't helping either lens in this case, though that's the point. Both exposures were at their closest distances, flash on to f/8. 
Petzl Am'd Ball-Lock Carabiner 
For the longest time I hadn't the slightest idea what to do with this. Meant for some serious climbing and repelling- something I've not yet given a shot at, this tough little carabiner is what I use to keep my camera, telephoto lens, and other large gear on my belt at the ready. I use one or two depending on what my needs are but I would pick up a couple more because they are extraordinarily modular. They can also be used to reinforce pouches on a belt and chained on loops. The Ball-Lock system also makes things quite speedy, a simple push and twist releases the ball lock and it automatically springs back in a snap. Its major axis (<--->) is 28 kN, with a minor axis (\/---/\)of 7 kN, open gate (<-\->) of 8 kN, and weighs 2.6 oz. Good enough for a game of tug of war between the trailer hitches of two cars, perhaps? 
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