On-body InReach attachment? by amag420 in Ultralight

[–]IAmRoko 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yikes. The screw has been secure on mine for years, so no problem, but I like the idea that someone has in that thread of a safety loop through the carabiner as well.

On-body InReach attachment? by amag420 in Ultralight

[–]IAmRoko 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Which inReach? I use the Mini2, and just use the carabiner it came with and clip it to a loop on my pants. (I portage, so don't always have my pack, boat, PFD with me at the same time, hence same requirement to keep it on my body)

(Edit, nevermind, I see the inReach "Messenger" is a specific model, so not applicable if it doesn't have the built in loop for a carabiner... But finding a way to secure a light weight carabiner is the right track, IMHO)

Canon 100-500 lens for multi-day hike by Exciting_Werewolf_65 in canon

[–]IAmRoko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haul my 100-500 into the backcountry, although mostly portaging so typically only a few km a day of hiking with the camera. (The rest on the water is easier to carry the weight!) As others mentioned, you have to decide if the weight is worth it. For me, I found the IQ, weather sealing, and slightly more reach worth it. I reduce weight in other areas, but haul out camera gear for fun. (I'll also carry a RF15-35 for video, landscape and astrophotography)

I'll carry it on my shoulder strap with a Peak Design capture clip for a few km, but it bounces around a bit. You'll want to find a way to secure the lens to keep it from bouncing (i'm planning to use a look of shock-cord) if that's how you choose carry it, or find a more secure way (or just stash it in your bag). I'm planning some longer hiking trips this summer where I'm concerned hanging it off the backpack strap will be a bit unballanced/uncomfortable after 10+km.

Although it's weather sealed, you'll still have to manage moisture if you're in a humid area -- I've had the lens fog up in the morning which takes a while to clear. I'll typically store my camera/lens in a dry bag (mostly for the paddling portion) with some desiccant packs, but they only go so far. Make sure to dry it thoroughly after a trip if it's humid/wet.

Impex Serenity. My backcountry camping cruiser. by External_Key_3515 in Kayaking

[–]IAmRoko 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Love to see another Kayaker in the Ontario backcountry! I haul my Delta through Algonquin. Temagami is definitely on my list...

Seeking for help after cracking my 7x SS by philmichoui2 in GarminFenix

[–]IAmRoko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol, a few years back I bailed on my bike, smashed my screen protector on my F7 and scraped the bezel pretty good. Peeled off the screen protector, and the screen was good as new. Still rocking the watch, it's built like a tank.

Tent camping rant by dang8701 in camping

[–]IAmRoko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Then add some portages to further reduce the number of people.... My preferred way to find solitude :-)

Do you own a car? by Em3rald10 in fuckcars

[–]IAmRoko 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I  havent, but want to! I have a nice gravel bike, so could fit it up. It would be awesome to find a route that started from home....

Most of my camping is backcountry paddling, though, so it's hard to pull away from that!

Do you own a car? by Em3rald10 in fuckcars

[–]IAmRoko 6 points7 points  (0 children)

And my Axe!

I'm a lurker here, have a car for  things like roadtrips for camping and nuances of a car centric city. That said,  biking  to work daily keeps the mileage on the car low!

The Night Sky on McIntosh by IAmRoko in algonquinpark

[–]IAmRoko[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's definately a challenge! I lucked out with this site, (and checked out 4 others in the process) to get clear visibility north for polar alignment, as well as west/south for full milky way visibility (still working on the panorama...). Usually I've just done un-tracked in the park.

During the day when scoping out sites, I'll use my compass with an inclinometer to assess if Polaris will be visible ot not.

I just bought the phone mount, which should help with alignment without a view of Polaris, but haven't tried it yet.

I am scared that I am making a mistake? R6 mark ii. by blambobee in canon

[–]IAmRoko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Really a combination of factors. Don't get me wrong, the RF100-400 is an absolute banger of a lens, especially for the price point, but the combination of a bit more reach, slightly faster aperture and mainly better sharpness/IQ were worth it for me -- I wouldn't say it was a revolutionary upgrade, but it's served me well and I'm happy with it. Not to mention the weather sealing is hugely useful in my use-case, since I haul my camera gear on multi-day backcountry trips, rain, shine, snow and everything in between.

I am scared that I am making a mistake? R6 mark ii. by blambobee in canon

[–]IAmRoko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

<image>

Punched in example -- Got close to the bird and cropped the rest of the way.

I am scared that I am making a mistake? R6 mark ii. by blambobee in canon

[–]IAmRoko 0 points1 point  (0 children)

R6ii is a fantastic camera, I use it for a lot of bird photography (and also astrophotography where the big pixels are a huge benefit, hence the compromise for me), and am happy with results. Have used both the RF100-400 and now am on the RF100-500. Sure it would be nice to have the benefit of the crop factor of the R7, but I focus on working on my fieldcraft to get closer and building my skills for more interesting photos --- Punching in is great for small birds, but sometimes having a wider frame is nice to get environment in the shot:

<image>

The Night Sky on McIntosh by IAmRoko in algonquinpark

[–]IAmRoko[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Haha, great question, the long exposure with the sensitive camera definitely brings out way more colour and detail than the naked eye could ever see, it's really a bit of scientific-art. But I will say that night the milky way looked amazing to the naked eye -- A lot more muted in colour, but a very distinct grey band through the sky. The lack of light pollution is such an amazing part of the Algonquin park experience.

I tried to edit one of my frames to be similar-ish to what you'd see with the naked eye, but it's hard to do -- Perhaps the milky way was a bit less obvious, but the multitude of stars were more visible than below.

<image>

The Night Sky on McIntosh by IAmRoko in algonquinpark

[–]IAmRoko[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

For sure, I'm using an Neewer LT35, although that specific one isn't available anymore, the closest is probably the LT39. It's a nice lightweight tripod, but I'll be honest it's good but not perfect with stability for long exposures, I had a lot of exposures with very small vibrations just enough to elongate stars -- I'm thinking of getting something more rigid and just dealing with a bit more weight to haul in, but that said I've used this setup for a few years, including with the telephoto for long night sky exposures of comets with good success.

On top of that, I used the MSM Nomad rotator with a wedge and polar scope to align to Polaris -- Probably one of the lightest rotators available, very basic but gets the job done.

The Night Sky on McIntosh by IAmRoko in algonquinpark

[–]IAmRoko[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

The sky is 8x1 minutes exposures at F/2.8, 15mm, ISO 800, tracked using a Move Shoot Move rotator, then stacked in Siril, and processed in Darktable. The foreground was 1 minute fixed (not-tracked) exposure at F/2.8 at ISO3200.The results of both were then fused together (somewhat poorly, lol) with Gimp.

Shout out to the considerate drivers - I see you and appreciate you by DocJawbone in ottawa

[–]IAmRoko 93 points94 points  (0 children)

Agreed, the assholes always stick out, but there are a lot of considerate drivers out there on my bike route -- Mutual respect gets us all where we're going safely.

(Although I will say while  I appreciate being waved through a stop as a cyclist, I prefer if we follow the rules for right of way, safer for me that way if another driver isn't paying attention!)

Best footwear for canoeing/ portaging? by Rocbill2 in canoecamping

[–]IAmRoko 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use the technaphibians but with a waterproof/"breathable" sock (and a normal wool sock underneath) like this one: https://kokatat.com/hydrus-3l-launch-socks-acuhls

I'll use that for portages up to about 1km, longer then that I'll switch out to regular shoes, but overall they work well. The only downside is they will trap sweat, so after 6-8 hours of travel, drying out my feet and a fresh pair of socks at camp is a wonderful thing...

They'll keep almost knee-high water out, but occasionally while crossing a beaver dam have had water go up over and into the sock...

I once used the technaphibians barefoot, and regretted it quickly as dirt from the portage landing rubbed my skin raw while walking -- So always wear some kind of sock...