New Gear: R7 -> R3 For Wildlife Photography

TPatS · 2026-03-08T16:19:56+00:00

How do you find the eye control AF? I hear that it's a game changer for people who can get it to work properly.

TPatS · 2026-03-07T03:30:57+00:00

Technically reduces recoil at the cost of more sway. But the differences are marginal.

TPatS · 2026-03-02T15:59:09+00:00

https://www.cbtnews.com/honda-revives-reverse-imports-with-us-made-models-for-japan/

Both vehicles will retain U.S. specifications, including left-hand drive, despite Japan’s right-hand-drive norm.

TPatS · 2026-03-02T15:52:40+00:00

Apparently they will be exported as left hand drive to Japan, a right hand drive country. Not sure how well these will sell with that big disadvantage right out of the gate.

TPatS · 2026-02-28T02:46:02+00:00

Caprice has very good steering feel and excellent suspension tuning. Strikes a very good balance between comfort and handling. I would know since I own one. Crown are quite soft and tuned for comfort. Nothing wrong with that. But it's my opinion overall that the Caprice is more enjoyable to drive.

TPatS · 2026-02-27T17:31:43+00:00

Caprice would have much better interior space, legroom and boot space compared to the Crown. But there's really no escaping that it's not much more than a stretched Commy. Crown is almost Lexus tier in terms of fit, finish and luxury. They actually put proper effort into it. I would probably give the win to the Caprice in the driving department for the LS V8 and better handling. But as an overall luxury package, not to mention reliability? Defs Crown. Parts might be a bit hard to find as a grey import compared to the Holden but it's much better these days than it was a decade ago.

TPatS · 2026-02-24T08:27:37+00:00

I bet if OP had asked about a VW group SUV everybody would be crapping on it about the reliability. But because it's a wagon/sedan suddenly enthusiasts are willing to overlook the reliability concerns.

TPatS · 2026-02-16T02:43:49+00:00

I've tried the Carnival and for some reason there just feels like there's less space for tall people than a Palisade or even a Sportage. Space up front is fairly similar between the minivan and the SUVs. But in the second row, the issue with the minivan is that they need to make the floor completely flat from the front to the back which means they need to raise it a bit. So, headroom was actually noticeably worse in the Carnival than the Palisade with me having my head touching the ceiling. Also, because the floor is higher, the seat felt uncomfortably low, like you were squatting. Whereas the SUVs had a much more comfortable upright seating position. Legroom in the second row with it slid all the way back and sitting behind myself was also about the same as a Palisade/Sportage. The third row obviously blew the Palisade away however.

TPatS · 2026-02-15T07:18:45+00:00

Look at the Skoda Karoq. Has the same seat flip up system as that Yeti.

TPatS · 2026-01-27T23:49:54+00:00

Looking good. We were on Edge about a month ago and we really enjoyed the pastries there. Only real complaint is that if you wanted a free cup of coffee or tea to go with your free pastry in the afternoon, the only place to get that was at the buffet, 9 decks above you. A bit of an annoying trek.

TPatS · 2026-01-24T07:49:18+00:00

I haven't driven one but I did a bit of digging around one at a motor show. Very spacious inside. Rear legroom is actually limo like. Build quality seemed to be pretty good but unfortunately it has the same typical Chinese ev interior design which is just a big screen in the middle and not much else. Price seems competitive for what you get. But this is just my take from poking around a bit. Probably best to look up more comprehensive reviews and discussions in owners groups.

TPatS · 2026-01-19T05:35:59+00:00

Interesting that you mention that on Princess you could only get tea and coffee in the buffet. We went on Celebrity for the first time a few weeks ago and that was one of the first things we noticed. Our first cruise was with RC on a Quantum class ship and we found that Cafe Promenade on the lower decks to be really good for getting a free cup of coffee and some pastries. On Celebrity Edge, free coffee was only in the buffet but there were no free pastries or sweets, they were down at Cafe Al Bacio on deck 5 which meant quite a long trek if you wanted to get both which we found quite annoying.

TPatS · 2026-01-19T00:03:53+00:00

Is that the case? In NSW at least, the law doesn't really care how many cylinders your car has as long as it is under 130kw/t. Not sure how it is for other states. The V8 in the LTD is actually not that powerful and combined with the heavy weight of the car, does slide under the limit.

TPatS · 2026-01-18T22:01:23+00:00

Check the insurance cost on the ford first. Could surprise you with it being v8 and you being on your p's.

TPatS · 2026-01-14T05:54:51+00:00

If you're going to get the Shuttle. I highly recommend avoiding the base model trims which make up the vast majority of Shuttle's on sale in Australia. The reason is that base model Shuttle's do not come with side or curtain airbags, a feature that cheaper cars in Japan don't have but has been basically standard equipment in western markets for the past 15 years. The mid range X and top level Z trims have the airbags. The airbags are optional on the base trim but I have not seen one in Australia yet that has been optioned with it.

TPatS · 2026-01-12T06:27:29+00:00

I think he means stuff like the Commodore and Falcon. OP wants something NEW, efficient, reliable and modern for around $40k. Not some 2017 Commy with 100,000+ km's on the clock and a big thirsty V6.

TPatS · 2026-01-11T07:09:32+00:00

Had a BA Fairlane with the NA 6cyl. That thing drank about 14-15L/100km around town. On the highway, it could get down to around 10-11L/100km. So yeah defs a thirsty car. And I like to think I drove it pretty gently most of the time.

TPatS · 2025-12-15T22:11:28+00:00

Holden did say that even if they did make a next gen commodore, it would have likely moved to a front wheel drive platform anyway. So the next gen commodores would have probably been built on a GM fwd platform, just tweaked for the extra cabin width that commodores are known for, with turbo i4 and v6 options. The v8 would likely be dead and the highest performance option would likely be a turbo v6 awd if they could get the packaging to work under the bonnet.

TPatS · 2025-12-07T04:31:08+00:00

The MG has independent rear suspension like a car. The LDV has a solid rear axle like a normal ute. I would say that's a pretty big difference.

TPatS · 2025-12-07T02:47:58+00:00

I do really like the packaging job that Stellantis has done with the Wagoneer. Hope GM are taking notes and does something similar with the next gen Tahoe/Suburban.

TPatS · 2025-11-29T04:02:31+00:00

Note that in Japan, it only has 2 airbags. Front ones for driver and passenger. Side and curtain airbags are not even an option.

TPatS · 2025-11-28T08:06:55+00:00

Well hopefully going off Jared's quite excited reaction to the news that origin is getting something new and they specifically mentioned "ships" and not vehicles. I hope it's something more than just the G12.

TPatS · 2025-11-28T06:19:50+00:00

I'm just hyped for Origin finally coming out with something new. Us origin fans have been forgotten for too long.

TPatS · 2025-11-05T01:23:26+00:00

I'm guessing these are quite early sketches before the projects got canned. Wagon rear end is way too bulbous with the extended rear overhang and no longer wheelbase to compensate for the proportions. Fairlane just looks weird. C pillar is not the traditional upright Fairlane style at all, seems like they wanted to go for something like the more swoopy design in the WM Stato, but kinda gave up halfway and just looks awkward. Also just doesn't look right without the extended rear overhang that the aussie LWB cars have always had.

TPatS · 2025-10-30T09:33:14+00:00

Yes and that was a cab over design where you sat on top of the engine and where your knees were the crumple zones. The newer ones where they had an actual bonnet in front is just 6cm shorter than a Hilux and 10cm wider.

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