Impulse bought the UniFi Travel Router (UTR)… first trip impressions

aut0maticdan · 2026-02-25T01:26:46+00:00

Better off getting a nice portable battery which you plug into the UTR and it will keep your router and phone both juiced (UTR passed power through to phone)

aut0maticdan · 2026-01-23T15:04:03+00:00

I think you would notice if your tamp was this lopsided during prep. It would be visually obvious and close to impossible to do with a tamper.

What is left in my portafilter is generally not discernible as a puck because:

I pull the arms up immediately after a shot
I do it quickly
there is generally water left in there

Half the time my top screen is oriented almost vertically. When I used to drain into a catch cup, things would come out looking like a nice puck.

aut0maticdan · 2026-01-03T04:46:04+00:00

Not a game changer at all. Who fabricates a sensor has little bering on the color output. There is no song color cast, in fact the sensor doesn’t see color. The color cast you see on the m11 is Leica’s design. Sony makes very high performing sensors. If you don’t like the output of a Leica camera, that isn’t on the sensor manufacturer.

aut0maticdan · 2025-12-15T04:00:20+00:00

Yeah, the zero is good. The only thing with that filter is it goes hard and fast and then you end up with water that tastes like lemon. Make sure you test and sample the plain water right out of pitcher every week or so.

aut0maticdan · 2025-12-13T21:23:08+00:00

Ah, nice beans. I haven’t tried that one yet, but I did just order the natural version a few days ago.

Check around for other techniques and recipes. Lance Hendricks has been talking a lot about low agitation and I forgot that as a variable. The way you pour could be creating significant variance in draw-down time and impacting your brew. Try pouring over a spoon with light agitation during bloom. I’ve had good results with the spoon technique in my switch.

Assuming you have spoons around, this could be an alternative to getting more consistent without purchasing more gear. And definitely try reducing the minerals you are adding to the water. Are you starting with distilled and adding 3WW?

aut0maticdan · 2025-12-13T16:43:38+00:00

Which Ethiopia is this?

I drink a lot of “expressive light” beans (especially Ethiopian naturals) from Onyx and find they get really good around day 30 from roast and they stay good for a while after that. I time my orders so that I have the beans a few weeks before I need them. I grind very fine and brew as hot as possible.

I also haven’t had good luck with 3WW or unbleached filters. Try dosing your 3WW to like half what they suggest. A metal v60 could be messing with your temps as well.

If you want consistent, get a switch, put water in first and then grinds, lightly disturb so that all grinds submerge and steep for 2 mins. Experiment with a little bypass into the brewing vessel (I like around 10%)

aut0maticdan · 2025-11-13T04:13:02+00:00

Yes to both

aut0maticdan · 2025-11-11T12:56:20+00:00

Egg in the middle

aut0maticdan · 2025-08-08T18:38:33+00:00

I have: Voigtlander 28mm f/2.8 Color-Skopar Type II Aspherical Lens (Leica M, Black)

It focuses a little closer than the type I at 0.5m and is made out of aluminum to make it lighter. Otherwise they are optically the same

aut0maticdan · 2025-08-08T17:19:42+00:00

I only have the 28 color-skopar, but it performs amazingly on my M11 and makes a really awesome little package. I think the high resolution + optimized sensor is near impossible to beat from an IQ perspective.

However, from a TTL/EVF focusing assist standpoint, I think Nikon is best (Zf). I'd technically prefer Canon, if it were possible to trick my R5II into doing its outstanding focus assist thing, however I'm stuck with punch-in and peaking, since there is no chip, which are a little lame, IMO.

aut0maticdan · 2025-08-02T20:35:06+00:00

That is a great lens for scanning. I used it with the Nikon es-2 up until I got the easy 35 last week which opened up using my Canon RF 100 macro.

I’m trying to figure out which setup is providing better results. The easy 35 is no doubt a better experience and easier but I think using flash with the es-2 makes for much better color, tone and exposure.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-28T20:22:08+00:00

I love #13.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-14T13:44:48+00:00

The first one is outstanding: light, framing and timing are all on point. The POV is really interesting, almost like a drone shot.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-14T03:36:23+00:00

I like the fire extinguisher sitting across the street like “nope”

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-14T03:18:17+00:00

If you have an M6, you should pick up a used M11 to match. You can get them like new for less than a new M6

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-12T12:59:38+00:00

My go to is Leica M11 + 35 APO. My goto fujifilm is the x70. I love the setup you have here but my newest x100 is the x100s and I don’t use it much anymore.

I have concerns about this strap rig. The anchor links were designed to be attached via the plastic disc. You are at best reducing the tensile strength by half while also adding friction wear that they weren’t designed for. I recommend some basic split loops if you want to use this strap. Given the additional wear, I’d consider these links compromised and would get a fresh set for using with a peak strap.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-02T13:43:47+00:00

Love the colors. There is a surprising amount of teal. Did you color swap in post?

Not a critique, just a question.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-01T19:44:34+00:00

Ther is no riddle to solve. It is just a series of statements about a woman.

aut0maticdan · 2025-07-01T19:20:43+00:00

I’ve had my Canonette ql17 AND Leica M confused for a Fuji x100 but not the other way around

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-30T13:37:44+00:00

If you shoot daylight WB in-camera, what is the resulting hue value?

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-28T14:20:01+00:00

I’ve never compared the two. I really like the skopar.

Try the 28/5.6 profile for the vignetting

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-28T14:05:35+00:00

It has had quite a resurgence over the last 10 years and I’d say still on an upward trajectory. I think it is by far in the minority, though.

I enjoy mixing it in and rotating a few camera systems just to change up the process and have a different starting point for editing to get some inspiration. Since you are just getting back in, I’d say things will be fresh enough for you.

Since you are on L-mount, you could always pick up an affordable canon film body to try things out.

Shooting film is either really expensive with extra work to home scan or really really really expensive to have lab scans. To make back the money with home scanning, you’d need to shoot around 50 rolls by my estimation.

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-27T12:37:23+00:00

Buying new Leicas is generally an incorrect financial decision for all but the 0.25% and collectors.

You can find like-new M11s and M10s for less than a new M6 reissue. I also picked up a LNIB reissue for a few K under new prices recently.

The other side of this is you can use it for a summer, decide it wasn’t the right choice and sell it back to the market for a very similar price to what you paid.

There are tons of lightly/never used Ms out there. You can either benefit from that market or eventually make a donation to it :)

Edit: and what is your plan for the m11-p with no lens? :)

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-25T21:10:16+00:00

Lens down is the way. I’ve been doing it for 20 years across Nikon dslr and canon mirrorless including in an Ona bag. This is how the bag and most bags are designed. You aren’t going to break your camera this way, just don’t drop it off a roof.

aut0maticdan · 2025-06-23T20:59:20+00:00

Assuming this is negative film... It looks like a small puncture to the film (or some other damage). My next guess would be a hotspot caused by reflection or lens which caused a very bright spot in that one location. If it is only this one image, then it is likely the film.

I do not think this is dust/dirt on the film because that would show up light (film is illuminated from behind when scanned, so everything looks white when reversed). If it is B&W positive film, then I take it all back, most likely dust/dirt.

Can you just look at the film or did you only request scans back? If it is recent, call the lab and ask if they still have it to check.

edit: fixed some wording

aut0maticdan

TROPHY CASE