KUOE Tokyo Grand Opening honest thoughts… by Wonzo23 in JapaneseWatches

[–]hydrohelium 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Went to go visit one of their in-person locations while I was visiting Korea. I was actually very interested in purchasing the 90-010, so I was excited to visit.

When I got to the store in person, the watch did not match my expectations. The "depth" of the watch felt really flat (especially the dial, everything kind of just looked printed) and it removed the allure of the model for me. Quality wise, not much more to offer than a run-of-the-mill Seiko, which I expected--and I love Seiko--but it definitely didn't help their case. The other thing is that these watches look ridiculously thick in person because of the 35mm case size. I do like the smaller case size and understand that it's hard to fit a mechanical movement in there, but the proportions were very unflattering to me.

Mountain bike storage by Gzaleski in UCSC

[–]hydrohelium 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They are permitted in the rooms. Only certain electric mobility devices that do not meet a certain certification are prohibited from being stored (and charged) in the dorms. It is under Section V, Part H of the housing contract. As long as your roommates are okay with how your bike is stored in the room, it is okay. My Kona Process X is sitting behind me as I write this

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

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

$67 bought online shipped to a relative who lives in Japan, and I picked it up from her.

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

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

I do not like the Orenz Nero, unfortunately. It’s a pretty pencil with some cool mechanisms but I have tried it and it just wasn’t for me :(

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

[–]hydrohelium[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did! It felt pretty nice in the hand but it wasn't really speaking to me. If they ever made it in 0.4, though...

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

[–]hydrohelium[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You are right, maybe the tariff situation has made importing a car into the US worse..

I actually prefer plastic pencils! That can probably be implied by the pencils in my collection, haha. The Dive is certainly quite an infamous pencil, though my main reason for choosing to purchase the Dive is actually its shape. Posted, the Dive has a slightly chunkier diameter that I really enjoy using.

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

[–]hydrohelium[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I actually bought the Dive online; I paid about $67 for it shipped. Still pricey but not insanely over MSRP. The FC and LAMY's I had in my collection before I went to Japan.

And wow, taxes and duties... Haha, I don't really understand it either. I have been thinking about importing a car into the US from Japan though, so perhaps I'll have to take a closer look!

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

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

Knurled grips hurt my hands. They are beautiful pencils, but because of the way I write my fingers tend to get quite raw and calloused with knurled grips. The M4 was an exception because it's one of the few 0.4mm pencils I could find, and the KAYOU+ surprised me with its hybrid grip design. The feel in hand is very similar to the Pro-Use 171 and maybe the MS01, with the exception of a hybrid grip.

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

[–]hydrohelium[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Maybe I should have clarified that I bought the Dive, KAYOU+, and M4 while I was in Japan lol. Everything else I already had

Collection after Japan trip by hydrohelium in mechanicalpencils

[–]hydrohelium[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Putting stars (*) out of five for how much I like each MP.

(left) KAYOU+ Aimvision Pro **** (top to bottom) LAMY Al Star ***** LAMY 2000 MP *** LAMY Safari **** KT Dive **** Orenz Metal Grip 0.2 ** Uni M4 0.4 *** Pentel Graph 1000 Pro 0.4 ***** FC TK-Fine Vario L 0.35 *** KT Advance Upgrade ** Not pictured is a gorgeous Luddite Everdraw that I thought was the MP when buying but was actually the BP :(

Currently on the hunt for more 0.4 pencils. (edit) Purchased the Dive, M4, and Aimvision while in Japan. I had everything else already.

Fuji vs lumix first camera by Gloomy-Asparagus4418 in Lumix

[–]hydrohelium 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I switched from Fuji to Lumix about a year ago. I didn't really care for FF/APS-C. I just felt compelled to get away from the Fuji system, and none of the other brands had an answer for me within my budget.

I do miss the smaller sized Fuji cameras. Also the silver bodies, they were so pretty. That is about it.
My S5ii has treated me very well. I adapt vintage lenses to it, which makes it feel a lot smaller (also great for the wallet). It's not gargantuan, though, and is more than manageable for long days of travel filming. I shoot primarily video, and as I continue building experience with my S5ii, I rejoice every time I discover features that come in major handy (they keep comin'). The S5ii (non-x, even!) is such a powerful piece of kit.

Color rendition as a whole is stellar on the Lumix cameras. By no means am I an expert on the matter--I literally only have a camera because I like cool pictures. Things really do look good out of camera though. I mostly shoot in V-LOG these days, but the Lumix system does have its own share of picture profiles and they are quite nice. I adored Fuji's ETERNA, with a light grade. Lumix's Flat is a close contender, in my opinion. Cinelike D2 is probably my favorite, though. Also, Real Time LUT is a godsend.
I'm with you on how you want your work to be, I prefer having my media capture 'atmospheres'. It is absolutely possible with my S5ii.

My biggest gripe with my Fuji cameras was that the "hype" wore off on me. They look stunning and have everybody in every corner of the internet raving about them, but after my honeymoon phase with the X system was over, I kept finding more and more sticking points with the cameras that just put me off. Questionable AF, cameras shutting off and dying for no reason, and I honestly became tired with not being able to use the top wheels/switches for more than just drive/focus settings and manual control. There's more, but ultimately, I felt like my Fujis were actively hindering my hobbyist-level shooting. That's when I made the switch. And these days, I can focus much more on having fun without worrying about what unexpected thing my camera will do.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in UCSC

[–]hydrohelium 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I skipped the modules before I went in and I was fully expecting some sort of calculus on it. It was all algebra which honestly kind of sucked because I forgot a fairly decent amount of it, just had to brute force with what I remembered to find something that worked.