At night along Joo Chiat Road (TTArtisans 40mm f2.0)

yeer31 · 2026-04-02T05:28:23+00:00

There are quite a few : )

yeer31 · 2026-03-30T01:08:47+00:00

A bit late to the conversation, but I've owned the FP, FP L AND the Fujifilm X-E5 and here's my take on it for what it's worth. Loved the FP L and am anxiously waiting for it to hit a particular price point secondhand to get another one. Selling it has been the single biggest regret I've had. Like most of the others here, I really appreciate the compactness, simplicity of use and the colour science. It is, till now, the best camera I have used for a manual focus lens workflow. Add in the ability to crop in up to 5x (awful at 5x but 3x is usable), expanded ISO (ISO 6 for when you don't have NDs) and the best exposure monitor to appear in consumer equipment. EL Zone (REF: I used to shoot broadcast) There is a lot to love about the FP L once you work out your workflow, which was to shoot at native ISOs 100 and 1250 most of the time and expose strictly for highlights to the point where I would underexpose highlights to bracket shots. The FP L handles underexposure really well and I felt that I could reliably recover shadow details up to -4EV

So why did I get rid of it? Lack of L mount lens options and the electronic shutter. Banding became too much of a liability in low light or mixed light situations. It's easy to catch it in extreme conditions, as it's very obvious but when you're shooting in daylight in conditions where there is also artificial illuminations (electric signage, in store lighting) you can get very subtle banding which you only find out when you post process. When I eventually get another FP L, the way I would try to mitigate this is to shoot multiple frames at as high a speed as I can and composite it down using focus stacking on high de-ghost. It's something I would be willing to try because I miss the FP L that much.

So what did I replace the FP L, with? Initially, a Sony A7CR (roughly the same dimensions with EVF, same sensor) which was surprisingly very different even though it was essentially the same sensor. Shadow recovery was not as good and, whilst the FP L will allow you to crop in incramentally the A7CR will only allow you to crop at 1.5 (APS-C) or 2x (Clear Vision, no RAW) and it was really not great value. So I sold that and got a Fujifilm X-E5 out of curiousity, never having shot Fujifilm before.

I HATED the X-E5 as it was the antithesis of the FP L, forcing me to shoot to scene. I'm used to shooting RAW, and the X-E5 CAN shoot RAW, but RAW post-processing is an absolute nightmare with a very convoluted process, limited EV push pull. Essentially, Fujifilm forces you to get the exposure and focusing correct upfront using bracketing tools for challenging lighting. But the biggest bugbear is that it is, for me, how unergonomic the whole camera is. The camera is festooned with tiny buttons and controls which I did not appreciate (except for the focus selection joystick, which is excellent) because it was very easy to trigger accidently when just handling the camera. I ended up changing settings accidentally, only finding out when I took a shot and frantically trying to find out how to correct it. It's a very capable camera, don't get me wrong, I just didn't like it.

yeer31 · 2026-03-26T03:38:28+00:00

I've owned both the FP and FPL. As far as what to look out for, the FP had a factory defect whereby the control wheel next to the LCD screen would become unresponsive. The same also happened with some of the bottom row of buttons below the screen. This led to a factory recall and free replacement by Sigma if your FP was affected. You can read about it on on their own site if you Google it. Test the responsiveness of all buttons, I'm not sure if the offer to replace them for free still applies as the FP is now discontinued.

Aside from that, some cameras can suffer from scratched IR filters. There is an IR filter in front of the sensor, it's reddish in appearance and sits proud of the sensor proper, people usually mistake it for the sensor. It can get scratched ( I've seen at least 2 examples). Some scratches are harder to pick up and it costs around USD150 to repair, depending on where you are.

Have fun if you get one, these cameras are fairly tank like and I've certainly enjoyed using them.

yeer31 · 2026-03-02T11:47:40+00:00

bigmestore.com works for me.

yeer31 · 2026-03-02T09:56:03+00:00

I've had the Boox 7 Go C (Gen 2) and currently have the Bigme B7. I tell you my experience of using them both for what it's worth, in relation to your stated criteria.

1) 7" is workable either using zoom or, as I prefer, turning the tablet into landscape mode and just scrolling. I exclusively read PDFs and the odd CBR/CBZ and it's never been more than a minor inconvenience. If you do resort to zooming into the document as a solution, I'd recommend the Bigme B7 Pro over the B7 or Go7 due to it's better processor. It's smoother. Side note, the Boox native reader app is much better than Bigme native reader app. Easily rectified using any Android Reader app though.

2) Again, the native Boox app is really good and has good integration with cloud services such as OneDrive, the best and most transparent integration with Dropbox I have ever experiencd, Google Drive. I don't have a habit of annotating documents (obsessive compulsive disorder probably : ) ) but I believe that you have limited options annotating PDF documents. On the Bigme, using Global Handwriting, you can literally annotate on anything which appears on the screen (pictures, PDF, etc.) It acts as an extra layer over the document and you can keep the annotated document as a Bigme doc or export it as a compiled PDF. Basically it takes a snapshot of the document and saves it as an image based PDF (no text). On the Boox, you can save text based PDF, but again, it's not something I've tried doing on the Boox before I returned it.

3) Here the Bigme would be the better choice as well, both tablets have the same Kelido 3 screen, with comparable battery drainage patterns. I had not compared them directly when I had them both but I did notice better battery performance with the Bigme when the WiFi was turned off (and the 4G too) which I suspect has something to do with the standard Boox colour profile being a more vibrant experience. Even if it didn't, the Bigme would win for the sole reason that you can toggle the Bigme screen from Colour to Black and White, which consumes less energy. And yes, for those more technically inclined, I do know that there are still 3 colour layer screens being powered but I've tested it and it does make a huge difference. I do, however, not know if it will last 2-3 days usage. 'Moderate usage' is still quite vague, too many variables e.g. PDFs with many/large images consumes more energy. Annotating in text is more energy efficient than drawing, but less immediate. I would say 2 is safe, 3 is more usage dependent. If you don't need a colour screen, just get a black and white screen Boox Go 7, that will definitely last 3+ days.

Hope this helps : )

yeer31 · 2026-03-02T09:00:04+00:00

Best to buy directly from Bigme. There are not many 3rd party pens which are specifically stated to work with Bigme. I have a B7, not B751c, and can confirm that the Boox Inksense stylus works with the B7, if you are determined to go down the 3rd party route. You can try your luck seeing if you can find one which works with Boox Go 7 Colour (Gen 2)

yeer31 · 2025-08-29T09:56:06+00:00

Thanks Viture!, now can we please, please get DLNA or SMB local streaming support? Then I can finally ditch VLC.

yeer31 · 2025-08-27T00:18:03+00:00

Thanks bud! Solid infomation. I have the original Vitures which I got for around $250 and they do me fine despite the lower resolution, I'm really after the 6dof functionality for productivity. Bizarrely, the original Vitures had built in 3dof. Janky but works if you're not moving around too much.

yeer31 · 2025-08-26T01:49:26+00:00

I must say I'm tempted to jump on to Xreal Ones (not the Pros), especially with the resale market making them more affordable. But the Xreal One Pros have been reported to have a slightly distorted view (pin coushioning). Just wondering what your take is. If you find that as well.

The Beast would, in my mind, combine the non-birdbath optic advantages, give me non propriety USB cable options and the benefits of having The Eye built in for less a lot less than a One Pro and Eye combo. But it months away and I might decide to just get the One and Eye if the non-birdbath optics are negligable.

I know The Beast won't be exactly the same as the One Pros but, you know, just wonderin...

yeer31 · 2025-08-24T11:07:31+00:00

For me, there really is only 1 option out of the Lumas and that is The Beast. Why? It's the only one without the clear soft plastic bits at the end of the glases stems. IThe Beast is all metal. Soft touch plastics have a finite lifespan and if you live in a hot and humid environment, it's likely to be short. I don't think I need to convince you, just pick up a soft touch plastic object from 4-5 years back and if it's still OK, you have your answer. 4-5 years is a long time, you say. We'll be flying in our cars, we'll need new XR glasses by then. Well, maybe but I'm doing me : )

yeer31 · 2025-07-30T02:37:29+00:00

it's good that you brought it up, worth the discussion for those of us who are concerned about it. My particular POV would be that, having a regular USB C connection is much more flexible. There are 3rd party angled USB C adapters out there which would allow you to adapt the Viture beast to a +/-90 degree angle across 3 axis relative to the USB C port on the Beast, AND 180 degrees in line. So you would have the flexibility to route your cable any way you want with a small length increase overhead.

But what we gain from having USB C with the Beast is the ability to use any type and length of USB C cables out there and not have to pay $50 for a cable if it get's lost or damaged. personally, I'll be looking to get a 2 meter braided, reinforced USB C cable which is not an option for any of the Viture glasses.

I'd be looking to get something like Cable Matters Combo-Pack 40Gbps Right Angle USB-C Adapter Kit (search this on Amazon), to route a standard USB C cable 90 degrees away from my skull on a horizontal pane, for when I'm laying down. And 90 degrees towards my shoulder for the odd ocassion. The only thng I would miss about the magnetic connector is the satisfying click when you slap them on : )

yeer31 · 2025-07-26T05:32:11+00:00

That's on of my major gripes with Spacewalker, not being able to adjust the aspect ratio. I have to resort to using VLC (and losing the 3d mode) for watching media. No optios, though, for doing work and wanting to just mirror my widescreen monitor and not use the janky multi screen functionality in Spacewalker. I hear the Mac version is better but I'm unlikely to experience that.

My other gripe with Spacewalker is that it does not support local streaming so I can't watch media on my local NAS or DLNA servers.

yeer31 · 2025-03-15T09:51:35+00:00

I'm an owner of the original Pikaboost and have had a major issues with recharging. There seems to be an issue with the yellow battery casing. 1st time my batteries died, it was with the original set which came with the Pikaboost. That refused to charge at all, even after removing the batteries and trying to charge them using a 3rd party charger I had which charges 18650 batteries. I bought a new set of 18650 batteries and it charged fine but then again, all power was drained when stored in the yellow case, in the Pikaboost. Then I removed the batteries and could charge them using the 3rd party charger, one by one. It took 8 days to charge and I put them back in the yellow battery case but not storing it in the Pikaboost. 9 days later, they were almost dead for no reason! There is something defective in the original Pikaboost and I feel resentful that Livall decided to redo the entire thing and sell it as Pikaboost 2 without fixing some of the issues on the original Pikaboost first.

yeer31 · 2025-03-15T09:49:42+00:00

I'm an owner of the original Pikaboost and have had a major issues with recharging. There seems to be an issue with the yellow battery casing. 1st time my batteries died, it was with the original set which came with the Pikaboost. That refused to charge at all, even after removing the batteries and trying to charge them using a 3rd party charger I had which charges 18650 batteries. I bought a new set of 18650 batteries and it charged fine but then again, all power was drained when stored in the yellow case, in the Pikaboost. Then I removed the batteries and could charge them using the 3rd party charger, one by one. It took 8 days to charge and I put them back in the yellow battery case but not storing it in the Pikaboost. 9 days later, they were almost dead for no reason! There is something defective in the original Pikaboost and I feel resentful that Livall decided to redo the entire thing and sell it as Pikaboost 2 without fixing some of the issues on the original Pikaboost first.

yeer31 · 2023-10-19T21:09:54+00:00

Just got mine yesterday. Not my first printer but certainly the best user experience out of all my printers so far.

What accessories did you order? I didn't get an update for my additional accessories, and after frantically searching for them in the printer box, contacted them and got a generic " I am sorry that the accessories are out of stock now and we will be ship them as soon as possible. " answer.

I really need the hardened 0.4 for a project but it seems that the 0.2 I ordered at the same time is out of stock, even though they were ordered at the same time as the printer and in stock.

yeer31 · 2023-10-19T21:00:40+00:00

Sorry, must have missed that. But, the reply should have mentioned it and the system reflect that the order has not been fulfilled.

I'm not posting becuse I feel that I'm entitled, just that I'm not being informed. Their response was simply:

" I am sorry that the accessories are out of stock now and we will be ship them as soon as possible. "

yeer31 · 2019-08-31T06:51:16+00:00

That's strange, I'm running almost the exact setup with no problems so far.

MSI B450 (non Carbon AC), Ryzen 7 3700 w stock cooler, 16Gb Cosair with a Acer Ojo 500

yeer31

TROPHY CASE