[drez]

I'm guessing doctor who is one of those things you need to watch as a child in order to love?  My simple brain can't stretch far enough to accept laser shooting multi use screwdrivers.  A tricorder with flashing lights and beeping sounds is something I am much more willing to accept.

 

[Coq de Combat]

  Which Doctor was it? Well, not Witch Doctor, but Who? If you mean the latest (11th) played by Matt Smith, I kind of agree. I started out liking him because he reminded me of the second one so much, but by the second of his seasons I got tired of his mannerisms. I think the best place for you to start---assuming you want to start---is the beginning of the series reboot, the 9th Doctor. He's the most down-to-earth (LOL) so to speak of all the Doctors. It's also where the new series picks up, and it serves as a good entry point as they re-introduce a lot of the series lore. He quietly stands there when the 10th one would nod profusely with bug eyes or the 11th would wave his hands and chatter in baby-speak (the Doctor really can speak the language of human babies, btw).
 
The sonic screwdriver isn't technically a weapon, but a sort of multitasking tool that can do stuff like scan lifeforms, unlock doors, and maybe blow up machines from time to time, but by overloading them from within rather than firing lasers.

You know what? I think I'll give it a shot. Dr Who feels like it's one of those series you have to watch, especially if you like sci-fi. I like sci-fi. But I'll start with the one you suggested, assuming you mean Eccleston-Who.
 
Today I was at a photo fair with a friend. Lots of nice cameras and lenses there to play around with. Also, I could leave my Nikon to the Nikon crew, for them to service and clean the sensor. I always find it rather amusing, that I always want to go out snapping pictures after a photo fair. Sounds logical I reckon, still, these fairs ignite a certain lust for whatever the fairs are about. Be it video games, photography or whatever, I want to do it right afterwards, despite not having wanted to snap photos for years. Although my new phone has sparked the camera/photo creativity in me.
 
Also, my friend who went there with me decided that he wanted to buy my Pro 900's. So tomorrow he'll send some money my way. I feel ambivalent about it; I'll miss them, but I wouldn't use them if I had kept them. I love them, but I don't want them anymore. Yin and Yang at play here. On the other hand, he'll use them a lot and they won't collect dust as they used to over here. Also, I can put that money towards a nespresso machine.
 
I think I've decided on this one:
 

Good price, high ratings on amazon and a milk frother. Not sure I need a more advanced one.

 

[jgray91]

Today I was at a photo fair with a friend. Lots of nice cameras and lenses there to play around with. Also, I could leave my Nikon to the Nikon crew, for them to service and clean the sensor. I always find it rather amusing, that I always want to go out snapping pictures after a photo fair. Sounds logical I reckon, still, these fairs ignite a certain lust for whatever the fairs are about. Be it video games, photography or whatever, I want to do it right afterwards, despite not having wanted to snap photos for years. Although my new phone has sparked the camera/photo creativity in me.

Anecdotally, I agree with this. Remember a while back how lost interest in headphones for a while? Well I regained the interest a bit somehow, though not to the extend of my first 6 months after getting my CAL! (passed that to my dad; he seems to like it), after the Singapore meet. But that meet also punched me in the face with the SR009, so yeah. Regardless, small meets aren't exactly as big as a fair will be, but it did affect me like how you said a camera fair affected you.

Speaking about cameras, I did get myself a Olympus EPL6. Some sort of Asian-only EPL5 with minor upgrades. Planning to get a more all rounder zoom than the kit, like the 14-140mm. I like to have jack-of-all-trades, even though it will be master of none. But right after that, will get the popular 20mm pancake.

 

[billybob_jcv]

I was never a huge Doctor Who fan, but my doctor will always be Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor.

 

[DigitalFreak]

New video finally up and ready
 

 

[Coq de Combat]

Anecdotally, I agree with this. Remember a while back how lost interest in headphones for a while? Well I regained the interest a bit somehow, though not to the extend of my first 6 months after getting my CAL! (passed that to my dad; he seems to like it), after the Singapore meet. But that meet also punched me in the face with the SR009, so yeah. Regardless, small meets aren't exactly as big as a fair will be, but it did affect me like how you said a camera fair affected you.

Speaking about cameras, I did get myself a Olympus EPL6. Some sort of Asian-only EPL5 with minor upgrades. Planning to get a more all rounder zoom than the kit, like the 14-140mm. I like to have jack-of-all-trades, even though it will be master of none. But right after that, will get the popular 20mm pancake.

I think it's interesting, and frightening. It's interesting that fairs like these can actually spark creativity and lust for doing a hobby, even if that particular interest has been dead for years. It's also frightening, knowing that there are professional people out there thinking of how to take advantage of this for commercial and marketing purposes. Whoah... it suddenly struck me. My iDevices, my susceptibility to these things... am I an... iSheep? 

 
 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

 

[Achmedisdead]

I would say no, you're not an iSheep. I think of iSheep as being not just fanboys of Apple, but also haters of non-Apple gear. You love your Apple gear but not to the exclusion of other stuff.
 
Just saw this on imgur, with the caption "Gang violence"....have to admit I got a laugh out of it. 

 

 

[Coq de Combat]

There was a lot of nice looking cameras. The first picture is the Wacom Companion. NOT impressed, tbh. Of course, it felt like the cintiq, but I wasn't impressed by the screen quality nor the fact that there was a delay between my pen and the ink on the screen. That kind of delay would be normal for a $500-$1000 tablet, but the companion is pretty expensive.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
All cameras were joys to handle and taking photos with, imo. I'm thinking that we're in a state where brands don't matter as much - Nikon and Canon are the giants still, but the competition is really getting closer... or I should probably say up there with them.
 
That last Leica picture, the guy didn't even want me to take. If it wasn't for the fact that the Leica personnel were such obnoxious a-holes (seriously, kind of grinned and looked down at people not having Leicas.. as if we weren't good enough for Leica: booooh), I'd be interested in that particular one. But I think they succeeded in convincing me not to go that route and stick with my phone camera. A sexy beast none the less. Too bad I'm going to associate Leica with such people.

 

[veyrongatti]

 
 
 
That last Leica picture, the guy didn't even want me to take. If it wasn't for the fact that the Leica personnel were such obnoxious a-holes (seriously, kind of grinned and looked down at people not having Leicas.. as if we weren't good enough for Leica: booooh), I'd be interested in that particular one. But I think they succeeded in convincing me not to go that route and stick with my phone camera. A sexy beast none the less. Too bad I'm going to associate Leica with such people.

Isnt a Leica just an glorified Panasonic?

 

[Coq de Combat]

  Isnt a Leica just an glorified Panasonic?

It seems that they're just partners. According to wiki, Leica has designed some of the Panasonic lenses. 

 

[veyrongatti]

  It seems that they're just partners. According to wiki, Leica has designed some of the Panasonic lenses. 

ohh I see

 

[jgray91]

Mmmm, still want that Pentax Q7. All those knobs in that small body. :9

 

[blueangel2323]

I'm drooling after the Nikon Df... full-frame sensor in a retro SLR body? Yummy. But too much moolah, and no video capability.

 

[CEE TEE]

There was a lot of nice looking cameras. The first picture is the Wacom Companion. NOT impressed, tbh. Of course, it felt like the cintiq, but I wasn't impressed by the screen quality nor the fact that there was a delay between my pen and the ink on the screen. That kind of delay would be normal for a $500-$1000 tablet, but the companion is pretty expensive.

Whoa.  Didn't know about the new Wacom "Companion" but I can confirm that the newer Intuos 5 Touch-capable version pen tablets do not have the same feel or surface durability as the older non-touch capable models so this may support what you experienced since that is also "touch-capable".  
 
I have Intuos 1,2,3 and 5.  Also a couple of Wacom Non-Touch Bamboos. The Intuos 2 and 3 are better than the 5 to me, smoother surface that will look better/last longer.  Don't know about the 4 but the new 5 Touch surface is slightly textured and already showing some wear patterns from normal use...(yeah, I press too hard).  But the 5 also seems less precise and stable to me, even with "Touch" mode off.  I wish I had gotten the non-Touch 5 which they do make and less expensive or I need to start seeing if I can use Touch at times to change up my ergonomics on low-level use.
 
Also have to try the wireless adapter on a Mac before cementing my opinion, but I remember my older Bamboo wireless tablet working with less lag to wake up the connection then the Intuos 5 now does with wireless accessory kit installed and PC.
 
Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but I always recommend tablets to help with precision and intuitive use (after a couple of weeks) plus for ergonomic health over the long term.  (You rest your hand on the tablet and do not have to support the weight of your arm while moving pen as you do with the mouse, for example.)      

 

[Coq de Combat]

  Whoa.  Didn't know about the new Wacom "Companion" but I can confirm that the newer Intuos 5 Touch-capable version pen tablets do not have the same feel or surface durability as the older non-touch capable models so this may support what you experienced since that is also "touch-capable".  
 
I have Intuos 1,2,3 and 5.  Also a couple of Wacom Non-Touch Bamboos. The Intuos 2 and 3 are better than the 5 to me, smoother surface that will look better/last longer.  Don't know about the 4 but the new 5 Touch surface is slightly textured and already showing some wear patterns from normal use...(yeah, I press too hard).  But the 5 also seems less precise and stable to me, even with "Touch" mode off.  I wish I had gotten the non-Touch 5 which they do make and less expensive or I need to start seeing if I can use Touch at times to change up my ergonomics on low-level use.
 
Also have to try the wireless adapter on a Mac before cementing my opinion, but I remember my older Bamboo wireless tablet working with less lag to wake up the connection then the Intuos 5 now does with wireless accessory kit installed and PC.
 
Sorry to go off on a tangent here, but I always recommend tablets to help with precision and intuitive use (after a couple of weeks) plus for ergonomic health over the long term.  (You rest your hand on the tablet and do not have to support the weight of your arm while moving pen as you do with the mouse, for example.)      

I agree, I've had the fortunate opportunity to be playing with both the intuos 3 and 4. 4 is where they changed the surface, so that it would be more reminiscent of real paper. It ended up being one of the most hated "features" since it wears down the nibs so fast. Wacom's support said openly on their support forums that if people didn't like the new material, they could use a plastic bag (straightened out and fixed with scotch tape obviously), or something along those lines (I think someone used a thin glass) on top of the tablet. It works, but is a bit wonky. I removed whatever plastic I used, because I found it being in the way and distracting. I have since sold my Intuos (I had the 4th, a friend had the 3rd) and bought a Bamboo Touch - which (un-)fortunately works just as well (and as bad) as the Intuos.
 
Personally I'd advice you to stay with the third generation of Intuos. It seems as if Wacom isn't going to go back from the slightly textured, nib wearing surface.
 
As for the Companion, I really like the idea of a true drawing tablet manufacturer making a tablet for professionals. It was thin and light enough to be used on the go, and it seems adequaely equipped hardware wise. However, it was laggy and the screen just wasn't anything I'd want to look at for a living. I may be in the minority here, but I have a gripe with matte screens because they take so much away from the sharpness and as someone with glasses, this is deeply distracting. I'm a glossy kind of guy, even for work. The colors were atrocious to say the least, and I was somehow reminded of my old 17" 1280x1024 4:3 LCD screen. The feel of the tablet itself was good: it felt solid and despite being plastic, it felt like a premium device. My main gripe with it though was the lagginess. Being a tablet made out of an i7 and whatnot, it didn't feel more, or even as, responsive than a Surface Pro (Lachy, beware) and that just confirmed my suspicion: it is not meant to be a replacement machine for graphic artists, but as a portable companion.
 
Unfortunately for Wacom.
 
Because the competition is better, IMO. Aside from the larger screen and the brand itself (quality of the digitizer and pen), there really is no compelling reason for choosing the Companion over a Surface Pro for instance. I'd wager that forthcoming pro grade tablets will be better choices as well, especially if they too are using Wacom technology. Maybe I had too high expectations from hyperbole but I was deeply let down. I personally would not pay more than twice the price of Surface Pro II for the Companion.
 
The pen was luxurious though.