Troporobo

Thanks for the tip Tim. I just tried it on an over/under image and it worked a treat on both halves!

FWIW, and I’m no expert, apparently fast charging is much more likely to damage batteries due to the heat generated. Ever since I read some comparisons of battery life using different charge cycles, I only use the “soft” cycle, which does take twice as long, but the batteries stay noticeably cooler than on the normal cycle. My chargers are Maha (Powerex) “intelligent” models.

I’ve dived at El Nido. It’s OK for the Philippines (meaning pretty good compared to elsewhere) but not exceptional. It’s a beautiful area with some wonderful resorts so if you’re going there for a holiday or with non-divers it’s worthwhile. But if making a dedicated trip I’m not sure it’s worth the extra logistics compared to Anilao or Puerto Galera. However, if you can get onto a liveaboard to Tubbataha (the boats go out of Puerto Princessa) then it’s absolutely worth the detour.

I’d say you did very well, these are great images! I’m planning a trip there in July. How did you like their dive ops and facilities for managing your camera gear? I know the resort itself gets good reviews.

I’m of the opposite view. The problem with the self contained lights is that they are effectively disposable once the battery dies. But I do understand the appeal. I’ve been looking at Kraken lights and have decided on the 1800 WSR. It has wide, spot, and red lights, is dimmable, and uses a USB-C rechargeable battery. So it’s not simple and ticks none of your boxes! But it seems to be a good combination of focus light and secondary dive light.

Is the concern functionality, weight, or disguise? If it’s the first category, then there are many great choices. I have a Shimoda Explore v2 for hiking, and a convertible backackpack/roller LowePro Protactic 450 for travel. Both are excellent and carry my full m4/3 system but a little heavy. If it’s weight, have a look at Case Logic camera backpacks. They are very light, perhaps not so durable, and don’t look much like expensive camera gear. If it’s disguise, then check out the Shimoda inserts. They’re very good and come in a wide range to fit most any backpack.

I’ve joined Team Paracord. Supplies finally arrived and coincided with a lazy weekend. I made the bicolor cobra knot lanyard first and liked it, but with a surplus of materials and happy hour still an hour distant I made the second “trilobiite” lanyard and liked it even better as It is stiffer and (maybe) less likely to get in the way once submerged. I quite like this site for instructions

As for Fiji, there is no better destination on the planet for a young family. Fijians will instantly adopt kids as if they were their own, and the kids will have the time of their lives and be better for it. Our daughter grew up here from 6 months to age 5 and we have many fond memories not to mention an intuition that it shaped her in important ways. Just be aware that health care is not great, and a medivac to AUS or NZL is 4 hours and HNL is 6 hours.

Another vote for Micronesia - Palau or Yap - both are a United flight away from Guam or Honolulu if needed. Definitely not the Philippines if medical care is a concern. In our near-20 years there our family had multiple occasions to rediscover that lesson!

Thanks for everything you do Rich!

Any debate about true impact is impossible because the “formula” used to announce the tariffs is gibberish, was not accompanied by any guidance on rules of origin as all past trade agreements everywhere have required, and may not even be implemented for long. It’s clear that uncertainty will be the defining factor in the near term. However, if taken at face value, prices for consumers will go way up and manufacturers will lose sales. But does the US market matter in an existential sense to photo manufacturers? I don’t know the % of sales there versus globally. The most likely answer is “who knows”? There is so much randomness and inconsistency going on, with today’s announcements swinging 180* away from yesterday’s that no one can plan with certainty. Add to that the fact that federal agencies charged with implementing new policies have had their staffs decimated so there’s no capacity for enforcement. I’m with Craig, sitting in a metaphorical bunker and waiting this out.

Another vote for vision correction from me, in the form of a prescription mask. My reasoning is that I don’t look at everything through the viewfinder (although Mrs Troporobo would dispute that contention), sometimes I just want to poke my face up close to something for a good look. And it’s cheap and easy to change those lenses.

There is certainly some great diving to be done in Canada! Search posts by ScubaBC to see some gorgeous video from Vancouver Island. Whether you want to get into that cold water is a different question but there’s no doubt about the beauty of that area.

Thanks Chris and Dave, both look like solid options

I'd like to revive this topic to see if there's anything new out there that people are happy with. Somehow in the process of two intercontinental moves in three years I've managed to lose my lights 🙄 I need a focus light with multiple power levels so it can also serve as a backup for night diving. I don't use a red light much so can do without that. Ideally it would run on AAs to not expand the growing number of batteries and chargers I already carry. I am resolutely opposed to proprietary and integrated non-replaceable batteries. The Kraken looks good with USB charging. Orca Torch has a couple of good models too. However both use a battery size not in my current inventory. Open to suggestions!