GAS GAS: Please Share your Latest Acquisitions Big and Small

An abstract shot of a CIVIVI Exarch with a tubed Nikon 85mm 1.8S. Both recent "gets".
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Returned the CIVIVI Exarch. It's my second attempt at a front flipper knife.
I thought the first one was a knife "design" issue.
After the second, I realized it's a John's thumb issue.

Keeping the 85F1.8s. No issues there. :D

It's all about what works for you.

I only have one tactical/ practical one-handed opener left. I've gone back to traditional or modern traditional designs.
 
It's all about what works for you.

I only have one tactical/ practical one-handed opener left. I've gone back to traditional or modern traditional designs.
Yes. Sad that I don't have the patience to learn it. Happy for my thumb. Pretty sore today.

Very intrigued. What are a few of your recent acquisitions?
 
Yes. Sad that I don't have the patience to learn it. Happy for my thumb. Pretty sore today.

Very intrigued. What are a few of your recent acquisitions?

Over the last 2.5 years I've picked up various fixed and folders by Boker, Case, LionSTEEL, Arno Bernard, Bark River. Most of the folders are slipjoint, a few lockers. I seem to be settling on the Barlow as my most-liked pattern - traditional like Boker and Case, and modern traditional like the CK/ LionSTEEL. My favorite knife since acquiring it has been the Boker Barlow Expedition - green canvas micarta handles, raw brass bolsters and liners, satin stainless blade. The bolsters pick up a patina unique to you and your use pretty quickly.
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As far as latest camera acquisitions - still just the K-3III.

Although there may be some serious de-acquisitions soon.
 
@gordo
Very nice.
The Barlow looks amazing. I love patina in brass and all other things, micarta, and the shape.
I think you've posted some of your collection in the past. I'll have to look back.

I have a few slip joint folders. One is a cheap A.G. Russell patterned after a Case Sodbuster(I think). Polished red micarta.
The others are non traditional Spydercos. The tiny Roadie and the oddish Pingo. Both favs of mine.
I'm going to explore modern traditional.

The CIVIVI front flipper was an attempt to add another fidgety blade. I have a Spyderco Ikuchi that has a round roller flipper. You can thumb flick it like a Bic. It's blade shape is interesting looking but not very useful for EDC imo.
I'm looking at a Benchmade 945BK-1 to replace it. I like the AXIS lock's smooth action. I like the black blade (something that I usually avoid) and handle with the blue accents. Fidgety with a much more useful tip angle.

The K-3iii looks pretty amazing. I got to try out a K-70 with the marvelous little lenses for a short time and have wondered how a modern Pentax mirrorless system would look. They have a unique perspective that I think would translate quite well.
 
@gordo
Very nice.
The Barlow looks amazing. I love patina in brass and all other things, micarta, and the shape.
I think you've posted some of your collection in the past. I'll have to look back.

I have a few slip joint folders. One is a cheap A.G. Russell patterned after a Case Sodbuster(I think). Polished red micarta.
The others are non traditional Spydercos. The tiny Roadie and the oddish Pingo. Both favs of mine.
I'm going to explore modern traditional.

The CIVIVI front flipper was an attempt to add another fidgety blade. I have a Spyderco Ikuchi that has a round roller flipper. You can thumb flick it like a Bic. It's blade shape is interesting looking but not very useful for EDC imo.
I'm looking at a Benchmade 945BK-1 to replace it. I like the AXIS lock's smooth action. I like the black blade (something that I usually avoid) and handle with the blue accents. Fidgety with a much more useful tip angle.

The K-3iii looks pretty amazing. I got to try out a K-70 with the marvelous little lenses for a short time and have wondered how a modern Pentax mirrorless system would look. They have a unique perspective that I think would translate quite well.

I don't think I've posted much knife stuff here - have I missed a thread? :roflmao: Thanks - and yeah, I love that Barlow. It just works, looks, size, etc... Not really familiar with what you've listed, kinda out of the loop on blades, except some of the traditional stuff.

Anywhos - the K-3III is an amazing step up for Pentax IMHO. Their AF, especially tracking, has always been a bit of a weak spot if you wanted to shoot any action, BIF, etc... And as usually, top-notch ergos. The improvements of the OVF are pretty impressive as well, the new glass makes the APS-C OVF close enough in brightness to my K-1 OVF I can't really tell the difference switching between the two. The Limiteds are gems IMHO. Their new glass is optically wonderful, but the lenses are monstrous. Biggest issue for me is that the viewfinders (on most cameras BTW) aren't playing well with my eyes due to how my body is built.
 
Well, I finally decided to take the plunge and buy a license for DXO Pure Raw. The difference it can make to images is like cleaning an old painting. The only drawback is that it produces files that are twice the size of the original RAW files, so I can see I may have to invest in an additional hard drive before too long if I use it routinely. This is a small section of an Olympus E-P5 jpeg compared with the DXO output (both with some additional sharpening, LR auto tone)
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But even more improvement can be seen in this example, taken with an FZ200 at full zoom, and this time with the original RAW file edited as optimally as I could manage.

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I cured my wavering on whether to jump back into M4/3 with a budget addition. I sort of had this in the back of my mind for a while, to be honest, though I was thinking mostly about the EM5ii. I was able to handle that camera today and found that it didn't really suit my hands that well, but the shop also had an original EM5 used for $149 that appears in great shape. They also had a 20/1.7 for a mere $129. So for under $300, this should satisfy the cheap and cheerful M4/3 "side kit" that I've been thinking about! Though I will have to avoid using high ISO in low light with this combo or else risk banding, but that's not a big concern with this setup.

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Seems odd to follow up a post about acquiring a new camera with... another camera, but one of the shops whose website I frequent (actually the same one which sold me the above camera... which I may need to return due to occasional black frames, but that's a separate topic which I will have to determine and decide upon in the next couple weeks or so) had listed an Olympus XA for $99, which they described as having some dust but fully functional. Plus, they had 15% off used gear. I think I put it on Paypal Credit before I had even realized what I was doing. I'm skeptical - with the price those cameras go for anymore that seems a bit too good to be true, but we will see. They have a good return policy if not (which I already made use of with that OM-1 I bought from them awhile back. Moral of the story is that their used gear buyer is not very thorough!).
 
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