Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW

Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW. AW stands for All Weather! Yes, there is a built-in rain cover. It comes in either orange or black. I like both colors but opted for black only because I don't want the bright orange color to scare away my macro/nature subjects.

The name suggests that this two-in-one rucksack/backpack is designed for the athlete who loves photography. Now you don't have to leave your DSLR at home while you go for physically challenging activities like mountain-biking, trekking/hiking, skiing, snowboarding, etc.

Some technical specification from Lowepro:

Top compartment: 24 x 19 x 53 cm (9.45 x 7.48 x 20.87 in)
Internal Dimensions: 19.5 x9 x 23 cm (7.68 x 3.54 x 9.06 in)
External Dimensions:27 x 17 x 49 cm (10.63 x 6.69 x 19.29 in)
Weight: 1.3 kg (2.86 lbs)

Fits:
  • Up to a pro-sized DSLR with a kit lens attached
  • Flash
  • Hydration reservoir (up to 70 oz. or 2 liters; not included)
  • Personal items
 
This bag is only 1.3kg when empty.
lowepro img027
Exterior Dimensions: 10.6 x 6.7 x 19.3" (27 x 17 x 49cm)


The three main chamber/compartment/pocket are:

(1) Ultra-Cinch Camera Chamber

Interior Camera Chamber: 7.7 x 3.5 x 9.1" (19.5 x 9 x 23cm)
R0022684
Zippered, side-access pocket allows photographer to quickly rotate to front, unzip, un-cinch and access camera

I can fit my Canon 40D with the MPE65 attached, and a Sigma 150mm with 1.4x teleconverter on.
R0022677

It can be the other way round too i.e Sigma 150 + 1.4x teleconverter on the Canon 40D, and MPE65 on its own
R0022679
Admittedly, this combo will create quite a little of bulge! Should be better with the 1.4x teleconverter removed.

Once your photographic gear is all in, just pull drawcord and tightly cinch for snug and secure fit, and to help prevent bouncing while in motion!
R0022685

(2) Top/upper compartment.
You can fit so many things in here. Light jacket, clothes, food or more photographic gear like lens, speedlight, extra body. Just put them in neoprene pouches.
R0022686
Top Compartment: 24 x 19 x 53 cm (9.45 x 7.48 x 20.87 in)

There is a zippered pocket inside the upper/top compartment. This is a good place for personal items like car keys, mobile phone, wallet etc.
R0022687
There is a clip for key ring.

(3) Hydration pocket
There is a hydration pocket for a 2L hydration reservoir (not included)
R0022688
You can use the hydration for your iPad/Tab or even a small laptop too. The padding isn't that great though so make sure your tablet is in a neoprene pouch, at least.

Many other pockets

Oh, there are a few more pockets too! The waistbelt pockets would be great for small items like memory cards, batteries, snacks and so on.
R0022690

And more pocket :). If you don't need a hydration pocket, you can just use this pocket for water bottle.
R0022695

Compression straps and loops at the bottom part of the bag allow attachment of a life jacket, poles or extra gear, or even a traveler tripod. Mine is a big tripod though.
R0022682

However, holding the tripod at the bottom might not be the best idea especially if you're doing some serious hiking or biking. Luckily, there is enough space in the top compartment for you to put even a large tripod inside!
R0022712
Yes, there is actually room between the bag wall and the camera chamber, therefore it is not a good idea to put small item in this compartment as it might end up at the bottom and you'll be left wondering if you forgot to bring it or you lost it! :D. You can, however, use a small zippered bag to store your items before you the whole zipper bag in this compartment.


It comes with a built-in whistle too. Handy when you need to attract attention!
R0022694

Comfort
All the thoughtful features aside, this backpack also fits snugly and comfortably on my back/shoulders. And once you buckle up the chest straps and the waist straps, you will feel less burden on your shoulders and neck as some of the weight will be transferred to your hips.

Other users' reviews:

Check out some of the clips here for review/overview/sharing by other athletes/photographers.





You can pack a lot of stuff into this bag, including a medium tripod! Check out this clip and see it for yourself!


From trekkers' perspective


From a mountain biker's perspective. You can see in this clip that you don't have to put the backpack down in order to reach for the camera. Just sling the backpack to your left.


You can see how he put the hydration pack into the pocket in this clip.




From a skier's perspective





Some other product details that might be of interest to you:


- Ultra-lightweight construction with high-performance fabrics provide comfort, durability and resiliency during extreme activity

- Ultra-Cinch Camera Chamber™ protects camera gear in a padded and secure compartment and helps prevent bouncing while athlete/photographer in motion

- Zippered, side-access pocket allows photographer to quickly rotate to front, unzip, un-cinch and access camera

- Toploading upper compartment provides up to 13.9 liters of personal space for items like a jacket, lunch, cell phone, etc.

- Dedicated hydration pocket with port provides storage and easy access to liquid from a hydration reservoir (not included)

- Multiple attachment points offer a variety ways to expand carrying capacity

- Patented, built-in All Weather AW Cover™ protects camera and personal gear from the elements

lowepro img027b

lowepro img028b




Sunday, May 12, 2013

Zanna terminalis lantern bugs

A collection of images showing various nymph stages as well as adult of Zanna terminalis lantern bugs/lanternfly

Zanna terminalis 1st instar(?). 16mm body length.
Zanna sp. 1st instar, 16mm IMG_5390 copy

Zanna terminalis 2nd instar(?), 25mm (middle), and 3rd instar(?), 35mm (bottom)
Zanna sp. 2nd and 3rd instar IMG_5395 stk copy

Zanna terminalis 4th instar(?), 40mm.
Zanna sp. 4th instar, 40mm IMG_5401 stk copy

Collage showing all 4 instar stages and adult as well.
different instars stages for Zanna sp. lantern bugs IMG_5395 stk copy

An animated gif showing a 2nd instar(?) molting to become 3rd instar(?).
zanna molting gif 55

Another animated gif on molting.
zanna molting2  gif 55
More animated gif here.

Two molting/molted nymphs in this image.
molted/molting zanna sp. nymphs IMG_5384 stk copy

Unidentified wasp hive(?)
egg case of Zanna sp. lantern bug? IMG_9879 copy

Zanna terminalis lantern bug nymphs
41 Zanna sp. lantern bug nymph IMG_9785 copy

Specimen #1: A newly emerged adult Zanna terminalis lantern bug. Note the still crumpled wings.
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern bug IMG_5514 copy

Note the longer wings in this image.It pumped liquid to its wings to fully expand them.
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern fly IMG_5523 copy

The wings were more expanded in this image
newly emerged adult zanna sp. expanding its wings IMG_5528 copy

Almost fully expanded, only slightly crumbled at the tips. 
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern fly IMG_5531 copy

Just a little bit more...
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern bug IMG_5535 copy

Done, but still needed to wait for the wings and exoskeleton to harden.
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern bug IMG_5544 copy

The colors became darker too.
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern bug IMG_5597 copy


Specimen #2. A newly emerged Zanna terminalis lantern bug. You can see the exuviae in the background
newly emerged adult zanna sp. lantern bug IMG_9761 copy

The same specimen. You can see the exuviae clearly in this image
newly emerged adult Zanna sp. lantern bugs and its exuviae IMG_9726 copy

The same specimen. Newly emerged adult Zanna terminalis lantern bug and its young siblings. Two 2nd instars(?) and one 3rd instar(?).
Newly emerged adult Zanna sp. lantern bug and its young siblings IMG_9746 copy

A closer look at the exuviae. You can see the out-of-focus newly emerged adult in the background
zanna sp. lantern bug exuviae R0022140 copy

Specimen #3. An adult Zanna nobilis lantern bug. Perak, Malaysia.
adult zanna sp. lantern bug from Perak IMG_1515 copy

Check out all 14 species of lantern bugs (10 with snouts and 4 without) here.

All images taken with a Sigma 150mm f/2.8, Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x , tripod and natural light







Saturday, April 6, 2013

Tawau Macro Safari


Some of the bugs I photographed from a recent macro safari trip to Sabah, Malaysia (Borneo).

Assassin bug, Stenolemus sp.(?), on the hostel wall at night.
stenolemus sp. assassin bug IMG_6919 copy

Unidentified froglet we found at night.
froglet IMG_6893 copy

froglet IMG_6899 copy

Sabah slender skink (Sphenomorphus sabanus). ID credit: hisno.
Sabah slender skink (Sphenomorphus sabanus). ID credit: hisno. IMG_6797 copy

Sabah slender skink (<i>Sphenomorphus sabanus</i>). IMG_7131 copy

Leaf mimic katydid, Leptoderes ornatipennis(?)
Leaf mimic katydid, Leptoderes ornatipennis(?) IMG_6653 copy

Katydid, Phyllomimus sp(?).

Katydid, Phyllomimus spIMG_6940 copy

Mayfly
mayfly IMG_7147 copy

A Variegated Green Skimmer (Orthetrum sabina) dragonfly with butterfly prey
A Variegated Green Skimmer (<i>Orthetrum sabina</i>) dragonfly with butterfly prey IMG_6801 copy

Dobsonfly, Nevromus gloriosoi, Liu, Hayashi & Yang, 2012
Dobsonfly, Nevromus gloriosoi, Liu, Hayashi & Yang, 2012  IMG_6945 copy

Dobsonfly, <i>Nevromus gloriosoi</i>, Liu, Hayashi & Yang, 2012  IMG_6951 copy

A female angle head lizard, Gonocephalus grandis.
female angle head lizard, gonocephalus grandis IMG_6319 copy

Cute little frog (Ingerophrynus divergens)
Cute little frog (<i>Ingerophrynus divergens</i>)IMG_6724 copy

Another unidentified frog, at night.
frog at night IMG_6866 copy

Cute, warty frog (Occidozyga baluensis)
Cute, warty frog (Occidozyga baluensis) IMG_6648 copy

Beautiful leaf insect
leaf insect IMG_6670 copy

Beautiful stag beetle, Prosopocoilus occipitalis(?)
Beautiful stag beetle, Prosopocoilus occipitalis(?) IMG_6661 copy

Lichen mimic katydid, Olcinia sp.(?).
Lichen mimic katydid, Olcinia sp.(?). IMG_6977 copy

Lichen mimic katydid, <i>Olcinia sp</i>. IMG_6982 copy

Lichen mimic katydid, <i>Olcinia sp</i>. IMG_6988 copy

Poor little gecko with an ant biting onto him/her.
Poor little gecko with an ant biting onto him/her. IMG_6596 copy

Huntsman, Heteropoda davidbowie
Huntsman, Heteropoda davidbowie IMG_6578 merged copy

A dedicated shield bug (Pygoplatys lancifer Walker, 1868) guarding her precious bunch of eggs
A dedicated shield bug (Pygoplatys lancifer Walker, 1868) guarding her precious bunch of eggs R0021135 copy

A beautiful female Gonocephalus borneensis lizard (ID credit: hisno)
A beautiful female Gonocephalus borneensis lizard IMG_6640 copy

A beautiful female Gonocephalus borneensis lizard
IMG_6644 copy

Nice looking millepede I found at night.
red and black millepede IMG_6572 copy

Lantern bug, Pyrops whiteheadi
lantern bug, Pyrops whiteheadi IMG_6716 copy

Unidentified hopper nymph.
unidentified hopper nymph IMG_6536 copy

Another froglet we found at night.
froglet IMG_6594 copy

More froglet
froglet IMG_6566 copy

Hylarana raniceps
frog, Hylarana raniceps IMG_6518 copy

Really cute red leaf monkey! Heavily cropped images. All taken with a 150mm lens with 1.4x tele-converter.
red leaf monkey IMG_7029 copy

red leaf monkey IMG_7053 copy

A Harlqeuin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) we found at night.
Harlqeuin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) IMG_6870 stk copy

Harlqeuin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) IMG_6890 copy

Harlqeuin flying frog (Rhacophorus pardalis) IMG_6877 merged copy

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