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I took a short walk today with some friends to go for lunch. Took some random shots along the way. Went crazy on them in Lightroom. Posted them here. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/5000 sec, f/1.8, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos Station 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.8, ISO 2200 — map & image data — nearby photos Pics and Spices 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/500 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos Manicured 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/200 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos Bycycle Parking Within 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/1000 sec, f/1.4, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos Canal 
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 60mm — 1/60 sec, f/5.6, ISO 400 — map & image data — nearby photos Moss Macro Photography with Nicholas Joannin at the Joushoukou-ji Temple (常照皇寺) in the mountains of northwest Kyoto, Japan photo by Paul Barr 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — map & image data — nearby photos Photo I Took 
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/100 sec, f/5.6, ISO 200 — map & image data — nearby photos Reverse Angle photo by Paul Barr This post is about a new camera-bag solution I'm trying, and so far like, involving an unconventional use of a Think Tank Photo Retrospective® Lens Changer 3 shoulder bag. You can see it at my side in the photos above. I usually bring just a few lenses when I'm out with the camera, often a Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 and a pair of Nikkor f/1.4 primes (24mm and 50mm). My normal bag is the v1 version of the Think Tank Photo Speed Racer, a nice bag with a silly name, and it's not bad with how I shoot, but I was looking for something less geeky. Think Tank's Retrospective line is advertised as "inconspicuous, soft-sided shoulder bag with a simple exterior that blends into the environment while carrying photo gear", so that seemed to fit the bill. Since I carry the camera either free in my hand or on a Sun Sniper Pro camera strap, I need a bag just for the lenses and little knickknacks like WhiBal card, polarizer filters, GPS unit, wallet, phone, and such. I liked the idea of the Lens Changer bag because it has three large separate compartments for the lenses, allowing me to place the lens I just took off the camera into one compartment, then use the same hand to fetch the next lens from another. But as it turns out, I found the whole “shoulder bag” concept inappropriate for the kind of moving around I do when I shoot — bending, kneeling, crouching, stretching, etc. — and with the bag's strap slipping here and the bag flopping there, the bag was a nuisance as often as it was a blessing. It's a fine bag that does exactly what it was designed for and advertised as, so the problem is not with the bag, but with its match to me and my style. Also, with all the weight constantly on one shoulder, I found it felt heavy after a while. I figured that if I could hang it off my belt, all those problems would be solved. Hips take weight much better than shoulders, and being attached right at the bag would mean that it wouldn't flop around. Most importantly, unlike a traditional waist-pack camera bag, clipping it to my belt would not garner “what a geek!” ribbing from attractive women. (Thanks go to Lauren for sending me down this relatively stylish path.) So, I paid a visit to a local hardware store to see whether I could fashion a pair of clips of some kind, and ended up finding exactly what I needed already available, a $7 belt clip: 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/125 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 — map & image data Added Belt Clip one of a pair As can be seen, I was able to attach the rings of the belt clips to the heavy-duty strap attachment points, one on either edge of the bag. They slip easily on and off my belt, allowing the bag to become part of my wardrobe. The bag's shoulder strap is sewn-in captive and can't be removed, so it just hangs there below the bag. The captive strap makes perfect sense for what the bag was designed for, but I'd prefer is wasn't there, so I may cut it off. I haven't had the guts yet, though. 
E-P2 — 1/250 sec, ISO 100 — map & image data In Use going after the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 photo by Nicolas Joannin The bag's materials and workmanship are first class, but I'm not quite so sure about the design. I'm not in the bag industry so grant that there are likely considerations — of material, manufacturing, and marketing — that I'm not aware of, but the design seems to me to have striking flaws. For example, in the photo above you can see the two large Velcro patches on the outside of the bag. Those are the closure for the cover flap, and they seem gratuitously large for their intended purpose. One of the big selling points is that they have a method to shut up the noise that the Velcro makes when detached (they have a separate piece of Velcro that covers the first, rendering the exposed side non-Velcro), but maybe they wouldn't need that in the first place if the patches were not the size of a soccer pitch. Worse is the design of a small zippered compartment on the body-facing side of the bag. The captive strap's attach points are right there snug against the top of the zipper, blocking almost completely access to the zipper when it's fully open or fully closed. Here's what it looks like when I've gone to the trouble to pull back the strap to reveal, as best I can, access to the zipper: 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/16, ISO 6400 — map & image data Ill-Conceived Design the dark brown thing to the right of the blue ribbon is the zipper tongue It would be hard enough to gain access to the zipper without this flaw because the pocket is on the side of the bag pressed against your body (why is it not on the other side, with clean access protected by the flap?) but all the more awkward to access due to this design. And notice that blue ribbon? That comes from inside the compartment, and is meant to secure your keys, I suppose. The problem is that the ribbon is sewn inside the compartment right at the zipper, almost guaranteeing that it will get caught up into the teeth. It took five minutes of my life the very first time I touched the zipper because it so effectively jammed the whole thing. It's one of those “What were they thinking? Were they even thinking?” times that make you just shake your head. It would have been nice if the blue ribbon had been placed on the other edge of the zipper so that you could close the zipper while leaving the blue ribbon out, thereby allowing, if you wanted, access to whatever you attached to the ribbon while the zipper was closed. It seems to be an obvious choice, but perhaps there's some other consideration that makes that design unattractive? Besides the body-facing zippered compartment and the three cavernous lens compartments, the only storage is a small pocket on the outward-facing side (just below my hand in “In Use” above). It's good for a cell phone or a GPS unit. Overall, the design of the storage with this bag seems really sub par, especially compared to that of the other Think Tank bag I have. We're back again at the “I'm not a bag designer” nor an expert in the bag market, but I think it could have been done much better. I'd start by putting little memory-card pockets just inside the lip of the main bag, just as in the other Think Tank bag I have. I'd add a low-profile pleated compartment on the outward-facing side of the bag instead of the dinky cell-phone pouch, and I'd throw away the entire flap-closure “solution” (their ridiculous, bulky, kludgy, uber-geeky “Sound Silencer” expanses of Velcro) and design something... anything... else. And since it's a bag explicitly for lenses, I'd also have thin pockets at the lip, opposite those for the memory cards, for filters or lens caps. (For the record, I wouldn't make the strap detachable, since my personal desire for a detachable strap is outside the bag's target use.) Despite these silly design decisions, on average I'm pleased with the setup I've come up with. It feels great, looks stylish (except for the hanging strap, and for the person it's attached to), doesn't get heavy even after many hours trekking through mountain paths, is easy-on and easy-off, but is held secure, and as I said, the bag build quality is first rate. Here are some other random shots I collected from Paul and Nicolas, who joined me on the trip to the temple.... 
E-P2 + LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6 at an effective 84mm — 1/320 sec, f/5.6, ISO 100 — map & image data photo by Nicolas Joannin 
E-P2 + LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6 at an effective 42mm — 1/13 sec, f/4.5, ISO 100 — map & image data Chatting With Fellow Visitors photo by Nicolas Joannin 
Nikon D3 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 42mm — 1/500 sec, f/4, ISO 1600 — map & image data — nearby photos photo by Paul Barr I'll probably end up getting rid of the shoulder strap, but may try to rubber-band it out of the way behind the bag, or something, before I bring the knife to bear. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1400 — full exif & map — nearby photos Enjoy! I'm finally following up on last month's “A Bit of Wine Tasting at Kyoto Station”, with what amounts to a bunch of pictures of people pouring wine. In this case the people puring wine are employees at various importers or wineries who were assigned to work the table for their company at the event. For some reason, I like the collection of mostly-blurred faces... 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Fill'er Up 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1400 — full exif & map — nearby photos Unflappably Calm amid a hustle of bustle 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos Some People just look like they really know their stuff 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 720 — full exif & map — nearby photos Pretty Nice as far as business trips go Luc (smiling at left), chef of Chez Luc, was there to shop for wines for his restaurant. Shimada-san (foreground left) acted as his interpreter, except when the presenter spoke French (or English or German), as the young man at right did. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2800 — full exif & map — nearby photos To Each Their Own I can't disagree with his selections, but my top pick would be different 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 2200 — full exif & map — nearby photos Fiesta in a Bottle Sangria Peñasol I'd never before had a sangria that didn't taste like some kind of yucky adult Kool-Aid, but this Sangria Peñasol was really good, and the gentleman pouring it (who spoke Spanish, no less) was most delighted to share this joy with us. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 1600 — full exif & map — nearby photos Ice Wine everyone was surprised when I mentioned that Ohio produced Ice Wine as well 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 640 — full exif & map — nearby photos Apparently good enough to follow up on 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Lotsa French Wines 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 — 1/320 sec, f/1.4, ISO 450 — full exif & map — nearby photos Dumping the Leftovers after the event ended 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1100 — full exif & map — nearby photos More Of Those Weird Greenish Cherry Blossoms 御衣黄桜 (gyoikou sakura), similar to those seen here First there was the walk to lunch (“On The Way To Lunch: Eastern-Kyoto Stroll”), then lunch (“Delicious Yuba Lunch at Junsei”), and now the walk home... We came across an ultra-fluffy yaezakura cherry that comes out late (a variety seen five years ago on my blog in “10 Gallons of Blossoms on a 5-Gallon Branch”). It seemed all the more fluffy set off by the new-growth green of the trees around it... 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 720 — full exif & map — nearby photos A Bit Overwhelming I like this variety better from a distance 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2200 — full exif & map — nearby photos ( the blossoms in the picture were much closer than Paul, who was aiming at something else ) It was a pleasant day in a pleasant area... 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 560 — full exif & map — nearby photos Random Street Scene ( photographically uninteresting, but hopefully conveys a sense of relaxed “pleasant” ) One property we came by had a bunch of trees that seemed to glow in an unearthly way that stopped everyone in their tracks... it was just amazing, but these photos capture none of it )-: 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 900 — full exif & map — nearby photos Unearthly Phosphorescent the new-growth leaves leave jaws dropped I don't know whether this glowing effect was hindered or helped by the weird lighting we had all day, due to a particularly thick treatment of kosa haze, a fine yellow dust that blows in from China. 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Green Reflection 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/500 sec, f/5.6, ISO 6400 — full exif & map — nearby photos “I Heard You Like Doors” well textured by the weather ( I would have liked to step a few paces further back for this shot ) As we were approaching Maruyama Park, I thought to take a small street that I'd not really noticed before, and I was shocked to find a whole section of town I'd not known about. Here's the entrance to a temple I'd not known about, chorakuji, which judging by the name (“long fun temple”) may end up becoming my favorite temple. 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1600 — full exif & map — nearby photos Choraku-ji Temple Kyoto, Japan We were in a rush so didn't stop in, but I plan to remedy that soon. This was near the temple seen in “Some Temple or Other” on the earlier on-the-way-to-lunch post, a temple that also remains unexplored. I was stunned to find these places and some of the others seen later in this post because I used to live just a third of a mile away, but I never knew about it. Part of the reason might be that it's all behind Maruyama Park, a popular park that I have a strong dislike for because it's the poster child for the ugly side of cherry-blossom viewing. So, I have tended to avoid the area and proactively ignore anything I felt connected with it, but it seems I've thrown out some impressive babies with the ugly-crowd bath water. Continuing on this “secret” (from me) road, we passed a number of inns, including one whose front “lawn” was certainly made more impressive by the kosa-induced lighting: 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 6400 — full exif & map — nearby photos Front Lawn of sorts 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Brilliantly Glowing Red entrance to something or other 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 720 — full exif & map — nearby photos Suddenly Monochromatic rear view of the Chiyo-in Temple 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1800 — full exif & map — nearby photos Nice Parking Spot 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 450 — full exif & map — nearby photos Somewhat Foreboding Descending back into the park to head home, I couldn't help but snap some low-hanging (in the literal sense) blossoms... 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1000 — full exif & map — nearby photos Dainty 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 cropped — 1/640 sec, f/2.5, ISO 560 — full exif & map — nearby photos Stroll watching the geese and ducks I was running quite late so had to high-tail it home, but the afternoon was an enjoyable walk followed by an enjoyable lunch followed by an enjoyable walk that only left me more hungry, so to speak, for more. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/50 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — full exif The Attack photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/125 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — full exif Counter Attack photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 1400 — full exif Replete With Gas Mask photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl Anthony still really enjoys his LEGOs, making “mockups” like the Clones vs. Droids Battle I posted last year. It's been fun to see his play progress from simple add-ons to toys when he was three years old, to mimicking airport security after some flights when he was four, to car repair and advanced flight design and intergalactic speeders to a full cityscape to complex combinations of Lord knows what. Now at nine years old, he still enjoys his LEGO and saves almost all his allowance for it. A month or so ago he was very happy to find Swedish retailer Warehouse19. They sell small LEGO sets, as well as custom pieces not made by LEGO but designed to fit into the Legoverse. They have all kinds of hats, helmets, guns, armor... all stuff to whet a 9-year-old boy's imagination. Anthony ordered three tough-looking minifigures and enough kit to deck them out in an appropriately “cool” style, as well as a bazillion flowers and other plant pieces. He had a specific mockup in his mind that he intended to make for them, involving the overgrown grounds of an abandoned castle. (Because it's abandoned and overgrown, he needed a lot of plants to sprinkle around, so a large portion of his allowance went toward that.) He was so excited about it that he built most of the mockup just after we ordered, so all that remained was to insert everything from the order once it arrived. However, when it came less than a week later, Anthony was crushed because I had mistakenly forgotten to order a light-colored helmet, and that one missing piece caused everything to grind to a halt. (His imagination was pretty well fixed on what he wanted, so the missing piece was a show stopper.) There was another problem with the order... Warehouse19 had sent too many of the flowers. But since I was going to place another order for the helmet, I thought I'd just pay for the flowers rather than go to the hassle of returning them, so I wrote Warehouse19 a note about the helmet (please send) and flowers (I'll pay; just send the five needed stems) and immediately got a reply that they'd be happy to just send it all For free. And they did. They merely asked that we tell our friends about them... good word of mouth, you know... so I let them known that I'd certainly be doing a blog post about it because I like to capture Anthony's creativity. However, I'm still my lazy self, so it took a month before getting around to taking the pictures. I suppose it's a testament to Anthony's happiness with the result that the mockup has lasted that long. I'm prompted to make this post now because he's ready to place another order with Warehouse19, and I feel we should give this public thanks for their kindness before we move on to another order. 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/80 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — full exif Heavy Armor photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — full exif Overgrown Steps to the Abandoned Castle ( you should see the castle in your imagination ) photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl 
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 70mm — 1/160 sec, f/9, ISO 6400 — full exif Prior Tenant? photo by Anthony Matsunaka Friedl I had taken a bunch of photos for this post, but then Anthony wanted to as well, and his were just great, so I used them instead. Of mine, I'll just show two wide views.... 
Nikon D700 + Voigtländer 125mm f/2.5 — 1/400 sec, f/2.5, ISO 2000 — full exif Bird's-Eye View I really should have used a polarizing filter | 
Jeffrey Friedl
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