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Sub-zero survival lighter fires out lasting flame in rowdy conditions

Gizmag news -

The average $2 Bic lighter is great for lighting up a cigarette but not as great for lighting campfires or grills. Minnesota startup Radlight presents an intriguing alternative developed specifically for such outdoorsy tasks ... and for fending off hypothermia when things really go south. Its oversized weatherproof lighter delivers a confident, reliable starter flame, even if you're battling squall winds, horizontal rain or temperatures as low as -40.

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Category: Gear, Outdoors

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JCB's hydrogen car chases 350 mph to nearly double world record

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JCB, the British construction equipment giant best known for its signature yellow construction machinery, is returning to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah with the Hydromax – a hydrogen-powered land speed racer 32.8 ft (nearly 10 m) long – with a declared target of exceeding 350 mph (563 km/h).

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Category: Automotive, Transport

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The big size difference between the LX100 II and the L10, illustrated

Digital Photography Review news -

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Photos: Mitchell Clark

While Panasonic's new L10 compact bears the name of a new series, its lens, sensor, and set of features make it a clear continuation of the work the company did with the LX100 II line. But these similarities also invite comparison on one of the areas where the two cameras are substantially different: size.

As I've been testing the L10, I intellectually knew it was larger than the LX100 II; a glance at the spec sheet will tell you that. The newer camera is 127 x 74 x 67mm (5.0 x 2.9 x 2.6") and 508g (17.9oz), while the older one is smaller in every dimension: 115 x 66 x 64mm (4.5 x 2.6 x 2.5") and 392g (13.8oz). But knowing those numbers didn't really prepare me for just how much more compact the LX100 II would feel once I got my hands on it.

To be clear, I don't think it'd be fair to call either camera a "pocket camera." One thing that hasn't changed is the size of the lens, which protrudes far enough off the body that even the largest of pants pockets would struggle to contain it. However, I'd say the LX100 II is just small enough that it could comfortably fit in a jacket pocket without being too much of a burden (or on a, I've been told, very in crossbody strap in warmer seasons). But while I've been able to (uncomfortably) fit the L10 in the massive drop pocket of my Patagonia R1, it's definitely approaching the size where I'd want to put it in a bag, rather than in my coat.

While the cameras use the same size sensor and same class of lens (Panasonic says it's updated it in some way, but wasn't specific), there is still a benefit to the L10's larger size. It now uses the much larger 16Wh BLK22 battery, the same one that powers the company's full-frame mirrorless cameras, like the S1RII. The LX100 II, meanwhile, uses a 7.4Wh model. The difference in longevity should be quite noticeable; the LX100 II is rated to get around 270 shots per charge using the EVF, and 340 using the LCD. The L10, meanwhile, is rated for 410 EVF shots, and 420 ones using the display.

There are other upgrades with the L10, though it's unclear what, if any, of them have to do with its size. Those are features like autofocus recognition for a variety of subjects, crop zoom, open-gate video recording, and more. It also has a fully articulating display, rather than a fixed one, and has an upgraded EVF, fixing what was one of the major complaints with the LX100 II.

There's always the possibility that the L10 isn't bigger because it has to be, but simply because Panasonic chose to make it so. It's almost exactly the same size as Fujifilm's X100 VI a camera that has proven to be slightly popular, so it's possible the company is targeting a similar target audience (which it knows for sure is willing to buy a camera that large). It may be that it started with a different concept for the L10 than it did with the LX100, partially evidenced by the fact that this camera wasn't called the LX100 III.

The size isn't the only change to the camera's build quality. When Panasonic announced the L10, it touted its "signature saffiano leather-textured finish" and "high-quality metal exterior with magnesium alloy front case." Holding the L10, it feels slightly more solid than the LX100 II, and not just because the thicker grip fills out my hand more.

The LX100 II's rubber thumb rest versus the L10's hard plastic one may be one of the biggest differentiators when it comes to feel.

The rest is a bit more of a mixed bag, though. The top plate dials and buttons feel decidedly cheaper and more plastic-y to me. The rear plate buttons aren't especially pleasing to me either, though I appreciate that they're more prominent and easier to press. I also prefer the leatherette wrap on LX100 II to the L10's; it feels grippier and softer to the touch, while the L10's essentially just feels like textured plastic.

When I took the LX100 II out of the box my coworker had shipped it in, I'd been using the L10 for a few days, and I was immediately struck by how much nicer the LX felt. I wasn't the only one with that impression. I handed my wife the LX100 II and then the L10 without any context. Upon receiving the later she immediately said "this one feels cheap." Of course, these are two subjective opinions – I'm sure some people will prefer the L10 – but we both preferred the feel of the older model.

It's not an unalloyed win for the LX100 II, though. I find the L10's aperture ring feels and sounds quite a bit nicer, though I appreciate the noticeable detent when going into and out of 'A' mode on both.

We'll be comparing these two cameras in more detail later, after we finish our initial review of the L10. But given that we have both available, and that the L10's size has become one of its more widely-discussed aspects, we felt it was worth taking the time to show what that difference looks like side-to-side.

Habitable bridge spans 100 feet over two streams in rural India

Gizmag news -

Somewhere in the hills outside the city of Karjat in India, there is a marvelous house that bridges the gap between two pieces of land. Built by Wallmakers, the Bridge House spans 100 feet (30 m) across two streams that have carved a 30-ft (7-m) gorge through the landscape, and expertly combines mud, steel and thatch to create a simple yet functional four-bedroom home.

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Category: Architecture, Engineering

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The a7R VI's Raw power has been revealed

Digital Photography Review news -

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Photo: Mitchell Clark

Adobe has released its build of Camera Raw that supports the newly-announced Sony a7R VI, which allows us to process the Raw test images of our studio scene and produce Raw conversions from the samples we shot.

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

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The Raw for our base ISO shot tells a very similar story to the JPEG: the a7R VI captures a bit more detail than its predecessor could, furthering its lead over the 45MP competition. Viewed at comparative sizes, there isn't a noticeable difference in the noise levels at ISO 100.

Thankfully, this remains the case at mid and high ISOs as well, meaning you're not paying a penalty for the increased speed and resolution compared to the a7R V. Given that the line has always been focused on image quality above speed, it's nice to see that the increased flexibility brought by the a7R VI's stacked sensor doesn't make it worse for its core audience.

Now that we can compare the two, we can also see that Sony's JPEG engine is doing a good job of including the details captured by the Raws at base ISO. At higher ISOs, it's deft enough at applying noise reduction to include most of the Raws' detail.

The ability to process Raws also lets us turn our Raws into HDR JPEGs. You can view the original on a device with an HDR-capable display to see the full effect.

Sony a7R VI | Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II | 24mm | F11 | 1/20 sec | ISO 100 | Processed in ACR
Photo: Richard Butler

Be sure to also check out our sample gallery, as we've added a few new shots and reprocessed a few of the original images from it. Many of these edits involved pulling up the shadows after we shot the images to preserve highlights, exploiting this sensor's excellent dynamic range. We also have a pair of images shot at the same exposure in mechanical and e-shutter mode, to demonstrate the difference in dynamic range when the camera is reading from both of its gain steps and when it's not. We'll go into more depth on that topic in a future article.

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Nissan's $14K tiny camper unleashes mega versatility via garage staple

Gizmag news -

Nissan keeps the factory camper vans coming. Its newest is built atop its smallest van, the Clipper kei van, which measures in under 3.4 meters (11.2 feet) long. To make it a micro-camper, Nissan relies on a basic household staple with which everyday DIY handymen have been familiar for ages: pegboard. The van's integrated peg panels serve as a simple, affordable means of holding up the bed and providing highly versatile storage organization for related (and unrelated) outdoor adventures.

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Category: Campervans, Adventure Vehicles, Outdoors

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Panasonic's L10 in the wild: samples from the newest enthusiast compact

Digital Photography Review news -

When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission. Panasonic L10 | 34mm (75mm equiv.) | F2.8 | 1/80 sec | ISO 6400 | 3:2 crop
Photo: Mitchell Clark

We've had Panasonic's latest enthusiast compact, the L10, for a few days now, and have had some opportunities to get out and shoot with it. While we'll be shooting many more photos as we continue to review it, we figured it'd be worth sharing some of the shots we've taken so far, as there's been a lot of interest in this camera.

Included in the gallery are samples taken using the camera's various aspect ratio modes – it's designed to give you the same diagonal field of view throughout its 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1 crop modes – and using a variety of the camera's built-in color modes, including some of the new L.Classic varieties. If you want a more in-depth look at the L10, you can check out our launch coverage, and our hands-on tour of it.

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