Acquisitions, 2016: Part II

Cedar waxwings flying in and lining up to take a bath in the saucer in the backyard. 
Taken with the new Nikon D7200 DSLR. What an improvement over the iPhone!!!!!

Nikon D7200 DSLR camera

Way back when: The last really good camera I owned was an Olympus OM2 SLR. Took lots of memorable photos with it, but after the onset of the digital era, it became something of a dinosaur. The next camera I bought for myself was a compact, lightweight Nikon E3200 point-and-shoot for the 2004 PCT hike. I loved that camera and used it for years. It had everything I wanted in a backpacking and all-around camera: it was compact and light, had a rangefinder, modest zoom, good battery life, and operated on standard batteries that were easy to replace. Sadly, after 10 years, it gave up the ghost and would no longer read/write to the SD cards.

And then: After the Nikon died, I ended up using the iPhone 2, then 3, then 4, which was convenient but unsatisfying. With its highly reflective screen, taking pictures outdoors in sunlight is challenging and frustrating, and the fixed angle tends to flatten everything in a scene. Granted, I've taken some good pictures with it, but I ended up taking pictures that I COULD take, not the ones that I wanted. It's also inconvenient to have to keep checking battery life and trade off taking pictures for other functionality — like using it as a phone, or for other apps. I've really come to resent the poor thing, and with the upcoming trip, it seemed like the time was right to get a new, more powerful camera, and let the iPhone be used as a phone only, or for quick backups.

And now: The main reasons for deciding on this Nikon were: long battery life, excellent low-light capability (animals tent to come out in the early morning or evening), and good optics. It also had WiFi capability, which sounded sexy, but isn't turning out to be quite as useful as I thought it would be.
==> I got this on a special deal through Costco. It included a "free" Nikkor 55-300mm VR telephoto lens, camera bag, 32GB SD card AND a $400 manufacturer's "instant" rebate. I thought this was a pretty good deal, even with California sales tax! 

[Still to consider: I haven't decided whether to get a digiscoping adapter for this camera to the Kowa. I think I'm going to wait and see how the iPhone works with the scope. If it ends up being frustrating (again), there are two options:

1. A Kowa PA7 + T2 adapter mount: This option is (relatively, which is not saying much) cheaper and allows quick changes from taking pictures with the camera to just viewing with the scope, because the scope stays intact. The camera and adapter just slide on and off the scope. Pictures would be higher quality photos than the iPhone can give, especially in low light, because the Nikon offers higher resolution and better optics. 
2. A Kowa TSN-PZ + TSN-CM2 adapter mount. As far as I can tell, the second option sort of merges the camera and scope into one unit for a time. You have to remove the eyepiece on the scope and attach the TSN-PZ, which actually is a zoom eyepiece that fits between the camera and scope. Then you attach the camera with its adapter mount so everything is locked together. You have the advantage of additional zoom capability with this setup, but it's considerably more expensive, and not as flexible.

The jury remains out on this, but I've done the research, so if I decide the iPhone photos really aren't cutting it, I'll know what to do. I think.]

Solar Charging System

What worked then... Last year I was driving every single day. It was no problem to keep my low-power devices charged from the USB port in the car as I drove: the phone (for taking photos), the Paperwhite Kindle for reading, and the mp3 player for walking and bedtime stories (so I don't have to fumble with glasses). I also had an iPad along, but it took forever to charge that device from the USB port, so I used it rarely – the Kindle was much more power-efficient. I only used the computer infrequently, and managed to charge it when I stayed with friends or other lodgings.

I have a 5W Powerfilm solar panel that I've used in the backcountry. It's incredibly light and worked fine to power my mp3 player (a SanDisk Sansa Clip+) and LG phone. It struggles to charge the iPhone 4, so obviously I need more power.

...won't work now. I don't want to drive every day. The idea is to get to a nice place, set up camp and explore by biking, hiking or kayaking. Or draw, read, observe and write. But the problem is, I have more electronic gadgets (camera! emergency radio! iPhone! iPad! Kindle! mp3player!) to keep powered, and I've committed to this blog so I'll need to fire up the computer periodically, too.

The panel folds up to a package about the size of a binder!

While solar was the obvious choice, it's not as easy to come up with a system that's optimized for what I want. I don't have a big RV or running a hair dryer, coffee maker or other appliances. My needs are fairly simple, and I wanted to keep the system light, as the car is already pretty loaded with both weight and volume.

After much angst, I've purchased the ALLPOWERS 60W folding solar panel, an external RAVPower 23000mAh "Extreme" Li-ion polymer battery pack, and a cable that connects the external battery to the MacBook Air. Everything else charges through USB, so should either be able to charge directly from the solar panel, or from the battery pack (or the older 5W Powerfilm charger).

The battery pack is in the center.

There were at least three people who stated that this combination worked for their computers in their reviews; I'm crossing my fingers that this will work. If not, I'll either go without, or pay a visit to a Canadian solar merchant. Stay tuned.

And yes, I'm backing everything up before I leave!