google.com, pub-1183232341631896, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 We Discover Canada And Beyond: May 2014
My RV Cook Book, "Tinfoil Cooking" is now published on Amazon!

Check it out Amazon.ca, Amazon.com, Amazon.de, Amazon.co.uk or any other site worldwide! For a luxury coilbound version on 80# stock go to my cooking website AndersCooks.ca


25 May 2014

Lumix DMC-LF1 by Panasonic


What Cameras to choose when travelling?


Since we have been asked several times what cameras we use, I figure I write a short blog on the subject.

When selecting a camera (and we have gone through a bunch of them) there are many things to take in to consideration: the size, the weight, the quality if lenses, the possibilities to exchange lenses, your type of photography, what are you going to use the pictures for ( enlargements, souvenirs, blog, research, video...).

I prefer the camera to be as small as possible, but it should produce good quality images and have video possibilities. Liz prefers cameras where she can compose and manipulate the pictures before shooting. Liz used to be a professional photographer going back to the 1970's when they actually had film in the cameras, and each image was expensive. She was an exceptional photographer! Still is. She has that touch to see what looks right in a picture.

A lot has changed since then, and Liz and her cameras (and the laptop, tablet, phone) at times have had a few disagreements. Liz, should we say get a bit "peeved" with the technology that is incorporated into the cameras. As long as it works she is fine. If not, the dialog go something like this:

Liz - That's what I am doing, how come you don't work

Camera - ___________

Liz - Why don't you listen to me, I'm doing exactly that.

Camera - ___________

Liz - ANDERS, THE CAMERA DOES NOT WORK.......

All the joking aside, Liz knows what she wants in a camera and what she wants it to do, I wish I had her knowledge, but I guess that only comes with doing it for a living, even if it was a long time ago.

Here are some things to consider when buying a new camera:
  • Size of camera ( a size you will carry along all the time )
  • A view finder and a screen or just a screen. A view finder is very handy at times.
  • Quality of the lens
  • Zoom,  how good is the zoom. Here the quality of the lens is very important.
  • Features like pre-programmed setting, Being able to shoot in manual mode
  • Movie capabilities
  • Wi-Fi, GPS, Retouch, Enhance......
  • And many more.

When we started looking for replacement cameras for both of us, we knew we wanted small cameras. We have found, if it is not small enough, we do not take them along.

Liz had an old version of the Lumix camera, and I had a Sony Camcorder that still shoots pictures and fantastic movies, but is too large, and therefore often did not come along on hikes and travels.

Liz really liked her old Lumix, except it was missing a viewfinder ( it is difficult to see the image on the screen in bright light).

We did a lot of research and came up with the Lumix DMC-LF1 by Panasonic. We now have one each.

Lumix DMC-LF1 by Panasonic
We own them now for about two months, and we are very  happy with them.

The quality of the pictures and video are fantastic. The camera can shoot a video in HD.

The camera is also  Wi-Fi capable and can transfer the pictures right to your phone or lap top wireless, a very nice feature.

We have the Lumix cameras set up so when we plug the cameras in to charge the battery, they automatically hook up via Wi-Fi to the lap top and transfer all the pictures.

I also use the camera in my phone HTC One, it is a pretty good camera but is limited to what it can do.

The Nikon and the Olympus
Our camera set up now is;

  • Two Lumix DMC-LF1 by Panaxonic, 
  • One Nikon D7000 (Liz's no doubt) and 
  • One Olympus Stylus Tough 3000 underwater camera ( that is mine, Liz hates to have her head under water ).
  • HTC One
That wraps it up....




Till next time,

Cheers,

Anders and Liz

Back to Home Page.

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08 May 2014

Servicing Your Slide Outs


Slide Outs or Push Outs


Slide assembly under the trailer.

Using a drill with wire brush.

Nice and clean tracks using a de-greaser and then wash down with water.

Rubber seals around slide

Slide-Out Dry Lube and Slide-Out Rubber
Seal Treatment.
I have found over the years that servicing the gears and tracks on the trailer underside of your slides goes a long ways.

What I do every year, is crawl under the trailer with the slides out and clean the actual gears and tracks.

You can do this with a wire brush or a brush attachment on your cordless drill. If you use a wire brush, make sure to wear protective glasses.

The easier way is to use a de-greaser, spray it on, let it sit according to instructions and then wash off with water.

This works really well and gets most of the dirt and road grime off.

Once it is dry, I spray on "Slide-Out Dry Lube" on the gears and track. It makes them run really nice and smooth and very quiet.


Rubber Seals On Your Slides


Don't forget to service and clean the rubber seals around the slides.

It only takes a few minutes, but it will make the rubber seals last longer without getting cracks etc.

I use soap and water to wash them down, then once they are dry, I spray on "Slide-Out Rubber Seal Treatment".

You just spray it on (goes on like a foam), spread it out and let it dry into the rubber. That's it.

While you are at it, you could do the same on all the rubber seals on your truck doors as well.

You get less wind noise while driving, and it looks nice and clean.

Hope that helps a bit.