KALT Brand Filter Adapters

Concept: 5 out of 5
Execution: 4 out of 5
Yeah, but: Does the Job while saving you money

The Long Version: Buying a new camera left me in a bad place: What do I do about filters?
Both of my lenses have 55mm threads, while my old camera and extensive filter collection were 58mm. It's bad enough that I have a few hundred dollars worth of memory cards that are now worthless--taking a big financial hit on filters too was out of the question.

Looking around online, the usual places such as Adorama and B&H stocked the adapter I needed, probably made from steel, for $20 (+ free shipping).
That sounded like a bargain, and I was all ready to place an order.

But a trip to the only good camera store in town gave me a chance to do a little comparison shopping. With $20 being my target price, I asked the nice man behind the counter to show me what they stocked, and to my surprise he pulled out the above pictured KALT brand step-up ring.
I have never heard of KALT.
The adapter is well made, probably from aluminum.
It works.

And it was only $6.95.
Sold!

I also remembered to get a 58mm lens cap for around $4 to complete the package.

I was lucky that my filters are larger than my new lenses, but fairly close. Smaller filters can cause vignetting at wide angle settings, and filters that are much larger than the lens look goofy and might tend to snag on things in and out of a camera bag.


(Please note that the above pictures are clickable thumbnails)

What The Duck Signed Prints

Concept: 4 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: This one's personal.

The Long Version: I reviewed What The Duck, the cartoon for photographers, back in June. I'm happy to report that the daily strip by Aaron Johnson remains funny. But this isn't a review of a comic strip, this is about art. Art that happens to be a comic.

For a modest fee, Aaron Johnson will print, personalize, and mail you a strip of your choice. All you need is the number of the strip, which is available in the archives, and a PayPal account. Since eBay is quite reasonably outlawing all forms of payment that it doesn't own, you'll eventually need one of those anyway.

The idea of signed prints is a good one. The doodle is a nice touch, adding a suitable touch of whimsy, and elevates the finished product from an interchangeable inkjet print to a unique work. (But I do have to admit that I wonder about how much the dedication hurts the resale value.) My only real complaint is that the paper used is fairly lightweight; a more substantial grade would have given the print a much better feel. But once the paper gets behind glass, it doesn't matter.

On a value-for-the-money ratio, the print was considerably cheaper than the frame, making this personalized art print an excellent deal. There is also a pay-for-pixels option, which is an affordable way to get a print-at-home image, but it loses the personalization and old-fashioned 'buying something physical' feeling. It's an option I might consider for ones that I like but wouldn't want to frame.

My final thought is the first thing that struck me about the print: it's not a photograph. It's single tones, simple colours, and ink put down on a page. The blank spots are blank, and the black lines are clearly inked on top of them. It really does look like a cartoon. I occasionally believe that an image isn't really a photo until it's a print; maybe the same is true of comics as well.

Cold Steel Voyager Knives

Concept: 3 out of 5
Execution: 3 out of 5
Yeah, but: They're good, but three's my limit.

The Long Version: These are nice little knives, with blades made from a good-quality steel and light-but-strong handles. They're simple lockbacks with pocket clips and studs on the blade for opening the knives one-handed. I've had one of them for fourteen years, and it's almost as solid as my newest one.

All of the series have hollow-ground blades, except for the front edge on the Tanto-style blades (top and bottom) which is a flat grind and thereby stronger. This gives them a thin profile that's sharp and easy to sharpen, except for the serrations which are chisel-ground and somewhat annoying to deal with.

This photo, modified with Photoshop's "Flip 180" command, shows that I'm using two different generations of knives. The middle knife has a metal clip and a double-sided opening stud, which greatly improves the knife, as well as the logo and family name etched/stamped/engraved on the blade, which does not. Really, "Cold Steel" is one of those Aren't I A Manly Man? names that I can live without.

The metal pocket clip on the newer knife holds much more securely when the knife is tucked away, which I really appreciate. I really like the 3" tanto—the smaller square-tipped one—but it's so light and the clip is so easy-going that I'm always afraid that I'm going to lose it. The newest knife also has a thicker, more heavily textured handle, which makes it more solid to hold as well. But these three are also old enough that they're made with AUS-8A steel instead of the current VG-1, which seems to be getting mixed reviews.

So I like these knives, but don't plan on adding any more of these or other Cold Steel products. For one thing, I've been seduced by the higher quality and better feel (and unfortunately, higher cost) of Benchmade knives. In the same price bracket as Cold Steel you'll find Spyderco and a number of other excellent choices, and below it is CRKT and others who also make really good stuff but who just weren't around all those years ago when I started my collection.

It's also worth noting that the 3" knife, of which I own two, are the "Medium" size. There's no Voyager series knife with a shorter blade, but there's no way they're going to call it "Small".   

Aren't I A Manly Man?