Gear Patrol | Spirit of Adventure, Passion for Gear

Now that today’s latest DSLRs are waging a war on two fronts for both still photography and video domination, having a test film made using your gear is a must for any camera company conducting a high profile launch. Earlier we showed you Canon’s Mobius film for the introduction of their new eos c300 video hoss. So to even things out, we decided to share Joy Ride by Sandro, shot only using Nikon’s new D800. The footage sure looks tasty, despite coming across as a bit of a motorcycle homage to Drive and the unnecessarily graphic childbirth scene. We’ll leave you to compare how it fairs vs. the kit that’s four times more expensive.

Bookin' It Old School

Etsy maker “punkassjim” came across a photo of an antique electrical handbook and got inspired. The bold title and fun aside notes seemed to describe the iPad 2 perfectly. So, he decided to recreate the look into a set of custom iPad 2 smart covers.

All of his wares are made by hand from leather sourced at a local factory store, making each one unique, with its own slight imperfections and character. Black, green, brown, chocolate, and blue color options are currently available, complete with a micro fiber lining, an auto-aligning magnetic hinge and embedded cover magnets to enable the same auto wake and sleep functionalities found on the official version. Since they don’t have foldable ridges, these covers won’t pull double duty as stands though. We love the juxtaposition of old meets new, and hope “punkassjim” decides to create others designs (or custom options) in the future.

Buy Now: $89

Drivers have their day

We approach track time like a fluffy white cat to Fancy Feast. That is, we lick our chops… which is exactly what happened in sunny Las Vegas on Superbowl weekend in the all-new 2013 Lexus GS and LFA supercar. With a bevy of Lexus staff and race car driver extraordinaire, Scott Pruett, we availed ourselves to no fewer than ten pristine versions of the completely redesigned GS for a full-Monty outing via aggressive track and autocross runs at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Topped with a triple-digit speed run in the unbridled and ironically civilized $375,000 LFA, we donned a wrap-around grin that didn’t end even after the cars went back to their stables.

Full details and imagery after the jump.

Photos by Eric Yang

How a Landline Can Get You Out of Jail
The Verge

Survival Training for When a Pilot’s World Turns Upside Down
NYTimes

Now is the Time to Quit Facebook
ReadWriteWeb

A Closer Look at the Patek Philippe 5270 Pereptual Calendar
Hodinkee

The Amazing Spiderman Trailer
Acquire

A Man’s Home
Valet

The Internet Makes You Stupid, but This App Might Make You Smarter
VentureBeat

An Introduction to OLED Displays
DPReview

Lighting the Way

When we think of fine watches, our minds automatically shift to thoughts of the quaint villages and alpine vistas of Switzerland, or, increasingly, to Germany’s Glashütte region, where brands like A. Lange & Söhne and Glashütte Original hail. But what of merry old England? Given that some of the most renowned figures in horology have hailed from Old Blighty (ever heard of John Harrison or George Daniels?), perhaps its high time that we started shifting our thoughts across the Channel once more. Companies like Graham and Bremont have already taken the lead in this regard, but now we can add one more name to that list: Schofield.

Continues after the jump.

800 Club

Guess what? Your memory card just got a whole lot smaller thanks to the new Nikon D800 ($2,999). There’s no hiding the fact that the long awaited full-frame FX-format shooter is a direct assault on the Canon 5D Mk II, which has captured the attention (and dollars) of HD-SLR shooters. Built around a Super Bowl sized 36.3 megapixel full-frame sensor, the D800 has been adorned with many of the features first announced on the colossal Nikon D4; that means you’ll find the same ultra-quick Expeed 3 processor, 91k-pixel RGB metering sensor, 3.2″ 921k-dot LCD, and a 51-point auto focus system. Rounding out the highlights are compatibility with both FX and DX Nikkor lenses, a healthy 100-6400 (expandable to 50-25600) ISO range, built-in HDR, dual SD/Compact Flash card slots and a USB 3.0 firehose to get those massive images off the camera.

But where this new Nikon truly excels is a host of new video features. 1080p video capture (60 or 24 fps) or 720p (60 or 30 fps) is an expected specification, but we’re jazzed about live external monitoring with the D800′s ability to shovel out totally uncompressed HDMI, wireless stop/start, a built-in headphone jack for audio monitoring along with a new audio metering system, and some clever new compression for better video quality.

If you’re an eagle-eye, you may have read that Nikon also released the D800e alongside the D800. Long story short, the D800e will get you unfettered access to every single last pixel of that whopping 36.3 megapixel sensor for about $300 more (no anti-aliasing). If you live and breath RAW (think: fashion photography), then consider this your cannon of choice.

More photos after the jump.

Buy Now: $2,999 (Available March)

100% pure natural juice

We’ve seen the light. Solar power is not only awesome for outdoor, gadget powering duties, but it seems like every month we’re encountering a better, more innovative solution like the Joos Orange ($149). The Joos not only offers up durable, waterproof design that can withstand a bullet, but it does so without the special ops look — not that we don’t love the mil-spec aesthetic.

The Joos Orange also has a critical ace up its sleeve, which makes it better than many of the other solar bakers out there. It’s insanely fast. How fast? Try 350% faster than similarily priced solar chargers. By capturing up to 20x more energy, the Joos Orange can yield two hours of talk time with just an hour of sun. When fully charged, the replaceable 5,400mAh battery pack can charge an iPhone two and a half times. It also works with pretty much any USB-powered device, and you can even track its stats through a computer based app. Need even more glorious power quickly? An optional reflector kit can improve the already fast-charging Joos by up-to 40%. Forget the batteries, we want this in our lifeboat.

More photos after the jump.

Buy Now: $149

Gunmetal Great

Le Creuset’s wares have always been a staple of upscale kitchens, but we’ve never particularly liked their boisturious color options. This exclusive gunmetal gray version ($300) of their classic 7.25-quart round french oven done in collaboration with one of our favorite Southern publications, Garden & Gun, however, provides a tasteful upgrade to the deep black of raw cast iron, without going full-blown Martha Stewart. Like all Creuset’s ovens, it also boasts the lightest weight per quart of any premium cast-iron cookware available. Add one to your kitchen arsenal, and the presentation rating on your beef bourguignon is bound to improve, especially with french judges.

Buy Now: $300

First but not most

With smooth bokeh and a versatile zooming range, both Nikon and Canon full-frame shooters (e.g. Nikon D700 and Canon 5D Mk II) have continually relied on their respective 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses. The only problem? Canon’s option lands in around $1,300, while Nikon’s is nearly 2-grand, making the glass alone cost nearly as much as a base full-frame body.

Tamron’s newly announced SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD should prove to be an interesting option for full-frame shooters, just like their ludicrously wide-ranged 18-270 f/3.6-5.6 (which we keep in our kit). That’s not just because it will inevitably be significantly cheaper than Canon or Nikon’s offerings — though it certainly doesn’t hurt. Instead, the real attraction is that it’s the first to offer built-in image stabilization, which Tamron calls “vibration compensation”. Exact details on costs and availability haven’t been shared, but it’s a good bet that this highly versatile, low-light f2.8 lens packed with an ultrasonic motor, 17-element design, and plenty of high-end glass will keep the price low just like its weight.

Learn More: Here

A touch more advanced

Headphones are the new status symbol in a world where everyone owns the exact same phone. So it’s not surprising that Parrot, maker of a wide range of random accessories for mobile devices including a remote controlled helicopter drone and the Asteroid car audio receiver, decided to enter the fray. Like the $1,500 Zikmu iPod speakers launched a few years back, their newly announced Zik headphones were designed by the guru of all things modern, Philippe Starck. While they aren’t the first set of cans to make use of Bluetooth connectivity to eliminate wires, a unique button-less design should help them stand out in the first class cabin, partially because of their sleek black exterior, but more likely because of the strange ear cup fondling their wearers will surely engage in.

Specifically, swiping up or down along the back of the right ear cup adjusts volume. Skipping tracks likewise works by swiping back and forth to the left or right. The audio will even auto pause each time it detects a user taking off the headset. Most phones will still have to “pair” with the headphones to work, but newer handsets equipped with Near Field Communication (NFC) such as the Galaxy Nexus can automatically sync by just tapping one of the ear cups to the phone. Noise cancellation technology rounds it all out, muting consistent background distractions both inside and outside the headset, so you can listen to Toni Braxton or take calls from grandma in auditory peace. Of course, there’s an app as well, which provides a wide-array of soundstage controls for discriminating listeners who can’t help but tweak settings. Ready to spring? Pricing and release dates are still under lock and key, so you’ll have to monitor the link below for news.

Learn More: Here

Tool House Rocks

The “ultimate workshop” is one of those rooms that frequently crop up in a man’s dream home ramblings, right between mentions of the Holodeck and a putting green. Even for those who’ve never lifted a tool in their life, the allure of escaping to an oasis of tinkering, away from the rest of the house (and its other inhabitants) is undeniable. Since most don’t inherit Doc Brown-type fortunes, TechShop is a growing startup that provides creators with unlimited access to 15,000+ square feet of shared workshop space, stocked with $750,000 of advanced machines, tools, worktables, sophisticated 2D and 3D design software, and other professional equipment — all for as low as $99 a month. Just in case you’re a little rusty on using things like the large rotary punch, TechShop offers training on every tool on the floor, as well as more advanced classes on honing those skills you haven’t touched since metal shop. So-called “Dream Coaches” can also provide direct advice on your individual project, and there’s a good chance other members might lend a hand or wrench too.

For those nurturing small businesses, TechShop offers free Wifi, a retail store for purchasing supplies, conference rooms, coffee, computer workstations, and even access to private workshops and storage for an extra fee, just in case you were worried about leaving your October Sky and This Old House DVDs at home. As of now, TechShop has locations in Menlo Park, San Francisco, San Jose, Detroit, and Raleigh, with new shops in Portland, OR, Brooklyn, and LA coming soon. Have fun, and try not to blow anything up.

Learn More: Here