OVERHYPED | Zhiyun Crane M2

I was recently sent the Zhiyun Crane M2 for review. This is an electronic gimbal meant to help you get more stable footage. This gimbal is smaller and lighter weight so it’s meant to be used with smaller cameras like smartphones, action cameras, point and shoots, and if you’re micro 4/3, APS-C or full frame camera is small and light weigh enough, you can also throw that on the M2. I was actually pretty excited to get this but after essentially my first use, I can tell that there were some issues and annoyances that no one seems to be pointing out. Don’t get me wrong, this thing works and functions as it should but I think it’s overhyped and you should be aware of some things.

First, let’s look at the design. One thing that other reviewers really like to highlight is this gimbal’s ability to lock up so it doesn’t move around during transport. This was something that I was really looking forward to, until seeing how it is implemented in person. At the base of the pan axis is a physical switch to lock this axis in place. This lock works flawlessly.

Then we get to locking the other axis. Unlike the pan, there is no physical lock anywhere else. The upper section of the gimbal is held in place by a series of cutouts that line up with each other and a pin that holds the camera carriage in place. Storage mode is basically accomplished by utilizing friction and male/female alignments. The problem with this is that over time, the surfaces that require direct contact will get absolutely destroyed. Say goodbye to that nice black finish. Another problem with this is that because you have to go out of your way to take the gimbal out of balance to put it in storage mode, you’ll have to re-balance the gimbal every time that it is utilized.

But wait, another thing about the M2 that is overhyped is the memory lock. This is essentially a stopper that you can set so that when you throw the gimbal out of balance, you can easily move the adjustment point to where the stopper is and know that that is where it should be to have a balanced gimbal. That’s wonderful! It works well, but it’s only available on 1 of the 5 adjustment points. It’s only available on the roll axis. Thank you for making my life easier on the point that’s easiest to adjust and not anywhere else!

Another thing that people seem to be hyping quite a bit is the quick release plate. This can be extremely useful but here, it’s pretty stupid. This isn’t new. Many other gimbals use a quick release plate system but with those, you actually get a functional system. They use plates that are common like the Manfrotto or Arca Swiss style. Here, we get a proprietary plate. This means that you either have to have a camera dedicated to this gimbal or be prepared to switch plates as you move from this gimbal to something else and of course, be prepared to rebalance every time because the camera carriage ajustment point is the same as the screw that holds the camera in place. On the more thought out gimbals, these would be two independent things. Because these two thigns use the same screw, the screw has to be big enough so that people can put enough torque on it to tighten it in place. This makes putting the camera with the plate down on a flat surface impossible. I just think that the entire camera carriage section was poorly thought out.

Finally, from someone who uses a lot of gimbals and makes instructional videos on balancing them, the Zhiyun Crane M2 is probably the hardest gimbal that I’ve ever had to balance. A lot of this has to do with it’s overall size. Because it’s made for smaller cameras, the gimbal and it’s adjustment points are smaller. When I balance this gimbal, it seems like I’m often extending the adjustment points to their max. It seems like with any adjustments, the parts start to hit each other and cause cosmetic damage. For the small size of the gimbal, we give up proper clearance for balancing. This may also be an issue for come cameras as the cameras may bang up against the gimbal during balancing and in use.

Even with these complaints, if you were to ask me if I would recommend the Zhiyun Crane M2, the answer would have to be yes. For the price of this gimbal, it’s going to be hard to find something as feature packed and versatile. This is a great gimbal but some of its features were just overhyped. I received this product for free for review. I would assume that other reviewers who made early reviews also did too. I just wonder if these other reviewers really did not notice these issues/annoyances or they just chose to keep their mouths shut in hopes of getting more free products in the future. Again, this gimbal is recommended but don’t think that it’s the perfect gimbal. Some of the designs could use improvements but this is probably the best that we have right now.

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Glycine Combat Sub 42 Bronze Ref. GL0187

I’ve recently been in the market for a bronze watch. This is for the same reason that I wanted a brass black paint Leica. I like things that feature materials that will age and will uniquely patina to my usage. That being said, I’ve always been somewhat on the fence about getting a bronze watch. Nevertheless, I did my research and narrowed the options down to either the Tudor Black Bay Bronze at $4050 or the Oris Big Crown Pointer Date 80th Anniversary Edition at $2000. Both are seemingly great watches, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. I just couldn’t make that multi-thousand dollar investment on a material that I wasn’t sure of so I put the idea of getting a bronze watch on the back burner. Then one day, all of a sudden, I saw a listing for the Glycine Combat Sub 42 Bronze at $415 and I knew that I just had to get it.

The Glycine Combat Sub GL0187 features a 42mm bronze case with unidirectional turning bezel. Unlike the case, the bezel ring itself is actually made from aluminum. The dial of the watch is what Glycine calls charcoal-black and features a gradient. Towards the top by 12 o’clock, the dial is a much lighter shade of gray and works itself to black by 6 o’clock. If you don’t like the charcoal-black, there is a gradient brown dial version reference GL0188, gradient blue dial reference GL0174/GL0242 and even gradient green dial version reference GL0281. Also, if 42mm is too small for you, there is a 48mm version reference GL0200/GL0243. I’m personally still unsure of how I feel about this gradient dial. I would’ve much preferred a radial gradient which would’ve made the design more uniform. The dial also features applied indexes with a rose gold border and Super-LumiNova. The hour and minute hand features a similar treatment with a brushed rose gold coating and Super-LumiNova. For contrast, the Combat Sub features an all red second hand with more Super-LumiNova. Protecting all of this is a flat sapphire crystal with 3 layers of antireflective coating on the underside.

On the back is a solid steel screw down case back. This is fairly common with bronze watches as the stainless steel will not react to skin contact and will not patina over time. This is a good design choice considering that had the case back been made of bronze, it would’ve likely patina very quickly with all the exposure to the skin and this may be uncomfortable and can irritate the wearer. However, I would’ve liked the color of the case back to match the rest of the case. This is something that other bronze watch manufacturers do and it really pulls everything together. It’s not like this isn’t possible for Glycine because after all, the strap buckle is also stainless steel but as you can see, it’s treated to match the case. The silver is such a stark contrast and to me is unappealing. It’s just a good thing that this part of the watch never gets seen with normal use.

This combat sub ships with a composite strap. The exterior layer of the strap is a fabric material embossed with something reminiscent of a brick pattern and is bonded to the interior calf leather layer. To me, the strap feels comfortable on the wrist because of the leather but the exterior looks cheap and synthetic because of the pattern that Glycine went with. The perceived value of this strap would’ve been higher had they gone with a smooth texture, a more natural leather grain or an alligator grain print. I personally will not be wearing this watch on the stock strap. One thing that I would like to point out is that on the GL0187 spec sheet, it lists the strap as having 24mm horns and 22mm buckle. I’ve never seen a manufacturer list “horns” but it would make sense to assume that they meant that the strap is 24mm apart at the lugs and tapers to 22mm at the buckle. This apparently is not so because this watch actually takes 22mm straps. Again, if you want to fit this watch case with different straps, then buy 22mm straps.

The bronze Combat Sub features the calibre GL224 Swiss automatic movement which is a modified ETA 2824-2. This movement vibrates at 28,800 bph and has a power reserve of 38 hours. Now, I’m not going to be one of those people who will sit here and act like I’m knowledgable on this movement. Aside from the quick Google search, I have no frame of reference for it. But, according to the internet, this does seem to be a reliable workhorse that is widely use. This means that it should have some longevity and if it were to have some issues, you should be able to get it repaired with ease and for a decent price. To me, the only minor let down of this movement is the 38 hour power reserve. This would make it the shortest power reserve of all my watches. It’s just a shame that you can’t go at least full 2 days without winding it but it is what it is.

Check out THIS writeup to learn more about the ETA 2824 movement.
https://wornandwound.com/caliber-spec-eta-2824-automatic-people/

Earlier I mentioned that there were a few other bronze watches that I had in mind prior to buying this Glycine, one of them being the Tudor Black Bay Bronze. If you’re familiar with that watch, then I’m sure that you can see some very similar design cues. To me, this is a clear homage to the Black Bay. I don’t know which came out first but the original brown Black Bay Bronze was introduced in 2016 and black Black Bay Bronze in 2019. According to the Glycine website, all of its bronze Combat Subs are new for 2019. If this is correct, then I think we can assume where Glycine got the inspiration for its design. But that’s neither here nor there. This is not a comparison of the two watches. However, if you are interested in a cheaper alternative to the Tudor Black Bay Bronze 2016 or 2019 model, then this is a good choice.

This watch lists at over $1000 but you definitely should not be paying that much. I’ve seen this Glycine regularly around $600 and I think that that’s a fair price. However, if you’re able to pick it up for even less, again I paid $415 with manufacturer warranty, then this watch is an absolute steal.

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If you're considering on buying any of the products mentioned, please support my work by using the links below.

Glycine Combat Sub Bronze https://amzn.to/2XCHCmF
Tudor Black Bay Bronze https://amzn.to/2XBiZXu
Oris Big Crown Pointer Date Bronze https://amzn.to/2XyV8ru

Glycine Combat Mens Analog Swiss Automatic Watch with Leather Bracelet GL0187 Buy on Amazon

Tudor Divers Black Bay Bronze Grey Dial Buy on Amazon

Oris Big Crown Bronze Pointer Date Green Dial Automatic Ladies Watch 01 754 7749 3167-07 5 17 66BR Buy on Amazon

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Back to Asia! First stop Hanoi!

It is official! Summer 2019 will be spent in Vietnam and maybe a few other countries. That means that there’s going to be a lot of new content coming from me. This time, I’m traveling lighter and am not bringing a computer along to edit videos on the go so those will periodically come out when I return. In the meantime, I’ll be keeping you updated with my travels through this blog!

At the moment there is no set return date. I got a one way ticket and will just bum around for awhile. I actually didn’t even get my plane ticket until 5 days before leaving. This is a case of do as I say and not as I do because buying plane tickets so close to the departure date just means that you’re probably going to be paying more than if you purchased in advance. But in this case, buying a one way ticket gives the perception that it’s not all that expensive.

Previously, whenever I go to Vietnam, I would fly with Eva Air. This time, there were some worker strikes occurring that caused a lot of issues with Eva flights. So instead, I went with Korean Air. This is a different experience because the flight departed at 1 pm. When flying with Eva, it’s usually an early AM red eye flight. With Korean Air, I was also not able to pick my own seat. Now that I do a decent amount of flying, I’ve become very particular about where I sit so this was a bit of an annoyance.

To change things up, this time I’m spending some time in northern Vietnam and what better starting point than the capitol city, Hanoi. I actually don’t know if I’ve ever been to Hanoi before. I may have been when I was a child but definitely not in my adult life. Because Hanoi is such a large city, I expected it to be like Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). In some ways, it is. It is definitely populated and busy like HCMC, but it has its own spirit.

There’s something that you should know about me. I was born in Vietnam and immigrated to America when I was 7/8 years old. I can still speak Vietnamese because that’s all that I spoke with my family growing up, but I would say that my vocabulary reflects that of a child. I don’t know much beyond basic words and only enough to get me through a simple conversation. I can work my way through complicated subjects, but it’ll take some talking in circles and describing concepts. You should also know that my family comes from southern Vietnam. This is important because the speech of the two sections of Vietnam can sound very different. Consider northern Vietnam as British English and southern Vietnam as American English. The British tend to pronounce everything as written while the Americans play with the words in a way. To me, this is similar to the northern and southern Vietnamese dialect. The way that I pronounce some words sound nothing like how they are written. Northern Vietnamese people also have an accent and sometimes it can be extremely strong. Because of this, sometimes I cannot even understand northern Vietnamese people even though we are technically speaking the same language. This was actually my biggest concern for this trip but when in doubt, speak English and act like a foreigner. Most larger places will be able to speak enough English to be able to sell you things and give you service.

 

In Hanoi, I stayed at the Ancient Lane Hotel and paid $182 for 7 days / 6 nights. The hotel is tucked away in a little alley of the Old Quarter of Hanoi. It is right in the midst of the local culture. In the morning, the surrounding space is extremely busy as there is a local market literally within 10 or so steps from the hotel doors. At night, the space turns into small in home restaurants. This is the type of accommodation that will allow you to see an authentic local experience.

One thing that I really enjoyed about this particular location is its relatively close walking distance from many popular attractions. From here, you can walk to Hoàn Kiếm Lake, Train Street, St. Joseph's Cathedral and the night market.

Hồ Hoàn Kiếm (Hoàn Kiếm Lake) is a popular local attraction. Besides the lake itself being a popular place to just hang out, you can also cross the Cầu Thê Húc and visit the Đền Ngọc Sơn (Temple of the Jade Mountain). This costs 30,000 Vietnamese Dong and I think it’s worth it. The temple itself is not all that big but it does provide you with a quick escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Train Street is just as the name implies, a street that happens to have a train track running through it. Aside from that, many people have set up homes and business along the sides of the track. Most of these businesses are eateries but because this is such a popular location, prices tend to be slightly higher than other places. Note that Train Street essentially runs along the entire train track. Different portions of the track can provide completely different experiences. The track is also still active but the train only runs at certain times of the day. The times will be dependent on the portion of the track that you visit.

Nhà Thờ Lớn Hà Nội (St. Joseph's Cathedral) is another popular location in the area. To be honest, I did not find it to be all that impressive. From the outside, the cathedral looked unkept and dilapidated as the paint is peeling and the structure just exuded a certain rundown feel. When I went, there were gates that denied entrance into the cathedral. I asked some locals and was told that it only opens on the weekend so take note if you want to get inside. Even though I find it unimpressive, I would still recommend you check it out because it’s free and why not? Unless you’re on a tight schedule, then something is better than nothing.

The Hanoi Night Market is another popular attraction that is note worthy. This is something that occurs every weekend beginning at 6 pm when the city streets begin to get blocked off to create one giant outdoor market. I only got the chance to go once and I think I did it wrong. First of all, I went at 6pm and I don’t really recommend doing this unless you want to see the stalls being setup. It takes quite awhile to get everything going so go a bit later at like 7/8 pm. I began at the Hàng Đào street entrance and just walked along it. From what I saw, there were a lot of stalls selling merchandise and not a lot of food like I was hoping for and saw on the internet. For me, this was quite disappointing. After leaving and doing more research, it turns out that there was so much more to the market and so many subsections. The night market is quite large and certain sections specialize in certain things. Some sections have more merchandise while others have more food.

Hanoi is an amazing city, but it can get repetitive. It’s a lot of buildings, vehicles and people. During this trip, I didn’t actually spend too much time in Hanoi. I personally just used Hanoi as a hub for other explorations as it’s located relatively close to many other interesting cities and parts of Vietnam. I would leave Hanoi and come back until it was time to leave again. Even so, the little time that I spent in Hanoi has left such a strong impression. It is one of those places that I would definitely want to visit again. If you ever get the opportunity to travel to Hanoi, just do it. It’s an experience unlike any other and is a city that should be on your bucket list.

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Hiking Reflection Lake to Narada Falls Loop | Mt. Rainier National Park

It’s been raining on and off in Washington over the past week and I’ve been itching to go outside. At first sign of a sunny day, I went out and decided to hike from Reflection Lake to Narada Falls. This was done by combining two separate hikes to create a loop. I started at Reflection Lake and hiked to Narada Falls via the Lower Lakes and Narada Falls trail. To get back to Reflection Lake, I hiked the Wonderland Trail. Overall, this is a hard hike to recommend. For the amount of effort required to complete, there is little payoff. To me, you’d be better off just driving to the two endpoints rather than wasting the energy hiking in between.

Reflection Lake to Narada Falls: Distance 3.6 miles Elevation Gain 931 feet
Narada Falls to Reflection Lake: Distance 3.0 miles Elevation Gain 751 feet

For this blog I’ll consider my route as two different hikes as that’s what it is. I connected the two trails to create a loop but alternatively, you can simple hike one trail and go back the way you came.

According to the internet, the first hike from Reflection Lake to Narada Falls is 3.6 miles long with an elevation gain of 931 feet. I would consider this to be the more enjoyable of the two trails. That being said, it isn’t all that special. Starting the hike, you will see a trail sign that indicates that you are .9 mile from the Narada Falls trail. I misread this and read that I was .9 mile away from Narada Falls itself. Don’t make this mistake, there is still some distance to go.

For the first mile or so of the hike, it is a very typical Washington hike. You are doing a lot of walking in the forest. There are a few prairies, but still pretty typical. When I went, there was still some leftover snow on the trail but nothing that couldn’t be easily traversed or dodged. Even with the snow, the temperature was comfortably warm and some of the wildflowers have begun to bloom. If you watch the video above, you’d notice that about a mile into the hike, I point out an opening in the tree line which reveals a nice view of Mt. Rainier. This is probably the best view of the mountain that you’ll get on this trail. The rest of the time you’ll be surrounded by tall trees.

Once you make it out of the forest, you’ll cross a paved road and will hit a trail sign indicating the start of the Lakes Trail and that you’re .2 mile from the Narada Falls trail. This is actually my favorite section of the hike. From here, you’ll quickly run into a few different streams and waterfalls. Along side a few of the streams are large rocks which can be accessed and climbed. Some people were actually picnicking around here on the rocks. From here, you’re only a short distance to Ruby Falls and ultimately Narada Falls. I almost want to recommend just starting the hike from this trail sign as all the views of the river and various waterfalls start here. The sign happens to be directly next to a road with space to park. If you want to get some interesting views in a short distance and requires little effort, start here!

The second hike is from Narada Falls to Reflection Lake. This is a 3 mile long hike with an elevation gain of 751 feet. I did not find this hike to be enjoyable. I consider this hike in two parts, before and after the switchbacks. The hike hike from the beginning of the trail to the end of the switchbacks is a straight uphill climb. The trail is often narrow with only enough space for one person to pass at a time. For most of this section you’ll be surrounded by tall trees and bush so again, there isn’t much to look at. The bushes were often overgrown and came into the trail. After the switchbacks, the ground begins to levels out and there are even some down hill areas. The trail even opens up a bit with some nice prairies and rock fields. The only problem is that by the time this happens, you’re walking directly below/beside a road so you hear a lot of car noise on a busy day. This is a hike that I would not recommend. If you are doing this loop, it may even be more worthwhile to just go back the way you came and do the reverse of the previous hike. At least this way you’ll have a second look at all those waterfalls.

I did this hike late in the afternoon on a particularly busy day. The wait to get into the entrance of the park was the longest that I’ve ever seen. Even so, there was really no one on the trail and I can definitely see why. The obvious reason is that the final destination, Reflection Lake and Narada Falls, are located directly off the road. Few people are doing to take the time to walk the distance in between. The second and more cynical reason is because the hike sucked. I personally will probably never repeat this hike. Unless you’re intentionally out to get some exercise and do not care the views, just drive to the destinations. Save yourself the time and energy for one of the other hikes available in the park. 

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Barton Alligator Grain Leather Quick Release Watch Straps

I’ve been in the market for some new leather watch straps. Being that I’m a slave to the Amazon overlords, I did a quick search and discovered the brand Barton which manufacturers many different watch straps. One line of straps that really stood out to me was the Alligator Grain Leather quick release straps. So, I reached out and Zach over at Barton was kind enough to send over the entire current line up for review.

Here they are, the Barton Alligator Grain Leather quick release straps. These straps currently come in 6 different colors: black, coffee brown, toffee brown, navy blue, smoke grey and crimson red. They are currently available in 3 sizes: 18mm, 20mm and 22mm. To further add to the customization, you can also choose the buckle hardware color. With this, there are 5 options: stainless steel, black PVD, gunmetal grey, rose gold and gold. I decided to get stainless steel on all the straps that I received because that is the best option for the watches that I own.

All of the straps are crafted from top grain leather and embossed with an alligator texture. Holding the top and bottom layer together are matching colored stitching. The hardware of these straps are made from 316L stainless steel and are mirrored polished. The straps are approximately 8 inches in length and should fit wrists from 5 1/2” to 8” in circumference. No matter the lug width size that you buy, all straps will feature a 2mm taper from the lug end to buckle end. The straps are also thicker at the spring bar than at the buckle and that’s because these are padded watch straps. Sandwiched between the top and bottom leather is an additional piece of material. This helps to add to the comfort of the strap but comes at the expense of bulk. In this case, the straps are 5mm thick at the spring bar and 3mm thick at the buckle. This is a noticeable difference in hand but on the wrist, little difference can be felt and I don’t mind the bulk for the increased comfort.

One thing that I haven’t mentioned and is my main attraction to these straps is the quick release spring bars. These function the same as the typical spring bars but on the side of the spring bar, is a quick release lever. This allows you to remove and install these straps without the use of any tool. Just use your nail to pull on the lever and the end will retract into the spring bar body. This is such a simple design but very effective and I wish that all watch straps featured something similar.

In the short time that I’ve had these straps, they’ve quickly become some of my favorites. When I want to wear a leather strap, these are often the first choice. The straps mold to my wrist very quickly and are extremely comfortable. At under $30, I think that these Barton Watch Bands Alligator Grain Quick Release Watch Straps are hard to beat. If you’re in the market for something similar, I think they are worth a try.

Although these straps were sent to me for review, the opinions that I’ve stated are my own. I was not obligated to say anything about the product.

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Barton Alligator Grain - Quick Release Leather Watch Bands https://amzn.to/2X4COX8

Barton Alligator Grain - Quick Release Leather Watch Bands - Choose Color - 18mm, 20mm & 22mm - Crimson Red 20mm Strap Buy on Amazon

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