The monopod

Modern digital sensors are very demanding. If you want to get the most out of your fine sensor you need good glass, excellent post processing techniques and shooting discipline. And shooting discipline (holding the camera steady) is my main problem. I missed so many shots just because I didn't hold the camera steady enough. When I am using the old legacy or even modern lenses (with no IS/IBIS) the Golden Reciprocal Rule just doesn’t work for me anymore. May be it's just my hands.
I know that any decent tripod can resolve the problem by improving stability, but they are bulky and take time to set up. Monopods are much easier to manage. After a quick search I ordered one from eBay, $80 delivered to Canada.

In the bag:

X-PRO1 vs. D800E vs. DP2M

Finally I got time to compare raw output from Fujifilm X-PRO 1, Sigma DP2M and Nikon D800E.

The test below is very much unscientific, it was conducted just out of my own curiosity. All three cameras are totally different beasts and putting them side by side might be not fair, but I as many others was wondering how uncommon CFA (X-Trans and Foveon, APC-S) sensors stack up against leading 24x36 Bayer.

Minolta MD ZOOM 35-70 mm f / 3.5 - more pictures

During my recent trip to cottage I used Minolta a lot and really enjoyed the lens. Surprisingly the range ( ~ 53-105 on Fuji X-Pro 1) was very useful and it was my main "walk around" lens during the whole trip.

I did some close ups,  shot hand-held fast moving objects - no problem.  The focus was really easy to attain.