At this Sunday there was bicycles tour to Old Lens quarry, which is located near Yekaterinburg. I rode to it from Polevskoy and met with rest of group at Sisert train station. 8 persons participated in it. Quarry is located near Shabrovskiy village and road to it from Polevskoy highway takes around 20 minutes. While moving inside and outside of quarry there is need to carry bicycle on hands and move on on wooden stairs cases. Quarry is often visited by tourists on weekend days.
“Old Lens” quarry near Yekaterinburg
On Old Lens quarry previously talcum was extracted; first mining started in XIX century and industrial mining started in 1931 year. This quarry was one of the biggest in Soviet Union. It was closed in 1974 year due to new mining techniques, which were adopted, and now only water is pumped out from quarry. Its depth is 100 m and width and length are 250 and 400 m, accordingly. After quarry we moved back to Polevskoy highway; I separated there from group and moved to my home.
“Old Lens” quarry near Yekaterinburg“Old Lens” quarry near Yekaterinburg“Old Lens” quarry near Yekaterinburg“Old Lens” quarry near Yekaterinburg
DJI announced new quadrocopter DJI Phantom 3 Standard 2.7K, which is able to record UHD video. Its flight characteristics are similar to DJI Phantom 3 Advanced/Professional drones; main difference is in 2.7K camera, which is installed on new quadrocopter. Its sensor has 1/2.3-inch size and 12 MP resolution. Camera can shoot photos in 4000 x 3000 pixels maximal resolution ( at ISO 100 – 1600 levels ) and save them in JPEG and DNG formats. And it can record videos ( at ISO 100 – 3200 levels ) in following modes : UHD 2.7K 2704 x 1520p 30, Full HD 1920 x 1080p 24/25/30 and HD 1280 x 720p 24/25/30/48/50/60 ( in this area new quadrocopter even better, than DJI Phantom 3 Advanced ), and save them in MP4 and MOV formats with MPEG-4 AVC image encoding. Camera saves photos and videos on Micro SD flash memory cards ( 8 GB card is included in package ) and can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range. Other characteristics of DJI Phantom 3 Standard 2.7K are almost the same, as DJI Phantom 3 Advanced/Professional have. It will be available in shops from 27th August of this year.
FUJIFILM released new compact professional camera FUJIFILM X-T10. It supports swappable objective lenses with FUJIFILM X mount format; its APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor has 23.6 x 15.6 mm size and 16.3 MP resolution; camera is equipped with EXR Processor II for images and videos processing; and supports optical image stabilization with use of objective lenses, that are compatible with OIS standard. Camera can shoot photos with 4896 x 3264 pixels maximal resolution and save them in : JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG formats. Camera can record videos in following modes : Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p / 50p / 30p / 25p / 24p and HD 1280 x 720 60p / 50p / 30p / 25p / 24p, and can save video files in MOV format with H.264 image encoding and Linear PCM stereo sound format. Its main LCD display has 3 -inch size and 920K dots resolution and can rotate under different angles; its OLED viewfinder has 0.39-inch size and 2360K dots resolution. Camera can save photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC ( UHS-I ) flash memory cards and supports Wi-Fi connections for data transmitting to mobile devices and remote control of camera from smartphone. It has following connectors : USB 2.0 for photos and videos transmitting and battery charging, HDMI Micro Type D for their viewing on TV or monitor screen and 2.5 mm input for external microphone connection and remote control of camera. One charge of Li-ion battery is enough for making of 350 photos. Camera sizes are : 118.4 x 82.8 x 40.8 mm ( width x height x depth ), and its weight is : 381 g. It can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range and in 10 – 80 % relative air humidity range. Package contains : FUJIFILM X-T10 camera itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, strap on hand, user’s guide and different caps and coverings for camera.
Panasonic released new professional DSLM ( Digital Single Lens Mirrorless ) camera Panasonic LUMIX G7. It supports interchangeable objective lens with Micro Four Thirds mount format. Its Live MOS sensor has 17.3 x 13 mm size and 16 MP resolution. Camera can save images in JPEG, RAW and MPO formats with 4592 x 3448 pixels maximal resolution and in sRGB and AdobeRGB color spaces. It supports following video recording modes : 4K 3840 x 2160 30p/24p, Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p/30p, HD 1280 x 720 30p and VGA 640 x 480 30p, and saves it in : AVCHD ( with Dolby Digital 2ch sound format ) and MP4 ( AAC 2ch sound format ) formats. Its main TFT LCD display has 3-inch size and 1040K dots resolution and can be rotated under different angles; its OLED viewfinder has 2360K dots resolution. Camera saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC flash memory cards and supports Wi-Fi connections for their transmitting to mobile devices and for remote control of camera. It has following connectors : USB 2.0 ( for data transmitting and battery charging ), micro HDMI TypeD ( for images and videos viewing on screen of TV or monitor ), audio-video output, 2.5 mm input for remote control and 3.5 mm input for external stereo microphone. One charge of Li-ion battery is enough for making of 360 photos. Camera sizes are : 124.9 x 86.2 x 77.4 mm ( width x height x depth ), weight is : 520 – 720 g, depending on the attached objective lens. It can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range and in 10 – 80 % relative air humidity range. Package contains : Panasonic LUMIX G7 camera itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, USB cable, DVD disk with software, strap on hand and different caps and coverings for camera. Additionally there is ability to buy following accessories : interchangeable lens, optical filters, external flashes and microphones, external batteries and additional chargers.
At this Saturday in Yekaterinburg in Day of the City there were VeloDRAG 2015 3rd stage bicycle competitions held. 19 men in MTB category; 4 women in MTB category and 11 men in Road category participated in them. They were held in 3 phases : warming up, in which participants familiarized themselves with track and planned use of strength and transmission on it; qualification, in which they distributed into pairs by time of riding through the track; and competitions themselves, in which winner went into next round for each of 3 categories. In each ride sportsmen rode 1 / 4 of mile : 402 m.
Bicycles competitions VeloDRAG 2015 3rd stage
Competitions were hard and one participant fell from bicycle, happily he received only light injuries. There were some delays between pairs and categories starts, organizers of event promised to account this and make next stage better. In MTB men category there were following winners : Antonov Sergey ( 3rd place ), Petrov Evgeniy ( 2nd place ) and Abramov Stepan ( 1st place ) with following times : 33.1, 32.3 and 30.8 s, accordingly. In MTB women category there were following winners : Soboleva Natalya ( 3rd place ), Koreshkova Elena ( 2nd place ) and Lakosnikova Svetlana ( 1st place ) with following times : 43.9, 41.8 and 40.8 s, accordingly. In Road men category there were following winners : Laev Konstantine ( 3rd place ), Rassadnikov Aleksandr ( 2nd place ) and Toropov Arseniy ( 1st place ) with following times : 34.2, 33.5 and 32.5 s, accordingly. Next stage will be held at 19th September and will be interesting, weather will be still warm and summer competitions season will be still open.
FUJIFILM released new compact camera FUJIFILM XQ2 with professional functions. It is equipped with X-Trans CMOS II sensor with 2/3-inch size, which is significantly larger, than sensors with 1/2.3-inch or 1/1.7-inch sizes, which are usually set up into compact cameras. It resolution is 12 MP. Camera can save photos in JPEG, RAW and RAW + JPEG formats ( 2nd and 3rd can usually be found only in professional cameras ) with 4000 x 3000 pixels resolution. Fujinon lens can magnify image by 4x times and its stabilization is performed by optics movements. Camera can record videos in following modes : Full HD 1920 x 1080 60p / 30p, HD 1280 x 720 60p / 30p and VGA 640 x 480 30p with stereo sound, and save it in MOV format with H.264 image encoding and Linear PCM stereo sound format. Its TFT LCD display has 3-inch size and 920K dots resolution. Camera stores photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC flash memory cards and supports Wi-Fi connections for their transmitting to mobile devices and for remote control of camera from smartphone. Camera has following connectors : USB 2.0 for data transmitting and battery recharging and HDMI Micro for images and videos viewing on screens of TV or monitor. One charge of Li-ion battery is enough for making of 240 photos. Camera sizes are : 100 x 58.5 x 33.3 mm ( width x height x depth ), and its weight is : 206 g. It can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range and in 10 – 80 % relative air humidity range. Package contains : FUJIFILM XQ2 camera itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, USB cable, strap on hand, CD-ROM disk with software and user’s guide. There is ability to buy separately waterproof case, which allows to use camera underwater and in intensive rain.
At this Sunday ( 16th August ) there was bicycles tour to “Sands” and “Draga” near Yekaterinburg. Around 16 people participated in it. Road to “Sands” went on the shore of Shartash lake, then through the forests trails and roads of small villages. “Sans” is the place, where nearby plant stores waste rock after taking minerals from it. After small rest we rode around this storage and few people separated from group, they went back to Yekaterinburg.
Sands
Next our way was laid on forests trails ( some of which had lots of dirt ) and highways, which allowed to ride with high speed on them. We wanted to visit nearby dam on our way to “Draga”, but missed on high speed small road, which turns to it from highway. Road to “Draga” laid near small half boggy river and there were lots of flooded areas, on which dirt flew in the air from wheels of bikes. “Draga” itself is located in wetland area and is a giant machine, that takes soil mass inside, recycles it, takes useful minerals and throws out unused soil mass. Near it we made small halt and some photos and then rode into way back, which after wetland laid on highway to Berezovskiy city. Near it some people started to separate from group : I rode to Polevskoy throug Berezovskiy and Yekaterinburg ( there was ability to turn to highway around Yekaterinburg, so that there would be no need to waste time on traffic lights and traffic itself, next time I’ll do exactly this way ) and rode additional 40 km after Yekaterinburg to my city of living. Overall bicycles tour was interesting and left lots of positive impressions. After 2 weeks from now weather should be less rainy and more warm and after competitions there will be ability to go into next bicycles adventure.
“Draga”“Draga”Road to home, between Yekaterinburg and PolevskoyRoad to home, between Yekaterinburg and Polevskoy
Philips released new compact dynamic in-ears headphones Philips SHE8105 with semi-closed acoustic architecture. Ears-tips housing is manufactured from aluminum, which allows to reproduce more clear sounds; they are oriented on in ear use. Drivers’ diameter is 8.6 mm and they are powered by neodymium magnets, diaphragms are produced from maylar – a form of polyester resin. They can reproduce sounds in 8 – 24000 Hz range, have 107 dBa / 1 mWt sensitivity, 16 Ohms impedance and 30 mWt maximal power output. Cable has 1.2 m length, mounted to both cups, is not detachable and is connected to sound source via 3.5 mm gold plated mini-jack connector; it has slider for holding its parts together and prevent tangling and clinging to surrounding objects.
There is a volume control unit placed on cable, which has built in microphone and remote answer button for smartphones; cable inputs into earphones are additionally reinforced with flexible grips, which allows them to stay in place even with often bending of cable and tearing off forces in these areas. In each cup there is only 1 cup, coils are produced with use of copper wire, device has no active noise-cancellation function, like some monitor headphones have. Manufacturer tells, that speakers of Philips SHE8105 are designed for high quality and loud basses reproduction, however with this size they cannot compete with monitor headphones. Headphones are supplied with 3 ear tips of different sizes, which allows to use them for people with different ears sizes; external surfaces of cups have curved forms and audio tubes have oval section for comfortable placement in ears during long-time listenning.
Package contains : Philips SHE8105 headphones themselves with attached cable, 3 eartips for each earphone, user’s guide and warranty card. They are released in 5 color variants : silver, gold, blue, black and red. All in all device is very good and have optimal price for its characteristics, it is oriented for use in sportive trainings and exercises, as well as compact every day use; its price is around 12 USD. If there is need in high quality reproduction of all sounds frequencies, especially basses, instead of compactness, then there is ability to buy for not much bigger price good 40 or 50 mm monitor headphones.
Philips – is a company, which were founded in Dutch in 1891 year; now it has 3 large subdivisions, which develop and produce : consumer electronics, medical equipment and lighting devices. At current moment this is one of the largest companies – producers of electronics, in which around 105000 people work in 60 countries of the world. In electronics area it produces wide range of devices : from kitchen appliances to headphones and smartphones. Philips is notable for producing quality devices, providing proper technical information about them without using of large amounts of psychological marketing and for setting of optimal prices for its goods.
FUJIFILM released new professional level camera FUJIFILM X-A2. Its APS-C CMOSsensor has 23.6 x 15.6 mm dimensions and 16.3 MP resolution. Its swappable objective lenses are attached to FUJIFILM X mount and camera supports image stabilization via optics movement for lenses, that are compatible with OIS standard. Camera can shoot photos with 4896 x 3264 pixels maximal resolution and can save them in : JPEG, RAW and RAW+JPEG formats. It can record videos in following modes : Full HD 1920 x 1080 30p and HD 1280 x 720 30p and can save them in MOV format with H.264 image encoding and Linear PCM stereo sound format. Its main TFT LCD display has 3-inches size and 920K dots resolution and can be rotated under different angles for selfies making and shooting of objects under different angles. Canera saves photos and videos on SD, SDHC and SDXC flash memory cards and supports Wi-Fi connections for their transmitting to mobile devices and for remote control of camera from smartphone. It has following connectors : USB 2.0 for data transmitting and battery recharging and HDMI mini type C for photos and videos viewing on TV or monitor screens. Camera’s sizes are : 116.9 x 66.5 x 40.4 mm ( width x height x depth ), and weight : 350 g. It can work in 0 – 40 degrees on Celsius temperatures range and in 10 – 80 % relative air humidity range. One battery charge is enough for making of 410 photos. Package contains : FUJIFILM X-A2 camera itself, Li-ion battery, recharger, strap, body cap, CD-ROM disk with software and user’s guide.
Philips new headphones Philips ActionFit Sports SHQ1300LF for sports exercises, they weight 5.7 g and are placed inside ears. Drivers diameter is 13.6 mm, they are powered by neodymium magnets; they can reproduce sounds in 15 – 22000 Hz frequencies range, have 107 dBa / 1 mW sensitivity, 32 Ohms impedance and maximal power output 10 mW. They are supplied with clip, which allows to attach cord to clothes during sports exercises. Cable length is 1.2 m, it is additionally reinforced with kevlar and is connected to sound source with 3.5 mm gold plated mini-jack connector. It is sweat and water proof and can be used in intensive trainings and in rainy weather. Headphones are supplied with tips of 3 different sizes, so that they can be used by humans with different ears sizes. Package contains : Philips ActionFit Sports SHQ1300LF headphones themselves with cable, clip, 3 pairs of eartips and user’s guide.
