AdventureTaco - turbodb's build and adventures

I totally get what you guys are saying, but for me it's less about exposure and more about how fast (and yet still crisp) the f2.8 L glass is. It's hard to describe; it just feels different.

Even with my 80D, Monte @Blackdawg and I would be standing next to each other (I think he has a 60D) and he'd be snapping away, and then he'd hear my shutter speed (like 1/4th) say, "how does that not come out blurry?" I would regularly go into mine shafts in Death Valley and take 2-3 second long exposures, by leaning up against a wall and holding the camera through a 2s timer period.

I should note - I generally shoot Av, with -1EV, and ISO 100 as I describe in my If You Take Enough Photos, Some Are Bound to be Decent post - and I just "got used to" slow shutter speeds in low light situations. Part of the reason for that is that I also usually shoot at f/8. The thing about this f2.8 L is that in those same situations, I no longer have to be all that careful; the shutter just snaps away like it's nothing.

Now yes, I get that it has to do with the whole relationship of aperture to shutter speed, but it's the "feeling" that gets me. And it's awesome! Ben @m3bassman warned me about this before I got the lens, so I shouldn't have been surprised, but I still am, every time I use that lens!

Definitely has to do with the two screens. For me, it's the EV and the fact that when I carry the camera, my finger (or pant leg) constantly pass by the sensor to turn it on, which means it never goes off. Personally, I wish there was a setting in the firmware activate the EV when you half-press the shutter button (and then time out after a minute or whatever), otherwise, leave it off.

I may end up with extra batteries as well, but for now I'm still using my older "N" batteries. As I've gotten better about turning the camera off, I can now get ~2 days out of a battery charge, which isn't terrible.

 

Crisp is more a function of technique-I agree with that. Fast glass helps for sure but if you’re constantly shooting 2.8, I feel like it’s too shallow a depth of field. The other part of the discussion has to be performance. Most lenses are better performing a stop or two off the high or low end. So a 2.8 lens is sharper at 4.5 or 5.6 than 2.8. And it is true to a degree that you get what you pay for although with the quality of Rokinon and some of the other “cheap” lenses, quality has gotten better across the board as well. And then there’s the characteristics of the lens itself. Like that 200/f2, people love it for the images it produces.

 

What you haven't tried the new super zoom feature of lightroom on your cropped photos? Should solve the desire for a bigger sensor.

 

I can look at these pictures all day. Brings peace to my soul. Beautiful adventures right here. Man hope i can do something like this at some point. Definitely on the bucket list

 

Oh - okay I get ya. I was missing that point I guess. [Here I was "teaching a lesson" to a master - sheesh]

Yeah, there's something intangible about good quality glass that's ... um ... <chef's kiss>

Again - beautiful write-ups, eagerly awaiting the next one.

 

Sunny 16!
f8 and be ready!
Hyperfocal!

Just a couple years after your class (73, 74?) my dad handed me his Exakta 35mm and some Kodak Tri-X, gave me a basic rundown on the dials, and turned me loose. Having only 36 frames made me slow down and think first (which I could use more of now-a-days)

There is something really magical about modern cameras - especially with fast glass. And those long-known rules of thumb can still be useful.

 

Curious, are you a left-eye shooter? Are you doing something like the Joe McNally* shove-the-camera-into-your-shoulder kind of stance?




* Steven Spielberg once told me not to name drop

 

I didn't mean to imply that I know more or am anything near a master; apologies if it came across that way. Frankly, I feel like I know very little (perhaps I know more than I give myself credit for) but try to share whatever it is that I do know. The phrase that comes to mind is "The harder I practice, the luckier I get."

...couple more fixes to the Tacoma, and then the next trip is all queued up and ready to go.

LOL, nope, I shoot with my right eye. And pretty much only my right eye. Some people use the viewfinder on the back of the camera - both eyes. I can't even do that; I lose all ability to do any sort of composition when both eyes are sending input to my brain.

I know, I've opened the door for all sorts of jokes at this point. Be kind.

 

Replacing the Spherical Bearings, Again (with Stainless Steel)

I've replaced the spherical bearings on my ADS coilovers several times now. I only really mentioned it the first and second times, but its become regular maintenance every 10,000 miles or so - generally about 3-4 trips and ~2 oil changes. I chalked it up to normal maintenance required on higher end shock components, but that doesn't mean it's an enjoyable process or that I like dropping the extra $60 or so each time I do it.

After talking to quite a few folks, it seems that there are several experiences and opinions as to their longevity and the right bearings to run. I don't know if any of these are "the truth," but I'll list them here in my ongoing mission to better understand my truck, and how its various parts work.

• Some have said that they see results similar to mine - replacing bearings every 15K miles or so. My thoughts: 15K miles is 50% more than I'm seeing, and generally takes others a year or so to rack up; for me, it's just a few months.
• Some have said they see wear, but that their bearings last on the order of 30K miles. My thoughts: This seems quite reasonable to me; I'd be happy with 30K miles on a set of bearings - for me, that'd be about a year of driving.
• Many have said that the brand/quality of the spherical bearing makes a difference; not all COM10T bearings are the same. My thoughts: this is likely true, and I assumed that the bearings I purchased from ADS were high quality, but who knows. My original bearings from them lasted 25K miles, but maybe they got a new supplier when I ordered the replacements. Maybe I got a bad batch.
• A few have said that the tightness of the spherical bearing makes a difference. My thoughts: I didn't even know that tightness was a thing, but apparently it is. Tighter bearings mean that the ball is sandwiched in the race more tightly, making it harder for contaminants to get in there and tear up the Teflon.
• A couple have suggested that the composition of the bearings makes a difference, and that hardened steel or stainless steel might work better than the mild steel variants I've been using. My thoughts: I'm not sure about the hardened steel, but since I think rust plays a factor in deteriorating the Teflon, it makes sense that stainless steel versions might not rust and allow it to last longer.

With all those things in mind, I started with brand. FK Bearings is by far the most reputable brand, and they have three lines of bearings that were relevant to my consideration:

1. COM10T - Commercial Series, low carbon steel race, metal-to-metal, PTFE liner.
2. FKS10T - Heavy Duty Precision Inch Series, alloy steel race, PTFE liner.
3. FKSSX10T - Heavy Duty Precision Series, stainless steel race and ball, PTFE liner.

Further, they had three different tightness specifications as well: F1, F2, and F3, and they kindly sent me a description of these different tightness's:

​

I decided that if I was going to experiment, I might as well go all the way and give stainless steel a shot the next couple of times I replace them on the Tacoma. And, based on the descriptions, it was clear to me that the F1 tightness was what I should be using.

So, I ordered four (4) FKSSX10T-F1 bearings (to cover two bearing changes) while I waited for the currently installed generic (or at least unmarked) COM10T bearings to wear out. And now they have.

Replacement of the COM10T bearings with the FK stainless steel variants was straight forward - as one would expect - since these are the same part, just in a different material and from a different manufacturer. The first order of business was to pull the shocks from the Tacoma and bring them into the shop where I could pull the clips and press out the worn bearings.

​

A quick comparison of the new bearings in the foreground to the rust worn ones that are out of focus.

A quick cleaning of the bearing race in the shock eye, and a bit of lube to make bearing insertion easier, and it was time to press in the new bearings. Having done this several times now, it was reasonably easy and soon enough I had two new stainless steel bearings gleaming in the bottom of my coilovers.

​

With the shocks reinstalled, time will tell whether these higher end bearings are worth the cost difference (about 3x) or whether the harsh environment to which the bearings are subjected are simply too much for any bearing to withstand. Stay tuned!

 

Just giving you a hard time. I must admit, I'd have done exactly the same as you in both situations, likely with similar reactions from mine.

I thought the interaction between you two was quite sweet actually - obvious concern, and yet a lightheartedness that was refreshing.

 

FWIW, my "new" ADS coilovers came from ADS with what I would describe in FK speak as F2+ resistance to movement by hand. Definitely not easy but doable by hand. A bar was not required to move them.

At the recent stopover with MCM, I had an opportunity to inspect them again. At the time they had ~11,000 miles on them. I would describe their feel as F2. Not as tight as when brand new, but definitely not loose either.

Now that I am back home I will be pulling the COs to clean up and redo to the ADS labels (after the work they are now upside down ). The shocks now have 13,500 miles on them.

 

My first set (that came installed in the shocks) lasted ~25K miles if I recall correctly. I wonder if there's something different about what they sell as replacements and what goes in at the shop. Or maybe I got a bad batch of replacements, since I ordered 10 at once.

Hope yours are still good!

 

I am sure they are. No noise from them so far.

 

Yeah same here, pretty sure mine are the FK ones. I can confirm that tonight on my standard ADS and long travel ones. Mine were also fine when i inspected them a couple weeks ago.

It would make sense to me to use the harder alloy than the mild steel. Think about the forces that are being put on that little bearing all the time plus when you're beating on it. Cause a lot of the bad bearings you see get a bit tweaked out and ruin or bond with the misalignment spacers.

I'd have gotten one of each to see if the SS vs the alloy made a difference. Mine don't have very much rust at all on them honestly..

 

Rig Review: What worked and what didn't - winter 2021?
March 8, 2021.

Over the course of the winter, the truck has performed well. Four (!) trips down to the desert to stay warm have put a bunch of miles on the odometer and resulted in only a few little tweaks to the set up. But any tweak is worth understanding, so let's check them out. This rig review covers:

• Tragedies in the Tablelands (Jan 2021)
• Right Back to the Owens Valley (Jan 2021)
• Mid-Winter Mojave (Feb 2021)
• An Island in the Sky at the Top of the World (Feb 2021)

Whew, at ~2500 miles each, it's only the beginning of March and I've put 10,000 miles on the truck so far this year. I hope I can keep this up through the remainder of 2021!

My Headlights are Too Dim (fully resolved)
TL;DR - I ditched the LEDs for high wattage halogens and couldn't be happier. Works great in all conditions.

As I noted in the previous rig review - I generally liked the LED headlights - more than I thought anyway - but had some issues with them when it came to RFI with the ham radio. As such, I decided I'd replace them with something less noisy, and I couldn't be happier with the Ultimate Headlight Upgrade - higher wattage halogens, and an upgraded wiring harness to run them.

I've driven in both good and inclement weather with this new setup and I've got to say that it's way better than the LEDs. One thing I hadn't really thought of was icing over of the headlights with the LEDs - something that's not an issue with the halogens which run significantly hotter, thus melting snow and ice off the headlight housings.

So yeah, I couldn't be happier now. Plenty of warm white light streaming out of the front of the Tacoma.

LED headlights on the left; upgraded halogens on the right. Both color and light output are improved!​

Front ADS Coilover Spherical Bearings (again, ongoing)
TL;DR - I'm trying something new. I've installed stainless steel spherical bearings this time, hopefully to prolong their life.

So, for anyone following along, my spherical bearings have been an ongoing issue. I've replaced them again, this time with stainless steel versions from FK. Specifically with FKSSX10T-F1 bearings. Time will tell if this fix gives me more than 10-15K miles on a set of bearings. My hope is that I'll get 30K miles or so, since that would mean changing them once a year.

​

My Ham/APRS Setup is Changed (ongoing)
TL;DR - I'm back to the old antenna, and I'm not longer using APRSDroid.

Not so long ago, I switched from a Diamond NR770HBNMO Mobile Antenna to a STI-CO ROOF-FT-NITI Ham Antenna in order to solve a problem I was having where the coil of the Diamond would catch on tree branches. After running a couple trips with the STI-CO antenna - much shorter and more flexible, with no coil - I found that my APRS beacons weren't getting out quite as well as with the Diamond.

That's to be expected - it was after all, a lower-gain, and shorter (¼ vs. 2/3 wave length) antenna - but I didn't love it. So, I'm back to using the Diamond on trips where I know I won't be in the trees, and I'll take the shorter antenna on trips where I'm worried about clearance.

On a related note, I've stopped using the Mobilinkd TNC and APRSDroid on my tablet for my APRS beaconing, in favor of the built-in TNC on my Kenwood D710G dual-band ham radio. The biggest pro of this new configuration is that I have fewer parts in the system - I no longer need to ensure that my Mobilikd and Android tablet are running/functioning in order for APRS to work. The biggest con is that I can no longer see where my buddies are on a map if we're all running APRSDroid.

It seems like APRS with them has become hit-and-miss over the last few years, and frankly, we're all generally within radio distance of each other anyway, so I'm not sure I really need the map. So, for now, the pros outweigh the cons for me; I'll continue to monitor.

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The Zipper on the CVT Tent is Shit (ongoing)
TL;DR - For the last several trips, I've had to lubricate the zipper on the @Cascadia Vehicle Tents tarp *every* time I close it up. That sucks.

I mentioned in a previous rig review that I was having trouble with the zippers. For a trip or two, some lubricant (water) worked just fine to get the zipper cleaned out and zippable when I put the tent away. However, that solution stopped working for some reason in January, and I've really been struggling to get the tarp to close. In fact, it was so hard that I just left it open several days when we were exploring the Mojave during the middle of winter.

It got so frustrating that I had several conversations with GFC - so sure was I that I was ready to make the jump. I still think I am, pending a few design issues with their v2 platform, but in the meantime, I figured out how to "fix" the zipper for just a little while longer - I used a pair of plyers to just slightly tighten the zipper mechanism - the thing that slides along the zipper - a little bit.

I did this after noticing that the plastic teeth of the zipper had worn away some of the paint and metal of the mechanism over time. I wondered if the decreased tolerance was just enough to mean that the mechanism didn't quite force the teeth together all the way, resulting in a "split zipper" situation. So far, after tightening the mechanism, it seems to be working again, though I continue to use water as lubrication every time I close the tarp.

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My Horn/Hazard Fuse has Blown Twice (new)
TL;DR - I think there's a short in one of my horns.

On my last couple of trips, I've noticed something strange. The first time, I was honking my horn at a couple of cows and suddenly everything went quiet - the horns had stopped working! I was pretty sure I blew a fuse (though I shouldn't have) but didn't worry too much about it - I don't use my horn all that frequently.

However, I later noticed that my hazards didn't work either. I use those more frequently when travelling to/from destinations and so I reasonably quickly swapped in a new fuse.

Then, it happened again on a second trip. I don't actually know when/how it happened the second time - I wasn't using my horn at all; I only noticed it when I went to turn on my hazards.

So, I likely have a short somewhere; my guess is in one of the horns (though, it's taken five years to manifest a problem; perhaps I've bumped the wiring in the work I've done recently). So, I'm going to be investigating and hopefully getting this sorted for the next adventure.

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Seemingly solved from previous Rig Reviews

1. My Headlights are Too Dim (fully resolved) - resolved as noted above.

Unchanged / Still an issue from previous Rig Reviews

There are some things that have been featured in Rig Reviews that are - as yet - unchanged from when I originally reviewed them. Rather than highlight those things again, I'll simply link to them here.

1. Oil Leaking from Transfer Case - I haven't done anything about this yet, though I seem to be getting less leakage.
2. The Windshield Has Seen Better Days - I plan to wait until summer to fix this, just so winter rocks, sand, etc. don't immediately destroy the new one.
3. Relentless Skid Plate Attachment - I haven't addressed this at all, yet, because I haven't needed the mid-skid in a while.
4. The Drawer in the In-Cab Battery Cabinet Rattles - unaddressed. Still rattles.

 

called it

 

LOL. All the stuff I built is just fine. It's the metal drawer slide that doesn't stay closed. I'll just replace it with wood.

They have to drive to rattle.

 

Bar of soap or bees wax to lube up zippers.
My soft topper zippers get quite cranky when dirty also.

 

I've had a few people suggest this. Question for everyone (i.e. I'd love more than one answer) - how do bee's wax or soap do as far as attracting dust/dirt? I've hesitated to put anything (except water) on the zippers for fear of it being a short term solution, with longer term consequences.

 

Soap worked for me temporarily as any rain etc washes it away. the wax lasts longer. But the AZ dust just gets in there anyways. It’s like a once a month thing for me.