Tom Karlo - Karlo.Org

Video: Backcountry Fishing, Islamorada

Just a quick travelog video I threw together from some footage I shot while on a trip with my father down to Islamorada, FL for some backcountry fishing last month. It's amazing what you can do with a handheld compact camera these days; much of this was shot with a pocket-sized Pentax waterproof camera I bring along for fishing and skiing.

About the only thing I wish the cameras had was a microphone with a better windscreen; a tiny shotgun mic with a "dead cat" furry windscreen would do wonders for the audio when you're out on the water.

Great for travel: Fujifilm X10 Compact

Over the years I've found myself moving towards using smaller cameras instead of my DSLR - especially when travelling, As much as the dSLR maximizes image quality, it's a drag carrying around 5-10 lbs of camera and lenses, and the quality of smaller cameras like the Panasonic GF1 is getting closer and closer. (The big exception being shooting any kind of action.) The new Fujifilm X10, coming out next week, is another option - even smaller than the GF1, but with a large sensor for a compact and great styling. At $600, it's not ludicrously expensive either -- and the price will probably drop to $500 or less in a couple of months.

The early previews seem good - if the image quality is decent, this will be a new top pick as a pocketable option for digital photographers.

Mini Rocket Concept Car

Mini - Rocketman Concept from PostPanic on Vimeo.

Marissa and I both love the Mini Cooper (she has an S with stick shift, I'm a little too tall to drive one full-time.) I also like the new Mini Countryman ALL4 with its four doors and four-wheel drive, although Marissa doesn't like the styling. Mini has a new concept car they're showing in Geneva called the Rocket that isn't bad either, although as a concept car the styling is a little "out there" for a car that depends on having a somewhat retro vibe.

Panasonic GF1 Field Test: 16 Days in the Himalayas.

"The GF1 is a near perfect travel camera."

Craig Mod's fantastic [travelogue / photo-essay / camera review](http://craigmod.com/journal/gf1-fieldtest/). Earlier this year I wrote why [I suspect I'm not going to travel with an SLR any more](http://karlo.org/2009/05/why-i-may-have-traveled-with-a.html); getting this camera would just seal the deal.

Over the Falls

Over the Falls, originally uploaded by karlo.

From my trip to Oregon a few weeks ago - this one was left forgotten in the camera in the middle of all the chaos of moving to LA.

Mt. Adams

IMG_1017, originally uploaded by karlo.

At the summit of the Sleeping Beauty Trail, with Mt. Adams in the distance.

Just before sunrise, Rio Negro

_PIC2492, originally uploaded by karlo.

A few minutes before the sun rising over the archipelagos of the Rio Negro, north of Manaus.

Turns out a few shots were left in my camera from the trip, don't know how I missed them.

Pool, Sag Harbor

Pool, Sag Harbor, originally uploaded by karlo.

Shooting in the Rain Forest

Yeah, there's solid ground on this Amazon archipelago. It's just 50 feet underwater right now. Mind that first step with your $5000 worth of camera gear.

Almost all of my photography is urban or indoors - these are a few tips gleaned from my recent vacation down to the Rio Negro in Brazil, in the Amazon rain forest. You may find them useful if you're a semi-serious photographer planning a trip to a tropical, non-beach destination.

Why I May Have Traveled with an SLR for the Last Time

On my recent trip to Brazil to visit the rain forest and Rio de Janiero, I carried a lot of photo gear by some standards, and very little by others. It'll sound like a lot when I list it out; in comparison to previous extended overseas trips, it was actually less than usual.