This is a comparison of SIgma DP1 and Ricoh GX-100 on the same scene. Tripod, 10-sec self-timer, in-camera AF. Both shot in RAW, SIgma's image dumped to 16-bit TIF from SPP without any adjustment. All further processing in Lightroom (exposure, clarity, vibrance, sharpening). From the specs, the 10 Mpix Ricoh should have a resolution advantage over the 4 Mpix Sigma. To see how the two cameras really stack up against each other, check out the 100% crops below.
100% crops from both images. Ricoh image was downsized to match Sigma (bicubic inperpolation, linear interpolation produces marginally crisper image, but the difference is insignificant). Overall- not even close. There is a very pronounced difference in the crispness of the image and the level of detail that DP1 can pull out Where Ricoh's image just looks smeared in comparison. Keep in mind that GX100 is a VERY VERY good point and shoot and is considered to be one of the best in terms of image quality. It is clear that DP-1 is a breakthrough camera that really competes with DSLRs on image quality.
Demo report: Westcomb Mirage Special Edition jacket . According to my usual gear rumors source (i.e. Max), Westcomb is a very interesting company: an offshoot or Arcteryx design team who created their own company to make garments using EVent- the supposedly different waterproof laminate that is vastly more breathable. I saw a few high-resolution electron microscopy pictures of the new membrane and I am a believer-it does look radically more open than GoreTex. As you can see from the picture, the jacket is short, so if your pants are not waterproof, the Mirage won't help you on a wet chairlift. The first thing you notice picking up the jacket is how light and thin it is. it really reminds me of the PacLight garments, but the fabric is a full 3-layer type laminate. After you get past the initial "flimsiness" feeling you notice little detail such as microripstop fabric, etc. This jacket is probably tougher than it looks. Another good feature is the curved main zipper that protects your chin (a questionable feature but it works well enough). The main surprise of this jacket is how cold it feels. Granted, that was an unusually cold day for Tahoe, but still, I was wearing a lot more layers than I usually wear and I was barely warm. However, I was never sweaty, despite doing a few aggressive runs, so by the first impression EVent works. Mirage is a fairly minimalist jacket in the Arcteryx tradition, so the pocket space is quite limited, there is only one small iPod pocket on the inside that is perfect for a credit card and not much else. A googles pocket or just another bigger mesh pocket on the inside would have been very useful. So will be pit zips, although I have to yet feel a need for them. A powder skirt is probably another necessity given the short cut (apparently regular edition of the Mirage has it). Because of that I will end up using my GoreTex shell on real powder days and very cold days, but so far it is a big thumbs up for the Mirage. UPDATE: This jacket is indeed incredibly breathable, I wore it at Squaw when it was 60 degrees, and I didn't feel any need for pitzips. EVent is really breathable indeed.
Back in the New England... Playing snow ninja at Okemo, VT; It was bitterly cold on that day, or so I felt after 10 years of skiing on the West Coast. It was interesting to experience East Coast skiing one more time- the winding narrow trails, the machine-packed artificial snow, the bitter cold, the incredibly crowded base lodges where you feel like eating in your neighbors' lap, and the feeling of doing stupidly fast GS turns on a steep icy hill surrounded by trees... (Photo by Max Noy)
Hawaii is a great place! We stayed all the time on Maui (4 days is not much even for one island). My advice to anyone who goes to hawaii is to buy one the blue "revealed" guidebooks (i.e. "Maui Revealed"); they are great and some of the advice they give could save you major headache. For example, the book told us not to swim at Kihei beaches (pictured here at sunset) which looked inviting and refreshingly devoid of crowds. The same book also told about the fantastic Poolenalena Beach in Wailea which has terrific swimming, even better snorkeling with lots of fish and turtles. Despite having all that, it is nearly empty while the neighboring Wailea beach is a zoo of double-parked cabanas, beach volleyball and the residents of the adjacent Four Seasons resort.
Yeah, this is Hawaii, about two hours from the warm sand of Poolenalena Beach. We are up Haleakala, the 3,000 meter (10,000 ft) volcano on Maui. The photo looks down into the Haleakala Valley that is supposed to be quite pretty. In our case it was similar to walking on the moon surface in thick fog. it was cold, wet, and utterly uninviting. We didn't see much but what we saw didn;tquite lived up to what we saw at the Tongariro crater in New Zealand. My advice for Maui- stick to the beach ;-) The image- Rebecca is holding a piece of vocanic rock