Tuesday, February 12, 2019
The
holidays are ovet, and we’re already into February. We had 18” of snow on Friday, and more coming
in inches in the past few days. In
Sequim, I think they have 1 or maybe 2 snowplows, which haven’t yet found their
way to our subdivision. I’m not hopeful
for anytime soon.
The good news is that we’ve
finally allowed Truman to retire to warmth and comfort in our photo/laundry
room. The even better news is that we
are now the proud owners of TRUMAN 2.0.
He’s a shiny carbon fiber model, and weighs somewhat less than the original. His legs extend faster, and his head works
more easily. Which is not to say that
Truman wasn’t great and didn’t do the job.
It’s just that 2.0 is….. well…..
I don’t mean to sound disloyal here…. But 2.0 ROCKS!
Our first excursion with 2.0 involved hiking to a
waterfall; not a long hike, or a particularly tough one. However, I found myself unconsciously lifting
him up and down, weighing the difference.
And there was a difference. As
the old saying goes: “It’s the little
things that count.” Turns
out that few ounces make a difference.
And the feel of carbon fiber with a checkerboard finish is different,
and kind of nice. Little things!
When we stopped to bring 2.0 into action, it was pretty
amazing how quickly he set up, legs extended to an even higher level than was
possible before, so Jim could stand upright for his shots. I’m not sure that the photos were better, but
the soft groans were no longer present, which made things seem much happier.
The bottom line – Truman 2.0 has been adopted into our
photo family as a welcome addition. He
was a spendy little bugger, but he appears to be worth the investment. And for me, he has a nice hand-feel, weighs less,
looks cool, and makes me happy to carry the tripod.