Audi TT, Kananaskis

DSCF3283, a photo by Bob McKerrell on Flickr.

Near Highwood pass at the trailhead parking lot.

Via Flickr:
Fuij X100, Kananaskis hiking 2011-11-12

Audi TT drive on the Icefield Parkway

I decided last weekend to head out to Bow summit to do a little snowshoeing and have a drive. I do a lot of travel and adventuring in the mountains, it's one of my favourite places to be.
Audi had an article a month ago in their newsletter describing a must do drive along the Banff-Jasper Parkway in the winter and how a capable vehicle like the Quattro line of Audi's would make the trip safe and enjoyable trip in winter. I love the way my car handles in the mountains and having some snow and ice around adds to the fun. As I pulled out of the parking area at Bow summit another Audi was pulling in and I gave them a friendly wave. A few minutes later they were behind me flashing their lights frantically. Turns out that it was a group of creatives from Northstar, an advertising company that works with Audi in the UK (www.thisisnorthstar.com) They wanted to interview me and take some pictures for the very article I was thinking about as I drove through the Parkway.
Here are some pics from that trip. Hope you enjoy.  Oh yeah..if you own an audi treat yourself to one of the most beautiful drives you can take. Pack some food and some hot chocolate.

Snowshoeing in Avalanche country, Kananaskis,

 It was a great day of snowshoeing and creating pictures of great landscapes, listening to the avalanches ripping down the slopes. These are from the Canon 5DMk2 and the Fuji X100. I was staying safe by just following the road up to the campsite. Rating was a 4/5 for avalanche even in the treeline (challenging) sections with little exposure.

Bob McKerrell's Flickr Photostream

Bob McKerrell's photostream on Flickr.

Fuji X100 Kananaskis hike to Elbow Lake. What a great day!

And the decision is.....Fuji X100 !!

I finally made up my mind on the replacement compact camera after much debate I went with the Fuji X100. Large sensor and fixed lens is awesome. It will prevent me from buying "extra" lenses as well as forcing me to take more time to frame my shots. It looks so cool too all retro and stuff.
There was a lot said on the web about what a finicky camera this is but I have to say after shooting with it for a couple of days the rumors are not true. From the box it was updated with the 1.11ver firmware and runs without issue. I would say that you should spend an evening with the manual and just play with the settings and get used to the menu so you can have fun with it the rest of the time. Not that the menu is that difficult but that there is some really cool stuff in there you won't use unless you know its there. Panoramas, Film modes and 3 stop Neutral Density filter to mention a few.
For just walking around the A settings are pretty good for snapshots and then endless manual settings for creative shooting. The leaf shutter is awesome for xsync up to 1/1000sec!  You can force the built in flash and make the camera do pretty much manually whatever want including screwing up shots. I have to say this is the funnest camera ever. The auto focus could be faster but if you want that speed then shoot with your DSLR. It's fast enough that you will grab all but the most demanding of subjects.
The X100 inspires you to take pictures of things and places you wouldn't normally shoot if you were carrying a DSLR but allows to you to get much better shots than any point and shoot.
I really liked my Pana LX5 but I think the X100 has the perfect mix of Art and Science with an extra cool retro look. Any hesitation I had about this camera was immediately erased when I started shooting and replaced by a "kid with a new toy" feeling!
Silent mode is super cool!
Hybrid view finder is super cool!
Full manual is super cool!
Manual Focus...don't even bother..use the AF lock button or risk carpal tunnel syndrome from the million turns of the dial. (only disappointment)

Here are some examples I cropped to look like medium format.