Test Fit...

 

We did a "test fit" of the Beddy's bedding in the Roadtrek today.  Joan is still working on cutting a quilt to fit that will be a bed cover when we're using the beds as our couches.  Here's a look:

The bed on the right with the Beddy's, the left bed is the tan leather...

 I was originally not in favor of covering that pretty leather, but this makes more sense on how we will use it.  In the photo above, the bolsters (backrests) are out.  Odds are pretty good those will stay out; again, the bolsters look great, but take up a LOT of room when you move them to make that area into twin beds.

Covering the passenger side bed with a mattress pad Joan cut to fit...

The Beddy's put in on both sides...

Adding some pillows...

The bedding has sheets top and bottom that unzip to take out for washing.  The ends of the beds (at the far end in the photo) raise up to make a recliner of sorts (that's a Roadtrek feature).  Some people use these fans for day-tripping, so the seating is more essential than the fact that they make into beds.

Next step: trying a quilt on the left side...

The quilt will be the bed cover so we don't grub up the bedding while sitting back there.  There will be another one on the right side when Joan is done with it.  I think the quilt is a good compliment in color and style.  We picked out the colors/patterns on the bedding and quilt to match the tan on the walls, gray flooring and cabinets, and the white countertop.

Without the leather bolsters in there, we need to have something to make it comfortable for sitting.  We tried a couple things that are made for sitting up in bed, but they weren't comfortable.  Joan suggested that we use pillows so we can add, subtract, and move them around as needed... that worked out to be comfortable and looks good.  We have shams that match the quilt and the Beddy's.  They will go behind our backs as necessary when sitting, then moved to the head of the bed for sleeping.

Joan is deciding how to shape and stitch the quilt so it won't move around when we're driving.  That's in the works currently...

Overhyped...

 

If you look through YouTube videos much (I do), you will see that word: overhyped.  A lot.  As in: "Is this the most overhyped camera this season?" or "Is Tail of the Dragon the most overhyped motorcycle road?" or "Is this video camera Overhyped or is it Truly the Best?" or "Is the Emerald X20 the most overhyped carbon fiber guitar?"

You could say that the word Overhyped is... overhyped.  ;-)

I have been watching a lot of DJI Pocket 3 videos on YouTube... this camera may be overhyped, because there seem to be more people using this camera than any other recent cameras, based on the seemingly endless numbers of videos either using or featuring this camera.

Whew!  It's good to learn about the features, but when it comes to determining exposure or color balance, I have a bit of experience in that area... from back in the day when everything on our studio cameras was full manual.  Including the focus.

It has been interesting learning another new camera.  I don't think the features and use have been overhyped.

 

Oh, I just saw another video pop up: "Cut through the hype - a 6 month review of the DJI Pocket 3."  ;-)

 

Murphy enjoying some outdoor time...

 

Joan is progressing with the bedding for the van.  Murphy and I are staying out of her way, unless summoned.  Murphy likes to get some outdoor time before he settles in to have his supper.  The sun gave way to overcast, but the weather is still lovely - into the low 70s again today.  Murph likes to "hang out" when it isn't cooking or freezing out there.

I got my Sony camera out, along with the 85mm lens - that's my favorite combination.  Time to get a few stills of the furry boy...

 "You're probably wondering why I called you here - we need to talk about supper."  And then, checking under the gate...

"There's people walking by out there!  They have a dog... do you want me to chase them?"  No, Murph, it is not nice to chase dogs.  (He chased Elsie around the yard last night.)

Some images while sitting on the pavers...

This is his Robert De Niro impersonation...

Walking about...

Doing his Lion King impersonation...

He's quite entertaining.  Then, back inside and time for his supper.

A Bed On A Bed...

 

Joan's latest project: working on a bedding solution in the van.  Some decisions to be made.  In researching, I found a company named Beddy's that has zip-on/zip-off bedding.  It is not made specifically for RVs, but they had a lot of reviews from RVers.  The other option would be for Joan to make something specifically for those beds.  We have tried blanket/sheets and sleeping bags... neither was a good solution: the leather is pretty, but it is slick.  Anything you put on top of it is going to slide around if you turn over in your sleep.  And, I do.

We have decided that making the beds up each night and putting away the bedding each morning isn't what we want to do.  That means covering that pretty tan color Italian leather seating/bed surface.  I have to admit, that leather was one of the things that attracted me to this model.  I have been dragging my feet on a solution that would hide that leather.

I asked about bedding solutions on a Roadtrek group on Facebook that we belong to - and received a lot of helpful responses.  Beddy's products received a good amount of positive reviews, some suggested using a daybed quilt, about the same number suggested sleeping bags.  We decided to go for the Beddy's.  The twin bed size is a pretty close fit for our beds.

We brought one of the sleeping mats (not really a mattress) in the house and started fitting things...

Fortunately, we have Murphy to help us with all this bedding stuff (playing in the covers while the bed is being made is his absolute favorite thing)...

Joan is cutting and sewing a queen size mattress pad to put over the leather, and then the Beddy's bedding will go on top of that.  The key to making this all work: having that surface comfortable for sleeping and for sitting on (those beds are our couches during the day).  Joan will be adding a quilt over the top of each bed that will be fitted; and can be used as an extra blanket if we are somewhere that it is cold.

It's a good plan, one that should work well for our use.  It is going to take some time.  I will be doing my part by trying to keep Murphy out from under foot while Joan is working on all this.  In legal terms, I think this would be considered "an attractive nuisance" from Murphy's perspective.  And will likely be several days in the process.

I'll post some photos when the project is done.

Looking back towards the couches/beds...

It's a Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood...

 

If you said, "Mr Roger's Neighborhood," you get 10 bonus points.  If you added: "Would you be my neighbor?" you get an additional 10 bonus points.

It was a lovely day in the desert - a high of 72º and abundant sunshine.  An outing so I could try out the new camera (DJI Pocket 3) in a moving vehicle; we had a few errands to run, so it worked out.  Joan drove, I filmed.  Does anyone use the verb "filmed" anymore?  When one runs a video camera, there is no film, so I guess, technically, I "data-ed."  But, again I digress.

I shot way more video than necessary, anxious to see how the Pocket 3 does with the movement in the car.  Spoiler Alert: I'm impressed.  I'll put together some video later.  Here's a still from the Pocket 3, looking out the windshield...

Crisp image, good color.

After taking care of our errands, we had lunch at Oregano's; Joan was feeling like salad, I could easily be talked into pizza.  They have a basket of fortune cookies there - no, I don't know why an Italian eatery has fortune cookies.  I think the cookie got my fortune right...

 And more camera testing on the way home.  We tried the camera with the DJI Mic 2 wireless mics and with the internal mic in the camera.  I had concerns that there might be some "bouncing" with the footage - a gimbal (this DJI is made with the camera on a gimbal).  For those not familiar with using a gimbal, it does a great job of physically stabilizing camera movement.  But, most consumer gimbals still have an issue with "the up and down" movement.  In fact, there is a technique for walking with a camera on a gimbal: the "ninja walk"... knees slightly bent, heel and toe walking, trying to keep your upper body and arms from bouncing while you walk.  Really, it's a thing.  And while trying to hold a lightweight camera in a moving vehicle, as you go over bumps and imperfections in the road, there is going to be some up and down movement.

We'll see how the test video turns out.

When we got home, I downloaded the videos to my laptop, did a very brief look, breathed a sigh of relief, then decided to get out for some scooter time...

This was shot with the DJI Action 4, a true "action camera."  It uses software stabilization - a very different camera from the Pocket 3.  The Pocket 3 has a longer focal length.  It will have a different function from my other action and 360 cameras.

A couple stills from the scooter ride...

Check back here later for another "private" test video from the car.  A good day!

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Here's the raw video we shot in the Equinox...

 No, this won't be going onto Facebook or any other social media - this was a test for me to see if the Pocket 3 camera could keep the footage smooth in a moving vehicle - yep.  I'm pleased with how the camera (and the mics) did - we'll be ready to use this when we get out and about in the Roadtrek.  I am liking this camera!

Woohoo - 2 videos in one day.  One test, the other just for the fun of it.

 

A chilly start...

 

30º this morning.  Joan went to the grocery store.  Murphy and I went out into that brisk desert morning.  I brought the new camera to see how it would do following Murphy (tracking).  The boy can move faster than the camera operator... and the camera is only as good as its operator.

I was impressed with how smooth the video was - the stabilization with the built-in gimbal is good.  It's a different look from the software stabilization on my other cameras.  I think this is going to be a good addition.

Here are a few still images of the outing...

 The image above is a jpg, taken as a still.  Decent resolution, but still photos are not this camera's forte.  The images below are stills taken from video...

Images taken in Steph and Dan's yard, 'cause that's where Murphy likes to go.  No dog to stalk; she went to work with them.

An Outing...

 

Pretty exciting stuff: we're heading to Sam's Club and Costco.  I know - all this on a Monday?  How are you gonna keep us down on the farm?

I was determined to try another video capture with my Sony a6700 camera.  In the car.  No, not while I'm driving... Joan took the helm so I could shoot...

 Heading off the Loop 202, towards I-10...

And into traffic on the surface streets...

I won't be showing the 7 video clips I took.  Even at my advanced age ("Oh, come on, Jim, you aren't that old!"  Thank you for sucking up.), I am pretty good at holding a camera steady.  The movement in the car is more than the IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization) of the a6700 can handle.  Looking at the screen on the camera made me queasy... looking at the video files was almost painful.  So, that's a big nope.

That said, the Sony does a great job, even with hand-held video (as long as you aren't in a moving car).  But, I'd like to shoot video through the windshield of a moving car (or Roadtrek van).  So, while at Costco, we picked up another video contraption... more on that when we get a chance to use it.

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The camera mentioned above is another DJI - the Osmo Pocket 3.  It is not an action camera, in the traditional sense: not rugged, not waterproof.  But, it does have a built-in gimbal... in fact, it is the camera and gimbal from one of DJI's drones.  This has a bigger sensor than my other action cameras, the lens is 20mm (significantly less wide angle); like my other action cameras, it is controllable from my phone or you can use the viewing screen to run the camera.

It remains to be seen (and used) if this unique camera can capture video from a moving vehicle.  According to what I've seen online, it can.  May be a while before I can run a good test on that.

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A short test of the tracking on the Pocket 3...

Nothing fancy.  Another "unlisted" video for proof of function.  You can set the tracking feature on this camera - select a subject by dragging a box around it on the screen, and the camera will follow that subject, thanks to the built-in gimbal.  I'm thinking this might be useful on the back of one of the scoots for filming the other bike.