This year, I have been focusing on adding a few things to my photography equipment and I hope to eventually start taking more pictures again.  I got out of the groove since we spend so much time at home now, but I want to give myself as much incentive as possible to get out and shoot.

While I love digital photos and viewing them on a screen, especially the new M4 iPad, there is still something to be said for analog.

I have been looking at some large printers like the Epson P700 and Canon Pro 1000 shown below (they just announced an update version of this printer) and they look amazing.  However, they both require a commitment to printing photos on a regular basis which has inherent costs.   Before I make that type of commitment without testing the waters, I wanted a test run (of sorts) with a small inexpensive printer first.   

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post

​Getting the Canon Selphy Printer up and running was fairly easy, though.  You scan a QR code to download an app to your phone, then you simply give it access to your iPhone's (which is the phone I used) photo library and start printing after running through a few steps to add the printer to your network.  

This has been a lot of fun right out of the gate.  I am not sure why, but something about holding a photo in hand makes it just feel more real.  It reminds me a bit of playing vinyl, but for me, photos make more of a difference because the entire experience is seeing it.  However, the tactile feel of both, with maybe a touch of nostalgia, provided a different kind of experience.

​I also bought a string of lights to hang in my open closet above the printer (photo of this at top of article) to show off some recent photos by clamping them to the string.  It will be so much fun filling up clips and then retiring a few to a photo album ( just added this one) and adding new photos along the way.  Of course, we also put some on the fridge and it is already putting a smile on my face.

As for a big printer, I am still going to hold off several months to see if I really want one.  The main issue will be just finding space for new, large photos, though we could afford to change out some old photos that we have had on display for years, so we will see how I feel in a few months.

With the Selphy printer, I also bought a kit that had a couple extra cartridges and extra paper.  I would recommend going this route to save some money up front and to not have to wait for this stuff to be delivered after you run out.   The initial cartridge, at least in my case, was empty after just a few photos were printed.

I am still trying to figure out the best settings.  They have a Selphy App that works on the iPhone for printing, but when I want to add the printer to my local WiFi, for printing from a Mac, the Selphy app no longer sees it.  That being said, I will mainly be printing from the app on my iPhone or iPad, but it’s nice to know I can switch to WiFi, if needed.  If I find a way around this issue, I will amend this post.  I believe Canon has a general app for printers, but I prefer the design of their Selphy app.

Outside of that, I just love the small footprint. It can fit just about anywhere you have a plug.  Actually, there is a battery you can buy separately, so I guess you could use it absolutely anywhere!  The photos look great from it and they are perfectly sized for clipping on a string, putting on the fridge, adding to a photo book, etc.  As I said, I will be doing all three.

Overall, I am really happy with this little guy.  Easy to use and great photos.   So far, I have mainly used it to capture personal memories and to hang them around to enjoy.   There is actually a lot of satisfaction in having a real photo in your hands.

The Pilates machine is nothing short of a miracle for many of its users.

Pilates can be done with or without the Reformer, but the design of the Reformer is incredible, since some heavy models sit in large gyms (above), while others can easily be slid under a bed or folded and rolled into a closet (below).  The main premise is lying on a bench and using bands and pulleys to strengthen the core, while stretching and strengthening other muscles.   It allows an individual to do several exercises while laying down, sitting, or kneeling which makes it perfect for those that have an injury or too much pain to stand up and exercise.

The beauty is that this machine can work every muscle while still, in the case with many of the designs, be put away when guests come by.  It can be ideal for someone living in a small apartment or someone without an extra exercise room, but still wants a full body workout.

My personal experience is with a foldable Aero Pilates 5 cord machine from HSN (similar 4 cord model here).  I have back problems and very tight hamstrings and calves from doing a desk job everyday and this was the best way to stretch them, while still doing resistance training.  This can provide a full body workout low impact workout.   The version I have is foldable, so it can be folded and rolled into a closet.  If you remove three pieces, it can fit under a bed, as well.

We just hit August, so I thought I would talk about some of my most invaluable gear this summer.  Of course, some of this is specific to my situation, but I am making this list long enough, so that it may give some an idea even if they aren't in my exact situation.  Of course, some of the items are great in all of the seasons, so this should not always be considered mutually exclusive.

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post

AirPods Pro 2 -  I jumped on the bandwagon when these came down in price during Amazon Prime sales.   My wife is a bird lover, so I usually don’t listen to my outdoor speakers when we are both out because she prefers hearing the birds chirp.  Anyone else have a significant other that will all the sudden say, "I hear a Chickadee"?  This happened in a Sprouts parking lot, recently. Personally, I like listening to music, but the transparent mode makes it easy to carry on a conversation as my music plays.  In other words, she can listen to birds and I can listen to Byrds.

Roll n' Jack Jeep top removal - I bought this while it was still available.  It seems to disappear for months on end.  In my opinion, this is safer and more flexible than a hoist.  I should know because I had a hoist installed by a local carpenter and it was great for a year.  All of a sudden, I was pulling down my jeep top onto the Jeep and the screw anchoring it came out of the wall!  Luckily, I wasn't hurt, but it left a small dent on my Jeep as a reminder.  This device isn't leaving anything to chance.  

Clearly Filtered Pitcher - Who knows the contaminants we are putting in our bodies by drinking water from the tap?   Also, I don’t like adding to the plastic in the world, so this served two purposes.  The water is cleaner and I don't have a need to carry around plastic bottles.  I also added a LARQ bottle to carry around when we leave the house.

Apple Watch Ultra - obviously this works great with AirPods (I mentioned above), but it is also nice in the pool since it works with laps and it even tells you the temperature of the water… in addition to all the other features use on a daily basis.

Kindle Paperwhite - great little reader I can take anywhere.  

Pool float - This is a necessity for my pool time.  This was the least expensive model I have seen, but still does the same job as those costing $50 more.

Morning coffee - there is just something perfect about morning coffee on the deck before the day gets too hot!  The photo below is from a trip.  At home, we use a Breville Espresso Machine.

Ninja Blender - smoothies! Yum!

Alpine outdoor speakers - when out in the pool, these add some nice ambiance.  

Canon Selphy Printer - so much fun to take photos and print them out as keepsakes.   

Misting outdoor fan - too hot, this offers some relief! 

Dolphin Pool cleaner - this makes the pool so easy to clean.  

Salt water - softer water with no red eyes! 

CRKT Squid Knife with Blade Assist - I often need a knife for opening salt bags, dirt bags, and many other things out in the yard.  Love the easy action on this little fella.

Crocs/Birkenstocks - My at home shoe combo.  When doing normal stuff around the house, I like the Birkenstocks and outside, especially in rain or when in the pool, I wear the always fashionable Crocs.  

iPod classic 160gb - when I want to completely unplug and chill.  I usually use with Ety ER4P earbuds or a pair of Grado SR60s with my 160GB iPod filled with Apple Lossless files.  

Weber Spirit S-315/Big Green Egg - the combo of a gas grill and smoker is awesome!

iPhone - the camera alone is worth the price of admission.  However, music, video, communication, etc.  Around here, even the flashlight comes in handy.

Sony camera/Rokinon - I thought about adding a smaller camera this year, but went with a smaller, 35mm f2.8 lens instead.   Love this combo for walking around during the summer. 

Good Bags -  for work, I carry a backpack.  For other stuff, I carry a Billlingham Hadley 2020 Pro camera bag.  I remove the insert if I am not carrying my camera.

Projector for movies - we have a projector for outdoors (below), but usually watch the 100 inch screen indoors.  Summer movie nights are fun.

Butcherbox - for the grill, it’s a pleasure to have good quality meat and seafood.  More food than gear, but its a necessity.

iPad 13 inch M4 - more vibrant than ever and easier to get stuff done outdoors.  The pencil is great for photography edits and notes, as well.

Sunglasses - When I have my contacts in, my two main sunglasses are probably 20 years old.  A pair of Raybans that wrap around the ears (great for bumpy Jeep rides, especially for hot days when the top is off) and below a pair of Persol sunglasses ( actually I have two pair - house and car).

Oakley glasses- when my contacts are out, I like having a pair of glasses that go indoors and out.  These have progeressive lenses, so covered without needing a pair of prescription sunglasses (though I have a pair from the Shaq line I keep in the Jeep for a possible emergency situation..I also keep a pair of past year's subscription glasses).  I need to be able to drive home if my glasses break or I lose a contact.

Cuisinart ice cream - make your own with less ingredients.

Fuji film camera - I have a film camera from 1965 that my dad handed down to me.  I have never used it, but I have a roll of film on the way, so looking forwarded to seeing if it it works. I have a more recent Canon P&S film camera here if the Fujika is a bust.  For summer, I always like to try something new and this year, one of those things is film.  

Adidas - These are probably my perfect summer shoe for leaving the house.  I bought a pair of Greats, that are better leather, but I still just prefer the iconic looks and the fit&feel of the Adidas.  

Game Controller - I am not a big gamer or anything, but with all the retro games coming to iOS and iPad OS, I was happy to have a controller that would fit my iPhone (in case) and my iPad (via an augmentation to the controller).

Pets and wife - Summer isn't the same without my little companions.

I am sure I left something off this list.  If I missed an essential, please let me know.  Enjoy your final days of summer!

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post

This is my second installment of my " Elegant Solutions series".  Please read more about this series here.

When I bought my first DSLR, the incredible Canon 20D, I started looking for a decent camera bag. 

Over the years, I have purchased camera bags of all sizes, including hard case designs from Pelican.  But when I first saw the Billingham Hadley Bags, I was awestruck!  Something about it just screamed out elegance.

In 1973, the Billngham bags were first created for fishing and hunting.  However, when the owners got word that there were New York photographers using fishing bags for camera gear, a light went off and they started creating camera bags.  When they were featured in Practical Photography Magazine, they had enough orders to fill their order books.

At first, I just could not afford one of these beautiful bags, but I eventually added it to my Amazon wishlist, where it remained for years.  However, recently I found out it wasn’t just a pretty face, but also very functional.   The water proofing layer in its design is pretty incredible.  Who wants to get their expensive camera gear soaked?

The large pockets, the removable camera insert, and the fact that opening the bag doesn’t require the loud process of pulling apart Velcro.  It’s a more elegant process of unhooking leather from brass. 

With the elegant looks, the timeless design, the fact that it can be used as an overnight bag, and the overall functionality, it is impossible to look at the Billingham Bags and not think about the elegant design.  I recently bought the Hadley Pro 2020, so a review is forthcoming. 

I recently wrote a review of the WiiM Ultra Streamer.  A few comments on the article lead me to believe there are a lot of people that do not understand why anyone would want to use AirPlay with such a device.  Below is an answer to some of those questions.

As I mentioned, I mainly use my WiiM devices with Amazon Music.  It offers hi res audio when streaming from a device like a phone or tablet.  Wonderful!

So why would anyone want AirPlay when seamingly all my basis for streaming are covered with Amazon?

Well, reason number 1 is that when using iOS and iPadOS, AirPlay is built into the system.   As a result, the numerous audio apps, even podcast apps like Overcast, can send to an AirPlay device.  As a result, on these platforms, AirPlay has you covered.  In other words, AirPlay is flexible and not limited to one app.

Also, on iOS and iPadOS, you can link together any AirPlay devices you might own for multi room audio.  This is built into the control center of iOS and iPad OS.

Macs are similar, AirPlay devices show up right in the sound options.  Click an AirPlay device and audio flows to that device.  It is a very easy way of listening to have any audio playing through your sound system.  Sure, if you use Chrome on MacOS, there are workarounds with some apps that have web versions, but all audio apps I am aware of can use AirPlay.  

The same can be said of controlling things from the Apple Watch.  Even using Amazon Music, you can open the link to show the speakers you have available to send the signal.  All Airplay products are available right there on the watch screen.

What about Bluetooth?

There is no lossless version of Bluetooth.  Bluetooth has a more limited range and Bluetooth does not have the multi room capabilities built into these popular operating systems.


AirPlay is mp3 quality

Apple can use 256k AAC files when streaming from an AirPlay 2 device to another AirPlay 2 device.  The thing is, in some cases that won’t matter.  When listening to podcasts or a news article being read, as two popular examples, I don’t need lossless, but I just want it to play on my streamer and I don’t want the hassle of Bluetooth (which is usually not as seamless as Airplay on Apple devices).

Secondly, some apps, like Amazon ( at least as I write this) send out audio using AirPlay 1 protocol.  This will send to multiroom audio AirPlay 2 devices in a lossless format, up to 24/48k.  

When you share a house with someone it helps when things are easy to use.  AirPlay qualifies.  Airplay 2 can work with Siri and a HomePod without ever opening a phone “ Siri, play Beatles in cave”.


Apple Music

If data from 2022 still holds true, Apple Music is the second largest paid music streaming service in the world and USA.   I personally have a subscription to Apple Music and Amazon Music.  Why?  Apple Music, to my tastes, has a much better interface, works with Siri, works with CarPlay, and it’s bundled into other services we use.  It comes bundled with a family plan and my wife also uses it.  On top of the interface, it has music I matched available when I am away from home and it has playlists that we enjoy.  The AppleTV app also works with Siri.  

I have Amazon Music for hi res streaming to WiiM when I am in the mood.  The interface may be the worst of any I have tried.  However, it works for albums when I know what I want to hear and I like the Alexa integration (especially with the Ultra's remote).  It is also cheaper than Tidal and Qobuz with a Prime membership.

Why not just use Apple Music via direct connection? 

I had my iPad setup to play Apple Music via direct connection in my office for over a year and it gave me hi res lossless streaming in my favorite music app.  I still have it available and use it with the WiiM Ultra via a more direct connection. 

However, quite often, I would find myself trying to decide on whether or not I wanted to continue using the iPad for music or to take it off the stand and use it for note taking, editing photos, etc.  The old Wiim Mini in my office was my backup, but this device looks better, has a better DAC, and has a headphone output alongside EQ and PEQ.   Without all of these features, I would have kept the WiiM Mini in the space.  This also allows me to move the WiiM Mini to my headphone setup in the living room.   My old Yamaha WXC-50 isn’t compatible with Amazon Music, so this gives me that feature.  

Workarounds

The main workarounds to use AirPlay with the WiiM Ultra are to connect an AirPlay device to it or to use Multi-room audio in the mix ( you can AirPlay to a WiiM with AirPlay enabled and link it to the Ultra).   Personally, I dug an old  1st Gen AirPort Express out of a drawer and connected it to the optical input. 

I didn’t need multi-room audio for this setup, since the receiver in the room has an AppleTV connected and it also has AirPlay built in.  This will mainly be for headphone use and convenience since my receiver will inevitably sit on the Ultra Input most of the time. 

If you mainly listen on a Mac and want a way around the issue, outside of a direct connection, some audio apps have web versions of their music app.  For example, Apple Music and Amazon both have web versions of their music apps.  You can open them in a Chrome browser and Cast the signal to the Ultra.

Wrap Up

As I mentioned in the WiiM Ultra review, I have many options for getting an audio signal into the Ultra.   Will I be using Airplay very often?  No, I won't because I will mainly be listening to Amazon Music.  However, do I want the option available? Yes, I may want to stream a podcast or something to the Ultra and having an Airport Express feeding it, solves that problem.  Can I live without Airplay?  In this implementation I could, but why do that when it is so easy to add it, one way or another...at least with the devices I already have in my house?   I would not spend money to fix the issue, though. I would just deal with Bluetooth instead.

I have three other Wiim music streaming devices, but when I first heard about this device, I knew I would want it.

​My use case is that I wanted WiiM Ultra for my office setup, so below I will describe how I am using it and how those things work.

This is by far the most important feature and I would not have purchased the Ultra if it did not work with Amazon.  That being said, it works great with my Amazon Music app and its casting feature.  This works for hi res files, as well.

As a side feature, I have an Amazon Show in my office and it can control what is playing in the Ultra with Alexa voice commands.   Also, the included remote has Alexa built in.

Before I move on to many other features, it should be mentioned that unlike other Wiim devices, this device does not have AirPlay.  That would have made it perfect for now and into the near future, but I guess you can’t have everything.  

​I don’t plan to use it with AirPlay very often, but I dug through some drawers and found my old AirPort Express and connected it to the optical input.  It does AirPlay 1, which I prefer to Apple Music to AirPlay 2 in this setup.  In short, AirPlay 1 is lossless up to 24/48 with Apple Music and AirPlay 2 is lossy 256k files with Apple Music. 

As a side note, if you have another Wiim device, you could connect it directly to the Ultra or you could Airplay to the other device (if it is in another system) and then link them in the Wiim app and get Airplay to the Ultra that way.

I have a Mac Mini with a HiDisz S8 DAC, an iPad connected to a Topping DAC, and a Tivoli radio that are going through a TC 754 preamp and feeding the line in of the Ultra.  This works great for my different needs in the space.  The line in, from what I understand goes through an analog to digital to analog conversion, but what comes out still sounds great.   In any mode where you use a line in, you will not get album art, but you can use the VU Meter if you want to see something on the screen.

As with the RCA inputs, this also goes through digital conversion.  I know some purest would not want to subject their vinyl to this conversion, and I was also hesitant, but I am happy with it for now.  After more listening, if I don’t like it, I can run it through my TC 754 pre-amp ( which also has a phono stage) and split the preamp output so one goes to the Wiim Ultra and the other goes directly into my receiver.  This will allow me to keep analog in its domain when I wish, but still be able to feed all of these signals into the Wiim so I can mess with the Equalizer and PEQ settings.  The best of both worlds. 

I have Audirvana on my Mac that houses my main music library.  I can send audio from it directly to the Ultra or using DLNA.  The upside to DLNA is that I get album art in the Ultra display. 

As a side note, you can use the meter with inputs that have album art, as well.  

​I also tested the Home Server link built into the Wiim app.  It connected to my Plex and LMS servers without issue.

I have a Google Home that is in my office, as well.  I have actually had it unplugged, but booted it up and tested casting to the Ultra by voice and it worked great.

As I mentioned, this worked with Alexa.  The remote is only a few buttons, but also covers some basic commands like play and pause.  It also has some presets you can assign.

The headphone out gives me a second headphone amp in my office.  I have a tube amp that sits next to it.  The two sound quite a bit different, so it allows me to use the one that fits my needs at the moment.   I use it with AKG K701s and they get plenty loud.  I do plan on working with the EQ to tailor the sound to my liking.  For now, I just used their preset for bass boost and it sounded better.  The AKG's are a more detailed headphone that, to my taste, sound better with a bit more bass in the signal.

Other than the lack of AirPlay built into the WiiM Ultra, I could not be happier.  It serves all of my other needs and sounds great doing it.   

​Extra:  I did mentioned multi-room linking in the Airplay section above, but one thing to be considered is that when you feed phono or a line input into the Wiim Ultra, you can now share it with other Wiim devices in the house.  It is pretty cool to listen to vinyl in rooms without a turntable.  Of course, you still have to get up and go in the other room to flip the record, but it is what it is.