It's been a while since I've read SVI's pitch, but they're all high on themselves about updating the design and bringing the 1911 a century ahead. I'll post it up if I remember to dig it up tomorrow.

 

erhmagerd, gear! But in all seriousness, you do not have enough gear.

Okay, honestly, that setup(all of them) is truly well thought out and amazing. Great pics man, but why do you have different goggles and gloves just for different patterns or even totally different loadouts? I get having different things for different loadouts, like bigger vests or different items for different environments, but different gloves and goggles? I dont get it.

Also, is the fixed front sight on the Systema an annoyance when aiming? does it get in the way? Im asking because I have a KWA that im doing a Block I build on(nobody does Block I, strangely) and Im going to use a replica 552, so it will look almost exactly like your Systema, so I wanted to know if hindered aiming.

 

I seem to have acquired a lot of goggles due to good deals and good timing.

T-800 #1: My first real, good goggles. And they're freaking great, too. Botach used to sell them for between $13-$20 per pair, I should have bought 10 pair. Bolle discontinued them

X-1000: Botach had a similar, but much shorter lived deal on these. I grabbed them thinking that they would replace my T-800s when they finally were too scratched to use (a low threshold for me). They fogged a lot more than my T-800s, I don't use them much.

Tan ESS Turbofans: They're either fakes or factory seconds with minor defects (a lot of speculation that they were, with some pretty good evidence). I had heard great things, they were $25, and the X1000s didn't pay off. I bought them to replace my T-800s. They're pretty great, as expected.

Black ESS Turbofans and ESS Profiles: Freebies for writing reviews, legitimate goggles and both are very nice.

T-800 #2: My teammate was selling a couple pairs and I saw it as an opportunity to replace the greatest set of goggles I had ever used (okay, other than the legit Turbofans, those things are fog-proof). Again, got them cheap.

I only have two pair of gloves. I had the black Mechanix, but used them while I was laying hardwood floor in my house and wore through them. I replaced them with Covert Mechanix. When I bought those, the Multicam Mechanix didn't exist. Then the Multicam Mechanix were released and I had to have 'em. So now I have two pairs of gloves.

The Eotech 512 cowitnesses with the FSP, so it doesn't get in the way at all. It's almost like it was designed that way. Keep in mind though that the real Eotech doesn't have parallax and the dot says in the same place relative to the world no matter where your head is. Your fake dot will have parallax and where your place your head my move the dot far enough down so that it's obscured by the FSP.

 

Thankie for the write up. My friend has a broken 553 and a perfect 552 he bought from Newegg (they sell computer parts. I found want to build a gaming pc, Newegg is the way to go. They sell little odd and ends, and they are the only site I've seen to have replica eotech s consistently in stock), and his is parallax corrected. At least, the dot doesn't move.

 

Is that Springfield Armory 1911 a TM base?

+1 for your pictures... Those are good.

Now that the TL stuff is out of the way... What is your opinion on the Nikon D3200?

 

Thank you, and yeah the Springfield MEU is built from a TM MEU.

So, I haven't used the D3200 yet, but I do own the D3100. The D3100 is a fine introduction to DSLR photography, but I found that I grew out of it pretty much as soon as I started learning photography as a real hobby. It doesn't have terribly ergonomic controls, it's lacking a lot of useful features, and the picture quality in low light, even with a fast prime lens, is poor. The D3200 has a much better sensor with better low light performance, but it's still the lowest tier DSLR Nikon has to offer. It's not feature rich and manipulating the controls is cumbersome. I also think that the grip on the D3XXX is way too small to be comfortable (personally, I'd even like my D7100 grip to be a little deeper), and I have kind of small hands for a 6' man.

I didn't realize how cumbersome the D3XXX design was until I got used to using my D7100. You've got two control dials instead of one and one button access to all of your important features. On the D3XXX models, you have to use the menu on the rear LCD to navigate to your settings. On the D7XXX line, the buttons for your key settings are at your fingertips. The top LCD and the view finder gives you all of the information that you need. Using the D7100 has made me never want to pick up my D3100 ever again.

All that said, the entry level DSLRs from every major brand will get you good pictures these days. When you lower your price point, you're sacrificing features, convenience, and ergonomics. You're not sacrificing image quality anymore (okay, crop sensors are always going to have more noise than full frame sensors, but you're also talking about a whole new level of pricing).

Also, the 18-55mm kit lens is junk.

If I were buying a camera on a budget, I'd get the D7000 (or D7100 the price just dropped because Nikon released the D7200, which only really improves the buffer and little else) and a Sigma 17-50 f/2.8.

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D7000-DSLR-Body-Only/dp/B0042X9LC4

http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-D7100-24-1-DX-Format-Digital/dp/B00BI9X7UC/

http://www.amazon.com/Sigma-17-50mm-2-8-Aperture-Nikon/dp/B003A6NU3U/

If the lens is too steep and you don't mind giving up the flexibility of a standard zoom lens, the Nikkor 35 f/1.8 lens costs $200 new (you can get them used for cheaper) and is crazy sharp for the price. I got it for my D3100 and pretty much never take it off. The only reason it stays in my bag now is because I picked up the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 Art, which is insanely good.

 

Thanks!

I have read a lot on the Nikkor 35 lens... There is one I saw on craigslist.com for 58 dollars in like new condition. *happy*

That D7000 is a little stiff... I can get a D3200 for a lot less. (~$300 all told, sans lens.)

I shall now have to find a new way to make enough money to swing photography, airsoft, mountain biking, etc. *sigh*

I appreciate the writeup!


Cheers,

ZS1YB

 

So uh, it's been about a year huh?

 

You're getting too good at those photos man. Keep up the good work.