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Think Tank updates its Hydrophobia rain covers, introduces new compact ‘Emergency’ line

19 Sep

Think Tank Photo has released the latest versions of its Hydrophobia rain covers and introduced a new pair of compact rain covers it calls the Emergency Rain Cover.

The Hydrophobia V3.0 Rain Covers come in five different configurations to fit various DSLR cameras and Sony full-frame mirrorless camera setups. In Think Tank Photo’s own words, the Hydrophobia V3.0 Rain Covers are ‘considered the most protective weather protection on the market.’

Hydrophobia V3.0 Rain Covers are made of a three-layer material and feature a DWR coating for extra protection against moisture. The stitches across the entire cover are seam-sealed and a rainproof front element cover is included so your lens doesn’t get splashed when sitting idle.

If you don’t feel like carrying an all-out solution for keeping your gear dry, Think Tank Photo has also released a new thinned-out version of its rain covers. They’re called Emergency Rain Covers and as the name suggests, they’re a more compact, lightweight solution for keeping your gear safe from the elements in emergency situations.

Emergency Rain Covers come in two sizes: small and medium — and they weigh just 99g/3.5oz and 114g/4oz, respectively. Compared to the approximately 300g/10.5oz of the full-size Hydrophobia Rain Covers, it’s quite the weight savings.

The small is meant to keep a gripped or standard camera body protects with smaller primes or zooms attached. Specifically, Think Tank Photo mentions 16–35mm F2.8, 14–24mm F2.8, 24–105mm F4 and 24–70mm F2.8 lenses, but it’s safe to say most super-wide to standard lenses (35-70mm) should work fine. The medium Emergency Rain Cover can also keep a gripped or standard camera body protected with a 24–70mm F2.8 or 70–200mm F2.8 lens attached. Again, there are plenty of other lenses that would work beyond the two Think Tank Photo mentioned.

All of the rain covers are currently available to purchase through Think Tank Photo’s online shop. The Hydrophobia Rain Covers start at $ 115 for the 24-70 size and go up to $ 150 for the massive 300-600 version. The small and medium emergency rain covers retail for $ 35 and $ 40, respectively.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Liquid Stop Sign: Emergency Laser Projection on Sheet of Water

06 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

stopcropped

Serving as a bright and bold last-chance warning for vehicles about to enter tunnels, this wall of water painted turns into a kind of hovering hologram designed to STOP impending drivers from creating or compounding tunnel disaster situations.

emergency stop lighting

Dubbed Softstop and deployed first in Australia, the liquid signage does no damage should a car or truck pass through, but still provides an impossible-to-ignore signal for drivers. It is used to warn off too-tall trucks and deter Sydney Harbor Tunnel entry in cases of fires or crashes going on inside the tunnel.

stop sign photo

liquid stop sign

This solution came about after conventional signage failed to warn off drivers in an emergency. “We had a fire in the tunnel,” explains Harbor Tunnel GM Bob Allen, “motorists ignored the warning lights and signs and continued driving towards the fire. These drivers exposed themselves to smoke and toxic fumes from the fire and then to compound the situation they turned around (in a one way tunnel) and drove back out of the tunnel against incoming traffic.”

floating stop sign

stop signage

The wall-of-water solution came about as a collaboration between Laservision, a creative technology firm that designs architectural lighting, and a pump manufacturer: Grundfos.

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

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IKEA to Produce & Ship 10,000 Flat-Pack Emergency Shelters

12 Apr

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

ikea shanty village

With 40 test units created and deployed since 2013, IKEA is now ready to begin mass-producing its $ 1,000-per-unit temporary flat-pack house to destinations in need around the world. Much like IKEA’s everyday products, these shelters are ready to use right out of the box – some assembly required but all assembly tools included.

ikea flat pack home

ikea emergency housing

Recognizing the need for more robust shelters in refugee camps and disaster areas, where temporary housing often has to hold up to severe weather and longer-than-expected durations, IKEA developed Better Shelter as a low-cost alternative to conventional equivalents.

ikea modular solution

Supplied to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) by the Ikea Foundation, these new units will find homes in places they are currently used (like Ethiopia and Iraq) as well as other destinations.

ikea emergency shelter design

ikea house interior

At close to 200 square feet per unit, these are perhaps not spacious but some standards but are much larger than most emergency housing solutions. Panels, pipes, connectors, wires as well as solar power panels for the roof are all packed flat in boxes for easy shipping. While standardized, the modules are also designed to be adapted to regional climate conditions.

ikea house parts

ikea flat pack house

Shaun Scales, UNHCR’s chief of shelter and settlement, said in a statement: “The refugee housing unit (RHU) is an exciting new development in humanitarian shelter and represents a much needed addition to the palette of sheltering options mobilised to assist those in need. Its deployment will ensure dramatic improvement to the lives of many people affected by crises.”

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

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Update: Olympus issues emergency firmware fix for E-P5

24 May

Update: Following on the release of a significant new v1.4 firmware update for the Pen E-P5 last week, Olympus has issued another fix. Version 1.5 reportedly addresses a problem introduced by 1.4 in which displayed values for shooting parameters did not change. Firmware v1.4 introduced improved Wi-Fi remote control functionality to the E-P5 and a ‘0 sec’ anti-shock setting. The latter was added to help prevent blurred images at certain shutter speeds – our main gripe when we reviewed the camera.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

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Flat-Pack Emergency Shelters Slot Together Like Puzzles

05 Jun

[ By Delana in Architecture & Houses & Residential. ]

emergency shelters flatpack plywood

Times of emergency call for quick action to get victims into safe shelters. Plenty of easily-assembled emergency structures have been designed over the years, but Australian architecture firm BVN Donovan Hill has presented an interesting take on the topic. Their idea goes together like a 3D puzzle, each piece of plywood slotting together as easily as a flat-pack furniture kit.

flatpack emergency shelter

The shelter consists of pre-cut plywood boards that would be delivered to a disaster site flat-packed. Each piece has notches that fit into the next piece; assembling one of the shelters requires no tools other than the hands of one or two people. Once the wooden skeleton has been assembled, a waterproof skin is put on the outside to keep out the elements. The goal is for the structure to be able to be assembled in just one day.

easily assembled flat pack emergency shelter

The inside of the structure features contours that jut out to create shapes that could be used for sitting or sleeping. That’s according to the designers – to us, the thin plywood shapes don’t look comfortable enough to support a person without an extreme amount of padding between them and the human body.

modular pre-cut easy assemble emergency shelters

According to the designers, one of their main goals in this design was to create a space that is not simply utilitarian, but one that creates happiness in times of tragedy. The shelters are small – around 100 square feet – but very heavy at about half a ton each. This makes each one quite substantial and perhaps usable for long periods if necessary.

temporary emergency shelter flat pack

The structures can be grouped together to create a temporary community, with some buildings serving as meeting places instead of grouping all of the victims together in one very large space. The concept will require a significant amount of fleshing out before it becomes a viable option for disaster relief, but the idea of an easily (and quickly) assembled, private temporary home is one that will appeal to just about anyone who has ever been displaced by a natural disaster.