Hi, and thanks to those who responded to my request for advice about buying=
a
new audio-recorder a little while ago.
After considering the advice, and looking up websites, etc., I bought the
Olympus LS11.=A0 I'm no expert, and can't judge the finer points of ultra
high-quality audio, but I've been really pleased so far, as the gadget is e=
asy
to=A0use, and has an impressive sensitivity.=A0=A0 I've recorded bird sound=
s in the
garden,=A0 the adjacent forest, and while out in=A0various nature reserves =
I've
visited in N.Wales.=A0 I also used it for recording an AGM of the local bra=
nch of
the Wildlife Trust, as I am sec, and have to take minutes, so that was usef=
ul.=A0=A0
And, I have used it for note-taking, although haven't yet used it much for=
this.=A0=A0 The LS11 also fits comfortably in the top pocket of either of m=
y
'wildlife jackets' - one, lightweight, the other for nasty
weather.=A0=A0=A0Also,=A0speaking as one who's=A0reached the age when eyesi=
ght
deterioration=A0is becoming a problem,=A0I find the visual displays mostly =
easy to
read, while the smaller, less obvious displays, are less important and I am=
getting to know what they are, without=A0needing to read them.=A0=A0=A0 I=
=A0have been
weating specs for reading in the past year or so, but don't use them with t=
he
LS11.=A0 =A0=A0 Thanks to everyone for that.
Hold-All; With regards to the recent enquiry about bags for gear, this seem=
s to
be very much a personal matter.=A0 I carry too much gear, as I'm interested=
in all
kinds of wildlife, and I need most of it where it's easily accessible - and=
not
on my back (where I carry a small library).=A0=A0 In the 1960s and 70s, I u=
sed one
of the old ex-WD gas-mask bags, which I found very good (and I still have i=
t,
stuffed in a shed outside), but now use a modern, padded Lowepro camera bag=
,
which carries most of my gear, without being too heavy or bulky.=A0=A0 But,=
I don't
really think there is an ideal bag. It's like houses, boats and cars; they'=
re
all a compromise, and what's best for your depends on your own individual
needs.=A0=A0 Bascially, whatever you get, it's unlikely to be ideal, and wi=
ll be
half an inch too short for something or other.=A0
Finally, with regard to wildlife gear, I mentioned my small library - mainl=
y
plant field guides, as I don't ofen need a bird guide any more - but has an=
yone
used an e-reader as a field guide?=A0 That is, have you tried downloading a=
book,
or=A0files from a PC, of pages (perhaps scanned in from books, or written f=
rom
personal notes) to help ID things in the field?=A0=A0=A0=A0 I've considered=
buying a
Kindle, but wonder how easy it is to use for this kind of thing.=A0 Being
monochrome is restricting with respect to coloured illustrations of books a=
nd
flowers, but diagrams and text could be useful.=A0=A0 No doubt, someone wil=
l
recommend an i-pad, but now we're going into more expense.
Brian (Wrexham, N.Wales)
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