Digital Ninja® 10/4/21 Digital Ninja® 10/4/21

G95 GEAR: A Mask with Built-In N95 Technology

What had happened was…

I had published a photo of my kid wearing a mask that I thought was the G95 Gear Bioshield Mask in black. I tagged the company in my Instagram Story post.

THIS WAS THE OFFENDING INSTAGRAM STORY POST. If you look close, you can see an orange Fandango “F” logo.

Someone over on the G95 team saw the post and replied kindly, “Sorry but that’s not ours, but I can send you a mask so you can see if you like them.” I was mortified because I really liked the mask and assumed that was what he was wearing-we had one somewhere in the house! Happy accident though, because they sent me a couple of them to review. They sent over the BIOGAITER and the BIOSHIELD 2 in two colors (Black/White). So now that I had my very own G95 Gear and I tried them out immediately. I had already been searching for “The Perfect Mask”.

N95 TECHNOLOGY

Having the N95 technology inside their products are the main draw for me. I’m able to quickly hand-wash the products with soap and hang them to air-dry. They dry quickly and dry even faster if you line-dry them outdoors.

N95 Technoligical Information about the materials from their website: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0407/7410/7300/t/4/assets/G95-Filtration-Technology.jpg?v=10048518530717759637

BIOSHIELD MASK

The size of the masks are smaller than what I had gotten used to. These masks are lighter and softer too. Most of the masks we had were cotton or cotton blends; masks from our moms and grandmothers made out of materials at a fabric store. To try to explain how they feel…These feel like joggers versus wearing jeans. The masks have more of a sport fit and the fabric is less problematic than some of the other materials. They also come with a bendy metal nosepiece you can form so they sit properly on your face.

SURPLUS BIOSHIELD 2

The Surplus color of the Bioshield 2 mask is a hemp/cotton blend and is really soft and breathable. It hand washes easily and drives really fast. This is my favorite mask and I try to wear it a lot.

BLACK BIOSHIELD 2

This mask is my most used. Partly because I have a few of them but also because black just goes with everything. The material is different than the Surplus.

WHITE BIOSHIELD 2

The White mask is the same exact blend as the black version. Another great color to have in the fashion quiver. White goes with damn near everything and the 95 logo pops. The texture of the mask is noticeable as well. I enjoy having choices!

BIOGAITER

The gaiters are so great. I own the black, hemp, and winter ones. I usually have a gaiter on me at all times now. They are so easy to just pull up over your nose (and ears) quickly. For my use cases, the gaiters are the easiest. The drawstring in back allows you to make it loose for casual wearing around your neck, but then you can tighten it more a good tight seal.

BLACK GAITER

The black one is my all around fave. I usually have one of these gaiters on my neck or in my man bag.

NATURAL GAITER

The hemp one is definitely lighter than the black one. It’s made with a hemp/cotton blend and is my most comfortable one, especially after having worn it in for a bit. Admittedly, I only wear this one when I have an outfit that matches. I like to be matchy-matchy.

From their site, “It's super soft, lightweight, has excellent breathability, still has that signature style, and of course, our built-in G95 filtration technology inside from edge to edge. It is terrific for warmer climates!”

WINTER GAITER

The Winter Gaiter is thick and warm. They are super soft too. I like when it gets chilly around here now. I get to wear these and they are so perfect. So perfect.

BIOHOODIE

This was a surprise gift and I’m so happy I got it. The Biohoodie is a next level jacket that has the N95 Tech built into the hoodie. It has a stylish zipper that zips up off center. The jacket is a medium weight jacket, having a liner on the inside. We live near the beach and the ocean air can get chilly. This jacket is perfect for those kind of nights.

The Biohoodie makes for a great running jacket too. It’s bright enough to be seen as night and has a nice “Biohoodie” reflective hit on the chest.

MIX & MATCH DOUBLE UP SYSTEM

Mix and match a Bioshield 2 with a Biogaiter, or a mask with a Biohoodie for double protection. I usually wear a system of two. Knowing they possess the added layer of N95 tech, I am able to have a doubled up layer system for super protection when indoors.

BLACK ON BLACK

SURPLUS ON NATURAL

WHITE WITH HOODIE

These are my favorite masks and gaiters, period. And I now own a bunch of them and am able to keep them in a constant rotation. I’ll usually have a mask and a gaiter on me, even if I’m wearing another brands mask. There is no such thing as the perfect mask…but the G95 Gear products come damn close. If you end up purchasing any of these products, please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

www.g95.com

Digital Ninja® 11/29/18 Digital Ninja® 11/29/18

Canon 24mm 2.8 Lens Hack for Sigma MC-11 Adapter

On an APS-C camera like the 24mm is around a 38mm on a full-frame. 35mm is the closest to the focal composition of the human eye and the 24mm ended up being my favorite lens.

I used to be a Canon dude. Way back when DSLR cameras started being used for shooting video, I jumped in with a Canon 7D. I still have that camera. It was/is a robust camera for wildlife and sports photography, but is was an indispensable tool for filmmaking. I really liked the fact that it was virtually indestructible and was weather-sealed. With that investment, I started to get into lenses, Prime lenses specifically. My initial arsenal consisted of the Canon 10-18, the ”Nifty” 50mm 1.8, and later I would purchase two pancake lenses, the 24mm and the 40mm. I loved the pancake lenses, because they allowed me to make the profile of my 7D smaller. They helped m carry around my camera more. On an APS-C camera like the 7D, a 24mm is around a 38mm on a full-frame and the 40mm is roughly a 64mm. 35mm is the closest to the focal composition of the human eye and the 24mm ended up being my favorite lens. When I switched to my Sony Mirrorless, I looked into adapters and found the MC-11 by Sigma. It would allow me to utilize my Sigma glass along with most of my Canon lenses.

The Sony A6500 with MC-11 Adapter & Canon 24mm 2.8 Pancake Lens

There was a problem. Canon makes two types of EF mounts, the regular EF and then the EF-S mounts. The EF-S mounts have a flange that extends out a bit further, thus preventing them to mount onto the MC-11. I was severely disheartened and had to shelve my EF-S 10-18 and the 24mm lenses, until I found out about the Fotodiox adapters. It had some extra space that allowed for the extra flange, but was expensive and it wouldn’t work all the time. You had to use the lenses in manual mode and it would cause the camera to freeze up from time to time. I don’t mind manual lenses and actually prefer them, as I like to “rack focus” and have a follow focus for my rig. I ended up sending the damn thing back,.the freezing was too much. I shelved the two lenses again.

The Canon 24mm 2.8 Pancake Lens post flange removal

As I got more familiar with my Sony Mirrorless, the A6500, I purchased the Sony 10-18mm 2.8, the Sony 35mm 1.8, the Sigma 30mm and the Sigma 18-35mm 1.8. These lenses cover most of my needs for filmmaking and in a pinch, I mount the Canon 50mm 1.4 and the 85mm 1.4’s with the MC-11 adapter. Even with all of those focal options and low-light capabilities, I was missing the 24mm. There are other adapters, but that would take me into another space of lenses, outside of Sony, Sigma, or Canon. I was weary of adding another equipment set to the mix. Something told me to just hang onto the lens. Then I saw a YouTube video about adapting the Canon 10-18 by Technology Mafia. This guy just cut the back off with a hacksaw and mounted to the MC-11. I’m all for DIY hacks, but chopping lenses freaked me out. SO the 24mm sat for another 6 months. In that time I almost sold the Canon 7D and all of the associated gear, including the 24mm pancake.

The Canon 24mm 2.8 Lens mounted on the Sigma MC-11 Adapter

Earlier this week, during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I stumbled upon a YouTuber, Max Lee. Max Lee is one of these guys who sincerely utilizes cheaper gear to his benefit. On one of his videos I saw him bring out the Canon 24mm and he said you could just pull the flange off. It was 2:30am on Sunday the 25th of November when I saw the video, a good year and a half after having shelved the 24mm (for the 2nd time). To my amazement, the flange just pulled right off! While the back of the lens is kind of ugly, when its mounted to the MC-11, it looks about the same size as any of my primes. I can’t even tell you how happy I was to get this lens working with my set up again. It’s only a 2.8 and suffers in low-light, but it takes a nice picture. If you need a 24mm in your quiver of lenses, get the pancake lens from Canon and adapt it. It only costs $130 new, but you could probably find it for like $70 or less. It pairs with the Sigma MC-11 great. Auto-focus is pretty snappy and you can use Continuous Focus too. This lens is on my camera right now and in my bag again. If you see me, ask me to take your picture, or maybe I’l beat you to the punch and ask you.

- Digital Ninja®