As a mate of mine is only too well aware, I’ve got this sort of obsession with titanium. Mainly as it relates to camping equipment I’d hasten to add.
In fact, he’s rather prone to taking the mickey out of me regarding my titanium cookset, my titanium mug, my titanium tent pegs… oh, I could go on and on. Yet titanium’s a really good metal. Weight-for-weight its about the strongest metal you can get, which means that in most consumer products it represents a significant saving in weight… quite an important consideration for the sort of “rough-and-ready” type camping that I’m into. And I adore its colour! (I’ve even got a Seiko watch that looks like the casing could be made from titanium… it cost enough to be, anyway. And that’s another point. Titanium’s… um… quite expensive.)
It was with great reluctance that last year I had to admit I couldn’t afford at that time to buy a special edition titanium Leatherman (to the uninitiated, a superb – arguably the best – range of utility tools) to replace my bog-standard stainless steel Leatherman. (Reason I couldn’t afford it was of course cos I’ve been squandering my cash on all this camera kit I haven’t got a clue how to use!)
Most recent acquisition (photography-wise) has been a titanium/magnesium alloy tripod, and I’m absolutely certain my mate hasn’t yet exhausted his repertoire of facetious remarks re this. In fact, he hasn’t even started properly yet. I’m waiting with bated breath!
Anyway, I’ve just read that Gitzo are marking its 90th anniversary with a limited-production run of its GT90TT camera, built with titanium, and its planning to release 390 numbered units onto the market with the name “Traveller Titanium”.
Gonna sell for about £1500!
Titanium camera anyone?
6 comments
February 29, 2008 at 04:20
forkboy1965
Ahhh, bitten by th Ti bug I see. I have a watch made of Ti in the form of the Ventura V-matic Ego. It’s an elegant watch that would have been quite heavy in stainless steel and positively beastly in Pt or Au.
And yes, I envy you your Ti tripod. Or should we just call it Tipod?
March 3, 2008 at 18:54
LifeSpy
Oh forkboy1965, don’t set him off, he is a pain going around the camera shops as it is, now he will be going in to jewlers as well!
March 3, 2008 at 22:32
fotdmike
Yippee! Another Tit fan! (Dammit. Must remember to drop that final “t”. [memo to self: write out 100 times "The correct abbreviation for Titanium is Ti"]).
Yep. I think Tipod’s an excellent thing to call it. And I shall just choose to ignore LifeSpy’s comment. Anyway, dunno why he’s so disparaging… he’s got a titanium usb stick (the lucky sod)!
March 4, 2008 at 21:11
forkboy1965
That’s right…blame the Yank. See, LifeSpy has only a Ti USB drive so he’s clearly suffering from Ti-envy. I suggest waving your Tipod around at him to drive him nutters.
March 4, 2008 at 23:17
fotdmike
What a superb idea. In fact, extending it a bit, I’d prob’ly be tempted to batter him over the head with it. Serve him right for getting me into all this photo caper in the first place. Sort of poetic justice
March 6, 2008 at 03:47
forkboy1965
Yes. By all means swing away!