3 years ago, I got a Canon 550D. It was my first DSLR camera that shot video, and I was traveling around the states to shoot yoyo contests. I actually didnt even shoot any pictures with it at the time. With that camera I shot one of the most popular videos on my channel - NER2013 with around 35k views. I was using a lot of Nikon lenses before - so I had these complicated adapters that meant I could only shoot in manual. I got rid of that thing, and traded it for a Nikon body - the D5100. I traveled central Europe for 4 months with that camera - but I didn't fall in love with it like I did with the 550D.
When I got back from my trip I sold everything. I sold my all the DX lenses I owned and I sold the body to a close friend. I hunted down to switched to Full Frame - because Nikon released the D610. A full frame camera that could shoot video at a more reasonable price. And like everything I own - I went online to hunt down a used example. But instead I found this body.
For the price of a used D610 at the time, I found this, the D800. There was an ad online for it on Kijiji (Canadian Craigslist) with a breif description and no pictures. The price was way too good to be true. Most would have easily dismissed it as a scam. I took a leap of faith and emailed the guy, and the same day we met up at our local mall and I brought her home. A week later I left for USA, and backpacked the west coast for 2 months.
I returned from that trip so energized. That is when I started Luftverk - and that is when the D800 really showed its value. It suddenly became a tool for my main income - which paid off in the end.
Asia was the first big trip for the D800. I climbed Mount Fuji with that thing, and it didn't disappoint. It was Japan where I started collecting silly stickers and such on the bottom of my camera. And through the 40 degree heat of Ebisu Circuit, humidity of Hong Kong, the fine grit sand and salt water of Thailand - it survived it all.
I started collecting random stickers. The TWS Princess was from a racing queen at Ebisu Circuit. The big pink one that is ripped was from Mount Fuji. There are so many memories with this camera. And it has some bad battle scars as well. Its been beaten, banged around and thrown in my bag. Its been in piss pouring rain, and splashed with salt water. Some how it still works.
Its what you pay for when you make the switch to a pro level camera. It isn't just the performance. Its that it can go from hell and back, and still work normally. I feel like its likely the last camera I will ever need. Maybe mirror-less will convince me to change - but I think I will have the D800 for a long while. It just feels unexplainably right.
Crazy to think it has been 2 years since the original release of the Plastic Fulvia and Plastic 000. Both models as of now are pretty much sold out everywhere, and I knew it was about time to update both with a small batch of new colors as well as fix a few small issues with the first designs. I appreciate everyone who has reached out anticipating a restock of these - as the manufacturing process is very timely for sure so restocks can't happen as quick as I'd like.
In January, I released the AKURA MG, a yoyo made from Magnesium. This material has a very low density and I talked about how it performs more like a plastic than anything else. But what made that yoyo really special is the aesthetic. I loved the lines on that yoyo. The proportions with the chunky rims were just perfect. One of the biggest aesthetic challenges though were that after the ceramic coating the lines were quite subtle which hid the design.
Its wild to think that the Fulvia design is now 8 years old - originally released in 2016. This design was developed in titanium with the pursuit of rim weight and stability. So much has changed since then. 2024 was an interesting year with the challenges of moving to a new country while maintaining releases. Not many people realize but I often prototype yoyos for myself and they just never get released. Often they join the rotation of throws I have on the shelf, which never make it to production. The monometal 000 and Fulvia was exactly that - prototypes that I submited earlier this year that just never ended up making it to production.
Jeffrey Pang
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