The South of France, with its lavender fields, rolling vineyards, and sun-drenched coastline, offers more than just classic Provencal landscapes. Hidden away in the heart of the Camargue, an unforgettable boat journey awaits travellers looking for a slower, more immersive experience.

Le Boat is the No.1 provider of boating holidays on the waterways of the UK, Canada and Europe, with over 50 years of experience.  We’re going to be sailing ourselves from the charming town of St. Gilles to the fortified medieval city of Aigues-Mortes. This stretch of around 30 km on the Canal du Rhône à Sète contains no locks – easy enough for beginners.

St Gilles

We start in the village of St Gilles, around an hour from the airport of Marseille. Lots of other boats are moored in the Rhône à Sète Cabal and ours is one of larger. It’s a Horizon 5 with five en-suite cabins, fully equipped kitchen diner and a sundeck above. Each cabin comes with a double bed, shower, washbasin and cupboards for storing your luggage.

After a safety briefing and driving instruction, I set out to explore. St Gilles was a significant stop on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela and the imposing Abbey is now on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Its intricately carved stone façade tells stories from the bible and inside is the tomb of St Gilles.

Today is Saturday, and there’s a traditional Camargue wedding going on. Waiting outside is a horse carriage for the bride and groom and there’s delegation on horses in traditional black jackets and trousers. They line up in formation and position their long cattle prods to form an arch for the wedding couple. Gypsy guitarists are waiting nearby to entertain another lucky couple.

Next day dawns bright and sunny although there’s a strong wind. It doesn’t deter us as we leave St Gilles to sail to Aigues Mortes. There’s little traffic on the canal but we give a wide berth to Sunday fishermen on the banks. The sky is that piercing Provencal blue, and the countryside is dead flat, marshland on either bank. Rows of stubby trees frame our passage and we spot the occasional white wild horses on the banks.

It’s only around 30 km to our destination and the only village on the way is Galician, where we’ll stop on our return. Here, though, the locals are keen to point out the speed limit and they watch us closely making sure we slow down. It’s around another hour to Aigues Mortes and we’re soon mooring just outside the town walls. We come under scrutiny of other boat owners, desperately worried we’re going to damage their craft as we manoeuvre.

Aigues Mortes

We’re in a prime spot and the gate to the town is only a few minutes away. Inside it’s a maze of narrow cobbled streets, crammed with quaint shops, cafes and restaurants. In summer the place gets full with tourists but in September all is calm. The best way to get an overview is to walk all round the 1.6km of ramparts with the tallest tower, the Tour de Constance offering views over the salt marshes to the distant sea.

Just nearby are the salins or salt pans which have been in operation for centuries. Indeed they were integral to the town’s medieval economy and they are still a source of revenue. The fleur de sel from here is particularly prized and it’s worth walking round the vast pink-hued salt pans, watching the trucks work. At sunset the colours are the most vibrant and there are stunning views across to the walled town.

Manade St Louis

Scattered around the marshland outside are ranches for breeding bulls and horses, a deep rooted culture of the Camargue. The Manade St Louis continues that tradition and showcases the beautiful sturdy Camargue horses as well as the fierce black bulls for which the region is famous. Some of these will compete in the Course Camargaise, contests that are part of village tradition. Unlike in Spain no blood is spilled and the animal is the star.

Le Grau-du-Roi

In Le Grau-du-Roi, a few kms west, several ranches offer guided horseback tours. I’m not the most experienced rider but feel comfortable following a line of horses as we cross the marshes to the beach. Looming over is the 1869 Phare de l’Espiguette, a lighthouse built to safeguard shipping along the coast. We canter along the wide sandy beach, still a long way from the sea, before returning to the stables.

Galician

We set sail next day and in around 90 minutes arrive at the small hamlet of Galician set in the marshes and surrounded by vineyards. They’re in the midst of the harvest and tractors full of grapes are arriving for pressing. The wine here is Costières de Nîmes, an excellent appellation delivering robust reds and refreshing rosés. It’s been my drink of choice over the last week and I can vouch for the quality.

There’s not much else to see so we get on the bikes we’ve been carrying on the boat and set out for the Étang de Scamandre nature reserve. A visitor centre provides information on the area’s flora and fauna and we meet our guide here. He leads us along raised wooden pathways through the swamp pointing out herons, flamingos and other wildlife.

After our visit, we’re on the home straight back to St Gilles, but the storm clouds are already gathering. Fortunately the rain holds off until we’ve moored safely but our plans for a barbeque on deck are stymied. No matter, we sit in the saloon, cooking the meat on the stove and enjoy our final glass of Costières de Nîmes. Despite our initial worries about piloting a big boat, this has all been plain sailing.

Factfile

GO: British Airways flies direct to Marseilles from London Heathrow. Then it’s around an hour transfer to St. Gilles.

INFO: Le Boat offers a seven-night self-catered cruise on the Camargue on a Horizon 5 starting and finishing at Le Boat’s base at Saint Gilles from £1,609 per boat or £322 pp. Bike hire is £42.

ACTIVIES: A Guided tour of the Manade Saint-Louis and demonstration of bull sorting costs €40/pp.

Horse riding in La Grau-du-Roi costs €60 pp for 2h.

Entry to the Scamandre Nature Reserve costs €8 pp.

A tour of Aigues-Mortes Salins costs €9 pp.

EAT: L’Atelier des Halles is one of the best restaurants in Saint Gilles.

Le Dit Vin in Aigues Mortes serves traditional dishes including bull steaks.

The post Travel Guide to Canal Boating through the Camargue, France appeared first on The Travel Magazine.

Less is more with these pretty pieces

Introduced in 2012, the Pentax K-01 was met with widely discordant yelps of either disbelief, unconditional infatuation, technical condemnation, or irresolute “meh,” — depending on the reviewer — and was ultimately booed off the stage. Too bad. It’s awesome. And we think it just might be the most underrated camera ever.

Ahead of its time, or just another typically Pentax affirmation of their nonconformity?

Born in the brain of world-renowned designer Marc Newson, the Pentax K-01 (that’s “Kay Zero One” if you didn’t know) followed closely on the heels of the equally quizzical Pentax Q series of super-tiny digital cameras. Available in yellow/black, black/silver or white/black, its body is thicker than a brick, and its SMC Pentax-DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens is about the size and thickness of a poker chip. Later, a fourth colorway, blue/white, was introduced in the Japanese domestic market.

On the inside, the Pentax K-01 contains the same 16-megapixel APS-C size Sony CMOS sensor found in the contemporaneous Pentax K-5, a traditionally styled DSLR. The Pentax K-01’s chubby girth enables it to accommodate the focus requirements of virtually all Pentax K-mount lenses (DA, DA L, D FA, FA Limited, KA- KAF, KAF2, KAF3, etc.), a blessing to all Pentaxians. And the long list of features rivals some modern mirrorless models.

Just look at these features. And remember this was 12 years ago. Does your brand new mirrorless camera have all of these capabilities?

Key Features & Specifications
Avant-garde Marc Newson design
16.28-megapixel (effective) APS-C size sensor
SMC Pentax-DA 40mm f/2.8 XS lens
40mm lens design includes 5 elements in 4 groups
Protective oleophobic fluorine coating on lens
Automatic lens aberration compensation (w/Pentax lenses)
Accepts nearly all Pentax lenses (except Q, 645)
In-body image stabilization (SR “Shake Reduction”)
User-programmable Red and Green buttons
3-inch LCD monitor is nearly 100% field of view
Top shutter speed 1/4000 sec (longest is 30 sec)
High speed burst shooting 6 fps
Choice of four aspect ratios
Dust Removal (DR) function
1024 segment metering plus center-weighted and spot
Excellent, accurate autofocus
Focus Peaking (can be magnified 2X, 4X or 6X)
Pentax PRIME M image processing engine
In-body Raw image conversion

Key Features & Specifications (cont.)
Raw option available even after JPEG capture
Easy Multiple Exposures (2 to 9 shots)
Intervalometer for still and video
Dynamic Range Expansion
Six White Balance presets
WB is adjustable ±7 steps on A-B axis or G-M axis
Pentax’s Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE)
Sensitivity up to 25600 (quite high 12 years ago)
Pop-up flash
High Dynamic Range (HDR) selectable on external dial
Custom Image Modes (including Bleach Bypass, Fine Sharpness)
19 creative Digital Filters available during image review
19 Auto Picture and Scene Modes
Full HD video recording
Stereo microphone and 3.5mm mic jack
HDMI port
500+ shots per battery charge (540 without flash)
Writes copyright info and/or creator’s name to metadata
Approximately 4.8 x 3.1 x 2.3 inches (121 x 79 x 59mm)
Weighs about 19.8 ounces (560g) with battery and SDXC card

Why the Pentax K-01 is Great
I own a Pentax K-01, a yellow one to be sure, and I really like it. I’d write “I love it,” but my rule is to never love anything that cannot love you back. People included. I could quickly name three highly regarded photo industry luminaries who share my feelings; they confirmed such in recent conversations.

Here’s why I like the Pentax K-01 so damn much.

1. Attractive Unconventional Design
I like it. Some people don’t. Then again, some folks can’t handle dark beer, pickled cauliflower and vinegar on fries. In many ways it’s very un-cameralike, and it other ways it’s a brilliant reimagining of a familiar design.

No small feat, it won a Red Dot Design Award in 2012. Quoting Red Dot, “The control elements of the K-01 digital camera follow the concept of reduction and clarity in terms of design, arrangement and function. They are ergonomically positioned, and two of the key buttons have different colours (sic) for instant and sure recognition. The slightly curved, ergonomic grip with a protective rubber body exudes warmth and provides stability when the camera is being held.”

2. Superb Overall Performance
I’ve enjoyed superb results from the Pentax K-01. Images are crisp, colors snappy, focus accurate and dynamic range excellent. If it didn’t deliver consistently outstanding results, I wouldn’t use it, no matter how cool it looks.

All of the images in this story were taken with my yellow Pentax K-01 (except the shots of the product itself). I think the pictures speak for themselves, even though they’re all just 600 pixels wide.

3. Extensive Lens Compatibility
Hang damn near any Pentax lens on it (not big Pentax 645 or quirky-small Q lenses) and you’re in business. I do not have a huge collection to draw on, but I have successfully used Pentax macro, fisheye zoom, tele zoom, fast normal and traditional kit lenses, and have never had a single issue. And of course the pancake-flat Pentax 40mm f/2.8 XS lens that comes standard, which is truly remarkable in every way (until you try to find a 27mm polarizing filter).

4. Fun to Use
The Pentax K-01 is fun! The body is more than a tad plump, so it’s like holding a Big Mac, not a single-ply cheeseburger. The built-in digital filters are fun to play with, and applying them to recorded images is a great way to kill time at the airport when your smartphone dies. It’s also a conversation starter — how many yellow digital cameras have you seen?

5. All of the “Little Things”
Of lesser importance, but still immensely cool, Pentax’s proprietary Color Temperature Enhancement (CTE) provides extra emphasis of the predominant color of a scene, thereby enhancing the cool blues of the ocean, the warm shades of autumn, or the green faces of your envious pals when they’re pining for your Pentax K-01, for example.

I don’t always shoot Raw (not by any means) but I appreciate Raw files at post-processing time. Shoot a great image in JPEG format with a K-01 and you have the option to save the Raw data as well. The result is the same as shooting Raw + JPEG. The Raw buffer must have enough room for this option to be offered, however, so it’s not an every-time thing.

Programmable function buttons are terrific, but it’s sometimes hard for me to remember which button does what. The Pentax K-01 has bright red and green buttons that are impossible to miss and easier (for me at least) to remember. The green button can be set to activate file format selection, preview, focus peaking, custom image and digital filter selection. The red button is programmable to choose movie recording, plus all of the functions that the green button can do.

The Not So Good Stuff
On the downside, the Pentax K-01 does not have an eyelevel viewfinder. That’s a hindrance on some sunny days, but to their credit, Pentax partially ameliorated the problem by enabling brightness and color adjustment of the LCD monitor. And the LCD can be magnified 2X, 4X or 6X during focus peaking.

The rubberized flap that covers the compartment that houses the SD card slot, HDMI port and PC/AV port is — let’s face it — flimsy. I’m very careful with it, but still I worry.

Additionally, if you compare the AF speed of this 144-month-old camera to one of more recent design, you’re going to be disappointed. So don’t use it to shoot horse races or charging rhinos.

If you use a bright yellow Pentax K-01 like mine, some people are going to laugh, and some children might extend a grubby little index finger and ask if it was made by Fischer-Price. To me, that’s all part of its attraction. If you want to fly under the radar with a highly capable camera, a yellow K-01 is for you. I can walk through crowded and/or sketchy streets in any city and no one takes me or my camera seriously. Except maybe in Milwaukee — be extra careful in Wisconsin, lest someone mistake your Pentax for a wedge of cheddar.

Want to Buy a Pentax K-01?
You can buy mine for $10 million, or possibly find one a bit cheaper on ebay. I’ve seen Pentax K-01s at auction at prices ranging from $200 to $600 (body only) and with some sort of lens for a bit more. If you buy a K-01, do your damnedest to buy a 40mm f/2.8 Pentax Poker Chip lens with it. You need that compact lens to fully enjoy the user experience.

Want to Become a Better Photographer?
Begin by taking more pictures. Carry a camera everywhere you go and shoot even when you’re 100% sure the picture won’t turn out. Review all of your images with a critical eye and share them with others – and that includes posting the best on our Gallery. Subscribe to our newsletter (see sign-up form on our homepage) and bookmark Shutterbug as a Favorite on your browser so you can check back often. We’re in this for the same reason as you – we love photography, and we’re learning more about it every day.

—Jon Sienkiewicz

PS: If you want to buy my Pentax K-01 for $10,000,000 (plus $9.95 shipping & handling), please send unmarked cash or stamps (no checks) to: Occupant, Bungalow 3, Red Shell Road, Half Moon Bay, Cayman Islands, 03C-47. Allow 8 to 10 weeks for processing, weather permitting.

Whether you’re looking to upgrade your camera or switch systems altogether, getting the most value out of your used equipment can be tricky. I recently completed a pretty significant sale of gear, and actually ended up selling via each major method – used equipment retailers, online forums, eBay, and in-person sales. They all had some pros and cons. In this guide, I’ll look at how you can prepare your camera gear for sale, how you can earn the most on each item, and what you should know when selling used camera gear.