Page 45 - The Book For Men Spring/Summer 2024

Deep Freeze
Splashing cold water on Canadian wellness
EVEN IF YOU SPEND EVERY WINTER ON THE SUB-ZERO SLOPES, AN
authentic cold plunge will still put your nerves to the test. Perhaps you’ve heard the theories behind the shiver-inducing practice: some say a morning ice bath freshens the mind, and clears up any foggy, post-REM residue in preparation for the day ahead. Others simply like the challenge. But, whether you buy into these claims or not, we’d bet that the mere thought of submerging yourself — head to toe — in icy water is enough to get your adrenaline pumping. And that feeling is exactly what cold-water therapy was created to capture.
Canada’s premier cold plunge company, Coldture, was founded in 2021 with the self-set mission of introducing ice treatments to the at-home wellness scene. With its sleek, shiny black shell, the Pro Plunge is the brand’s latest launch, and can keep water at a frosty low of three degrees Celsius. Of course, it’s only natural that Canada, a country known for its wintry temperatures, has become an industry leader in the cold plunge market; to compete with the great glacial outdoors, your product must be truly impressive.
Accordingly, the Pro Plunge spares little expense. After purchase, the Coldture team will install the system with “white glove” service in your home. They’ll set up and test the built-in, two-step filtration system (complete with disinfection program to ensure consistently clean, cold water with every session). And, from there, it’s incredibly simple to use: pour the water, plug in the Plunge, and soak to your heart’s content.
But the Pro Plunge isn’t just about simulating the polar freeze — the high-efficiency water chiller can also heat water to temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius, should you find yourself craving a whirl- pool-like soak. Adjustable jets swirl the water, spreading the hot water evenly throughout. And, with remote operation, there’s no need to get in until the waters feel just right. Dive in.
Super Shooter
Leica’s coveted new Q3 taps into manual film shooting roots
THE BRAND NAME ALONE IS ENOUGH TO FIRE EMOTIONS — NOT
least because the sticker shock caused by many of Leica’s recent cameras has had customers wondering whether the brand has fallen foul of reputation inflation. But, as anyone who has been behind the lens of these German cameras can attest, Leica is an industry benchmark for a reason.
There’s little surprise, then, that the new compact Q3 is in high demand, with retail supply falling far below global demand. Featuring a 60-megapixel sensor and fixed 28 millimetre lens, the Q3 is an immensely capable little camera. And, whether shooting in low light, capturing portraits, or dabbling in landscape or reportage-style photography, the images that come off the Q3 are so crisp that they look like you’ve spent hours fine-tuning them in post-production. Flip over to video, and it can capture 8K resolution footage — a welcome perk in a compact unit such as this.
But, even then, image capture quality is only half of what makes the Q3 sing. Its sturdy, machined metal frame rests perfectly in-hand and, when combined with the layout of its controls, the Q3 can feel essentially analog. In our time testing the camera, the preference was to first set up for the day or situation using the camera’s display back, before moving to the viewfinder for framing and capture. And, though its autofocus capabilities are impressive, making that switch to manual mode offers a nice disconnect from the digital age.
Put simply, Leica’s Q3 melds an analog feel with its digital capabilities in a way that the manufacturer’s competitors seem either unable or unwilling to accomplish. Leica is a name renowned for a reason and, despite the bar to entry, it’s simple to see why the German brand continues to attract photographers year after year.
DEEP FREEZE: TEXT BY CORMAC NEWMAN; SUPER SHOOTER TEXT BY JUSTIN MASTINE-FROST
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