PBS Aperture Priority Keycaps
I look for three things in a keycap shape – low profile, curvaceous and uniform. PBS (Penguin Belly Slide, no really) checks all three boxes.
The PBS profile is designed by matt3o of Brownfox (I wrote about the Whitefox Eclipse it eventually became) (not to mention MT3 and MTNU) fame and manufactured by CannonKeys. PBS is a new profile with some great sets lined up. Aperture Priority is one of those. And it’s nice, really nice.
Well this is a bit nice! The packaging for PBS Aperture Priority reminds me of a 90s boxed PC game release.
It’s also relatively affordable. While a Cherry-style set from GMK might set you back £130 for a base kit and even more for novelties, Aperture Priority comes in a relatively complete kit (143 keys) for just £89. That’s still a lot of beans, mind, but for a low volume high part count kit of custom plastics it’s pretty reasonable. If you’re just dipping a toe into the hobby then snagging a PBS set is a great opportunity to customise your board. And this set in particular is especially salient for photography lovers.
The set itself is designed by Timothy/Akukolabs and has its own microsite with beautiful photography and impeccable presentation. Despite a modest (relatively!!) asking price, Aperture Priority is no lesser an experience.
This absolutely cracking set is going on the Chilkey Slice75 HE!
While there’s a lot going on with these keycaps the font is what really brings them together. The crisp, custom font is inspired by Leica’s proprietary LG1050 font which, in turn, is born out of the compromises associated with machine engraving text in the early 1980s. It’s beautiful, symmetrical and precise, providing a perfect counterpoint to the fussiness of the modifier and number keys. The four colour (black, white, yellow and green) dye sublimated designs faithfully capture the intricacies of camera UI, including f-stop, ISO, shutter speed and exposure.
The custom font on this set is truly phenomenal. A great balance to the fussy camera UI designs.
The beauty of a uniform profile like PBS, that is to say that all of the keycaps are the same height, is that you can swap out keys from any position. One of my personal favourite swaps is to replace the number keys with the cleaner ones intended for the numpad. Aperture Priority has especially busy number keys, but unfortunately the 0 key is convex, sticking up rather than dipping down into the spherical scoop of the other number keys. This is in keeping with the other row 4 keys (the row that includes the spacebar), and the arrow keys, and while it provides a nice tactile contrast to the alphanumeric keys it’s important to note that the profile isn’t strictly uniform. It doesn’t really matter, since few row 4 keys will find their way elsewhere, but I do love my clean number keys!
I like to swap out the number keys for the numpad keys for a cleaner look, but the convex row 4 zero is not cooperating!
The almost reasonable pricing of PBS sets doesn’t imply any compromise on packaging, either. Aperture Priority is by far the nicest packaged set I own, though to be fair I have precious few sets. It comes in a box very reminiscent of 90s boxed PC games, and inside are three stacked hard plastic trays (really, really good ones) with a semi-translucent top lid. The very short stature of the PBS profile no doubt has a lot to do with the compact, elegant packaging. The black and yellow, and impeccable box art make this a very displayable box. I think it’s going to sit on my desk for a while.
This really is a lovely set, the stack of solid plastic trays the caps come in are also top notch!
While it was the best part of £100 shipped – it would have been a little cheaper had I joined the group buy – Aperture Priority is a beautiful set, with beautiful packaging and a beautiful low profile. I fit it onto the Chilkey Slice 75HE I’m currently testing, and the combo is spectacular.
I picked up Aperture Priority from the good folks over at ProtoTypist.