After outgrowing my Kata 467 and LowePro Fastpack 250, I started looking around for a replacement bag that could hold all my photo gear plus my Macbook Pro laptop. I considered a couple of options, but decided on the Think Tank StreetWalker HardDrive. (Buy it on Amazon.com) Summary After several months of use, I can highly recommend it. It holds all my gear comfortably (see sidebar for details) and provides great protection. Weight The bag itself weighs around 4 lbs without gear. Add all your stuff and it gets really heavy. Thankfully, the straps are well padded and sturdy. When loaded up, the bag alters your center of gravity significantly so you’ll find yourself leaning forward to compensate. It’s obviously not a flaw of the bag… just something to consider. Comfort This is a pretty comfortable bag… maybe not the best ever, but definitely NOT uncomfortable. It’s such a capacious bag, I have a tendency to overload it. The center channel (the light gray area below) is recessed so air can circulate. Laptop Compartment Like the Kata and LowePro, the Streetwalker easily holds my 15″ Macbook Pro. The zippers do touch the laptop as it goes in and out, but I haven’t noticed any scratches in several months of use. Camera Compartment Make no mistake… this is a camera bag that happens to provide a place for your laptop. Its main purpose is to transport camera gear. The zippers are heavy duty and the construction material is very durable. The interior dividers are thinner than other bags, but I have found them to be more than adequate to protect...
I’m NOT a brand snob. I’ve owned both Sigma and Tamron lenses, and typically pick the product with the best performance/price ratio. As an advanced amateur, I use my equipment a good bit. But if a photo component fails, my family is not going starve. So when I decided to buy a grip for my new D300, I started by looking at the Nikon MB-D10 plus any major contenders; mainly, the Phottix BP-D300. That didn’t last long… most folks agree it is a significant step down from the Nikon, so I quickly ruled it out. I thought my search was over, so I started price shopping for the MB-D10. As usual, Amazon seemed to have the best deal. In fact, at one point, their price was $233 with free shipping (at time of writing, it has increased to $249). My finger was on the buy button… then I decided to look around the web just one more time. During my final trip to the forums I found a rather lengthy thread on the Nikon form at dpreview.com. That got me interested in the Chinese knockoffs sold by LINK delight. The price was a lot lower. Depending on the package, as low as $67 + $20 for international shipping. The reviews are good and I thought I found a winner. THEN, on page 245 (ok, it just seemed that way… more like page 5), someone mentioned that Adorama sold the same thing for $79 with FREE shipping. The transit time would be a lot less and I liked the idea of buying from a US company in case of returns,...
Best Buy keeps bouncing around on the D200 price. As of April 3, 2009 it’s at $599… which is their cheapest so far. Not sure how long it will last. Perhaps they are finally clearing their inventory leading up to a Nikon announcement on April...
I recently visited the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area near Boise, Idaho. It was mostly a family outing, but I was also scouting for a new place to take bird/wildlife photos. As it turns out, Fort Boise WMA is a great place for birds, but not so great for bird photography. The main entrance road splits two wetland areas. You can see them clearly on this Google Map: View Larger Map During the spring months, there are thousands of birds joining in a cacophony of squawking and honking. And they are fairly antsy… not staying in one pool for very long. The problem is, these areas are closed to visitors and they are both (mostly) hidden from view. There is no way to get elevated high enough to be at eye level with the birds. So you have to wait for them to flock to a different pond and catch a few belly shots as they fly overhead. There are other areas further back towards the river that allow exploring year-round. We saw several raptors and a wide range of field birds. It’s a fun place to explore and there are several geocaching opportunities in the...
I’m certainly no fan of the ACLU, but they do have a handy iPhone app that can help photographers (and others) understand their rights when approached by law enforcement. Flying with Fish has the...
Feeling kinda blah? Got the winter photo blues? Check out Zach Arias’ video post from Scott Kelby’s...
I needed an 82mm replacement lens cap for my Sigma 100-300 f4. Preferably, the center pinch type since the one provided by Sigma can’t be removed or attached with the lens hood on. I found a really inexpensive version on eBay and decided to give it a try. It works great! Search this seller’s store for 82mm: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZjiakgong I paid $3.60 with free shipping. It took 7 days to reach me in the US, although I assume transit times can vary...
Lately, I’ve been seriously considering switching platforms from Canon to Nikon. Specifically, to the Nikon D300. And, I have the lens choice narrowed down to either the Nikkor 17-55 f2.8 or the Nikkor 24-70 f2.8. So, I decided to run the numbers again to see which would be a better choice based on which focal length I shoot most. Phil Harvey’s Exif Tool is the way to check that. Turns out that over 76% of my shots are between 17 and 55mm. Whereas only 66% are between 24 and 70mm. Of course, I adjusted for the 1.6 to 1.5 crop difference. For longer shots, I’m considering the Sigma 100-300 f4. So, if you’re unsure what your next lens purchase should be… check the stats from what you’ve been...
The Cactus units aren’t incredibly reliable. Often they don’t fire… and I can’t figure out why. I had a “real” assignment to shoot, so I upgraded to the PocketWizard Plus II. Like all the reviews say, they are rock-solid. Not one single misfire in over 1500 shots last month. Highly...
Update: Thom Hogan has posted a good review. Uses a new 24.5MP FX CMOS sensor, otherwise very similar to the D3. Link to Product Page Link to Press...
I just received the Cactus Wireless Flash Trigger V2s from Gadget Infinity. The cost was $32.95 plus $5.00 for “Regular Airmail.” It took about a week to arrive from Hong Kong. My goal was simple… eliminate the PC sync cable from my camera to the strobes in my very small studio (as cheaply as possible). The new setup: The receiver is plugged into a Novatron M500 using an old PC Sync cable. The transmitter is on my Canon 40D. Overall it works ok. There are a few quirks that may be specific to my setup. 1) I must use 1/200th shutter speed. Anything else results in a partially dark frame. 2) Occasionally, it doesn’t trigger the strobe. Maybe 1 out of 20 times. However, I think this is a cable contact issue. After twisting the connection to ensure it is well seated, I’ve gotten better results. The range is more than acceptable for what I need: 150′ (45 meters) indoors with no obstructions. Your mileage may vary. Packaging is pretty simple. The pc cable fits snug, but I found twisting it after inserted ensures fewer failed shots. It includes this flash stand (that I doubt I’ll ever use). It’s hidden under the packaging. If you aren’t looking for it, you’ll accidentally throw it in the trash. Transmitter on the Canon 40D. Update: Camera Dojo also has a good review of the Cactus Flash trigger on their...
I would like to get a better quality zoom lens, so I’ve started looking around the web for recommendations on replacements. The options seem endless. I’m even considering a couple of primes instead of one zoom. Background: I only have two lens; the EF-S 17-85mm kit lens that came with my Canon 40D and a Canon EF 80mm 1.8. Naturally, one of my first questions is… what focal length should I get? The 17-85 is a good range, but do I really use the different lengths? Could I just get a nicer, wide prime and physically move in or out to compose? That got me thinking… I wonder what focal length I use most of the time? The answer: I use my 50mm 25% of the time I use my 17-85mm 75% of the time Specifically, 17mm: 17% of the time (Yes, I double checked the math.) 50mm: 25% of the time 85mm: 14% of the time Most of the remainder is wider than 50mm (47%) How do I know? Phil Harvey has created a really cool command line tool called ExifTool that can scan all your photos and export a list! From there, you can open in Excel and evaluate your data. It works on Windows or Mac. Conclusion I think I will look for a better lens in the 17-55 range. And also something longer than 85mm. Phil’s Website: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/ Documentation: http://www.sno.phy.queensu.ca/~phil/exiftool/exiftool_pod.html How it works: I use Lightroom on a Mac to manage my photos, so I navigated to my Pictures directory in terminal: cd /Users/(myusername)/Pictures then ran this script exiftool -r -T -filename -focallength -ext CR2...
There’s a near article at PDN Gear Guide that gives an overview of the Red One camera and how Photographer David McLain used it on recent photo shoot in Baja. Link to Article Link to Merge...
Canon announced the much anticipated update of the Canon 5D today: The Canon 5D Mark II. Highlights specs are: DIGIC 4 Processor, 21.1 MP CMOS, 3.9 FPS, 15-point AF Sensor, HD Video Capture (1080), HDMI Out, 3″, LCD (920,000 pixels), ISO 50 to 25,600 (yeah, right), Available at end of November DPReview has a preview. Official Press Release Marketing...
As you may recall, I recently posted a brief review of the Tamrac Velocity 7x. The Velocity is comfy, but too small for anything larger than a Rebel-size camera. Plus, I wanted to carry my MacBook Pro and camera gear all in the same bag. So, I narrowed my list down to two bags: The Lowepro Fastpack 250 or the Kata DR-467 Summary The FastPack is bulkier and holds more photo gear. If you’re looking for a camera bag that just happens to hold a laptop, I’d go with the LowePro. The Kata is smaller, more comfortable and a laptop/general use bag. It holds a smaller amount of photo gear and is ideal for commuters and everyday use. My Daily Gear 15″ MacBook Pro, Canon 40D, 17-85mm EFS, 50mm EF, (see sidebar for camera gear) and misc. gadgets like WD portable HD, eTrex GPS. And usually, a lunch bag. Size Compared The Fastpack 250 is much bulkier. If you just look at the numbers, they aren’t significantly different. However, the exterior walls of the Kata 467 are less rigid, so they tend to collapse down if empty (that’s a good thing). The Kata has compression straps to help reduce it’s overall size. Kata DR-467 vs. LowePro Fastpack 250 Side View Weight Again, the numbers are pretty close. But the Kata feels lighter. It’s mainly due to the overall bulkiness factor of the Fastpack. Comfort Ok, I realize this is subjective, but after wearing both for a couple of weeks, the Kata 467 just feels better. Both have well padded straps and backing. Both have a top carrying handle, but...
I wonder if Nikon had planned on releasing the D90 today, or if it hurried up the release due to Canon’s announcement yesterday. Either way, it’s out: The Nikon D90 is real. Coming to a store near you in a couple of months. Preview at DPreview.com Preview at Camera Labs It’s not HUGELY different from the D80, but several cool new features are: 720p Video Capture GPS Unit Available: attaches to flash shoe Chase Jarvis has been playing with them for a while now. Here’s a cool video from his blog: Oh, here’s the press...
Today, Canon announced the EOS 50D. 15MP, DIGIC 4, 1600 ISO and 6.3fps. Supposedly, it will not replace the 40D, and be available in October. They also announced a new EF-S 18-200mm lens. View Canon Press Release DP Review has a pre-release...
Are you still using the “Sharpen” Filter in Photoshop to try to improve the on-screen presentation of your photos? There is a better way! 1) Sharpening is best done at the final output size, so first open your image in Photoshop, and scale it down to whatever size you want. For Flickr, 500 pixels wide is the size for the “medium ” option. 2) Go to the Layer palette, select your Background Layer, Right Click. Select Duplicate Layer. 3) With the new layer selected, goto Filter > Other > High Pass. Set the Radius to (probably) between 2 and 10. If you go too high, you’ll see a halo effect around the edges of your image. Back it down so the halo disappears. Click OK. 4) View your image at Actual size (Command + Option + 0 on a Mac) 5) From the Layer Palette, select Hard Light from the drop down menu. You can also select Soft Light or Overlay to see how those change your results. 6) Change the Opacity until the photo looks good to you. (Typically 25% to...
