One of my readers recently suggested I do a round up of my favorite camera bags. I’ve reviewed many bags here on Photofocus, but as I often say, there is no perfect bag.
Just as I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera lens, I wouldn’t think of owning just one camera bag. You need different bags for different tasks.
Here are my favorites, in no particular order.
The BODA V3 Lens Bag
I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2010/02/01/mini-review-of-the-boda-v3-weatherproof-lens-bag/ – it’s a working bag. I wouldn’t use it to ship my gear from Seattle to Florida, nor would I use it to store everything I own. But as a bag you can work out of, it’s tough to beat.
Tenba ProDigital 2.0 Messenger
I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2010/01/07/tenba-prodigital-2-0-messenger-mini-review/ – it’s a great gadget or computer or compact camera bag. When you want a bag that doesn’t scream “CAMERA BAG” this is it. It works well as either a laptop/briefcase or a small gear bag for things like flashes, compact cameras and other accessories.
Domke 700-10B F-1X Little Bigger Bag
I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2009/06/01/mini-review-of-the-domke-700-10b-f-1x-little-bigger-bag/ – when I have a bit more gear than the BODA V3 Lens Bag will carry, the next best choice is the Domke. Again, this is a shooter’s bag. It’s not for transporting your gear. You work out of this bag. It is an old design but still works very well.
Gura Gear Kiboko
I reviewed this bag here – http://photofocus.com/2008/11/04/wildlife-photographer-launches-new-photo-bag-line-twip/ – it’s a traveling/transport bag. Is it my imagination or are airline overheads getting smaller? If you want a bag that (if not overstuffed) will fit in almost ANY airline’s overhead bin, the Kiboko is for you. It’s light weight and is the best bag I’ve tried at getting my gear TO the field. It also works well for simply storing gear in at my studio.
Think Tank Photo Airport Addicted
I haven’t formally reviewed this bag on Photofocus although I’ve talked about it in almost every article I’ve written about photo bags. It’s too old to have made the review list here, but there is a newer version (V2.0) that I hope to review some day. This bag is the standard benchmark bag for me. It’s no longer sold, but you can find out more about the new version at http://www.thinktankphoto.com/products/airport-addicted-backpack.aspx – in short, my original Airport Addicted is one of my all-time favorite bags since it does probably the best job of providing all the things you might need in a bag. It’s good at transporting, storing and in a pinch, you can work out of it if you have enough room. It’s not perfect either, but if I could only have one bag, this would probably be it.
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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC
Nikon has issued firmware update 1.01 for the D3s
http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/46079/c/648/r_id/127673 for Windows and
http://nikoneurope-en.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/46080/c/241/r_id/127673 for Mac
Zoom Media has announced zoomIt – which is a card reader for your iPhone or iPod. Presumably, it will also work with the iPad. The price is a hefty $59.95 – making it the most expensive SD card reader I am aware of. Ships in April.
Nikon has announced two new wide-angle lenses. The 16-35mm F/4 G ED VR ($1295) and the new 24mm F/1.4 G ED prime ($2199).
And last but not least
If you follow me on Twitter you know I broke this news on Twitter yesterday, but here are more details.
Canon announces the EOS Rebel T2i / 550D digital SLR camera equipped with a new 18 Megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. 3.7 fps shooting, ISO range of 100-6400, a 63-zone Dual Layer Metering System, and single DIGIC 4 Imaging Processor. Full HD 1080p video with manual exposure, selectable frame rates and a new external microphone input. Shipping in March; body only $799.99; kit with EF-S 18-55mm lens for $899.99.
Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved
It was very windy here today. The pelicans took a break from their fishing and just seemed content to soar in place. I swear they were just playing around. One pelican soared in the same place for almost a full minute, then circled around and did it again and again and again. He was 200 feet up in the air. He wasn’t even soaring over the beach. He was just hanging (literally) out.
I found myself studying this behavior and In an uncharacteristic zen mood today. I was trying to draw some conclusions from the bird’s behavior. More importantly I was trying to decide if there were any lessons for me as a photographer as I watched the bird joyfully soaring.
And yes I decided there was a lesson. Sometimes, you just need to let go and relax. Sometimes, you need to just let your camera go where it wants to go without over-thinking everything. It’s good to have a goal and a plan. It’s good to practice and hone your craft but sometimes, you can just play. I think the pelican was trying to tell me something. I think I don’t just play around enough. I tend to concentrate too much on my business.
The pelican could have been looking for food. After all, that’s pretty much what pelicans do all day. But for just a few minutes he kicked back and hung out in the air having fun.
Maybe it’s a good idea for us to just kick back sometimes too. Perhaps if we shoot like the pelican soared, effortlessly, without much on our minds other than the fun of it, there will come that time when we’re refreshed enough to go back to work with improved vision, commitment and excitement about our photography.
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This post sponsored by Ray Flash – Ring Flash Adapter
Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved
Guest Post by Rob Sylvan Follow Lightroomers on Twitter
If you find you are making a lot of the same adjustments to your raw photos after import, or perhaps you have a favorite Camera Profile that you want to be your regular starting point, then it is time to update your default settings to suit your tastes! Don’t worry as you can always go back to the Adobe defaults or even customize yours again in the future. Here’s how:
1. Start with a unprocessed raw file that is well exposed and not in need of too much work.
2. Adjust the settings you want to be applied to all newly imported photos from that particular camera. Good candidates might be your preferred camera profile, sharpening, noise reduction, tone curve or clarity settings. Remember, you are just wanting to create a new (preferred) starting point. You can always change settings later as needed.
3. Go to Develop > Set Default Settings (or hold the Alt/Option key and the Reset button will change to Set Default).
4. Click the Update to Current Settings button. Notice that the specific camera model affected is displayed in the Set Default Develop Settings dialog box. Also, take note of the Restore Adobe Default Settings button if you ever want to go back to how it used to be.
These new default settings will only be applied to newly imported photos from that camera model after you make this change. Create a Develop preset with the same settings if you want to apply those changes to previously imported photos. Repeat the process for other cameras that you use.
Advanced tip: If you have multiple bodies of the same camera model that you want to behave differently, or if you want to make settings specific to a given ISO setting, head over to the Presets tab on the Preferences dialog and check the boxes next to Make defaults specific to camera serial number or Make defaults specific to camera ISO setting.
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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC
Author: Michael Frye
Publisher: Focal Press
Review by Conrad J. Obregon
Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Eliot Porter were amongst the greatest landscape photographers of the twentieth century. Unlike many of today’s photographers, they used film. The book Digital Landscape Photography: In the Footsteps of Ansel Adams and the Masters
The first part of the book, called “Technical Foundations” deals with the basic techniques of digital photography with emphasis on how those techniques might be applied to landscape photography. Experienced users may find little new here, although the explanation of the zone system may introduce people who have mastered the histogram to another method of calculating exposure. At the same time, the explanations of the fundamentals may prove much too pithy for beginners. Perhaps the section will most help those already familiar with the basics to understand how to apply these techniques like the masters.
The second part of the book, entitled “Light, Composition and the Art of Seeing” evokes the masters, mostly by quoting their words. The images presented are primarily those of Frye, but those familiar with the masters will recognize that much of his work is clearly derived from their style, except for being captured digitally and usually in color. Although this aspect of photography is the most amorphous to describe in writing, Frye does a good job, and his lovely pictures, taken mostly in Yosemite and other favorite locations of Adams, are well worth studying.
The final part deals with “The Digital Darkroom: Editing, Processing and Printing” and it is here that Frye shows how I imagine the masters would use modern image processing software and hardware rather than the chemical darkroom. Although quite extensive, it is certainly not a Photoshop primer. Instead those who already know how to use such software will see examples of how Frye uses it to emulate the style of the masters. Since most Photoshop manuals do not show many examples of actual applications, this can be quite useful.
My only complaint with the book is that I would have liked a few more photographs by the masters included, with some deeper analysis of the images to reveal the techniques they used to fulfill their vision. There is still plenty of room for the photographer to view and analyze their works in other books.
No one should expect (or fear) that after reading this book they will take pictures like the masters. Instead, they should expect that some of the techniques, if adopted, will be incorporated into their own style and add to the quality of their images.
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This post sponsored by WHCC – White House Custom Colour – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC
I posted a pic on Flickr of my new Gretsch G6119 Chet Atkins Tennessee Rose guitar the other day. Several in my audience were surprised to learn that I am also a musician. It’s very interesting to me that so many people who read my stuff or listen to my shows are also heavily into both photography and music.
Ansel Adams was a concert pianist. He expected a career in music before photography took over his life. Many current prominent professional photographers are also musicians. Tony Sweet is a serious drummer and accomplished jazz player. Scott Kelby is a multi-talented musician with great skills on many different instruments.
I minored in music in college. My mother was a music teacher. She made me trade two hours of _______________ fill in the blank with piano, violin, guitar, etc. practice for every two hours of football practice. Since football was everything to me as a kid I went along and of course hated every minute of it. Until, that is – I got to high school and all of a sudden became popular with girls because I could play in a rock band :)
Fast-forward to my photographic experiences. You might also be surprised to find out that I often write music while I am photographing wildlife. I hear melodies in my head and I’ll quickly sing them into my iPhone so that I can remember them. Then when I come back from the shoot, I’ll do a slide show and write, perform and record the music for it.
I think it makes for a more complete experience for the audience. Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of great music out there. I’ve even sold some of mine to companies who re-sell it as clip music. I can’t always come up with something I like and in those cases, companies like TripleScoop Music are a great resource.
In any case, music is a powerful compliment to photography. Just for fun, ask yourself, even if you don’t play, how music might enhance or improve your photographic experiences or those of your audiences. Perhaps you could shoot to music (although I personally find that distracting since I am often writing in my head at the same time) or edit in post to music (now you’re talking) or go all the way and write some (yes YOU – write some.)
Music and photography go together like Kentucky Fried Chicken and fat guys. Give it a try – the music that is.
I am a photographer. I am NOT a filmmaker – but I am trying to acquire some of the same skills. I have really enjoyed learning more about shooting moving pictures. And the Canon 1D MK IV is very well situated to that task.
Last week I spent some time acquiring footage with the 1D MK IV, a Canon 400 F/5.6 “L” lens, a Canon 600 F/4 “IS” “L” lens and a Canon 800 F/5.6 “IS”" “L” lens.
I used a combination of Miller, Zacuto and Red Rock Micro camera supports. I kept it simple. I didn’t try to do any fancy camera moves. I shot footage of wild birds so there were some challenges. The birds don’t act on cue. You have to shoot a BUNCH of footage to get three usable minutes worth.
The above video is the result. It’s pretty much straight out of the camera. There is some music added and a few stills thrown in as well. This footage is part of a larger project I am working on. It’s primarily documentary style nature stuff.
I’ve spoken with professional filmmakers who use very big, expensive video cameras to make the same kind of film. They speak of hours of set up to get a few minutes of footage. Many say that they have to work with blinds since their gear is so large and not as mobile.
To a person, the pros told me they were impressed with the small size, light weight, and low price of the Canon 1D MK IV. They were particularly impressed with the raw footage. The low-light stuff is amazing. The ability to use very long lenses like the 800 F/5.6 intriguing and over all, it’s a great tool. The camera is not perfect. Like all CMOS sensor-based hybrid video cameras, this camera exhibits rolling shutter. But I’ve learned to minimize it and rolling shutter not withstanding, the Canons are capable of creating broadcast-quality footage in my opinion.
This video is merely intended to be an example of what’s possible. I hope you enjoy it.
Copyright Scott Bourne 2010 - All Rights Reserved
If you are familiar with my giveaways on Twitter, then you probably already know that I am currently giving away TWO cameras.
The Nikon D300s – details here
and
The Canon 5D MK II – details here
I am also sponsoring the Emerging Photographer of the Year contest with more than $5000 worth of prizes. Details here – http://photofocus.com/2009/08/04/update-on-the-emerging-photographer-of-the-year-award/
Something new – I am giving away an iPad
Something else new – I am randomly picking a photo each month from our Photofocus Flickr stream and giving away a random prize to the photographer who made the photo. This month it was an ExpoDisc. Winners are only announced on my Twitter stream. The pick will come SOMETIME during the calendar month. I won’t announce who won anywhere but on Twitter.
and last but not least…
Every month we give away a Lensbaby Composer.
We have two promotions running. You can get five free 8×10 prints from White House Custom Colour (WHCC) – Get Five Free 8×10 Prints From WHCC and you can get 20% off your first order at ScanCafe.com by using the code FOCUS.
At the very least, follow me on Twitter to stay up-to-date with the latest giveaways.
Enjoy!
PLEASE BE PATIENT – OUR SERVERS SEE LARGE LOADS ON PUBLISHING DAYS. THE DOWNLOADS MAY GO SLOWLY BUT THEY WILL FINISH.
If for some reason it doesn’t show up in your copy of iTunes, please refresh your feeds.
You can subscribe through iTunes free of charge at (Opens the iTunes App)
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=313790661
We’d prefer you subscribe via iTunes because it helps elevate our show on their list – that in turn lets more people find the show, but if you don’t have the free iTunes client or want to use iTunes, here’s our NON-iTunes feed. Thanks.
Direct download – Listen to this episode here.
Thanks to Geoff Smith, the massively-talented musician who created our new custom open for the show.
Photofocus Episode 29
Host: Scott Bourne (www.scottbourne.com or www.twitter.com/scottbourne)
Show notes by Bruce Clarke (www.momentsindigital.com or www.twitter.com/bruceclarke)
Welcome to Episode Number 29 of Photofocus with Scott Bourne. Photofocus is the show devoted to your questions about anything photography related including gear, technique, locations, etc. Your questions will shape the direction of this show so be sure to send your questions to photofocus@me.com. We will try to answer as many as we can but we get a lot of questions so we’ll try to take a collection of questions that represent a particular topic and present them together.
This week we kick things off with a question about knowing when you’ve made it as a professional photographer.
Question One – Making it as a Professional Photographer
Patrick Edget writes: When did you know you made it as a photographer? By that I mean, there are a lot of people that can get paid for their photographs, but only a select few who can consider photography their “day job”. When did that transition happen for you? And how did you know you were ready for it?
Scott: For me it was a specific moment. I was assigned to take a photo at the Indy and happened to capture a crash that occurred right in front of me. That picture wound up in papers across the country and at that point I knew I was going to be a professional photographer even though it would be another 2 years before I was paid for a photograph. The way I knew was when somebody offered me a job. Just know that if you do decide to get into photography full-time, it is an extremely competitive industry and most photographers don’t get rich. You have to really love what you do and enjoy taking pictures but recognize that very few get rich doing it.
Question Two – Transporting a Beauty Dish to Exotic Locations
Jeremy Quant asks: I was hoping you’d have some advice on a really slick solution for transporting my 27″ Elinchrom beauty dish to exotic locations.
Scott: I put my gear in a Pelican case. I would recommend these as they come with pluck foam, are waterproof, will float, etc. The only downside is that they are a bit expensive. Another option is to ship it ahead of you in the original box. read more…
I won’t be at PMA this year. I usually cover the show, but for several reasons, I won”t be at this year’s conference. One problem is that I am double booked. I am teaching workshops in Florida. The other reason is I am not sure I can justify covering PMA under the circumstances.
It’s going to be smaller than usual. Canon dropped a bombshell when they dropped out of the show. It’s been moved to Anaheim and most agree there will be few major announcements at this year’s PMA.
But one thing you can count on is LOTS of point & shoot (compact) camera announcements. Since I won’t be there in person, I’m recommending the official PMA site Cameras@PMA - http://camerasatpma.com/
PMA promises to link to news stories about all the new pre-PMA, PMA and post-PMA camera announcements. If you’re interested in such things, you now have an unfiltered source to refer to.
