Hoodman

All posts tagged Hoodman

Mini-Review – Hoodman H-CAPD3 Hoodcap LCD for Nikon D3

Posted by scottbourne on March 18, 2009
Posted in: Reviews. Tagged: , .

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When you buy a camera that costs around $5,000 new, you’d think it would come with an LCD protector – and you’d be dead wrong. Sometimes camera manufacturers make decisions that show they’re not always thinking of the customer first. This is one such time. But fortunately, even though Nikon doesn’t even think enough of us to OFFER an LCD protector for the D3, a company called Hoodman does. The Hoodman H-CAPD3 Hoodcap LCD for Nikon D3 is designed to snap onto the back of the D3 and protect the LCD from dust and scratches. I’ve been using one for eight months. It works as advertised.

When it comes to LCD protectors, the main thing I worry about is optical quality. Will the protector make it harder to see the LCD screen? In the case of the Hoodman product, the answer is no. I saw no difference between images viewed through the protector and viewed without the protector.

I’ve used my oldest D3 pretty well. It’s been on several big trips including my bear trip to Alaska, my bird trip to Bosque and my bird trip to Florida. So far, there’s not a scratch on it, so I guess it really is scratch-resistant, as they say on the website.

At $25 from the manufacturer, this is a spendy little accessory, but given the cost of replacing the LCD, I think it’s a fair trade-off. Hoodman H-CAPD3 HoodCap for the Nikon D3. You can get it for about $18 at Amazon.

For more information visit Hoodman.

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HoodEye Mini-Review

Posted by scottbourne on March 6, 2009
Posted in: Reviews, Video Podcast. Tagged: .

I just installed Hoodman’s HoodEYE eye piece on my Nikon D3.

I used to use similar eyepieces back in the day on my medium format cameras. The HoodEYE easily installs in place of your stock eyepiece and helps block out light from the side that might reduce your ability to see well in the viewfinder.

I installed mine in about 50 seconds. Hoodman makes the HoodEYE for all Canon and Nikon DSLRs.

The HoodEYE eyecup rotates to accommodate both right and left eyed shooters.

The cost is $29.99 from Hoodman.

Highly recommended.

Everyone Always Asks What Kind of Memory Card I Use

Posted by scottbourne on November 28, 2008
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: , , . Leave a Comment

There are many factors to consider when buying memory cards. Sure I want a fast card, but I also want a reliable card. For me, the Hoodman UDMA cards fit both requirements.

Their 4GB CF RAW cards are down to $99.99; the 8GB CF RAW are $179.99, and 16GB CF RAW cards are $299.99.

They’re NOT TWIP sponsors (although I wish they were), and I selected their products as a result of testing most of the popular brands.

45 MB per second. Built in the USA. Lifetime Warranty. Lead Free. What else do you need?

NOTE: Not all cameras take advantage of UDMA technology. Make sure your camera does before investing in UDMA memory.

UPDATE: I should note I am simply providing an answer here to a question I often receive by e-mail. I am not advocating anyone else use these cards. Use whatever works best for you.

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