Adobe have launched a public beta of Photoshop Express, their new photo storage and editing application. This free solution allows users to store up to 2GB of images and edit them with a number of Photoshop’s most popular image editing tools.
Users can upload their images to Photoshop Express and use the rudimentary editing tools to edit and modify images. This solution may be excellent for users with basic requirements but will lease anyone else wanting much more.
Photoshop Express also features slide show options and offers users their own Adobe hosted, online gallery. Images hosted on the service can also be used on blogs or social networking sites such as Facebook. Adobe plan to expand the service/tool as it gets feedback from users of the open beta. To sign up for Photoshop Express visit Adobe’s website.
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Monday, March 31, 2008
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Nik Software & Vertus - Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Fluid Mask 3 Software Bundle
Nik Software, Inc. and Vertus announced a new software bundle which offers photographers and creative professionals Color Efex Pro 3.0 Complete Edition from Nik Software and Vertus’ Fluid Mask 3. These tools offer excellent capabilities for doing image extractions and creative enhancements. Available on both companies’ websites as an electronic download, the bundle is available for $429.95. For download and discount information please visit niksoftware.com or vertustech.com.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Apple Release Aperture 2.1 Update
Apple have released Aperture Version 2.1, a free update which includes an Apple developed plug-in. The plug-in is Dodge & Burn, a tool which adds brushed based tools to lighten or darken, affect contrast and saturation and that can sharpen or blur. Apple will be working with third-party plug-in developers to expand the capabilities with more plug-ins. Visit the Aperture page at Apple
Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod Review
Mario Georgiou, March 2008
Manufactured by: Gruppo Manfrotto S.r.l. (a subsidiary of Vitec Group PLC), Manfrotto USA (distributed by Bogen Imaging also owned by Vitec Group)
Requires: N/A
MSRP: US$170, UK£110
The Manfrotto 190XPROB is the latest take on the base model 190, a tripod that has been in the Manfrotto line for many years. This 2007/2008 incarnation seems to incorporate all of the excellent characteristics of its predecessors and adds a couple of important new features. The 190XPROB is a black anodized tubular aluminum tripod with a three-faceted adjustable center column. The tripod has three-section legs made of 16mm, 20mm and 25mm diameter high strength extruded aluminum with a round cross section. Each section is retained or locked by Manfotto's patented flip-lock pressure leg locks. At 1.8kg (a little under 3.9 lbs) the tripod is a lightweight. Load capacity is 5kg (11 pounds, plus a head) making it broadly useful for a wide range of SLR and DSLR body and lens combinations.
In my recent review of the Manfrotto 468MGRC0 Hydrostatic Ball Head I mentioned that I had replaced my old tripod with something more in keeping with the high standards I try to achieve and maintain. I think it's most important to follow a strategy when selecting a tripod and head: a) visit the makers' web sites to figure out what they recommend for your camera gear, b) match size, footprint and general weight of each item to create the lowest possible balance point — there are few things worse than a head that is too heavy for the tripod, c) how much weight you want to carry and what sort of tripod fits your travel, location and shooting needs, d) decide which models among the ones remaining on the list will suit your needs, and e) visit local stores in order to check out the models you've short-listed. After much consideration I decided on the new aluminium 190XPROB. For my needs, this model's center column design was very important. Swing the faceted centre column into a horizontal position by extending it fully and pressing a release button.
The center column feature when combined with the fully adjustable and stable leg geometry means you have a tripod which provides excellent adaptability to most environments. After all due delibration and research I finally purchased the 190XPROB in a store in Cambridge, England during a photographic road trip in October 2007. Having got to grips with the tripod in very short order, I very quickly realized I'd made the right decision. I ended up using the tripod in marshland, on the side of cliffs, in torrential downpours, on large boulders and in a couple of streams, all without any real issues.
Manufactured by: Gruppo Manfrotto S.r.l. (a subsidiary of Vitec Group PLC), Manfrotto USA (distributed by Bogen Imaging also owned by Vitec Group)
Requires: N/A
MSRP: US$170, UK£110
The Manfrotto 190XPROB is the latest take on the base model 190, a tripod that has been in the Manfrotto line for many years. This 2007/2008 incarnation seems to incorporate all of the excellent characteristics of its predecessors and adds a couple of important new features. The 190XPROB is a black anodized tubular aluminum tripod with a three-faceted adjustable center column. The tripod has three-section legs made of 16mm, 20mm and 25mm diameter high strength extruded aluminum with a round cross section. Each section is retained or locked by Manfotto's patented flip-lock pressure leg locks. At 1.8kg (a little under 3.9 lbs) the tripod is a lightweight. Load capacity is 5kg (11 pounds, plus a head) making it broadly useful for a wide range of SLR and DSLR body and lens combinations.
In my recent review of the Manfrotto 468MGRC0 Hydrostatic Ball Head I mentioned that I had replaced my old tripod with something more in keeping with the high standards I try to achieve and maintain. I think it's most important to follow a strategy when selecting a tripod and head: a) visit the makers' web sites to figure out what they recommend for your camera gear, b) match size, footprint and general weight of each item to create the lowest possible balance point — there are few things worse than a head that is too heavy for the tripod, c) how much weight you want to carry and what sort of tripod fits your travel, location and shooting needs, d) decide which models among the ones remaining on the list will suit your needs, and e) visit local stores in order to check out the models you've short-listed. After much consideration I decided on the new aluminium 190XPROB. For my needs, this model's center column design was very important. Swing the faceted centre column into a horizontal position by extending it fully and pressing a release button.
The center column feature when combined with the fully adjustable and stable leg geometry means you have a tripod which provides excellent adaptability to most environments. After all due delibration and research I finally purchased the 190XPROB in a store in Cambridge, England during a photographic road trip in October 2007. Having got to grips with the tripod in very short order, I very quickly realized I'd made the right decision. I ended up using the tripod in marshland, on the side of cliffs, in torrential downpours, on large boulders and in a couple of streams, all without any real issues.
The Manfrotto 190XPROB is beautifully designed and well constructed. The legs feature flip-lever pressure leg locks, which make opening, positioning and closing fast and easy. Lock pressure is adjustable using the supplied Allen/hex wrench. The user adjustable mechanism makes it a pleasure to use. The legs can also be adjusted to four different angles (25°, 46°, 66° and 88°), allowing for a very flexible geometry and an extremely stable platform from which to take your photos.
The Manfrotto 190XPROB stands about 48in/122cm tall in its fully extended mode, center colum down. Extending the center column adds another 9.5in/24cm. You can invert the center column allowing you to shoot upside down. The patented design of the center column allows the photographer to position the camera on the head horizontally or vertically and, when used with a good ball or 3-way head, offers a platform which is perfect for macro work, product or table-based photography, low angle shooting or any work which requires the camera to be positioned off center.
The adaptability of this tripod also makes it ideal for photographers who have to sit down for long periods and for those who are wheelchair bound. The only real gripes I have are that Manfrotto has chosen not to include a carrying strap and ground spikes.
(Ed. Note: In early March 2008 we loaded another 190XPROB with a Markins Q20 ball head and a very heavy Nikon D3/300mm f/4 rig for a semi-frozen marshland walkabout just outside of Toronto. We also brought along a couple of shock cords to make boot loops to add some downward pressure to the rig to help combat instabilities when set up on unstable ground and when shooting in gusting wind conditions. When taking into account the downward pressure of the stabilizing shock/bungee cords, we easily exceeded the overall load rating of the tripod by at least 3x but it worked perfectly. Manufacturers' load ratings are conservative — we've obtained similarly excellent 'overloading' performance from a variety of Benbo, Benro, Gitzo, Hakuba Carmagne and other Manfrotto models.)
Cons: No ground spikes or carrying strap included.
Pros: The Manfrotto 190XPROB is extremely stable. Versatile leg and column adjustments don't compromise stability. Good vibration damping when matched with the right head. The Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod is ideal for use with a wide range of heads from Acratech, Arca Swiss, Gitzo, Kirk, Manfrotto and Markins. Great leg locks that never slip even when overloaded. Other than a couple of minor issues (see Cons above) I have to say the 190XPROB is worth every penny. All I want now is to get a carbon fibre version (for extended trekking) and I'll be very happy camper indeed. A great choice for amateur, semi-pro and professional photographers. Highly recommended.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
It's not the Camera, It's the Photographer
Make the statement "It's not the camera, it's the photographer" during any discussion or debate on the relative merits of one piece of camera gear over another and you will surely end up in some sort of argument. Really.
We don't advocate any attempt to use semi-operational used gear which only possesses the virtue of being cheap to acquire. We don't advocate throwing a top-of-the-line digital SLR (or any other top-rank SLR) at a novice photographer. We do advocate that photographers should educate themselves about the art and craft of photography at every opportunity, and regularly consider how well their gear is serving them. Buy the best you can afford, but buy only what you can afford.
Professional photographer Ken Rockwell posted an article on his web site about this subject. Professional photographer Michael Reichman posted a rebuttal article on his own web site. Unfortunately, neither photographer seems to be able to engage in the debate without resorting to hyperbole. So since I've been making photographs longer than Rockwell (but not quite as long as Reichman), I feel confident enough to offer a moderating opinion.
Pros, semi-pros and amateurs are working with Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Leica, Kodak and Sigma digital SLR bodies attached to all manner of lenses. All of these photographers make great photos with all of this equipment. Occasionally, even great shots taken with compact and so-called prosumer cameras manage to sneak through. Whether or not a photo is sharp enough and large enough to be credibly reproduced at some large size in a high-end coffee table book or on an art poster is not, in my opinion, the measure of its value as a good (or bad) photo, and the lack of gear to capture such a photo is not a measure by which to judge your existing equipment. Sorry Mr. Reichman. On the other hand, moderately attractive balances of composition, color and subject in moderately good focus during the brief and only time of day in which some cheap compact has any chance of capturing a decent photo is not the measure of a truly versatile camera or satisfying photography experience or a useful choice of gear. Sorry Mr. Rockwell. I think Reichman and Rockwell both use excessive amounts of what can only be described as hyperbole which serves to inflame the debate rather than qualify it. They're both doing a good job of attracting traffic to their respective web sites.
Using only the best gear you can afford has a very special effect on most people. As you engage in a photography experience which is based on an affordable start, it has the effect of bringing you closer to your gear in ways which make it easier for you to judge which exposure settings will achieve the best result. The longer you work with your chosen, affordable gear, the more you'll find out about its flaws and the more you'll find ways to make better and better photos. Use that gear for a couple of years and you may never part with it. Ever. The reason? It's mainly because you will certainly use that gear at some point to make some photos which have deep and emotional meaning and value for you. Not meaning and value worthy of posting and adoring comments on photo.net or redbubble.com (although that surely will happen too), but rather meaning and value for you personally. That's the wonderful thing about photography though — it can be shared or not shared.
Our quest for public approval of so much of what we do has extended to photography no doubt. The problem is that photography in and of itself is often a very personal experience. My father-in-law has posted on his photo.net page a rather close-up photo of an elephant. The photo is nice enough, but not great. It's just a photo of an elephant. But listen for a few minutes to my father-in-law's story about how the huge wild elephant surprised them by lumbering out of dense bush just a few metres away, how his guide, photography partner & friend reached immediately for the rifle in case the obviously tense bull elephant charged them, and how the situation diffused rapidly after the bull determined they were no threat and then turned to lumber down to a herd near a watering hole, and the photo causes a different reaction altogether. You turn again to the photo and look at it with new eyes. Wonderful. The point is that the photo could have been taken with almost any vaguely decent camera, but you had to be physically in that location in Zimbabwe to actually make the shot.
That last point is what really separates good photographers from snapshooters. You have to go to your subjects — they don't come to you. Fly, drive, walk, ride or scoot to wherever and bring whatever gear will do the job. You don't bring a compact point & shoot to a landscape trip; you don't bring a huge lighting setup to a kid's party. Buying and using the gear you can afford never means buying the cheapest used gear that still technically qualifies as camera equipment. Rather it means buying the best gear you can afford which is also appropriate to your photography needs. After that, it's all you.
We don't advocate any attempt to use semi-operational used gear which only possesses the virtue of being cheap to acquire. We don't advocate throwing a top-of-the-line digital SLR (or any other top-rank SLR) at a novice photographer. We do advocate that photographers should educate themselves about the art and craft of photography at every opportunity, and regularly consider how well their gear is serving them. Buy the best you can afford, but buy only what you can afford.
Professional photographer Ken Rockwell posted an article on his web site about this subject. Professional photographer Michael Reichman posted a rebuttal article on his own web site. Unfortunately, neither photographer seems to be able to engage in the debate without resorting to hyperbole. So since I've been making photographs longer than Rockwell (but not quite as long as Reichman), I feel confident enough to offer a moderating opinion.
Pros, semi-pros and amateurs are working with Olympus, Pentax, Sony, Nikon, Canon, Leica, Kodak and Sigma digital SLR bodies attached to all manner of lenses. All of these photographers make great photos with all of this equipment. Occasionally, even great shots taken with compact and so-called prosumer cameras manage to sneak through. Whether or not a photo is sharp enough and large enough to be credibly reproduced at some large size in a high-end coffee table book or on an art poster is not, in my opinion, the measure of its value as a good (or bad) photo, and the lack of gear to capture such a photo is not a measure by which to judge your existing equipment. Sorry Mr. Reichman. On the other hand, moderately attractive balances of composition, color and subject in moderately good focus during the brief and only time of day in which some cheap compact has any chance of capturing a decent photo is not the measure of a truly versatile camera or satisfying photography experience or a useful choice of gear. Sorry Mr. Rockwell. I think Reichman and Rockwell both use excessive amounts of what can only be described as hyperbole which serves to inflame the debate rather than qualify it. They're both doing a good job of attracting traffic to their respective web sites.
Using only the best gear you can afford has a very special effect on most people. As you engage in a photography experience which is based on an affordable start, it has the effect of bringing you closer to your gear in ways which make it easier for you to judge which exposure settings will achieve the best result. The longer you work with your chosen, affordable gear, the more you'll find out about its flaws and the more you'll find ways to make better and better photos. Use that gear for a couple of years and you may never part with it. Ever. The reason? It's mainly because you will certainly use that gear at some point to make some photos which have deep and emotional meaning and value for you. Not meaning and value worthy of posting and adoring comments on photo.net or redbubble.com (although that surely will happen too), but rather meaning and value for you personally. That's the wonderful thing about photography though — it can be shared or not shared.
Our quest for public approval of so much of what we do has extended to photography no doubt. The problem is that photography in and of itself is often a very personal experience. My father-in-law has posted on his photo.net page a rather close-up photo of an elephant. The photo is nice enough, but not great. It's just a photo of an elephant. But listen for a few minutes to my father-in-law's story about how the huge wild elephant surprised them by lumbering out of dense bush just a few metres away, how his guide, photography partner & friend reached immediately for the rifle in case the obviously tense bull elephant charged them, and how the situation diffused rapidly after the bull determined they were no threat and then turned to lumber down to a herd near a watering hole, and the photo causes a different reaction altogether. You turn again to the photo and look at it with new eyes. Wonderful. The point is that the photo could have been taken with almost any vaguely decent camera, but you had to be physically in that location in Zimbabwe to actually make the shot.
That last point is what really separates good photographers from snapshooters. You have to go to your subjects — they don't come to you. Fly, drive, walk, ride or scoot to wherever and bring whatever gear will do the job. You don't bring a compact point & shoot to a landscape trip; you don't bring a huge lighting setup to a kid's party. Buying and using the gear you can afford never means buying the cheapest used gear that still technically qualifies as camera equipment. Rather it means buying the best gear you can afford which is also appropriate to your photography needs. After that, it's all you.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Sony Alpha A900 Slated For Fall Release.
Sony are showing their new 25 megapixel Alpha A900 at Photo Imaging Expo 2008 in Japan. The new camera is not slated for released until this Autumn but folks are already speculating on how Canon and Nikon will respond. Myself, I'm interested only in finding out more on the cameras performance which includes features like a full frame sensor, Liveview and a HDMI port. Visit the MasterChong blog where there is some excellent coverage and photos.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Manfrotto 468MGRC0 Hydrostatic Ball Head Review
Reviewed by: Mario Georgiou, March 2008
Published by: Manfrotto Group a division of Vitec Group PLc
Requires: An SLR or digital SLR camera
MSRP: US$299.95, CAN$399.99, UK£220, 240.00€
Despite the claims of some photography pundits, you certainly do need a stable shooting platform for your camera in many situations. OIS, IS and VR can't help you when shutter speeds drop to seconds.
A few years ago I returned to the UK from Canada. Unfortunately, I left a vital piece of photographic equipment in Canada. For years I had used a Manfrotto 074 tripod with the Manfrotto 029 Deluxe Three-Way Pan Head. I gave this fave piece of kit away to an old friend for reasons which escape me at the moment. It was probably an emotional departure exchange (or, ahem, maybe I owed him some money). To my regret when it came to replacing it, I cheaped out and settled for a consumer-grade head which was poorly constructed in comparison to the old model 029. Sometime in September of 2007 I decided to reinvest in a new tripod and head system. Having spent some time researching the various options I decided to opt for the 468MGRC0 Hydrostatic Ball Head from Manfrotto, which incorporates their revolutionary and easy to use hydraulic ball locking system designed for the 468MG. The Manfrotto 468MGRC0 was picked up for me at Henry's in Toronto, who are exceptionally helpful. This head is packaged with the excellent Manfrotto RC0 Hexagonal Quick Release Plate system. The hex plate makes it ideal for a quick release, supports heavy loads, and provides secure locking and flexible positioning.
I also opted for the Manfrotto 190XPROB tripod which I will cover in another review. All I can say now is that it is a nice combination. Technically the 468MGRC0 borrows the popular features found on Manfrotto's standard range of ball heads such as independent pan and tilt locks with a 360° pan movement and +90°/-90° tilt movement. To keep weight low, the head is made of magnesium. To provide smooth adjustment movements the 2" aluminum ball is Teflon coated. For additional control, a calibrated adjustable tension knob allows you to preset the ball friction to suit your camera weight so that you can remove your hands from the camera without risking any unwanted movement.
The Manfrotto 468MGRC0 is really easy to handle and I only needed a few days of field use to adjust to its superb controls. The inclusion of integrated liquid levels on the head makes it really easy to set up for both studio and field work. The control knob is a good size, has a soft feel and the tension can be adjusted to your own preference for locking the camera. The engraved panoramic base is graduated for easy rotation of your camera for generating panoramics. I wouldn't use the head in the same way as I did the 029 Deluxe Three-Way Pan Head because the 468MGRC0 does not quite have the refined control of my old 029 head or the new Manfrotto 3D Pro Head 229, both of which are ideal for shooting virtual tours and 360 degree panoramics.
The Manfrotto 468MGRC0 is an excellent piece of kit which is easy to use and faultless in both design and operation. The control surfaces and knobs are comfortable in any environment and require only the most subtle of touches even in cold and wet weather or even whilst wearing gloves or mitts.
(Ed. Note: During a two week photography shoot in southern England during October 2007, Mario and I put the Manfrotto 468MGRC0 through muck, dust, high winds, rain, hail, torrential downpours and a lot of bumps, bangs and grinds. The tripod and this excellent head functioned perfectly.)
Cons: Not recommended for use in work where fine adjustment accuracy is essential such as controlled panoramics.
Pros: The Manfrotto 468MGRC0 with its quick release capabilities is the ideal complement for the landscape and field photographer. Large controls. Easy to use. Levels are integrated and well placed for balancing your landscapes and other photos. As of this writing I've been using it for about six months and have yet to experience any urge remove it from my tripod. Anyone working with a professional or semi-professional SLR or digital SLR camera and who wants a high quality, easy to use head for their photography, needs this excellent piece of kit. Highly recommended.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Photography & Video Shoulder Bags, Sling Packs, Backpacks, Waist Belt Systems and Rolling Bags
Photography & Video Shoulder Bags, Sling Packs, Backpacks, Waist Belt Systems and Rolling Bags - 2008 Product Roundup Review - Part 1
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, February 2008
Manufactured by: Various
Requires: Camera gear
MSRP: US$9.99-US$599.00
Reposted in its entirety from Kickstartnews, to view the original post and more visit Kickstartnews.
Everybody who visits this blog most likely owns a digital camera of some sort—point & shoot, prosumer super zoom, digital SLR, camcorder and all the associated gear and lenses. It stands to reason that everybody who uses a digital camera needs a decent camera bag. So we decided that a little research was in order (and besides, our previous list is two years old). We found that a few manufacturers have changed their lines dramatically, a few have built on strengths, a few new ones have appeared and a couple of marginal manufacturers have either disappeared or exited the camera bag business. This time we looked 30 different bag makers.
During this review we looked at six categories of interest:
Billingham - Description: Large range of high quality, very expensive, distinctive camera bags & photography vests which are versatile, moderately weatherproof, moderately padded offering average to good protection. Verdict: These are great looking bags in classic shoulder and backpack styles. Some people refer to Billingham as the luxury quality bag maker, but that doesn't really do justice to how well the products work. Interior protection is extremely well designed and is as good as Kata and Lowepro at keeping out moisture when left on the ground. Generally very quiet bags which function well in most shooting environments. Any of these bags will last for decades of regular use. We like them a lot, despite their high prices. If you don't have the money, stay away from these ones. But great quality always works, so if you've got the money, they're highly recommended.
Camera Care - Description: Professional and semi-pro bags in modern and classic styles, average weatherproofing, and moderate padding and protection, but the line is rarely seen in North America. Verdict: We've only handled two models and both were well made. The only real issue is that accessing gear and moving gear in and out of these bags during inclement weather seems to overexpose things. Slightly noisy in some environments. Good value at moderate prices for budget conscious shoppers.
Case Logic - Description: Lots of smaller bags and cases for compact and prosumer cameras, mainly average quality and inexpensive but still usable, with poor weatherproofing and light padding. Verdict: We don't consider this maker to be a serious contender for anything except casual use. If you don't have anything else, these bags are better than nothing.
Crumpler - Description: well crafted, good looking, versatile camera backpacks, shoulder bags, belt pouches and rolling packs with moderate weatherproofing, light to medium padding and protection, all backed by a terrifically funny web site. Verdict: The top flaps on the shoulder models has to be snapped shut in order to use the top carry handle. We've dumped our 7 Million Dollar Home model more than once because of that design issue. While quality is very good, a massive piece of top grade velcro on the top flap makes several models the noisiest of any bags in this roundup, something which is not good if you're trying to blend in. The excellent quality belt pouches are also noisy and suffer from awkward flap design. Although Crumpler is gaining rapidly in popularity on the street, most people still won't realize you're carrying camera gear. Down with velcro; up with zippers, clips, snaps and clasps. I really like the shoulder bags but Crumpler doesn't get a recommendation because they're too noisy.
Delsey - Description: consumer and semi-professional lines of pouches, gadget bags, shoulder bags and backpacks, good functionality, average to good quality, moderate weatherproofing, moderate padding and protection, and more versatility since we last looked. Verdict: Delsey continues to gradually improve and expand their offerings, but this maker is still very much consumer oriented. Relatively quiet construction. The styling won't knock you over. Good value for the money though and that's important.
Domke - Description: professional quality shoulder bags & photographers vests, moderately weatherproof, very lightly padded, but versatile, well made, popular and expensive. Verdict: Photographers who love and use Domke bags really, really like them. A lot. We've got a couple in our own collection and they're genuine classics. A thin cellular foam perimeter/outer wall pad would help a lot without adding weight and would also help to prevent these bags from deforming when overloaded. The rule is, don't overload a Domke shoulder bag. Do so and you'll quickly become really unhappy with the bag. Domke provides a classic photojournalist look that's hard to resist. Most models are very quiet. Recommended.
Hakuba/Velbon - Description: semi-pro and consumer range pouches, shoulder bags and backpack systems offering average to good quality construction, good versatility and plenty of features. The bags are made with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding all at average prices, making them an acceptable alternative to low and mid-range models from Lowepro and Tamrac. Verdict: Nothing special. Not bad, not great, and about equal to Camera Care and Delsey products. Design and styling are uninspiring but prices are quite low, which makes this maker a good value for budget conscious shoppers.
Hama - Description: lots of selection but quality is average or below average with average functionality, average weather protection, and, well, just average everything. Verdict: I think we included Hama in this roundup just for the sake of some low-end contrast. We found stitiching problems, binding zippers and uncomfortable shoulder straps. Not interested now, but we'll have another look at Hama next year.
jill-E - Description: good quality fashion bags in shoulder, hand-carry and rolling styles, with typical fashion accessory pricing too, but maybe worthwhile because the bags are well designed with moderate weatherproofing, moderate padding and good functionality. Verdict: My wife owns one of these shoulder bags and she reallly likes it. The main reason is that these bags have all the functionality of a good camera shoulder-style bag without looking anything like a camera bag. The company is relatively new, but they seemed to have found a good target with good quality products. Quiet designs that look like typical women's shoulder bags. jill-E bags are too new for us to gather any opinion on long term durability, but construction and materials seem to be well thought out. Prices are a little above average for good quality shoulder bags, but still affordable. Too new to recommend, but keep an eye on these ones.
Kata - Description: for photography and video enthusiasts, pros and heavy duty users offering excellent quality and unique designs, with good functionality, good weatherproofing and excellent padding design. Verdict: We really like Kata's products. The company's Israeli military design and manufacturing background shows up in all its camera bag products in the form of serious padding protection, economic use of interior space, and versatile carry systems. Pricing is surprisingly competitive. These great looking bags will last a very long time. Kata is expanding its lineup every year and is starting to earn nervous glances from Lowepro, Tamrac and Think Tank, although it still has a way to go to equal the huge lineups offered by or attract the photographers loyal to those three very well established competitors. The only knock against Kata is that its use of velcro closures in some models makes them too noisy in some shooting environments. Down with velcro; up with zippers, clips, snaps and clasps. Highly recommended.
Keisel - Description: good value for money, small but carefully designed range of backpacks, shoulder bags, waist systems and pouches offering moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding. Verdict: Nice quality, decent looking bags that aren't marketed very much in North America, which is a shame because Keisel prodcuts seem to offer good value.
Lightware - Description: professional quality cases for camera gear with high impact resistance, good to excellent weatherproofing, and high prices. Lightware offers a well designed range of backpacks, carry bags and rolling systems. Verdict: The touring and professional crowd who have to repeatedly move gear from location to location will like several of these models. The new backpack models are very good too. Designs are not flashy, but good construction quality is evident along with good use of space. We've never used any Lightware products, but the reports from actual Lightware product owners and users are quite good. Generaly quiet gear.
Lowepro - Description: offers the most comprehensive range of belt pouches, gadget bags, professional and consumer shoulder bags, backpacks, waist belt systems, sling packs and rolling camera bags for all photographers and videographers, providing good to excellent quality, versatility, excellent weatherproofing for most models, good to excellent padding systems for most models, and competitive pricing. Verdict: We haven't actually done a model count, but it appears as though Lowepro makes almost as many models as the next two competitors combined. The Lowepro line is impressive for its size and variety, for the huge number of weatherproof models, general consistency of quality from bag to bag, and for competitive pricing. Some shoulder bag models have difficult top/main compartment zippers. Some of the pouch designs have awkward flaps. Most Lowepro bags last a long time—decades of regular use. Several styles and technical designs continue to evolve and improve every year. Most active photographers and pros own at least one or two Lowepro bags. I have my own collection of Lowepro bags for travel, hiking, walkabouts and short day trips. Pro models are generally quiet bags, but the consumer models use too much velcro. Bewildering selection. If you can't find something that suits your needs, you're either too picky or you just don't like conventional bags. Highly recommended.
Moose Peterson - Description: this bag/pack system is a favorite of some outdoor photographers and is well made, quite versatile and provides moderate padding and good to excellent weatherproofing at medium to high prices. Verdict: Unusual design indeed, but it works as advertised and designed. The maker is a well known photographer and his three main pack styles more or less define his personal preferences grown out of decades of photography assignments. Not for everyone, but when you need a backpack system like the MP models, there's nowhere else to get one. Very quiet bags, ideal for wildlife and outdoor shooting situations.
National Geographic - Description: a nice looking line of soft canvas & nylon shoulder bags, backpacks, waist systems and pouches with light weatherproofing, light padding, reasonably priced and offering good quality for casual use. Verdict: I own two of the shoulder bags and I like them a lot. The only problem is that they're insufficiently padded for careless use and the bottom of the bags don't offer much protection from ground moisture. Lots of pockets and an unconventional flap and snap lock system help to create a very quiet, organic looking bag. The shoulder bags are very comfortable, but deform and sag if overloaded. Not quite recommended because of the lack of padding and ground protection.
M-Rock - Description: consumer quality waist sytems, backpacks, shoulder bags, pouches and a couple of sling bags which look like good Lowepro clones but with a couple of extra features not found in Lowepro and Tamrac models. The line also provides moderate padding and moderate weatherproofing. Verdict: The newer M-Rock sling packs are real challengers to Lowepro's excellent SlingShot models. The smaller M-Rock styles offer good protection and access, but zippers are sometimes awkward to use. Otherwise, the M-Rock products work well and make economic use of space in their (mostly) compact designs. Well worth considering, especially the single SLR pouch models. Recommended.
Naneu Pro - Description: interesting designs, above average consumer quality and some semi-pro models including extremely versatile backpacks, shoulder bags and sling bags, with moderate to good padding, moderate to good weatherproofing, and very reasonable pricing. Verdict: We had a hard time finding these ones and tracking down actual owners and users, but they seem to be gradually increasing in popularity. Carry and comfort levels are quite good and the interiors are versatile. A bag maker to watch. Not recommended yet because we don't know how well the bags hold up over time, but quality and wear reports seem good so far.
Pelican - Description: the first name in weatherproof, impact resistant, hard shell cases used all over the world to carry, protect, store and ship camera gear of all kinds. Verdict: Anybody who has to regularly check their camera gear on an airplane, train or bus, or who has to move gear from location to location needs to consider a Pelican, Lightware or Versa-Flex case or set of cases. Pelican offers a huge range of water tight, dunkproof, weatherproof, highly impact resistant, extremely well padded cases in tiny sizes all the way up to large suitcase and crate models. For good reasons, these are the cases most pros turn to for shipping and project travel. Pricey, but worth every penny. Highly recommended.
Petrol Bags - Description: an extensive line of professional shoulder bags, rolling bags and medium to large custom bags for photographers and videographers, offering good weatherproofing, moderate to good padding, very good construction quality and high prices to match. Verdict: Petrol is a new maker on our horizon who is gaining respect and popularity for good design and good looks. All the designs we've seen make economical use of space and operate quietly. Most of the line is starting to gain traction with serious amateurs, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers. That's a vote of confidence in the value. Recommended.
PortaBrace - Description: similar to Petrol but with competitive feature additions, similarly large model line, primarily for videographers, providing professional quality with prices to match. Verdict: we haven't used PortaBrace products extensively, but even occassional use has made it clear that these bags provide pro video shooters with good products. Materials and overall designs are somwhat different from competitors and a number of products are offered which accommodate specific cameras and associated gear. Quiet, well padded and structured designs offering secure closures and good access. Recommended.
Promaster - Description: below avearge quality consumer camera shoulder bags, pouches, backpacks and rolling bags, all for occassional use, and offering only light weatherproofing and light to moderate padding. Verdict: Don't let the company name fool you—this stuff isn't pro quality and we actively dislike products which are so aggressively named and which fail so thoroughly to meet the standard set by the name.
Roots - Description: consumer quality designer label shoulder bags, belt pouches and cases, but the surprise is that most of the bag designs are actually quite good, with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding, priced above average because of the label. Verdict: Ah Roots—jack of all trades, master of few. However, these camera bags are reasonably well made, most likely in one the same factories that crank out lots of other products for Roots. In any case, they're not a bad choice but they're also not our first choice although compact camera and point & shoot camera owners could do worse. Some variations in construction quality from sample to sample have been observed recently, along with reports of binding zippers, which would seem to indicate general quality control issues.
Sumdex - Description: consumer camera shoulder bags and belt/shoulder pouches, with light padding and surprisingly good weatherproofing, but only average quality construction at average or below average prices. Verdict: Companies like Sumdex just can't get any traction with retailers in the face of huge store footprints occupied by established players such as Lowepro. The quality of Sumdex products can vary significantly from sample to sample. Not recomended.
Tamrac - Description: lots of variety with almost as much choice as Lowepro, good to excellent weatherproofing, moderate padding, average to good construction and remains the photographer's or videographer's choice when the bag you want from Lowepro or Kata is just a bit too expensive. Verdict: Tamrac has found its niche just below Kata and Lowepro and seems happy to own its particular segment. There are some minor quality concerns in some samples, which means that consumers should compare at least two bags of the same model before taking one to the checkout counter. Tamrac offers almost as many models as Lowepro, which means that you'll find a bewildering array of choices. If you can't find a model that suits your needs, you're either too picky or you just don't like conventional bags. Recommended.
Targus - Description: inexpensive, consumer grade camera shoulder bags and belt/shoulder pouches, providing moderate to poor weatherproofing, light to moderate padding and below average construction quality. Verdict: Construction quality can vary noticeably from sample to sample, so shop carefully. A limited range of models which are very competitively priced doesn't alter the fact that functionality is limited compared to higher priced and better known competitors. If you get a lot of use out of your camera gear, it's probably best to look at another bag maker.
Tenba - Description: offers a good selection of enthusiast and semi-professional camera backpacks, shoulder bags, sling bags and rolling bags rivaling the wide selections from Lowepro and Tamrac, with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding. Verdict: Tenba seems to be a good maker that needs to find some way of gaining traction in the marketplace in order to get more of its products into retail stores and in front of photographers. Construction quality seems consistently good from bag to bag, designs are relatively quiet, and Tenba offers a range of capacities to suit a variety of needs. The sling bag models compare very well to the excellent Lowepro and Kata models, offering a more versatile shape. Recommended if you can find them.
ThinkTank - Description: specializes in waist and harness mounted camera bag systems as well as a superb line of rolling camera bags and backpacks, offering professional quality, excellent features, moderate to excellent padding and good weatherproofing. Verdict: Think Tank products compared side-by-side to similar models from Lowepro and Tamrac sometimes don't look as though they'll work properly. But they do—extremely well actually—and stand up to many years of continuous use. Generally higher priced, made in the U.S. The waist belt & harness systems offer terrific versatility, the swing around model in the backpack system is unique and highly functional, and the rolling cases offer superior features including security and real considerations for the needs of travelers. Generally quiet operation. Very good value. Highly recommended.
Versa-Flex, Inc - Description: ATA style professional photo cases, rolling cases, tripod and custom cases, all of which provide excellent padding & protection along with good to excellent weatherproofing. Verdict: Cordura nylon outer shells with wraparound multi-density foam padding covering steel rim frames basically describes Versa-Flex products. If you're doing location shooting—photo or video—and you need to move gear quickly and safely, these cases are an investment worth considering. Highly customizable interiors, padding and foamed reusable packing fittings make packing and unpacking on location quite easy. Quiet operation and secure handling. Mainly for pros, production houses and touring companies. Highly recommended.
Vested Interest - Description: professional quality photo and video carry vests with lots of built in features and surprisingly competitive pricing. Verdict: If you like photograpy vests, particularly if you prefer a vest as your main carry method, you have to consider the Vested Interest line. Design and construction, weather resistance and durability consistently work to provide a wearable carry that's attractive to people such as journalists who have to move fast in difficult and dense environments. Pocket closures are velcro, which makes operation somewhat noisy, but in the typical busy urban locations for which these vests are best suited, noise isn't much of a factor. If you need one of these, there aren't a lot of choices out there and we're glad this choice is so good. Recommended.
World Richman - Description: if you've seen branded department store or photo retailer camera bags chances are they were manufactured by World Richman, but while prices are quite low, quality and functionality is similarly below average and reliable weatherproofing and padding is either light or non-existent. Verdict: Not my first choice and not even my last choice, World Richman-made store branded products are sometimes what you'll find being given away during promotions and as purchase incentives. You get what you pay for. Along with most store brands, not recommended.
NOTE TO AIR TRAVELERS: Carry-On Camera Shoulder Bags, Backpacks, Sling Packs & Rolling Cases - Think Tank is the only maker in this roundup which directly and specifically deals with TSA and airline carry-on size restrictions. Nonetheless, all of the makers offer models which meet carry-on size restrictions. It's about time that all the makers made some efforts on their respective web sites to make it clear which models meet current carry-on size restrictions. So if you're purchasing a camera or video bag for carry-on use during air travel, you have to check its size on the manufacturer's web site, compare the dimensions to the size restrictions imposed by the airlines you'll be using (as listed on various airline web sites), and never, ever believe a salesperson's opinion about any of this. Checked Bags - Never, ever check any camera bag that isn't hardshelled, heavily padded and designed to withstand being tossed around in the hold of an aircraft. Tripods - Carbon fiber tripods may be allowed on board, but forget about metal tube tripods. In any event, all tripods can represent a minor safety hazard in the cabin. So our advice is to pack tripods in checked luggage.
To view this post in its original form and to read other reviews please visit Kickstartnews.
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, February 2008
Manufactured by: Various
Requires: Camera gear
MSRP: US$9.99-US$599.00
Reposted in its entirety from Kickstartnews, to view the original post and more visit Kickstartnews.
Everybody who visits this blog most likely owns a digital camera of some sort—point & shoot, prosumer super zoom, digital SLR, camcorder and all the associated gear and lenses. It stands to reason that everybody who uses a digital camera needs a decent camera bag. So we decided that a little research was in order (and besides, our previous list is two years old). We found that a few manufacturers have changed their lines dramatically, a few have built on strengths, a few new ones have appeared and a couple of marginal manufacturers have either disappeared or exited the camera bag business. This time we looked 30 different bag makers.
During this review we looked at six categories of interest:
1. Quality of construction - stitching, binding zippers, types of clasps and closures, application of velcro or generic hook & loop materials, strap padding, stress points.Although our results necessarily provide an average for each maker, taking most of each makers models into consideration, the verdicts provide a starting point for your shopping and will help you eliminate makers which either just don't measure up or which, more simply, don't have anything that meets your usage needs or interests. Herewith, we present our comprehensive 2008 list and general review of all the camera pouch, waist system, shoulder bag, gadget bag, sling pack, backpack, case and rolling bag makers anyone could possibly care about.
2. Suitablility of purpose - do the bags hold sufficient gear for their various sizes, hold and provide easy access to all the gear the manufacturer claims, and work well in the environments and situations for which they're designed.
3. Quality of weatherproofing - protection from rain, snow and dust mainly, protection from ground moisture, and how well gear is protected going in and out of the bag.
4. Versatility - internal pockets and storage compartments, adjustability of internal dividers, internal customization, adjustability of the carry system.
5. Effectiveness of padding - does it protect gear from external impacts, does it separate and protect gear against damage from other items in the bag.
6. Price - value compared to items of similar style and quality from competing manufacturers.
Billingham - Description: Large range of high quality, very expensive, distinctive camera bags & photography vests which are versatile, moderately weatherproof, moderately padded offering average to good protection. Verdict: These are great looking bags in classic shoulder and backpack styles. Some people refer to Billingham as the luxury quality bag maker, but that doesn't really do justice to how well the products work. Interior protection is extremely well designed and is as good as Kata and Lowepro at keeping out moisture when left on the ground. Generally very quiet bags which function well in most shooting environments. Any of these bags will last for decades of regular use. We like them a lot, despite their high prices. If you don't have the money, stay away from these ones. But great quality always works, so if you've got the money, they're highly recommended.
Camera Care - Description: Professional and semi-pro bags in modern and classic styles, average weatherproofing, and moderate padding and protection, but the line is rarely seen in North America. Verdict: We've only handled two models and both were well made. The only real issue is that accessing gear and moving gear in and out of these bags during inclement weather seems to overexpose things. Slightly noisy in some environments. Good value at moderate prices for budget conscious shoppers.
Case Logic - Description: Lots of smaller bags and cases for compact and prosumer cameras, mainly average quality and inexpensive but still usable, with poor weatherproofing and light padding. Verdict: We don't consider this maker to be a serious contender for anything except casual use. If you don't have anything else, these bags are better than nothing.
Crumpler - Description: well crafted, good looking, versatile camera backpacks, shoulder bags, belt pouches and rolling packs with moderate weatherproofing, light to medium padding and protection, all backed by a terrifically funny web site. Verdict: The top flaps on the shoulder models has to be snapped shut in order to use the top carry handle. We've dumped our 7 Million Dollar Home model more than once because of that design issue. While quality is very good, a massive piece of top grade velcro on the top flap makes several models the noisiest of any bags in this roundup, something which is not good if you're trying to blend in. The excellent quality belt pouches are also noisy and suffer from awkward flap design. Although Crumpler is gaining rapidly in popularity on the street, most people still won't realize you're carrying camera gear. Down with velcro; up with zippers, clips, snaps and clasps. I really like the shoulder bags but Crumpler doesn't get a recommendation because they're too noisy.
Delsey - Description: consumer and semi-professional lines of pouches, gadget bags, shoulder bags and backpacks, good functionality, average to good quality, moderate weatherproofing, moderate padding and protection, and more versatility since we last looked. Verdict: Delsey continues to gradually improve and expand their offerings, but this maker is still very much consumer oriented. Relatively quiet construction. The styling won't knock you over. Good value for the money though and that's important.
Domke - Description: professional quality shoulder bags & photographers vests, moderately weatherproof, very lightly padded, but versatile, well made, popular and expensive. Verdict: Photographers who love and use Domke bags really, really like them. A lot. We've got a couple in our own collection and they're genuine classics. A thin cellular foam perimeter/outer wall pad would help a lot without adding weight and would also help to prevent these bags from deforming when overloaded. The rule is, don't overload a Domke shoulder bag. Do so and you'll quickly become really unhappy with the bag. Domke provides a classic photojournalist look that's hard to resist. Most models are very quiet. Recommended.
Hakuba/Velbon - Description: semi-pro and consumer range pouches, shoulder bags and backpack systems offering average to good quality construction, good versatility and plenty of features. The bags are made with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding all at average prices, making them an acceptable alternative to low and mid-range models from Lowepro and Tamrac. Verdict: Nothing special. Not bad, not great, and about equal to Camera Care and Delsey products. Design and styling are uninspiring but prices are quite low, which makes this maker a good value for budget conscious shoppers.
Hama - Description: lots of selection but quality is average or below average with average functionality, average weather protection, and, well, just average everything. Verdict: I think we included Hama in this roundup just for the sake of some low-end contrast. We found stitiching problems, binding zippers and uncomfortable shoulder straps. Not interested now, but we'll have another look at Hama next year.
jill-E - Description: good quality fashion bags in shoulder, hand-carry and rolling styles, with typical fashion accessory pricing too, but maybe worthwhile because the bags are well designed with moderate weatherproofing, moderate padding and good functionality. Verdict: My wife owns one of these shoulder bags and she reallly likes it. The main reason is that these bags have all the functionality of a good camera shoulder-style bag without looking anything like a camera bag. The company is relatively new, but they seemed to have found a good target with good quality products. Quiet designs that look like typical women's shoulder bags. jill-E bags are too new for us to gather any opinion on long term durability, but construction and materials seem to be well thought out. Prices are a little above average for good quality shoulder bags, but still affordable. Too new to recommend, but keep an eye on these ones.
Kata - Description: for photography and video enthusiasts, pros and heavy duty users offering excellent quality and unique designs, with good functionality, good weatherproofing and excellent padding design. Verdict: We really like Kata's products. The company's Israeli military design and manufacturing background shows up in all its camera bag products in the form of serious padding protection, economic use of interior space, and versatile carry systems. Pricing is surprisingly competitive. These great looking bags will last a very long time. Kata is expanding its lineup every year and is starting to earn nervous glances from Lowepro, Tamrac and Think Tank, although it still has a way to go to equal the huge lineups offered by or attract the photographers loyal to those three very well established competitors. The only knock against Kata is that its use of velcro closures in some models makes them too noisy in some shooting environments. Down with velcro; up with zippers, clips, snaps and clasps. Highly recommended.
Keisel - Description: good value for money, small but carefully designed range of backpacks, shoulder bags, waist systems and pouches offering moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding. Verdict: Nice quality, decent looking bags that aren't marketed very much in North America, which is a shame because Keisel prodcuts seem to offer good value.
Lightware - Description: professional quality cases for camera gear with high impact resistance, good to excellent weatherproofing, and high prices. Lightware offers a well designed range of backpacks, carry bags and rolling systems. Verdict: The touring and professional crowd who have to repeatedly move gear from location to location will like several of these models. The new backpack models are very good too. Designs are not flashy, but good construction quality is evident along with good use of space. We've never used any Lightware products, but the reports from actual Lightware product owners and users are quite good. Generaly quiet gear.
Lowepro - Description: offers the most comprehensive range of belt pouches, gadget bags, professional and consumer shoulder bags, backpacks, waist belt systems, sling packs and rolling camera bags for all photographers and videographers, providing good to excellent quality, versatility, excellent weatherproofing for most models, good to excellent padding systems for most models, and competitive pricing. Verdict: We haven't actually done a model count, but it appears as though Lowepro makes almost as many models as the next two competitors combined. The Lowepro line is impressive for its size and variety, for the huge number of weatherproof models, general consistency of quality from bag to bag, and for competitive pricing. Some shoulder bag models have difficult top/main compartment zippers. Some of the pouch designs have awkward flaps. Most Lowepro bags last a long time—decades of regular use. Several styles and technical designs continue to evolve and improve every year. Most active photographers and pros own at least one or two Lowepro bags. I have my own collection of Lowepro bags for travel, hiking, walkabouts and short day trips. Pro models are generally quiet bags, but the consumer models use too much velcro. Bewildering selection. If you can't find something that suits your needs, you're either too picky or you just don't like conventional bags. Highly recommended.
Moose Peterson - Description: this bag/pack system is a favorite of some outdoor photographers and is well made, quite versatile and provides moderate padding and good to excellent weatherproofing at medium to high prices. Verdict: Unusual design indeed, but it works as advertised and designed. The maker is a well known photographer and his three main pack styles more or less define his personal preferences grown out of decades of photography assignments. Not for everyone, but when you need a backpack system like the MP models, there's nowhere else to get one. Very quiet bags, ideal for wildlife and outdoor shooting situations.
National Geographic - Description: a nice looking line of soft canvas & nylon shoulder bags, backpacks, waist systems and pouches with light weatherproofing, light padding, reasonably priced and offering good quality for casual use. Verdict: I own two of the shoulder bags and I like them a lot. The only problem is that they're insufficiently padded for careless use and the bottom of the bags don't offer much protection from ground moisture. Lots of pockets and an unconventional flap and snap lock system help to create a very quiet, organic looking bag. The shoulder bags are very comfortable, but deform and sag if overloaded. Not quite recommended because of the lack of padding and ground protection.
M-Rock - Description: consumer quality waist sytems, backpacks, shoulder bags, pouches and a couple of sling bags which look like good Lowepro clones but with a couple of extra features not found in Lowepro and Tamrac models. The line also provides moderate padding and moderate weatherproofing. Verdict: The newer M-Rock sling packs are real challengers to Lowepro's excellent SlingShot models. The smaller M-Rock styles offer good protection and access, but zippers are sometimes awkward to use. Otherwise, the M-Rock products work well and make economic use of space in their (mostly) compact designs. Well worth considering, especially the single SLR pouch models. Recommended.
Naneu Pro - Description: interesting designs, above average consumer quality and some semi-pro models including extremely versatile backpacks, shoulder bags and sling bags, with moderate to good padding, moderate to good weatherproofing, and very reasonable pricing. Verdict: We had a hard time finding these ones and tracking down actual owners and users, but they seem to be gradually increasing in popularity. Carry and comfort levels are quite good and the interiors are versatile. A bag maker to watch. Not recommended yet because we don't know how well the bags hold up over time, but quality and wear reports seem good so far.
Pelican - Description: the first name in weatherproof, impact resistant, hard shell cases used all over the world to carry, protect, store and ship camera gear of all kinds. Verdict: Anybody who has to regularly check their camera gear on an airplane, train or bus, or who has to move gear from location to location needs to consider a Pelican, Lightware or Versa-Flex case or set of cases. Pelican offers a huge range of water tight, dunkproof, weatherproof, highly impact resistant, extremely well padded cases in tiny sizes all the way up to large suitcase and crate models. For good reasons, these are the cases most pros turn to for shipping and project travel. Pricey, but worth every penny. Highly recommended.
Petrol Bags - Description: an extensive line of professional shoulder bags, rolling bags and medium to large custom bags for photographers and videographers, offering good weatherproofing, moderate to good padding, very good construction quality and high prices to match. Verdict: Petrol is a new maker on our horizon who is gaining respect and popularity for good design and good looks. All the designs we've seen make economical use of space and operate quietly. Most of the line is starting to gain traction with serious amateurs, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers. That's a vote of confidence in the value. Recommended.
PortaBrace - Description: similar to Petrol but with competitive feature additions, similarly large model line, primarily for videographers, providing professional quality with prices to match. Verdict: we haven't used PortaBrace products extensively, but even occassional use has made it clear that these bags provide pro video shooters with good products. Materials and overall designs are somwhat different from competitors and a number of products are offered which accommodate specific cameras and associated gear. Quiet, well padded and structured designs offering secure closures and good access. Recommended.
Promaster - Description: below avearge quality consumer camera shoulder bags, pouches, backpacks and rolling bags, all for occassional use, and offering only light weatherproofing and light to moderate padding. Verdict: Don't let the company name fool you—this stuff isn't pro quality and we actively dislike products which are so aggressively named and which fail so thoroughly to meet the standard set by the name.
Roots - Description: consumer quality designer label shoulder bags, belt pouches and cases, but the surprise is that most of the bag designs are actually quite good, with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding, priced above average because of the label. Verdict: Ah Roots—jack of all trades, master of few. However, these camera bags are reasonably well made, most likely in one the same factories that crank out lots of other products for Roots. In any case, they're not a bad choice but they're also not our first choice although compact camera and point & shoot camera owners could do worse. Some variations in construction quality from sample to sample have been observed recently, along with reports of binding zippers, which would seem to indicate general quality control issues.
Sumdex - Description: consumer camera shoulder bags and belt/shoulder pouches, with light padding and surprisingly good weatherproofing, but only average quality construction at average or below average prices. Verdict: Companies like Sumdex just can't get any traction with retailers in the face of huge store footprints occupied by established players such as Lowepro. The quality of Sumdex products can vary significantly from sample to sample. Not recomended.
Tamrac - Description: lots of variety with almost as much choice as Lowepro, good to excellent weatherproofing, moderate padding, average to good construction and remains the photographer's or videographer's choice when the bag you want from Lowepro or Kata is just a bit too expensive. Verdict: Tamrac has found its niche just below Kata and Lowepro and seems happy to own its particular segment. There are some minor quality concerns in some samples, which means that consumers should compare at least two bags of the same model before taking one to the checkout counter. Tamrac offers almost as many models as Lowepro, which means that you'll find a bewildering array of choices. If you can't find a model that suits your needs, you're either too picky or you just don't like conventional bags. Recommended.
Targus - Description: inexpensive, consumer grade camera shoulder bags and belt/shoulder pouches, providing moderate to poor weatherproofing, light to moderate padding and below average construction quality. Verdict: Construction quality can vary noticeably from sample to sample, so shop carefully. A limited range of models which are very competitively priced doesn't alter the fact that functionality is limited compared to higher priced and better known competitors. If you get a lot of use out of your camera gear, it's probably best to look at another bag maker.
Tenba - Description: offers a good selection of enthusiast and semi-professional camera backpacks, shoulder bags, sling bags and rolling bags rivaling the wide selections from Lowepro and Tamrac, with moderate weatherproofing and moderate padding. Verdict: Tenba seems to be a good maker that needs to find some way of gaining traction in the marketplace in order to get more of its products into retail stores and in front of photographers. Construction quality seems consistently good from bag to bag, designs are relatively quiet, and Tenba offers a range of capacities to suit a variety of needs. The sling bag models compare very well to the excellent Lowepro and Kata models, offering a more versatile shape. Recommended if you can find them.
ThinkTank - Description: specializes in waist and harness mounted camera bag systems as well as a superb line of rolling camera bags and backpacks, offering professional quality, excellent features, moderate to excellent padding and good weatherproofing. Verdict: Think Tank products compared side-by-side to similar models from Lowepro and Tamrac sometimes don't look as though they'll work properly. But they do—extremely well actually—and stand up to many years of continuous use. Generally higher priced, made in the U.S. The waist belt & harness systems offer terrific versatility, the swing around model in the backpack system is unique and highly functional, and the rolling cases offer superior features including security and real considerations for the needs of travelers. Generally quiet operation. Very good value. Highly recommended.
Versa-Flex, Inc - Description: ATA style professional photo cases, rolling cases, tripod and custom cases, all of which provide excellent padding & protection along with good to excellent weatherproofing. Verdict: Cordura nylon outer shells with wraparound multi-density foam padding covering steel rim frames basically describes Versa-Flex products. If you're doing location shooting—photo or video—and you need to move gear quickly and safely, these cases are an investment worth considering. Highly customizable interiors, padding and foamed reusable packing fittings make packing and unpacking on location quite easy. Quiet operation and secure handling. Mainly for pros, production houses and touring companies. Highly recommended.
Vested Interest - Description: professional quality photo and video carry vests with lots of built in features and surprisingly competitive pricing. Verdict: If you like photograpy vests, particularly if you prefer a vest as your main carry method, you have to consider the Vested Interest line. Design and construction, weather resistance and durability consistently work to provide a wearable carry that's attractive to people such as journalists who have to move fast in difficult and dense environments. Pocket closures are velcro, which makes operation somewhat noisy, but in the typical busy urban locations for which these vests are best suited, noise isn't much of a factor. If you need one of these, there aren't a lot of choices out there and we're glad this choice is so good. Recommended.
World Richman - Description: if you've seen branded department store or photo retailer camera bags chances are they were manufactured by World Richman, but while prices are quite low, quality and functionality is similarly below average and reliable weatherproofing and padding is either light or non-existent. Verdict: Not my first choice and not even my last choice, World Richman-made store branded products are sometimes what you'll find being given away during promotions and as purchase incentives. You get what you pay for. Along with most store brands, not recommended.
NOTE TO AIR TRAVELERS: Carry-On Camera Shoulder Bags, Backpacks, Sling Packs & Rolling Cases - Think Tank is the only maker in this roundup which directly and specifically deals with TSA and airline carry-on size restrictions. Nonetheless, all of the makers offer models which meet carry-on size restrictions. It's about time that all the makers made some efforts on their respective web sites to make it clear which models meet current carry-on size restrictions. So if you're purchasing a camera or video bag for carry-on use during air travel, you have to check its size on the manufacturer's web site, compare the dimensions to the size restrictions imposed by the airlines you'll be using (as listed on various airline web sites), and never, ever believe a salesperson's opinion about any of this. Checked Bags - Never, ever check any camera bag that isn't hardshelled, heavily padded and designed to withstand being tossed around in the hold of an aircraft. Tripods - Carbon fiber tripods may be allowed on board, but forget about metal tube tripods. In any event, all tripods can represent a minor safety hazard in the cabin. So our advice is to pack tripods in checked luggage.
To view this post in its original form and to read other reviews please visit Kickstartnews.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Datacolor Announce Spyder3 Line Up
Datacolor announced the addition of Spyder3Pro and Spyder3Print to its new Spyder3 range of monitor calibration and printer profiling solutions. Their Spyder3Pro solution offers an affordable display calibration tool for serious and professional photographers. Spyder3Print is a printer-profiling device which is aimed at fine art printers and production professionals.
Spyder3 colorimeter offers a seven-detector colour engine, the only one of its kind on the market. The colorimeters 27mm aperture is the largest in its class, and provides a greater screen sampling area and a 400 per cent increase in light sensitivity. When used in conjunction with the embedded ambient light sensor, which automatically measures surrounding ambient light levels even when stored in its cradle, the Spyder3Pro will enable users to achieve the highest levels of precision and calibration for your display devices.
Spyder3Print is the perfect complement for the Spyder3Pro and Spyder3Elite. The printer calibration device enables users to create custom printer profiles by using an updated Datacolor 1005 spectrocolorimeter and colour calibration tile with tracking ruler for more accurate readings, Spyder3Print enables the production of professional-looking prints quickly and accurately, by avoiding the wasteful trial-and-error process of uncalibrated devices.
Spyder3Elite uses an enhancement of the feature set offered by Spyder3Pro. Spyder3Elite uses dual-mode software that allows the calibration of multiple displays in a studio via either an easy to use walkthrough wizard guide or its expert console, which gives advanced users full control of all settings. The Spyder3 elite is also the only device in its category, which is able to calibrate front projectors.
Spyder3Studio is Datacolor's complete colour management suite. Spyder3Studio combines the powerful features of Spyder3Elite’s display calibration with the excellent printer profiling functions of Spyder3Print. These tools will make the job of controlling the accuracy of your display and output devices a breeze. For more information visit Datacolor.
Spyder3 colorimeter offers a seven-detector colour engine, the only one of its kind on the market. The colorimeters 27mm aperture is the largest in its class, and provides a greater screen sampling area and a 400 per cent increase in light sensitivity. When used in conjunction with the embedded ambient light sensor, which automatically measures surrounding ambient light levels even when stored in its cradle, the Spyder3Pro will enable users to achieve the highest levels of precision and calibration for your display devices.
Spyder3Print is the perfect complement for the Spyder3Pro and Spyder3Elite. The printer calibration device enables users to create custom printer profiles by using an updated Datacolor 1005 spectrocolorimeter and colour calibration tile with tracking ruler for more accurate readings, Spyder3Print enables the production of professional-looking prints quickly and accurately, by avoiding the wasteful trial-and-error process of uncalibrated devices.
Spyder3Elite uses an enhancement of the feature set offered by Spyder3Pro. Spyder3Elite uses dual-mode software that allows the calibration of multiple displays in a studio via either an easy to use walkthrough wizard guide or its expert console, which gives advanced users full control of all settings. The Spyder3 elite is also the only device in its category, which is able to calibrate front projectors.
Spyder3Studio is Datacolor's complete colour management suite. Spyder3Studio combines the powerful features of Spyder3Elite’s display calibration with the excellent printer profiling functions of Spyder3Print. These tools will make the job of controlling the accuracy of your display and output devices a breeze. For more information visit Datacolor.
Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera Review
Product: Canon PowerShot G9 Digital Camera
Manufactured by: Canon US, Canon Canada, Canon UK
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, March 2008
Requires: An interest in serious photography using a compact form factor
MSRP: US$499.99, CDN$549.99, UK£429
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
The major PowerShot G7 flaws touted by the pundits were that this marvelous top-of-the line prosumer camera failed to provide several features offered in semi-pro digital SLR cameras costing hundreds of dollars more. The PowerShot G7 didn't offer RAW format the critics complained, and it failed to provide superb low noise performance above 400 ISO. Canon listened to the howling and rancor, then tweaked the design to add some image processing improvements and RAW file saving. The result is the Canon PowerShot G9.
The Canon PowerShot G9 is a 12.1 megapixel digital camera equipped with Canon's DIGIC III image processor, a 6x optical zoom lens and Optical Image Stabilizer (IS). The camera offers a full range of shooting modes (shutter priority, aperture priority, manual, programmed auto, full auto, scene modes, movie mode) and recording modes including JPEG + RAW. Except for the fact that it's blessed with a diopter adjustment, the optical viewfinder is essentially useless at every zoom setting unless it happens to be 12.5mm (equivalent to 50mm on a full frame). Thankfully the viewfinder is completely offset by the 3 inch high-quality PureColor LCD II screen featuring a wide viewing angle, anti-glare and anti-scratch coatings. You also get face detection (the camera automatically picks out, focuses on and adjusts exposure for one or multiple faces in a composition) and primary face selection control. The PowerShot G9 has a standard Canon top-mounted hotshoe which is compatible with the complete range of Canon EOS speedlites.
The Canon PowerShot G9 is identical in every outward respect to its G7 predecessor. The fun begins with some improvements on the inside and ends with a general increase in image quality. If you're wondering how much image quality you can squeeze out of a little camera like this, have a look at this high dynamic range winter photo. The image is as-shot and unretouched, completely noise-free and quite striking at ISO100 and -0.3ev, handheld, IS on. Note the corrosion bubbles just under the surface of the black wrought iron fence, and the enormous amount of contrast between the fading painted black surfaces and the fresh white snow. The midtones are captured well too, with clean, interesting details in the shadows, the dense texture of the split rail fence and the highlights popping off the the ice and snow crystals without being blown out. One example does not tell the tale obviously, but this is a very nice camera indeed.
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
Cons: Like it's predecessor, it's as heavy as a small brick. The strict adherence to a classic Rangefinder form factor is all well and good, but there's not quite enough to grab hold of except a very conservative grip bump on the right front—no prominent right-side body bulge like that found on the excellent Canon A-series compacts—so the very first thing you should do after marveling at your brand new PowerShot G9 as it comes out of the box is to attach a good quality neck or wrist strap. The playback button is located on a slightly concave chamfer at the top rear edge of the camera and is difficult to press because it's just at or slightly less than flush with the body surface. You need to poke the playback button with a fingernail to get a positive click, so forget about using it outside while wearing gloves. No ISO limit setting for Auto mode.
Pros: The Canon PowerShot G9 is a modern wonder of digital camera technology. For the price, there's nothing else in its image quality class on the market today except for the Leica D-Lux 3. I like sturdy, substantial buttons and dials that work smoothly and provide positive feedback mainly because on a well-designed camera they provide the surest sort of control over important and frequently used functions. The ISO dial is a perfect example and it's great to have it sitting on the top left of the camera body. Image quality is improved slightly over the G7 which means that mid-to-high ISO noise performance is good enough to make ISO800 genuinely useful (and certainly printable). The retro body and control layout introduced in the G7 is a stroke of genius and I'm glad Canon has kept and enhanced the design. The programmed user interface and LCD combine to make menu navigation easy and fast. Canon has hit a home run with the PowerShot G9. Highly recommended.
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
Manufactured by: Canon US, Canon Canada, Canon UK
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, March 2008
Requires: An interest in serious photography using a compact form factor
MSRP: US$499.99, CDN$549.99, UK£429
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
The major PowerShot G7 flaws touted by the pundits were that this marvelous top-of-the line prosumer camera failed to provide several features offered in semi-pro digital SLR cameras costing hundreds of dollars more. The PowerShot G7 didn't offer RAW format the critics complained, and it failed to provide superb low noise performance above 400 ISO. Canon listened to the howling and rancor, then tweaked the design to add some image processing improvements and RAW file saving. The result is the Canon PowerShot G9.
The Canon PowerShot G9 is a 12.1 megapixel digital camera equipped with Canon's DIGIC III image processor, a 6x optical zoom lens and Optical Image Stabilizer (IS). The camera offers a full range of shooting modes (shutter priority, aperture priority, manual, programmed auto, full auto, scene modes, movie mode) and recording modes including JPEG + RAW. Except for the fact that it's blessed with a diopter adjustment, the optical viewfinder is essentially useless at every zoom setting unless it happens to be 12.5mm (equivalent to 50mm on a full frame). Thankfully the viewfinder is completely offset by the 3 inch high-quality PureColor LCD II screen featuring a wide viewing angle, anti-glare and anti-scratch coatings. You also get face detection (the camera automatically picks out, focuses on and adjusts exposure for one or multiple faces in a composition) and primary face selection control. The PowerShot G9 has a standard Canon top-mounted hotshoe which is compatible with the complete range of Canon EOS speedlites.
The Canon PowerShot G9 is identical in every outward respect to its G7 predecessor. The fun begins with some improvements on the inside and ends with a general increase in image quality. If you're wondering how much image quality you can squeeze out of a little camera like this, have a look at this high dynamic range winter photo. The image is as-shot and unretouched, completely noise-free and quite striking at ISO100 and -0.3ev, handheld, IS on. Note the corrosion bubbles just under the surface of the black wrought iron fence, and the enormous amount of contrast between the fading painted black surfaces and the fresh white snow. The midtones are captured well too, with clean, interesting details in the shadows, the dense texture of the split rail fence and the highlights popping off the the ice and snow crystals without being blown out. One example does not tell the tale obviously, but this is a very nice camera indeed.
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
Cons: Like it's predecessor, it's as heavy as a small brick. The strict adherence to a classic Rangefinder form factor is all well and good, but there's not quite enough to grab hold of except a very conservative grip bump on the right front—no prominent right-side body bulge like that found on the excellent Canon A-series compacts—so the very first thing you should do after marveling at your brand new PowerShot G9 as it comes out of the box is to attach a good quality neck or wrist strap. The playback button is located on a slightly concave chamfer at the top rear edge of the camera and is difficult to press because it's just at or slightly less than flush with the body surface. You need to poke the playback button with a fingernail to get a positive click, so forget about using it outside while wearing gloves. No ISO limit setting for Auto mode.
Pros: The Canon PowerShot G9 is a modern wonder of digital camera technology. For the price, there's nothing else in its image quality class on the market today except for the Leica D-Lux 3. I like sturdy, substantial buttons and dials that work smoothly and provide positive feedback mainly because on a well-designed camera they provide the surest sort of control over important and frequently used functions. The ISO dial is a perfect example and it's great to have it sitting on the top left of the camera body. Image quality is improved slightly over the G7 which means that mid-to-high ISO noise performance is good enough to make ISO800 genuinely useful (and certainly printable). The retro body and control layout introduced in the G7 is a stroke of genius and I'm glad Canon has kept and enhanced the design. The programmed user interface and LCD combine to make menu navigation easy and fast. Canon has hit a home run with the PowerShot G9. Highly recommended.
Read the full PowerShot G9 review!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Camera & Laptop Backpack Reviews
Photo/Laptop Backpacks: National Geographic Earth Explorer Large and Medium, Tamrac Adventure 9, Crumpler Keystone, Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack, Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW, and the Think Tank Airport International
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, January 2008
Manufacture by: Various
Requires: Digital SLR camera equipment, any laptop
MSRP: US$140.00 - $400.00 (dealers usually sell for less)
Reposted in its entirety from Kickstartnews, to view the original post and more visit Kickstartnews.
All that expensive digital SLR equipment, your laptop, and all the myriad accessories, cables, cleaning supplies, etc., etc., weigh a lot. We earnestly claim to absolutely need it all on every photography trip (long or short), but it represents a carry burden that far too many of us are not up to the task of shouldering. Face it, you're out of shape. You may need a good quality photo/laptop backpack to ease the load and provide a tough, mobile and versatile photography 'office' out which to operate. After researching all of the sales stats we could find in addition to talking with a variety of photography store managers in an effort to find out which photo/laptop backpacks are currently the most popular, we assembled this group of packs for review. We used each backpack on two different trips (we've been at this for a couple of months). We used the same set of equipment to compare and test all of the backpacks:
Nikon D200 digital SLR with attached Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 zoom lens
Nikon D40x with attached Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens
Nikon SB800 flashgun with extender cable
Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens
Nikkor 12-24mm f4 zoom lens
4 filters for various lenses
8 CF & SD storage cards
15" Macbook with power block, mini-mouse, USB cable
Two microfiber cleaning cloths
One Optex lens brush
LCD screen covers
2 tripod/camera plates
1 writing pen
1 3x5 writing pad
2 battery chargers (1 Canon, 1 Nikon)
2 UK AC plug adaptors
1 MC-30 Nikon remote control cable
2 spare batteries
1 set of spare rechargeable AA batteries for the SB800
1 AA battery charger
It's a full travel list for sure, as opposed to the amount of equipment you'd normally be carrying on a day trip. The point of this round-up review is to figure out what each of these backpacks is best at. The only way to do that is to load each of them to capacity and use them on real photography trips. There cannot be a single winner that fits all needs (and backs, hips and shoulders). But at the very least, after reading the reviews, you'll be able to narrow the field with respect to the price, features and functionality that fit your budget and photography needs. Here you go.
The National Geographic Earth Explorer bags, Medium US$210.00, Large US$400.00, are deceptively nice, but unfortunately prove to be less than practical in actual use. The inner cinch protecting the top compartment provides additional protection against moisture, but can also be annoying because it gets in the way of fast access. The flanges on your hot shoe can accidentally pickup the edge of the cinch seam as you're lifting the camera out of the bag. The mid/central compartment retainer zipper works smoothly, but the tab doesn't have enough weight and can be difficult to grab when you're wearing light gloves. Although the soft 'frame' of the pack is well-designed, providing acceptable balance and form, I think the bag is a still bit too soft for backpack use. Loads can shift too easily when you're on steep inclines. A tripod can be lashed to the exterior accessory side mounts at the cost of unbalancing the pack. The Earth Explorer doesn't offer enough bump & bang protection or bottom protection to make me stop worrying about my gear. It does offer almost a dozen exterior pockets and a dozen clinch and accessory mounting points for lashing on extra gear and bags. The built in bottle bag is a nice touch.
Because the belting is narrow, it's also difficult to lash the bag tightly enough to your waist in order to get it positioned for your hips to take the load, something that's absolutely necessary for proper/ergonomic and comfortable backpack use. The 15" laptop compartment is positioned lower than it is in the Lowepro so there's little chance of any dangerous flex. The rain cover is a bit fiddly to get in and out of its pouch on the pack. The National Geographic offers a lot of storage versatility but for hiking and general travel use should be restricted to no more than an hour at a time on your back. No dedicated memory card compartment. I own and really like the National Geographic small and medium shoulder bags. They're great for daily use in and out of the car and for short photography outings. The National Geographic small and medium shoulder bags seem to wear extremely well, but the jury is still out on how well the treated canvas/synthetic exterior and rip-stop synthetic liner will hold up over long use in the backpack configuration. The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are good. However, we did notice some permanent compression of the padding in the high stress areas of the shoulder straps. The carry design allows your back to breath reasonably well. We could not fit all of our test gear into the Medium backpack. It's softer-than-average outer construction is unlikely to do a good job of protecting your gear in an aircraft overhead bin. The Medium backpack is okay on commercial aircraft but the Large backpack is too big for most international airline carry-on restrictions, which severely limits travel use of this pack. Construction and finish are good.
The Tamrac Adventure 9 backpack, US$140.00, is clearly the bargain of this bunch. It carries marginally well, distributes weight across the shoulders with a sternum strap (which I personally hate because it restricts breathing) rather than a waist belt, and could use a bit more padding everywhere. However, there's no doubt that the Adventure 9 does a very good job of protecting your gear as well as the Crumpler Keystone and the Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW. So call the Tamrac Adventure 9 a large capacity day pack. We managed to fit all the gear on the list into the Adventure 9, but the design of the compartments are not particularly well-optimized. Storing and removing the D200 with attached 17-55mm f2.8 lens always required an extra twist or two to pull it free or get back in past the upper curve of the zipper facing. It's something you'll get used to I'm sure, but it's initially annoying.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are good. To get the best use out of the Tamrac Adventure 9 you've got to focus on good posture because there is insufficient stiffness to the soft 'frame' of this backpack. The shoulder straps are well designed and although not quite as heavily padded as the rest of this group, seem to do a good job of keeping pressure and stress points to a minimum. The 15" laptop compartment is unwisely located against your back, which means the lack of a waist belt/hip weight distribution often results in a lot of bounce and flex to the laptop compartment. That's not good. There are lots of dedicated compartments inside as well a dedicated memory card storage compartment and card usage system. One of the exterior mesh compartments is large enough for a water bottle. Like Lowepro, Tamrac offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The Tamrac Adventure 9 is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel - just. Construction and finish are good.
The Crumpler Keystone bag, US$200.00, is great . . . for a while. Then the annoyingly wide zipper facings which prevent the top compartment from being accessed easily will become tiresome. In use, my Crumpler bags (I've got this backpack and the 4, 6 & 7 Million Dollar Home models) offer better protection overall than the National Geographic bags. The Keystone is still not great for fast access off the shoulder or even on the ground. Crumpler compartments are invariably tight and this model is no exception. Your gear won't shift around (which is good), but some of it will be a bit more difficult to get to. This bag carries well and secures to your waist quite well also, which makes it a much better carry than the National Geographic bags. A laptop is well protected in this pack because its the only design in this group which positions the laptop compartment on the outside of the pack as opposed the to inside against your back. Crumpler deserves an award of some sort for that design decision.
The tripod mounting strap is awkward and can't accommodate heavy tripods. Whichever tripod you do happen to mount is well balanced on the pack. Crumpler's typically clean looking design apparently doesn't accommodate a dedicated memory card storage compartment. The laptop compartment can only handle a 13" laptop.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good although to get the best use out of the Crumpler Keystone you've got to focus on good posture. It's a long backpack which tends to carry flatter to the back than the others in this review, a good design feature that has its limits in terms of storage convenience inside the pack. The pack material is tough and the interior is very gentle on your gear. The pack is supposed to protect contents against heavy weather, but we still advise the use of a rain cover with this pack. The Crumpler Keystone backpack is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are very good.
The Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack, US$260.00, is a heavy duty but lightweight backpack which clearly represents the best protection available. Compartments are slightly smaller and stiffer than those found on any of the other bags in this review. The bright yellow trademark Kata lining makes it easy to spot small items in any of the compartments. Kata builds its bags out of waterproof and storm proof material. Digital Imaging Products Editor Mario Georgiou and I were caught on the side of a hill leading to Glastonbury Tor on a photography trip in England last September and Mario's Kata T-214 Torso Pack kept his gear dry as a bone. So did my Lowepro Elite Pro AW (with the added help of the built in rain cover however). The R-103 carries extremely well, a legacy of Kata's experience designing and manufacturing military gear no doubt. Weight distribution is excellent and easy to balance. A 15" laptop is well protected with no danger of flex damage for most people. We managed to just fit all of the gear into the pack - just.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good. The lower shoulder strap padding tends to twist while mounting or dismounting the pack. The shoulder straps and waist belt are well designed using a very durable padding and outer material. The upper yoke between the narrowest part of the shoulder straps extends slightly from the upper pack seam and may bother some people. Tripod strap mounts are located on the bottom of the pack but the tripod strap set is optional. Like Tamrac and Lowepro, Kata offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The interior finish is very gentle on your gear. The Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are excellent and tied with the Think Tank Airport International for the best quality in this group of products.
The Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW, US$220.00, is my personal favorite general travel backpack (car, airplane, train, bus, light to medium hiking). For my purposes it's been wonderfully durable, fully protective of all my gear, comfortable on short and medium length hikes and extremely versatile with respect to not only how much gear I can pack into it, but also with respect to how easy it is to get at everything quickly. This bag is also weatherproof, with the built-in All Weather rain cover almost redundant considering how well the bag itself is designed and waterproofed. Different backs will give different results, but on my back the CompuTrekker Plus AW is a great carry. It secures comfortably around the waist and ensures proper weight distribution on the hips. Getting the right adjustment with a 15" laptop in place however, definitely takes a bit of initial fiddling. Too tight and you could flex the laptop. Too loose and the load won't be properly distributed. You really only need to unfold the rain cover for heavy downpours. This one is strictly for short hikes and general travel.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good. Shoulder strap padding is well designed and positioned to relieve stress as well as the Kata which is the best in the group. The interior finish and velcro dividers are padded a bit thicker than the National Geographic Earth Explorer and similar to but softer than the Kata and Crumpler. The tripod carry straps are fiddly and Lowepro needs to completely revise the strap and cinch design. They loosen too easily and represent more of a hindrance than a help. The pack offers a dedicated memory card storage compartment. Like Kata and Tamrac, Lowepro offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are very good.
The Think Tank Airport International is the only oddball in this group because it's not a backpack and can't be converted into a backpack either. However, for general car, bus, train and air travel, at the end of which you pack daily shooting gear into a smaller sling pack (such as a Kata T-214 or a Lowepro Slingshot 200 or 300) or shoulder bag, there is nothing on the market that can touch the Think Tank Airport International. It's expensive, but what a bag! Like the CompuTrekker Plus AW it easily holds everything on our list. The Think Tank Airport International features its own well designed and trouble free roller wheels and extension handle in order to use the bag as a roller board. The integrated extension handle and wheel assembly work over long distances too, easily eating up 1-2 kilometer treks I've done across cobbled streets in London and potholed roads and sidewalks in Minneapolis. I purchased one of these things the same week that Think Tank originally offered them for sale (18 months ago?) and have logged thousands of air miles with it since. Great stuff. If you're traveling with a lot of photo gear and a laptop up to 17", but not hiking/backpacking, the Think Tank Airport International is a superb choice.
The Think Tank Airport International has every travel protection feature you can think of including a built in security cable, TSA-compliant combination locks, heavy duty everything, high impact resistant frame, high density padded dividers multi-height divider sets so that a laptop can be safely packed on top of your camera and digital gear, extremely strong carry handles on three sides, as well as easy-access exterior compartments for travel documents and other items. The Think Tank Airport International is weatherproof as far as I can tell, but I have not yet actually had the misfortune of being caught with it in a serious downpour or snowstorm. It easily sloughed off light rain showers however and that's a good sign. Construction and finish are excellent.
All of the backpacks can accommodate or are supplied with some sort of strap assembly to carry a tripod. However, doing so puts the outer dimensions of the arrangement beyond the international airline carry-on size restrictions. In most cases tripods with metal legs won't be allowed in the cabin anyway. Carbon fiber tripods usually pass. In any event, the smart move is to pack the tripod in your checked bag.
All of these backpacks shed rain, mud, sand, snow quite well. Nonetheless, in heavy downpours we strongly recommend the use of accessory or built in rain covers. The outer shells are all abrasion and cut resistant. All of the packs clean up quite easily with lukewarm soapy water and a damp sponge.
Before making one of these expensive purchase decisions, bring your own gear to a good photography store and load up some or all of these backpacks. Walk around the store for ten or fifteen minutes. Get the feel of each pack. Be sensitive to pressure and stress points. Repeatedly mount and dismount the pack, open it up and remove and replace gear. Bring your own tripod or monopod and tie it on. Do all this and avoid the stupidity of ending up with a closet full of costly bags and packs you rarely need or use.
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, January 2008
Manufacture by: Various
Requires: Digital SLR camera equipment, any laptop
MSRP: US$140.00 - $400.00 (dealers usually sell for less)
Reposted in its entirety from Kickstartnews, to view the original post and more visit Kickstartnews.
All that expensive digital SLR equipment, your laptop, and all the myriad accessories, cables, cleaning supplies, etc., etc., weigh a lot. We earnestly claim to absolutely need it all on every photography trip (long or short), but it represents a carry burden that far too many of us are not up to the task of shouldering. Face it, you're out of shape. You may need a good quality photo/laptop backpack to ease the load and provide a tough, mobile and versatile photography 'office' out which to operate. After researching all of the sales stats we could find in addition to talking with a variety of photography store managers in an effort to find out which photo/laptop backpacks are currently the most popular, we assembled this group of packs for review. We used each backpack on two different trips (we've been at this for a couple of months). We used the same set of equipment to compare and test all of the backpacks:
Nikon D200 digital SLR with attached Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 zoom lens
Nikon D40x with attached Nikkor 50mm f1.4 lens
Nikon SB800 flashgun with extender cable
Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR lens
Nikkor 12-24mm f4 zoom lens
4 filters for various lenses
8 CF & SD storage cards
15" Macbook with power block, mini-mouse, USB cable
Two microfiber cleaning cloths
One Optex lens brush
LCD screen covers
2 tripod/camera plates
1 writing pen
1 3x5 writing pad
2 battery chargers (1 Canon, 1 Nikon)
2 UK AC plug adaptors
1 MC-30 Nikon remote control cable
2 spare batteries
1 set of spare rechargeable AA batteries for the SB800
1 AA battery charger
It's a full travel list for sure, as opposed to the amount of equipment you'd normally be carrying on a day trip. The point of this round-up review is to figure out what each of these backpacks is best at. The only way to do that is to load each of them to capacity and use them on real photography trips. There cannot be a single winner that fits all needs (and backs, hips and shoulders). But at the very least, after reading the reviews, you'll be able to narrow the field with respect to the price, features and functionality that fit your budget and photography needs. Here you go.
The National Geographic Earth Explorer bags, Medium US$210.00, Large US$400.00, are deceptively nice, but unfortunately prove to be less than practical in actual use. The inner cinch protecting the top compartment provides additional protection against moisture, but can also be annoying because it gets in the way of fast access. The flanges on your hot shoe can accidentally pickup the edge of the cinch seam as you're lifting the camera out of the bag. The mid/central compartment retainer zipper works smoothly, but the tab doesn't have enough weight and can be difficult to grab when you're wearing light gloves. Although the soft 'frame' of the pack is well-designed, providing acceptable balance and form, I think the bag is a still bit too soft for backpack use. Loads can shift too easily when you're on steep inclines. A tripod can be lashed to the exterior accessory side mounts at the cost of unbalancing the pack. The Earth Explorer doesn't offer enough bump & bang protection or bottom protection to make me stop worrying about my gear. It does offer almost a dozen exterior pockets and a dozen clinch and accessory mounting points for lashing on extra gear and bags. The built in bottle bag is a nice touch.
Because the belting is narrow, it's also difficult to lash the bag tightly enough to your waist in order to get it positioned for your hips to take the load, something that's absolutely necessary for proper/ergonomic and comfortable backpack use. The 15" laptop compartment is positioned lower than it is in the Lowepro so there's little chance of any dangerous flex. The rain cover is a bit fiddly to get in and out of its pouch on the pack. The National Geographic offers a lot of storage versatility but for hiking and general travel use should be restricted to no more than an hour at a time on your back. No dedicated memory card compartment. I own and really like the National Geographic small and medium shoulder bags. They're great for daily use in and out of the car and for short photography outings. The National Geographic small and medium shoulder bags seem to wear extremely well, but the jury is still out on how well the treated canvas/synthetic exterior and rip-stop synthetic liner will hold up over long use in the backpack configuration. The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are good. However, we did notice some permanent compression of the padding in the high stress areas of the shoulder straps. The carry design allows your back to breath reasonably well. We could not fit all of our test gear into the Medium backpack. It's softer-than-average outer construction is unlikely to do a good job of protecting your gear in an aircraft overhead bin. The Medium backpack is okay on commercial aircraft but the Large backpack is too big for most international airline carry-on restrictions, which severely limits travel use of this pack. Construction and finish are good.
The Tamrac Adventure 9 backpack, US$140.00, is clearly the bargain of this bunch. It carries marginally well, distributes weight across the shoulders with a sternum strap (which I personally hate because it restricts breathing) rather than a waist belt, and could use a bit more padding everywhere. However, there's no doubt that the Adventure 9 does a very good job of protecting your gear as well as the Crumpler Keystone and the Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW. So call the Tamrac Adventure 9 a large capacity day pack. We managed to fit all the gear on the list into the Adventure 9, but the design of the compartments are not particularly well-optimized. Storing and removing the D200 with attached 17-55mm f2.8 lens always required an extra twist or two to pull it free or get back in past the upper curve of the zipper facing. It's something you'll get used to I'm sure, but it's initially annoying.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are good. To get the best use out of the Tamrac Adventure 9 you've got to focus on good posture because there is insufficient stiffness to the soft 'frame' of this backpack. The shoulder straps are well designed and although not quite as heavily padded as the rest of this group, seem to do a good job of keeping pressure and stress points to a minimum. The 15" laptop compartment is unwisely located against your back, which means the lack of a waist belt/hip weight distribution often results in a lot of bounce and flex to the laptop compartment. That's not good. There are lots of dedicated compartments inside as well a dedicated memory card storage compartment and card usage system. One of the exterior mesh compartments is large enough for a water bottle. Like Lowepro, Tamrac offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The Tamrac Adventure 9 is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel - just. Construction and finish are good.
The Crumpler Keystone bag, US$200.00, is great . . . for a while. Then the annoyingly wide zipper facings which prevent the top compartment from being accessed easily will become tiresome. In use, my Crumpler bags (I've got this backpack and the 4, 6 & 7 Million Dollar Home models) offer better protection overall than the National Geographic bags. The Keystone is still not great for fast access off the shoulder or even on the ground. Crumpler compartments are invariably tight and this model is no exception. Your gear won't shift around (which is good), but some of it will be a bit more difficult to get to. This bag carries well and secures to your waist quite well also, which makes it a much better carry than the National Geographic bags. A laptop is well protected in this pack because its the only design in this group which positions the laptop compartment on the outside of the pack as opposed the to inside against your back. Crumpler deserves an award of some sort for that design decision.
The tripod mounting strap is awkward and can't accommodate heavy tripods. Whichever tripod you do happen to mount is well balanced on the pack. Crumpler's typically clean looking design apparently doesn't accommodate a dedicated memory card storage compartment. The laptop compartment can only handle a 13" laptop.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good although to get the best use out of the Crumpler Keystone you've got to focus on good posture. It's a long backpack which tends to carry flatter to the back than the others in this review, a good design feature that has its limits in terms of storage convenience inside the pack. The pack material is tough and the interior is very gentle on your gear. The pack is supposed to protect contents against heavy weather, but we still advise the use of a rain cover with this pack. The Crumpler Keystone backpack is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are very good.
The Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack, US$260.00, is a heavy duty but lightweight backpack which clearly represents the best protection available. Compartments are slightly smaller and stiffer than those found on any of the other bags in this review. The bright yellow trademark Kata lining makes it easy to spot small items in any of the compartments. Kata builds its bags out of waterproof and storm proof material. Digital Imaging Products Editor Mario Georgiou and I were caught on the side of a hill leading to Glastonbury Tor on a photography trip in England last September and Mario's Kata T-214 Torso Pack kept his gear dry as a bone. So did my Lowepro Elite Pro AW (with the added help of the built in rain cover however). The R-103 carries extremely well, a legacy of Kata's experience designing and manufacturing military gear no doubt. Weight distribution is excellent and easy to balance. A 15" laptop is well protected with no danger of flex damage for most people. We managed to just fit all of the gear into the pack - just.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good. The lower shoulder strap padding tends to twist while mounting or dismounting the pack. The shoulder straps and waist belt are well designed using a very durable padding and outer material. The upper yoke between the narrowest part of the shoulder straps extends slightly from the upper pack seam and may bother some people. Tripod strap mounts are located on the bottom of the pack but the tripod strap set is optional. Like Tamrac and Lowepro, Kata offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The interior finish is very gentle on your gear. The Kata R-103 GDC Rucksack is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are excellent and tied with the Think Tank Airport International for the best quality in this group of products.
The Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW, US$220.00, is my personal favorite general travel backpack (car, airplane, train, bus, light to medium hiking). For my purposes it's been wonderfully durable, fully protective of all my gear, comfortable on short and medium length hikes and extremely versatile with respect to not only how much gear I can pack into it, but also with respect to how easy it is to get at everything quickly. This bag is also weatherproof, with the built-in All Weather rain cover almost redundant considering how well the bag itself is designed and waterproofed. Different backs will give different results, but on my back the CompuTrekker Plus AW is a great carry. It secures comfortably around the waist and ensures proper weight distribution on the hips. Getting the right adjustment with a 15" laptop in place however, definitely takes a bit of initial fiddling. Too tight and you could flex the laptop. Too loose and the load won't be properly distributed. You really only need to unfold the rain cover for heavy downpours. This one is strictly for short hikes and general travel.
The shoulder straps, back protection and breathability are quite good. Shoulder strap padding is well designed and positioned to relieve stress as well as the Kata which is the best in the group. The interior finish and velcro dividers are padded a bit thicker than the National Geographic Earth Explorer and similar to but softer than the Kata and Crumpler. The tripod carry straps are fiddly and Lowepro needs to completely revise the strap and cinch design. They loosen too easily and represent more of a hindrance than a help. The pack offers a dedicated memory card storage compartment. Like Kata and Tamrac, Lowepro offers a large selection of strap/velcro mount exterior bags and attachments. The Lowepro CompuTrekker Plus AW is legal size for all international carry-on airline travel. Construction and finish are very good.
The Think Tank Airport International is the only oddball in this group because it's not a backpack and can't be converted into a backpack either. However, for general car, bus, train and air travel, at the end of which you pack daily shooting gear into a smaller sling pack (such as a Kata T-214 or a Lowepro Slingshot 200 or 300) or shoulder bag, there is nothing on the market that can touch the Think Tank Airport International. It's expensive, but what a bag! Like the CompuTrekker Plus AW it easily holds everything on our list. The Think Tank Airport International features its own well designed and trouble free roller wheels and extension handle in order to use the bag as a roller board. The integrated extension handle and wheel assembly work over long distances too, easily eating up 1-2 kilometer treks I've done across cobbled streets in London and potholed roads and sidewalks in Minneapolis. I purchased one of these things the same week that Think Tank originally offered them for sale (18 months ago?) and have logged thousands of air miles with it since. Great stuff. If you're traveling with a lot of photo gear and a laptop up to 17", but not hiking/backpacking, the Think Tank Airport International is a superb choice.
The Think Tank Airport International has every travel protection feature you can think of including a built in security cable, TSA-compliant combination locks, heavy duty everything, high impact resistant frame, high density padded dividers multi-height divider sets so that a laptop can be safely packed on top of your camera and digital gear, extremely strong carry handles on three sides, as well as easy-access exterior compartments for travel documents and other items. The Think Tank Airport International is weatherproof as far as I can tell, but I have not yet actually had the misfortune of being caught with it in a serious downpour or snowstorm. It easily sloughed off light rain showers however and that's a good sign. Construction and finish are excellent.
All of the backpacks can accommodate or are supplied with some sort of strap assembly to carry a tripod. However, doing so puts the outer dimensions of the arrangement beyond the international airline carry-on size restrictions. In most cases tripods with metal legs won't be allowed in the cabin anyway. Carbon fiber tripods usually pass. In any event, the smart move is to pack the tripod in your checked bag.
All of these backpacks shed rain, mud, sand, snow quite well. Nonetheless, in heavy downpours we strongly recommend the use of accessory or built in rain covers. The outer shells are all abrasion and cut resistant. All of the packs clean up quite easily with lukewarm soapy water and a damp sponge.
Before making one of these expensive purchase decisions, bring your own gear to a good photography store and load up some or all of these backpacks. Walk around the store for ten or fifteen minutes. Get the feel of each pack. Be sensitive to pressure and stress points. Repeatedly mount and dismount the pack, open it up and remove and replace gear. Bring your own tripod or monopod and tie it on. Do all this and avoid the stupidity of ending up with a closet full of costly bags and packs you rarely need or use.
To view this post in its original form and to read other reviews please visit Kickstartnews.
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Canon PowerShot A650 IS Review
Product: Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Compact Camera
Manufactured by: Canon
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, March 2008
Requires: An interest in photography
MSRP: US$299.95, UK£289.00
Read the full review on kickstartnews.com
What separates the huge assortment of mediocre point & shoot compact digital cameras from the good ones? Image quality! Canon has consistently come up with designs and technology which continue to keep it in the forefront of compact camera design, usability and image quality. The Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Compact Camera is a feature packed, versatile handful designed to please intermediate and advanced amateur photographers and to attract beginner photographers who want something noticeably more complex than so many of the dumbed-down and control-free point & shoot cameras available today.
The PowerShot A650 IS is the top-of-the-line A-series PowerShot model as of this writing. It is a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 6x optical zoom coupled to Canon's patented Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology. IS is specifically designed to deliver clear, blur-free images in many low light situations and all through the zoom range. The PowerShot A650 IS is built around Canon's latest generation DIGIC III Image Processor which now provides among other things enhanced Face Detection, ISO 1600 and fast in-camera red-eye correction.
Canon's extremely popular A-series is a curious thing to observe. All of the models in the series are relatively lightweight, use 'AA' batteries (two in most models; four in the A650 IS), and offer a large number of shooting and picture controls. After using the PowerShot A650 IS for a week or so and occasionally perusing the user manual during that time, you'll begin to wonder if Canon made some sort of mistake. The question you end up asking is why Canon decided to pack so many well-designed and easy to use features into a camera at this price point. There's nothing on the market right now which has this much packed into it at this price point and which does so much so well at this price point.
Cons: The 173K pixels in the LCD are sufficient for a variety of purposes but pale in comparison to the bright, razor sharp, high resolution LCDs we're starting to see on cameras from competing makers. The shoot/playback switch operates coarsely—functional but somewhat inelegant—and it's hard to figure out why Canon has stuck with this sort of switch when all the other makers have mercifully moved to playback buttons. The single metal strap lug is useful but barely large enough to accommodate a small steel split ring for those people who want to attach a top quality (UpStrap or Optech) wrist strap. The Optical Image Stabilization (IS) control is located two layers deep in a configuration menu, so it takes more than a few moments to turn it on and off. Might as well leave it on all the time, while also remembering that IS does not always guarantee blur-free photos. The creditable Movie mode can be ruined somewhat by wind noise even in very light breezes. (More in the full review)
Pros: I don't understand how Canon does such a consistently superior job with so many of its point & shoot cameras. Competing camera makers must spend hours every day wondering just how Canon comes up with so many good compacts every year. That's not to say other manufacturers produce junk—far from it. But Canon leads the pack because some people over there are really thinking carefully about the best combinations of features, functions, controls, image quality and usability. The variable flash power setting is incredibly useful for making well-balanced portrait photos and for controling fill light—a wonderful feature to have in a camera in this price range. The Canon PowerShot A650 IS can consistently capture well balanced, richly colored photos in a wide range of shooting conditions. The Vari-angle articulating LCD screen is wonderfully useful and offers decent quality image playback too. Movie mode works well enough to make most people think twice about the need for a separate digital video camera. Movie audio is well controlled, with very little noise and clear recording albeit mainly in relatively calm wind conditions. Prominent grip on the right side fits most hands well and provides good control and handling. Uses popular and competitively priced SD storage cards. SOHO and small business owners looking for an office or carry-around camera for use with clients and on job sites should consider the A650 IS. Image quality is suitable for framing and you'll have to spend a lot more money to take the next significant step up. Highly recommended. Read the full review at kickstartnews.com
Manufactured by: Canon
Reviewed by: Howard Carson, March 2008
Requires: An interest in photography
MSRP: US$299.95, UK£289.00
Read the full review on kickstartnews.com
What separates the huge assortment of mediocre point & shoot compact digital cameras from the good ones? Image quality! Canon has consistently come up with designs and technology which continue to keep it in the forefront of compact camera design, usability and image quality. The Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Compact Camera is a feature packed, versatile handful designed to please intermediate and advanced amateur photographers and to attract beginner photographers who want something noticeably more complex than so many of the dumbed-down and control-free point & shoot cameras available today.
The PowerShot A650 IS is the top-of-the-line A-series PowerShot model as of this writing. It is a 12.1 megapixel camera with a 6x optical zoom coupled to Canon's patented Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology. IS is specifically designed to deliver clear, blur-free images in many low light situations and all through the zoom range. The PowerShot A650 IS is built around Canon's latest generation DIGIC III Image Processor which now provides among other things enhanced Face Detection, ISO 1600 and fast in-camera red-eye correction.
Canon's extremely popular A-series is a curious thing to observe. All of the models in the series are relatively lightweight, use 'AA' batteries (two in most models; four in the A650 IS), and offer a large number of shooting and picture controls. After using the PowerShot A650 IS for a week or so and occasionally perusing the user manual during that time, you'll begin to wonder if Canon made some sort of mistake. The question you end up asking is why Canon decided to pack so many well-designed and easy to use features into a camera at this price point. There's nothing on the market right now which has this much packed into it at this price point and which does so much so well at this price point.
Cons: The 173K pixels in the LCD are sufficient for a variety of purposes but pale in comparison to the bright, razor sharp, high resolution LCDs we're starting to see on cameras from competing makers. The shoot/playback switch operates coarsely—functional but somewhat inelegant—and it's hard to figure out why Canon has stuck with this sort of switch when all the other makers have mercifully moved to playback buttons. The single metal strap lug is useful but barely large enough to accommodate a small steel split ring for those people who want to attach a top quality (UpStrap or Optech) wrist strap. The Optical Image Stabilization (IS) control is located two layers deep in a configuration menu, so it takes more than a few moments to turn it on and off. Might as well leave it on all the time, while also remembering that IS does not always guarantee blur-free photos. The creditable Movie mode can be ruined somewhat by wind noise even in very light breezes. (More in the full review)
Pros: I don't understand how Canon does such a consistently superior job with so many of its point & shoot cameras. Competing camera makers must spend hours every day wondering just how Canon comes up with so many good compacts every year. That's not to say other manufacturers produce junk—far from it. But Canon leads the pack because some people over there are really thinking carefully about the best combinations of features, functions, controls, image quality and usability. The variable flash power setting is incredibly useful for making well-balanced portrait photos and for controling fill light—a wonderful feature to have in a camera in this price range. The Canon PowerShot A650 IS can consistently capture well balanced, richly colored photos in a wide range of shooting conditions. The Vari-angle articulating LCD screen is wonderfully useful and offers decent quality image playback too. Movie mode works well enough to make most people think twice about the need for a separate digital video camera. Movie audio is well controlled, with very little noise and clear recording albeit mainly in relatively calm wind conditions. Prominent grip on the right side fits most hands well and provides good control and handling. Uses popular and competitively priced SD storage cards. SOHO and small business owners looking for an office or carry-around camera for use with clients and on job sites should consider the A650 IS. Image quality is suitable for framing and you'll have to spend a lot more money to take the next significant step up. Highly recommended. Read the full review at kickstartnews.com
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Nik Software Ship Viveza
Nik Software have begun shipping Viveza, their new and innovative colour and tone correction plug-in for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. Viveza makes selective adjustments simpler to perform than using Photoshop's own tools. It is built around the U Point technology which first appeared in Nikon Capture NX. From all appearances Viveza looks like an excellent workflow improvement tool. I'll hopefully be taking a closer look at it in the next few weeks.
Apple Update Aperture To Version 2.1
Apple have indicated that the 2.1 update "addresses issues related to performance and overall stability." The update also fixes a number of "minor" issues, including Upgrading libraries from earlier versions of Aperture, Publishing .Mac Web Gallery albums, Preview generation and deletion, Creating and ordering books, Appearance of metadata overlays in the Browser, Filmstrip, and on light tables, Watermarking of emailed photos, Highlight Hot and Cold Areas
It also fixes a number of other minor issues, some involving the following areas: Loupe, Smart Albums, Straighten Tool, Filmstrip, Drag and drop import, Thumbnail generation, Import window and Export plug-in reliability. The update is covered in detail here.
It also fixes a number of other minor issues, some involving the following areas: Loupe, Smart Albums, Straighten Tool, Filmstrip, Drag and drop import, Thumbnail generation, Import window and Export plug-in reliability. The update is covered in detail here.
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