Technical Writer Wanted For The Glue Company

No special skills needed - it's a cut and paste job...

If you have a Facebook feed or other social media connection you'll have had any number of people passing on information from others by simple means - they have pressed a hashtag key or a forward button and flooded the computers of their friends with another political meme or picture of a cat riding a motor mower.

It is the civilian version of what used to be the rip-and-read radio news service that interposed itself between you and a teletype machine. It kept you up-to date, but generally the date was July 8, 1959. Still, it was better than waiting for the newspaper to be thrown into the rhododendrons at 5:00AM next morning, particularly if the news was not what the editor or the owners of the paper wanted you to read...'cause then you didn't read it and never even found out that you didn't read it until much later.

Nowadays we instantly read, hear, see, and possibly taste darn near everything over the computer and a juicy news story will be available over dozens of feeds...but if you look carefully, the dozens of feeds are all saying the same thing. Because most of the writers of the various posts are sitting down by the teletype machine with a pair of scissors and a pot of glue.

It's the same for the technical photographic writing. You may see a dozen reviews of a new camera or lens but eleven of those will say the same thing because they have been derived from a press release or product sheet. It is only No.12 that has anything new because in many cases only No.12 has actually had the camera in hand and pressed the shutter button. Don't be too cynical about the other 11 - there may not have been enough of the new cameras in the country when the call for a tech report came out and the writers have just had to wing it.

You can have confidence to a certain extent in the eleven other reports. If they have not been typo'ed too badly you will get the basic information you need. But if you want to really find out the valuable bits, look for that twelfth piece. It is only the people who have handled the equipment* that will be able to let you have a human view of it.

And then come down to the shop and pick it up and form your own assessment. Judge as carefully as you might, and remember that you are as free to have a good opinion about new equipment as to have  a bad one.

*Sometimes with sticky fingers.

Images: farming on a small scale at Cannington Showgrounds.

Part Five - A Messenger From Mr. Gladstone, Your Majesty.

As a new chum in Australia in the 1960's, I might have been forgiven for a little confusion as I watched the railway workers clocking on and off at the East Perth sheds as their shifts changed...all those big burly engine drivers and firemen and wipers - all carrying little leather doctor's bags? Could they all be part time physicians?

Well, the Gladstone bags I was looking at were carrying their lunches to the job and spare coal back home...and similar containers were going to work all over Australia at the time. It was the most elegant set of lunch pails I have ever seen.

The Gladstone - a bag that opens at the top and then is suspended by two sling handles or a central articulated handle - is also a standard for overnight bags and now for camera systems. It is the bag of choice for the discrete and discerning photographer who also wants to take sandwiches. In the case of the Barber Shop Medium Borsa bag, those are likely to be expensive sangers, as this is a pricey little Gladstone.

Okay, that thought out of the way, this is a beauty. It is blue canvas with dark brown leather trim, stitched in Italy  ( Ah, there's the price...) and lined perfectly. There's a protective top flap but a full-length leather-edged zip for access as well.

Look inside for an iPad pocket, a removable and reconfigurable camera holder, and a captive leather leash. I am again lost as to the exact purpose of the leash.

There's an extremely well-finished shoulder strap with leather shoulder pad.

I'd use it as a camera case here in Perth to impress the ladies and the clients and a one-night overnighter on the airplane to the eastern states to impress the airline staff. Don't try to impress the Camera Electronic salespeople because they are cynics down to about five inches under the skin.

One final thought - if you are the train driver for Le Train Bleu or The Orient Express this might make a nice lunchbox...

Jazz Hands At the Camera Shop

It is going to be winter here in Australia in a few months and all of the citizens who have forgotten what it is like to be cold and miserable are going to be reminded. The most poignant ones will be the photographers who will go out on landscape shooting expeditions, get up pre-dawn to freezing conditions on top of the local mountain range, and then try to actually poke away at the controls of their digital cameras.

The cruel amongst us will laugh as their frozen little fingers try to hit the tiny buttons and fail, and their looks of anguish will be treasured. Or they could buy a pair of warm gloves just to spite us...

The trouble with the average warm pair of gloves is that they make the hands inside them feel good, but are only a little less clumsy as they hold the camera. They can be bulky, slippery, and awkward. Enter the Aquatech company with their pair of Sensory Gloves.

They are as warm and toasty as you could want - and I assure you I tried them on in the studio and they were delightful - but they are also safe for camera use. The inside of the palms and fingers are lined with non-slip dots.

In addition, the ends of the forefinger and thumb are fitted with flaps and small holes to allow you to poke your finger through them and activate touch screens or delicate controls. Once done, you can slip the end of the fingers back into the warm.

Luxury? Try half way up Bluff Knoll in a blizzard or out on an Antarctic expedition and see how little luxury costs...

The Messenger Bag - Part Two - Parisian Style

Well I promised you the up-market Peak Design messenger bag and here it is: the Everyday Messenger 13. There is enough style in this one to satisfy any boutique bag buyer.

The choice of fabric from which it is constructed might be thought modest enough - a medium-brown denim - but then you need to look into some of the more up-market clothing shops to see what they do with ( and charge for ) denim. This is not a pair of jeans.

The basic messenger form with top flap is simple enough to think of but there are a number of design quirks in it. With the top flap down and locked, you still get a weatherproof zipper on top to allow access to the gear compartment. These used to be referred to as "stealth" opening by some makers, but anything that has a big zipper is not all that stealthy.

The sides of the case are open to small compartments - one of which has a Peak Design strap peeking from it. I've no idea what they expect you to suspend from it, but perhaps it is keys.

The top flap has an inside pocket that contains a Peak Design rubber ring that turns out to be a leg band for small tripods  when you carry them horizontally.

The flap itself has a very ingenious attachment - the ladder segments on the side of the bag are made of metal and there is a powerful magnet and hook arrangement that locks them positively in a number of positions. You can gain quick access to the bag by lifting the metal handle with no fumbling for buckles or pop studs.

The interior space is massive, and they have made it decorative as well. The two movable partitions create what is essentially two quick-access buckets as soon as the top comes up - like holders for dragoon pistols on a European cavalry saddle.

The strap is very smooth woven nylon and the attachment points again feature a swivel but no resorting to plastic parts. There is a waist cinch hidden in a back compartment plus a re-enforced base to allow you to set it down without damaging the denim.

The whole thing costs $ 100 more than the Everyday Sling  - not a great deal more to go up Collins Street to the fancy shops...just don't ask the price of the shoes in the window...

Don't Shoot The Messenger - Part One - Dockyard End

I do love a daily advertising column - where else would I ever get to use a heading like that in legitimate literature? It goes with the " Hack Writer " sign that I keep on my desk.

 

Well, on to the hack - this week we are going to look at the messenger bag. It is either the humblest of camera containers...or the most prestigious - depending upon whether you are making it for the Dockyard end or the Paris end of Collins Street. I use Victorian imagery there because if I named Perth suburbs my readers would be up themselves and down on me. You can do your own geography - but be aware that there are different markets.

The  - ahem - less exotic user can be accommodated with the Peak Design Everyday Sling. It is a little grey workhorse of a bag with good protection for the smaller camera outfit.

Oh, you could slot a DSLR and a couple of lenses in there too. A mirror-less system camera could run three lenses easily and you might be able to leave a battery grip attached. The top pocket is lined and has card and battery holders built into the walls. There's a full-sized tablet compartment with a lock tab as well - this could easily be the foundation of a travelling blogoffice.

The external pocket is configured so that it is expandable - and the expansion is controlled by nylon webbing a metal buckles. You can stack heavy gear into it without fear. That is if you're silly enough to put heavy gear on your shoulder and trudge around with it all day...

The suspension of the strap - nylon webbing - is attached with a metal swivel - indeed all the fittings are anodised metal so you can bang through the tourist places with this one for literally years without having it disintegrate. Laugh not, I have had a bag made by one of the other major makers decide to plotz in the middle of an English railway station and it was not a fun experience.

Peak Design are a coming firm. Their straps and suspension systems are quirky but well thought-out and these new bag designs show that they wish to be considered a premium maker.

Tomorrow we see their Paris end...

Who In Their Right Mind Would...

a. Give their credit card details to an unknown person on the other side of the world for a small camera accessory that they could just as easily buy in Perth?

b. Air-freight a small camera accessory half-way around the world to Perth?

c. Think that they support the conservation of the ecology of the planet while compelling someone to fly a jet aircraft halfway around the world to deliver a small camera accessory?

d. Need a small camera accessory - since the cameras we use have every conceivable function built-in?

e. Stock a small camera accessory that yields about $ 2.00 profit if it sells immediately and $ 20.00 loss if it sits on the shelf for six months?

f. Take pictures that are never again looked at - sitting as they do on hard drives or in computer bodies - with expensive small accessories that have come half-way around the world?

g. Enter pictures taken with small accessories into photo contests that are destined to be seen only by other people who are willing their competitors not to win?

h. Put up photo contests that revert to a fight between users of two different camera systems...and their small accessories from America?

i. Agree to act as a judge at such a contest for the price of a glass of cask wine and some cheese on a stick?

j. Read lists like this?

The answer to these questions is " pretty much everybody I know..." in one way or another.

I have just completed the exercise of pricing up items from international firms for one of my hobbies - building miniature scenes - and then calculating the shipping, postage, handling, and enchilada fees for them. Then I went round to the lady in Myaree who runs Miniature World and bought the little furniture over the counter for less than it would have cost imported. I call that a win - and I suspect that clients of Camera Electronics might be fooling themselves if they indulge in late-night forays with their credit card onto overseas sites. They would do far better to come down to the shop and get the goods in hand right now.

As far as taking pictures and never having them seen, Instagram and Flicker solves that problem, though sometimes the feedback is not quite what we would desire. I'm still debating whether offering images to locally-produced publications is productive or not - so far the only thing it has produced is silence from the editors. This would not bother me so much if it were not for the fact that every time I call round the editorial office they turn off the lights and hide behind the couch. I am starting to get a feeling...

PS: Don't feel bad about reading internet lists. We all do it, and it is forced on us. It is a social media trick they teach in the lectures. At least we are not giving you pictures with dead whales on freight cars...

Tune-Up Time With Manfrotto

How many of us get a tool kit with our new digital cameras these days? In the old film days it was common for the box containing the SLR or rangefinder camera to have a complete tool pouch including a stilson wrench, set of spanners, lens brace, film jack, and a bottle of optical antiseptic. In the case of some Kodak cameras you got a 8-round clip of .30-06 ball ammunition and a toothbrush.

I think we are being done - nowadays you're lucky to get a battery charger and a squidgy little lens cloth with some. Even the instruction manuals are on a CD...or are a web address.

Well, all that having been said, it is refreshing to see that Manfrotto, the famous Italian tripod and lighting accessory manufacturer, has realised that users of their equipment still like to be able to maintain the goods. Their recent carbon-fibre monopod model is a...well... a model of a good product. It works and will keep on working.

The monopod idea is brilliant for anyone who is toting heavy cameras or lenses and needs some relief from the weight. I spend 4 hours shooting dancers on WA Day with a long zoom and a heavy little camera. The Manfrotto monopod I use - an early cousin of this one - takes all the weight out of my arms and puts it down, while not occupying a big triangular patch of floor. Makes the difference between an easy job and a arm breaker.

Well, like some older Manfrotto CF tripods, this one has three lever claps to adjust the sections. Far faster than screwing the sections together like some cheaper monopods. As they are acting on springs, there will come a time when they grow weaker, and need to be adjusted. This is where Manfrotto have been smart - they moulded a plastic box spanner onto a grip and clipped it to the shaft of the monopod.

If the weather changes or the equipment ages, you just tighten up as you go.

Brilliant. Combine it with the Manfrotto 234 or 234RC tilt top and you've got the smartest quick support in town.

Gimmee One'A Dem - Part Five -The Hot Wash-Up

Okay, your friend has come with you into the shop - or perhaps it is the other way round. You may have the whole fam damily in there as well, and that can make for distraction and pressure - better to just keep it to two customers and one sales person. Note: the sales person does not have to be the owner of the shop. The staff are perfectly qualified to help, teach, and bargain, and you gain nothing by waiting for the boss. In fact, you lose time...and if you are not careful you lose standing in the eyes of your mate. Word to the wise...

Assume the best. A comfortable day, room to move, and the sales assistant has had coffee. Let your friend see the three kits on the counter in front of them. If the kits are matched as to lens capability and other general specifications, you can move to the next most important measurement: what does it feel like when they pick it up? This is the point at which the buyer is as expert as the sales assistant or the mentor...because they can feel what feels right or wrong for themselves.

It may be a matter as simple as the weight. Or as complex as the shape of the body grip. Few of these small-frame cameras have a grip big enough to take a full western man's hand with all four fingers engaged. You inevitably have one curled around the bottom of the grip. The other hand can hold the body if you do not have the screen swung out, or at least rest on the zoom ring of the lens. Thankfully, all three have on/off switches that re easy to access and shutter buttons that fall easily under the forefinger. The Nikon has the best two-pressure grip, if you are an old Enfield shooter. ( and less recoil...).

The eyepieces are similar, and as most modern cameras include a dioptre adjustment, they can be quickly brought o the individual's needs. The nose clearance is different for all three, so get your mate to try that out. Funny thing to mention, but noses are individual items...

Are they all reliable? Yes. Is one more reliable than the rest? No. Does it make a scrap of difference in which Asian country the camera or lens was made? Probably not - they have all passed through the cattle race of the Australian importer and that is who you would deal with for any issues.  They are all three reliable, and what is better, that means you are off the hook as far as your mate is concerned.

Some final thoughts: Why did you and the shop hit upon selling a DSLR kit to your mate instead of a compact camera or a mirror-less camera or a waterproof camera?

Well, partly because that is what they asked for...and there is no commercial sense in refusing to sell someone a hamburger when they ask for a hamburger...

Partly because it is the sort of purchase that can grow to greater things in the future. It's happened before. The entry-level buyer goes off and has a whale of a time and comes back and starts to haunt the internet, camera clubs, and shops. The initial little camera purchase becomes a a five-camera system with more long lenses than NASA. More and more gear is sold - more and more new things are tried - and it all ends either in a AIPP fellowship or a messy divorce. Either way our accountant is comfortable.

Partly because to give a person a smaller camera - waterproof or not - is to encourage sandy beach-side disaster. As much as we may want them to carefully ensure that there are no sand grains in the rubber seal or near the extendable lens system, we know what is going to happen. Every summer brings a crop of crunchy cameras back to the shop. The DSLR commands more respect from the user and promotes a bit more caution. Of course when they come in asking for a tiny action camera you can throw caution to the winds and look out the health insurance...

Gimmee One'a Dem - Part Four - The Nikon D3400 Kit

When we ask people to go out and use mirror-less camera systems on the basis of small size and weight we are sometimes forgetting that if you choose wisely, you can get both small size and light weight in a DSLR. The trick, as with this Nikon D3400, is to choose an entry-level camera kit.

Frankly, My Dear, I do occasionally give a damn...particularly if I am hauling my metal-bodied mirror-less with a big-aperture zoom. The weight that I thought I was saving creeps back and my neck knows it at the end of the day. Custom straps help, but I still look at the littler Nikons with envy.

This is one of the new Nikons that feature the simple connection to mobile phones and tablets. Oh, I know that there are any number of mirror-less and DSLR cameras that do have WiFi, but the Nikon system is particularly easy to use. You pair up your phone or tablet with the camera once and it stays that way ever after. Older readers like myself who dread having to perform computer science every time they want to link a picture find this to be a blessing.

Okay, there is also another feature in this kit combo - the lens is a retractable one that allows you to store the front barrel back into the zoom ring when you are not taking pictures. The camera won't shoot until you extend the lens and tells you so in a notice on the back screen.. The screen isnt' a swinging one, and that may very well be a good thing.

Note that people used to using both hands to hold and control a camera may find the two-side configuration of the Nikon cameras a boon. There are still a fair number of pokey buttons on the right hand side but they could move four of the most heavily-used ones to the left  and clear the way somewhat.

One minus feature for the travellers will be the charger system that Nikon have included. The other two make similar-sized charger blocks with a standard figure-eight kettle cord connection to the mains electricity. Nikon have opted to make an adapter that clips onto the charger block easily ...to convert the two-blade Japanese plug to the Australian three-blade...but be aware that it does not unclip and pack away as easily. It's a space-user in the luggage.

No other downsides, however, and even the plastic lens mount with the rather exposed contact buttons is no problem as long as it is kept on the body. The lens is fast to deploy, focuses well, and is sharp.

Indeed , the performance of all three of the kit lenses is such as to bring into question whether an amateur user need change to other optics. In the price range and given the profile of the users, these kit lenses are superb value. The right job means that they pay for themselves within a hundred shots - and who amongst us us not prepared to shoot a hundred shots.

Gimmee One'a Dem - Part Three - The Pentax K-70

Your mate who is buying their first DSLR as a kit camera may have heard of the Pentax name some years ago in the film era. It was hard to find a camera club, school, or group of enthusiasts in which a Pentax 35mm camera was not in use. That may have eased off a little in recent years - and I am not going to fire up speculation about why - but there is no reason why you should not set your friend out to look at the Pentax K-70 kit.

Note that the pictures of the cameras this week show the boxes they come in. Not just to make use of the designer's art - this is to give the purchaser some idea of the size of the packaging that these kits require. You'll see that the Canon and Pentax offerings come in one box while the Nikon camera is separated from the lens. Makes no difference? Well, consider how much extra trouble it would be to haul that camera box through the airport, airplane, customs, hotel, etc if you were required to take it with you everywhere on your holiday...

Hint: If you buy the camera kit here in Perth a week before you go on the airplane you DON'T have to take the blessed boxes with you. More space for duty free.

Okay, back to the camera body. It seems heavier than the Canon, though the lens is just as light. The mounting of the lens requires more force and makes more whizz-click noises but once it is on you need do no more. Remember that we encouraged you to get your mate to leave it undisturbed for the duration of the trip to avoid dust leakage into the mirror box.

The Pentax is also a swing-screen camera and as such does not put any control buttons down the left-hand side of the back. Some find this a help - some not. No southpaws are really catered for by the camera makers anyway so maybe it is just academic. The physical size of the Pentax and the shape of the hand hold mean that you do get a solid grip on the camera.

As your mate's mentor you are going to faced with a challenge - there are a lot of control options in the menu of a Pentax that are highlighted with interesting descriptions. They are tempting and will beckon to those who are attracted to bright colours. Once onto that pathway, your friend may customise their way to the point where the camera thinks that it is Salvador Dali and starts to make art instead of images. Teach them about the "reset " button that returns it to the factory formula and show them how to get out of trouble.

 Note that with the Pentax as well as any other camera, you are going to have to remind them to charge the battery and insert a memory card - and make sure that the memory card does not have the lock slider pushed down. If it does, the camera will neither format the card nor take a picture. You might think it is broken straight out of the box but the truth is it is just waiting for a sensible command from you. ( Don't ask me how I know this... ). Battery charging is about 90 minutes for these cameras so you can also do your mate a favour if you tell them to get an extra battery..

An electrical aside...the Canon, Pentax, and Nikon batteries for this week's cameras are all about the same size and weight. The casual user who looks at their images on the back screen or uses a lot of Live View might get  250-300 shots from a charge. At least all the cameras have a positive on/off switch and are unlikely to be left discharging the battery when they are put back in the case.

The other danger that the novice runs is the wonderful feature that Pentax put on the LHS of the camera - a dedicated RAW button that means you can crank in a RAW shot in the middle of a JPEG series. This is great for you but may lead to frustration for your friend if they hit it unknowingly. At the least sign of a developing photo enthusiasm, of course, you can turn them on to RAW processing, but be ready to have them change their image editing program if it cannot keep up.

Okay, be prepared to sort a lot of things out photographically when they get back from Thailand or Bali but hope that the automatic setting will have been in operation most of the time.

You have the backup of Camera Electronic and the Pentax importers if you buy it here and remember that they really do back their warranties.

Gimmee One'a Dem - Part Two - The Canon 700D Kit

The One'a Dem series this week will showcase cameras that may be recommended to your mate with safety.

I shall leave the manufacturer's representatives and fan-boy geeks to point out long lists of differences and advantages in their own favourite equipment in an attempt to gain superiority. The commonalities will be:

a. Small - frame cameras. Your mate is a tourist with a family.

b. Moderate 18-55 mm zooms.

c. Automated operation. Your mate is not a great reader of instruction books

d. Actual availability. In-shop now. Your mate can have the camera before he gets on the Boeing.

e. Affordable pricing. We need to leave spare cash for Bintang tee shirts and Jack Daniels at the duty-free.

 

Today's kit is the Canon 700D. A bit bigger physically than the other cameras, and somewhat lighter. Of course, all three cameras have plastic-mount lenses of light construction, but if they are prepared to leave them on the mounts and not wear out the bayonet, the optics should actually do a very good job. The resolution, distortion, AF speed, and CA may not be up to the standard of the L series lens but then neither is it going to be heavy nor expensive. Horses for courses.

The body opens up at the back to swing the LCD screen to the left. A good thing if they are going to shoot with the thing over their head, but a danger if it is going to be taken off on a door jamb. As a mate, you would be wise to get them to reverse the screen and tuck it into the camera back to start with. Disregard the action-photo advertisement where everyone has an screen swung out.

 

Intelligent auto answers most of the novice's needs and you can tell them not to put it off that until they are well into their photography. The machine opens with JPEG, sRGB, and a number of other standard and inoffensive factory settings, so get them to leave well enough alone for now. Do help them to set the clock and calendar so that they can search for photos later on the computer.

 

The factory settings for the video will also be safe enough for when they bring the results back but be warned that you will be expected to sit through an hour of the mates at the BBQ. If you want to distract them, explain the pictorial symbols on the mode dial and let them do macro and portraits.

All cynicism aside, you will be sending someone out with a very sophisticated machine that can grow with them if they take a continued interest. The 18 megapixel sensor is plenty for the camera and the ISO sensitivity goes way higher than most people can use. If this venture proves a success, there is an entire mountain of Canon glass available for this body. If you use Canon, your mate can borrow yours...

Do explain the optical stabilisation routine to your mate, but be conservative. Better that they should steady themselves just in case and with the added help of the OS the images will look good. You might be able to hand-hold 1/2 second on the topmast of a sailing ship in a storm, but that's why you are an icon.

Gimmee One'a Dem - Part One - The Maaaaaate in the Business

I like to think that the people who read this weblog column are astute professionals and keen amateurs. Enthusiasts in art and science - renaissance men and women who can turn their minds and hands to any task. Experts, in short.

Unfortunately, the readers will also be seen as experts by some of their friends who are not as well versed in photography. They may be seen as a resource to be exploited when it comes time to choose a camera. Sort of a walking CHOICE magazine. Someone who can do the hard yards of thinking and make sure that their mate gets something fabulously good for hardly any money at all.

Maaaaaate....

It's not as much fun as you might think. You may indeed be an iconic international superstar ambassador with a string of awards stapled to your CV, but if you put your mate onto a piece of equipment that becomes a disappointment, your name moves from Mentor to Mud. Here's a series this week that will help you maintain your standing in the studio and the saloon bar.

Firstly, be realistic. Is the mate asking you for good advice or bad advice?  That's not as enigmatic as you might think. Some people want you to tell them what to buy because they want to use the goods. Some want advice because they just want to spend money - and will never make pictures. Some just ask to trap you into an argument. You can succeed with the first, and have a good time. The latter two classes of mate will just cause grief.

Secondly, be realistic again - but this time assess whether your mate has the intelligence to succeed with a digital camera. Be as cynical as you please, but keep the answer to yourself. If you send someone out to operate the NIMITZ and they are really only suited to a ten-foot tinnie and a pair of oars, no-one is going to be happy. It's true to say that you never can tell - some people have blossomed into technical geniuses when confronted with the control panel of a modern DSLR, but it is always good to leave a chance open to an automatic escape. Remember that Kodak got rich with the Instamatic camera and poor with the digital...

Thirdly, be fair. You are not the press agent for the camera shop ( I am! ). You are not the shop's management nor the accountant. You are not authorised to offer your mate a great deal on something the shop sells unless you actually own the place...and it is unfair on your part to drag someone in through the front door on the inference that you have the power to compel the owner to discount goods. When it comes to money you cannot be a mate in more than one direction at a time.

You might have wondered about the first part of the title - well, for the purposes of the next few articles, we are going to imagine that your mate is one of the people with little experience of photography...but that they have a need for a " good camera " and enough money to purchase it. We are going to further assume that they have a family, hobby interests, and are going to travel. And that they want you to recommend a surefire winner of a camera kit for them so that they can go to the holiday island/city/mountain top/fiord and bring back winner shots.

We're not going to assume that they read instruction books or internet sites before they buy or use the camera. I mean, why would they? They've got you...

Maaaaaate...