Shouldering the Burden Of Sony With Peak Design

I am going to risk it. I know the ice is thin, and the nerves even thinner, but here goes: another review of a Sony product. Or rather, a product that can be used with a Sony camera…

I have reported on Peak Design equipment before, and from the original mention some years back until now, my opinion of the brand has improved. I think it is because their design department have had better ideas and their manufacturing division has been able to translate these into good products.

The Original peak Design product we saw in Camera Electronic was a belt holder for cameras - a quick release clamp that enabled you to put a camera on your shoulder strap or belt and then secure it with a click of a button. The CE staff at the time all got samples to go away and try - I demurred  - the idea seemed uncomfortable. Whenever I tried it I envisaged disaster if I was not careful how I mounted the camera. Remember I’m the man who dropped a Leica M3 with a Summicron lens on it into a Melbourne drain. They have stopped letting me defuse torpedoes…

This is different - it is a lens holder designed to accept Sony - mount lenses on both sides of itself and then to lock onto a shoulder strap. Whether that shoulder strap is dedicated to a messenger bag or a backpack is immaterial - the clamp has a positive two-screw lock that cannot depart from it with out deliberate disassembly. You can also put the clamp onto a waist belt and depend a Sony lens from that.

It would be a blessing to a wedding or event shooter who needed constant access to a spare pair of lenses while a third lens was on the camera and who did not want to have to fossick around inside a bag while working the crowd.

Peak Design have been reviewed here before - their new bags are both elegant and practical. This accessory seems to be exactly in the same good line.

Mount is also available for Canon and Nikon applications.

Round The Front Of The New Fujifilm Camera - Day Two of Fujifilm Week

The new Fujifilm X100 F is a handsome beast by any standards. Indeed, as soon as the staff at Camera Electronic saw the first DP Review pictures of the dear old X100 back in 2011 we know they were onto a winner - it just ticked the style box with all of us.  And we were all coming from different systems as users...

Well, the X100F shifts the elements of the design quite subtly - look at the direct front view to see that the AF assist light has moved, the on-board flash tube has climbed to a position closer to the vertical axis of the lens, and the EVF/OVF switch has acquired a center button that you can push it. It lets you shift the operation of the lens control ring to several functions. The front panel has also picked up a finger wheel - the instruction booklet says that it takes you through menu selections and formatting the cards amongst other things.

The top plate is cleaner ( well, let's face it - the floor is cleaner than the top plate of my old X 100...) but I mean that the layout is neater. The inclusion of a dedicated mechanical ISO selector inside the shutter speed knob is inspired - it is what we came to expect in the SLR days and we get a firm physical lock on it. The knob is easier to turn with the fingers. and thankfully has 1/2s second and full second markings - the X 100 stops at 1/4 second.

On the top plate you'll see that you get more positions in the exposure compensation dial and that you can twist the entire thing around to a custom position - and then it combines with the front finger wheel to get up to + or - 5 EV . That is a heck of a lot of power in one exposure meter. You still have to recognise the situations that require a change and the rationale behind which way to spin the dial. But that is part of becoming a photographer - we used to do it with little paper charts from Kodak and great deal of guesswork.

Under the baseplate there is the slot for the larger battery. The X100F team has still been able to put in the card slot in such a way that the user does not have to have fingernails like a Disney villain to get the SD card out. I wish they had been able to have a serious discussion about this at the time with the team who did the X-T10...

And lastly. The feel of the skin of the X 100F is altogether different to that of the X100 - it has a slightly roughened feel like a sintered surface. It feels a lot more secure to hold. 

I don't have a Thumbs Up for the X 100F but I daresay there will be something of that nature appearing. Note that the aftermarket aluminium cradle grips from Knockoff Kong that fit the other models of the x 100 series interchangeably do not fit this camera - a new product will have to be machined. 

Oddly enough the black ever-ready case I have for the X100 does fit the X100F -  a bit squeezy but it  works. So don't throw out your old case.

Also, the accessory wide and tele lenses for the X 100 will go on this. New ones with auto recognition are also to be made, but if you have the old ones just carry right on.

You Know, You're Soaking In it?

Geeze, Narelle, You coulda told me...

For those of you who have come into the lounge room late, the cultural reference you have just read is a Robina Beard advertisement for Palmolive washing-up detergent  from the black and white era of Australian television. The product I am spruiking today is a camera accessory from about the same darned time. Trust Camera Electronic to have a steady supply of them...

Well, stop laughing. The Premier AC Mini Slave is one of those products that are older than dirt but exactly the right solution for any number of photographic needs. If you're not a studio shooter you can go boil the kettle but if you do any work that involves fixed flash draw nigh and give heed.

The Premier product is the latest name for something that I have seen as far back as 1964.  I'll bet it is older...It is a self-contained electronic flash that screws into an standard E 27 Edison screw socket for 240 volts and then converts this to a self-firing strobe flash. There's a magic eye inside it that sees when another flash has gone off in the vicinity and then fires the slave in synch with it. Some of the models have open flash buttons and some have little synch sockets but some just fire in sympathy and that's that.

The power level is about what your'd get from an old Metz 45 unit - or a Canon 430 EX or a Nikon SB 700. Not inconsiderable power. The real advantage if the fact that it is screwed into the normal AC current so it charges instantly and for free. When you need a fixed flash, this is the cheapest way to get it.

I use it under my product table. A standard Arlec outdoor floodlight fitting takes the Premier flash and sits on the floor facing upwards. When the main flash above the table fires, the slave fires as well, and whites out the paper under the subject. Do a little measuring and fiddling and you never have to touch it again.

See. It works a treat. 

There is a domed cover that diffuses the light, though not all that much. If you needed less power I'd pack it with something sophisticated, like a Kleenex...

You can also tape bits of gel over the light inside for colourful effects. I used to make artificial footlight effects for dancers this way. Three Premier lights on the floor didn't overpower the rest of the studio set-up but filled in nicely underneath.

I suspect that these humble accessories have been the starting point for a lot of budding studio shooters and they would probably be equally at home in photobooths. Or police lineup shots.

Less than a hundred bucks and they last forever - I love 'em.

Video With A Bang

Casting about the other day for some sort of a handle to attach my mobile phone to for video work, I came across a couple of German accessories. Unfortunately they were not fitted with gimbals on the top for the camera , nor with a clamp, nor a 1/4" tripod screw. In fact, I don't think they were intended for modern video filming at all. They did have a pull-string at the bottom of the wooden bit so I pulled one but nothing happened. I threw it in the bin after a couple of seconds...

Note: The neighbours in this suburb are a nervous lot. Loud noises seem to make them very angry. I just found this out.

Well I should have gone down to the new Camera Electronic shop near the corner of Murray and Queen Street in the city. They've got a new cabinet with drone camera systems and accessories in it and one of the displays has a handle called an Osmo Mobile. THIS is what I needed.

DJI, the drone people, make it. It clamps your mobile phone and then lets it turn to follow you - automatically - as you move. It makes all the camera movements that you wish to do smooth and steady - like a professional mounting and crew would do.

It also has time-lapse capability as well as the facility to stream live video out to the world.

The business of moving with a video or motion picture camera has always been a two-edged sword - you get more drama by following or coming into the action, but you pay the price of jerky and disruptive movements with the camera - and these come out on-screen as jumps and bounces that spoil the effect. We can all remember the home movies of the 50's when the camera operator got excited and jumped up and down.

The Osmo Mobile smooths these out - you can walk through a sequence and it looks as though you have been moving the camera on a smooth track. You have become a dolly system that can go anywhere!

But here's another feature of this device - if it can steady out moving pictures, it can also steady out still ones. You can take still images with the mobile phone and hand-hold them for up to 1 second exposures. The results are streak-free.

More - Take panorama photos with automatic internal blending of up to 9 images.

Even more! Prop it onto a tripod and let the tracking facility help you make start trails.

Note: Some mobile phones may be unsuitable for these functions. Make this simple test; if you pick up your phone and girl's voice says " Hello, Central. Number Pleee-uz " you probably won't be able to use the Osmo Mobile.

Everyone else come into the new Murray Street shop and have a look at the gear.

2/324 Murray St, Perth. Click here for details on extended December trading hours.

Okay Guys...Or Second-Guessing The Market

I'm not in the loop of CE management as far as what gets purchased. And I'm not in the loop of CE management about what gets sold, either. Frankly I'm grateful that they still let me in the front door and I get the occasional cup of coffee...

Which means I was delighted to see the presence of an official CE coffee machine at the new Murray/Queen St. shop. Note the We Love Photography mugs.

In my first visit to the new shop I noted carefully the choices that had been made regarding some lines of equipment. Of course you will always get the big players - the Nikon, Leica, Sony, Fujifilm, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, etc - but it is the choices of what to stock for the other bits that is interesting. I looked at what was there and tried to see into the minds of the management - why was something chosen for the shelf?

a. Tripods. You'll see from the quick shot that we have essentially three shelves of tripods and monopods. I see Gitzo, Manfrotto, and one Velbon. The Gitzos are the high-priced ones, the Manfrotto more economical and the Velbon the low end. They are ALL not big tripods - in fact three of them would qualify as traveller tripoids. There is a sprinkling of video gear there, including one video moonopod. Here's how I read it:

The shop caters to pros as well as amateurs - and some of the pros need big things like that video monopod. They can get that at Stirling Street but they might need it at a time when Stirling St. is closed - hence it is wise to keep one unit in the city. The Gitzo gear is expensive traveller or high-end customer...and some of these may work all hours on St. Georges Tce. and can't get out to Stirling St.

Manfrotto tripods are a standard of the industry as far as design so nearly everyone else from tourists to city workers can be accommodated with one model or the other. Manfrotto are a no-question sale.

And the little plastic one at the bottom? Well, you never can tell when a traveller's luggage will disappear and if their tripod goes with it they need a fast, cheap replacement here in Perth.  That could well be the emergency pack for photographers right there.

b. Bags. I see the in two divisions - style and utility. The various hanging leather and canvas ones in the first photograph are intended to look good as well as protect the cameras - in some circumstances the appearance of the camera case is more important that the gear it contains - people have been judged on externals more than you'd think.

The Lowepro bags in the second shot are the workhorses of transport - people can load a whole holiday's worth of equipment in them and haul it through the world with some hope of geting it home in one piece. I know - I've got a ratty old Lowepro Nova1 that did just that and it was precisely the right blue nylon choice for the job. It looked like exactly what it was but it rounded the world twice.

c. The Hahnel rack. When you want to control flashes or cameras remotely and you need to do it with radio signals rather than light pulses, Hahnel should be one of the first brands you look at. The designs are sturdy, use standard AA batteries, and do not depend on you having WiFi, apps, passwords, or strange computer commands. They are a simple as they can be and they work every time. Good choice for the trigger market.

Okay, so far I think the management has thought it all out well. You may agree, but then you may have also different needs. I didn't get to see all of the shelves - perhaps you should pop in there one day this coming week and see for yourself. I'm going back when they have a bag of coffee beans.

The new Murray St store is now open at 2/324 Murray St, Perth.
The Stirling St store remains open at 230 Stirling St, Perth.
For opening hours, see here

Action Stations - Flank Speed - Part Three

Now that we have gone through the normal, sensible, mundane action camera mounts, we get to the  special stuff. The mounts that they won't sell to minors. The mounts that you need a note from and MD, an MP, and a JP to purchase...

A. The Hand-Wrist-Arm-Leg mount. GoPro The Strap. This is the sort of thing that the Mississippi prisons department straps onto the road gangs when their chains are in the shop for service. Either that or this is the mount for use in all-in wrestling. No matter which end is up you can still attach a camera to it.

B. The Sportsman. GoPro Sportsman Mount. If you absolutely have a need to attach an action camera to a rifle, a bow, or a fishing rod, this is the squeeze clamp that will do it. I have no idea what you will do with the resultant footage. No, don't tell me.

C. The Chomp - GoPole (in store only). No, I am not making that up. That is what it says on the box. It is a rubber mouth guard with an action camera mount attached to it. You fix the camera on it, start it up, and grip it between your teeth. Part of me wants to see what happens next, and part of me - the bit that used to be a dentist - wants to look away. To be fair it does have rubber grippy pads inset into the main body to give a firmer grip, and it is probably washable. 

Nevertheless, I should not advise sharing it with other enthusiasts...

I suppose this is a way of getting coverage without fixing the camera to a helmet, but the possibilities for injury are mind-boggling. I am sorry to say I can see this being tried out on a football field.

D. The Rig - GoPole (in store only). This is actually very good. It is a lightweight versatile video rig that has provision for two action cameras on the bottom level, two monitors or lights on the top, and three shoe mounts as well. There are tow sturdy handles and they are drilled for starter switches or cable releases. It would have application far beyond the action camera for sport and press work. I am looking at it seriously for this sort of thing. There are other video cages out there, but this one is light enough and cheap enough to actually be useful.

 

See the GoPole range on the Camera Electronic webstore here

See the GoPro range on the Camera Electronic webstore here

Get A Grip Week - Day Four - The Box Of Boxes - Leica

A note for Leica collectors: The colour of the cardboard box in the heading image has been artificially boosted toward the yellow end of the spectrum. There is no need to rush out and add another set of grey cardboard boxes to your current collection...it is not a new variant.

Well, inside the grey outer casing is a silver inner box:

And inside the silver inner box is a guarantee card, and instruction book, and a new address card - Leica have built a new factory:

And buried at the bottom of the box is a bottom of a Leica camera - a baseplate that has been designed with a grip attached - and a number of unique features:

Let's get the target sorted out first - this grip is intended for the Leica Typ 240 - The Leica M/MP.

It replaces the baseplate that normally covers the bottom of the camera - the big black wheel in the centre screws into the base of the camera body instead.

The grip has things not seen on lesser machines; a USB socket allows pictures to be transferred off to external storage devices and can allow camera control from a computer - there is a DC-in socket to draw power via an adapter - a synch socket allows external flash firing, and an SCA connection allows TTL interface with a suitable flash. It's a lockable socket too.

Good? Well, if the finish of the paint is any indication, perfect. Leica M's are a heavy camera and their metal-bodied lenses are also weighty. I should like the feeling of security that this grip would give with the high-speed lenses. But I'd still keep the neck strap on...despite the fashionable finger loop accessory that they also sell.

See the Leica M Handgrip Multifunction (Typ 240) on our online store here

Get A Grip Week - Day One - The Murky Past

 

This is the week when you get a firm grasp of getting a firm grip - when you go from the ridiculous to the sublime and then back again.

We promise ridiculous, and the heading image might suggest it, but if you were shooting a medium format TLR camera 20 years ago, you would have a different opinion. Because TLR cameras were made to be particularly hard to operate...and that was deliberate.

Think I'm joking? Pick up a Rolleiflex and hold it in your left hand. See how your finger falls on the shutter button? And your right hand holds the film winding handle? All good? Now focus the camera...

Yeah. Gotcha...

You might just get away with a Minolta Autocord or Flexaret with the focusing lever under the lens stage, but you're still going to be juggling things and I'll bet you'll eventually drop it in the mud...

Now try attaching it the camera to this ( no-name ) grip from the 70's. The big base takes the square base of the camera. The big hand grip lets you hold it firmly and the hand strap firther re-inforces the steadiness. There's a flash shoe - admittedly plain but then the flashes of those days used PC synch cords. Unfortunately the cable release that feeds out from the bottom of the grip is missing but that was the ideal way to trigger the camera - from a mechanical trigger under your finger. Focus, wind with one hand, shoot with the other. Then take your films to the chemist and wait a fortnight...

Oh, and look at how neatly the thing folds into itself for storage in the big leather camera case -the one with the paisley strap. 1970 was good.

 

Okay, joking aside, this grip is well thought-out. Like the Hasselblad grips of the same period - and the equally smart right-handed Bronica winding handles - it balances the camera function wisely between two hands and lets the shooter function far better than with a bare camera. And that is what the digital grips you'll see later in the week do for modern times.

Side note: The Rollei TLRs only made ergonomic sense when you did as Mr. Franke, the owner of the Franke and Heidecke company, did. He suspended the TLR from a neck strap off substantial lugs on the side of the camera, held it out in front of himself with his stomach, and then had both hands free to twiddle the focus and winding controls.

Next post: Olympus grips everything in sight!

Captur Has A New Product

I always follow what the Hahnel company put out as accessories for digital cameras as they frequently hit the exact spot that other manufacturers miss. That, and the fact that they are a recognised brand that has a base outside of Asia for marketing. Don't get me wrong - I use lots of Asian-branded accessories and they do mostly fine - but I know that there are odd brands that have no real store backup like Hahnel. If they break the only option is a bin.

Well, Hahnel are different. They not only develop useful gear but they listen to feedback and improve the design as they go along. The Captur range of camera and flash controllers are a case in point.

I've not explored their options of time-lapse and motion, light, and sound detectors but I have used the Captur remote flash or camera trigger and can attest that it does the job brilliantly. No time delays and no balky behaviour from the transmitter or receiver.

I put it down to the fact  that they finally got smart and included a simple source of electricity for the two units - AA batteries. These and AAA make up the bulk of what can be bought readily on supermarket and servo shelves and any equipment that use them has a better chance of of being in operation. I curse the designers who decide on some twee little Bolivian-standard battery for their units and then expect you to write back to La Paz when your flash unit or accessory dies.

This set is for Fujifilm cameras and will either fire the camera or fire the flash, deluding on how you set it up. You can get extra receivers to allow a multiple-flash setup. Not TTL, mind. It is ideal for weddings or photo booths. Or you can hold a wedding in a photo booth...

As usual, you can order them online or you'll find them on the Hahnel rack at the shop.

Don't Get the Stink Eye - Get a Hoodman Hood Eye

Sorry, headline opportunities like that come up rarely and we are all human...

For years we've been selling Hoodman accessory products for cameras - viewing loupes, LCD shades, computer screen shields, etc. They make a fantastic video rig that lets you put a loupe on the back of your DSLR or mirror-less camera with an ease, precision, and low price that is really not matched by anyone else in the video game.

And they make the HoodEYE range. these are eyecups that attach to the viewfinders of modern cameras to exclude external light and let the photographer see the screen clearly as they shoot. This is particularly important for us, here, now, for two reasons:

1. We live in a state that has some pretty fierce sunshine and we get it fresh off the truck since we have clear atmosphere.

2. The camera screens that we see in the viewfinder have ever more information on them that we want to know as the shoot - it's gone way past the old micro prism circle and a red needle moving up and down. The modern finder may have up to 12 settings displayed at any one time and we need to see them clearly.

Enter the HoodEye. They slide and clip onto the rails beside the viewfinder aperture and lock into place. The extended cup goes around your eye socket and stops side light from striking in. Your eye relaxes and gets to concentrate on the scene the finder.

Note: Hoodman also make some models of HoodEYE to suit us spectacle-wearers. Bigger port, bigger rubber.

This model is new- they now make them to suit the Sony mirror-less camera  - all the A7 series of eyepieces - and Ricky, our resident Sony expert - thinks they may also be applicable to some of he smaller DSLR series that Sony make as well. The cup allows the eye-recognition switch of the Sony to function as per normal. Of course you can also switch the rubber cup from right to left if that is your preferred shooting eye.

Small investment - big return. Available on-line or in or store right now.

New Nikon - Handy New Bit

Just in on the shelves - the battery grip for the new Nikon D500 camera - the APS-C flagship DSLR for Nikon Australia. It is designated MB-D17.

Why buy?

1. You get to put another battery in the system - the camera shoots more shots and cycles faster with the extra power available.

2. You get a grip on the camera when it is being held in the portrait ( vertical ) mode that does not involve canting your right wrist up and over the body as you shoot. The benefit when you are doing this over a long session - for instance with dancers or portraits - is considerable. The joint strain after a couple of hours without this grip would erase all the fun of the photography.

3. You can control the position of the camera in the Portrait mode much better as this gives the same body feel as the normal side grip. Rubber pads and all.

4. There is a repeat of the major function buttons and wheels on the grip - you can operate as per normal without having two revert to the side controls. Just keep shooting.

5. You look like a cool pro while using it. I know this would never influence the sensible readers of this column, but I assure you it influenced me when I cared about what I looked like.  The downside was people would ask me for advice on their cameras and I had to invent things to say...

6. The grip has a little special cast compartment in the top surface that stores the rubber cover on the bottom of the D500 base. You can save it for later if you take the grip off.

7.  It's genuine Nikon, with the full Nikon Australia warranty.

Call in and try, or phone in and buy or come on line to our online store and....well...buy.

Orange Is the New Batt

Sorry for the pun. Not repentant - just sorry it wasn't a better pun...

Not sorry to bring you news of a new battery on the racks - the Hahnel Extreme Li- Ion battery - the HLX - EL 15.

Not surprisingly, it is intended as a replacement for the Nikon EL-EN 15 battery, which is common for a number of current Nikon products. It is rated at 1700 mAh and 7.0 volts.

The package information says that it is intended for use in extreme conditions*. It apparently has a high energy density ratio and is capable of over 500 charge and discharge cycles.

The details state that each battery is injected with silicone giving them a very tough shock absorbing construction.

I've found other Hahnel accessories to be of good quality and I use their Captur remote flash trigger frequently.

* Note you still cannot use your DSLR as a hammer for horseshoes, despite what you might read on the internet.

Final note for readers of this weblog column: have a look at the little blue and white  symbol on the heading image. It indicates that the product has passed the Uncle Dick test; it is in stock and I could find it on the shelf. Henceforth only goods that actually exist in Perth and can be poked and prodded will get this symbol. No air-ware, beta samples, mock-ups, or artist's conceptions. There is far too much of that on rumour sites. I ain't in the business of passing rumours - I show either marvellous or horrible realities.

What? This Old Thing? I Just Threw It On...

I have been old friends with this bit of equipment since I started work at Camera Electronic. It was made by Tamrac and a half dozen of them sat in the storage shelves upstairs for YEARS. I suspect it was because no-one knew what they actually were. I must admit I puzzled about them myself for a long time.

During this time I built up my own studio:

I added gear from all sorts of manufacturers  - Manfrotto, Superior, Redwing, Promaster, etc. but often had no system for storage of the accessories. The clamps, knives, scissors, spigots, and whatever went from an overcrowded bureau drawer to IKEA cardboard boxes to an untidy pile on the studio product table. It was even worse when I took my studio on the road - nothing was where I needed it and quite a few little bits got lost.

Well that is exactly the sort of disorder that this thing was made to cure. It is a hanging studio organiser.

Made in three panels of tough nylon fabric, there are cross straps sewn at regular intervals into which  you can hook most anything. The whole lot then dangles from a light stand, cross bar, or, with a little finagling, you can take the foot off an Autopole, slip the triangular tube up the pole, and then replace the foot. Your junk is right there beside you as you set up a shot.

There's still four of them left at the back of the shop amongst the light stands. Give 'em honourable employment - they're only $ 20 each & feel welcome to browse our studio lighting range via our online shop by clicking here.

Your Christmas Present Was A Speed Light - Here's The Rest Of It

If you are new to photography we want to let you into a secret - there is always more. If you thought that one purchase would equip you for a lifetime of pleasure you are either going to have thin pleasure or a short lifetime. To keep achieving, you're going to need to add more stuff.

Don't feel bad. We've all had to buy more accessories for what we use and in most cases it has actually expanded our minds and our abilities. Sometimes the extras turn out to be so simple...

For the person who has just bought or got a speed light flash for the top of their camera - hopefully from us - we say " Go out and go mad.". Take as many flash shots in all sorts of lighting conditions and of all sorts of subjects. It is the only way to find out what an electronic flash can actually do. Sometimes it does not do quite what you thought it was going to do, but with the TTL controls on most cameras it will at least do something recognisable. Keep doing this until you can be sure what will happen.

Then - think how your pictures may differ from those of the professionals in photo books and a magazines. The differences are not generally in the cameras that take the picture - they are in the light that plays round the subjects. Here is where some accessories can put you closer to that pro look.

Hahnel - famous for their chargers and flash sets - have an accessory set for all speed lights.

The various bits fit on different maker's flashes by means of an elastic band around the heads. This has one part of a velcro pad - the accessories have the other part. You can literally stick the whole thing together.

Some of the accessories spread the light - like the collapsible soft box or the diffusion card.

Some concentrate it. Just like the honeycomb grids that go on the front of studio strobes this little fellow doesn't allow any light to ride out to the side.

Do you need to jazz it up with colour? These gells fit over the front of the tube and it is all Las Vegas after that.

You also get a mounting block that can help you use your speed light on a studio stand or tripod as an umbrella holder- a surprisingly sophisticated studio technique you can use anywhere.

Best of all is the price - the whole set goes for $ 79.

Don't limit yourselves - get a set and start experimenting.