Camera Holster System

Mid February I finally decided to take the plunge and order a SpiderPro sytem online…and I can not say enough about it!  This incredible product by Spider Holster is a game changer, with products for the amateur and professional; it even has an add-on for the Think Tank and Lowepro Belts, and the option to add a second holster!  I have shot weddings along with several events with this now, and have found it to be an incredible asset.  I no longer need to set my camera down, or hang it from a strap, I just snap it in at my hip and it hangs on the pad by the sturdy base.  Love this product – If I could go back, I would have purchased this right off the bat!  You Can Find It Here:  www.spiderholster.com 

SpiderPro

ZAGG

 

A LOT of people I know received or gave ipod’s for Christmas this year – a Great product, and fun for all ages!  But now – how do you protect that product from scratches that occur on the screen?  My best suggestion is to get the ZAGG Invisible Shield.  There are lots and lots of film covers and protectors out there – but ZAGG is probably the Best on the market.  ZAGG is best known as the creator of the amazing ZAGG mate folio for the Apple Ipad, and has a very specific line up of products to protect and accessorise your electronics.

 

ZAGG

IPhone Fans

For the IPhone friend in your life

Find it at ThinkGeek.com

ThinkGeek

Ipad Card Reader

Ipad’s quickly rose to one of the most sought after electronic devices ever.  And with the prices becoming more and more accessible they are sure to be one of the top items out of the retail stores the Christmas.  There are some great add-ons out there as well – some of the best are available at Zagg.  Card readers are also available, and can be picked up between 15-13 dollars at Photojojo.

GGS Screen Protectors

With all of the gadgets out there sometimes it is difficult to figure out what to actually take seriously.  The GGS screen is a product I found a number of years ago and now one of the first things I do when I purchase a new camera, is to to order one.  Many Nikon camera have a bulkier version of this that comes standard, I like the GGS screen much better – but Nikon does give the option – which is unfortunately something most companies have not followed suit on.  The GGS screen has already saved me one repair bill, and in general has kept my screen in pristine condition.  It is simply a clear cover that mounts directly to your LCD to protect from scratches etc.  The item sells for around $10CAD on eBay, and is well worth the investment.  Below is a short video on install the GGS screen that I found online.

GGS Screen Protector

GoPro 3D

This is so cool, and really affordable too – make your own 3D movies with the amazing GoPro camera system.  I watched this sample Highlight Reel using my daughter’s “Barbie 3D glasses” and it looks incredible!  I am really wanting to get a GoPro camera, not only for the water proof and shock resistant housing, but for the amazing quality that comes from this little guy!  You have seen these cameras in action before – you just may not realize it!  Anytime you are watching a sporting event, or a show like Wipe Out – you will see the contestants wearing one of these, giving the viewer a first hand account of their spills!

GoPro 3D

Spudz

Spudz is yet another really good gadget for photographers.  The company actually goes beyond the field of photography with their products, but the product I wanted to show you is specifically for photographers.  It’s basically a lens cloth, but a very smart lens cloth.  Not only does it come in it’s own handy packaging which can be clipped to your Shoot Sac or Black Rapid etc., but the cloth itself is actually 18% grey!  Fantastic for getting your lighting right in those tricky situations.  You can check out Spudz at Alpineproducts.com

Spider Camera Holster

Another great tool I found last year while researching lens carrying options was the Spider Camera Holster.  Unfortunately it wasn’t exactly a lens holding unit, but actually works better for those who specifically like to carry more than one camera instead of changing lenses.  The Spider Camera Holster like the Black Rapid, allows you to take the tension from your neck by putting the weight at your waist.   In addition the Spider Camera Holster has the optional side padded belt, though, the spider mechanism itself can be used with a regular pant belt.  One issue the Spider was able to overcome in comparison to the Black Rapid is the ability to mount your camera onto a tripod without disassembling the product – though – chances are, if you’re wearing a Black Rapid, you likely aren’t using a tripod.

 

Photographer Gift Ideas

Just another gift idea for the photographer in your life.  Actually this is a bit of a double hitter but similar concepts.  The concept for the Strap Buddy is to use the camera strap that comes with your camera, I would say at least 90% of DSLR owners use the included camera strap, the strap that attaches on the top two clips of your camera,and rarely feels comfortable.  Black Rapid came out with a way around this with their RS-4 Black Rapid and special attachment.  Then they bettered themselves by coming out with the, Women's version, the RS-W1 that crosses more comfortably in the front.  Both of the products are fantastic, well built, and consumer friendly.  It’s a good concept, and the makers of the Strap Buddy seemed to have a similar idea, (though I can’t say I know much about their safety features like Black Rapid) creating their attachment, and supplying it, as a stand alone product.  The downfall of course comes if you are wanting to put your camera onto a tripod at  some point, you would need to remove the attachment button whether using the Strap Buddy or Black Rapid product.  On the up side however, the Black Rapid product does offers the user an easy detachable clip, several safety features, and a number of add-ons,  putting  the Black Rapid product way ahead in my mind as the product to get whether you are a hobbyist or pro. ….Stay tuned to see the product I would suggest ( after much research! ) for those who use the hand strap rather than included camera strap.

Hufa Holder

There are literally thousands of gadgets out there for photographers, some will be useful, others are just something to waste your money on that’s only purpose is to get someone to ask - “what is that for?”  Recently I found a gadget that is so simple, and yet, is so worth getting.  It’s called the hufa – the original lens cap holder.  So many times you see those awkward strings with the stickies attached that are to help you not loose your lens cap – the problem is, they normally end up hanging in the way somehow.  With the hufa, there are no strings attached!  It is basically a clip that you can attach to your camera strap.  I personally prefer to use the hand strap, so there is no strap space to fasten the hufa to, but the nice thing is you can fasten it anywhere, to your shoot sac or even clip it onto your clothes – and always know where your lens cap is when you need it!  Find it here at Hufaholder.com

My Classy Snap Pac

It has been quite some time in the making and searching, but the day finally came – I now have my own version of the shoot sac and after a few weeks of using it, I’m proud to say – it works Fantastic!!!. Yes, it’s true – I do like the Shoot Sac, but for reasons I’m sure you could figure out for yourselves, I chose to go a different route – and came up with my own version of what I have been looking for but never found.  Basically I wanted to be able to have on me at least one other lens, specifically while shooting weddings, something that didn’t get in my way, and it needed to look classy without standing out.  I thought through several different options, finally I decided to make my own Shoot sac using a neoprene laptop case.  During my search for the beginnings of my project though, I came across a bag that had a starting point for exactly what I wanted.  Once again it was a laptop case to begin with, but with a few alterations, it became my dream lens case – Yeah!  With some help from my professional seamstress neighbour Anne Marie, the case now holds up to three lenses easily while having very little bulk (it’s actually not as fat as the Shoot Sac which I like),  it curves around your hip stores my bounce card for when I’m not using my sto-fen, and has a great spot too for a carabiner style watch (I don’t like wearing a watch at a wedding-strange but true)  Currently I tend to keep 2 Canon L lenses and a 580 EX 11  flash with Sto-fen filter on inside of the pac , and then switch out the lenses for the reception allowing me to carry very little during each section of the wedding, and yet always have what I need.  That’s it, top it off with personal embroidery of your business logo, and you have one very classy looking lens pack!

The Latest From Gary Fong

The Lightsphere is the big claim to fame for Gary Fong – one of the best flash diffusers of it’s time – a great piece – biggest con – very bulky.  Lately though,  Gary Fong has come out with a piece of equipment designed to help avoid the thief issue!  I have yet to have a problem with this – and I hope to never obviously, but I thought I would post this here for those of you interested in such a gadget.  My best advice though – Prevention.  Carry as little on you as possible during a shoot – use a shoot sac or a small bag, or something like my snap sac (I’ll show this off tomorrow on the blog),  keeping everything else in your vehicle, and when you arrive at the reception – Talk to the DJ if you are wanting to bring in more equipment, often they will allow you to put your equipment next to them -  safe and sound – just don’t put your camera cards on their large speakers with the Magnets though ;)  

   

***images & video by Gary Fong

Camera Rain Jackets

Today I was out with the kids in London.  The weather was very “iffy”, and drizzled much of the day – perfect conditions for the day actually – not too hot, and the kids barely knew it was raining most of the time as they were in and out of the splash pad!  It brought to mind however, an important piece of equipment I carry with me – my camera’s rain jacket!  This little gadget has been at times invaluable – totally saving the shoot, and…camera.  These really aren’t that expensive, This one pictured is one by Thinktank, and is probably one of the higher priced ones I’ve seen for a straight SLR camera, running around $200.  I would highly suggest a rain jacket to anyone who shoots professionally, or those who like to shoot in extreme conditions.

Underwater Camera Mask

 

I discovered these the other day and thought they were a pretty interesting concept..  Usually underwater cameras are something you basically hold out in front of you and guess.  But with this style, you are basically wearing the camera, and where you look, is what you are shooting.  I couldn’t really give you a personal review on the item, however I did find it interesting that they are available with a fair bit of technology.    For instance this blue mask has a 4G Hard Drive and is a digital camera/video camera,

Product Specification:
2.0 mega pixels CMOS camera high resolution clear digital video recording
Unique magnet switch control, indicated by motor shaking
Motional video recording, instant respond to surrounding light
In-built power cell support up to 2.5 hours long video recording and photographing
Tempered glass lens with anti-fog feature
Ergonomic design, wide viewing angle, comfortable wearing
Power Supply：built-in 360mAh lipolymer battery
Camera hardware resolution: 2.0m  pixels.
Built-in 4GB flash memory, support max 32GB
Minimum illumination required: 1Lux
Power Consumption :  < 0.59W
Power duration: 2.5 hours
Power Adaptor: 5V DC/500 mAh
Resolution: 1280*960
Recording Speed: 30fps
Audio: Mute underwater
Video Format: AVI

Depth=30 M

The yellow one is has a smaller hard drive, and a slightly different design, both with the same general concept though. Specs:

Technical Specifications:
Image Resolution - 5.0MP CMOS Sensor
Internal Memory - 16MB NAND Flash Memory
External Memory Card - Micro SD Card
Video Mode - 18-25FPS @ VGA
Status Display - LCD Display
Interface - USB
Power - 2 AAA Alkaline 1.5V Batteries
Photographic Distance - 1.2m (5ft)
Auto Off System time - 120 seconds

Modes
High Res - 5.0MP (2560x1920) - 29 Pics
Video - 53S VGA
(Image Qty is based on 16MB internal Memory -
Add a Micro SD Card to add memory up to 2Gb)

Depth = 5 M

Both were found on Ebay   :D  Enjoy your summer fun!

Back To Class

Well, today is the day for classroom, e:class style!  Photography technology is constantly changing as I”m sure you know, and along with the hardware changes, come the often greater changes in software.  Understanding or even realizing the tools are available in the software you are using is incredibly important.  As a result, I continue to regularly take classes, often online, like with this e:class being presented tomorrow by world renown teacher/software developer: Kevin Kubota.  The class begins at 10AM PST, so we won’t get it here till1pm, but it is scheduled for a full 90 minutes, and includes a video download of the course afterwards, along with live Q&A.  Well worth the “tuition fee”.   Looking forward to learning all the latest and greatest that Lightroom 3 has to offer.  For more details on how you can get in on the class, go HERE.

iphone 4 Video

"Apple of My Eye" - an iPhone 4 movie / film - UPDATE: Behind the scenes footage included from Michael Koerbel on Vimeo.

I saw this the other night on Michael Andrews site while doing some blog surfing, and was totally blown away.  Seriously, I never would have imagined that the iphone video would be this good, and on top of that, that you could even edit on the iphone itself!  Take a look at this, the first bit is the video, from then on it actually shows the making and editing of the video clip.  Be prepared to be speechless!

iphone 4

You knew it was coming  - and it looks like today is the day!  Apple has sent out their email announcing the new iphone4, and this thing is stacked!  Video calling, HD video recording ++.  With the new Droid by Motorola, Apple has some real competition – and it looks like they’ve stepped it up once again :D

Heli Video Productions

This is such a neat idea.  I saw this yesterday on Michael Andrew’s Blog, and instantly thought – My husband it going to love this – he is right into flying and model airplanes.  I am more the one who likes helicopters, and I think these guys have really made a smart move with this little helicopter contraption.  Mind you, you would have to really be talented in running remote control helicopters before  placing such and expensive piece of camera equipment on it, but once you have mastered this – What A Fun Job!   Check Out Heli Video Productions Here

Aerial video with a Canon 5D , 7D helivideo.com from Eric AUSTIN on Vimeo.

Cool Download

Here’s something that’s fun to do with your pictures.  Say you want to do a little digital scrapbooking, or simply show off a series of pictures; this is a Free easy download that will arrange a collage for you and you determine the shape and other parameters.  You can Download It Here from ShapeCollage.com. 

There are a number of these free downloads out there, including ones that make your images into a mosaic – Very Cool – just be careful you don’t get any additional unwanted’s if you are downloading ;)

 

 

IPhone ITouch App For Photographers

This has got to be one of the most useful Photographers Apps I have ever seen.  No more panic over whether you remembered your contracts, it’s all right here, and can be instantly emailed after your client signs the glowing display :)