Month: June 2017

Can You Use Canon Lenses With the Sony A9? Kind of…

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There’s been so much buzz around the Sony A9 recently that I’m sure you’re aware of the camera even though I haven’t talked about it myself on this blog. The blazing fast 20fps autofocus system has many sports photographers excited, but Sony’s lens selection is currently, at the time of writing this, severely lacking. There’s no 300mm f/2.8, 400m f/2.8, 500mm f/4 or 600mm f/4. All lenses that are used in droves by professional sports and wildlife photographers – the exact people Sony are targeting with this camera. Aha! You might say. The short flange distance of the Sony FE mount means …

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Behind the Shot: Mountain Bike Selfie

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Mountain biking is one of my favourite hobbies and I wanted to challenge myself to create an interesting image in my “backyard” of British Columbia.  I love being behind the camera, but always thought it would be cool to have a good mountain biking photo of myself.  I decided to take on this challenge, and create a custom remote system that was integrated into my bike, so that I could trigger a camera and a flash whilst I was riding the bike. After experimenting with a bunch of different switches from my local hardware store, I settled on a pushbutton

Think Tank Photo Launches New SKB Hard Case Line

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Think Tank Photo have just launched a new partnership with hard case manufacturer, SKB. If you’re not familiar with SKB, they basically make cases that are the same as the much better known brand, Pelican. Think Tank have designed a number of accessories and cases, including a backpack, that are sized perfectly for specific SKB hard cases. The new products have ridiculously over-complicated names, but most importantly, note that these products when sold on the Think Tank website include BOTH the hard case AND the Think Tank case inside it. If you just want to get the interior cases and accessories,

Gear Check: Breakthrough Photography QR Plate

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Quick release plates are necessary if you’re going to use Arca Swiss standard quick release plates on your ballhead. All of my ballheads are from Really Right Stuff, and whilst I love their gear, there’s no denying that you pay a high price for it! I recently discovered some VERY reasonably priced QR plate alternatives from Breakthrough Photography, so I thought I should share them in this week’s Gear Check article. Their QR plates are available in three different sizes, and whilst they don’t feel quite a satisfyingly dense as some other plates I’ve used from more expensive brands like

Do I Use a Protective UV Filter on my Lenses? No! But Also a Little Bit Yes…

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No Whether or not you should use a protective UV filter on your lenses is always a hot topic, so I get this question on my inbox from time to time. I personally believe you should not use a UV filter on your lenses for general protective purposes, and by this I mean leaving a filter on the lens all the time. Good lenses are precisely calibrated, and even if you invest in the absolute best UV filters on the market (most people don’t), they can still have a negative effect on image quality. Why would you want to spend