Month: August 2017

Canon Launches New 85mm f/1.4 L IS at Surprising Price!

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Canon added a new lens to the lineup today in the form of an 85mm f/1.4 L IS. The lens doesn’t replace the 85mm f/1.2 L, but merely offers another option that’s even more capable in low light conditions. It might be a stop slower than the f/1.2 version, but it has a four stop image stabilization system in it! Naturally the f/1.2 lens will still be a better option if you need a fast shutter speed in low light because IS can’t help to freeze motion, but it can help you shoot at decreased shutter speeds. This will be

How to Speed Up Your Drobo

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The vast majority of my data lives on a variety of Drobos. I currently have a Thunderbolt 3 enabled Drobo 5D3 as my primary storage device, stacked with 32TB of drives, and I also have the same set of data mirrored onto a Drobo 5N2 which I can access remotely from anywhere in the world. A further Drobo 5D is held offsite too.  In chatting with one of Drobo’s technical gurus recently I learnt something that I didn’t know. Whilst a Drobo can protect your data as long as it has at least two drives in it, the data read and

Thank You! Top 100 Photography Blogs!

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I’m pleased to say that once again, my little blog has been listed in the top 100 photography blog list over at Feedspot. It humbles me to see it listed there amongst so many people who I respect so much, and draw so much inspiration from. Thanks to everyone that continues to read my ramblings, and make sure you also check out my other website, Shutter Muse, for long-form reviews and photo tutorials.

NEW: Affordable Think Tank Spectral Shoulder Bags!

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Think Tank Photo will always be one of my got-brands for top quality camera bags, along with their sister company MindShift Gear for the more outdoorsy ones. This week Think Tank have launched a new line of shoulder bags called the Spectral Series, and this aims to bring Think Tank bags into the hands of more people by offering them at a slightly lower price-point. The Spectral 8 is under $100! Despite coming in a bit cheaper than some of their other shoulder bags, like my personal favourite Retrospective bags, these Spectral bags still bring a ton of cool features.

GoPower 300W Pure Sine Wave Inverter. WHY?!?

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Those of you following my Instagram stories recently will have seen my portable base camp, a Taxa TigerMoth adventure trailer. This rugged little trailer came pre-wired for 120v shore power for RV park usage, and solar power, but lacked an inverter to convert DC to AC. Normally you would simply buy one of those little cigarette lighter 12v adapters that gives you a regular 120v power outlet, like this one, but I found that when I used my laptop with this on the 12v DC circuit of the trailer, it drew too much power and continually blew the fuse in

Shout-Out to Black Diamond – Treating Customers Right!

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In the past I’ve mentioned a variety of customer service experiences on this blog because I think these things should be factored into purchasing decisions. I often find similar products from competing brands at roughly similar price points, so it’s good to know how a company will react to a warranty issue, or simply a technical support query. Since I have a voice on this blog, I’m happy to occasionally share these experiences so that you can keep them in mind when spending your hard-earned money. I recently purchased a set of Black Diamond gaiters for hiking, and unfortunately one

How to Wire a Goal Zero Solar Panel to a Zamp Connector

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My Taxa TigerMoth adventure trailer has a so-called “Zamp” connection on the outside of it for wiring solar panels to charge the battery. I say “so-called” because actually the plug itself is a standard SAE connector, but the solar company Zamp wires the plug up with opposite polarity to the industry standard. Then they put a big sticker on the trailer or RV that says “Warning, only use Zamp solar panels with this plug!”. Well… that’s a load of crap if you have a soldering iron and ten minutes to spare! When I first got my trailer, the dealer (British