Canon 100mm f2.8 L Macro Review

July 30, 2025August 5, 2010 by Dan Carr

Canon launched the brand new 100mm f2.8 L Macro in September 2009. It’s not very often that Canon launches an entirely new lens, most being updates to already existing designs, so this was one that I wanted to check out as soon as I heard about it. There was already a 100mm macro lens but it was not part of the famed Canon L lineup, so what is different in the design of this version to justify inclusion in the L category? The major feature of this lens is the first implementation of Canon’s new Hybrid-IS system. Canon first released …

Introducing the F-Stop Loka backpack

October 11, 2023August 4, 2010 by Dan Carr

Regular readers of the blog will know that I use mainly use the F-Stop Satori to carry my gear around. I am also part of the F-Stop Faction team. For some time now the guys at F-Stop have been working on a new pack called the Loka. With input from all the Faction members they have created a new pack that slots into the Mountain Series lineup below the Satori and the Tilopa in sizing. The new pack is now up for pre-order and the first production versions are expected to be delivered in late August. As soon as I …

10 luxuries for the traveling photographer

July 30, 2025July 21, 2010 by Dan Carr

Last week I posted 10 essentials for the traveling photographer. This week we are moving up the scale a bit to check out some things that you don’t necessarily need, but would be awesome to have if you have everything else on the previous list! 1. G-Tech Hard Drives In the essentials list I put hard drives and recommended the LaCie Rugged drives. If you are going to take a step up though then you have to check out the G-Raid Mini from G-Tech. This tiny enclosure houses 2 hard drives that can be configured in any Raid configuration meaning …

Battle of the 300s. 300mm F4 IS Vs. 300mm F2.8 IS

October 10, 2023July 10, 2010 by Dan Carr

This past winter I decided to purchase a 300mm f2.8 L IS. My dream lens. At the time I was using a 300mm f4 L IS to shoot skiing with and whilst I was never disappointed with the quality of the shots from that lens on its own, I wanted to see a little more from it when used with teleconverters. After buying the 2.8 I still had the f4 for a couple of weeks before I sold it on so I took the opportunity to shoot a few tests to compare the two. Details of my testing were as …

Canon 300mm f2.8 L IS + 2x Teleconverter – Real world usage how good is it ?

October 10, 2023July 5, 2010 by Dan Carr

Sometimes I get in the mood to do big technical tests on gear and lenses. I have a few of those in the works right now but for this one I’m going to keep it simple. Teleconverters have a fairly bad reputation and my first foray into their use was with my original 70-200 2.8 L IS. I picked up a 1.4x II thinking that it might be useful for getting me near the 300mm mark on the cheap. Long story short, I tried it a couple of times and then swore never to put a teleconverter anywhere near my …

ThinkTank Hydrophobia 70-200 Flash rain cover review

July 28, 2025June 13, 2010 by Dan Carr

NOTE: The reviewed version of the Hydrophobia 70-200 has now been replaced by an updated, improved version. Details of the new version can be found here. Many things have changed, and the prices have been reduced, so this review is no longer relevant. Torrential rain or prolonged periods of snow do not generally go hand in hand with photography and camera equipment. Sometimes it has to be avoided to prevent damage to equipment, but sometimes it cannot be avoided while on assignment to cover a particular event. If you find yourself in that situation you might want to think about …

Z-Finder Jr Review and comparison to Z-Finder Pro

July 29, 2025June 6, 2010 by Dan Carr

If you have taken more than a passing interest into the video capabilities of your DSLR camera then you will probably have thought about getting some sort of viewfinder for the LCD screen. With the DSLR cameras lacking the ergonomics of traditional video camera design, such viewfinders are probably the most useful accessory to aid video shooting. Not only do they permit easier manual focusing with a clear view of the screen, but they also add stability to hand held shooting with an extra point of contact to your body. In fact with a well shaped rubber eyepiece they add …

New Zoom H1 audio recorder. Multimedia journalists dream ?

July 29, 2025June 1, 2010 by Dan Carr

Samson Tech stumbled onto something great with the ubiquitous Zoom H4N audio recorder. When the DSLR video craze kicked off, people quickly realized that whilst the video was stunning to look at, the on-board audio sucked. All professional films use separate audio recorders though, and the HDSLR crowd quickly fell in love with the full featured Zoom H4N. Built in stereo mics and 2 XLR inputs meant 4 track recording was possible in a device that was only $300. Samson was in the right place at the right time with the right price, the H4N was and still is everywhere. …

Manfrotto 503 HDV tripod head review

November 1, 2023May 31, 2010 by Dan Carr

Manfrotto tripod heads are perhaps the most prolific video heads around. They are easily available and offer a solution for every budget and nearly every type of camera. I have touched on the lightweight, DSLR friendly 701HDV before but I recently had the chance to try out it’s bigger brother. The 503 HDV. The 503 skips over the middle sibling, the 501HDV and adds quite a few extra features and improved weight capacity. 701 HDV 501 HDV 503 HDV Weight 0.83 KG 1.6 KG 1.95KG Capacity 4 KG 6KG 8KG Price Approx. $160 Approx. $190 Approx. $360 When you pick …

Apple iPad for photographers. What use is it?

July 30, 2025May 5, 2010 by Dan Carr

A few days ago Apple announced that it has sold 1 million iPads in the device’s first month on sale. Less than half the time it took the original iPhone to achieve the same feat. Lots of photographers like a good gadget and many are users of other apple products already, but is there actually any practical use for one? It seems as if the iPad might be the catalyst for a fundamental change in the way that we receive what was previously “printed” media. The iBook store has sold 1.5 million books along with that first 1 million iPads …

Creating a bootable external drive in OSX and why you should think about doing it.

November 1, 2023April 28, 2010 by Dan Carr

Catchy title huh? This is a short post but one that I hope might help a few people out. Firstly, if you are a PC user then i’m afraid I can’t help you with all the details, but at least read the first few paragraphs to find out why you might want to do this. In the past 18 months I have had three hard drive failures, 2 in laptops and one in an external USB drive on my desk. It happens and I hope by now we all know that. I’m not going to preach on backing up your …

Snow Photos 101 – Long lens selection

September 12, 2023April 28, 2010 by Dan Carr

So you’ve mastered you wide-angle lenses and medium telephoto zooms like the ubiquitous 70-200. The next step is inevitably looking at longer lenses in the 300mm and up range. Firstly, be prepared for your wallet to take a bit of a hit For the most part, once you start heading north of 200mm the price of lenses can take a bit of a jump for the higher quality ones. I can’t cover every lens option but here’s a few thoughts on some of your options from the main two manufacturers. During my years shooting skiing I have rarely needed a …