Gear Check

Test

Impressions of the Leica X1

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The X1 was launched by Leica alongside the M9 back in September 2009 and a new all black version was displayed at Photokina this year, set to ship within the next month.  For those unfamiliar with this camera there are a few stand out features that immediately set this camera apart from other compacts.  Firstly Leica have managed to squeeze a 12MP APS-C sized sensor into the diminutive X1 body which is an impressive achievement and immediately gives it an advantage over most other compact cameras.  Secondly the X1 features a fixed 24mm Leica Elmarit lens.  Elmarit in Leica land …

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CalDigit AV Drive review. USB 3.0 comes to the Mac!

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Let’s face it, we all spend more time at our computers than we want to these days.  With digital camera manufacturers pushing megapixel and file sizes higher and higher, and HD video becoming the norm, we are constantly in need of more hard drives.  On top of a need for reliable storage space I’m always looking for a way to speed up my workflow and hence spend less time in front of the monitor.  A couple of months ago storage solution specialists CalDigit announced a new addition to their external drive lineup, the USB 3.0 packing AV Drive.  On top of this they simultaneously released a Mac compatible PCI USB 3.0 cards as well as an Expresscard USB 3.0 adapter for Mac laptops with expresscard slots.

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Pushing flash X-sync to the limit

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For people that shoot fast moving action with strobes like myself, we are always worrying about sync speeds and flash durations.  Today I’m going to talk a little bit about flash sync and give a quick example of how you can push the boundaries of what can often seem like a very limiting factor with DSLRs.

One of the first questions people ask when they start experimenting with flash is “why does my camera not allow me to use a shutter speed higher than 1/xxx second?”  If you scan through the specifications of a camera you will see one called x-sync.  Typically listed as between 1/180 and 1/250 of a second, this is the fastest useable shutter speed of your camera when using flash. The best way to get to grips with it is to understand exactly what is happening in that split second after you press the shutter button.

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Aluminum Letus Hawk review with Quick Release system

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For serious video shooting with a DSLR you need to have a separate viewfinder that magnifies the image on your LCD.  Not only do they keep the sun from your screen to aid your framing and composition but they also allow you to accurately focus with the very narrow DOF that comes from shooting with these types of cameras.  There are already many viewfinders out there but the Hawk VF from Letus is one of the newer ones.  Let’s take a look at the new aluminum version and also reveal their brand new quick release system!

Letus launched the Hawk VF a couple of months back with a carbon fiber body and a semi-fixed baseplate attachment.  I say semi-fixed because whilst you could detach the Hawk from your camera, you had to loosen a couple of screws to do so.  It was suggested that a much quicker release mechanism would be a great improvement and the guys at Letus have listened to the requests!  For the last few days I have been playing with the final prototype of the new Quick Release system for the Letus Hawk Viewfinder.  On top of that, I have also given the opportunity to take a look at the new CNC machined aluminum bodied version of the Hawk.

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Nikon D7000 Vs.Canon 60D Vs. Canon 7D

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Hot on the heels of Canon’s 60D announcement, Nikon has today revealed the successor to the popular D90 consumer DSLR, the D7000. Both of these cameras have made some considerable improvements on their predecessors and consumers these days are really starting to see higher end features trickle down into the lower end bodies. Last week I wrote an article comparing the Canon 7d with the 60D which was very popular and designed to give the Canon shooters a few pointers as to which might be the best camera for them. This week it’s going to be a Nikon Vs. Canon …

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Elinchrom Quadra review and comparison to Ranger RX

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For the last three years I have been using the Elinchrom Ranger RX for the majority of my strobed work.  Sometimes I use some Nikon speedlights for fill, but the Ranger is my key light.  I have used it in the rain, in blizzards, in -32 degrees Celsius and it has traveled around the world to Alaska, Japan, New Zealand twice and everywhere in between.  I can depend on this strobe, and it has never let me down.  I have the RX version which is slightly lighter weight than the RX Speed.  For me, recycling time is not such a …

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Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS II review & comparison to 70-200 f4 L IS

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The 70-200 lens is a staple in most pro photographer’s diet.  The photographic possibilities with that focal are wide ranging and Canon has a 70-200 to suit almost everyone’s needs, 4 different versions in fact.  The previous image stabilized version was brought out in 2001 and quickly became the new standard for such lenses.  In 2010 Canon introduced the new MKII version of the lens featuring an improved 4-stop image stabilization and theoretically improved image quality.  How does it stack up to the previous version and how does it compare to the 70-200 f4 L IS ?  Read on to …

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Canon 100mm f2.8 L Macro Review

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100601_1830_dancarrCanon 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? 

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Introducing the F-Stop Loka backpack

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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 …

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10 luxuries for the traveling photographer

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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 …

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

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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 …

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

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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 …

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