Battery Grips: Canon Has Been Getting This Wrong for Years!

May 2, 2024May 30, 2018 by Dan Carr

A battery grip serves a few purposes: Firstly it allows you to more comfortably and solidly hold a camera in portrait orientation. Secondly it replicates the main camera control when held in this position. Finally, it also allows you to go longer without having to swap batteries, because it allows you to have two in the camera simultaneously. That third function, the battery one, isn’t exactly life changing. I’ve often seen it written that battery grips are great “because they allow you to shoot for longer” but really, how long does it take you to swap a battery? I can …

Gear Check: Canon Drop-In Polarizer

May 2, 2024May 27, 2018 by Dan Carr

Circular polarizing filters are used for cutting down reflected light from water, wet surfaces, foliage and the sky. Most avid photographers are at least aware of their regular usage in landscape photography, and smart ones have one in their bag because it can totally transform an image when used correctly. Polarizer usage doesn’t have to stop at landscape images though! On a recent wildlife photography trip I was reminded just how useful they can be in wet environments when the light is harsh and high in the sky. If your long lens has a regular filter thread on the front …

Adding a Simple Circulation System to my Adventure Trailer

May 2, 2024April 25, 2018 by Dan Carr

I know quite a few people are following along as I build out a small trailer into the ultimate adventure photography basecamp. If you aren’t caught up on this, you can find some previous blog posts in this section. This week I tackled the problem of poor air circulation in the Taxa Tigermoth trailer, which was leading to condensation trouble when sleeping in colder temperatures. Unlike most larger RVs and trailers, for some reason the older models of this trailer did not have any kind of roof ventilation. I believe they have fixed this for the newer models of this …

The Best Lens for Aerial Photography

April 30, 2024April 19, 2018 by Dan Carr

A recent aerial photography flight in Whistler reminded to tackle the subject of the best lens for this kind of work. Without a doubt, it needs to be a zoom lens because objects pass quickly and you simply can’t be wasting time switching prime lenses. For me the clear choice is a 24-105mm zoom with image stabilization, assuming you’re working with a full frame body. If you have a crop body of some sort, a lens with a 15-70mm zoom range or similar, will provide the same field of view. All the major brands offer their own lenses in this …

I Found An LP-E12 Battery Case! (Also a GoPro Battery Case)

May 2, 2024April 18, 2018 by Dan Carr

I recently wrote about the Canon M50s thirst for battery power, and the third-party Wasabi LP-E12 batteries that I have been using. With four batteries for my little Canon M50, I needed something to keep them in so I went rummaging around in my closet. For my Canon LP-E6 batteries I use the Think Tank battery holders, which do an excellent job. However, they are unnecessarily big for the much smaller LP-E12 batteries. As it happens though, an LP-E12 is very similar in size to a GoPro battery. I had a few GoPro battery cases from MindShift Gear kicking around, …

Adding Camera Gear Storage to my Photography Adventure Trailer

May 2, 2024April 10, 2018 by Dan Carr

I know that plenty of you are following along with my project of building the ultimate photography adventure trailer. Many of my previous updates to the base trailer (Taxa Tigermoth) centred around getting the solar power and general electrical systems up to scratch, but I’m really happy with how that’s all working now so it was time to move onto new projects. I just pulled the trailer out of winter storage and my first task was to improve upon how I store camera equipment when I’m on the move. I toyed with the idea of adding a huge sliding drawer …

Canon M50 – The LP-E12 Battery Monster (and a Cheap Solution)

April 30, 2024April 6, 2018 by Dan Carr

I haven’t paid a whole lot of attention to Canon’s previous mirrorless cameras, but the M50 had enough features to get my attention so I’m continuing to evaluate it alongside the 5D Mark IV that I use on a daily basis for work. So far I’m enjoying having a second small camera in my bag that uses the same lenses as my primary camera (with an adapter), but the battery life of the M50 is quite poor. If you come from a DSLR, the decreased battery life of mirrorless cameras does take a bit of getting used to! It’s rare …

Adobe Now Supports Canon CR3 and C-Raw Files from the M50

April 30, 2024April 3, 2018 by Dan Carr

Adobe released a gigantic Creative Cloud update today with a ton of new features, some of which I want to delve into with some specific posts in the coming days and weeks. However, one thing I wanted to mention right away is that Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Lightroom CC and Camera RAW are now fully compatible with the Raw files from Canon’s new M50 mirrorless camera. I’m currently testing this Canon M50 mirrorless camera myself so I have been waiting for this to happen, and I’m really pleased to see that Adobe put this release out just a few days after …

Canon 100-400 IS II – Aperture Vs. Focal Length

April 30, 2024March 23, 2018 by Dan Carr

It’s rare that I go anywhere without the Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS II in my bag. It’s a versatile and extremely sharp lens that’s just as capable at capturing detailed landscapes as it is with wildlife. One of the reasons I love it is that it fits such a large zoom range into a relatively small package, although at 5.1lbs you’ll definitely notice it in your bag after a long day. The reason that it’s possible to get such a wide range into a small lens is of course because this lens has a variable aperture. At 100mm, the …

Gear Check: Think Tank Logistics Manager 30 – The BIG One!!

May 2, 2024March 21, 2018 by Dan Carr

I’m writing this from a hotel room in the Canadian Rockies, having just pulled in after a 1000km drive from my home in British Columbia. I did the drive in a day, with a few stops along the way to photograph a couple of cool landscapes and a turkey vulture that I found in a tree along the way. It’s alway hard to know what to bring with me on these trips. Which lens will I need? Should I bring a small flash or my big one? What about video gear? Will I have time to make a video or …

Gear Check: UniqBall iQuick Plate

May 2, 2024March 11, 2018 by Dan Carr

I came across this interesting ballhead accessory when I was writing a guide about L plates for Shutter Muse. Typically an L plate for a camera is a big bulky thing that wraps around the end of a camera to allow you to switch between portrait and landscape orientation very quickly. One of the disadvantages of the traditional design is that the plates can be quite heavy, so I was intrigued when I found the iQuick plate solutions that are being manufactured by UniqBall. At first glance these iQuick plates appear to be pretty typical universal Arca-Swiss plates for use …

In My Bag: Quick 2018 Edition

May 2, 2024February 27, 2018 by Dan Carr

I posted this photo on my Instagram Stories and Facebook last week as I was getting on a flight, but I thought I would share it here as well because it sparked good conversation in both places. A lot of people said things such as “good luck carrying that” – which struck me as odd. Yes the bag has a lot of camera gear in, but there’s also 15 litres of additional space for other items too. What you’re seeing here isn’t even nearly the full capacity of the backpack. I’m not going to pretend it’s not heavy, but when …