Gear Check

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From My Office: The Canon Printer Without Ink Cartridges

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I’ve had this printer, the Canon G3200, for about a year now and I keep meaning to tell you guys about it. It’s part of a new line of printers from Canon called “Mega Tank”. As you can see from the photos, it has ink tanks instead of the typical cartridges that are found in most small printers. Refilling the ink is a simple matter of buying bulk ink in a bottle and pouring it in. Even if you buy Canon ink, it’s still much cheaper than the old scenario of replacing entire cartridges, and there’s also cheaper third-party ink …

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My Favourite Canon Multipurpose Lens Trifecta

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These are the three lenses I usually grab if I’m heading out for a day of photography and want to be prepared for anything! With this kit I have a focal range from 11-400mm and can tackle everything from landscapes to astrophotography, portraiture, sports and wildlife.

How to Speed up the Charging of Your iPhone

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Like a good many people, I rely on my iPhone for work but I’m constantly trying to keep it charged. I have a collection of scattered chargers in my home and I usually try to add a little more juice to the phone whenever I’m near one. I would never think of using the charger that actually came with the phone, but the other day it occurred to me that this might not be a well known suggestion, so here I am today to tell you all why… The little USB charger than comes with an iPhone is the same …

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Gear of the Year 2017

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For the last few years I’ve written an end of year post summing up my favourite and most used photo gear of the past 12 months. I don’t sit down to write this with a specific number of items in mind so we’ll just have to see what springs to mind as I keep typing. Canon 11-24mm f/4 L I’ve had an interesting journey with the Canon 11-24mm f/4 L, and previously written about why it was the lens I wasn’t sure I could love. This year I made more effort to carry around its significant bulk, and I was …

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Gear Check: Really Right Stuff TFA-01 Ultra Tripod

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I just packed my bags for a trip to Ottawa and for the first time in a very long time, I’m getting on a plane without a camera bag. This trip isn’t about photography at all, it’s about celebrating the holiday season with loved ones. Whilst I’m not taking a big camera bag as I usually do, I’m still travelling with a basic photography kit in my regular Arcteryx Brize 32 daypack. I chose to take the 5D Mark IV, the Canon 11-24mm f/4 L (unboxing) and the 24-105mm f/4 L IS. The 11-105mm range between two lenses is a …

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Question: Have Your Lenses Ever Developed Less Accurate Focus in Severely Cold Temperatures?

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I’m going to do something on the blog today that I’ve never done before, and that’s ask a question to the ENTIRE INTERNET! Well, ok, that’s a slight exaggeration, but this can’t hurt to try. I’m doubtful that I’ll find the answer immediately from regular readers, but by putting this question out there publicly, I hope that perhaps one day someone else might be searching Google for the same information, and then stumble upon this post. Many of you know that I shoot with the wonderful Canon 400mm f/4 DO IS II super telephoto lens. This lens is sharp as …

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Powering my Photography Adventure Trailer with a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station

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This part of the project was made possible by my friends at B&H Photo. If you’ve been following along with the build-out of my photography adventure trailer then you’ll know that the last thing I did was to install a 100W Goal Zero solar panel on the roof, to go with my 50W panel that can be deployed alongside it. This has all been in preparation for adding a Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium Power Station to the kit list. When I first purchased the trailer in the summer I quickly realized that keeping my camera gear and laptop charged …

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Gear Check: All the New Peak Design Gear!!

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Peak Design have just launched updates to their most popular products, the Slide camera straps and the Capture Clip quick release system. I was lucky enough to get sent all the new gear prior to the retail launch, so I can bring you some thoughts and of course, lots of photos. If you’d like to get a discount on all Peak Design products, we are able to offer a special deal to our readers thanks to our long time relationship with Peak Design. Just click the button to reveal it. Capture Clip V3 I’m starting with this one because it’s …

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Gear Check: Nitecore D4 Battery Charger

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Recently I was looking for a new battery charger that would handle all of the different types of rechargeable batteries I have, not including camera ones. I needed something that would handle my Ni-MH AA and AAA Eneloop batteries that I use in things like flashes and remote triggers, and also my Li-ion 18650 batteries that power my flashlights for light painting. As well as this versatility, I also wanted to be able to easily power the charger from a 12v outlet in my car or when plugged into the Goal Zero Yeti 1400 Lithium power station in my photography …

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Installing a Goal Zero Boulder Solar Panel on My Trailer Roof

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This post was made possible by my friends at B&H Photo, where you can buy the Boulder 100 solar panel that I installed on my Taxa TigerMoth photography adventure trailer. Of course this content is also relevant to any other van or trailer you might be considering for your own adventure vehicle! If you’ve been following the posts in the Overland section of my blog in recent months, you’ll have first seen me writing about how to connect a Goal Zero solar panel to a Zamp solar connection. This was my initial setup when I got this trailer, and it …

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Building a Solar Junction Box from a Pelican Case for Goal Zero Solar Panels

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Those of you following my Instagram stories recently will have seen my portable base camp, a Taxa TigerMoth adventure trailer. I’ve been documenting some of the modifications I’ve made to it on this blog, and today we’re going to solve a solar power problem. I have a lot of Goal Zero gear because I think their products represent good value for money, and their customer service has proven to be exceptional. They make a variety of great products, such as battery packs and solar panels, but they have a tendency to go their own route, instead of using industry standards …

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Building a Camera Tether

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Just a quick post today! Over on Shutter Muse I wrote a detailed post about constructing a camera safety tether. It’s a handy thing to have for climbing photography, and other adventure sports work. Also a necessity with some aerial photography work. If you think it might be something that’s relevant to your own photography, head on over and check it out!