Pearstone Articulating Arm Review

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This is one of those multifunctional accessories that every photographer should have in their kit box.  I’ve owned several different versions from various manufacturers and this time I have been provided with the 4.2″ Pearstone Articulating Israeli Arm version.  My favorite uses of such an arm are to hold accessories for DSLR movie making such as microphones, audio recorders and LCD screens but the actual potential uses are far too numerous to name. The 4.2″ Pearstone version is just the right size for mounting on the hot shoe of your camera and it comes with a hot shoe adapter that …

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Pearstone Duo Battery Charger Review

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One of the things that I was happy to see at the launch of the Canon 5D MKIII was that they have kept the venerable LP-E6 battery that was first introduced more than three years ago with the MKII.  I’ve always been amazed at it’s capacity and in the last few years several third party accessory manufacturers have also adopted it for powering video equipment accessories such as LCD monitors of external video recorders.  Of course it’s also been used in the 7D and 60D!  In other words, if you are a Canon shooter then the chances are you have …

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I’m Back!

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Hey guys, I just wanted to post a quick note to say that normal business will be resuming this week on the blog. For the last couple of months I have had more work on my plate than any time in my career. Yes, you see I am actually a working photographer ! I’ve been shooting commercial images, catalog images, traveling to a photo shoot in Austria and producing a video shoot for a company from China all in the last few weeks. There is a lot to catch up on in the next few weeks so you can expect …

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Czech Magazine Interview

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I was featured in a Czech skiing magazine this month!  That’s a new one on me 🙂  You can take a look at the photos below even if you can’t read it!

Canon Launches New 600EX Flash And Radio Trigger System

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Alongside the unveiling of the 5d Mark III, Canon have also unveiled a brand new flagship flash, the 600 EX.   Pricing and availability The Speedlite 600EX-RT and Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT are scheduled for availability at end of March 2012. The Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7, GPS Receiver GP-E2 and Battery Grip BG-E11 are scheduled to be available by the end of April 2012. Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT US: $629.99 / EUR: €699 / UK: £679.99 Canon Speedlite Transmitter ST-E3-RT US: $470 / EUR: €320 / UK: £309.99 Canon Wireless File Transmitter WFT-E7 US: $849.99 / EUR: €759 / UK: £789.99 Canon GPS Receiver GP-E2 US: …

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The Canon 5D Mark III Is Finally Here!

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Is this the most anticipated camera launch of all time ?  It would not surprise me at all.  The often rumored and much speculated Canon 5D Mark III is finally announced.  Three and a half years ago the 5D Mark II changed our expectations as to what a DSLR could do.  It delivered not only stunning image quality and Canon’s best low-light performance yet, but also 1080P video from an imaging sensor that was physically bigger than even any Hollywood camera. The results demonstrated by people like Vincent Laforet, changed the low to middle end production industry for good.  Even …

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Photo Mechanic & Lightroom Workflow

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I’ve posted a detailed video about what makes Photo Mechanic a must have program for many journalists and sports photographers before. But many people also like the easy adjustment tools of Adobe Lightroom.  This video walks you through how to setup a workflow that incorporates the best of both of these programs. For more detailed ingest tutorial please see my previous video -> vimeo.com/30521015

Pocketwizard Launches the Plus III

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LPA Designs have today announced the third iteration of the Pocketwizard Plus lineup.  It integrates several of the features of the Multimax into a smaller, cheaper package that will actually sell for $30 less than the previous version!  Great news!  There has been considerable physical design changes too including a built in antenna and a sideways profile so as not to get in the way of the photographers view when mounted to the camera.  There is a new long range mode designed for remote camera usage, a repeater function (which was previously confined to the Multimax), 32 channels and a …

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Canon’s Super Tele Shipping Dates Slip Again

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Last month we heard the planned ship date had slipped back to April for the new 500mm and 60mm f2 L IS II lenses.  Now, again via The Digital Picture, we are hearing that things have now slipped to May.  This is getting a bit frustrating for those of us who are waiting for one of these lenses!  I really need to have my new 500mm for a trip in June and this is looking increasingly unlikely. From Canon: “We appreciate your understanding and continued support.”

Hands On With The New Canon 24-70 & 24mm + 28mm IS Primes

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Recently Canon announced the introduction of three new lenses to their EF lineup.  The long awaited 24-70 f2.8 L II finally broke cover as well as two wide prime lenses with IS, the first of their kind.  Much has been made about the projected $2300 price point for the new 24-70 though which is about $1200 more than you can currently get the previous version for.  In the last couple of years Canon have updated some old lenses and introduced some new ones, all of which I have found to be exemplary so my gut feeling is that for pros, …

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Canon 24-70 f2.8 L II

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10mm shorter and 150g lighter than the previous version, the Canon 24-70 f2.8 L II will be available in April for approximately $2300. Pre-Orders B&H are taking pre-orders for the lens now!!  You will not be charged until it is shipped. Key features   High-speed USM AF Fluorine lens coating front and rear 9-blade circular aperture Three Aspheric lens elements One Super Ultra-low Dispersion lens element Two Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens elements Minimum focusing distance: 0.38m at all focal lengths Improved dust and weather resistance Improved durability for daily use Front of lens doesn’t rotate during focusing Manual focus possible …

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