Packing A Small Do-It-All Kit For Travel

 
In a couple of hours, I will be on my way to UAE where I will be spending three days. I will be visiting both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. I’ve never been there before, but I know that there will be excellent photographic opportunities there. So, instead of just taking the LX100 (which is a very capable camera, especially in video), I decided to take a more flexible setup. It has to be small, and it has to fit in my ThinkTank Retrospective 5 bag.

LX100 Auto Lens Cap

 
I want to show you here a few photos for installing the official Panasonic LX100 auto lens cap. There won't be a lot of text though, things are straight forward. In short, it works as expected, and the final camera thickness stays the same; so it still fits in my small Lowepro case. The only thing that wasn't straight forward is the amount of force needed to remove the existing cover first, just be brave and twist with a bit of force.
 
Click through for the rest of the photos.

Review Part 1: Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5 Macro (on MFT)

In this post I will give you a brief review on the Tamron SP 90 lens as a portraiture lens and as a macro lens when mounted on a Micro Four Thirds camera. In part 2, I will review how it performs on a full frame sensor.

P.S. Look how elegant the top plate on the E-M1 looks. Now compare that to the bland Sony A7II I showed you earlier.

Triggering a Camera and a Flash Simultaneously with the Yongnuo RF603

When Mohammad posted his review of the YN-560TX, there was a question from one of our readers about whether you can trigger a camera and a flash at the same time with the Yongnuo RF603.  The question has been asked on DPReview previously  .This capability can be useful for sports (to capture multiple angles of the same shot), or architecture / real estate, for example.  I have tried several combinations of Yongnuo triggers and flashes without success, until finally I got a combination that did work.  It was so simple that I was kicking myself for not having thought of it previously.

with one speedlight

First outing with the Sony A7 II and the Zeiss 55 f/1.8

 
I traveled on a one-day trip to Alexandria with a few of my close friends, and it was the perfect chance to get familiar with the new A7 Mark II and the Zeiss FE 55 f/1.8.

You can consider this post as a quick hands-on post on the A7II + Zeiss 55 combo. A first in a series of posts to cover all my impressions on the A7II specifically, and a few lenses along the way.

Sony E 16 2.8 Review Part 2: fisheye and ultrawide converters

This is a continuation of our review of the Sony 16 f/2.8 for the E-mount (Part 1 here).  In this part, we will discuss the two converters for the 16 2.8: a fisheye converter (VCL-ECF1) and an ultrawide converter (VCL-ECU1). 

First, I will describe the two converters.  I will then discuss the rationale and performance of each converter, starting with the fisheye, then the ultrawide.

Before we go on to the review, I want to mention a couple of footnotes:

1. If you've tried cheap wide angle converters before, you may think that these converters are just gimmicks.  But these are entirely different and are very good quality converters.

2. When Sony announced their new lenses on March 4, 2015, they also announced "new" versions of the converters, the VCL-ECF2 fisheye and VCL-ECU2 ultrawide.  As far as I can tell, they are identical to the old converters, with the same specs and same optical formulae.  The only difference between the new converters and the old ones seems to be that the new versions are black (matching the finish of the 20 2.8) while the previous versions are silver (matching the finish of the 16 2.8).  The VCL-ECF2 and ECU2 are advertised as being compatible with the 20 2.8, but so are the ECF1 and ECU1.

Radio-based wireless TTL for Sony, Nikon and Canon

image by Nissin Group

​

 

Nissin is producing an affordable radio-based wireless TTL flash and trigger for Canon, Nikon and, starting this summer, for Sony as well.  There are already several radio-based TTL systems for Canon and Nikon.  However, for Sony, this is a welcome addition because the only such system available thus far is the Phottix Odin, and Nissin's system appears to have a lower total cost.

Why I Love My Sigma 50-150

Here are a couple of shots that I took with the Sigma 50-150 that show why I love it.

Upgrade your software before your hardware

I used to upgrade my point-and-shoot camera frequently.  I thought that the nifty features of newer cameras would improve my photos.  Sure, equipment (camera, lens, accessories) can make a big difference in results.  However, equipment without technique will not improve shots, and as a beginner, the limiting factor in the quality of my pictures was my technique (or lack thereof).  To illustrate the difference that technique makes, take a look at the shots below:

Shot 1:

Shot 2:

The shot at the top is with a Nikon D300, a Tamron 17-50 2.8 VC lens, and a Nikon SB-800 flash.  The camera, lens and flash are all prosumer quality and have a total cost of easily more than $2500.  The shot at the bottom is with an average 3-year old point-and-shoot camera (the Casio Exilim EX-V7) and the SB-800 flash.  The difference between the two shots is purely due to technique (specifically, lighting).

In summary, if you're new to photography and want to improve the quality of your pictures, the biggest improvement will come from improving your technique first.  If you want to know where to start learning techniques, check out these resources:


Roadmap for Family Photographers
Beginner's Simplified Guide to Exposure
Introduction to Lighting for Family Photographers
TTL FAQ

Have fun!

Fulfill your camera fantasies by renting

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Do you need a camera, lens, or flash for a shot you have in mind (or even a gig) but don't have the photographic budget for it at the moment?  Consider renting.  Rentals cost less than you might think and are a great solution for equipment that are only occasionally needed.

One such company offering rentals is Samy's (www.samys.com). Examples from Samy's rental catalog:

CANON
- Canon 5D MkII. Around $2500 to buy. Rent for $200/day.
- Canon 17-55. $1100+ to buy. Rent for $35/day.
- Canon 24-70. $1400 to buy.  Rent for $30/day.
- Canon 70-200 IS.  $1900 to buy. Rent for $35/day.
- Canon 50 1.2L. $1500 to buy. Rent for $40/day.
- Canon 580 EX II flash. $445 to buy.  Rent for $25/day.
(I'm not a Canon user, so I don't know much about these equipment...)

NIKON
- Nikon D700. $2400+ to buy new.  Rent for $150/day.
- Nikon F6 (most advanced 35mm film camera). Currently selling for $3200 new. Rent for $50/day with a 50mm lens or $45/day for just the body.
- Nikon 14-24 2.8.  One of the finest Nikon lenses ever. $1800 to buy new.  Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 17-55 2.8. One of the best DX lenses.  Over $1500 to buy new.  Rent for $30/day.
- Nikon 24-70 2.8. Finest Nikon lens in the normal zoom range. $1700+ to buy new.  Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 70-200 2.8 VR.  One of the finest Nikon tele lenses. A bit less than $2k to buy *used*. Rent for $35/day.
- Nikon 60 2.8 micro AF-D. Great for macro shots.  Around $540 to buy. Rent for $18/day.
- SB-800. A flash workhorse. No longer sold. Rent for $18/day.

Other interesting items:
- Medium format cameras, including digital medium format. Can you say Hasselblad? :)
- Lots of monoblocs.
- Fog/smoke machine (Rosco Model 1700). Virtually impossible to justify buying this ($700). Rent for $35/day.  Rarindra Prakarsa, watch out! :)

Samy's policy is that a weekend is charged as just one day (if you pick up after 3pm on Friday you can return by 11am on Monday and you'll be charged just one day).  A whole week is charged like 3 days (or 4 days for some equipment).

Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with Samy's and I'm not getting anything from this. I also haven't tried their service yet, though I plan to do so when the right opportunity comes along.