News is flying around Facebook and the Interweb. The Canon 5DS and 5DS R are coming. They’ll be 50.6 megapixels. Its exciting news. People have been waiting for a ‘big megapixel’ camera from Canon for quite some time. So people are asking the question, “What should I buy? Should I buy the 5DS or the 5DS R?” My answer …… Read more →
Tag: equipment
The Panasonic Lumix GH4 meets Antarctica, South Georgia and The Falklands
A few months before leaving for Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands I bought a new Panasonic Lumix GH4 and an accompanying Panasonic Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 Aspherical Lens. My stalwart video rig has been comprised of Canon 5D Mark III’s (previously the 5D Mark II’s). The Canon DSLRs have been my go to cameras for a few… Read more →
Jobu Design Jr. 3 Deluxe Gimbal Head Review
Recently I purchased a Jobu Design Jr. 3 Deluxe Gimbal head. I’d spent quite some time searching for a gimbal head. There are quite a few well known brands out there, Wimberley, Really Right Stuff, Manfrotto, Kirk, Benro, Induro just to name a few. I wanted something light, I hate hiking long distances carrying heavy gear and I’ve already got… Read more →
All Packed for Antarctica
I’m all packed for Antarctica! Packing for Antarctica follows a very similar packing regime to that of my Arctic expeditions except that I cater for a slightly colder climate. This time its been a little different as I’ve packed for two expeditions to Antarctica with a hiking expedition to Patagonia in between. Being two distinctly different styles of expeditions has… Read more →
Would you like to walk a mile in my shoes?
Would you like to walk a mile in my shoes? Well walking a mile in my shoes is something you wouldn’t really have wanted to do at the end of my Iceland trip. Sadly my Kathmandu Tiger NGX boots bit the dust literally!!! After a good period of service I destroyed the stitching due to scuffing on rocks, shale, volcanic… Read more →
Travel Insurance and delayed luggage
I’ve always been an advocate of travel insurance. Actually its mandatory for any one participating in my expeditions. As I’ve said in the past, travel insurance can be the difference between having an unfortunate event on an expedition and having an unfortunate event with a big bill! For me, this is the first time I’ve had to claim… Read more →
Packing Camera Gear for Iceland and Jewels of the Arctic
Once again I am packing camera gear for an expedition. At times I do wonder if I should leave my bags packed and not bother unpacking them! This time I’m packing camera gear for a personal two week 4WD and camping photography expedition in Iceland followed by a two week photography expedition with clients into the Arctic Circle up the East… Read more →
Once you’ve gone Mac you’ll never go back …
Once you’ve gone Mac you’ll never go back … or so the saying goes. I’ve been a PC guy for many years, decades in fact. My life started with my first PC, an IBM Clone XT with 640KB of RAM an 5 1/4″ floppy drive, 10MB hard disk and a 16 color EGA screen. It was the best thing in… Read more →
Why should I buy Travel Insurance?
It’s a question I hear all the time Why should I buy Travel Insurance?, shortly followed by, Why should I buy the best (more often than not the most expensive) travel insurance?. Well what better way to answer those two questions than to provide a real life example of why its pertinent to have Travel Insurance and to make sure you… Read more →
Gura Gear Et Cetera Review
The Et Cetera cases are the latest in a line of a innovative storage products from Gura Gear. Late last year I purchased a number of these cases to solve my organisation woes. The Et Cetera cases are designed to provide organization options for, what we as photographers all seem to amass, the collection of cables, batteries, flashes, triggers, widgets etc. And… Read more →
Does the camera make the image?
When I think about this question I visualize a Shakespearean Actor on stage posing the question in olde English to the audience with questioning hand extended ‘Doth the camera maketh the image?’ In all seriousness though, does the camera make the image? Well that question can be answered from a few different perspectives namely with regards to how one… Read more →
A sneak peek inside Sigma’s Lens Factory in Japan
If you haven’t seen it yet, Sigma has released their latest factory sneak peek video a few days ago. Have you ever wondered why our camera lenses cost what they do? So much goes into making a camera lens and there is a large human component to the construction and assembly of a camera lens. And something that is uncommon these… Read more →
How to backup photographs and keep them SAFE!
I just backup photographs to my NAS. They’ll be safe? yeah? These are some famous last words. Its always good to have a NAS and it is part of a backup regime but in itself, it is not a ‘complete backup’ per se. So what is backup in a computing sense? Backup is the concept of making extra copies… Read more →
Birding with the Canon 200-400 f/4 L IS, 300 2.8 IS and the 600 f/4 IS
After returning from my trip to the Arctic I had a chance to go out shooting with my good friend and colleague Joshua Holko at a local wetlands. I must say first and foremost, I am not a birder. I grew up breeding and keeping birds, a pastime of my fathers that we shared, but I was never one to… Read more →
Camera Gear and Polar Regions – So what’s the deal?
Camera Gear and Polar Regions – So what’s the deal? We’ve all heard horror stories of people’s gear getting ruined. It does happen, no doubt about it. But there’s a few precautions you can take to give your gear the best chance of survival and more important allow you to keep shooting for the duration of your Photography Expedition. Photography… Read more →
Iceland and the Arctic here I come!
Tomorrow I fly out for Iceland and the Arctic. A week of personal folio shooting in Iceland before heading to Isafjordur in northern Iceland to get aboard the Polar Pioneer for the Jewels of the Arctic expedition up the coast of Greenland to Svalbard. The same Expedition I will be co-leading with Joshua Holko in 2014 (for more details click… Read more →
Choosing the right boots for your next photography expedition
Choosing the right boots for your next photography expedition can be a tough thing. There are hundreds of brands on the market and many different properties of a boot to consider when picking a pair of boots. The main properties of boots you should consider when making your selection are : – comfort – durability – support – weight – thermal insulation – water proofing/resistance –… Read more →
Arctic Circle Photography Packing List Recommendations
As I am slowly packing my gear from my own Arctic Circle photography packing list, I thought I’d share my packing list recommendations. I’m currently packing off this same Arctic Circle photography packing list that I give to my clients, as I prepare to fly out on the 2nd Saturday in August to Iceland and the Arctic Circle for a series… Read more →
Recommended Packing List – Photography Expedition – Xinjiang China – Spring
With our departure for our Investigative Photography Expedition to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in China looming I thought it pertinent to pen a recommended packing list. The Xinjiang region of China at this time of year doesn’t have the extremes of heat/cold or humidity of the other regions I have recently visited, but it does have regions of high altitude which can be… Read more →
Photographers Gloves – Freehands Stretch Thinsulate – Review
One of the most frustrating things about photographing in cold climates is funnily enough the cold. Well not really the cold, rather the problems that arise during cold photography expeditions. <br><br> First and foremost we always look after keeping ourselves warm. That’s something we can do quite easily by donning layer upon layer of clothing with an outer layer of… Read more →
GURA GEAR BATAFLAE 32L vs. GURA GEAR KIBOKO Camera Bag Review and Comparison by Joshua Holko
Late last year my good mate Joshua Holko and I were in a nearby nature reserve. Whilst we were waiting for the light to improve we decided to shoot a short video of the differences between the original Gura Gear Kiboko and the new Bataflae 32L camera bag. Given that between the two of us there was the original Kiboko and the new Bataflae 32L and with lighting conditions not what we were looking for it was time to switch the Canon 5D Mk III into video mode and sho0t a couple of short videos.
This is the first video in a series of camera bag review, comparison and use for the new Gura Gear Bataflae 32L.
As you can tell by the audio, I hadn’t packed an external mic with a windscreen which I will remember to leave in my kit in future I promise.
Jump over to Joshua’s blog to read Joshua’s thoughts on the bag and the video.
Here is a direct link to the camera bag review and comparison video.