accessories

UPDATE 08/07/10

I placed the order with lens filters on June 21st,  the site said the product was available, but I received an email a few days later saying the product was on backorder, with the ETA unknown but typically they were filled in thirty days.  Even though I was disappointed on availability I keep the order live because the stock was not available anywhere in the US.  So here it is August 2nd, and my order shipped from Canada, FedX next day…except next day turned into a week, due to some customs issues with Fed…but never matter, the .75 (2 1/2) ND saw use this morning at 5:30 am, and boy was I glad it was in my bag again….the price: $135+$34=$169cdn = $165US   vs  B&H $105+$0 ship  …a $65 dollar premium, no bargain  but it is in my bag now (after a six week wait) !!   If you are tired of US channels give them a call.

Posted on 6/21/10

US distribution thru B&H, Adorama and other outlets for a number of Lee Grad ND Filters types is borderline abysmal.  Product selection and availability is weak and any delivery information is out of the question.   The reason is that Lee had some major type of manufacturing meltdown in the UK over a year ago and are crippled to get the act together and supply demand.  I’ve written about this a few times as I have seen the shortage impact my ability to get the Images I want.

Exacerbated with the wait, I spent the better half of the day, researching domestics camera stores for availability. NOTHING…..In frustration, I searched worldwide. NOTHING…then I smartened up, went to the LEE site and searched on their store locator for Canada…walla!….the have one major distributor, and their web site is very well put together (unlike B&H,Adorama) explaining the various filters, functions, dimensions, availability and pricing.   I have my order in…so let’s see what happens with the delivery process…I’ll keep you Posted

I was fortunate to recently assist one of my fellow Moose Alumni in his search for a tripod upgrade from his current Manfrotto190xPROB.

The problem for anyone selecting their ‘last tripod’ is a journey thru the mired of internet information on tripod configurations and the fervor of discussions, opinions, misinformation and advertisements….research can take a long time…why..because we are looking at a major investment….and if you let compromise and 2nd guessing creep into your final decision and you’ll blow the correct choice.

The facts:

1. Height 5’11 = 71″
2. Eye level = 66′
3. Lens = prime & mid-telephotos,80-400
4. DLSR D700
5. BallHead = RRS BH55

Field Work

1. No major backpacking hike Ins
2. Ability to travel w/pod occasionally by plane
3. Landscape from desert to freezing cold
4. Stability & Flexibility to Growth

Recommendations Needed:

1. What Gitzo model ?
2. What Gitzo size ?
3. Where to purchase ?

Short answer: Gitzo: GT3541XLS

Continue Reading ➞

Even since I was tipped off by my filter folks up in NH to this Japanese manufacture, I have been switching over my C-Pol filters to Murumi DHG Super Circular PLD from the iconic German made B+W KSM C-POL MRC.  There is also a head to head comparison by Lenstip of 24 filters manufactures, and the Marumi tied for first, with guess who, yep B+W.

For me what makes Marumi that much better is a lower price, better availability, a black matt finish on the paint, less weight,,,but the best feature is it is half the width of the B+H.  This starts to really matter when you need to stack filters, such as a ND and then go ultra wide angle, then the Marumi thin width prevents annoying filter vignetting.

B+H filter on left, Marumi 67mm and 52mm (middle & right)

Continue Reading ➞

Very early on after my first Gitzo tripod purchase, I started searching the web for a tri-pod bag that would accommodate trekking with the  Gitzo and a RRS BH-55 ball-head on it.  My search floundered as I ended up with three other manufactures bags which are now gathering dust.

Then I found this simple, rugged, versatile and lightweight bag (model T620) from an off the beaten path photo outdoor gear manufacture, Kinesis.  Then many months ago I upgraded my Gitzos from a (collapsed 25.5″ length) Mountaineer model 2531 to a (collapsed 27.5″length ) Systematic model GT3541XLS and with the added length, yet there is still enough room to fit my tripod/ballhead combo.

What separates this bag is a few extremely well  thought out designs.

1. Gravity – you’ll load this tripod feet first, zip up over the ball head, but when you hold the handle it is positioned forward of center to correctly balance the load
2. Gravity – when you attach the shoulder stap, the padded strap end snaps to the leg end which allows you to carry the tripod, head down, which lets the weight rest downward.
3. Shoulder Strap – contoured and ready to stick to anything.
4. Zipped pouch – lots of need for this is bad weather to stow something quickly.
5. Compression straps – Top and Bottom – even with a snug fit, you can draw the contents and bag more securely.
6. Zippers – hidden from the elements, fantastic when the snow starts to build up on the outside.
7. Airport Friendly – Many domestic trips with no issues, and easy access if someone needs to take a look, fits very well into overheads
8. Knee Pad – Once the tri-pod is out and in use, this bag doubles as a knee pad or gear holder, it lays flat to the ground
9. Backpack Point – There are two points on the tripod feet end with D points, and an additional 4 other points to secure this to you backpack.
10. UltraLight  System – Kinesis also markets this bag when additional harness is purchased as a standalone tripod backpack…kind of neat…
11. Inexpensive – <$50

I would recommend this bag to anyone, I have traveled and field tested this in every environment, but the desert, and this bag always delivers a solid maintenance free performance for me ….

Somehow I misplace my .9 (3 stop) Lee Graduated Filters on the Cliffs of Gualala in California. The vistas were stunning and I spent quite awhile shooting in the early morning and even though I thought I picked up and packed all my gear, somehow I lost it….   Later, back in NY, I discovered that trying to order a replacement was a major problem, it took more scouring to locate a filter than finding my D3s.

All my favorite haunts were out of stock,or backordered. Why? Come to find out that Lee had a major production line problem several months ago, either with equipment, people or process, (not sure) however their bread and butter products (.3,.6.9 ND Grads) have been backordered for several months now. While new filters may start trickling in, I needed something quickly. I handhold this filter in front of my lens when shooting and the soft grad is particularly useful for wide angle lens (ie my new 16-35mm f/4 !)

I finally called into my favorite filter specialist in my home-state of NH (2filters), and they didn’t have any stock either, but I received an email an hour later, saying they had stock, a quick call revealed that they didn’t have the .3, .6, or .9 however they had one .75.  I had never seen the .75 advertised, so it’s a 2.5 stop filter which should work for me, because I often pullup the .9 on my lens because the grad is to dark, so I’m thinking the .75 might just do the trick.

The Lee product is just Great Quality, you don’t see that info coming thru on website or other articles,

• It comes in an extremely well made black thick cloth pouch with velco and fits perfectly in your camera bag outer pockets
• It easy to clean and I think it’s quite resistant to scratches
• The filter is long and wide enough to hold and handle as you move the grad into position
• Its light weight the grad is uniform thru the resin and is a few millimeters thicker than the next guys filter
• the cloth pouch has a plastic window protecting the filters spec paperwork.

My friends over at 2 filters also turned me onto a newer filter maker, Hitech, .9 ND grad 4X5 which I’m interested in trying out. From first glance, it’s missing the nice case, is shorter, not as thick and the grad looks to be centered to low in the middle so the coverage over my Nikon glass might be a problem…oh well I try it… until I can replace my Lee .9ND Grad soft……

Given that you are always shooting at various types of locations and you have a habit of keeping your tripod plate fixed on your camera, you need a system to be flexible to change strap configuration while your changing locations, ie hiking, city and general purpose….Here is what I’ve come up with after much trial and error…

The Steps

1. Op/Teck ; $4.50
   1. Utility loop
2. Think Tank Pro ;$12.50 + $25 = $37.50
   1. Camera Support Straps
   2. Camera Strap $25
3. Domke = $20/ea   (domke ad below is for qty 6, you can buy single at B&H)
   1. 1.5″ Strap with swivel
4. Black Rapid = $54
   1. Black Rapid Rs-4
5. Total = $112

Okay, so it is not as inexpensive as I said on my last blog. But you are buying the Best over the neck camera strap on the market (Domke), an Urban strap (Black Rapid) and your backpack ready straps (Think Tank) so the parts that make everything interchangeable are the Optech ($4.50) and Think tank ($25) parts. And I wouldn’t cut any corners anywhere in this system.

Here’s what you do….

1) Put the Op/tech parts on your camera strap lugs. This will now allow interchangeability and the utility loop is made of a very sturdy plastic, not metal, so no scratches, plus the length of the loop is just right to keep it out of the way.

2) Take the Domke strap and disconnect the strap as purchased and reverse ends so that you can open the small swivel hook and attach to the Op/tech utility loop. I enjoy the Domke strap, it has a sticky thread like material that keeps your camera strap from sliding around on our shoulder, it does not get clammy or slippery in the heat or rain,  is indiscrete, and the web material width from the neck piece to the camera is thin, so your not battling the strap.

3) Put the Think Thank camera support straps on your backpack’s shoulder straps. The black attachment clamps are universal and are easy to put on. Now if you want to go to Backpack mode, you have a few options, 1) take the Domke straps off and attach the backpack hooks directly into the Optech Strap utility loop lugs or keep the Domke on, and attach the backpack hooks into the top domke swivel hook loop. (if I go on long hikes it’s the first option for me).  You can ride up the Think tank straps to get the camera closer to your body if you want.

4) This may seem wasteful, but hey I bought the Think Tank camera straps and the webbing was to narrow so didn’t work out for me, so they did find the following purpose.  The Think tank camera strap has this wonderful 1/8″ thick 3/4″ diameter ring sewn into a 1/4 web. We want to make two separate cuts so that we can free up a piece of 2″ webbing with ring attached.  So cut the leather webbing from the ring and then cut  2″ from the ring bottom. Next well take this piece and attach it to your really right stuff tripod plate.

5) Take the piece of strap with ring cut from the Think tank strap above, and loop it through your RRS tripod plate bottom.  It is a perfect fit, because the small machined metal extention is recessed so the strap material will never bind against the plate. Now you have a ring attached to a very very solid platform to clip your Black Rapid Strap, you can’t attach the Rapid strap with the lug system any other way unless you take of the plate (hey where is that allen wrench when you need it)

Summary

Nothing here is complicated, everything is standard and readily available, and it all fits together with similar size webbing, swivels, and clasps. Nothing is obtrusive or in a location that will cause your camera any harm.   I have tried just about all alternatives, and the basic takeaway for you is flexibility, quality materials, robustness and comfort.

As a matter of fact, I have three backpacks fitted with the Think Tank camera support straps, and I only needed  another Optech utility loop and the other side of the Think tank strap to have a duplicate setup for both of my camera bodies.

I also clip my Nikon Micro Fiber cloth to the O-ring when not using the rapid strap, very handy to clean LCD screen.

If you have any questions, please let me know and I’ll clear things up for you….

Back a year ago, I came across this camera strap as an alternative to the over the neck that we all have. I use this strap whenever I go URBAN, it keeps the camera low, out of the way, less to and fro swaying and beside the functionality I think it’s cool looking.

There is a drawback though, you can’t use it the way it is sold, look at the connection of this strap to your camera, your Really Right Stuff Plate (on your camera base for tripod clamping) is in the way of the plug they provide….however

I have been able to, after much trial and error, put together a system that allows, me to go rural, to urban, to backpacking with a few choice pieces of hardware from a few choice suppliers, for relatively low bucks….

Today, I’ll recommend that you invest in this Strap, it has a place in your gear bag for when you go Urban…….to be continued on the other parts of my system..

I have seen this banner off and on for awhile, and I finally decided that waiting to try this product was not an option especially with a 20% sale going on.   This manufacture has been designing and selling special focusing screens for cameras for over 29 years and has been calling the product Brightscreens.  The brightscreen product replaces your 35mm cameras standard focusing screen with a screen that has a split image with a micro prism collar….eh….you remember (before digital displays on camera backs) when most cameras used to have a viewfinder with a split image, and once you aligned the splits the picture was in focus ?  This allowed very fine adjustments in any lighting, and your eye didn’t go wandering around looking for a illumination or a waiting to hear a beep to know the camera was in focus.

In addition to the 6 standard configurations on over 150 cameras, Brightscreens can also be ordered to come with screens etched with one of six Crop line configurations for an extra $50.

I ordered over the phone because I had a few questions and the people I spoke with were friendly and accommodating to some of my neophyte questions. These Brightscreens are manufactured in Tennessee, and that southern drawl evoked trust, and you can take that from someone who lived there for three years.  The advertised lead time was four/six weeks and I was prepared to wait it out, but the screen that I ordered was a popular configuration, and it came securely packaged three days later.

Installation was very straight forward, and they have a web-link with step by step photos to show you the proper orientation and preparation techniques.

How does it perform in the field ?: Superb, I am very pleased with this addition. I can now watch auto focus align the prisms or I can override and go into manual mode. In manual mode, or when the camera autfocus goes on the fritz, I now can keep my eye on my subject, set the focus on the lens and not hunt around for a green light to indicate focus and then back up to compose the shot.   Also,  all the red selectable focus points are highly visible (and in the D3 luminosity can be adj if required) and can still be moved to anyone of 9 of 51 locations. The crop lines are bolder than the Nikon type E screen, and are on a rule of third grid, this is also an improvement over the Nikon E screen. Additionally, the split image is does not obscure my focusing at all.

For me the results have been very beneficial, especially when taking some recent Images at Barberville Falls (white snow, and w/manual Focus PCE 24) and at Troy Alley and Troy Lady Blue, both contrast-less situations.

One thing that I am still keeping an eye on is that the screen seems to attract its fair share of dust, and of coarse it lands directly in the center of the split !  I’m not sure why and I plan to call in and ask why they recommend dry cleaning only, so for now the best removal technique is to use a blower and the 8mm visible dust brush.

Supplier Link: BrightScreen

Last year around this time, I researched for weeks for a ball head for my shooting adventures. My punch list was long, I wanted simplicity, quality, durability, performance, compatibility with my tripod, expandability , service.. quite frankly – excellence. After much research,I settled down on the BH-55 LR w the B2 AS II clamp, manufactured by Really Right Stuff. What swayed my decision was it was an American manufacture and it focused on Camera Support Solutions and their web site is chock full of reasonable advice and current configuration information. I always considered this purchase rock solid……

After shooting a simple Lobster Trap Christmas tree in Maine, I moved my tripod up a few feet to better frame the shot, and when I went to tighten the panning plate, there was no tightening left in the pan lock knob, everything was mechanically frozen..

Normally I would have contacted service and waited for repair, but in two days time I was off for a weeks vacation in Florida.  I called RRS, and spoke to Marcus, he called me back a short while later to tell me a loaner had been found and that he’d ship it overnight.

Well due to Christmas and UPS problems, overnight turned into the package getting to NY one day after I left NY, then RRS expedited the loaner to be sent to my Florida address, only to have UPS botch up the delivery again, and it arrived the day after I left FL.

To make the long story short, the folks at RRS were super helpful, professional and gave me a 100% effort to try and help keep me up and running…

As you can see from the map, the Ballhead repair and loaner, combined, clocked over 14,600 miles of travel time.

And the cause of the problem, the usual, my cockpit error,  ”It is easy to forget that you set the drag and then …….do not over-loosen the Main Lock Knob” Point #5 of user manual…

I thought I would pass along a few tips over the next few weeks of small but important things that have caught my attention when talking or reading about the Pro’s in regard to their equipment tweaks.

On the outside some of these don’t seem that significant but as I have implemented them into my own Image taking, I know that they are worth consideration to benefit your work flow.

For instance, based on a Pro tip, a year ago I refitted my D3 with the Nikon Focusing Screen Type E .  I have never thought anything of how much I used it or the advantages that it has given me until when I received my D3s.  The standard D3d comes with the plain factory furnished screen, yuck, it just doesn’t cut in for my brand of photography. So it was the first D3s accessory that I ordered to get me back in a comfortable place.

The installation process is a bit touchy, and I recommend you wear a pair of latex gloves to  keep oils and dust from straying onto the screen while you hold and position the thin grid screen into place.

What this inexpensive screen ($34) does is give you a few grid lines (Horizontal & vertical) to assist in aligning the camera especial in hand holding situations, which is an excellent feature if you are shooting coastal shots and need a horizon line, or for posts when you need vertical reference, or for diagonal planes.  The grid lines do not ‘light-up’, they are there more for reference but the auto focus area still lights up your red focus point.

Keeping on the theme of proper alignment of your Image, I also use custom settings f4 to assign my function button to virtual horizon so I can reference within my viewfinder that status of my camera to parallel,

Then finally, for tripod situations I have programmed from the Setup menu the Virtual Horizon into MY Menu rank#2 or I use LiveView grids.  Why? When you have your camera mounted to the tripod, you can skip all the leveling if your  in a hurry, and when you press OK in your main menu and your rear display will give you a very cool, internal leveling graphic and it works great !

Why the fastidiousness with leveling ? Well, I really get upset with myself if I come back into the DD and see my shots off of alignment, it is a basic and simple thing to take care of in the field.  I remember reading that our hunter gather human eye have evolved with a very low tolerance for being off parallel.  Going into post and then when you start off using your alignment software it essentially crops something out to put something in, and you’d be surprised what you might loose in the process.  It’s just better to get it right the first time.

Have you ever wanted to get a clean crisp DOF shot from 2′ to Infinity ?

Did you know our DLSR have a limitation in being able to show you that in the viewfinder ?

You can test this by setting your lens to f/22, focus distance is at 2′ and looking at viewfinder and seeing a fuzzy image. (The settings are spot on for a crisp DOF from 2′ to infinity)  The limitation is that the DLSR viewfinder is optimized at a wide open apperature f/2.8, you need to fight off the need to refocus and understand DOF and hyper focal distance.

Trying to get a crisp shot of a long fence post was something that I tried to do and finally was able to understand what was going on, when I read Bryan Peterson’s book, Understanding Exposure., pg 38&39.

In the old days, camera lenses had markings and the photog’s knew about DOF and hyper-focal distance. In this age of the automated DLSR it is becoming just matrix metering, program mode, autofocus, then point and shoot, which leaves this DOF concept out in the cold. You have to think and know what you are framing and if your telling a story or isolating a subject, then use DOF as part of your formula towards making an IMAGE

A good place to start understanding this DOF concept is found at DOFMaster.

Next this information can be put in real world terms via your camera settings ……..

How can you use this info in the field while making Images ? Well you can not carry around a laptop, but to the rescue is an Iphone app which helps you do some of the heavy lifting. (until you can figure out the concept and settings from experience).

I am using the app that DOFmaster has out.  I’ll simply enter three pieces of info from my camera settings for the top Image, I checked DOF first and then pressed the HD button to get a hyperfocal distance setting

So how do I use it?  If you look at the Image above of the ski slope, when I saw the wall and the ski slope I knew to tell a story and not isolate a subject, and that I needed a DOF of 2′ to infinity, that I need to shoot with a wide angle lense at around f/22.  I didn’t know where to put my focus distance at, I knew the wall was about 5 feet away…. So I tookout my iphone, and plugged in the setting above and took the shot, focusing on the hyperfocal distance of 6′ to get the 3′ to infinity that you see in the photo.  So it finally looks like this:

I hope this give you some clarity around DOF and how to use it for those special Images you want to take..

For those contemplating any traveling, here is some travel gear that you may want to consider.

From the company, Think Tank Pro, the Airport Antidote (AA) , really swallows up and protects your valuable photo equipment. On my recent Florida trip, I had a few other travel backpacks to consider, but I all ways came back to the AA. Primarily because, the backpack loads well, has very comfortable straps, is highly configurable, fits in an overhead easily, and has handles that are well located to help you transport it when not engaged on your backside.

Here is a sample of what this HOG can hold…..

The overall weight was about 50-60 lb, and stored 8 lens and a D3,etc., very manageable, while moving about at the airport or in the field.  The laptop compartment is an external compartment to the bag, and not padded, so for my MBP, I used a padded laptop sleeve, and unzipped the expansion zipper and all fit quite well. Also, you will notice that I also have some extra padding for some of my lenses, that’s something that has come from experiance when I transfer some of the lenses to a smaller travel satchel.  So it you do have some traveling, and you like backpacks this one may help you out.

So you want to get off the coach and hit the shore for the next nor-east’r ?  Some comments and gear suggestions.

• First, know your location, go there the day before, check that your phone gets reception. Then check the time, it is the ocean, there are things called Tides, and they change daily. So you’ll need to google, the tide for your shoot, finally, check to find if the tide coming in or out.
• Also check the phase of the moon, strong high tides are created at Full Moon, you’ll need to know sunrise and sunset. Get to location 1/2 hour early. And if you are an Iphone owner, Moose talks about this handy app, called focalware. I use it all the time, it’ll tell you the moon phase and the sunset/sunrise times.

• Next, it’s going to be dark. It is winter, no use fighting it, you are going to need some light.  I go with a headlight and a flashlight. Not any flashlight. Surfire. The model I use is the U2 Ultra. Be sure to purchase extra batteries.  They are not that easy to find.

• I wrote earlier that I also have my lenses covered with hoodies from Lenhoods. When your fingers are to cold to be playing around with the Nikon Caps, these hoods do the trick, and I highly recommend them, for most of my lens. Esp all 77mm and my 14-24mm
• Then finally pack common sense, and if that doesn’t fit in your bag, I’ve embedded a You Tube video on a device that you should consider owning to compensate for the lack of it….

There is an aspect of photography that cannot  be escaped, it can be darn expensive sometimes. However during the coarse of the last several months, I have uncovered a few products or suppliers that while off the beaten path from the big boys can provide some technology or service for quite a few bucks less. If you are prone to being highly risk adverse and just don’t really trust your Internet dollars to anyone but the Big names then this isn’t for you…but that is okay.. it is your call.

Compact Flash

I read about a company called PhotoFast on Ron Galbraith, Digital Photography Insights site. If you search on Photofast on the site, you ‘ll read, ‘But, the performance data ahead will reveal that if you want a fast card -  in some cases the fastest card – and you’re prepared to roll the dice on a company with almost no presence in many countries worldwide, PhotoFast may be your next CompactFlash purchase.’  Well, I own a a pair of the high-end Sandisk Ducati Extreme 8 gig, and decided to make a purchase of the Photofast. So back in September, I contacted Jason at dvnation and priced out 2 533x Plus 16GB cards for$292 w/shipping.  You can research today’s prices and calculate the savings vs SanDisk.  The performance and speed is excellent on my D3. Real world, they load up the D3 limited buffer quicker than my SanDisk and have been a reliable performer in camera and during uploading to my Mac Book via FW8 or USB2.

Next up is a gift idea around FILTERS, I have two things for you cheapskates to consider….

1) Polarizers Filters that cost ~40% less than B+W, with the same performance as evaluated by lense.tip.  I spent the first half of the year buying from an outfit in NH, that had very good prices, service and delivery , 2filter.com, on B+W filters. Then when B+W went on backorder status, they  turned me onto and I now use on all my 77mm’s, the fine Japanese Polarizer MARUMI Super DHG Cir POL.

2) How about paying 1/2 price for B+W clear filters?  You need to leave the safety of the US and goto a site that sell only authentic B+W.  This company’s positive merits were part of a lengthly discussion on a photo forum, so I decided to give it a try.  I had purchased a 77mm XS-Pro (007M) clear MRC stateside at 2filters for $155, then discovered this company MAXsaver.Net, the same filter was in my hands (with a longer lead time) for $77 (delivered).  I can only image that no one stateside wants this info to get out. Filters seem to have a huge markup.. But these filters are not grey market and compared 110% to my prior US purchases.

Nikon Caps

I really, really enjoy all of my Nikon gear..but it does irk me to no end to have to pay $34 for a lens cap with their logo on it, but I need the logo, other alternatives were just not optimum for me.  All was lost until I read over at Thom Hogans site, about this little gem of a resource for cost saving for caps and such.

Camera Service

I purchased a used Nikon series E 75-150mm f/3.5, based on a great article (again T.H,) from KEH and knew it had telephoto ‘lens creep’. The extent is never known until you get the gear, so when it did come in, it bugged me. Well, Prez, told me about this repair store that he had been using for years. So I took the lens in for repair, two days later it was done at a price that was less than $25 !. I spoke with the owner, an ex Navy man, with over thirty years in the camera repair, who takes in business from colleges all across the US, and as we spoke fed-x trucks were driving in loading and unloading..what a find and what a bargain. If your so inclined, and are in upstate NY, consider contacting Camera Works, at 166 Sparrowbush Road, Suite 5, Latham, NY 12110.

Hope this helps, I have no affiliation with any of these companies, and did personally purchased and field tested everything listed.  Finally, I do want to add that the folks at Adorama and other some other big shops, still are absolute tops when it comes to communication and validation about your purchases, delivery, backorder and repair status. Nothing is as reassuring that your hard earned cash is being handled professionally as a timely status by email.  But that service does come at a price, and there are always #2 and #3 trying hard to win your cash/business,  you just need to assume the risk.