During a recent wedding shoot I got asked a few questions regarding my GoPro storage and travel case so I decided to write a quick post about this case, which I have to say is (literally) made for the purpose.

I purchased this case a few months ago after having considered a Pelican Case for quite some time – the GoProCases are not genuine Pelican cases but to me it is very clear that they are of the same high quality (see specs below)

I do not believe that they have any direct connection to either Woodman ltd. or GoPro.

The version I decided to purchase is called XB-550 and the specs are:

FEATURES:

• Watertight, crushproof, and dust proof
• ABS solid wall design – strong, light weight
• O-ring seal
• Manual Pressure Equalization Valve
• Stainless steel hardware
• Customized foam cavities for organization of accessories
• Lifetime Guarantee of Excellence from manufacturer
• Made in the USA.
• Exterior Dimensions (MM) (L x W x H): 255 x 230 x 174

So as said: very similar to Pelican Cases but with rigid pre-perforated foam instead of the Pelican supplied ‘pick-n-pluck’ foam.

The Case: (please note that I have attached the GoPro )

Go Professional XB-550 Case

The interior of the case consists of a removable top ‘layer’ of hard foam which is pre-plucked to fit the following:

• 1 x GoPro Hero camera in housing with attached angled mount
• 2 – 3 backdoors
• LCD touch screen
• Battery Bacpac
• A handful of mounts and attachments and extra memory cards

This is the top-tier with my equipment:

Top Tier of XB-550 GoPro case

As you can see on the image above there is a void below the top tier which I am using for ‘all the rest’ of my GoPro equipment such as additional mounts, WiFi remote, cables, charger etc.

On the photo below I have neatly tucked it away in two GoPro bags (believe me it is never this neat and tidy when in use)

Cables, charger, mounts etc. neatly tucked away

Conclusion:

I am sure there are many many other solutions out there and for the budget cautious I am sure there are also many cheaper ways to archive a similar result as this.

I am overall very happy with this product and have now used it for around three months and it has survived everything from rain, cold, mad driving and not least.. me

My only complaint with this case is the shiny surface which I am not a big fan of (call me vain, if you like) and I do prefer the matte surface which we know from Pelican’s products otherwise, this is a great product which I can highly recommend.

If you would like to read more about these cases have a look at GoProCases homepage (Aus) or USA they have cases that can fit up to 12 GoPro cameras so there should be something for everyone.

How do you store / carry your GoPro cameras? Share you thoughts by commenting below

Thanks for reading

Morts

Disclaimer: Please note that I have no relation to either GoPro, Woodman Ltd or GoProCases – the words and opinions expressed above are all my personal opinion and I have not received any endorsements from any of the before mentioned companies

Winners announced !

For several decades this competition has been one of the most prestigious competitions amongst wildlife-, nature and landscape-photographers from all over the world, and for a good reason: The consistent very high quality of the winning images. I have personally submitted photos for this competition several times and have twice been shortlisted just before the final selection. This year Canadian Environmental photographer Paul Nicklen not only won the Grand Price but also had a large selection of his images shortlisted across the various categories.  The list of previous winners of this competition includes Frans Lanting, Jim Brandenburg and  Hungarian Bence Maté from Hungary who won in 2010.

The winning images will be exhibited at the National History Museum and will later this year tour the globe stopping in most larger capitals both in Europe, US and Australia.

Take a look at the official page and enjoy some of the stunning images from this years competition here:

Thanks for reading

Morts

So, you have found that one item on Ebay that you just cannot live without – how to you guarantee that it ends up in your camera bag and not in someone else’s? If you follow the easy steps below there are a very good chance that you will succeed!

1. DONT bid before the last 60sec of an auction. Its easy to get caught up in the ‘bidding-war’ on items with starting prices of $0.99 but it’s a very stupid idea to participate in this ‘feverish and emotional’ act.  Every time you place a bid on this item everyone else who placed a bid are notified and encouraged to place another bid.. I’ll explain the 60sec rule later.

2. Know what you are bidding on. Nothing can replace knowledge – whether you are looking for a brand new in box camera body or a second hand lens it is absolutely essential that you know how much it cost you if you had bought it in retail or even via other similar auction pages. Remember to factor in the delivery and postage charges when deciding on your ‘max limit’

3.  Research and investigate the seller. Ebay has got a brilliant user-rating system which is a good indicator of a seller/buyers reputation – use it!  I usually  ever buy from someone with less that a 99.8% positive seller feedback score and I always read the negative feedback left for a seller as this is a good indicator if anything should be ‘fishy’. Do not settle on other payment terms than PayPal as that is currently the most safe and it has got you covered should the buyer turn out to be a cheat.

Explanation of the 60sec rule:

Latest numbers show that Ebay have got more than 100.000.000 active users world-wide, which basically is the amount of potential ‘competitors’ you are bidding against – so even before you start reading the product description your odds of winning an item is very low. If you follow this simple rule I can guarantee that most of the items will be your – I have successfully used it for years and have won very close to 95% of all items I have been interested in.

The idea behind the rule is simple: Bid only once and bid the absolute highest you are willing to pay for an item. When you find an item you are interested in, save in you watch list and ensure that you have notifications set-up on your smartphone (works on iPhone as well as android) and computer. Ebay will then advise you when the auction is about to end and you can prepare you attack. Having decided on you absolute maximum amount you will simply have to wait until there are less than a minute left of the auction and start you preparations: enter the amount in the box and submit when there are 2-6sec left – By doing this and winning you might just end up paying a few $ more than the second highest bidder and thereby securing yourself a bargain – or probably more likely a reasonable priced piece of gear as most bargains tend to be snapped up as ‘buy it now’ or via a fixed price.

What is your best bargain on Ebay? tell me below.

Thanks for reading

Morts

Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f.1.4 ZE

Edit: This blog was originally written in the beginning of September 2012, but I have been awaiting the recent Canon/Nikon/Sigma/CZ announcements from Photokina to roll in  to ensure I was fully up to date and accurate. ^M

With a selection of more than 100 different focal lengths on the market today it can sometimes be very difficult to decide which lens to purchase. Through the last ten years I have personally testes, purchased, owned, sold and swapped more than 50+ different lenses, but one lens will never leave me: my beloved 50mm lens.  I currently own three different 50mm lenses, which may seem a bit excessive (and probably is) but I simply love this fixed focal lens, almost as must as I hate the 18-55mm kit lens….

In my bag at the moment I have  three different 50mm lenses to chose from:

• Canon 50mm f.1.8 EF ‘Nifty Fifty’
• Canon 50mm f.1.4 EF Nifty-fifty-upgrade
• Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50mm f.1.4 MF

For most people one 50mm lens would suffice but for me it is an obsession – The Canon f1.8 is probably the best value-for-money lens ever made (yes I am a bit biased, but you know I am right!) and if you are an entry-level photographer this will probably be the best $130.00 you will ever spend. When I purchased this lens several years back, little did I now that this would become one of my all time favourites. Only downside is the plasticky-feel, which is why I a few years back upgraded to the f.1.4 which offers the same high optical quality but packed inside a more robust barrel. When it comes to the Carl Zeiss lens it was the full-filling of a lifelong dream. When I started selling cameras and photo equipment back in 2001 I was fascinated by this mythical brand and after a short love-affair with Hasselblad in the mid-00’s I decided to invest in a range of their ZE lenses which is probably the most expensive photo-related purchase I have ever done, but worth every penny: all the lenses I have worked with are extremely sharp and I absolutely love the vintage manual focus system which does remind me of the good ol’ days before megapixels and Sandisk.

On the market today the 24mm, 35mm,  50mm and 85mm seems to be the standard fixed lenses for most people, and it can sometimes be very difficult to decide on which one/s to go for. I personnaly went for the 50mm range as per the above story, but also because of these five reasons:

To me a 50mm is the ultimate lens for these four simple reasons:

• Great value for money. Whether you go for the nifty f1.8 or the more expensive f1.2  (or even the f1.0) you can be sure to get a lot of bang for your buck. With a recommended price of less than $150.00 (Canon/Nikon brands) it will not break the bank and for most people it will suffice to work at f1.8.
• It improves YOU: When shooting with a zoom lens you have the option of easily changing the focal length of the lens however, where with a fixed focal length you will have to spend more time composing your shot.
• 50mm is very close to what is considered to be standard perspective (43.6mm). This is one of the reasons why many street and reportage photographers chose this lens – with the right scene and technique you can make the scene look like the viewer ‘is part of it’
• Its ultra lightweight!  The f.1.8 weighs less than 140g! (or the same as two mars bars!)

So to me there are no doubt at all: Everyone should have at least one 50mm lens in their bag – there are absolutely no reason why you would not. And remember if you are using a cropped sensor body like 60d or 7d the focal length of this lens equals 80mm which makes it a perfect lens for portraits!

Thanks for reading

Morts

Following my despair when I was unable to locate a lens-doctor here in Australia who could assist with de-clicking my Samyang 35mm f1.4 lens I decided to give it a go myself, which turned out to be not just very easy but also worth it all!

Before I run you through the process it is important for me to highlight that I do not recommend anyone to this unless they are fairly confident in exposing the inside of their lens – I do not take any responsibility should you stuff it up

If you are already asking yourself ‘what difference does this make’ or ‘whats the purpose of this’ then this is probably not an ‘operation’ for you.

To be successful is de-clicking your own (Samyang 35m) lens you will need:

• 1 x philips screwdriver size poo (used for optical devises – can be purchased in most hardware stores)
• Plastic gloves (you do not want big fat fingerprints on the inside of your lens elements)
• A nice and tidy work environment (dust free and preferably dry too)
• a tiny bowl or container for all the little screws and parts (you do not want to lose any of them)

So lets get’s started:

Step 1 -remove and expose the 'inside'

• Using the screwdriver unscrew the three screws- remembering to put them aside so they do not get lost (they are tiny!) – lift the steel mount off and gently remove the black plastic cover (this is actually the iris-ring) + the inner silver ring (more screws), which will expose something a bit more interesting.

• When moving the black ring a tiny(!) steel-ball and spring will pop out, this is where the ‘clicking’ comes from – and your lens will look similar to this:

Be very cautious when dissembling the lens barrel and note how it's put together!

• Now is when the difficult part starts: putting everything back together again – The true trick is to remember exactly how everything fits back together and not to have lost any of the tiny screws.  Be very careful with the screwdriver as it is easy to scratch the back glass element which will be a disaster !

• When fully assembled you will (hopefully) have a fully functional lens with a smooth de-clicked iris which is perfect for video work (note it does not have any advantage when shooting stills/timelapse/etc!) You might find that the iris ring is a bit soft (I do not have this issue, but I have seen rapports online that some people find it too smooth)

Also, let me say that I would probably never do this with a dearer lens; the Samyang 35mm can be purchased 2nd hand for around $300-350 so my loss would not be that much should I end up with a broken lens barrel. I would never attempt this with an expensive Carl Zeiss lens!

If you have successfully de-clicked your lens feel free to comment with your ideas and tips, or maybe you have advise on how to make the process easier.

edit: please not that this lens does exist in a (pre-de-clicked) version, however I have not had any luck finding it any where (after 12 months)

links to companies/professionals who offer to do this service are also welcome in the comments below

Thanks for reading

Morts.

Inspired by a recent post on Togtech where a selection of the World’s Top Photographers reveal their favourite piece of equipment I sat down and had a think about what my favourite piece of gear was – I found it very difficult to pick just one so I decided to make it a Top5 instead, so without any further ado here it is in reverse order starting with #5:

5. Giotto Air Rocket

A simple little bulb shaped hand-powered blower. Easily removes dust-particles and sand from sensors, filers and lenses. Comes in three different sizes and will not break the bank! Sometimes simple equals good

Giottos Rocket Air

4. LaCie Rugged Safe 500GB HDD

Only one thing is more important than backing up your photos when shooting on location and that is keeping them safe! This particular hard drive from LaCie is my absolute favourite: It is solidly build, shockproof and lightweight (less than 300g). The option of using Firewire 800 makes the transfer of files hassle free and fast.  if you have multiple units you can daisy-chain them together to decrease the chances of loosing valuable photos/documents. I always have at least two 500GB drives with me on any job.

LaCie Rugged Safe harddrive

3. LowePro Vertex 300AW

I have had a great amount of backpacks through the last 15 years and have always been very picky when it comes design, construction and materials.  I have used this pack for the last two years and I believe I have found ‘The One’: A very rugged design that is perfect for most adventures -whether being in the Australian Outback or in the Arctic, it’s my pack of choice!.

Lowepro Vertex 300AW

2. Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.4 ZE * Planar MF lens

The only item on this lens that is directly related to actually getting the shot nailed! I only recently acquired the lens but it has now become my absolute favourite go-to lens.  On a FF body it is a brilliant standard lens whereas on an APS-C sensor it becomes a great 80mm portrait lens. Where it might be a tad soft fully open it absolutely excel stopped down a few stops, in particular in the f2.8 – f5.6 range!  The MF is very accurate and smooth and when used with a Digital body such as 5D or 7D you will be able to utilise the cameras build-in focus verification which is very accurate most of the times. By pressing the shutter halfway before you focus almost resembles AF. When used for motion work it is very likely to be the very best 50mm on the market at the moment! I used to think this lens was overrated, but I have now been converted and would chose this lens as my primarily lens any day!

Carl Zeiss 50mm f1.4 *

1. Redged RMC-436 Monopod

The heavy duty construction of this tripod makes it my absolute favourite piece of gear!  A special carbon fibre material make this pod extremely durable and strong without adding extra weight. I am supported by Redged but don’t think that is why I recommend this product: I honestly believe that this is the best monopod I have ever owned (and I have owned a lot!). I firstly discovered this particular product a few years back while travelling in the mountains of Nepal and I have not looked back since! I always pack this when shooting on-location!

Redged RMC-436 Monopod

If you could only pick one item what would be your favourite piece of equipment? use the comment section below.

Thanks for reading

Morts

If you are a reader of Fstoppers then I am sure you have heard about this little follow-focus tool developed by Daniel Bauen and Mark McJunkin? and funded via Kickstarter. Basically it is a small rubber gasket that fits around most standard lens sizes attached to a ballhead handle. A very clever take on a product that usually cost several hounded dollars! I have been watching the video presentation over and over again and have been wondering if there are any even cheaper way to solve this issue and have discovered that a very similar product already exists – in my own kitchen!

I then spent a further ten minutes on google and ebay and got my suspision confirmed! – I was not the first person to realise this! bugger!

…and the product?

A standard silicone jar opener like this one from Trudeau does the job extremely smooth and produces great results – and at a price of less than $6.00 – I bet you to find a cheaper solution!

I have also discovered a great video with the device in action:

Let me know what you think?

thanks for reading

Morts

Indoor test with the Sigma macro 105mm f./2.8

Some time ago the lovely people from Sigma Photo Australia agreed to lend me this lens for an in-the-field test and I have thoroughly enjoyed using it during the last three weeks.

The tests were conducted using two Canon bodies: A  full-frame Canon EOS 1D MK IV and the smaller-sensor body EOS 7D.

Macro-photography is often referred to as the art of close-up photography and is perfectly suited for shooting (smaller) wildlife, bugs, flowers and basically everything else where the focus is on the little details.

My experience with dedicated macro-lenses is limited to a handful of different lenses ranging from the cheaper Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 up to the heavier and much more expensive 100mm f.2.0 from Carl Zeiss so my expectations were huge when I first heard about Sigma’s new 105mm macro lens: a nicely sized focal length for most uses without the heavy price tag of the Carl Zeiss or the 100mm L lens from Canon – But did it live up to the expectations?

Sigma 105mm f./7.1 1/500s ISO 400 handheld

Overall I am very pleased with the image quality and performance of this lens and I would not hesitate to recommend it to photographers starting out with macro photography.

The lens is constructed with 16 elements in 11 groups which makes it slightly heavier than most other similar lenses on the market but also superior in many ways: At f/2.8 the sharpness and colour -reproduction is absolutely outstanding – but stopped down to around f/8.0 is where this lens really shines! – a very equal result to the before mentioned Carl Zeiss Lens… However in the area from f./16-f./22 it starts to become a bit more soft and chromatic aberration (CA) becomes more and more visible the smaller the aperture gets.

One of the more interesting features of this lens is the build-in stabilisation system which gives you 3-4 stops extra to work with. The system works either fully activated or on the horizontal plan alone which is a great little feature when you are panning the camera.

Sigma 105mm f./3.2 1/1250s ISO 100

The lens focusses internally which obviously is a very important thing when working extremely close to your subject. The auto-focus is smooth and silent but the speed of the autofocus is the the only serious let-down of this great lens; generally AF would take between 1.6-2.1 seconds which is far longer than the computers from Canon, Tamron and Nikon. If you are happy shooting from a bit further away the 0.45m to ∞ switch speeds up this process significantly.

This lens is great and I personally like the professional look and feel of it, when you pop it on a 1D body you are suddenly left with an installation which weighs very close to 4.5lbs

My 5 main reasons to invest in this lens:

• It is build like a tank and is a solid performer
• You get a lot of lens for your money (literally)
• Very good (way above average) sharpness and colour reproduction
• Very little CA on large apertures (up to f./16)
• Versatility – this is not just a macro lens, its focal length is perfect for portraits as well

My main concern about this lens:

• A very slow Autofocus which could be a frustrating issue for the serious macro photographer.

Overall verdict:

As I said in my introduction; I have shot with a wide range of macro lenses during the last ten-or-so years, this lens is without doubt one of the better over-all performers. The handling, functions and the very superior build-in stabilisation system works really fine and even with the slow AF mentioned above, it is still focussed very precise without too many misses.

If I was to persuade a full-time career in macro photography I could easily see this lens becoming my lens of choice.

Highly Recommended

All the photos in this post is shot with a Canon EOS 7D or a EOS 1D MK4

Thanks for reading

Morts

Today I was actually supposed to finish off my review of a macro lens which Sigma Australia recently lent me but instead I feel like I have to share a few words about the RODE workshop I attended the other day.

RODE microphones had brought in one of the major players on the market for DSLR and Video; Mr Philip Bloom himself. If you don’t know who Philip Bloom is take a look at his webpage here.

During the full seven hours (10:00-17:00) we were taken on a journey where Bloom demonstrated the most crucial techniques when it comes to filmmaking. The pace, amount of information and not less the casual relaxed atmosphere in the auditorium made the day a fantastic experience for all of us.

On the large trestle table in front of Bloom he had put a lot of his tools and toys on display for us to touch, admire and play with. The selection included the new Canon C300, Philip Blooms own signature dolly, Sony F3 and not least a whole lot of  Zacuto equipment with a retail value higher than most people’s annual income.

The always entertaining Ric Creaser did a quick rundown of the variety of microphones on the market today and Philip finished of with a very interesting segment on time-lapse.

I thank RODE for giving me this opportunity and I am looking forward to the next workshop – If you want the full rundown of the day please check out this great review.

Kind Regards

Morts

I will not give a complete rundown of the full day as I know that a few of the other attendees have already posted these online