Scout Images

I was up well before dawn this morning, chasing the sunrise. This took me to Long Reef on the Northern Beaches where I joined a small gathering of photographers out on the rocks amongst the waves. What does one take on an expedition like this?

Clothing wise, dress for warmth. I go with layers, and lots of them, thermals, cotton T-shirt, jumper and then a waterproof jacket.  Footwear wise I went with my battered Nike Free runners, but I really should invest in some surf boots as these would keep my feet much warmer.

Why am I talking about clothing when your all probably more interested in the photographic gear used? In short, you want to be mobile so therefore you will need only the bare essentials. In my case it is the Nikon D300 + Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, tripod and Grad ND filters. I chose to use my Lowepro Inverse200AW so I didnt have to take off my bag to get to my gear. My Tokina 10-17, Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 and Tamron 70-300mm also came for the trip but weren’t used.

It has been a bit of a long and enjoyable long weekend for myself, with a triple dose of photography, something that I have not been able to do in a long time.

First up was a compact only day, where a few friends and I did a pretty nice hike from Otford lookout down to Burning Palms and the Figure 8 pool. This hike is rated as “HARD” and really lives up to that rating, hence I didnt complain about only bringing a compact camera. So which compact did I bring? The Sony Cyber-Shot TX5 got the honours that day, mainly because it is so small and lightweight as well as being waterproof without a case, and it was in good company with a Panasonic Lumix LX-3 also in attendence.

This exercise was followed by a long nights sleep, but the next night I found myself hauling out an insane amount of gear to participate in a model shoot. My D300 got another decent workout, along with my AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 and AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR. Being a night shoot there needed to be light, so out came my Nikon SB-800 and SB-600. These were used in conjunction with some coloured gels and the diffuser panel from a Phottix 5-in-1 reflector.

I ended the ANZAC day long weekend with a trip out to the Royal Botanical Gardens. For this trip I decided to travel light, my shoulders still being sore from the weight of the previous nights adventures with the Lowepro Magnum 400AW, so out came my Nikon D60. If you remember my earlier post “Who needs a proper macro?” then you will remember that although I own a Sigma APO EX DG 180mm f/3.5 Macro, I dont always use or carry this behometh. This time, instead of using a Marumi close up kit with my Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8, or my Tamron 70-300mm (1:2 Macro), I was using my Nikkor AF-S DX 35mm f/1.8 with a set of Phottix Nikon AF Extension tubes. My baby Nikon SB-400 and Phottix Duo Cable provided the lighting.

I have to apologise as I am still working on the Velvia scans as mentioned in this post. Also I have updated my gear location, at the moment I only have a SB-400, my other flashes are on loan!

I was recently up in the Blue Mountains, with a few intentions. To get away from reality, to get out there and take in some of the beautiful landscapes that are so close to us here in Sydney, and to try to re-shoot some of my lost photos (refer here).

So what does one bring on a trip like this? I didnt actually think too hard but settled for a quality over convenience kit, which in many ways I probably regret (the weight made me not so happy whilst we were hiking).

• Nikon D300
• AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8
• AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR
• AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8
• Tokina AT-X 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 Fisheye
• Nikon SB-400
• Phottix Geo One
• Phottix Duo Cable
• Cokin P-Series ND4
• Cokin P-Series ND8
• Lowepro Fastpack 350

Some Panorama action (Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 + Cokin ND4 + Cokin ND8)

Some HDR action (Tokina 10-17mm, 7 frames)

This morning I met up with some of the members of DSLRusers.com for one of our 2×2 meets. Today’s meet was a walk from Bondi through to Coogee, and the weather was not really on our side with intermittent rain that varied from light drizzle through to moderate showers. On the plus side the overcast skies allowed for great lighting.

Gear wise, I chose to bring along my trusty (and weather sealed) Nikon D300 along with the Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 and the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8VR all inside my Lowepro Vertex 200AW. This gave me a weather resistant solution that would cover many needs even in demanding light. Also in the bag was my Tokina 10-17 fisheye and SB-800 flash, neither saw any service.

Today I paid Taronga Zoo another visit, the second visit on my Zoo Friends pass, this time I actually picked up my proper membership card so I didnt have to use my invoice again. However, since my D300 is out of action (and in the hands of Nikon Australia) once again (still the LCD issue) the Fuji S5 Pro came out to play once more.

Like the last time, I found that the Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8 VR proved to be worth its weight in gold. Despite the heft, and the heft of the Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 which was also in my trusty Lowepro Fastpack 350, I managed to see a lot of the zoo and snap off a few pictures. I was also carrying my new Tokina 10-17mm Fisheye, which proved to be versatile, providing a uniquely different macro.

Without further fluff I will share a few images, please accept my apologies as the files themselves have remained quite large (something about the S5 Pro I guess).

Click through for more images.

I have had a bit of an interesting turn of events with the Lowepro Fastpack 250 being put out of action a little while ago, but am very happy to let you all know that Maxwell (Lowepro’s distributer in Australia) honoured Lowepro’s Limited Lifetime Warranty and replaced my Fastpack 250 (which was ripping at the straps). I took the chance to upgrade to the slightly larger Fastpack 350 which has a nicer harness, more room for camera gear and the ability to accomodate a 17″ laptop.

Whilst I was without my Fastpack 250 I really noticed how much I used that bag and how dependent on it for my day to day travels. I am glad to have a new Fastpack and even if I was unable to get my exisiting Fastpack repaired or replaced I would not have thought much about buying a replacement. It truly is a great day bag and it will remain in my arsenal for many years to come.

Two thumbs up to Maxwell and Lowepro for their great service and commitment to honouring their warranty.

I have spent the last few days at PMA over at the Sydney Convention Centre, I just thought I would share a few of my experiences. I have to admit that this was my first PMA and I spent a lot of it working at a stall so this is what I saw and not really an accurate representation of the show.

For the record I was helping out at the hottest stall in the show….PHOTTIX!!!!!

What did I see:

Nikon

To celebrate 50 years of Nikon F, Nikon put up a pretty good show. Nikon brought along quite a show with a nice set up of long lenses as well as an arsenal of stock for people to try. I had my trusty D300′s sensor cleaned and made sure I visited the low light shooting room.  Nikon also put on quite a few public talks with guest speakers including Jason Boland. I didnt notice anything new at their stall though.

Canon

I only had a quick once over of the Canon stall, but I did notice that they had a painted model and lenses for loan as well as a large showcase of their printers.

Fujifilm

I have to admit that Fuji was showcasing some very interesting stuff. As well as their current line up and some new printing and photo kiosks they had an interesting concept….a 3D camera which really works. Unfortunately there was nothing firm about a new Fuji DSLR….hint hint Fuji (I would love a Fuji SuperCCD EXR in a D700)

Olympus

Olympus put up a very good show with an acrobat claiming the airspace several times over the weekend. They also had a lot of gear on show including a few new toys. As a follow up for my earlier post (here) I saw and played with an Olympus PEN E-P1. I have to admit I am very impressed by the build quality and the ease of use.

Maxwell (Lowepro/Tamron)

These guys were also putting up a good show, displaying some great new lines for their new brands (Acme Made) as well as demoing their tried and true products (Lowepro and Velbon). The best part was that they had a model and were lending out the Tamron glass for all to try. I had a quick play with the new 10-24 (which was quite nice…but I would have to have a proper play to comment more on) and a play with my old favourite 90mm Macro as well as the very nice 70-200mm f/2.8.

Lowepro describes this bag as “a premium backpack for the serious adventure bound photographer or sports journalist” being “made for the outdoors”. This is my main bag and having used it for over a year does it deliver…more

I was just preparing for another shoot (for tomorrow night) this is once again for Alley Cabaret, but this time it is for an actual performance, I have it confirmed unlike last time when it was a last minute call up. There are a number of important things to keep in mind here:

• low light
• action
• audience

This means that I will need a kit that will allow me to be mobile and not disturb the paying audience. Low light and action means I will have to be ready to tackle the giant problem of needing to balance the ambience and the movement to deliver good photos.

To address this situation will be bringing out the big guns:

• Nikon D300 + MB-D10 – my workhorse; provides fast and accurate AF and good high ISO performance
• Fuji S5 Pro – my backup; provides dependable colour accuracy and good high ISO with good AF
• Zoom Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 – my main lens; fast,  silent, sharp and bright with a good range
• Zoom Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR – my long lens; fast, silent, sharp, bright and has the extra reach for when I cant get close
• Nikkor AF-D 50mm f/1.8 – just in case; sharp and very bright this prime lens is always close at hand
• Tamron SP 17-50mm f/2.8 – for the wide; sharp and bright this lens will allow me to get the wider shots and backs up for the 24-70 in the unlikely case of equipment failure
• Nikon SB-800 – provides extra light and aids AF
• Nikon SB-600 – provides extra light and aids AF

This will allow me to enjoy the convenience of two cameras and give me the insurance of having at least one camera in the unlikely case that I have equipment fail on me. In order to get the gear to the venue I will be carrying it all in my trusty LowePro Vertex 200AW. When I get to the venue I will unpack and set up my cameras and spend most of the night roaming with a camera on either shoulder, heading back to my bag to change lenses as I need them.

I just thought I would follow up on my experiences with the Lowepro Inverse 200 AW after mentioning this purchase here, and here.

As we do, I was and still am looking for a bag to fit a very tough spec, mine being:

• very comfortable to wear for long periods of time
• quick access to gear and for lens changes
• carry, one large SLR + grip + lens, one large telephoto lens and a flash (in my case either a D300 + MB-D10 + Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8 or a Fuji S5 Pro + Nikkor AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8, either the Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR or the Sigma 180mm f/3.5 macro)

In order to do this the only logical way is to store the long lens vertically. ENTER the INVERSE, being a beltpack with a shoulder strap, comfort and accessibility are no problem. According to Lowepro fitting a 70-200VR attached to camera is an option, and with an internal height of 21.5cm, things are looking promising…..more