Think Tank Photo has been making some really incredible camera bags. I have a Airport Security v.2.0, Urban Disguise 40, as well as a variety of their smaller waist-belt pouches. They’ve been indispensable for carrying necessary equipment around.

Think Tank Photo recently released a new series of bag called the Retrospective series. You can read all about the details of the Retrospective 30 bag here.

Here are a few photos from Think Tank Photo’s website:

A few personal notes:
While I love my Airport Security v.2.0, I don’t always need it. The thought of using messenger-style bags that hug to the body is quite nice, especially when working on the go, or doing some personal traveling. The problem is, messenger-style bags are generally quite small and won’t fit what I’d need it to fit (lenses, flashes, and a camera with lens mounted, ready to go).

Think Tank has a solution to this – the Retrospective series.

I particularly like the idea of these Retrospective bags, as it’s designed much like messenger bags and will hug and form to the side of the body. This makes it far easier to handle and carry when moving around. It may sound like a small difference, but let me tell you, when working wedding gigs day in and day out, these small differences can be quite large.

My Retrospective 30 should arriving sometime today, and I’ll be sure to put up a review of it in the near future.

The only problem is that now there is a bug with the firmware that may actually disable your camera! Canon is working on a fix to this, and should have a solution in the near future.

Here is the link to the firmware page.

Check out the Boda Bag here.

Some major updates from the D3 include:

HD video (720p)
ISO range from 200 to 12,800. Expandable to 100 and 102,400
Quiet shooting mode
Auto-cleaning sensor

Personal opinions about Nikon vs. Canon:
I’ve always enjoyed holding Nikon pro-series cameras. The grips, in both horizontal and vertical orientation, are well contoured and fit the hand very well. However, I’ve never cared much for the palm swell on the back of the camera. I’ve always envied Nikon’s CLS system, which allows individual power and mode control over each individual flash group. With Canon, you can only have all channels in manual or all channels in e-TTL, but you cannot have a mix of the two and still be able to control power output remotely. One more attribute that I envy of Nikon cameras is their AF tracking and general accuracy, both of which are currently second to none. I’ve never cared for the placement of the ISO button, however, as it requires two hands to change ISO. Since I shoot in manual mode 99% of the time, I happen to change my ISO as much as my shutter or aperture. Having to change my grip to change the ISO just slows me down.

In favor of Canon, I absolutely love the fantastic wide angle primes they offer. Shots like these are just not possible with a Nikon kit, as they do not offer (yet) a 35mm /1.4 lens. In addition, I enjoy the placement of the ISO button, which allows one to very quickly access and change without having to take the left hand off of the lens. I also favor the way Canon cameras render skin tones, but this can be rather subjective.

The Nikon D3s is the very first pro-series camera to offer both HD video capture and ability to write to two memory cards at the same time for redundancy and an instant backup.

It’s great to see Nikon step up to the plate and offer those who do video work a fantastic camera to attach their set of Nikkor glass to. I’ll be very interested in how Canon responds, as it will be the pivoting point for us to decide what our next set of cameras will be.

More info on Rob Galbraith’s site here.

Lily asking for some candy.

How could you say no to face like this?

A blue m&m.

Mmm

Is that all??

However, I have to say that I am *extremely* impressed with their repair turn-around time.

Monday – called Apple to inform them that my display was coming undone.
Tuesday – received a box via FedEx, with pre-paid label attached.
Wednesday – shipped out the box (I could have shipped it Tuesday, but was busy)
Thursday – They repaired the Macbook Pro and shipped it out the same day!
Friday – laptop returns, in practically new condition. They even charged the battery.

Kudos to Apple for a seriously incredible repair/servicing turn-around time!

It’s always nice working with good talent. Danielle was a gem and a real joy to work with!

More pictures from Danielle’s shoot will be on my main blog here:

Moving is hectic – and we had to take a crash course on proper pool management. I never realized how much work it really was. Regardless, after some water treatment, and alot of waiting, we finally had a chance to enjoy our pool. I decided to take a few photos to celebrate the occasion.

Lily loves to talk now. She was sitting there chatting with me in her own language.

Lily, yelling at the top of her lungs. She does this alot!

Lily taking a little break.

Lily getting ready to escape.

Lily, definitely escaping now.

A beautful smile for me.

A few of the toys that Bonnie and Kathleen got us! Yay!

Good news Canon fans, the new 7D has just been announced!

Here are a few specs from Canon’s website:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=19356

So, what’s so special about this camera? There are lots of great features, but I’ll name the ones that are important to me. It shoots up to ISO 6400 in 1/3 stop increments. It’s the second Canon DSLR camera able to shoot in HD 1080p mode, and is the first to do 24p natively! On top of that, it looks like Canon has finally ponied up to offering a more advanced autofocus system with multiple cross sensor AF points in a camera that doesn’t set you back more than four grand (1D MK III). Last but not least, it has a pop-up flash that acts as a master controller for those who use Canon speedlites off-camera.

Overall, it’s a fantastic camera, and looks to compete directly with the Nikon D300s. In the meanwhile, I’ll be waiting for that elusive 24p firmware update to my 5D MK IIs.

I love taking pictures and talking about all things photographic and technical. I love to talk about light and its temperature, size, intensity, quality and quantity. Gels, softboxes, umbrellas, grid spots, snoots, flags, gobos, and just about anything technical is absolutely fascinating to me.

Well, I’ve decided that apparently I’m not the only photography geek out there (since a bunch of you read my professional blog), and have started this blog to talk about anything and everything photographic and family related.

Go ahead and subscribe by email. Post a comment! When you’re done, there’s a link up top that will take you back to my professional blog.