Thursday, October 22, 2009
I spent the day in
New York city at the 2009 Photo Plus Expo show.
It was just a one day trip (thanks Amtrak Acela).
I went up for lots of reasons, but here's some of
the gear I saw that looked interesting.
I spent a lot of time
looking at the Drobo Pro in-depth.
This seems to
be the perfect box for creatives who need data
redundancy. You can place up to 8 drives in the
rack (adding them as you go and even mixing and
matching sizes). Current drive capacities mean
you can store 16TB, but the Drobo folks tell me 3
TB drives are just around the corner (which means
24TB in a rack). .
What's also nice is that you get two options of
data redundancy. The Drobo can have protectio so
one or two drives can fail and your data is still
safe.
The Drobo also offers three interface
connections:
- FireWire
800
- USB
2.0
- iSCSI
(utilizes Gigabit Ethernet)
It's iSCSI that promse some great options for
perfomance.
What I also like is that the Drobo Pro can be
rackmounted or placed on a desk.
I'm
a big fan of
my Hoodman HoodLoupe
to make it
easier to view the monitor on the back of a
DSLR camera. With the new HoodEYE you can upgrade your loupe.
It offers an oversized eyecup with a temple
flair – this helps seal of light when
viewing outdoors.
I am particularly interested as we are exploring
using loupes like viewfinders for shooting video
on DSLR cameras. Having the extraeyecup really
does make a difference, but it is a very personal
choice.
Installation as an upgrade took only a minute,
you can also order a new loop with the modified
eyepiece include. They're also offering straps so
you can attach the viewfinder. I'm up in the air
on this one (compared to a Zacutto viewfinder).
This is a much more affordable approach. I do
prefer this loop (as a director) so its easier to
go aroudn and check cameras, we'll try it as an
active viewfinder next week and wil let you know
how it does.
The
problem with
mosts optical media (like CDs and DVDs) is that
over time that start to deteriorate. Most discs
use a dye to indicate where data is written. This
process is called data rot, and it can happen
with optical media at any point. Higher wuality
discs are less likely, but cheaper discs can
happen sooner. The exact point that this occurrs
is unknown because the media gives no indicator
of a problem.
Millenniata has tried to solve this with their
Write Once, Read Forever. The discs are based
upon obsidian stone (and I tried to get more out
of them.. but trade secrets). The burners use
more energy to burn and the surface of the disc
is MUCH harder. The results are a disc that is
etched (as opposed to just using dye)
While its not a cheap solution, (around $1800
list price for the drive and starter pack) the
Millenniata folks are offering optical media that
looks the test of time. The discs are also much
better able to withstand temperature and physical
damage. What's also great is the media is
backwards compatible once burned, so you can burn
with their special burner, then hand off to a
client. They also promise to soon have specialty
discs so you can print on the label face.
Bruce Dorn is a Canon explorer of light
and a photog
who's jumped in head first to the DSLR video
market. He's made a folow focus kit that makes it
much easier to control focus when shooting video
on a DSLR. The device is less complex than other
units, as it uses a skateboard style wheel that
makes gentle contact with the existing rubber
rings on a camera. I played with it hands on and
it looks worth testing.
- It currently
only works with Cannon lenses (although I am
willing to try and make it work with
Nikon)
- 24mm f1.4
L
- 35mm f1.4
L
- 50mm f1.2
L
- 100mm f2.8
Macro
- 135mm f2
L
- 16-35mm f2.8
L
- 24-70mm f.28
IS L
- 24-105mm f4
IS L
- 85mm f1.2
L
- 135mm f2
L
- 200mm f2.8
L
I'll be doing a more detailed write-up soon.
I
stopped in at B&H on the way over to the
convention center.
This little
beauty can mount on the camera hot show and give
you a threaded mount. This will be perfect to
attach an audio recorder to the top of my camera
for DSLR Cinema projects. You can mount a variety
of audio or video hardware directly to the
camera. You can also rotate the mounting plate to
a better angle as needed (works well if attaching
a light or monitor).
- height:
2.52
in
- lateral
tilt: -90°
/ +90° tilt range
- load
capacity: 4.41 lbs
- material:
aluminum
- weight:
0.33
lbs
The folks over at Delkin
Devices have comeout with an affordable mount
for DSLR cameras.
The Fat Gecko
is a dual suction cup mount that can be adhered
to a smooth, non-porous surface (like mirrors,
cars, airplanes.) It appears rugged, but is still
very cost affordable (I would still recommend
using a safety chain... but I am paranoid when it
coms to gear and insurance).
- Suction cups
can hold a eight pound camera
- Double
knuckle design and 2" extension tube allow for
360° tilt, 360° turn & 360°
rotation
- The ¼ x 20
tripod mounting screw allows for use with most
digital still or or small video cameras on the
market
- Suction cups
use a quick release function to make attaching
and detaching you camera easier
- Steel frame
construction is rugged and durable
- Four
adjustable joints make it easy to tweak the
shot
You can see videos of the product in use
at www.fat-gecko.com.
Lensbaby Fisheye Optic
Some people love them (I am a
fan) others hate them.
But Lensbaby
keeps putting out great new products. They
released a new option, a fisheye
optic, that drops into their
Composer lens.
- Ultra-wide
12mm focal length
- 160 degree
field of view captures
- Minimum
focus: 1" from front of optic
- f/4 optic
with aperture disks that range from f/5.6 to
f/22
- Designed for
use with the Composer, and can also be used
with the Muse with a special
adapter
The lens won't work with the Control Freak lens.
I'm told because it goes soe wide that you
actually see the control cabels on the lens.
That was my day... I saw a few more products I
like and will try to post. The show runs through
Saturday, October 24.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The
folks over at NPR have a great article
on
Photorealism.
"Can you guess
which one is a photo and which one is a painting?
Quartet
by
Ralph Goings
If you're going
to do a painting that looks exactly like a photo,
why even paint it? When asked this question in a
written Q & A, photorealist painter and
octogenarian Ralph Goings responded, "What I'm
about is making paintings, and my camera is one
of the tools I use. It's the artist's job to take
the painting beyond the photograph."
Keep reading the entire article
here.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Billed
as "functional neckwear,"
XUBÁZ™ [pronounced
SHOE:BÁZ] offers an alternative to a jacket.
The scarf-like accessory with six pockets and
two straps to keep it in place. This thing
looks seriously great for field shoots and
photography where I need a place to keep some
gear on a warm day. While the company promises
to "add style to my wardrobe" (do I need it?)
I'd just be happy to have more pockets and
less sweat.
• Two upper pockets secured with flaps and
snaps.
• Two “nested” pockets within
the upper pockets.
• Two lower pockets with a zipper.
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