The Fuji x100v has been the camera I carry when I’m out for a simple walkabout in the city.
Fixed lens, leaf shutter, 26 MP, articulated screen, classic Fujifilm film simulations, and ability to slip it into my pocket. Keeps it simple, and lightweight.
When they teased this new camera, the GFX100RF, the hairs on the back of my neck reared up, and my wallet was ready to open.

So, it’s an interesting proposition:
102MP, Medium format, FIXED lens, and a footprint smaller than a GFX, and a fixed lens 35 mm f/4 lens (35mm equivalent 28mm).
A very specific camera, indeed, with some very unique features.

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Now that you are into your 2025 travel plans, one thing that will always be in your bag is a charger for your essential devices:
Phone, Watch, and Ear Pods.

There have been a bunch out in the past, and I have tried em all! I think.

Anyway, there was a major change in the designs, thanks to the Apple iPhone feature that shows a clock when the phone has not been used in a while, called Nightstand.
You get to choose time , time with weather, full month calendar, etc.,and different fonts. Here is how to set that up.

When you check into a hotel room, setting the clock on the antiquated clock radio is a pain, so using your own device is the way to go.

What has now been incorporated into some of the chargers is a mag safe place for your phone that will show you that cool new screen at an angle.
Plus, if your smart watch has a bracelet instead of a strap, you need to hang it, or lean it on a charger shelf.
Then your ear pods should be able to be charged via mag safe while in the case, on a flat surface within the charger.

All makes sense?

So…
Here are 3 of the best options currently available, and from reputable brands

iWalk, Anker, and Mophie, each with pros and cons.

To start, the Anker 3-1 has a compact cube shape, with all charging stations either popping out, or tilting up.
Pros are the size, quality build, and pop out charger for the watch.

On the Mophie, the main pro is the size. With a slim profile, all features also pop out.
It comes with a carry case, housing the power cord, and room for an Air tag making sure you don’t leave it behind.

Only negative I found was when my Apple 14 Pro had its case on, it was a bit too close to my watch on the charging stand, as you can see here. Even without the case on the phone the watch screen was blocked. Honestly, with the clock on the phone no big deal, just was surprised.

All still charged fine, but the design was a little close for me.

Then we come to the iWalk.

With a cylindrical design, all the charging platforms follow the pop-out for the watch or tilt up for the phone.
I do prefer that pop out for the watch as I always know the watch is seated properly for charging, and if you have ever woken up to find that your watch was not charged, you know what I mean.
This unit also has a trick feature: If you wave your hand over a sensor behind the phone station, it will rotate from vertical to horizontal., with horizontal, being the preferred viewing for the clock feature.
I can see why the feature may be useful when used on a desk, if you are spending your time on TikTok, Stories, etc.

For me that feature will not be getting used.

So here you have 3 units of choice:

Overall, the iWalk wins for build, and price. Only about $56 currently on Amazon.

The Anker wins for great compact design, and watch charging shelf is a plus. It has the weight to be solid on any desktop or bedside table. Now on sale for $104.

The Mophie wins for size, and elegant case for all parts.  Top of the pricing at $150. 

Yes, each one of these uses a charging block, which you will need to bring with you, with each unit include with proper cables, and only the Mophie incorporates into a case.

Goldilocks tried 3 bowls of porridge and ended up on one.
I think each one of these travel chargers has its advantages, so choose the one that has the features you want, and the price point you feel comfortable with.

More real world reviews on the way, as fresh gear is being released in this new year.

Plus we are looking at how the tariff situation will affect your gear purchases.

When Photoinduced first came to be , there were a ton of videos posted on YouTube with product presentations, interviews, and a series I called: “What’s In The Bag?”

This series featured working pros, and gear they used to actually get the shot. Each photo had a few vids in their series, and I think everyone learned a ton! Including me!

The idea was to have a UGC look, and have each photog go through their camera bags  to share what gear they actually used, and why. Yep, most were HD at the time.

All of the vid are still up, and are here.

Video is coming back for 2025, and there will be notices!

Here is Katy Winn, fashion week photographer in one of the first episodes:

Questions/Comments?

Send me a note : damon@photoinduced.com

There is  a lot of new gear coming in for the new year, as we look ahead to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in Jan 2025, and fresh product slates from most of the brands. Will be posting as they come in, and get some real world look at them
It’s true, there were some incredible deals during Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and honestly still more on the way before years end. I hope you took advantage for gifts and end of year purchases.
Some great stuff in there!

Personally, I did pick up some extra batteries for my mirrorless, and handy mounts for camera and phone.

There was one solid purchase amidst all of the sale events.

The item I purchased wasn’t on sale, but that’s ok.  The DJI Pocket Osmo 3.

4K, portrait or landscape mode, all of the usual gimbals tracking choices, wireless connects to the DJI MIMO app to view or edit AND an incredible array of customization for picture and audio you will love.

Key Features

3-Axis Gimbal Stabilizer, 1″ CMOS Sensor,  Up to 4K120 Resolution, 2″ Rotatable Screen, Smart Horizontal/Vertical Shooting, D-Log M & 10-Bit Support, Active Track 6.0, Up to 166 Minutes of Battery Life, USB-C PD Cable Included, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Support.

You can buy the unit alone, for about $520, and they offer a creator combo wth a lot of stuff you would be buying anyway, and you’ll save dough.  It is about $140 more. Highly recommend!

Here is what you get in the creator combo. The extra battery, microphone, and carrying bag made the most sense to me as an extra. The wide angle lens, which fits into the case, is not high on my list. you can see by the + sign what additional items you get.

I have added a few things, not in the creator combo that met some of my specific needs. BTW, do not forget one of the things on the list, the screen and lens protector. Only $9 and will give peace of mind as you take the camera in and out of the case. Here is my full personal list of additional things to get.

The DJI Osmo Pocket 3 is fast becoming my go-to camera for a variety of things:
On the street interviews:
A non obtrusive 4k video camera, with all the shooting bells and whistles I need, plus the ability to do a Blue Tooth connection to a phone for a larger monitor.
Speaking of the phone, which I prefer not to use in these situations. Why?
Have you ever had a video get interrupted by an incoming call or text?
I know, put it in airplane mode.
The Pocket 3 is a dedicated machine, designed to do what I need, multi format, and yes, have to send it to the phone app OR use a micro sd card reader to input it to your phone or an iPad for editing/upload.
And that’s not all.
Let’s talk about the DJI mic that connects automatically with the Pocket 3 when both are turned on. Plus a small tripod so you can sit it on a table.

It’s pretty great, and the mic has a 32 bit float, which will record the track to the mic itself as well as the Pocket 3. Comes with a fuzzy cat, can be clipped or mag attached. You can also plug in a lav mic if you’d like to be more discreet.
All sounding great right?
However, if you are just interviewing people on the street, maybe you don’t want to put the mic on someone you don’t know.
To solve this problem I added this $19 item that has a cold shoe, perfect for mounting a shotgun mic like a ShiftCam shotgun, which I like because it has a headphone jack on it so you can monitor the recording.
The mic needs a cable that goes from 3.5 TRS to TRRS, and then TRRS to USB-C to plug direct into the Pocket 3. The TRS to TRRS cable comes with the ShiftCam mic. The Apple connector you will need to add.

Here it is mounted: You can also add the extra battery if you’d like a longer handle.

That $19 expansion adapter also has the now classic 2 prong connector used by Go-Pro, so you can attach a ton of things to it, or grip it to another surface.

In the personal list above, I also added Apple in-ear  USB-C wired earphones to monitor recording when not using a shotgun mic like the ShiftCam. Great for private playback audio. You can actually record audio with them as well.

This camera is now in my bag at all times.

There was one other thing I wanted to do with this new workhorse.
How can I attach to my Rodecaster for podcasts so I use the Shure SM7B, have the sweet pre-amps, and also use the jingle pad for my pre-recorded music and sound effects?
I have the 1st version of the Rodecaster and have used it for over 120 podcasts, but 2025 will bring video with it, to enhance the podcast.
Could I attach traditional cameras and then sync everything in edit? Probably. I was looking for an easier solution. I’m a one man band.

After multiple calls with Rode, and hours at BH photo, I was told it couldn’t happen.

It Can!

This week I’ll post about the solution I found, and how it works. And it works like a champ!
Saved money, great video quality, excellent sound, and everything a tracking video gimbal all in one !

With a new feature called Product Showcase, the Pocket 3 will track the product close to the lens, and lock it in even without it being in center. No focus searching, or distracting oscillating.

As you can tell, I’m pretty happy with this purchase!  I also buy just about all of my photo/video gear from BH, because they stand by every product. During the holidays, they are allowing returns up to Feb!

True, I did get their credit card, PayBoo, as it saves me tax on every purchase. you should look into it.

I hope you all had a great holiday, and were able to buy the things you needed, wanted, or for gifts. In the spirit of the season, here is a clip from Mad Men with the best pitch of all time.

I know that many times the photos/video we make are not personal, but business.

This product, no longer used or made, gives a reason for its being.

Yes, more product reviews and gift guides coming up!