In my every day carry bag, I choose between the Godox IT30pro, and the IT32.
Both small, although the IT32 has a bigger footprint and a little more weight. They are used for simple portraits or fill flash.
They both have some power, and added extras on the IT32- especially the capability to remove the hot shoe trigger and shoot the flash off camera, my fave.
The odd deal is that the IT30pro can also be triggered by that same piece, but you need the one to use on the other.
Anyway, I felt the light was a bit harsh for me, so I began the hunt for a suitable diffuser. Sure, there is one on board of the IT32, but not enough for me.
I found one on EBAY, and waited for the delivery from China.
While waiting I figured I’d see what was in my many bits of kit and lo and behold, the MagMod system was a workable choice!
The silicon magnetic adaptor fit nice and tight over the IT32 head and the diffusers connected!
Sure, there were holes where the fit wasn’t right, but the flight would still get modified. Success.
Truth be told, they are bigger than I want to carry in my bag, so the EBAY unit was a perfect solution.
The point is, you never know what you may have purchased in the past that can solve a current puzzle.
A USB-C SSD, available as a SanDisk Extreme Fit.(the one in the video is now longer made, so the SanDisk is a great option. To record with the highest available codec, the external SSD is required, plus it save space on your phone if you decide not to go as high end as the ProRes Raw
The kit comes with 2x 24 bit mics, a receiver that plugs directly into the phone, or in this case, ShiftCam Hub.
You also get a receiver that plugs into your camera, if that is your recorder of choice.
These mics deliver, and although they don’t have a 32bit float, nor record onto the mic them selves like some other options, the simplicity works.
Because using you phone for the Hi-Res east the battery, the Anker battery listed fits perfect in the Ulanzi. It’s a little more like a block than a slim line, although that is what fits best into the rig.
As you can see in the vid, it can be prebuilt and stached i you bag, and for me, that’s a Peak Design Everyday Sling
Here is a sample video:
Coming up are more vids expanding the different carry items/
Real world, and no BS. These are the tools that I really use.
4 years in the making with hundreds of filmmakers, Nat Geo and Disney+ bring you what I consider, one of the most stunning series of nature documentaries I’ve ever seen!
Not just hyperbole.
Premiering Oct 2 on Nat Geo, Disney, and Hulu in 7 episodes you are brought far and wide across one of the most diverse continents, created by a group of talented, insightful filmmakers and scientists. A brief descriptor of each episode is at the end of this post.
From aerial shots above a teeming range of pink flamingos,
A large flock of lesser flamingos at Lake Elmenteita. (National Geographic/Luke Nelson)
Milena Fracchia and Kevin Zaouali flying a drone in the Algerian desert. (National Geographic/Matthew Gould)
to the macro images of some of the most unique insects on the planet,
An assassin bug on a piece of wood on the forest floor. (National Geographic)
Cinematographer John Aitchison films from a hide. (National Geographic)
One thing to be aware of as you watch is the script and the voice over talent.
There is an art of intertwining captured footage with a storyline, and they did so with a skill that I’m still trying to figure out!
With editors cutting footage, knowing what the researched actions of the animals would/could be, and telling a compelling story, is achieved in each episode.
Research and preparation
Research is extensive and involves scientists, field experts, local guides and camera specialists.
Crews research everything from animal behavior to rainfall, flooding, migration and the best time of day for activity.
A large herd of Cape buffalo walking across parched lands of Botswana. (National Geographic/Russel MacLaughlin)
Each episode was divided into individual sequences, with DPs selected according to their specialty—macro, long-lens behavioral work, aerial, etc.
Each episode had a producer coordinating the stories and shoots.
Planning could take weeks or even years, considering animal behavior, migration, flowering seasons, weather, geography and the best time to capture specific behavior.
Despite extensive preparation, crews had to remain extremely flexible because wildlife doesn’t follow a production schedule
We caught up with one of the producer/field directors who was involved in some of the most challenging, and beautiful sequences.
Lillian Todd-Jones. She sees her career as combining her two passions: storytelling and the natural world, and this series is a perfect blend
Her role is essentially turning genuine scientific and animal behavior into compelling stories for audiences.
She walked us through some of our favorite sequences;
The cave crocodile sequence breakdown gives you a sample of the intricacies of each shoot:
The dwarf crocodiles lived deep inside a dark cave and the crew couldn’t remain inside with them, so the sequence had to be filmed remotely.
They installed six infrared-adapted Z CAMs, each mounted on remotely controlled heads attached to the cave walls.
The cameras were protected by small umbrellas from bat droppings.
Power and data cables were run through the jungle back to a monitoring shack.
The crew monitored the feeds 24 hours a day in shifts, waiting for behavior that might last only seconds.
The cameras were powered continuously, so batteries never had to be changed.
After the cameras were installed, the crew deliberately avoided returning to the cave because disturbing the crocodiles could cause them to retreat.
The crocodiles initially disappeared deeper into the cave but eventually became accustomed to the equipment.
Infrared illumination allowed the cameras to see while leaving the cave essentially dark from the crocodiles’ perspective.
“And then, we still had the cameras could pan and tilt. I think initially the crocs could hear that happening. But I mean, certainly, eventually, as you saw, you know, they were hunting and they’re listening for the bats to fall as well. “
Another one of my favorite sequences she was involved with was a night vision set with hyenas tracking and engaging with elephants.
Not only is this unique footage but it is also artful in the unique footage.
Details
From the Jungles episode, it was captured entirely with infrared/thermal imaging.
The camera was a SLX SuperHawk, a specialist thermal camera.
Much of the time the crew couldn’t see the animals with their own eyes—the action existed primarily on the camera monitor.
They spent weeks waiting, with many nights producing little or no significant behavior.
“the DP on that one was Mark Yates. And he’s a very experienced DP. He has been doing it so long, he seems to have this sixth sense for what an animal is going to do.
When he follows them, it’s like he’s told them what to do. It’s as though he already knows what’s going to happen. It’s amazing, his sense for wildlife and animal behavior is extraordinary.”
Pay special attention also to the Madagascar episode as you will be presented with some of the most unique creatures on earth.
Plus, you will be introduced to a spider whose web is actually as strong as the webs that Spiderman weaves in film.
A Darwin’s bark spider hanging from a branch in Madagascar’s rainforest. (National Geographic/Simon Lewis)
And of course there are hippos! Underwater no less
A barbel fish coming up to clean the skin of a hippo. (National Geographic)
How did they do that? Like this:
Here is a description of each episode:
Welcome to Africa
Africa is an extraordinary continent. It is home to the planet’s greatest gatherings of wildlife and every imaginable habitat. From deserts and mountain peaks to dense jungle and exotic islands, all life here is shaped by the place it calls HOME. In this dynamic land, animals must be ready to adapt.
Jungle
Jungles cover 900 million acres of Africa, and the greatest of all is the Congo, Africa’s green heart. A twisted labyrinth of billions of trees, secret caves and the world’s deepest river hides creatures found nowhere else on Earth. For those able to navigate its many dangers and find its hidden opportunities, there is no place like HOME.
Islands
Africa’s paradise islands are the most isolated places to call HOME on the continent. Separated from the mainland millions of years ago, each one has become its own unique world. From the oldest island on the planet, Madagascar, to others that have only just formed, life here has had to rip up the rule book to find unique and ingenious ways to survive.
Desert
The Sahara is the largest hot desert on Earth, covering a third of Africa. In this unforgiving land, life seems all but impossible. But hidden in the vast desert are remarkable animals with a unique set of survival skills. With determination and resourcefulness, they manage to turn this extreme desert into a HOME.
Plains
Africa’s vast plains are HOME to the greatest gatherings of wildlife on the planet. Spanning half of the continent, the plains undergo constant transformation, from violent geological forces that rip the land apart to extreme seasons that change from flood to drought in weeks. To survive on Africa’s plains, animals must learn to turn the ever-changing conditions into their advantage.
Extremes
Africa is a brutal land of extremes. It is the hottest continent on Earth, but in places, temperatures can plummet to 20 below zero. With the fastest-growing population on the planet, the continent is being transformed like never before. Only the most extraordinary animals can survive these extremes by turning danger into opportunity.
Africa’s Wild Future
The planet’s most iconic wildlife and wild spaces call Africa HOME, but its very existence is under threat. A movement of African conservationists is leading the fight to protect and create harmony with the wildlife. At this critical time, it’s African conservationists who are showing a new way forward, restoring our relationship with the natural world.
Knowing these miners survived the crushing closure of the underground gave hope to the families and the potential rescuers via the video.
This documentary is told 3 ways: from the government who activated to action, then and now, family members, the emergency rescue engineers who solved the insurmountable odds, and perhaps most impactful, the miners themselves in current day.
It’s series of episodes, which play out like any scripted drama, with the highs, lows and a conclusion. Except it’s all real.
All of the critical maneuvers by the teams up top reaching the miners below are detailed and engaging as any cliffhanger would be.
We had a chance to speak with the directors James Parris and Chloe Campbell about the details, shown in quotes:
“Initially, the miners were only accessed from the surface by an incredibly slim borehole of four to five inches, which massively limited what could get sent down. The only way to get stuff down to the miners, remarkably, was through this long tube called they called it a paloma, like a pigeon, like a carrier pigeon, and they would slip this down the borehole. So, the only things that could be given to the miners were things that could be folded or broken up or fitted into this long tube. Even just to give the miners sufficient water to get through a day took something like two thirds of the tube journeys that were possible that day. As the rescue went on, there were a larger amount of logistics were able to get down to them because they drilled more boreholes down to the miners. They got telecommunications. They had fresh air pumped down into the mine, and they also began to communicate to help the miners do some excavation work within the mine to prep for the coming of the actual large bore rescue drills down there, but they were always limited by what they were able to send down these small tubes, which was which were a massive a massive limitation, and it meant that the miners’ lives were always at risk because they were only ever precarious through that whole period of time. You couldn’t send them whatever you wanted to send them. Although near the end the shaft was finally big enough”
The true stories of the survivors are what may impact you the most. They are interviewed with a memory jog to that time.
From the directors:
“Possible most emotional story is that of the story of Juan Sanchez, the father of one of the miners who went into this event with quite a difficult relationship with his son and found it’s one of the most touching threads through the series, found an extraordinary depth of love and reconciliation with his with his son through this traumatic event. It was a transformative event for him and for them as a family. I hope stories like that can stand for the larger group of people who, of course, have all of their own individual journeys through this.”
Sanchez Family. (credit: National Geographic/Dan Di Martino)
Remembering the time spent underground as the catalyst from the first connection to receiving lifesaving food and medical supplies, all through failed attempts bring them up, to the final success can be felt in their words, and emotional re-connection to that experience.
Ariel Ticona during his interview. (credit: National Geographic/Mike Simpson)
The fragility of life, albeit in a dangerous profession, blossoms into a celebration of being here and alive.
The filmmakers have crafted the connective tissue of this true story, into a compelling storyline with the best outcome.
In our lifetimes we have witnessed more than a few news stories of people trapped in untenable physical situations. We all have followed and engaged in the hopes for the best outcomes.
Family and friends looking at miners poster. (credit: Cristián Leighton)
Workers surrounding the Fenix capsule at night. (credit: Christián Leighton)
This may be one of the most thorough representations of an accident that caught the world’s attention, and with all of the details, step by step, to its conclusion.
Lowering the rescue pod from the surface. (credit: Cristián Leighton)
The memories came from not only the miners, but also the government representation who did not give up, and the brilliant engineers who came up with the solution for rescue. Jeff Hart was the key engineer who designed and operated the drill that came to rescue the miners.
Jeff Hart. (credit: National Geographic)
How did the rescue efforts affect the bureaucrat’s political life before and after?
“Emotionally, not just for the politicians involved, but all of the rescuers also. Even though they weren’t victims of this particular disaster, they became hugely emotionally transformed by the event. So, I think not only the president, who since the event has passed, but also Lawrence Goldborn, who takes part in the series, and all of the rescuers who take part in the series, show on camera the extent to which the event changed them. This was not a run-of-the-mill everyday rescue effort. They were changed, just as the miners were changed.”
Laurence Goldborne holds a note while President Piñera gives a speech. (credit: Miguel Soffia)
What kind of cell phone was the initial video made on?
“You have to imagine a Y 2k mid 2000s camera flip phone. Again, again, the miners didn’t go down there knowing what would happen, and in fact, when you’re down underneath in the mine, you can’t call anyone. So, there was only one cell phone among the miners that day that was able to record, and yeah, it had a little antenna, and it was silver, and it was small, and we probably all remember them from 20 years ago.
Yeah, it feels strange to us now. We’ve all got a smartphone in our pocket, and while we feel like incredibly lucky, like unbelievably lucky, that we have we have this footage off this one phone, it does feel quite weird. Out of 33 men, there was one phone down there that they could take pictures of on film, but that was the case.”
What kind of video gear was sent into the mine for the rescue?
“like an old school cam, you know, flip screen camcorder, and there’s you know there’s wonderful footage that we looked at of those being sent down, and then you know the memory card comes out, and all the people on the surface are looking at this footage for the first time. They weren’t specialized technology. A lot of this technology, not just the cameras,…. even the telecoms equipment that was sent there, was basically normal run of the mill tech that was repurposed for this mission because this was something that people had never faced before. So no, no one was designing special mining cameras or anything to send down to the miners.”
The end of each episode will make you go to the next, and at the end, like all good true life docs, there will be a “where are they now” type of wrap-up.
Satisfying, yes, but you are still marked with the experience these miners endured.
We all have subjects that we are hired to photograph, or just get pleasure from it.
Whether you are a birder, shoot sports, large events, or just want to get the reach with a fast telephoto.
Personally, I shoot in large cathedrals and am always on the lookout for a lens that has the reach and the speed.
Fuji is introducing a new lens that may get that “just right” position.
I’ve tried the a few telephoto options :100-400mm, but it was too slow, I tried the 500mm, and it was sharp as a tack, but slow and heavy, this new FUJINON XF400mmF4.5 R LM OIS WR may be just right!
Of course, until I shoot with it, i can’t give an accurate reveiw, but i will once that happens.
It’ll cost about $3200., and will be available mid-September.
Here is the official word:
Fujifilm Introduces FUJINON XF400mmF4.5 R LM OIS WR Lens
Compact, lightweight super-telephoto lens design supports powerful handheld mobility and reach in challenging outdoor scenarios
Published on October 12th, 2026
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