You know, whenever I go to trade shows, there is usually a trend in new products that can be spotted.
This year at CES, it was no different as manufacturers saw a need, and rushed to fill it.
Now as we all have been trained in the past 3-4 years to live on zoom calls, and while doing that, you may also need to communicate with your team/client via txt, slack, etc.
What we needed was a way to keep our phones at hand, and maybe needing to charge them while using that all, important second screen.

The most elegant, clean design I saw at CES was the offering from Rolling Square.
Called the Edge Pro system, this modular setup will serve you well, allowing you to attache your phone, and other essentials in a very slim design.
Not only slim, but a very clean design. All designed in Switzerland.                                                                                                       (Below are a combo of a video from the company, and actual photos by me of the product in use.)

take a look at this overview:

All in metal, the Edge Pro system is designed with a series of magnets, embedded within the separate units, and then you adhere these pieces to the back of your laptop, or computer case (which I did), and then add on the proper phone holder, or an adjustable light, or a phone charger. So you are adhering the silicon covered metal disks, and then the mag holders attach where you want them.

The magnets are a strong hold, and, as we are all about the magsafe phones or cases, you’re all good holding your phone. I was using it with an iPhone 14Pro

And they didn’t stop there.
With this system, you can also move it to an iPad, giving you that second screen. you can see that in the video above.

But wait, there’s more!
In the set you also get a round light that adjusts intensity and color balance!
Not the basic rectangular light, but that round beauty light make you look the best, in my humble opinion.

All about the catchlight in the eyes, right?
The light has a 5hr charged life and can adjust color temp, and intensity.
Here is the basic set-up that is an EDC (every day carry)

This is how it looks with just the magnet holders on the laptop case:

And here it is with the holders in place, from the back: (phone mag holder can be rotated & straightened.)

How thin is this? In other words when you put it into your bag, how much will it stick out? Barely at all. And you can always just take the mag connectors off, when traveling. Here it is with connectors folded and ready, and also with out connectors on.

And of course, you also get the magsafe phone charger that fits perfectly in the mag holder.
OR, just add another piece and you have a strong, simple hands free, phone holder.

For best results get 2 core pieces, in my opinion.

Or it works with one as well:

Sure, you will need a hub to connect your light and the charger to, let’s say, a MacBook Air at one time.
I use an EZquest hub for that, with multiple USB-C inputs.

As I mentioned, form and function. The clean design of this system drew me in at CES. And now that I have a sample, it’s better than that.
As we all may be moving to hybrid work and you need to travel your laptop, the connector, or home base as I call it. Folds in so slim, that it is barely noticeable, as you can see above.

I do wish there was a case that held all of the pieces, but I have pockets in all of my backpacks that do the job.

BONUS: As a run and gun photographer, who has to post fast, we all used to velcro a card reader to the top of a laptop.

Now you can use a ProGrade card reader , which has a metal plate in it, and have it held in place with one of the mag connectors.

I don’t want to come off as a complete fanboy, but when something is well designed, I want you all to know about it.

There is another line of products cables that they design, called Incharge-x. You see that in the above photo all folded up for travel?
So why are they good, well designed, and super useful?
Along with a rugged casing on the cable, each end has a sleek, all plug design so you are never without the right cable!
Check this out:

And you can go for the mini, seen above, which is always in my kit, all the way up to a longer version. They have from 1ft to 10ft  long, which stores in a silicon case.

BTW, the mini USB on the lightning output is hidden within the plug.  Genius!

In the case you also get hanger for stashing the cable near your computer. Or where ever you need to use it. Also mag, so the plug area will also just stick.

I write about these items, because they are the often overlooked, but much needed items.

When you show up at a job, or an office you want to look like you have the best usable, best looking kit, no matter what you are doing.
I do, anyway.

The Rolling Square line-up has a sleek design, and smart thinking behind it.

The expression goes, you never get a second chance to make a good first impression.

Tis the season!

Yes, you will see alot of notable speakers at graduations this season, and for the world of photography, Lynsey Addario delivered one of the finest to the graduating class of the School Of Visual Arts, 2023.
I would suggest reading it in it’s entirety because there are great lessons in there.
It doesn’t matter if you are a graduate, a photo journalist, or someone who can appreciate the life lessons of a worldly correspondent

Here it is in almost it’s entirety:

Usually, when I’m invited to address an audience, it is to speak about my experiences as a war photographer. Which is not surprising since I’ve spent the last twenty-five years covering conflict around the world, and most recently, Ukraine where I returned two weeks ago.
Today, you sit where I once did. You’ve likely spent the last few years thinking about the work you want to create, and the impact you want to make with your art.
Continue Reading »

After seeing the Panasonic LUMIX 5SII at CES, finally had a chance to actually put it to a real world review.
Often touted as the best solution to mirrorless video capture, I also wanted to see how it performed as a still camera making it a solid hybrid choice.
Sure, I’ll be laying out some of the specs, which you should go through if deciding on a purchase, and these are the first impressions:
Below is the full framee Lumix 5SII and the Lumix 5SIIx. More on the differences later.

First of all, this camera has a great ergonomics and very solid build, so felt just right in the hands, from the get-go.

The deep grip on the right hand side, gave a sense of security in holding the camera at the ready. The placement of the primary dials and controls are in just the right proximity for adjustments.

Glad they do not have the lugs with a hole for connecting a strap, so my SpiderPro wrist strap attached perfectly! I’ve tried so many of these, and I swear by the SpiderPro.
If you are familiar with a PSAM dial for exposures, you will feel right at home.

On a still photography walkabout, AF was primo, and coupled with the IBIS, street photography was a breeze.

Honestly, it locked in on selected faces in a crowded street fair,
The phase detect AF was spot on, and let me relax as the crowd milled about to get the right shot.

With a hybrid phase-detect AF (PDAF), the focus didn’t “breath” and locked on.
The 20-60 lens was tack sharp as well,

As a street photography camera, the Lumix performed spectacularly.
Here is my local pizza joint, with a fast capture. While not a night shot, the light was super low, and the Lumix delivered admirably.

This billboard was street level, but the texture was critical as a test.

This camera line has been lauded for its video capabilities, and this new unit proves that love for this is justified.
There are no recording time limitations at any resolution.
Panasonic achieved this by adding a small cooling fan in the enlarged EVF hump.
That alone may be a reason to purchase.
Genius!

The lens supplied for the review, the 20-60, had a perfect focal length for video and vlogging, in a 16×9 or a 9×16 format

The camera uses 2 SD media cards, and that was surprise as most brands are switching to a Cfast B option for improved read/write speeds, especially video and for sports.
So Panasonic and Sony are the holdouts committed to the SD format, although on the new Sony, you have a choice of SD or CFast A.
To that point S5IIx does support internal SD card recording up to 600 Mbps in All-Intra (All-I) mode.

The new L2 Engine processes twice as fast as before, I’m told, and the main benefit is that it allows for less rolling shutter distortion.

We all want that.

CMOS has some inherent issues, and this get’s closer to the solution.

Like all of us, I do like to customize a camera button operations, and knowing what I’d like it to do and how I shoot, I dig into the menus, and get it set for a real world review.
The menus were easy to get into and adjust, and only a couple of times did I refer back to the manual to adjust.

It may seem like a small thing, but I have tested some other high end mirrorless cameras where the menu choices are so deep and buried, that it makes it impossible to shoot on the run. At one event, even the company reps didn’t now how deep to go to make, what I thought was a simple adjustment. I only mention this to let you know, that out of the box, the Lumix 5SII menus are very user friendly.

As you can see here, the camera with the 20-60 mm lens is light enough and balanced for an easy vlogging situation. The articulated, or flippy LCD, made vlogging easy. Of course, this camera has built in active IS, so even handheld you are in a better place.

Would need to play more with the color, as vid straight out of camera was a bit off for me, and checking files on a calibrated monitor. I am sure that with a chosen LUT, I would have been in a good place.

To that point, here’s another sweet part: you can load in a LUT ( predetermined color correction) on an SD card, use that to capture vid, and color correct IN CAMERA. Saves a ton of time in post, if you need to get the vid out super fast!
Or just save time in the edit bay!

My only issue was battery life. there may be an auto turn-off that I didn’t discover, but the drain was real.
Anyone shooting on the street, or in a paid setting would have extra batteries on hand, so may not be as much of an issue.

Honestly, was tempted to make a purchase if I wasn’t invested in another system.

I have been shooting with an APS-C line-up, and the full frame files on the Panasonic had me thinking twice.

One thing to note is part of the Panasonic commitment to pro video.

As an example, you know that Netflix has an approved list of cameras that can be used for content they license.

The LUMIX S1H is the first mirrorless cinema camera to join the Netflix Approved camera list.
No, it’s not the one I’m speaking about here, but that approval says a lot about the product line. Twice the price, DC-S1HBODY $3,999.99
but depends on your needs, it could be the game changer you need.
Even as a solid B-camera option.

A few specs:
S5IIx will output full-frame 12-bit 5.9K 30p (16:9) ProRes RAW video, along with cropped 12-bit 4K (actually 4,128 x 2,176) and 3.5K (3,536 x 2,656) video at up to 50p externally to an Atomos Ninja V+ HDR monitor-recorder. Both cameras also offer S&Q and HFR recording, letting you capture at high frame rate.

The LUMIX S5IIX is capable of RAW video output and All-Intra, ProRes*1 recording on SSD. It also features wired*2/wireless IP streaming function and USB tethering.
Other than the fully blacked-out body, the S5IIx has some interesting features not found on the S5II. You can record to the USB-C port, much as you can on the GH6 via a recent firmware update. Formats supported include All-I, ProRes 422 HQ and ProRes 422, all in 10-bit. That includes 5.8K (17:9) at up to 25p (1.6Gbps) and C4K (4,096 x 2,160) at 60p with an APS-C crop (1.9Gbps). That will require some kind of rig to mount a USB SSD, but those already exist and aren’t very expensive. Check out SmallRig for some well made options expensive.

Now that both versions are available, I’d opt for the S5IIx for the extra $200. More vid capabilities, and after all it is all black!

So to answer the question: is it better for stills or video?
The answer: YES!

I know you have to have one of the most versatile, classic tools in your kit:
A Joby flexible tripod called the Gorillapod!
For many years, this company has given the photo and video community unique tools to capture images from anywhere!
Yes, years ago, I did the first Photoinduced review of the Joby Gorillapod lineup by attaching a heavy video camera onto a railing, and on the other side of the scale, had a point and shoot camera attached to a metal surface utilizing the magnetic feet of a much smaller unit.
These products, and honestly the full line from small to heavy duty, have been a standard in my kit. The solution to so many mounting problems.
Now they have come out with new version of the classic that speaks to a new market, the Podzilla!

It’s not a replacement, but an addition!
In the original, you had to add a tripod head to attach the camera (or light, or microphone)

With this new version, the ball head is built in, with a bubble level.

So with the Podzilla, you get a new visual design with the same quality and support.
You do have some restrictions on how heavy your camera can be, although the weight of cameras has gone down! It does support up to 5.5 lbs.

Who is this flexible tripod for?
The vlogger will now have an all-in-one tripod, the ability to wrap the legs around anything, or work with uneven surfaces to secure a mirrorless camera, or smartphone.

And the traveller who needs a versatile solution to get the unique shots, with a lighter weight.

I do feel that Joby has served my needs for almost 15 years! On a personal side, I have used it for face time calls with family when i need to share things like a birthday cake on a table and a regulation tripod won’t maneuver to the best place

As always, the right tool for the job.

To attach your camara, they have a separate ¼-20 standard tripod mounting plate to put onto your camera.

This way you can set your Podzilla to just the right place, and then add your camera with a fast, secure, snap in.

Or maybe just hand hold the whole deal!

They do have magsafe add-ons if you want to quickly place your phone to begin your content fast.

I would recco the large unit, for the most versatility with a range of cameras. And it’s just over 12″, so it’ll pack easy in your bag.

And of course, as I only mentioned, when you want to put an LED light into a specific place or want a microphone in a proper location for the best recording, these tools are in valuable. Put put that speedlight  where you need it!

Yes, this photo is from a review of Joby products i did in 2009. More down below.

Now, the collection I own of the Joby flexible tripods are all still in use, and at least one is an EDC (everyday carry) in my kit.

There is one other Joby Product that is ALWAYS in my bag:
It’s the BlueTooth record/shutter trigger for your phone. I have an older one , that still does the job.

There is a newer version called the Impulse 2, but I’m using an older, smaller unit that I picked up out of BH.

Here is the current version, that works up to 80 ft, and uses bluetooth 5.0

It is nice small device in reality, battery operated.

If you have ever wanted to do an on-the-spot social post, especially on your phone. This little gem will let you start and start your video hands off, and then no need to add that extra edit.

There have been many Gorillapod imitators. A whole lot. When you have a product that lasts like the Joby Flexible Tripods, as illustrated in this post, you should just follow the rule of buy the best, and buy it once.

As promised here are some of the photos using the Joby Gorillapods from 2009!

When a product line has been around for years, and still delivers, I’m on board!

You may have seen this print offering from Magnum come around before, and each time there is a new selection of photographers. Strong showing in this one, as well.

The Square Print sale runs from April 17th til April 22. If you happen to be in London, they will all be on display! However, I have purchased these based on the website, and have always been happy with the purchases.

This time, they have added some photographs from those not 100% fully immersed in stills, and still relevant.

The Joy of Flight. Teignmouth, Devon, 2000. © Roger Deakins

The above is by award winning cinematographer Robert Eakins. He has been reconnecting publicly with his photography roots, and is a true master.

Also check out his recent book.

So, why should you buy one or more of the prints?

Yes, they are square, and about 6″x6″. Signed if the artist is alive, or estate stamped. I own about 3 myself.
Basically, these are gems, that can be placed strategically around your living area, without a huge commitment to wall space.
Honestly, I live in NYC, and wall space is at a premium. Already tiling framed art around the pat.
With these, images, you can arrange them to be revealed as you and your guests move through your space. The price is very affordable, and framing with archival mattes won’t break the bank.

Here is one from Larry Sultan, who we lost in 2009.

Dad on Sofa, 1984 ©Larry Sultan Pictures From Home

One of my current favorite photographers Alejandro Cartagena, did a series of workers, shot from an overpass.

Do you want to go with a classic photographer, like WeeGee?

Here is a photograph of his, not usually seen:

Yes, I did say that they are adding some images that have interest, although not by names widely known in the world of photography.

Like Judd Apatow. Know for his many films, this is a shot of the cast of Anchorman. walking to set.

Hot Anchormen. The Valley, California, 2003.

On its face, not revealing. When you know the subject and the context, the interest value goes up.

As I said, I have a few of the square prints, arranged throughout my home, and do rearrange now and again. Just to get a refreshed view of the images.

I know you may think this is crazy, but I was educated by an art collector years ago about how to hang your art. And sometimes, re-arrangement and freshness is what you need to fully appreciate your collection.

Go have a look at the over 100 photographs, and pick your next piece of art.

Just remember, these images will not be reprinted in this format again.

When you are on the Magnum site, don’t forget to look around the shop for some other amazing artwork