On category that has been exploding these past few years is mobile content creation.
Between major upgrade in phones, the move to USB-C in all phones (yes, I know Android has already been there) and the ability to record ProRes/4K direct to external small SSD’s, the democratization of creating higher end videos is here to stay.
On board storage is not the issue it once was.

One company has been putting out gear that is magsafe, works in a system, and is easy to carry, and that is the ShiftCam series.
Between a phone charging hand grip, a mag safe light, and a magsafe cold shoe, this is always in my bag.

Yes, packs small, plays big. Here is the official vid. Continue Reading »

Seems like three will be record breaking traveling going on this season, and next year will see even more!
We are back on the road!
Be prepared!

One of my favorite ways to keep all of my tech goodies together is the Peak Design Tech Pouch.

Continue Reading »

To be honest, one of the main things I purchase every year on Black Frida/Cyber Monday is storage. Usually the best deals of the year

We’re talking media cards, SSD drives for the laptop, hard drives, card readers, and more.
And, as luck would have it, B&H just posted a bunch of their deals in this category. I also recco buying from BH as there is a peace of mind knowing I’m getting the official product. Yep, there are some counterfeiters out there!

If you are upgrading your RAID drives, a good time to get the best deals for the most storage. Remember for the best efficiency of your system, having at least 10% free space, if not 20% will be a great way to speed up any logjams in your system.

Truth is that this also the time of year that brands will be selling off stock, including the current crop of cards & drives as there is major electronics show in Jan called CES in Vegas, where all the newest gear will be introduced. Not cameras but everything else
Just the facts.

Here are some of the best you should consider picking up. Remember – your camera brands will have a list on their websites for preferred media cards, so you should consult these as well. I have used all of these items below, and depend on them.

For me, Delkin CFexpress cards are awesome and with the deals, get the fastest read write/speed you can get. These will do you well, whether you are shooting stills or video.
The Black Series

or Power series

Another brand you should consider is the AngelBird line of media. It could be cards for your camera, or mainly drives for your Atomos monitor/recorders, excellent choices will do well with these. They even have a shortened SSD Mini drive for Atomos that makes the profile when inserted perfect.
Small company with high quality products.

Going back to the Delkin line, they also package cards with their dual card readers, that will read your CFastB, and SD cards on one unit, which is perfect for travel as well.
USB-C ,so compatible with the latest.

Another card reader that has its pluses is the ProGrade dual card reader. What i like about this one is the magnet on the bottom, so you can mount in your workspace with the include adhesive backed metal strip. for those who need to be posting super-fast, you can mount it to your laptop lid, using the same metal strip.
In the past we would use Velcro, but new days!
And for those concerned about magnets and media cards, don’t worry, no issues here.

For the portable SSD, it’s the Samsung T7 for the win. Whether you are needing a drive to store your work while being portable . or you need to record directly to drive from your phone, this is the one.

It comes in 1, 2and 4 TB.
And for media card wallets, nothing beats the ThinkTank card wallet. And after 12 years of using mine, they still are my go-to carry solution. When you are on assignment, and need to have fast access, a fully loaded wallet in your pocket makes life a bit easier. And yes, there are  bunch of colors and some that willhold batteries as well

Regarding RAID drives, I always prefer a system that does not depend on proprietary software. We have seen systems go down in the past few years , like Drobo. I have purchased drive enclosures on EBAY, that I know I can take a drive out, put it into a hard drive dock, and all of my material is intact.Here is the Sabrent, which I use.

More to come daily this week, with a break on Turkey day.

Start getting your lists together and get ready for the deals!

There some items you need on the daily, and some that help maintain your personal status quo. They may not be sexy, but you need to get them.
And now, it’s time to upgrade.

Having to screen, download and upload files all the time, I finally realized that the stuck internet was probably caused by my ancient router. Like molasses. Mine was about 12 years old. Plus I had an extender in my place to make sure the internet reached all over the place.
To be fair, my desktop computer is a Mac Pro trashcan circa 2013. Anyone else? That will be my next major upgrade.
Till then, the peripherals will make the workflow smoother, faster, and all in the background!
I would highly recommend the NETGEAR Nighthawk WiFi 7 Router (RS300), and it cleared up the log jam like crazy!

Super easy to set up, and about $300, my dead zones disappeared, and finally speed was my friend. Recently reviewed right here.

Then we have the suite of tools from Datacolor.

With a monthly reminder that pops up to remind me to calibrate my monitors, the Spyder device is tool you have to get.
I regularly calibrate 2 monitors with the Spyder X2.

This reads the ambient light as well, and will calibrate your monitors to give you true color, and that’s what we want , right?
I had a book of photographs published last year, and I had to make sure the files supplied were color correct. You can program it to send you a pop-up alert  when to recalibrate
It is now just a part of my all the time workflow.
Other products from Datacolor are the color charts you should be using to take a sample shot with, and make sure the colors you begin with in your post production workflow are accurate to begin with!

They are in a rigid plastic folding container, easy to carry, and have grey scale as well as a major skin tone range of color .

Basically, shoot a frame of the appropriate color chart in your shooting situation. When you import your files , including the shot of the color chart, simple calibrate the chart in your editing program of choice, and then copy/ paste that correction onto your images. And stepping back a second, also make sure you have calibrated your monitor(s) with the Spyder. All about the workflow!

Pick up one for stills, and another for video. Your post production will be faster and smoother once you start with great files.

And if the charts get dirty from handling, you can replace them. Here it is in camera bag for size relationship. I put mine in a covered pocket in the back.

Then we have the full compliment of Wacom tablets.

What are they? Basically a pen based tablet that can be programmed for sensitivity, functionality, and is the best tool for any retouching. When you need precise working on an image. Plus if you are a putting any graphics in, this is an  excellent drawing tool. The pen hasvirtually no lag from tablet to screen, and does not need batteries.

In the world of pen based controllers for your post and retouching work, Wacom is the king.                                                                                                                     Start with the easiest series and move on up to Intuos, for a habit you will never want to break.
Go Bluetooth so you can cut down on cord clutter and make your workspace a bit more conducive to…work.This one is on sale for $80 right now.
When you can move through your files with a pen based control, your keyboard will be left in the dust.
Adjustable sensitivity will get you a learning curve that will be like riding a bike once you get into it.

Plus they have pen based monitors that are affordable now, so you can do your retouching right on the image via the screen, which is a more intuitive way to go, IMHO.

You do need to connect to your computer by cable with this option due to the amount of material going through to the monitor.

And one item that has cleared the cable clutter on my desktop are these multi functional cables from Rolling Square.

They were the first and do it the best. One cable that has 4 plug options so everything you connect to can be done in one cable.

Big time sale on their site right now, so get on it! They even have a small one that goes in my travel kit and lives on my keychain.

They also make a great modular system for attaching this to your computer, and many other uses. Reviewed last year, and still using daily

These items, along with the charging hubs in the previous post are main tools used daily, not flashy, yet need to be updated every now and again.

This season is the now!

And by get a grip, I mean how to hold your camera, or attach it to a device for stabilization.

First off, one item I will always recco is the SpiderPro Hand Strap.

Having tried a TON of attempts in this category, nothing beats this. Continue Reading »