There is a 20% sale on if you’d like to get one of these!

I have always skipped generations on cameras as I feel that I’ll get the life out of my current bodies before I’ll see enough upgrades. Glass is forever, but the little computers we hold in our hands (ok, sensor upgrades) will keep getting better.

Having just done the research on the new Fuji X-T4, it was time. So many reasons for the upgrade from X-T2, but prime ones: in body IBIS, flippy screen, headphone jack, separate stills/video switch. 

Wish the headphone jack didn’t need a separate dongle, but have just dedicated a 3.5 mm headset to the dongle. Not a big deal. Working on a bluetooth solution. Concerned about latency.

But I digress.

The first thing is with new/new to you is the camera unboxing. Making sure all of the parts are there, get that hand feel on the body, to see what the physical updates are, and of course, charging the battery. Full charge, remember!

By staying with one line of cameras, the menu systems are usually familiar, and you can start to see any changes to that, which could affect your way of shooting. Usually not huge. And I’ll admit I do scour manufacture sites to see what the they call out as new.

So…..battery was charged, menu set and buttons customized to your preferred way of shooting, and now what?

My final bit of getting the camera ready for it’s first shoot comes with the addition of the SpiderLight Hand Strap. This is my absolute favorite hand strap, and sits on all of my cameras. The Lite version, as opposed to Pro, sits better for me on mirrorless. Pro adds another safety strap, if you like, for security more on the larger DSLRs.

Here is the main process of getting it installed. It’s easy, and I always feel secure and comfortable, even on a long day hold.

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Yes, the portable battery powered LED light market offers sooooo many options. You can honestly get the perfect light for what you require to illuminate.

Top of mind for me right now is small, portable, bi-color, with a decent battery life.

LumeCube has been a player in what I’d call the action LED light market. I own a few, and whenever I snorkel, this is on my action cam.

Bulletproof product, in my opinion.

When they introduced the lite panel last year, I was all over it! Looking for an event/trade show interview light, ticked a lot of the boxes, but had one main problem for me:

You couldn’t ramp it down enough. The quality of the light was great, but it was way too intense for the interviewee. I had to add some additional diffusion just to take it down a few notches. They did fix that issue and came out with the Lite Panel GO. I still wanted to get something that was even MORE compact.

The folks at Lume Cube heard this from a few folks, and went to work.

The new Panel Mini has so many cool features, and has an awesome battery life And not just by making it it smaller.

Well, it is smaller, but some of the best features is the fact that you can ramp down the output to 1%, select your color temp, and it’s about the size of a business card!

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OK, now that things are opening up, you can probably leave your house and get some air! Whew! Do it smart and safe, please!

Part of that is making sure you carry your own power for your phone. I think it’ll be awhile till you can plug in at the local restaurant or pub. And of course of you are on a trail, or beach, you’ll need a solid option as well.

And if you are powering things like a Sound Devices MixPre 3ii, or a Rodecaster Pro mixing deck for your podcast, you’ll want to show up contained, with no need to rely on power outlets. (Yes, pretty specific, but these will be covered in future posts. Best podcasting tools)

Here are some solid options for you from Mophie (big sale right now!) and MyCharge.

This first one is in my bag for all walk around: fast charge, small footprint no extra cables needed, fully contained. The MyCharge Turbo.

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When you’ve done the Zoom calls, binged on all the recco TV shows, perhaps it’s time to take some solace in a good music listen.

I’m not talking about a podcast. Nope. Takes too much of your attention.

Talking about some of your favorite music. Filtered through more than your ear buds. Over ear. Some quality. Luxuriate in that. On the couch, on the porch, by the pool (if you are so lucky!)

There are a few solid choices that fit into the same price range. About $300.

Of course, the Sony WH1000MX3 are a lot of folks go-to blue tooth headphones. To be honest, it does help to get through the clutter of all the brand choices, with a known brand that all of your friends have. Good choice.

As we move through the choices, one of my faves is the Focal Listen. They are a high end company concentrating on the headset category, and while they do make the $3000. headset, these are 1/10 the price, less than $300, and separate the tracks of a high end recording to give you that distinct aural pleasure of hearing a track, like the first time.

And new to this group, is the BeyerDynamic Lagoon ANC Traveller offering. Admittedly, this unit gives a crisper, more defined separation of the tracks, than the Focal Listen BT headset. You will hear the nuance of instruments, and the mix is closer to what the original recording engineers intended. I will say that it was a slightly bit quieter than the Focal.

Bose has always had a solid footing here, and have consistently upped their game. And the price. About $350. Used to be the gold standard. And this new rig has Alexa Voice Control

When I’m home , and wired, the BeyerDynamic dt770 has always been my go to, coupled with a small DAC or amp to boost up the juice, and give a listening experience like no other. Under $200 for the headset, but you will need that external tiny DAC. That will run you about $75.

When we do start flying again, or if you need to connect to a TV, via blue tooth, I’d highly recommend the Twelve South AirFly Pro BT transmitter. It’s my plane travel companion, so it’s getting a bit less use now. Or even if you have 2 people that want to listen to the same thing at once. Also avail through Apple

So there you have it. When you’d like to shut out the rest of the world, enjoy high quality audio, and hear music more the way it was meant to be heard, you win with any of these options. Add Airfly to connect with a friend to watch a movie.

And if you really want to get the best in your listening, check out HD Tracks. From Jazz, Classical, and Billie Eilish (her brother is a good producer) you will no doubt find something to your taste.

On a personal note, Beats are not quite the audiophile headsets you want. Move on.

And one additional note. The better the headset, the more the quality of the recording is revealed. Tried some classic tracks from the 70’s and 80’s . and a lot of the rock then was not done very well.

Stay Healthy!

While we are spending a bit more time in our homes, you may be thinking ” Gee, I’ve looked through all of my photo books, twice, and maybe it’s time to get some fresh perspectives”

Aperture to the rescue with a fantastic 50% sale!

With books broken up into categories:

And if you want an expert to help you redo your photo book collection, they have even curated collections:

Enjoy, have fun looking, get inspired, and treat yourself to some new work!

I’ll be honest, I have just gone through the Larry Fink workshop book, and it has made a change in my photography. It was one concept that makes me look at my own images different. (this one is not 50% off, but still discounted!)