Ok, you saw the value proposition, now let’s have a look at the higher priced spread:
The Peak Design 13″ Messenger Bag

Coming on the heels of a very successful launch of the 15″ messenger bag, the public asked for a smaller more manageable version, and the company listened.
This is a beautiful, well made, bag. The fit and finish of all parts will do you well in any kind of circumstance. Formal or casual.

Even the interior stitching is pretty deluxe.

Let’s get down with some of the features:
The top design feature for me, are the origami-like inserts.

With the pre-indented areas, you can fold and maneuver these to solidly hold whatever camera/lens configuration you need. Personally, I went with a Fuji X-T1, 56mm on the body, on one side, with a 14mm in the center, then a Fuji 100T, on the other side.

Another unique design feature is the ability to hold a traveling tripod, easily secured on the case.One leg goes through the top flap, and the legs are help together with a rubber band type strap. I put my Gitzo traveller there with ease, and the weight distribution worked well. So you can carry you tripod, but honestly, I only carry it specific shoots.


There is an outside pocket for a laptop/tablet, and a front set of pockets to fit your essentials.

A key point is the top zipper, allowing you to get at your camera without opening the front flap. Very useful, and, coincidentally, available on another bag we are reviewing.

A good idea, is a good idea.

Now, the bag is a bit stiff. The main section has side flaps to allow you to pack a bit more, and the front flap has 4 different settings to adjust to the packed load.
Great perhaps, for protection, but could be more pliable for your goods, so you’ll have to pack specifically, especially in the front pockets


The strap adjusts very easily, and you can go from a messenger sling to sit on your back, or as a shoulder strap.You can tell a lot of thought went into that part. Like all of the parts.The machined metal parts are all well crafted and have a sleek finish.

I do wish it had some outside side pockets for a water bottle, or a fast holder for a phone or sunglasses. This bag does stay true to its design mantra, and eschews the net pocket with elastic, with slim pockets, that meld beautifully into the bag.
However,they should have some kind of closure as I wouldn’t put a phone in there and sling it on my back for fear that it could fall.

The good: well designed, great build, origami foam dividers, upscale look for any situation.
Wish it had: better side pockets, more pliability, less weight.

So if you are up for the spend, about $220, this is a great choice, not only as a walk-around camera bag, but as an everyday bag to take to your work, or client meetings.

And here is what it can hold:

2 more bags to go……

I know, I know.
Photographers have soooo many bags, why do we need another?
Because you just do. The right bag for the right assignment. There is no one perfect camera bag.
And why a new bag? Well, depending on your assignment, you may not want to show up at the gig with a nasty beat up old bag, especially if your clients are all in business attire, or formal wear.
Living in New York City, messenger bags are the primary order of the day, for most people.
Before I start getting into the different bags, I would like to point out that a messenger, cross slinging bag, isn’t right for everyone. Many woman find them uncomfortable.
I’ll be talking about 4 bags in total. All bags have been used on the street for 2 days, minimum.
OK, here we go:
First up is a bag called the 24/7, sold by Adorama and Amazon.

With a design made for slinging to the back, the bag has a back, zipped pocket, the full depth of the bag, mirrored with an internal padded laptop pocket.
The flap is secured by a pretty standard clip system, velcro free.

Under the flap there is a very convenient pocket, where I put my ever present battery for charging the phone. Perfect placement. On the top of that section are some easy to get to pockets for pens, biz cards, cleaning cloths, etc.. They do give you a little card holder case deal, pictured, but I never used it.

That whole thing zips up, to give you some more security, especially if you are riding a bike, or just slinging it back.

Once inside, the orange interior gives you a better view of what may be hidden. Enough additional pockets for perhaps a portable drive, media card wallet, pen slots, card reader, etc.

Then we go to the bulk of the interior space. Designed to sit flat on the ground, it’s a pretty open area.

But wait, there’s more.

You get a sweet handled pouch, with zipper, and some simple foam dividers. A great way to pre-pack your cameras.

Plus there is a cable, or whatever extras you like, pouch.

The flap of the bag is made is some kind of rubberized, or waterproof material.
I found out just how waterproof it was, as I was shooting Cage The Elephant (incredible band) in the pit during fleet week, and the crowd was well lubricated and sloshing their free rum drinks, all the way into the pit. (Photos below)

The flap was closed on the bag, an my loose lenses were well protected.

My gear on this jaunt was 2 mirrorless bodies, 3 lenses, card wallets, plenty o’ camera batteries, tablet, large phone battery, cables, snacks, biz cards, lens pen, .

Admittedly, I was a little bit dubious about the weight, and how it would sit on may back.
That was the first clue that 24/7 had a sweet design: walking 15 NYC blocks from my apt to the venue, the bag was comfortable and secure on my back. And day 2, when I shot at the Intrepid for Memorial Day, with the same set-up, another comfortable shoot.

By slinging the bag to the front, I was able to get to the gear quickly, and actually, kinda tossed the changed lenses in the gear pouch, and felt that it would protect the glass. And it did. Could use some work on the access, but got it sorted for this gig.

What I like:
Great price, simple, well made, waterproof flap (also comes with a rain cover), flat bottom.
What I didn’t like:
A bit too deep, no outside pocket for water, needs more versatility on the strap to use easily as a shoulder bag, top of bag access would be helpful.

Overall: a great value proposition($80), perfect for a mirrorless system, and if you ride a bike, a secure, comfortable way to get your gear to the gig, or use for everyday use.
Although isn’t have a camera with you an everyday use?

and even a video!

Shots from the gigs:

Cage The Elephant

Cage The Elephant

Memorial Day at The Intrepid

Norman Reedus

DAVID SEYMOUR ISRAEL. 1951. © David Seymour / Magnum Photos

I always look forward to this event.
Imagine buying a museum quality print, from one of the most prestigious photography agencies, Magnum Photos, for $100.

Signed or estate stamped, high quality printing, and the selection is prime.
Now, when they say SQUARE, that is exactly what they mean.
6″x 6″ prints.
Raghu Rai INDIA. Delhi. Wrestlers through the painted gate, Paharganj, 1988 © Raghu Rai

You surely have room for one of these, right? I bought one last year, and hung it so every morning I get to see it smiling back at me. The archival matte and framing was pretty affordable.

And the theme this time is:

THE (MORE OR LESS) DECISIVE MOMENTS
The sale will take place at the Magnum Photos Online Shop: shop.magnumphotos.com

DAVID ALAN HAREY SPAIN. Ibiza. 1991. Soap suds party © David Alan Harvey / Magnum Photos

The details: Continue Reading »

Packs small, plays big.
How would you like to be able to shoot, edit, and BACKUP your GoPro or drone videos with only a pocketful of tech?
Take a look at this set-up:

I take a real world imaging problem, and try to find the right tech solutions.
In this case, it’s a matter of walking around in NYC, with a messenger bag containing some GoPro video gear, and being able to sit anywhere, like a bench, and editing, saving and backing up the raw files.

The goal was to keep it as small and lightweight as possible.

And whether you’re going to the skate park, or a mountain hike, compact gear is a huge advantage.

One of the issues, was the amount of space on the iPhone, after all of my apps and content already on there. And unless you subscribe to a music service, you need your tunes on the device.

With microSD cards being 32-64gb in the sweet spot, especially with higher quality capture modes, space is critical.

Finally a full workflow solution!

With an iPhone, the new Lexar lighting connector microSD reader, and the C20i 3-in-1 flash drive, I get a direct media card into my phone, AND a lighting connector flash drive to back it all up.

C’mon, you’ve gone through the painfully slow upload to your site/cloud/transfer with wi-fi.
Sure, it can happen, but it is so much faster with a file transfer to flash drive.
The app you use (free download) can also send your card files to dropbox, but I like a hard copy in my hands.

So it goes like this:
•Make sure you have enough storage space on your iPhone for your intended content.
(If not, back some of it up on the C20i flash drive – go for at least the 64GB)
•Shoot your content on a microSD card with GoPro, drone, or whatever using a microSD card.
•Load it into your iPhone, using the Lexar MicroSD card reader with Lighting connector
•Edit in your favorite editing app.
•Offload a copy to the flash drive, and depending on your wi-fi signal strength. upload to social media and/or Dropbox.

All with tech that fits in your pocket!

And when you get back to home base, plug the USB 3.0 end of the flash drive into your back-up system on your computer, hopefully RAID, and empty the contents of the flash drive . If you want to go old school, you can load the MicroSD card into your computer via the other Lexar card reader, with USB. It’s a full set you should consider

Here are all 3 Lexar units:

This first part was primarily about using these items in a walk around or lightweight situation.

Now, of course, the 2 Lexar pieces can be used for a ton other things: keep music/movies/photos (your portfolio?) on separate micro Sd cards. I can’t always get wi-fi where I shoot. Having my music on MicroSD cards insures I always have my tunes.
I have been to concerts where I’m shooting the whole thing with my iPhone and Olloclips lenses (Iggy Pop and Nick Cave when I didn’t get credentialed, and quickly run out of space. That’s when the flash drive to carry your extra media comes in handy. Or if I have to look at videos emailed to me on my phone.
.
If you are going to be doing a lot of shooting, we’ll need to talk about some power solutions.

We all know that you need a handful of batteries for a good day of shooting with a GoPro.

Here are 2 solutions:

Digipower is a company that has made a series of batteries that plug into the back of a Hero 3+, and Hero 4, giving up to 12 hours of shooting, aptly called ReFuel. By adding this unit on the back of the GoPro, you’ve got a solid block of shooting.

The other smallish option is a battery filled, Quikpod, 7inches to the GoPro connector. If you use a GoPro, there is a good chance you have a 1/4-20 standard tripod adaptor, which can also be added to use the Quikpod for other cameras, lights or Lume Cube. It has a rubber-covered USB output, and a 4 light, power consumption scale. It has 5200mAh, so you can also use it to power anything else.

For the phone, I’m still a fan of the PNY battery for it has a visual percentage readout of the available juice, 2 USB plugs, and has just been working for 2 years, with no issues.

The new ones, have 3 USB plugs. Only about $18!

After looking at a bunch of cases, if that’s what you like, for the GoPro plus batteries, accessories, and everything you saw above, I’m a fan of the Fotodiox line. Deep enough, pre-cut dense foam, a flap to separate came/batts, from other items, a net pouch for tools.
And check out the Fotodiox set of GoPro tools. You need them, and these are great. They come in colors so you can tell whats what pretty fast in a case.

Yep, only discussed the Micro SD solutions here. We do know that there are Lightning SD card readers by Apple available.
Perhaps you want to have a larger screen to edit, like an iPad.
Sure, all of that is true.
I like to travel light. Sometimes, isn’t that the best way?

Photographers/videographers: Bags and Cases can be the most important part of your kit.
Getting the gear to and from a gig, safely, is key.
And traveling by plane can be the most crazy, as you try to get the window or early boarding surcharge so you get an overhead compartment for your carry on, main gear. (We’ll get into the checked gear in a second)
The standard for many has been the Pelican 1510, which meets the airline standards. A bit heavy, honestly, but protected.
I started to use a Pelican case when flying, after having my roller bag being taken from me, and hand checked. I could have waited for 12 hours for another flight, or trust they would take care of the bag. I moved camera bodies and some glass into a backpack I stashed under seat. They did hand check it, but it was a very uncomfortable flight.

So now I use Pelican 1510, with TrekPak dividers, when flying, and transfer needed gear to a ThinkTank BackPack when I hit location, which I pack in my luggage.

OK, the folks at Pelican have now come up with a series of lighter, just as strong, cases. The carry-on is 28% lighter! Pelican Air should be shipping as of May, 1st, 2016

What would you do with this bonus? Add more gear, or just make your load lighter?
Just get ready to lose some weight, and I think a lot of us will be happy for that!

there is one last test: Can you stand on it to get a better shooting vantage point, as many photos do now? We’ll see, once they come out!

and now, the official word: Continue Reading »