Peak Design Shell Camera Cover Review

Camera bag and accessory manufacturer, Peak Design, first became famous for their quick release Capture Clip which I have previously reviewed on this site. The Capture Clip is a very useful way to carry a camera on a belt or backpack strap, giving you fast and easy access to it all day long. The only potential problem is that you might be hiking in poor weather, or a dusty environment, and having to put the camera in the pack all the time to combat that, would really negate the usage of the QR system in the first place. This is …

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How to Calculate the New MFD of a Lens When Using an Extension Tube

I recently received a comment on my popular article – The Ultimate Guide to Extension Tubes – which asked how you would go about calculating the new MFD (minimum focus distance) of a lens, once you have added an extension tube. In that original post I did include the mathematics for calculating the new maximum magnification of a lens with an extension tube, but at the time I decided not to dig deeper and explore the calculation of the new MFD itself, since the math is a little longer. The new comment reminded me about it, so I decided to …

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Peak Design Capture Lens Review

The Capture lens is an innovative lens carrying device that pairs with a Peak Design Capture Clip quick release system. I’ve reviewed the Capture Clip in the past and found it to be very useful when you want to have fast access to a camera. This Capture Lens device allows you to have just as fast access to one or two lenses, and should be of particular interest to event and wedding photographers where carrying a big bag of additional gear all day is usually not at all practical. Video Review If you want to see the Capture Lens in …

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Get Some Waders and Get Down Low!

When it comes to wildlife photography, one of the easiest things you can do to improve your images is to get down nice and low so that you’re at eye level with your subject. This has two main effects on the image: It makes the viewer feel as though they are part of the animal’s world, instead of just looking in on it as you would do at a zoo exhibit. It usually moves the background much further away from the subject, and this has the effect of blurring it out, thereby isolating your sharply focussed subject on the soft …

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3 Types of Automation for Your Photography Business using Zapier

Some years ago I wrote a very popular post about automating your photography business, and I still find myself often directing people to that post because I truly believe in the time savings that are possible using automations services which are available for free. Back when I wrote that post, I was using a combination of two services called Zapier and IFTTT. These days I perform all of my important photography business automations with Zapier because in the past few years they have vastly expanded the number of services they integrate with, and they also continue to add amazing new …

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My Photo Backup Routine – Mid 2017

I started this particular series of posts back in 2015 by detailing my photography backup routine and outlining some of the basic strategies for a safe and redundant backup system. If you’re uncertain about the basics, you should start with that post first. Time and time again I hear stories of people losing their precious images, and it’s not just amateur photographers either, I’m constantly reading about professionals running into trouble too and frankly they should know better. The biggest problem is that too many people still think of digital photography as being “free” because there are no film costs …

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Drobo Announced a New Thunderbolt 3 Unit and Here’s Why I’m Curious…

If any of you have been keeping track of my semi-regular updates about my backup solution and general photo storage workflow, you may remember that my primary devices are currently Drobo 5Ds. My history with Drobo goes back to the very first generation Firewire products, and back then they were buggy and unreliable machines that caused me to write some less than flattering reviews. In recent years though, the company has undergone a change in management, and very clear steps have been made to improve the reliability of their machines. Aside from a recent power adapter failure on one of …

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MindShift Gear PhotoCross Sling Bag Review

I’ve reviewed a lot of MindShift Gear products in the past, but this is the first time they’ve brought a sling-style pack to the market so I was very curious to see what their take on it would be. MindShift is the sister company to Think Tank Photo, but their products focus entirely on the outdoor photography markets such as landscape, adventure, travel and wildlife photography. Pretty much all of the camera bags I use for work on a daily basis are MindShift ones, but I’ve never actually owned a sling before so I was excited to try one out …

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How to Fix Cloudy Plastic Camera Rain Covers

Having a good rain cover in your photo kit is a great idea because clouds, snow and thunderstorms can often produce very dramatic images. If you’re a working professional, you also need to be able to guarantee you can work in any condition, particularly photojournalists and sports photographers. I’ve reviewed a number of rain cover on this site in the past, and they typically fall into two categories: Firstly you have ultra lightweight covers that don’t totally enclose the back of the camera. These covers take up less room in your bag, so you can typically leave one in there …

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