MindShift Gear BackLight 36L Backpack Review

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In this review we’re taking a look at the BackLight 36L outdoor photography pack from MindShift Gear. I’ve been testing this as my main photo pack for the last month, prior to its public release. As usual, there’s a ton of photos in this review, as well as a video walk-through of the features and some suggestions about other bags that you might consider when looking to buy a bag of this size for outdoor photography. For those that aren’t familiar with the brand, MindShift Gear is Think Tank Photo’s sister company. Whilst Think Tank concentrates more on the urban, …

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The Mindset That’s Costing People Their Images: Digital Photography is NOT Free!!

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When it comes to protecting my huge archive of digital images I take absolutely no chances. My archive is stored on a Drobo which gives me some redundancy from drive failure. That Drobo is mirrored to a second Drobo which also has redundancy from drive failure, and then another copy of the same archive is stored off site on another Drobo. To lose my image archive I would basically need to have six simultaneous hard drive failures across two distinct geographic locations. Even then it would only take out the full archive which would leave me with copies of all …

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Canon Vs. Nikon – Here’s How to Make Your Choice!

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The Canon Vs. Nikon debate has raged for decades and whilst you could probably argue that it has now become Canon Vs. Nikon Vs. Sony, I don’t think I’m quite ready to tackle that broader argument. However, this week I have finally decided to write something about the longer standing traditional match up because I’ve finally reached some sort of zen-like clarity about it. I’m a Canon user myself and I have been all my career, but to put Nikon users at ease that this isn’t going to be an unfair fight, I’ll preface this by saying that Canon’s recent …

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Cloud Backup for Photographers

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Regular readers of the site will know that I’m always hammering on about how important a good backup strategy is. Hard drives will fail, as sure as the sun will rise. It’s only a matter of time. When I get into backup discussions with other photographers, we always seem to end up on the same topic: Cloud backups. A solid backup strategy should always follow the 3-2-1 rule. 3 copies of every photo, 2 of which are local but on different drives, and at least 1 offsite copy. My current backup routine achieves this, but it’s the last step, the …

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REVIEW: Peak Design Everyday Sling 10L

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Peak Design continue to expand their product lineup, and the Everyday Sling 10L was added alongside the previously reviewed Everyday Backpack, and the Tote, during a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign. The styling cues are all the same, but there’s a few differences in functionality that means it’s not quite as simple as saying this is a “mini Everyday Messenger”. I’ll say right away that surprisingly to me, this is actually my favourite of the Everyday series! I know a lot of people love the Everyday Messenger and Backpack, and I did like them, but I also had my criticisms. In several …

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Peak Design Shell Camera Cover Review

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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

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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

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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!

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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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