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20 Apr

Posted at 10:23h in Blog, Dick's Rant, Promotions by

Once you find it, go get the piggy bank and the cookie jar. Bash them into fragments, collect the saved-up money inside, and head to Camera Electronic today. They've got a special deal on the Olympus OM-D E-M10 MkII and three lenses - you'll get them and a spare battery for just under $ 1200. It's the best money you'll spend all year. This, coming from a dedicated Fujifilm user, is high praise indeed. The camera and lens combo means that nearly any photoshoot you want to do is within your grasp straight away. The results from the Micro 4/3 sensor on the Olympus are superb - I've tested these cameras in the Little Studio and would rate them equally as good, if not better, for my close-up specialty. The inclusion of the 14-42mm zoom lens in the kit means that your travel shots are taken care of and the dedicated portraiteur can leave the 45mm prime on the camera forever. Sporty types may elect to do the same with th 10-150mm lens. Whatever, you have them all there ready to go today. Make...

20 Apr

Posted at 09:08h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

A great deal of photographic equipment is novel - at least it is the first time you see it. And some items are frivolous - mere mechanical bagatelles. Not so today's featured device. The box said Manfrotto 405 New Geared Head. I'm glad it was on a low shelf because I would not have liked to lift it down - it was a heavy box. The camera head inside turns out to be the closest thing to a naval cannon mount that you can buy commercially...

19 Apr

Posted at 09:28h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

I was a little taken aback when I saw the label for the Manfrotto 410* - it says " Junior Geared Head ". But it is actually quite large. I would say that this device would be capable of managing nearly all modern cameras. Certainly the specifications say it'll hold 5 Kg. But 5 Kg of what? What photographic equipment needs a geared tripod head - and when should you employ it? Well, the first thought that came to mind was the Little Studio studio stand - normally sporting a large Gitzo pan and tilt head, it was perfect for this one as well. the gearing is quite slow and means that you are not fighting to tap the camera assembly into a horizontal position - you can just wind it slowly into registry. Thank goodness the Fujifilm cameras all seem to have a green artificial horizon line that comes on as this happens. If you need to get close enough quickly the larger flanges seen on the control wheels are release mechanisms - twist them and the whole thing becomes loose -...

18 Apr

Posted at 08:48h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

Ever since I started to do studio photography I gained new respect for the chaps who put up scaffolding and hoardings on building sites. You see their structures all the time but you don't stop to think of how complex they are until you start to try to bolt together a set of camera or light supports. More often than not in the Little Studio the parts used are made by Manfrotto. This blithely named product - the MS050M4-Q2 - is just such a component - but rather than holding lights or backdrop rolls, it's a camera support...

16 Apr

Posted at 08:25h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

Imagine that all the other photographers in Western Australia have disappeared. Vanished, never to return. Gone painlessly, to leave only you. You, the only person with a camera and a computer and an editing program. You with the only printer and stash of paper.  No more shops, no more seminars, no more camera clubs or conferences or product launches. No more art directors or TAFE courses or juried print judging live on the internet. No more photo walks. Just. You. Now...

11 Apr

Posted at 09:01h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

Perhaps that should be " The Italian-French Leg Show " as I see a ' Made In Italy ' sticker on the end of the Gitzo box. But you must forgive an old shop assistant for being cynical - it was part of the qualifications for the job. Of course, every now and then the makers of gear peak that curiosity - in this case the other part of the Gitzo label that caught the eye was the line that said '' Genuine Product ". I am sure the contents of the boxes are just that...

10 Apr

Posted at 08:21h in Blog, Dick's Rant by

Before this starts to sound like Goldilocks, I must hasten to add that I am writing about a Lowepro product  - a bag designed for mirror-less camera systems  and the averae tourist user. Whether you use it for bear-hunting or porridge-stealing is your own affair. The Lowepro m-Trekker SH 150 is a shoulder bag designed for a mirror-less body plus one or two of the smaller lenses and a few of the smaller accessoties that one would use on a day's travel.   Note the silencer tabs for the velcro and the little card pouch concealed under them. Also note the slim but strong padding in the compartment  - your camera and optics are safe in a crowd. If this all sounds like a little deal...