January 2022

I met a man one day who took pictures with film cameras - a number of different makes and models. They were competently focused and exposed and he made notes about the exposures. Since this was long before digital photography was even thought of, the results were put down onto monochrome and colour negative films, with the occasional roll of colour transparency. I don't believe he processed the films himself - in those days there were many developing services around town. He did keep careful records that matched the results to the shooting notes.There were tests of cameras, lenses, flashes, and films. Perhaps of tripods or other accessories too, for all I know. All done honestly and with care.And no other pictures that I knew of. A magnificent body of test work but no conclusions drawn that proceeded to help him make art of any kind. I felt very sad about this.At the same time I was thrashing about, photographically speaking, with a succession of cameras and lenses. I tried lots of films on lots of subjects...

As we move into summer, it's time to consider a new action video camera - enter the DJI Action 2. The DJI Action 2 is the latest entry by the geniuses at DJI. They are makers of some of the best consumer drones, gimbals and, of course, action cameras. Summer is a time for getting outdoors and enjoying time exploring your world with friends and families. What better way to make everlasting memories than with an Action 2 camera. Not only is it compact and highly portable, but it's also next-generation technology delivering impeccable 4K video in and out of the water.      The folks at DJI claim that the DJI Action 2 is their most versatile and powerful action camera to date. The cube-shaped components utilize impressive magnetic attachment methods to pair either a power pack or a dual-screen system. What's more, the magnetic system allows for fast applications of a wide range of DJI accessories to keep your kit safe and to enable hands-free video capture. The DJI Action 2 is available in two unique combos. The first is the...

Before you leap to your feet and wave a flag, this is not about that sort of emotion. Nor is it the last night of the Proms.* This is about panoramas. Those wide pictures that spread out over coffee tables, railway stations, and lounge room walls. The ones that are wider than they are tall - and by a considerable margin. The boundaries of what is considered a panoramic shot seem to vary with different authors or equipment companies, but I just take them to be anything I have to turn my head to view. Bear in mind I wear spectacles and they tunnel my vision somewhat - you may be able to see in a more panoramic fashion just when you gaze on the landscape unaided. Panoramas used to be hard work - you can see examples of them taken in the wet plate era - or even earlier - and made up of multiple shots stacked side by side. There may be differences of tone, of texture, of exposure between panels, and the distortions of the lenses may be compensated...

Well, this is Western Australia and it is high summer this week, after all. Out is hot and in is cool - and where does the Siamese cat in the fur coat choose to sleep? You guessed it. But the Godox people are smarter than the cat  - they realise that bringing the Godox AD600Pro inside will have the benefit of letting us use it as a studio flash in the cool  - and we can access the AC mains current as we do it. The Godox AD 600 Pro is supplied with a good big lithium-ion battery to power it in the field. That's the picture below, with the charge lights lit. Not much power in the battery as supplied, but you charge it before use and the lights all go on. Plenty of power, a warning sign for the hot surface, and no wonder. That is a big LED panel in there - along with something I've not seen before; a user-pluggable flash tube. The specs say 360 full power shots  - more if you're dialling down - and a 38...

Smaller Solutions - Part Four The business of supplying constant light for video recording is not just confined to the studio with big panels, soft boxes, or banks of light. It can also be needed out in the field. Two Phottix products currently on the Stirling Street roster would seem to be very elegant answers to the problem. I noted them on the floor and again up in stock in the storeroom. a. The Phottix Nuada P is a 250mm x 100mm soft LED panel on front and a digital control on the back . Colour temperature can be adjusted between 3300º Kelvin and 5600º Kelvin with a power output of 860 Lux. Small and intimate, it would be ideal for vlogging and other close encounters. There is a shoe mount on the bottom as well. Note that the light has been attached to the shop display rack with the Phottix umbrella mount. This is an all-metal bracket that is very good value for money and contains a number of safety features like spring buttons to prevent you dropping the lights at an inadvertent...

The burgeoning business of recording video is starting to make me look at camera stuff again - specifically lighting equipment. My first discovery was that standard room lighting is horrible. My studio has downlights that run on big circular fluorescent tubes with a colour temperature of old liver. They are positioned to make everyone look like zombies. If I ever start filming horror movies, I'm set. The trial reels using the modelling lights on my standard mono-head studio flashes showed them to be too dim, too yellow, and too cumbersome for the game. They are dynamite lights for still photos and the light modifiers are just what I need, but the difference between a flash tube and an incandescent light bulb is far too great. The next stage was to look at odd little LED and ring lights. Let me excuse myself from sounding foolish - these lights were hauled along to a recording session by the dancer who was appearing in the reels. Bought from some eBay seller, they were literally falling to pieces as we tried to set them up. Gaffer...