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August 28, 2005

Crumpler update and a photo of sparky

I went to the Crumpler shop yesterday to check out the new Million Dollar Home line of photo bags. I'm looking at the largest (7 Million Dollar Home) to complement my Tallee that I wrote about last week.

The good: less constructed, no 'Darkroom', lots of dividers, fits a big zoom with lens hood attached, easy in and out.

The bad: for some reason the Quick Flick Buckle isn't on the strap, smaller shoulder pad.

The ugly: Should I get another red bag or should I get this one in black?

The thing about the strap is that is is completely detachable from the bag (the Tallee strap does not come off) so theoretically I should be able to remove remove the strap and put in a Quick Flick Buckle if - and this is a big if - Crumpler will sell me the buckle separately. I reckon they will, or - even better - would reconfigure the strap for me when I order on line. I'll drop an email to 'em on Monday and keep you all posted.

Posted by yankinoz at 12:07 PM | Comments (1)

August 25, 2005

Canon EOS 5D - ooo...

The full frame digital SLR price tag cut in half this week with Canon's EOS 5D announcement. At 5 grand Aussie, it's still out of my price range but I'm not in the market for a new DSLR anyway (that's not sour grapes, really it's not, OK maybe a little.) I am in the market for new lens. I've expected full frame (FF) DSLRs to come down in price - Canon just confirmed that my lens strategy (to avoid digital specific lenses) is the right thing to do. So I'm continuing to save my pennies for an EF 17-40 F4.0L USM. The smaller than 35mm DSLR sensor means that the 17-40mm provides the same field of view as a 28-65mm would provide on a FF SLR (film or digital.)

The Canon EF-S lenses are designed for the smaller sensor on DSLRs but Canon's design makes it impossible to mount them on the DSLRs released prior ot the Rebel 300D model (like my 10D.) Because these lenses don't have to cover a full frame, focal lengths down to 10mm are possible (the equivalent of 16mm on FF) I've been a bit jealous of the 20D owners and their super wide options in the EF-S line. Both Tamron and Tokina both have released lenses that will mount on the earlier cameras (actually they will mount on 35mm film EOS cameras as well) but they don't cover the full frame. I haven't been comfortable getting a lens that won't work on my EOS 1 too - and I've known that the FF DSLRs would, in time, get less expensive. This week, Canon proved that they will so I have effectively ruled out the digital specific lenses and won't be shooting 'super-wide' with digital for a few more years.

Also in Canon's announcement is the new 430EX flash. I'm gonna have to get me one of those too...

Posted by yankinoz at 07:15 AM | Comments (0)

August 21, 2005

Crumpler Tallee camera bag review

I replaced an aging Tamrac Correspondent bag (at least I think that's what it was called) with a Crumpler Tallee bag about 6 months ago. At the time I was looking for a bag that would fit my newly acquired Canon EOS 10D, a couple of lenses and a flash unit. I had planned to attach either a Lowe Pro or Crumpler lens pouch to the side of the Tallee to hold my Canon EF 80-200 F2.8L lens - unfortunately none of the lens pouches I tried felt very secure, so I ended up improvising a bit.

What initially attracted me to the Crumpler bags was the heavy duty construction, well that and the fact that I couldn't find Domke bags in Australia. Since there are Crumpler shops right here in Sydney - I grabbed my gear and headed to Paddington to see just how much stuff I could stuff into one. Once I loaded up a bag and threw it over my sholder I was sold - these bags just fit your body.

First impression:
The Chicken Tex nylon is tough stuff - it's stiffer than any camera bag I've had before. The heavy duty construction and thick fabric actually limits the amount of stuff you can fit inside. I had looked and some comparable Lowe Pro bags (in the Stealth line) and given similar outside dimensions, the Lowe Pro bags are going to hold more stuff, but the Crumpler is going to protect it better. And no matter how much Lowe Pro calls them 'Stealth' they still look like camera bags.

Fitting in the gear:
The bag came with many different sized dividers - with modern digital SLR gear, the dividers are mostly in the way. I ended up dividing the main compartment in half with room for my Canon EOS 10D and a 28-105 lens attached on one side with a second lens on the other side.

Down below, in 'The Darkroom' is a great place to stash a flash and it's even big enough to hold a 80-200 F/2.8 (without the hood.)

The strap:
Like all the Crumpler bags, their camera bags are designed to be warn 'messenger' style, that is with the strap over the left shoulder and the bag on the right hip - this is the most secure way to wear a bag anyway. The length is easily adjustable on the fly with a Quick Flick buckle on the right.

The Third Leg:
The Tallee has a 'Third Leg' strap that is designed to go around your back to keep the bag in check. In the two or three times I've used it (when hiking up steep terrain) it's been great - but mostly the third leg just gets in the way. The shoulder pad is the best ever - I've actually reversed it - I find it more comfortable this way (and works better with the third leg.)

Velcro closer madness:
These photos below show the velcro closers that hold the top flap in place. It's a double closure with with a small, rather useless pocket on the inner flap. This method does a great job of sealing the bag from the elements. The large patch of Velcro at the bottom is great for quickly closing the bag, but opens with a loud rip - a real problem in a quiet setting. The third photo shows how I fold over the flap when I want to be able to quickly and quietly get in and out of the bag.

So, waddareckon?
I gotta say, I was a little hesitant to get this bag - not because of the construction, the strap, the heaps of Velcro, the padding, the dividers or the color (those were all the reasons that I bought it!) The thing that was holding me back was 'The Darkroom'. I've never liked the idea of the bottom compartment as I thought they were too hard to get stuff in and out of. This is the first bag I have owned with such a compartment and after living with it for 6 months, I was right.

If you are thinking about a new bag, by all means GET a Crumpler bag. I can't recommend them enough. But I can't really recommend the Tallee - and based on the new 'Million Dollar Home' line from Crumpler, it looks like they have given up on the bottom compartment too. Good on ya Crumpler.

Posted by yankinoz at 04:34 PM | Comments (5)

go-kart birthday

That's me at Eastern Creek Karts where Amy took my for my birthday. The 9hp karts were a lot of work to get around the track. It's a surprisingly physical activity - but heaps of fun.

Posted by yankinoz at 08:45 AM | Comments (0)

August 09, 2005

Kris and Amy at SOH

Spent Saturday afternoon shooting Kris and Amy at the Sydney Opera House. The shoot is for an on-line knitting photo contest. The hardest part was working around the tourist to get the shot I originally had in mind above.

As the afternoon went on I realised that I couldn't completely work around the tourists - so I included them. This shot below we keep calling 'The Reservoir Dogs Photo'

And then there's this one - complete with tourists. I'm not sure if it's A Good Thing or A Bad Thing, the tourist in the background. I know I love the girl in the background with her white top and arm outstretched! Click over to flickr and see a large version of the photo to get the full effect.

Posted by yankinoz at 08:08 AM | Comments (0)