Peak Design - CLUTCH - an excellent hand strap
This is the second in my three-part review of the Peak Design camera strap product line. Here I review the Clutch. This is a comfortable and beautifully constructed support strap. This is no ordinary hand strap, it is not only easy to attach but has a wonderful feel around the back of your hand.
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The top end is attached to the strap loop of your camera via a looped band that is then attached to the strap using a spring-loaded trap-door style locking mechanism. The other end is connected via an Anchor Link attached to the supplied camera base plate or your Really Right Stuff compatible plate.
I attached this to all three of my mirrorless cameras and my wife’s Canon 6D. I found it to be most comfortable when attached using the supplied plate or the RRS plate on my Panasonic GH4 and with the Canon 6D. On the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and the Sony A7R the RRS plate extends too far to the right that provides too much slack. This slack has the Anchor Link clasp interfering with your hand and is not comfortable at all. However if you use the supplied base plate this is no longer an issue.Once the Clutch is properly attached it is a breeze to tighten it for a perfect grip by pulling on the tab of the tightening band. To loosen, you simply lift on the end of the friction loop to release the tension.
As with any hand strap there is a concern of the camera possibly slipping out of your hand and falling to its doom. If this is a concern, you can easily solve this by attaching a second Anchor Link to the base plate and use a to secure the camera to your wrist, using the “Cuff”.
Specifications (from the Peak Design product page)
- Weight: 45 g (123 g as packed)
- Strap length: adjustable from 18 cm (7 in) to 29 cm (11.4 in)
- Strap width: at the widest point, 51 mm (2 in)
- Strength rating: Vectran®-corded Anchors can withstand over 200 lbs (90 kg), making Clutch safe for use with the largest of professional cameras
Build quality
Of all the straps that I have used in the past and currently, I find the Peak Design Clutch to have been made exceptionally well as I have found with the other Peak Design straps. As with the Slide, every component is beautifully constructed, all the stitching is truly well executed. The adjusters, the loops and the tripod plate are all of the highest standards.I have been using the Clutch to my Panasonic Lumix GH4 for two weeks and am very pleased with the performance. . With the cuff as added security this is an excellent combination.
My final assessment
This is undoubtedly the most comfortable hand strap I have used. It is ideal for the lighter DSLR’s and any mirrorless bodies on the market. Of significance is the easy of tightening and loosening the strap.I would not hesitate to recommend the Clutch and give it 4 1/2 star rating out of a possible 5. The street price is about $40.To get any Peak Design product click on the logo below for a 10% discount.
Peak Design - SLIDE - an awesome camera strap
This is part one of a three-part review of three camera straps made by the kick starter company called Peak Design. I had heard about these from a number of sources including my friends at TWiP (This Week in Photography). Peak Design were kind enough to send me the Slide and the Clutch and I ended up getting the Cuff. After this bit of testing I should consider getting the leash too as you will see from my review.
Let's start with the Slide which is the most versatile strap in this family of straps. The strap is made of materials similar to those found in automobile seat belts. The two ends of the strap terminate with a unique attachment system made off a spring loaded slide-in connector that connects to a Kevlar loop clip system. The strap is actually two belts fused together in the central area that would typically wrap around your neck or across your shoulder. The fused area has a slight padding with one side same as the belt while the other side has silicone striping to provide enough friction to prevent it from slipping off the shoulder. I find this double-sided arrangement very convenient. It is so easy to switch between the surfaces for those times you want to use the strap as a slide or have it in it's nonslip mode across your shoulder. To maintain uniformity there are two adjustment loops at either end. An anodized aluminum metal handle mechanism allows you to extend or retract the length of the strap but you must do on both ends to keep the padded area in the middle.The Slide strap kit comes with the strap, four Anchor Link connectors, one square Arca Swiss compatible camera plate, an allen wrench on a ring, a carrying pouch and a user manual. These are all nicely packaged in a well-designed box.
I attached two Anchor Links to either end of my camera where you would typically attach your OEM camera strap. I attached a third Anchor Link to the loop connector of my existing Really Right Stuff extendable camera plate. With three connectors I am able to use the strap in various configurations. The most convenient is across the shoulder where I can easily bring the camera into shooting position with my hand on the grip and index finger on the shutter release with no obstruction. If I need to Carry the camera around my neck, I can easily detach the connector from the base plate and attach it to the free connector at the top. For the various ways you can sling slide I found carrying the camera on one shoulder to be the least secure and also not very comfortable.
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For hand holding the camera the I attach the Clutch (more on this in Part 2) by attaching it to the two Anchor Links attached to the side of the camera body top and bottom (RRS Plate).
Specifications (from the Peak Design product page)
- Weight: 171 g (281 g as packed)
- Strap length: adjustable from 99 cm (39 in) to 137 cm (54 in)
- Strap width: 45 mm (1.8 in)
- Strength rating: Vectran®-corded Anchors can withstand over 200 lbs (90 kg), making Slide safe for use with the largest of professional cameras
Build quality
Of all the straps that I have used in the past and currently, I find the Peak Design Slide to have been made exceptionally well. Every component is beautifully constructed, all the stitching is truly well executed. The adjusters, the loops and the tripod plate are all of the highest standards.I use the slide mounted to a Canon 6D and on my Sony A7R for about 10 days now and am very happy with the performance. I always like to remove my camera strap when I mount the camera on my tripod so as to prevent any shake as straps tend to act like mini sails in windy conditions. This requires constant disconnecting and connecting Anchor Links. So far, they have all performed extremely well and it appears these will not give or come loose for a long time..
My final assessment
I am very happy with the performance and comfort of this strap the Slide. It is really designed for any camera but my preference would be to use the Slide for heavier DSLRs and mirrorless camera bodies. A slimmer version but with the same wide shoulder padding would be ideal for the smaller minimalist mirrorless bodies. The Peak Design Leash comes close but does not have the comfort padding.I would not hesitate to recommend the Slide and give it 4 1/2 star rating out of a possible 5. The street price is about $60. Keep in mind that a small Arca Swiss camera plate will cost you a minimum of $20 - here one is included. This to me is a great bonus.To get any Peak Design product click on the logo below for a 10% discount.
Martha's Vineyard - Workshop
A extended Memorial day weekend workshop in Martha's Vineyard was absolutely fantastic. Friday through Tuesday of great weather even though it was cold (very cold and windy). The Ashley Inn a B&B was large enough to accommodate all 16 of us with great rooms and a homemade breakfast each morning. Winters and erosion have taken their toll on the Island and the Aquinnah (Gay Head) Light House is in the process of being moved further inland. 4:30 AM departures and Midnight to bed resulted in very long but fruitful days for the group. Here are some comments and feedback from the participants:[audio mp3="https://shivverma.com//wp-content/uploads/2015/05/wscomments.mp3"][/audio]In-between classes and field instruction I was able to get a few shots and this is one of my favorites. (please click on the image for a larger view)
Topaz Simplify 30% off through the end of May
Effective today Tuesday, May 19th Topaz Labs is running a promotion on Topaz Simplify. The discount will be for 30% off, reducing the price to $27.99 for the month of May. The coupon code is: MAYSIMPTopaz Simplify gives you the tools to easily and quickly create beautiful and unique digital art effects. From a coloring book effect to a graphic painting effect, Simplify has a wide array of artistic possibilities.CLICK HERE TO GET TOPAZ SIMPLIFY
Lumix® G VARIO 100-300mm / F4.0-5.6 / MEGA O.I.S. Lens
Went out to photograph the marsh wrens at the Great Meadows NWR yesterday. The wrens were there but the windy conditions kept them deep in the reeds. I had taken my Lumix 100-300 lens on the Olympus OM-D E-M1 body. I have a lens collar and at the foot manufactured by Roesch - www.r-roesch.de which really helps with this lens when mounted to a tripod.As there was not much in the vicinity I took a few shots of a Red-wing Blackbird - the bird was a little spec in the frame as you can see from the image below. The full image may be seen by clicking on the image itself.
The next image is a crop from the region where the bird was sitting. Except for RAW conversion and a slight opening of the shadows, no other post processing has been done. Click to open the image at 100%
For the price this is an exceptional lens and hope Panasonic make a G X version of this lens soon.
Testing Affinity from Serif
Have not had a lot time to test the 2nd Beta release of Affinity but gave it a good shot yesterday. Still a lot to learn, but on the whole, I like it a lot. Has some great features built in, the filters are great but not sure I like the fact that it creates an intermediate file. The following is an image processed entirely using Affinity (Sony Raw to a TIFF export).
Martha’s Vineyard - May 22 - 26, 2015
Join me and AIP when we return to Martha's Vineyard for a wonderful 3 full and 2 half days of a photography meetup/workshop. There are a few spots left.Date of event: May 22nd thru May 26th, 2015Starts at 4:00 p.m. in Martha’s VineyardLocation: Ashley Inn, 129 Main Street, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard, MAGo to for complete details and to register:http://www.meetup.com/Adventures-in-Photography-New-England/events/220244286/
70 South Gallery - Lighting Workshop
The 70 South Gallery - Lighting and Model Photography workshop was a huge success. Thanks to some great organization by "Adventures in Photography" (NJ, NY and New England) and the 70 South Gallery, Morristown, NJ. The workshop was sold out and we were fortunate to have decent weather for some of the outdoor shoots. I would like to thank the participants, the models and the organizers for all the hard work and support that made this so awesome.Studio lights were Profoto and Arri, outdoor speed lights were Nissin and personal on and off camera flashes. Lastolite reflectors and the Phottix Luna but dish were also incorporated in the various sessions.
LRTimelapse 4 Released
LRTimelapse 4 is the latest enhanced version of the popular tool for generating ultimate time lapse sequences and provides new editing capabilities that will help you to bring your time lapse videos to a whole new level!This upgrade brings improved workflows, enhanced performance and many new features!With the new visual previews you get "What you see is what you get" within LRTimelapseThe new Visual Deflicker is now one of the best deflicker tools available. This tool works with the metadata of the RAW files in single and multiple passes resulting in silky-smooth sequences. The Visual Defliker when used in combination with the "Holy Grail"-Wizard, even difficult Day-to-Night and Night-to-day transitions are generated as smooth and visually appealing clips.Video export enhancements allow up to 8K video resolution in MP4, ProRes (Mac and Windows) or the new H.265 formats.Most importantly LRTimelapse 4 and the LRTExport Lightroom Plugin now fully support Lightroom 6 / Lightroom CC for faster Rendering including the new Lightroom Features like Filter Brush and 16 bit HDR DNGs.Click on the icon below to order or to upgrade.
ZEISS announces 2 Full-Frame Autofocus Lenses for Sony A7 Cameras
ZEISS Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 – Designed for Sony A7 camera series
The ZEISS Batis 2/25 and ZEISS Batis 1.8/85 are the first full-frame autofocus lenses for Sony's E-mount cameras to be exclusively developed and distributed by ZEISS. This new family of lenses is particularly suited for the use with Sony's alpha range of mirrorless full-frame system cameras. The two new lenses will be shipping in July 2015.The new ZEISS Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses are the first full-frame autofocus lenses with an OLED display for the mirrorless Sony α series and therefore the pioneers of a new era. As professional tools, they enable outstanding image performance, impressive contrast and maximum resolution down to the very last detail.The innovative OLED display shows the distance of the focal plane from the camera system and the depth of field, ideally supporting creative image composition. Of significance is the fact that you will be able to see the readout in low light conditions. The display is powered through the camera. The OLED display is an absolute highlight – an innovation that is currently unparalleled in camera lenses.The Batis 2/25 is a Sonnar lens while the 1.8/85 is a Distagon lens
Available this summer - The ZEISS Batis 2/25 and 1.8/85 lenses will be available for purchase in April and start shipping in July 2015. The recommended retail prices are $1,299 for the ZEISS Batis 2/25 and $1,199 for the ZEISS Batis 1.8/85.Click here for more information
2015 Boston International Film Festival
The 2015 Boston International Film Festival was held this past weekend from April 16th through the 20th.It was a pleasure to have press privileges to photograph the Red Carpet presence, interviews and various functions. Also had the opportunity to see some incredible movies, short films, documentaries and feature films.The following are links to the daily galleries. You re welcome to screen grab any images for personal use. If you would like high resolution images, edited images or images for any use other than personal please contact us via email at info@shivverma.com - please provide image numbers, and day references. Please clearly state the how and where you will be using the image/s.BIFF Day 1BIFF Day 2BIFF Day 3BIFF Day 4Biff Day 5 - These images will be available in a few days.
OnOne Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 Released
Here is the Press Release:
Introducing Perfect Photo Suite 9.5We take user feedback seriously. Our team has worked hard the past several months to improve performance and user experience in the latest release of our photo-editing app – Perfect Photo Suite. In this latest release, version 9.5, we’ve improved performance and usability for customers in several areas which include; browsing photos, portrait retouching, processing speed, feature additions, and enhancements.BrowseBrowsing photos is one of the key improvements and one of the most important tasks for photographers. Today, photographers use Perfect Browse as a front end to their workflow with other programs like Adobe® Lightroom® and Photoshop®.SpeedThe biggest reason to adopt this workflow is speed. Browsing photos must be fast, period. Improved speed in viewing photos assists in organizing photo libraries and helps determine what photos you want to work on. Specifically, the ability to view large Raw files in detail can take forever with some apps. Not with Perfect Browse. Users will see up to a 50% increase in speed with the latest version. Quickly seeing all the detail in photos without pixilation allows for faster culling, sorting, and rating. Then send your photos with the ratings intact to Lightroom or other applications, faster than ever before.OrganizeWe’ve also added new features to Perfect Browse, which makes it a great standalone option for getting organized. on1 Albums allow you to create a collection of your favorite photos and provide a fast way to view them without searching. Want to drag and drop photos into an album? It’s simple to do right in Perfect Browse. Select the photos you want to add to the album and drag them to the Album Hot Spot. Photos in an on1 album can live anywhere, whether in the cloud or on your computer.Faster Retouching and EffectsAnother area we’ve focused on is improved speed and performance for portrait retouching and filters in Perfect Effects. Perfect Portrait is now faster than ever for auto face detection, and finding the details of the face, eyes, lips, and mouth. With easier to adjust control points and smoother sliders it makes for much quicker portrait edits. Many of the filters in Perfect Effects have been updated to use the computer GPU to make them much faster.New FeaturesIn addition to all the performance enhancements, Perfect Photo Suite 9.5 also has some great new features. The Line Mask tool allows you to create a straight path for masking sharp edges where brushing is difficult. Luminosity Masks have also been added for users to work on the luminance values or lighter and darker parts of a photo based on a specific selection.
Click on the banner below to order your copy or upgrade now.
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Noiseless Pro
Macphun the makers of Tonality Pro, Intensify Pro, Snapheal Pro and Focus Pro today release a public preview of their latest product Noiseless Pro. It will be released as two versions Noiseless and Noiseless Pro. The pro version includes the ability to work with RAW files and will work as a plug-in for Photoshop and Lightroom.
One you install it and launch it the first thing you will notice is its simplicity. It has a series of presets from Lightest to Extreme. Lightest I'm my initial tests did a great job. Multiple views and side by side comparison windows help you assess the amount of noise management. Zoom tools allow you to see how well it is handling noise and maintaining detail. Included is a wipe tool for previewing the effect. Preview is not instantaneous but the software does render the effect fairly quick.Though the pro version will work with RAW files, my preference would be to allow the raw conversion using Adobe Camera Raw, DxO, or Capture One and then bringing the image into Noiseless either as a pug or as a saved tiff file.This is by no means a full review but a quick note to assess the pre-release and give an initial verdict - the product is simple and very good.I will do another review when the final release is available in the next 8 days or so.Click on the logo to order Macphun products or to preorder Noiseless and Noiseless Pro
Photograph Professional Models in a Studio and Art Gallery Setting - a Troika
Join us on April 25, 2015 for a one day, 3 hour, educational and hands-on lighting workshop.
The workshop will concentrate on the following:
- Understanding the properties of light
- Setting up and using off-camera lights
- Getting amazing images even in the harshest, brightest light
- Shooting outdoors with a hot shoe flash
- Shooting indoors with a hot shoe flash and other lights
- Using reflectors, diffusers and other light modifiers
- Studio lights will be Pro Photo and ARRI
You will learn how to light for portraits and leave with an understanding of how light works, color of light, quantity of light and quality of light. You will learn how to get consistent results and be confident in lighting your subject in any environment.
The environment for our model photo shoot will be the 70 South Street Gallery, a uniquely new and beautifully modern photo gallery located at 70 South Street, in Morristown, New Jersey.
Hands-on opportunities:
Participants will have the opportunity to shoot models at each of three light set-ups using their own cameras (a troika).One of the three light set-ups will be in a studio environment within the gallery:
The following images are representative of the studio type imagery that we'll try to achieve:
Another set-up will be on the actual floor of the gallery using natural light and portable lighting:
The final and third set up will be out in the street in front of the gallery using the charming background of Morristown. Portable lighting may be used as required.
While shooting in the natural environment of the gallery and the streets of Morristown, you will learn how to control backgrounds as well as how to light your subjects. Here are some samples of what can be achieved when shooting in a natural environment such as the streets of Morristown.Since there will be a different model at each of the 3 shooting stations and only 9 photographers, the photographers will split their shooting time between all three stations with only 3 photographers at each station at the same time.The hands-on experience, both indoors and out (weather permitting) is an invaluable means of re-enforcing the topics we cover.The workshop is designed for serious amateurs, hobbyists and emerging pros.You should bring your camera body with a lens capable of focusing between 85mm and 100mm focal length and wide angle lenses capable of 24mm focal length (this is optional). Zoom lenses in the 18mm to 200 mm are also a good choice.Model releases will be provided and one or two images suitable for the models to use in their portfolio will be greatly appreciated.Click here for details and registration.All images provided by the models and the 70 South Gallery
Martha's Vineyard - Memorial Day Weekend Workshop
In case you’ve missed it, Adventures in Photography (AIP) has organized a 5 day/4 night workshop on Martha’s Vineyard over the Memorial Day Weekend where I will be instructing.This is rare opportunity for photographers and their non-photographer partners to share some quality time together.Photographers get to photograph the beauty and charm of this unique island community while their non-photographer partners explore the charming New England character of Martha’s Vineyard.Adventures in Photography (AIP) has reserved all of the Ashley Inn's 10 rooms from May 22nd until May 26th. We can accommodate 20 people based on double occupancy. The Ashley Inn is an upscale B&B and breakfast is included.We still have a few rooms available but expect that they will sell out.For a full description of this Adventure go CLICK HERE
No Aurora but the Milky Way
March 28, 2015 - Alaska Geo. Inst. forecasts a Kp index of 5 for the Aurora. Kp 5 means - if the Aurora occurs you should be able to see it low on the horizon in Massachusetts. Sounds awesome so we decide against going for the CamNats (Massachusetts Camera Naturalists) and head to Maine. Acadia is always a great spot so we head to the loop road. WRONG most of the roads are closed. A nice cop gives us direction on how to get to Sand Beach - so it is about midnight and we find our way to the parking lot. Poor visibility forces us out of there and heading further towards Otter Cliffs. The road is closed at the turnoff to Otter Cliff road. We pull over into a small clearing at one of the entrances to a parking lot and wait for the Aurora - nothing. Well the Milky Way rises over the cliffs so we wait. 3:15 and the Milky Way shows its full arc. It is cold, the wind does not help. I mounted the Rokinon 14mm on the Sony A7R to get this image. The foreground trees were light painted during the exposure.Please click on the image for a larger presentation.
A subsequent 7 image pano yielded the arc but the 14mm lend distortion is apparent.
Wine and Cheese
As the cold and snow continues, photographing indoors is always a good choice. This is another image created using light painting. Equipment: Sony A7R, Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8, Maglight (non LED) flashlight, Surefire LED flashlight. Exposure triad f/16, 30 sec, ISO 400. 5 image composite.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.
New Bags for your Mirrorless gear
Are you looking for a shoulder bag or backpack for your Mirrorless or compact DSLR camera system, one that can also hold a tablet or laptop? Think Tank Photo has just released the Urban Approach 15 backpack, the first backpack designed specifically to hold a complete mirrorless or compact DSLR camera, as well as a 15” laptop, up to a 10” tablet, smart phone, and extra space for gear and personal items. The Urban Approach 5 shoulder bag holds one medium to large mirrorless or compact DSLR body with lens attached, one to three additional lenses, and an 8” tablet. The Urban Approach 10 shoulder bag holds one medium to large Mirrorless body or compact DSLR with lens attached, two to four additional lenses, and up to a 10” tablet. And don’t forget that with my special arrangement with Think Tank, when you place an order for $50 or more you will automatically be able to receive a Think Tank item for free!Click on the links below to order or learn more.URBAN APPROACH 15 MIRRORLESS BACKPACKURBAN APPROACH 10 MIRRORLESS SHOULDER BAGURBAN APPROACH 5 MIRRORLESS SHOULDER BAG
Light Painting - Still Life
With all the snow and not many places to go, a little light painting seemed to be the thing to do yesterday. This also gave me the opportunity to test out the Zeiss Touit 32mm f/1.8 lens. Mounted on the Sony A7R in crop sensor mode the lens performed flawlessly. There was a fair amount of ambient light at 4:30 in the afternoon so I stopped down the lens to f/16 at ISO 50 that allowed an 8 second exposure. Individual portions were light painted and three images combined to create this final composite.Please click on the image for a larger rendition.