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on Jan 16, 2020 in Moose's Camera Bag

Acratech GXP Ballhead … Brilliant!

A while back I wrote about the Acratech Long Lens Head, a thing of beauty. I’ve now been shooting with the Arcatech GXP Ballhead (with lever) and I LOVE IT! It’s so simple, so light, so steady and so THE ballhead! My dear friend Chuck turned me on to it some time back. I’ve been shooting with it in every condition you can imagine and it just works great. It’s so versatile, I don’t even have an L plate for my cameras because it goes vertically cleanly, simply. The best part, I don’t have to say a whole lot about the ballhead to describe it, it’s that bloody simple and...

on Jan 14, 2020 in Moose's Camera Bag

Small Rig “mini”

I’ve had a number of emails from folks listening to my Podcast 169 ask about the SmallRig I was talking about. When shooting with a camera like the Nikon Z6 and the Ninja V, having the monitor attached in a secure manor is important. Keeping the weight down is important too to keep the whole rig manageable. My solution is what I call the SmallRig mini. Rather than using a full cage, SmallRig has a half cage. It not only cuts down on weight but also permits access to panels easier. At the same time, the “mini” as I call it takes advantage of the “none” cage for the Ninja V,. As you can see, I just have the one small piece on the bottom of the Ninja V, so you can attach it to the SmallRig. This whole thing saves over a pound while permitting secure usage off or on a tripod. It’s a small thing, the weight savings, the methodology, the...

on Dec 16, 2019 in Moose's Camera Bag

Acratech Long Lens Head

Long Lens support is essential in making a sharp image of a moving subject. When it comes to my Nikkor 180-400VR and 800f5.6, I have turned to the long out of manufacture B2 head. This is a beast of a head but steady as a rock. When my good friend Chuck told me about the Acratech products and its Long Lens Head that weighs LESS THAN A POUND, I was sooo skeptical! It’s rated for 600mm or shorter so the 180-400VR, it holds like a rock. But I need to stress a head before I use it fulltime, taking it to the limits for the severe conditions I can find myself. This past week in Bosque, that’s exactly what I did using it with the 800mm! This is NOT a ballhead! It’s a specific head doing a very specific job and doing it really darn well. Its stability, flexibility, and lightweight makes it so perfect for the long lens, still and video work. The Long Lens Head worked just...

on Nov 22, 2019 in Moose's Camera Bag

The Brillliant Think Tank Advantage XT

The updated Think Tank Advantage XT is the third and superior version of the Advantage roller bag. I just received mine and already I’ve traveled back and forth across the country three times with it. The “updates” to the Advantage XT are brilliant. Watch the video and you’ll see exactly what I’m so excited...

on Nov 7, 2019 in Moose's Camera Bag

It is Most Definitely Sharp!

A whole lot of you have noticed that I shoot with the 180-400VR a lot, and I mean, a lot! This lens has become one of the most important and used lenses in my kit, using it for birds, mammals, aviation and landscape. This is because of two essential factors that make the 180-400VR a stand out. It has tremendous flexibility and truly unbelievable sharpness. The flexibility comes not only from its zoom range but also its internal 1.4 teleconverter. With a simple, easy and hidden flip of a small lever, you can go form 400mm to 560mm for example (it works throughout the entire zoom range of the lens). In addition, you can add additional teleconverters to the 180-400VR for an even longer range. In this case, I added the TC-14eIII (with internal 1.4x engaged). I’m asked a lot if you can do this and what are the results. Here’s my answer to that common question. Most definitely, YES and GREAT! Let me start off by saying, this...

on Oct 29, 2019 in Moose's Camera Bag

You Already Own This Powerful Piece of Gear!

Black and White, or as our cameras call it, Monochrome is one of the most powerful pieces of gear that we already own that receives little love! One reason is for this is we don’t see in B&W, but color. Another it requires personal involvement, an emotional commitment to the photograph. Lastly, there is so much confusion in the finishing of B&W in post. Now is the time to push through all of that and take advantage of this powerful tool! Keep in mind with digital, you have nothing to lose. If you don’t like it, just delete it! So dive right in without fear. You might start with my basic in camera settings which will produce the B&W file. Just start seeing in B&W and then shoot in B&W, do it a lot! Then once you have a good feel for it from the real world start heading to the digital darkroom and see it there. There are many resources to help you with that end of the...

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