It will go right to his head, but Chuck was right! I’m a well-known hater of camera straps. Why? Watch the video! Chuck though has cured that by introducing me to Peak Design Anchor Links. First, I always hated putting my camera back in the bag with the strapped attached. Why? Because they tend to scratch the *)@($$! out of the bodies. Next, they can scare off critters. Lastly, they often just get in my way. Curing all of these issues and more is the Peak Design Anchor Links quick release system. The video explains the rest. Oh, and Chuck … thanks!
A real common question this time of year is “What gloves do you use? Back in the day, I would haunt every outdoor store I ventured by and gleaned the glove display trying to find the glove that kept my hands warm and permited me to shoot. Then our sons got into xcross skiing and I found the Swix gloves and fell in love. From past experience, I bought 3 pairs of gloves for different temps. Though this year I had to replace none of my gloves, I went looking to answer the question, “What gloves this year?”. I’ve got to tell you, I was pretty disappointed in what I found. It’s like gloves and glove technology took a back seat in design. Gloves A (Swik Universal XC Ski Glove) & B (Swik Icon Universal Insulated Glove) are the style I wear the majority of the time. This first pair (A ) is when it’s just starting to get cold. This next pair Swik Icon Universal Insulated glove(B ) is what I wear probably the most of all of these. The Swix Icon Universal Insulated Glove (same glove as I recommended in years past) simply rock with lots of warmth and flexibility. They have a special material on the top to cut the wind. These are the gloves I always have in my jacket and take care of my hands the majority of my shooting. When going to extremes like when the air temp hovers around zero of lower, I turn to ice climber gloves. These seem to change every other day and this season is no different. The pair I got years ago is now gone (but still serve me well), the closest is the Rab IceFall Gloves (Glove C ). They do look bulky but I found them to work really well. They keep the digits warm, permit basic operation and ability to push some buttons. You can push all the buttons on the camera body. You can even run a video camera with them. Unlike years past, I could point you to REI for all the gloves but not this year. What’s up with that?????
My favorite though is ones my family gave me years ago for ultimate in cold weather protection. These gloves mittens I love to shoot with! Actually, they are custom made trapper mittens that are strictly for cold weather use.
How cold? Well, at 12degrees my hands were almost uncomfortably warm, not perspiring but almost too much warmth. Working in places like Yellowstone or the Arctic in the winter, these mittens are so perfect. Yeah, I can squeeze off the shutter, no, can’t work any other feature on the body. No, can’t buy these at REI. They are a two layer mitten, a heavy wool removable liner, and outer Beaver fur. I just can’t wait to get out in the cold and put them to use! Thanks, family!
Many ask about “Photographer Gloves” you see nearly everywhere. The only pair I’ve tried I feel I can mention with all good conscious is the RUCPAC Glove. I’ve had many a photographer walk up to me with their “Photographer Gloves” on to say, “They suck!” Now this is a personal thing (which others have made the same comment), but “finger tipless” gloves just don’t work for me. If they do for you, great, but since they don’t for me, I have no recommendations. One other hand warmer I can highly recommend to you is
the DSLR Parka Cold and Rain Protector. This is my third year using it and it is so simple but sooo effective! It’s really simple, you place your camera/lens inside and place your hands inside and you shoot. You can shoot easily down to zero with no gloves easily with this. You can put a flash through the top slot and see everything through the viewfinder and LCD with the clear, back panel. It’s really simple to attach or remove and get your hands inside to your gear. The inside lining is soo soft as well, it just screams “come in!” It fits anybody, any lens as well as any size of hands. If you’re shooting with a Nikon AFS lens, be sure to have it set to M/A and not A/M. Otherwise, this is the perfect outdoor photographer accessory. I’ll have it the end of the month at Bosque for those cold mornings. Oh, BTW … it makes a great sound blimp too!
It’s very exciting to hear from all the folks who have received their D850. It really is a great camera delivering what it promises in a fun package! The last week or two, a new kinda email has been coming in from folks who have the D850, “This lens work with the D850?” or “What’s the BEST lens for the D850?” With a couple of folks, I asked them why they were asking this question and in part it’s because what they read on the web (argh) and the other because of the list published here and elsewhere about the best lenses for the D850. I fear this has lead some to the wrong conclusion. IMHO there is no lens in the Nikkor lineup that wouldn’t perform beautifully on the D850. In my experience, photographers either at the camera or in post do more image quality damage then perhaps a “bad” lens. We can all have the same hammer and same nail but when it comes to driving it cleanly, some might hit the nail squarely and others, well dent the wood. The bottomline, the quality comes from the photographer.
Audio is everything in video production and the best is the Zoom H6. The is our principle recording for our major productions. The simplicity of the Zoom H6 along with its versatility when combined with its audio recording quality (and its low) price make it the secret in video recording. I would have loved to record this video with the Zoom but I would have been tied up in cables trying to make it work. Watch the video, you’ll understand. And get the Zoom H6!
The new Think Tank Advantage Plus not only replaces the original Advantage but also the Airstream and Int’l for me! It still fits in the overhead of small regional jets while being a tad bigger permitting us to carry a tad more gear. The Advantage Plus does a great job of making our gear easily accessible while protecting it. The video should answer all your questions and why you might just want the Advantage Plus!
I’ve been coming to witness the magic of Bosque del Apache for nearly thirty years. A major part of that magic is what we affectionately call “The Blastoff.” That’s when the thousands upon thousands of Snow Geese explode off the field or water and in mass fly overhead. It’s just absolutely one of the magnificent spectacles of the wild world. I’ve photographed it many times but the 24×30 prints have fallen short of bringing this wonder to life. This issue for me is the detail in each individual goose lacking, not clearly defined. That shortfall is now a thing of the past. The D850 / 18-35AFS captured that detail clearly bringing home for me the memory that has long been locked in my heart. So for me, there’s no doubt that yes, the D850 detail wins the day!
