Welcome Acratech Tripod Heads!

I want to say welcome to yet another new sponsor to The Digital Trekker, Acratech tripod ballheads. As I write this it just doesn't sound real sexy. But trust me, these babies are just that, sexy. I went after Acratech because one of our participants on this past Lumen Dei was using their GV2 Ballhead. The tooling of this ball head is sweet, more like a sculpture rather than a tool. I am being completely honest here. Look at the images below. Plus the gimbal action make this a very utilitarian head as well. Want to see this baby in action? Check out the YouTube video below.



I can't wait to get my hands on the GV2, it's light weight and open design makes it ideal for the type of shooting I do. Many other ballheads, and I am not excluding the big names out there, have their ball and socket design incased in some sort of housing. When dirt and grime get inside the housing the head starts to have friction and the movement no longer stays smooth. Not with the exposed design of the Acratech heads and being oilless and greaseless the ball will not attract and hold dirt and debris. Very smart! I told you they were light weight; they are less than 1 lb (.45kg). A concern with it being so light is, will it support the weight of a 5D (MKII ;) and a 70-200 2.8 lens? Apparently it does, and in fact easily holds over 25 lbs (11.4kg) at any angle. They are made with a quick release clamp that is compatible with most major manufactures QR plates. The one thing I was concerned about was the quick release clamp. It is a screw mechanism rather than a latch. But reading reviews of users, they all seem to get used to it quickly and in fact love it. I have not actually used this head for any extended amount of time. But I am getting my own in November, until then I want to point you to a very in depth review over at The-Digital-Picture.com, so check it out until I can post my own review here.

So a hearty welcome goes out to Scott Dordick and the great team at Acratech.

In other news; Lexar has posted a video I made for them on Lightroom 2. You can find it at their Digital Photography page HERE. While you are there checkout some of the other videos I have done for them. I have one on Toning and one on using the Displace Filter in CS 3 as well as some articles. David DuChemin has a plethora of articles there as well. Even Scott Kelby has posted some tips on the site. Go poke around and say hi to our friends at Lexar.

This is my Friday, so I'll see you back here on Monday, Malaysian time.

New ThinkTank Product Coming Our Way.

Photo by Dave Seah

All kinds of fun stuff head this way. ThinkTank Photo, a sponsor of this blog has some neat new gear.

First there is the Airport AirStream. This is a scaled down version of the other Airport bags ThinkTank makes. I use the Airport International and love it! So, a much smaller roller bag with all the domestic and international regulations met. Nice.


The not long ago ThinkTank released the Urban Disguise 35. Like the other Urban Disguise bags it is made not to look much like a camera bag. Again, this bag is a smaller version of the one I use the Urban Disguise 60, which by the way I love as well! So if you plan to do some travel or street photography and want to look less like a photographer with thousands of dollars worth of gear over your shoulder, you might give this bag a try. It holds up to a 13.3” laptop with a standard-size SLR or up to a 10” laptop with a Pro-size SLR with lens attached. It features a large opening for easy access to equipment and can be attached to a roller. It can be used as a backpack with the Shoulder Harness (sold separately).

And finally ThinkTank will be giving us a new bag scheduled to be released in December. Having not seen this bag nor even heard much about it till yesterday I can't say a lot outside of what my buddy Brian at ThinkTank has passed my way. So I will just quote you directly from the press release:

Shape Shifter™, the first backpack designed to expand and contract to fit DSLR equipment. By contracting down to 3 inches, the backpack keeps photographers from having to carry around a large foam box on their backs once their equipment is removed.

The Shape Shifter was designed for:
Photographers that want a lightweight solution with significantly less foam and padding than traditional photo backpacks;

Photographers that travel a great deal by airplane and public transportation that want to carry the maximum amount of equipment in the smallest package possible;

Photographers that want to reduce the size of the backpack after their gear is removed. (Note: some gear can remain in the front, like two strobes, and it can still be compressed to the smaller size with the zipper);

Photographers that use modular belt systems. After they remove most of their gear and put it on their belt, they then can then collapse the backpack;

Photographers on the run that must travel with up to 17” laptops and have the necessary accessories with them to transmit images.

Product Features

The Shape Shifter can be compressed to 3 inches in width once equipment is removed.

Once the majority of photo gear is removed, the bag can be collapsed and the photographer can still carry up to a 17” laptop and accessories, but in a much smaller package.

Rear compartment for up to 17” laptops has medium padding for protection and comfort.

Photographers can to wear their belt system, with components attached, and still support the weight of the backpack with the belt.

The inside compartment has neoprene pouches for:
2 Pro DSLR bodies
1 70-200 2.8 with hood reversed
1 24-70 2.8 or similar with hood reversed
1 16-35 2.8 or similar with hood reversed
Stretch pockets on the inside can also hold two strobes and other accessories

Includes a strap system to mount either a monopod or tripod on the front the backpack.

Padding on the back has an airflow system for breathability and comfort.


Technical Specifications

Outer Dimensions when COLLAPSED: 20 x 12.5 x 3” ( 51 x 32 x 8 cm)
Outer Dimensions when EXPANDED: 20 x 12.5 x 7” ( 51 x 32 x 18 cm)
Inner Dimensions of the LAPTOP CASE compartment: 19 x 12 x 1.5” (48 x 30.5 x 4 cm)
Inner Dimensions of the DSLR Camera compartment (Note that because there are neoprene pockets to hold the photo gear, the normal internal dimensions stated have less meaning): 19.5 x 12 x 4” (49.5 x 30.5 x 10 cm)
Estimated Base Weight (without any straps or accessories attached: 3 lbs, 13 oz (1729 grams)

This bag looks really exciting and quite frankly screams for a review by Fish over at Flying With Fish. He loves traveling with a backpack to carry his gear. Fish, this might just well replace your North Face Surge. I know I sure want to get my hands on it. A Oh, gear lust!

Welcome to Keen Footwear.

This image was taken by the highly regarded photographer, David DuChemin!

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome a new sponsor to The Digital Trekker, Keen Footwear. Keens are just about the best...ok, they are the best sandal I have put on my feet. They are comfortable, stylish and very durable. I have several pair and even my daughter has the kid's version of the Newport H2 as well. But, the cool thing about the Keen company s not just their shoes, and they have a lot of them, and not just sandals either. The cool thing is their commitment to the environment and to the world community. Here it is in their own words from their site:

We believe that people want to do the right thing.

Inspired by the effects of the tsunami disaster in 2004, we have dedicated both time and financial resources to social and environmental organizations actively working towards the greater good. We honor our employees' commitment to volunteerism, support our local community and embrace corporate responsibility. We call it Hybrid.Care.

Since 2004, KEEN has distributed more than $1.5 million to non-profit organizations important to us. With limited resources and widely different goals, our Hybrid.Care partners have paved the way for change through community, education and understanding. What these organizations share is a philosophy of caring, conscience and sustainability. What they've already given back is invaluable.

The Venice H2

These guys fit so well with my focus on NGOs (Non-Government Organizations) and humanitarian work. For more information on Keen Footwear visit their site HERE. I am thrilled that Keens are now available in Malaysia. Now I don't have to travel so far for a great pair of shoes! So I am excited to call Keen a new sponsor. Welcome Keen Footwear.

PhotoFlex A Super LiteDisc!

(Click image to make larger)
Photoflex 5'n1 MultiDiscs at work in the field.

An image from the shoot above.

We were fortunate to have a new sponsor of Lumen Dei at the last minute. The fine folks at Photoflex were kind enough to give us a whole suitcase full of 5'n1 MultiDiscs and a couple of Black LiteDiscs. (thanks Rosane for hauling these from the US to India!) Photoflex wanted to see how they would work in the field.

What is a 5'n1 you might ask? The MultiDisc 5'n1 offers five reflector surfaces; translucent, white, silver, gold, and soft gold; all zipped up into one small package. We were given the 42" MultiDisc . These are really rather large, but collapsed quite small and once distributed they were very easy to carry or pack. In fact some of us used a carabiner and just clipped them onto our Think Tank belts.

Using the translucent disc to defuse the light and give soft shadows.

Everyone got a chance to shoot.

Using them in the street was not easy. We did use them in one village setting without much trouble. But they did draw a lot of attention, so we were quite content to use them on models. Now, let me say here that people do use reflectors in street photography. But with 9 photographers prowling the streets of a small village, it was just too much. Our job was to capture life in our cameras not make the local news.

Here I used the Black Disc as a backdrop to give the feel of shooting in a doorway and the soft gold on the models face.

We managed to arrange a cultural show for our group. We then paid four of the dancers to stick around and model for us. It was great! Already in local clothing these models, being performers really knew of to work a camera. We divided the team into four groups of two and had each of the four performers make a modeling station. We then gave each group 10 minutes to shoot each model. David DuChemin and I floated between stations and helped show the team members how to use the MultiDisc. Sometimes the gold was just too harsh, yet other times it bathed the subject with just the right amount of light. We showed the group how to flag and defuse light as well as use the black reflector as a backdrop.

Even local our guides found a use for the LiteDiscs. Super Photoflex Man!

The team learned that lighting doesn't have to be complicated nor costly. Over all the MultiDisc 5'n1 and the Black LiteDiscs performed as well as the dancers, flawless.

Welcome Think Tank Photo

This is a difficult blog post for me in one way and, yet, in another way I write it with excitement. Lowepro has been my flagship sponsor now for about three years. They have come to my aide on several occasions. Like when I got stuck in the US after the British Airport Authority changed their carry on regulations. Lowepro sent me an Omi Trekker that met the new standards. I have nothing bad to say about this great bag company, they truly set the industry standard for years. However, I find myself using Think Tank Photo products more and more. Obviously, I travel a lot and Think Tank gear seems to meet this niche better than Lowepro does at this point. Think Tank is a smaller company that is growing in reputation and market share. So, it is with mixed emotions that I bid a fond farewell to Lowepro and that I announce my newest sponsor, Think Tank Photo. Please check out their web site and all their great gear HERE.

Review: ThinkTank's Modular Belt System

Photos of Matt by Keith Talley

Click on the photos to enlarge them.

I have gone through many camera bags. I have used and abused several Lowepro bags and a ThinkTank Photo bag or two. I have finally come to the conclusion there is no one perfect bag. You don't know how hard that is to say. It has been my quest to find that all elusive perfect bag. For trekking with a camera, the Lowepro Vertex 200 AW II is really close. But for international travel and shooting in urban environments I have yet to find the perfect bag. I guess it is because of all the different settings I find myself in, from airports and airplanes to hot and humid crowded streets. But I certainly have found a winning combination for now. It is a combination of a carryon and a modular belt system.

I have for the past year or so used the Lowepro Stealth Reporter 200 when I shoot in urban environments. I like the size and ease of access to the gear. But a couple of things I don't like is that it doesn't provide enough pockets and storage space to use as a carryon, and it is a little too big to stick in my suitcase. Plus, as I get older, all the weight of gear hanging off my shoulder all day gets really old. So what I have come up with is a bit of a jury rig for sure, but it seems to work.

I now carry or rather pull, a North Face Doubletrack 21” convertible pack. This bag is carry-on-legal and comes with a zip off backpack for easy-to-access essentials like my noise reduction headphones, journal, pens, passport and reading material. In the main compartment of the Doubletrack I pack my lens, camera body, passport drives, cables and card readers as well as my 17” MacBook Pro. Here is the cool part that I have to pat myself on my back about: I pack all this gear in ThinkTank's Modular Pro modules and the computer goes into the ThinkTank's Artificial Intelligence 17. This has two advantages over standard gear wraps. Where gear wraps may save a few inches of space they do only one thing, protect the gear. But the modules protect the gear and serve as a carry system once I arrive on site. Not only do the modules carry each lens and the body, I also pack the Pro Speed Belt and Pixel Racing Harness. So I arrive ready to shoot even if my checked bags get lost in Dubai.

This last trip to Sumatra, Indonesia was the first time I shot using the modular system. I have to confess, it took a little getting used to, but after an hour or so shooting in 98º heat and the same humidity, I loved it. I am convinced that this system has saved my back and has kept me cooler than any vest could do. I have always liked the feel of vests and found them helpful, but I have yet to find one that was not uncomfortably hot to wear.

On this trip, I used only one body, but took my standard work horse set of lens; 70-200/2.8, 24-70/2.8, 85/1.8 (I love this lens!) and my 17-40/4. I used each of these equally. The first day I shot with just the Pro Speed Belt. But soon found with all the sweating I was doing and the weight of the lens, the belt began to slip down my waste and I found my self always pulling it back up to above my hips where it felt comfortable. But, once I attached the Pixel Racing Harness all was fine. The weight was distributed very comfortably between my hips and my shoulders. I could even loosen up the belt again after having tightened it before. Breathing is enjoyable and the harness allowed me to do it once more.
Here is a little trick I learned on this trip. In high humidity I sweat...a lot. It won't take long before I have sweat burning in my eyes and if I have sunscreen on, it is very painful and can really impede shooting. The Pixel Racing Harness has D rings on the shoulder straps and two little stretchy spandex type pockets. I used one of the small pockets to put my phone/gps in. This assured that the gps got great reception while I was shooting. I wanted this as I was planning to geotag my images from this trip. The D ring came in very handy. I had bought a small MSR microfiber towel for travel in Indonesia. Usually I take a keffiyeh, a middle eastern scarf along and throw it over my neck. It doubles as a rag to wipe the sweat and as a “do-rag” to protect from the sun. But at times it gets in the way. On this trip I took the microfiber towel and clipped it to the D ring on the harness and then stuffed the remainder of the towel in the module designed for a water bottle. It worked perfectly. This is a small thing, but really helpful, as the towel is very absorbent and stuffing it into the water bottle module kept it out of the way while I was shooting and with it being microfiber, at night I would wash it out and it would be dry by morning.

The way I had the belt configured was with four modules. On the left was the water bottle module called R U Thirsty? and the Lens Changer 75 for my 70-200. On the right I had the Lens Changer 50: For my 24-70 with hood attached and the Lens Drop In. One aspect I was not thrilled with, but it was only a minor irritant, was that once I put the harness on, the back of the belt became wasted space. I am not flexible enough to twist around and reach and use any module on the small of my back and with the harness on I could not spin the belt around to the front like I could before. So this left me with only four modules and one of those I was using to store my towel. And when it came time to change lenses, I felt like I needed an extra hand. I would liked to have had one more module as a place to put the lens I was removing in order to free up my hands to grab the other lens as needed. Maybe not an issue for others, but for me it was an irritant for sure. Having just looked at ThinkTanks website, I think they may have resolved this issue with their new Belly Dancer harness. This looks complicated but efficient. It is nothing more than a harness attached backwards (see image) thus giving you more space in the front where the buckle once was. Brilliant! Also they have a new set of modules they call their Skin Set, lighter weight and no padding. It remains to be seen if they will work as a way to pack the lens in my carryon.

Over all I was very happy with the ThinkTank Pro Modular system. It functioned well, saved my back and kept me from overheating. The only downside was that once I attached the harness, I lost some usable space on the belt. But this seems to be resolved in the new system using the Belly Dancer harness

In closing this review, I want to thank Brian and the folks at ThinkTank for their participation in this year's Lumen Dei Workshop in India.


How I pack the The North Face Doubletrack 21" :

1. ThinkTank's Artificial Intelligence 17; 17” MacBook Pro
2. ThinkTank's Lens Changer 75; 70-200/2.8
3. ThinkTank's Lens Changer 50; 24-70/2.8
4. ThinkTank's Speed Changer; 5D Body
5. ThinkTank's Lens Changer 25; 17-40/4
6. ThinkTank's Lens Drop In; 85/1.8
7. LowePro Cable bag
8. ThinkTank's Pixel Racing Harness
9. ThinkTank's Speed Belt
10. Compartment for a change of clothing
11. The North Face Doubletrack Zip off Daypack
12. The North Face Doubletrack 21” Carryon
13. ThinkTank's Pixel Pocket Rocket -Flash Card Storage
14. ThinkTank's Bum Bag; Sony Noise Canceling Headphones

The Lowepro Fastpack 350... Great gear for your gear

By Chase Bowers

I recently had the opportunity to try out the Lowepro Fastpack 350 (the red version) on a trip through Sumatra, Bangka, and Belitung in Indonesia. I was assisting NGO and travel photographer Matt Brandon on the trip. We took daily treks through cities and villages, along river banks and through jungles.

I am not a professional photographer, but I had several pieces of equipment essential for my daily travels that this bag handled well. In the bottom section of the bag I carried a point and shoot, a camcorder, a mini tripod, an audio recorder, some of the wiring associated with each of these, and 2 sd cards that fit securely in velcro pockets made just for them. This portion of the bag has velcro dividers that were very convenient as I was able to set up the bag to meet my specific needs on the journey. Inside the bottom flap I carried my travel documents along with copies of them, and my power adapter for my MacBook.

In the main top section I carried a pda with accessories, pens and headphones, along with international electric converters and a card reader. In the outer top section I carried a small book, snack bars, drink powder packs, batteries, and an aftermarket all weather cover. I never needed the rain cover as the water resistant material on the bag worked fine against the occasional light shower that passed. In the laptop section I carried my 13 inch MacBook.

I found the Fastpack 350 a delight to carry. It was lighter than my previous day pack, though I was carrying more equipment in the Lowepro bag. The weight distribution system involving shoulder adjustments, a sternum strap, and a waist buckle helped me get through the 14 day trip without any back or shoulder pain, which is a rarity for me.
Also, I was able to quickly get to both cameras and the tripod while leaving the bag on my left shoulder (it slides right around the torso for very fast access). This was nice when I needed footage or photos quickly. When the bag was tossed in the back of our SUV, or laid on the ground in a village, dirt wiped away easily. It held a water bottle securely and the mesh pouch also served as a resting place for the camcorder when I needed to set it aside for just a moment.

Also, for travel in the cities, the setup of the bag keeps both computer and cameras secure against snatching when it is with you. When I did not have the computer with me, the notebook compartment held small purchases so my hands remained free. Having traveled with a variety day packs over the last several years, I have finally found one with the look, ease of use, and carry capability I need.

I thought a small drawback to the bag would be the lack of an all weather cover, but the one I bought aftermarket was inexpensive and fit nicely into the bag without hindering my packing room. And I never needed the cover as the water resistance held off the light rain of occasional showers very well. This bag has a cool look, a great feel, and the versatility I need for trips all over the world. -- CB

The Fastpack doubled as a pillow.

New Lexar Video Posted

Lexar finally got around to posting my new video I produced for them. It is a quick look at how to publish your own book on blurb. Check it out: Here.



Make sure you check out the other great lessons from photo pros like my buddy David duChemin as well as Scott Kelby,Mike Fox, Moose Peterson, David Honl and others. A veritable Whose Who of pro photographers. All right Here.