Fall is in the air

As summer comes to a close, once again I am going to search for a way to update my blog and my exposure site with my images and words.  I have a number of photo essays in the pipeline along with some exciting new photo workshop opportunities to talk about.  

Gear is always a part of my photography life, no matter how much I wish it wasn't.  After a year of trying to come to grips with the complexities of the Sony A7rii, I have finally given up and moved on. While the IQ from the little beast of a camera was beautiful, I could just never come to grips with the number of buttons and the overall complexity of the menus.  If I put the camera down for more than a few weeks and then picked it back up again for a shoot, I found myself lost in the myriad of menu options. So, in the end, the Sony is gone.

Reflections | Leica SL, 24-90 Vario Elmarit SL

I have now been playing with the Leica SL for two weeks, and will make a decision shortly on how or if that camera can meet my needs.  The IQ from the camera is classic Leica and their is no doubt that paired with M glass it is a dream to shoot.  However, the size, weight and cost of additional SL glass is definitely a liability.  More on that shortly.

This past week, Nikon has announced the release of the D850.  As a long time Nikon photographer I have been rooting for them for some time. The D800 and D810 were two of the finest cameras I have ever shot with.  To this date, the images I captured with those cameras are some of my favorites of all time.  With that in mind, I took the plunge and put a pre-order in for the D850.  Having been privy to some early thoughts on this camera, I believe it is going to be a blockbuster unit for Nikon.  I am definitely looking forward to putting it through its paces.  More to come once that unit ships.

Zeiss Loxia 21 Testing

I continue to thoroughly enjoy shooting with the little Loxia 21.  It is as close to a 'Leica' glass feel as I have experienced with the Sony A7rii.  I have a running set of images on my stories site with sample images so please jump over there for more imagery from the A7rii/Loxia 21 combination.

In a few words or less, this is a simply stunning lens.  The build quality is spectacular.  The aperture ring and focus ring are buttery smooth, which makes manual operation a dream.  Paired with the A7Rii peaking and zoom capability, focus is easy, quick and very precise.  

If I had one nit about the lens, it would be what others have already stated.  The mount is just a bit small for removing the lens.  If it were a tad bigger, with more separation from the aperture ring, removal of the lens would be just like any other lens.  However, due to its small size, removal is a tad difficult.  All in all, I would say that is purely a minor complaint and one that is easily overcome with practice.

I will continue to update my story site over the next several days with images and then I move on to testing out the Zeiss 25 Batis; the Sony-Zeiss 35/1.4 and the Sony 35/2.8.  

The quest for a complete strap system

I think most photographers have serious gear issues -- not only with regards to Cameras and Lenses but also with accessories.  Specifically bags and straps.  While I won't even begin to go into my bag issues, I am now looking to sort out my strap system.

For too long I have wanted a quick and easy way to switch out straps across my cameras.  There are times when I love having a wrist strap, but then want to switch out to a sling.  Some times I have a super light setup going and don't need a big strap, but then at other times, I have a heavier setup and want to switch to an appropriate strap.

So, in my quest to solve my issues, I am making an investment into the Peak Designs systems.  I love the idea of the quick connectors along with their diverse set of straps/slings and wrist straps.  I will have a running dialogue on what I find and how this works, but for now I have made the investment to put quick connects on my bodies and L plates and have acquired the Slide; the Slide Lite; and the Clutch.  So far my impressions are very, very positive. 

Below is a comparison of the Slide and the Slide Lite, with the latter attached to the Leica Q.  I think for that small mirrorless body both the Lite and the Clutch will be absolutely perfect.

Next is an image of the A7Rii with the Zeiss 55/1.8 attached using the Slide strap.  With this lens combination I think it is right on the edge of being too much.  However, with the 90 Macro or even the 55 plus the battery grip, the heavier strap just feels more comfortable than the Lite version.  I will update this post with more information as I get to spend time with each of the combinations.  For now, I am definitely very pleased.

Porcelain Rocket Slinger

Scott Felter, the mastermind at Porcelain Rocket, has continued to push the boundaries of ultralight backpacking bags.  Scott has been helping me with my travels by bike for the last 4 years and I am extremely grateful not only for his support but for his creativity.

For quite some time I know that not only I, but other bike photographers have been looking for a solution to easily carry and protect our camera gear on our bikes.  We have all gone through a host of solutions, some elegant, and some not so much.  I am sure that most of us have tried making crap, using backpacks, repurposing other bits of kit, all in an attempt to come up with a solution that safely carries our cameras; keeps them close at hand; and most importantly, keeps them off of our backs.

I am happy to say, that after seeing the prototypes I am now the proud recipient of one of Scott's new 'Slinger' bags.  This is a super light bag that in similar fashion to 'Feed Bags', attaches to the handlebars, fork and stem to create a secure location for carrying a small DSLR, mirrorless camera or range finder.  I personally shoot primarily with a rangefinder, but there are definitely situations where I will use a DSLR like the Nikon D810 or even a small mirrorless camera like the Fuji X100T.

Scott's new Slinger fits the bill perfectly with more than enough space for a DSLR and small zoom or fixed lens.  For a rangefinder or mirrorless camera, there is enough space in there for a camera, lens and second lens. The pictures below who the bag mounted to the Salsa Mukluk.  The 3rd picture shows the bag with a D810/50 combination.  Plenty of room in there for a longer fixed lens or a moderate zoom.

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I head to Ireland for 3 weeks of photography and bikes starting next week and then am off to Alaska for 3 weeks of winter touring and photography.  I look forward to putting the Slinger through its paces and will provide a bit of running commentary on Instagram as to how it works.

Scott -- GREAT JOB!!

Shooting Small Jpegs

Traveling with a DSLR that uses both CF and SD cards may allow you the utmost flexibility in capture format and processing requirements. My Nikon allows me to save full Raw files to the CF card while also writing Jpegs to the SD card. An added bonus is the ability to control the size of the Jpeg files, with a setting of Jpeg Small.

In my case I stored them as small jpegs that would be easy to edit from my IPad Mini and also require minimal storage requirements. For my 8 week trip I used more than a dozen CF cards but only a single 16gb SD card. I was able to use the IPad Mini to cobble together a workflow that allowed me to do basic edits and then social media sharing of images to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and my Squarespace blog.

Importing small jpegs into the Ipad Mini

I am still searching for the optimal way to do this processing and once I get it sorted out I will do a separate post on UL travel photograph with an iPad.

Snapseed (Nik/Google) is by far the best editing app on the Ipad

Playing with the little Fuji X10

I had the chance to play with a Fuji X10, the small, single lens camera that really kicked off the Fuji revolution. The X10 was followed closely by the successful release of an entire line of X Series cameras including the X100, X-1 Pro, XE-1 and now the new X100s and X20.... Whew, that was a mouthful. One thing is for sure, Fuji has found a niche that is built around nicely retro styled cameras, outstanding optics, and very good image quality. No camera in their line has caused more of a shakeup than the X100 and X100s, but that story is for another day.

The X10/X20 interests me as a camera that you could carry with you all the time with its small body, solid build and wide to tele zoom. The question I am asking myself is does this little camera scratch the itch of a small do it all portable camera. I will write up my complete thoughts over the next couple of days after looking at more images, but in the meantime here are a couple of images, JPegs with only slight processing. These images represent the types of captures I have increasingly been getting with my cell phone, simply because i don't have a really small camera with me at all times.

The B&W is straight out of the camera using the B&W film mode.

You can help support the site and my adventures by purchasing items through my Amazon links. It costs you nothing and I get a small percentage of each Purchase.

Fujifilm X10 12 MP EXR CMOS Digital Camera with f2.0-f2.8 4x Optical Zoom Lens and 2.8-Inch LCD

Fujifilm X100S 16 MP Digital Camera with 2.8-Inch LCD (Silver)

In Front of the Lens

I have spent the better part of my life photographing people places and things, with more than 20 years as a professional. However, during all that time I rarely, if ever, get to be the subject. The first time, on my Bike Around America tour, I had the honor of working with my good friend Andrea, of Andrea Johnson Photography. She and I met up in Oregon and did a fun shoot about touring wineries by bike. No offense Dan, but she was prettier.

Now, almost two years later, I got to be a subject for Adventure Photographer Dan Bailey. Dan is a master teacher of photography and needed a subject for a Photoflex flash course he is teaching. We decided to grab the fat tire bikes, my Mukluk and his Fatback, two small backpacks of gear, and head out into the Chugach mountains at sunset for some shooting.

Dan had us ride for about 45 minutes or so, scouting locations and light, before deciding on the appropriate place to shoot. We found this lovely stretch of tree lined single track with the glow of sunset beaming down on us. It was a beautiful spot to be, independent of the actual shoot. With his super light and compact Photoflex gear, it only took Dan a couple of minutes to set up the soft box and light. My role during that time was to shoot some stills with the fabulous little Fuji X10, a camera that is on my must purchase list for UL travel photography. The B&W pictures below are from my little Sony NEX system.

I have to say, after being a model twice, I have great respect for models that do this full time. Dan was patient with me as I rode back and forth along this 50 foot stretch of trail. At the end of each run I would un-clip, flip my bike around and do it all over again. Dan worked steadily, adjusting lights, switching lenses and contorting himself Into some crazy positions on and in the snow. We joked and laughed and just had a fabulous time.

Myself, well I am a natural light photographer, rarely, if ever using flash, so for me this was a great education. Dan on the other hand really knows how to light up the action. Below are some of the pictures I took from a behind the scenes perspective. The bottom color images are from Dan and the actual shoot.

To see the images that Dan captured head on over to danbaileyphoto.com. More of my pictures from last night are up on my Flickr page.

For more on Dan check out his website, www.danbaileyphoto.com and by all means pick up his latest Ebook, Behind the Action (http://danbaileyphoto.com/blog/get-my-brand-new-ebook-behind-the-action/)