Moo Business Cards
Business Cards (standard) starting at $21.99 (USD) for 50 cards
MiniCards: Starting at $19.99 (USD) for 100 cards
100% Recycled Paper Options Available

Despite the digital age, business cards are still the most prominent way to share contact information about you and your business.  In fact, I feel the digital age has actually made business cards more relevant.  Small side businesses have sprung up left and right, and the photography world is no exception.  Some, like myself, are selling their works as fine art or as stock photography.  Such side businesses are reason enough to have a calling card.  And your business card is extremely important.  They are personal and in many cases serve as a first impression.  Moo, a maker of custom paper products including business cards and postcards, seemed to fit the bill.

I’ll admit that I was introduced to Moo by one of their marketing associates.  Timing was perfect of course – I was looking to redo my business cards.  I wanted something more personal, and I wanted something that was economical.  So my introduction to the company came at an opportune time.  Moo was nice enough to provide a sample set of business cards for my review.  But in case you fear biased on my part, let me assure you that this is not the case here.  I will of course discuss why I like the business cards in greater detail.  However, to clear the air up front – let me attest that I am already nearing the end of my first package of 50 cards, and I will be ordering more cards from Moo.

Moo’s Offerings

My set: 50 standard business cards on 100% recycled paper

Moo doesn’t make just business cards.  They also produce greeting cards, postcards and sell a number of accessories such as frames and card holders.  These products are certainly an added bonus to photographers – especially those sending out postcard mailers.  But it’s clear that business cards are their primary focus.  Moo offers two different sized business cards:  Standard sized (7.17″ x 3.31″) as well as MiniCards (2.76″ x 1.1″).  Prices are quite reasonable, even with customization.  The standard business cards start at $21.99 (USD) for a pack of $50 and the MiniCards are available in packs of 100 for about $19.99 (USD).  Bulk discounts are also available if you’re ordering more than 200 Standard or 400 MiniCards.

Regardless of what product you select, Moo’s real advantage is the opportunity to print every single card differently.  You can use your own art or photos and you can customize the look of both sides of the cards.  You can even have different artwork on one side of the card for each and every card.  That means that if you order a pack of 50, you can upload 50 photos and use a different one on every single card, yet still have the same contact information and presentation on the other side.  I uploaded several of my own photos to serve as the back for my business cards.  The print quality is exceptional – so I consider my business cards almost like a mini-portfolio in my pocket.  In fact, on several occasions, I laid out all of the different cards out for perspective clients and associates to see.  After observing all of my best photos, I let them select which card they wish to keep.  One of my clients admitted keeping the business card on her bulletin board simply because she loved it so much.  Well, guess who she’s going to think of first when she wishes to buy another photograph?  This is why I love the cards so much.

The MiniCards have an appeal of being unique and having a small footprint.  It certainly stands out from the typical business card by size alone.  I spoke to one photographer who uses the MiniCards and she loves them.  She allegedly has received many compliments on the size of them alone.  As I am a bit more traditional in my ways, I opted to go with the standard sized business cards.  Premium card stock is Moo’s standard paper.  But they also offer a Moo Green option made of 100% recycled and biodegradable material.  My cards made out of the Moo Green material.  My first impression:  The cards are fantastic.  As I already mentioned, the print quality is quite good, the finish and durability of the cards is impressive and I absolutely love the cards.

How It Works

Designing cards with Moo is pretty simple and easy to do.  In the most basic setup, you would upload all of your photos that you’d like to use through their web interface.  If you have a Flickr, Facebook, Smugmug or Etsy account, you can choose to import photos/artowork from those sites as well.  This wasn’t my own methodology, so I cannot personally attest for this process.  An artist I spoke pulled a number of photos of the products he makes from Etsy, and he had nothing but great things to say about the process.  Alternatively, you can simply use one of their pre-designed card backs featuring a number of color schemes and patterns.  But as photographers, you’d be crazy not to take the opportunity to upload your own works.

Once all your photos are uploaded, you will have an opportunity to crop the images how you’d like.  After a brief preview of the backs, you will then fill out what you want on the “info” side of the card and you’re done.  The info side can also support photos or graphic designs that you can also upload.  But the info side will be the same for all cards in the package.  As I already mentioned, you can have a different image for each of the backs in your set – you are limited only by the size of your set.  If you want to order 200 cards each with its own photo, you can do that.

The information side is somewhat limited in what you can do through its online interface.  Serious designers have the option to upload their own graphics in lieu of the text that can be added through the Moo interface.  If you have specific branding or if you’d like to control every aspect of the design, this may very well be your best course of action.  Otherwise, the interface does allow you to change colors, fonts, layout and so on.  But you’re limited to a handful of fonts, colors and layouts.  For that matter, you only have the option to control the color of the text or the color of the background – not both.  But despite its shortcomings, there are still a great deal of customization that you can do with the online interface.  But as I said, if you’re willing to design off-line and then upload the design (PDF, JPG or PNG format) of the information side, you have unlimited control.

The Finished Product

Info sides are all the same. Back varies - up to as many alternatives as are in your pack.

It takes a few days for them to print, but I cannot complain about the time frames.  This is quality on-demand printing.  In my experience, such on-demand printing often takes longer.  The cards arrived in a protected bubble-wrapped envelope.  They are stored in a dense cardboard box which can be used for storage and doubles as a place to keep other people’s cards as well.  Moo even provides tabs to keep them organized.  According to the packaging, the box itself is also made of 100% recycled material.  I do not know if that is their typical, or if that is the case because I ordered Moo Green cards.  Also in the box is a reference card noting the batch number and of course the order reference number.  This information will help you reorder your business cards – exactly as you designed them.  But if you create an account on their website, they will also save the information for you to make reordering even easier.  And just for fun, the batch reference card also doubles as a buzzword bingo card for your big corporate meetings.

The print quality of the cards is exceptional.  The cards feature edge-bleed printing.  The colors were beautiful and very true to the source images that I provided.  I even threw a couple of really challenging photos into the deck – at least from a color reproduction perspective – and Moo passed my test.  As I mentioned, I spoke with a few other photographers that used Moo.  One of them mentioned that her cards printed a little darker than she expected – yet I didn’t have such problems.  My business cards were incredibly color accurate.  Though I didn’t not inquire as to that photographer’s setup, I suspect that the case is very likely a color management issue.  I use color management in my studio, and thus I suspect that my source images were color accurate from the start.

As for the paper – remember that I selected the Moo Green option, which is 100% recycled paper.  I try to use recycled paper as often as possible, but sometimes the recycled papers are not always of great quality.  Moo’s Green papers are a heavy card stock with a nice matte finish.  I was quite surprised how heavy the card were.  The paper serves as a fantastic base for the printing.  I have not had any experience with Moo’s other paper options, but I would certainly order the Green option again.

In the end, my new business cards are fantastic.  Moo met each and every one of my goals:  An economical option that is eye catching with an incredible print quality. With the relatively small batch sizes – a pack of 50 as compared to my old business cards which required a minimum set of 250 – the choice is almost a no-brainer.  Moo’s business cards are certainly something I’d recommend to anyone.  It really is like a little portfolio in your pocket.

Things We Liked

• Can upload own graphics/photos for both sides of card.
• Each and every card can be completely unique.
• Easy-to-use interface.
• Easy to import through Flickr, Etsy and more.
• The business cards were well received among potential clients and associates.
• Print quality is exceptional:  Color accurate, edge-bleed printing, clean fonts.
• The option to print small batches.

Things We Didn’t Like

• Not many color or font options for information side.
• Cannot edit items once in your cart.
• Does not save all photos between editing sessions (if creating more than one product).

Lensbaby Composer

Get it at Amazon.com or at B&H Photo
($269.95 USD)

(Note – links are to search results. Make sure to select a version that fits your camera.)

In the photography world, precision and perfection is often the topic of discussion, especially as we’re learning our craft.  We read articles explaining the best way to get tack sharp focus, or how best to eliminate camera shake.  Proper focusing techniques, choosing the correct depth of field and composition are also common topics.  In learning how to be perfect, two things are often lost:  Fun and Creativity.   Oh what a boring world we’d have if fun and creativity were forgotten.

Creative blocks create a mess of problems.  When faced with the pit of despair and stagnation, we often look to our equipment.  Perhaps we need a new camera?  Perhaps a new lens might help?  We scrounge the internet and magazines for the next thing – the next acquisition that will hopefully get out of our slump.  Yet we are faced with expensive options that – lets face it – won’t really help us do what we want.  What we really need is to be a little loose.  What we really need is to make photography fun again.  And that’s a void that Lensbaby hopes to fill.  For the purpose of review, Lensbaby was kind enough to loan me a Lensbaby Composer with Double Glass optics (I’ll explain the different lenses and optics later).

The Lensbaby System

"Survivor" (f/4, 1/60)

Lensbaby is a manufacturer of creative lenses where the focusing plane is adjustable and variable.  Among their product line are three lenses:  The Muse, a free form composition lens; The Composer, a smoother composition lens; and the Control Freak, where the term “tweak” doesn’t really explain the level of control you have over the lens.  Lensbaby’s mission is to provide fun and creative lens systems that can be adapted for whatever your creative endeavor might be.  But I also find the system to be a great way to change perspective, to get a new look.

There’s an important distinction to be made:  The Lensbaby system is not a tilt/shift lens.  Both feature an adjustable focusing plane, so many get confused.  The difference is subtle, but important.  While a tilt/shift lens’s field of focus is flat, the Lensbaby system has a curved field of focus.  The purpose of a tilt/shift lens is to correct distortion.  The Lensbaby’s curved field of focus allows for selective focus – a sweet-spot focus, if you will.

Each of the lenses serves as a framework for the optic systems.  The optics are swappable, allowing you to change out the optics for whatever effect you desire.  For the optics, you have a choice between six types:  Double Glass (clean and clear), Single Glass (for an antique look), Plastic (for the toy camera look), Pinhole, Soft Focus and Fisheye.  To compare the effects of the optics, I would highly recommend you check out the Optic Comparison at Lensbaby’s site.  And again, these are swappable, so you can have more than one set of optics for use in the same lens.

"Impervious to Light" (f/8, 1/125)

Controlling the Lensbaby lenses is about as simple as you can get.  Apertures are set by literally dropping washers with different sized openings into the optic system.  Washers can be removed using a magnet (supplied) which also doubles as a storage container for the washers not-in-use.  The focusing process varies depending on which lens you have.  For the Composer and the Control Freak, a built-in focusing ring is included.  For the free-form Muse, focusing is handled by squeezing the lens.  When it comes to setting the focusing sweet spot, the Muse – the simplest of the three – is tweaked by simply bending the lens.  The Composer has a swivel ball where you can slide the lens into place to adjust the sweet spot, and then lock it down by rotating a locking ring.  If you’re using the control freak, there are a set of three knobs to slowly, and precisely, move the lens into position.  If you’re a free-form photographer, you may find the Muse to be perfect to compliment your style.  If you’re more of a tinkerer and you carry your tripod around everywhere, the Control Freak is going to be up your alley.  And the Composer, which I have been working with, is somewhere in between with regards to the control you have.  But the level of control is where the differences between the lenses ends.  From this point on, realize that any effect achievable with one of the lenses is entirely possible with another lens.  All that changes is your approach.

As you would expect, the Lensbaby system is available for a several SLR cameras.  Lensbaby offers mount options for Canon and Nikon, of course.  But they also offer mount options that fit Pentax, Olympus 4/3rd (which also fits Leica) and Sony (the Sony also fits Dynax and Maxxum cameras).  Metering is a different story.  If you’re a Canon user or an Olympus user, your camera will most likely meter through the lens perfectly and work well in Aperture Priority mode.  But some Sony SLRs and some Nikon SLRs will work only in Manual mode.  I used a Nikon D80 for these tests, so I was working in full-manual.  Without my in-camera meter, I had to experiment a little bit.  But based on my experience, I was able to figure things out.  Note, if your in-camera meter doesn’t work, your TTL flash will also not work.  The flash will work, but you’ll need to do a manual power override.  If you are not yet accustomed to shooting in Manual Mode, you will definately want to check the FAQ for compatibility.

The Lensbaby Composer – In Use

There is a learning curve associated with almost any lens – but that curve is much steeper for the Lensbaby System.  I spent a lot more time than I would have anticipated getting used to the system.  The lens comes with a nice little tutorial explaining the best way to use the product.  But even so, you can expect to spend some time tinkering.  I don’t count this against the product, however.  The system is just nothing like I’ve ever played with.  Perhaps this is one case where my years of experience are working against me.  But thanks to the many users (and fans) of the Lensbaby products, and especially thanks to some of the users at Lensbaby’s Forums, I learned a few tricks to help me get started. Once I got over the bell of the curve, I was able to work more efficiently with the Lensbaby.

The build of the lens is somewhat misleading.  We’re all accustomed to heavy-duty lenses.  The Composer is incredibly light in comparison, even with the double-glass optics.  My initial reaction was that it felt cheap – like I was going to break it easily.  But after a month of using it, I’m fairly confident that the lens is quite durable – especially after the stress I put it through.  If you think about it, the lens is so simple that there is not an opportunity for much heft.  Even the double glass element is pretty thin – there really isn’t much glass involved, and it’s recessed deep into the lens.  The aperture rings eliminate a major mechanical element, eliminating more weight.  In the end, it seems to be quite durable.  The one thing I can’t speak to is the durability of locking ring on the Composer – I rarely used it.

Overall, the one aspect of the lens that I disliked was the Aperture system.  The system worked quite well from a photography perspective.  But using the system was less than favorable in my opinion.  Changing the aperture on the fly became a bit of a nuisance.  The rings are held in place quite well while in use, but they need to be removed using a tool which is essentially a magnet (the tool is provided).  The tool also doubles as a container that holds the rings.  But the rings are only held in with a lid – which looks like a film canister cap.  So if you want to change apertures, you need to remove the ring from the lens, open the canister, find the aperture ring you like, put all the rings back in the canister and close the lid before your done.  If you don’t keep the thing closed, you’re going to lose the rings.  In the field, it just seemed like too much to juggle around.  My clumsy fingers threatened – more than once – to fumble a ring or three onto the leaf-littered floor where I would likely have difficulty finding them again.  And finally, the apertures are labeled with a simple sticker, nothing more.  I would at least like to see the rings etched in some way.  I would also like to see more consideration given to the storage of the aperture rings when not in use.

Tips for Using the Lensbaby

Okay, so technically this is a review article and tips for its use traditionally has no place here.  But I think that the Lensbaby concept  is far outside of the comfort zone for many people.  Like any wise consumer, I would expect some of you to borrow one of these to try out before considering owning one of your own.  It’s only fair to share some of these tips simply so that you can make a fair assessment of your own.

• Less is More: Even the most subtle tweaks to the angle of the lens has a dramatic effect on the position of the sweet-spot.  I quickly learned that very slight changes are often times all you need.  After some of my best shots, I found that the lens barely looked like I moved it.
• Favorite Apertures: Having to change out aperture rings – it can be a bit of a drag.  After lots of experimentation, I found that I liked to shoot most often in f/8 and f/5.6.  I would suggest finding one or two apertures that you really like, and sticking with it.
• Composition Tip: Center the lens to focus with your subject centered in the field of view.  Then – instead of changing the lens angle – hold the front edge of the lens in place and shift/rotate the camera body to reposition the subject in your field of view.  The idea is that the subject stays with the focus.  I found this to be helpful while I was getting used to the system.
• Practice With Flat, Patterned Surfaces:  My house is brick, I practiced shooting the brick to get a better idea of how the lens reacted.  For the most part, altering the focusing plane is predictable – but you will never figure it out by focusing on a small object floating in space.
• Check Your Shots On Screen, Often: Especially if you’re shooting in manual, it’s good to check the shots in the field on the back of your camera.  Make sure you get the shot that you want, and double check your focus.

Final Thoughts

Vertigo

Before I wrap things up, I want to point out that I am consider myself obsessive compulsive photographer.  I obsess about settings and the most minuscule of details.  I was skeptical about whether I’d be able to enjoy a free-form system like the Lensbaby Composer.  But I warmed up to it – perhaps much more than I expected.  The biggest benefit to me was its impact on inspiration.  If I hit a wall, I would pull out the Lensbaby and shoot a couple of shots.  Even if all of the shots were junk (many were – my fault, not the lens’s), I was able to make a transition from the left brain to the right.  I was able to be a little more free-form and art minded.  Switching to one of my traditional lenses, I found myself in a happier place.

Is the Lensbaby for everyone?  If I could be so bold, I think that everyone would benefit by having one – if only as an exercise tool.  And at the price point – about $270 USD for the Composer as of this writing – there’s almost no reason not to have one.  But it is fair to say that many people will not be satisfied, nor would they appreciate, the quality of the images that result.  But if the concept of loose – daresay: imperfect – photographs appeal to you at some level, then I would recommend the lens.

I have but a few caveats.  First, check the FAQ to verify the lens works on your camera.  If it works only in full-manual, and you’re not yet ready for that – you’ll want to hold off.  This certainly isn’t a beginner’s lens.  Next, don’t forget about the many resources that Lensbaby offers, like the forums, their gallery.  When you’re getting started, these are going to help you get over the bell curve.

As of this writing, the Lensbaby Composer, its siblings and all of the optics and accessories are available at both of our favorite retailers: Amazon.com and at  B&H Photo.  The Composer retails just shy of $270 USD whereas the Control Freak is about $350  and the Muse is about $150 (as priced with the double-glass optics).  As I mentioned, choosing between the systems is purely a matter of preference – so I cannot recommend which would be best for your style.  What I can say is that the Composer is a nice middle-of-the-road system, and I expect that most people would be more than satisfied with the Composer.

Things We Liked:

• The “no-frills” approach – there’s nothing fancy about the lens, but that’s what makes it appealing.
• Focusing Ring – I could not imagine using the Muse, which doesn’t have a focusing ring.  The ring made life much easier.
• Interchangeable optics – you can select from double glass, single glass, plastic, pinhole, soft focus and fisheye.
• Accessories – available accessories include the macro kit, a wide angle lens (adapter), a super wide angle lens (adapter), creative aperture kit (shaped bokeh), a step-up ring and shade and so on.
• Inspiration – There’s no arguing that a few minutes with a Lensbaby will get your creative juices flowing.

Things We Didn’t Like:

• Carrier for the aperture rings make it easy to lose things.
• Changing the Aperture on the fly is a nusiance
• Aperture Washer’s are labeled with a simple sticker – I would have liked to have seen a more permanent solution.

Lowepro Passport Sling (bag)
Outside Dimensions: 5.7W X 17.3D X 16.1H in. (14.5 X 44.0 X 41.0 cm)
Inside Dimensions: 4.1W X 7.5D X 7.5H in. (10.5 X 19.0 X 19.0 cm)

Get it at B&H Photo ($55 USD)

Camera bags come in all shapes and sizes.  Some, like the bags we’ve reviewed to date, are large with the intent to carry most – if not all – of your gear.  A studio on the go, if you will.  But of course, that isn’t ideal for everyone.  We’re constantly talking about carrying your camera always, for example.  So a large bag might work well for a weekend trip, but for daily use it’s not ideal.  For that reason, we wanted to find a bag that was a bit smaller, and a bit more appropriate for daily use.  To that end, we discovered the LowePro Passport Sling.  The Passport Sling is a simple shoulder bag that carries  a small SLR camera, an extra lens and a few accessories.  In addition, the expandable bag has some room for some extras.

A media pocket resides on the face of the camera box insert

The bag consists of two main parts:  The bag and the padded camera insert.  The camera insert is essentially a padded box with a removable internal divider, resulting in two compartments.  The top of the divider folds to contour your camera’s grip.   The camera box is designed to house and protect a small to medium sized SLR camera.  The camera insert is held in place with Velcro and is situated near the back of the bag (I consider the shorter portion of the bag as the “back”).  It takes up about half the bag.  With my 18-185mm zoom attached, my camera fits comfortably into one of the compartments, lens down.  The other compartment was home to my 50mm prime lens, though the compartment was a little large for such a small lens.  I always carry my 50mm in its own bag, so this was less of a concern for me.  The the divider between the compartments doesn’t move very far (only about an inch).  Even so, the side dimension cannot change.  So if you have a smaller lens, you would need to pad it somehow.  At the front of the insert is a small media pocket.  It’s only large enough to hold one or two extra media cards, but for a day pack, that should be enough.  The insert is of course completely removal if you don’t need your camera for a day.  Or, if you’re traveling, the insert can folded flat for easy packing.  But the versatility is a welcome feature for those looking for a daily-use bag.

With the insert in place, the remainder of the bag can be used for any number of relatively small items.  I carried my filter wallet in that compartment with a small notebook and my eyeglasses most of the time, and there was plenty of room to spare.  The front of the bag has a zipper that can be unzipped to expand the bag.  The space isn’t large enough to fit a full sized notebook.  But I can attest that a typical bottle of wine will fit.  Please don’t try that with a full bottle – we certainly wouldn’t want you to harm your equipment with a broken bottle of wine.  Just inside the zipper at the front of the bag are two small pockets (again, I consider the front the taller portion of the bag).  I kept my shutter release cord and my various wires in these pockets – tucked out of the way, and easy to access.  They’re stitched into the lining, so they don’t flop around or get in the way of your access to the main compartment.  Finally, around the outside of the bag are three additional pockets.  The ones on the side could be used to carry a small snack, train schedule or other relatively flat items.  The pockets don’t fasten closed in any way, so I didn’t use these much – at least not for anything of substance.  The pocket at the back of the bag is large enough to carry a bottle of water – a feature rarely seen on a bag this size.  And again, when thinking about daily versatility, this is a great feature to have.

Shoulder Strap Adjustment System

The shoulder strap is impressive.  It features one of the simplest yet best designed adjustment systems I’ve seen.  The buckle is a pressure buckle that is actually fastened to the back of the bag.  The strap, which is also stitched into the bag (the buckle isn’t all that’s holding the strap in place), slides through the buckle when you need to adjust.  The excess loop of strap can simply be folded through a loop below the buckle and stowed in the pocket at the back of the bag.  I like this system because there are absolutely no loose straps and no buckles against your body.  The shoulder strap also has an adjustable shoulder pad with a stay-put patch on it.  The strap was comfortable, and easily adjustable.  This isn’t one of those bags that you will always keep at the same adjustments.  Walking out and about, I tend to adjust so that the bag is high and and close to the body.  If I’m just going about my daily routine (going to work), I would keep it low for comfort.  There are times where you may not wish to wear it cross-chest, and you can easily adjust for that.  And I imagine those on bikes might want it draped across their backs and fairly tight, and you can easily adjust for that.  Depending on the circumstance,  there are any number of ways you’d want to wear the bag, so it’s great that the adjustment system works so well.

Lowepro is known for it’s durable products – so I was not surprised at the apparent durability of this bag.  The entire outer shell of the bag is made of a high grade polymesh.  All of the seams are double-stitched and extra layers of polymesh cover the stress points.  The top closure of the bag – the portion that covers the camera – also contains extra padding to protect your camera.  But I will admit that I was a little disappointed about the protection for the bottom of the back – or lack thereof.  I would expect to see some sort of rubberized layer, or at least some feet to protect the bottom.  But the bottom isn’t protect in any way.  I also don’t know that I would trust the bag in the rain.  The zipper does not have any sort of protective flap, and I’m not sure the bag itself is water resistant.

What Fits In the Bag?

The gear I carried with the Lowepro Passport Sling

The Passport Sling was able to transport just about everything I would need on a daily basis.  For context, take a look at the photo of the bag with all of the gear I carried in it.  Throughout my use of the bag, I carried the following:

• Nikon D80 camera body
• Nikon Nikkor 50mm prime lens (attached to the camera)
• Nikon Nikkor 18-135mm zoom lens (I was also able to store the camera with this lens attached as well)
• Filter wallet (containing 4 filters)
• Moleskine pocket notebook with pen
• Eyeglasses in their case
• Camera-to-video connection cables
• Remote Trigger
• Nikon SB-600 flash (not shown)

Though this may not look like much, there was still plenty of room left available in the bag.  With this gear stowed away, I would have been able to fit a thin windbreaker or even a small bag of snacks or lunch.

Final Thoughts

It’s time for a confession – based on the literature available online, I was not expecting to be impressed by this bag.  Despite a few minor concerns, the Passport Sling is great as a daily-use bag, especially for hobbyists.  But what about from the perspective of a semi-professional?  This serves well as a compliment to your larger bag.  The Passport Sling doesn’t carry too much of your equipment, but that’s the point.  You’re not on assignment, you wont’ need every filter, every lens – just the bare essentials to get you by during the day.  A day, I might add, you may not be planning to shoot at all.  It comes down to opportunity – during the week, I don’t want to carry my large carry-everything bag.  I’m less likely to pick it up to take with me to my primary job.  With the Passport Sling, however, it’s so small that I don’t hesitate to bring it along.

As of this writing, the Passport Sling is an a very affordable option at about $50 USD (at B&H).  You would be hard pressed to find a bag that offers the same level of quality and features at this price point.

Things We Liked:

• Perfect size for daily use.
• Strap adjustment system.
• Large pocket for drink bottle or can.
• Removable camera box insert.

Thinks We Didn’t Like:

• No way to fasten outside pockets closed.
• The bag doesn’t seem to be well protected from the elements – especially the bottom of the bag.

In my initial correspondence with the company, I discovered that my process was perhaps a bit incorrect.  After making a few adjustments in how I metered using the ExpoDisc, I found that my results were significantly improved, but still a slight bluish cast could be found.  I noted this, of course, within the article on February 22nd.  Even so, ExpoImaging wanted to get to the root of the issue.  So after I returned the ExpoDisc, it was tracked, and the test lab got to work testing the very same filter that I tested.

The result was apparently user error on my part.

Fear not, I’m not changing my view of the product simply because they got good results.  Provided to me was the actual photos used in their testing – and it was explained to me that the angle is important when metering for white balance.  I was aiming directly into the light source, as opposed to picking an angle that corresponded with my subject.

Below are some of the results of the lab’s own testing.  First is the baseline, the gray card shot with Auto White Balance.  Next is a shot using the ExpoDisc, but it was metered pointed directly at the light source (like I had done).  The final image, the best and most accurate image, was metered correctly.  The difference is very subtle, but important if you’re dealing with certain colors at the warmer end of the spectrum.  We don’t want yellows to look green.

Auto White Balance

ExpoDisc - Metered into light source (the wrong way)

ExpoDisc - Metered correctly (parallel with surface)

Long story short, it pays to meter correctly.  The issue I found in our own testing is clearly duplicated here.  It is clear to me that the problem was human error (my own).  But of course we cannot overlook the fact that ExpoImaging spent the time to help get to the bottom of this issue.  In my dealings with the company, I learned a great deal about the amount of pride they have in their products and the amount of respect they have for their customers.  This whole experience has given me a lot of faith in the company.

To correct this wrong, we have made additional edits to the original review.  We struck the part stating that we noticed a bluish cast in our results, and added a link to this post.  Since we were already a huge fan of the ExpoDisc, these findings simply strengthens our recommendation – the ExpoDisc is a phenomenal system, and we would recommend it for any photographer.

(photo courtesy of Tamrac/Zipshot)

Long have photographers dreamed of an easy to assemble, lightweight tripod that can collapse to a size that you can literally fit in your back pocket.  Carbon fiber has helped us with the weight a bit, but the perfect solution has yet to come along.  When I read about Tamrac’s new ZipShot Tripod, I thought our prayers had been answered.  Tamrac is a reputable company that specializes in carrying solutions – sling bags, backpacks and so on.  In fact, I have owned several of their products over the years and would recommend the brand to anyone.  So I felt that the ZipShot was worth checking into, and Tamrac/ZipShot was kind enough to provide a sample for our review.  I have seen other similar solutions, but none backed by a company like Tamrac. But I was still skeptical, and after experimenting with the product for several weeks, I am sorry to say my gut reaction was once again correct.  Our prayers have not been answered – we do not have a perfect solution for a camera tripod – but it does have it’s uses.

The construction of the tripod is not unlike that of a set of tent poles.  Each leg is comprised of four sections with a narrower end and a sleeve end, and they are connected by a bungee.  If you unwrap the bundling (also bungies), the legs drop to the floor, clicking into place as the tension kicks in.  Unlike tent poles, the legs are fairly rigid once clicked into place.  The feet are rubber and the top is a small, simple ball head.  There is one lever to control the ball-head’s movement, even it’s lateral rotation.  This was somewhat of an annoyance, many ball heads at least allow you to lock lateral rotation separately.  But again, this is designed to be compact, and such controls might make the head bigger than necessary.

The ZipShot is advertised as being able to hold 3 pounds, which it can.  What isn’t taken into consideration, however, is the distribution of the weight.  My camera (a Nikon D80) is under the weight limit, even with my 185mm lens attached.  With the 50mm attached, the mount seems fine.  But if I stick the 185mm lens on the camera, there’s a lot of weight well in front of the mount.  There is some definitive torque on the ball head where it meets the legs – the front-most leg clearly takes the strain as a result.  Indoors, I might be willing to trust the tripod – unless there were people around that might risk bumping the tripod.  But outside, I’d be afraid a stiff breeze might create some havoc.

Another annoyance was the fact that the legs are not adjustable.  Again, I need to reiterate that this is designed to be compact and fast, and adjustable legs would certainly put a hindrance on that concept.  But unless you’re using this tripod on flat ground, there is no way to get it stable.  On a hill, the center of gravity is not in a good place, and tip-over is likely, even on gentle slopes.

ZipShot as a Flash Mount

All is not lost, however.  This tripod is perfect for some uses that I’ve found.  First, my wife’s camera – a compact point-and-shoot “pocket camera” – is well at home on this tripod.  Why my primary tripod is overkill for a pocket camera, the ZipShot was perfect.  It’s great for doing staged portrait shots with your pocket camera.  Another use – though perhaps a little unconventional – was as an extension arm for your pocket camera.  It’s simple…mount the pocket camera to the plate, angle it downwards as if it were pointed at the ground, collapse the legs (so they function as a monopod now) and pick it up.  Set the timer and hold it out farther than arms length – and voila:  no more photos with crammed in faces.  Perhaps a more logical use is mounting your off-camera flash for remote triggering, like the photo at left (please excuse the image quality, clearly I couldn’t light this properly as my flash had to be in the photo).  I think using it as a flash mount is perhaps the best use of this tripod.  Actually, I held up this review for longer than I should because I was waiting for my flash to arrive (it was backordered) – I was confident that the tripod would be perfect as a flash mount.  And I’m happy to say much hunch was dead-on correct.  But for any of these purposes, the tripod is certainly useful.  However, is it worth the cost?

The ZipShot is, as of this writing, about $45 USD at at Amazon.com.  At that price point, we simply would not recommend the ZipShot unless you really need something this compact and lightweight.  My hope is that Tamrac – who again I need to note is a reputable company – will expand their line of ZipShot tripods, and they will come out with a tripod that is a bit more useful. I would be willing to see them add some bulk to come up with a better solution.  But for now, I would suggest that you wait.  I wouldn’t recommend this product until one of its successors provides a better interface between the legs and the head and it offers at least one adjustable leg.  Until then, this is not the answer to our prayers.

(photo courtesy of Crumpler)

If you were to spend enough time on any photography forum, one of the manufacturers that is common to nearly every bag discussion is Crumpler.  Crumpler is an Australian company that is still fairly obscure here in the United States, but has a world-wide following of extremely satisfied owners of Crumpler products.  Their products have a reputation for durability and versatility.  Many of their products are also quite unique – most of which cannot be compared to competitor’s products in any way, shape or form.  It is perhaps this is the reason Crumpler’s customers are so rabid to share their opinions so widely, despite the manufacturers relatively small market share.  But if you’ve ever known anyone that’s owned a Crumpler product, rarely would they consider anything else.  It is for this reason that I just had to get my hands on one of their products to see if their bags really live up to all the hype.  Crumpler USA was kind enough to provide me with a Crumpler Sinking Barge for review.  Don’t let the name throw you off – Crumpler is also known for it’s creative naming structure.  Some of the names of their products include:  5 Million Dollar Home, Industry Disgrace, Cork and Fork and Karachi Outpost.  The names don’t offer much insight into their purpose, but they are memorable.  The Sinking Barge, the bag that I’m reviewing here, is a large camera backpack.

The Sinking Barge is very closely related to its older brother, the Customary Barge.  The Customary Barge is the larger of the two backpacks, but they are essentially designed the same.  While my review is limited to my experience with the Sinking Barge, it’s fair to expect the same quality and observations of the Customary Barge.  The bag consists of two main compartments:  The lower compartment and the upper compartment.  Within the upper compartment is a padded sleeve with a flap that can house a 15″ laptop or smaller.  There is also another sleeve that could be home to a full-sized notebook or a few magazines.  The lower compartment serves as your primary camera storage area.  The lower compartment zippers on three sides to allow it to open like a hinge (there is webbing on either side to prevent to stop it from opening too far -  contents will not fall out).  This compartment ca be accessed with one strap on your shoulder.

The lower compartment is also home to two internal pockets, a larger one inside the face of the bag, and a mesh pocket that hangs from the underside of the upper compartment.  Both pockets are zippered.  Additionally, there are two elastic mesh pockets that can accommodate a drink bottle or just about anything else you’d like (I kept my Blackberry in one).  Just under the colored flap on the face of the bag, there is also an additional zippered pocket for other miscellaneous things.  Between the straps and above the backplate, just behind the neck, is another small pocket that houses the built-in rain cover.  In rainy weather, you could pull the rain cover out of this pocket and it covers the entire bag.  The rain cover is stitched in, so there’s no chance of loss.  Otherwise, this pocket is not intended for anything except the rain cover.

The bag comes with two removable pods, one for each compartment.  The upper compartment pod zippers closed, and is designed to accommodate an extra camera body or some extra lenses.  The lower compartment pod is open on top.    The bag also comes with a unique organization system consisting of four 28-inch “snake walls”, four padded “capping straps” and a number of velcro biscuits.  I will speak more about the unique organization system later.  In addition to all these goodies, the bag also comes with a tripod-carrying system that fastens through a loop on the side of the bag (the lower red patch shown in the illustration above) and includes two additional fastening straps.  The lower piece of the system is reinforced and designed to carry two out of the three legs of a full-sized tripod.  The tripod is then held in place with the additional two straps.  The system doesn’t seem like much, but it it works incredibly well.   The shoulder straps are fully adjustable and well padded.  They feature a vertically and laterally adjustable chest strap with elastic reinforcement (nice touch).  There is also a waist strap with padded hip bolsters for extra comfort on longer treks.

Divider System

(photo courtesy of Crumpler)

The most unique feature of the Sinking Barge is the unique divider system.  The system, which is also available on many of Crumpler’s bags, is possibly the most ingenious system I’ve seen to date.  Pictured to the right are all of the components of the divider system (plus the bottom part of the tripod carrying system, but lets ignore that for now).  The inside of each of the pods is lined entirely with a fuzzy felt-like material that serves as a surface for the hook side of velcro to stick to.  The “snake walls”, the long strips shown curled up at right, are also covered entirely with the fuzzy felt-like material.  The system also includes four “capping straps”, the hourglass shaped straps that have velcro hook pads on either end.  And finally, the system includes a number of velcro hook biscuits, oval shaped pads with velcro-hook component on both sides.  The idea is that you can curve the snake walls around your equipment for a custom fit, and then you place the biscuits between the pod wall sand the snake walls at strategic places to hold everything in place.  For additional strength, you can use the capping straps to fasten everything together.  As you can imagine, there is no limit to what you can do with this system.  As you could also imagine, the system has the potential to be aggravating.  I really racked my brain trying to find a setup that worked for me.  I went through several iterations before I settled on the perfect setup.  But the beauty of this system is that once you find something that works for you, it’s absolutely perfect.  I spoke to a number of Crumpler fans, and they all have different approaches.  Some, like me, like to place the camera the lens down so you can grasp the camera easily and pull it out in shooting position.  Others like to lay the camera on its side.  One person even showed me a setup where their camera was facing lens-up.  This is the only camera system I’ve ever come across that allows you to do so much.

My final setup, shown here at right, used two of the snake walls curled back on themselves to create four main compartments.  To illustrate what I’ve done, the camera is not in place.  The back-left compartment is where I kept my petal hood.  The lower-left compartment is where I keep whichever lens isn’t mounted to the camera.  For the right side, you’ll note I was able to curl part of the wall so that the inside was lower than the outside.  With the camera in place, the lens (either of my lenses, even the 185mm zoom) fits in the lower-right compartment.  The back-right compartment (where the snake wall is lower than the outside) is where the camera grip fits.  It was also a nice place to tuck my SD Media case.  With the camera in place, it fits nicely and the bag closes easily.  Note that none of the compartments are of the same size, something you’d never be able to do with traditional divider systems.  The way the system is set up, the corners also provide some extra storage for a spare lens bag, a couple of pens, and so on.  I’m truly mesmerized by the system.  Despite racking my brain for several days trying to figure out the perfect setup, the end result is truly phenomenal.

Packing List

Everything that fits in a Sinking Barge

Did I say this thing was big?  This thing is big.  You wouldn’t believe what I was able to fit in this thing:

• Lower Compartment:
  • Camera body #1:  Nikon D80
  • Camera body #2:  Nikon N2000
  • 18-135mm Zoom lens (mounted to Nikon D80)
  • 50mm prime lens (mounted to Nikon N2000)
  • 50mm prime lens
  • Luma Loop camera sling strap
  • 67mm petal lens hood
• Upper Compartment (within protective pod (shown)):
  • Camera body #3:  Canon AE-1
  • 50mm prime lens (mounted to Canon AE-1)
  • 80-200mm Zoom lens
  • Canon 166A flash
  • Auto advance module (for Canon AE-1)
• Other Items
  • Manfroto 190XB Full-sized Tripod (on outside of bag in tripod holder)
  • Cleaning kit (inside pocket, lower compartment)
  • Filters – (2) 50mm, (1) 67mm, reverse mounting ring (mesh pocket, inside lower compartment)
  • SD Media Case (inside pocket, lower compartment)
  • Shutter release cable (mesh pocket, inside lower compartment)
  • TV Output cables (mesh pocket, inside lower compartment)
  • Letter sized notepad binder (laptop compartment)
  • (2) magazines (not shown, pocket behind laptop compartment)
  • Moleskine 5″ notebook with pens (upper compartment)
  • Blackberry phone (I usually kept it in one of the drink pockets)
  • Business cards (front pocket, below the orange panel)

As you can see, this bag can really fit a lot of gear.  Everything shown here fits into the bag with all of the dividers, padding and straps in place.  It’s important to point out, there’s no reason why I would actually carry all three of my camera bodies – not for what I do.  I of course wanted to show everything that could fit into the bag as proof of concept.  Many of you may have additional lenses or external flash units that would be able to be placed within the bag.  But despite all of the gear, the bag was still quite comfortable while fully packed.

For the majority of my testing, I typically only carried the Nikon D80 and it’s associated lenses.  The protective sleeve (shown) comes with it’s own set of customizable dividers, so when it was in the bag, I was able to protect and organize the Canon camera gear.  But as I was not carrying that body most of the time, I usually kept the whole pod out of the bag.  This was a great bonus feature – the pod bag is durable enough to be used as a storage bag when you’re not carrying it with you – a nice modular approach that helped me organize my gear.  When the pod bag was not with me, the upper compartment yielded a lot of extra space.  As this is early spring, the compartment was easily filled with my fleece for those temperature fluctuating days.

With everything that fit in this bag, you’d think this bag, the Sinking Barge, was the largest that Crumpler has to offer.  But as I mentioned earlier Crumpler offers a larger bag with this design, the Customary Barge.  The Sinking Barge is designed to fit a 15″ laptop.  The larger Customary Barge is designed to carry a 17″ laptop and has a little extra space in the two larger compartments.

In Use

Despite the bags size, even when it was fully loaded, I was quite comfortable.  Fully loaded with two camera bodies and their respective lenses (I left the Canon kit at home), I was comfortable during a short hike over the span of a few hours.  The back plate is designed in a way that you actually get some airflow to your back.  Perhaps not the best back plate design that I’ve seen, but certainly well above average.  The shoulder straps are comfortable, fully adjustable and the hip strap – often an afterthought – was quite comfortable and supportive on many of my shorter hikes.

With the bag on my shoulder, I had little trouble accessing my camera equipment.  The first few days, the bag had a bit of a stiff feel to it, so opening the camera compartment proved troublesome.  But that quickly dissipated within a week as I used the bag more.  After that, I was easily able to pull my camera out of the bag without risking the loss of any of my equipment.  Part of this was finding a good balance with the divider system – some of the setups I tried didn’t lend well to accessing the camera while on the shoulder.  Clearly, this is a matter of the user’s setup and preference.  I found that the bottle pockets were in a nice place.  As I mentioned, I kept my BlackBerry phone in one pocket and occasionally had a drink in the other.  I was able to access both of them with a backwards reach while both straps were on my shoulders.

Durability is not an issue with this bag.  There is no question that it’s durable.  I had this bag with me on a few of my mountain excursions on poorly groomed trails and dense wooded areas.  The bag got poked with sticks, smacked against trees – I even fell once with the bag on my back.  The bag – and all the equipment inside – was marked up a bit and got a little dirty, but it shows no signs of rips, tears or wear otherwise.

There are only two main faults I have with this bag.  First, there isn’t a lot of built-in small pockets to help organize things like pens or keys or so on.  There were a few spaces left in either pod after the dividers were in place.  But nothing along the inside walls of the bag.  For many, this is likely not a major concern – one could keep such items floating within one of the larger pockets.  But I like an organized bag.  The other nuisance is a bit of a pet peeve for me:  Tow Strap.  The tow strap is, in my opinion, the main carrying point when the bag is not on your shoulder.  Especially for a bag like this, it is sometimes easier to carry (or tow) a bag through crowded spaces or over short distances.  Some of the other bags I’ve evaluated have nicely padded tow straps that are comfortable to use, easy to grasp and generally well designed.  I was very disappointed in the tow strap offerings of the Sinking Barge – especially since every other aspect of the bag is so well thought out.  The tow strap on the Sinking Barge is literally just a piece of strap webbing stitched into the seam between the shoulder straps.  It’s small, uncomfortable and it puts strain on your hand if carrying it for just a short amount of time.  To add insult to injury, it’s completely unusable when the rain cover is in use.  The rain cover pocket is just below the tow strap on the back-plate side of the bag.  When in use, it completely covers the tow strap.  I admit that for many of you, this seems like a trivial item.  But I am quite aware of the fact that many of you will also share my concern.  Equipment bags should have a comfortable tow strap.

Final Thoughts

I would say that the Crumpler Brand certainly lives up to every expectation I had.  The bag is durable, sturdy and customizable beyond belief.  Though this is a large bag, you’d never think it would be able to fit so much gear – safely – by appearances alone.  But you really can fit a ton of gear in here.  As I aim to carry my camera with me daily, this bag is perhaps a bit too large for my daily use.  But this is an excellent bag for my weekend trips or my day trips for the sake of my photography.  On such trips, I tend to take more gear, and this bag certainly has the ability to carry it all.  But on a day-to-day basis – when I rarely carry more than my Nikon D80 with a mounted lens and perhaps an extra lens, this bag is a bit too large.

This bag is most appropriate for someone with a fair amount of equipment or at least a need for some extra space.  If you have a reasonable sized laptop, the Sinking Barge has one of the better and more secure laptop compartments I’ve seen.  If you have a full-size tripod that you like to carry with you, this is the first bag I’ve evaluated that has a tripod system that works for full-size tripods.

Bottom line, I would certainly recommend this product for anyone who has the need for a backpack of this size.

The Crumpler Sinking Barge is available at Amazon.com (about $275 USD as of this writing)

Things we liked

• The fully customizable divider system (better than any you’ve ever seen)
• Tripod carrying system (for full-sized tripods)
• Internal laptop compartment (not a separate compartment for security)
• Huge zipper pulls
• It doesn’t look like a camera bag
• Integrated rain cover system
• Chest strap is adjustable laterally and vertically, plus it’s got an elastic loop for flex and comfort
• Elastic pockets for water bottle is among the best we’ve seen

Things we didn’t like

• Lacking internal organization for small items like pens, glasses, etc.
• Uncomfortable Tow strap
• Tow Strap is unusable with rain cover in place (Note:  As suggested by reader, Ben (Big Bad Benny), one could thread the rain cover through the tow strap – but while this is an inconvenience, I still consider this a con.)

(photo courtesy of Naneu)

The one thing I’ve learned – and have been most surprised about – since we started reviewing products for Shutter Photo is that camera bag selection is a very personal thing.  Each of us is looking for different features and different form factors.  That may be why there are so many manufacturers – there are hundreds, many you’ve never heard of.  Naneu is one that surprised us.  Our good friend, Peter West Carey, introduced us to Naneu.  Recently, Peter reviewed the Naneu Adventure K4L, a photo and computer bag.  While it certainly appears to be a great bag for professionals and semi-professionals, it didn’t seem appropriate for hobbyists.  But Naneu offers a wide range of bags, and a quick survey of their offerings yielded a bag that was well suited for hobbyists with a fair amount of equipment:  The Military Ops Echo-X Messenger Bag.  For the purpose of our review, Naneu was kind enough to loan us a sample.  For the past month, I’ve been using it as my primary bag to carry my camera gear.

The Echo-X is a fairly new product.  It is a larger and slightly different version of Naneu’s popular Echo bag.  Though there are likely many similarities between the bags, please note that this review does not address the Echo, only the Echo-X.  The Echo-X is a sling bag, meaning there is only one strap that you wear across your chest.  The main improvement over the Echo is that the Echo-X has a side-access panel that can be accessed while the bag is still on your shoulder.  Just rotate the bag to the front, and you can grab your camera out of this side access without the risk of dropping any of your other equipment.

Side pocket with shelf divider (camera removed, my petal hood stored)

The side access is actually just another portal into the main compartment, which can also be accessed by a zipper at the bag’s mid-line.  The mid-line zipper essentially hinges the bag so that the top portion of the bag can flop back granting full top-access to the main compartment.  As for the size of the main compartment – this is where I was pleasantly surprised – it’s huge.  Many sling bags that I’ve seen cannot carry a larger camera or a camera with a large lens.  This bag is designed to carry a full-sized camera like a Canon EOS 1D MkIII or a Nikon D3.  For those of you with a mid or small sized SLR, like a Nikon D90, there is a special “shelf” divider that can be used to accomodate these smaller cameras.  Even the full-sized cameras can be accessible through the side access panel.  The camera lays in the bag parallel to your hip, so it can also accomodate a 9″ lens attached to the camera body.  That’s a ton of space to play with.  My meger camera with it’s 185mm lens attached quite comfortably fit in the bag with plenty of room to spare.

From the top access (via the mid-line zipper) you have access to the balance of the main compartment.  The panels are all customizable so that you can accommodate a number of additional lenses.  There’s even enough space to carry an extra camera body.  There are a few minor limitations – the front and back panels are detachable, but you likely want to keep them in place to cushion your camera with lens attached.  And if you have a mid or small sized camera, you’ll most likely want to use the shelf divider so that you can access the camera body both from the side and from the top (though this is a preference).  Otherwise, you can store lenses upright with a total of 7″ to play with.  One feature I really appreciated was that the main dividers and the walls were entirely velcro covered.  This allowed complete customization without limitation.  I was, however, a little disappointed in the shelf support – a padded spacer used to support the shelf if you have a mid/small camera.  The spacer was not fully velcro covered, and it did not effectively install laterally (perpendicular to your back), which I would have preferred so that I could store small things, like spare batteries, directly below my camera.  As designed, my batteries got lost somewhere in the bottom of the case, and I would have to tilt the bag to get them out.  I would rather see some structural support put into the shelf itself than to have to use this spacer, or at least have a way to effectively fasten it laterally inside.

Pockets are all over the place.  Lets start with the upper compartment.  The compartment isn’t padded and it’s tapered, so it is really designed to carry your extras.  I was able to fit a field manual and my moleskine notebook in there.  There would be plenty of room to carry a rain poncho, a fleece or even a small lunch if necessary.  The bottom of this compartment can be removed completely to access the main compartment or to convert the entire thing to a backpack by removing the dividers in the main compartment.  There are also two pockets on the outside of the top portion of the bag, and one larger pocket on the outside of the main camera compartment.  These pockets are where I stored the majority of my extras.  Filters and the like went into a pocket inside the larger of the top pockets.  Business cards and other quick-access items went in the smaller of the top pockets.  In the largest pocket – the one on the front of the main compartment – I stored pens, my eyeglasses and other similar items.  There is also a small map compartment within the back-plate, the zipper for which is conveniently placed at your right hand – so you’ll be able to get those maps out without removing the bag.  There are also two quick-access pockets on the outside of the larger bottom pocket.  I didn’t use either, but these might be good for temporary storage – receipts, train schedules, and so on.  And finally, there is a cell phone pocket built into the shoulder strap.  I don’t carry enough small things to fully take advantage of all of these pockets, but there are a ton of ways to organize your stuff.

Packing List

Everything I packed in the Echo-X (and still room for more)

Here is a list of everything that fit into the bag (you won’t believe how much I could comfortably fit):

• Nikon D80 camera body (digital, with lens)
• Nikon N2000 camera body (film, no lens attached)
• Nikkor 18-185mm zoom lens (attached to the Nikon D80)
• Nikkor 50mm prime lens (autofocus for D80)
• Nikkor 50mm prime lens (manual for N2000)
• Nikkor 200mm prime lens (manual for N2000)
• (3) 52mm lens filters
• (1) 67mm lens filter
• 67mm petal lens hood
• 52mm reverse mounting ring
• shutter release cable
• USB sync cable
• TV output cables
• (2) rolls of film (plenty of room for more)
• SD card case (with two additional SD cards)
• my favorite field guide
• moleskine (5″) note book with pens
• iPod
• Blackberry
• wireless phone
• eyeglasses with case
• A pull-over fleece

Little Details That Make a Big Difference

webbing at corners of pockets, internal pockets, mp3 player pocket (upper pocket)

Little things make a big difference.  For starters, we already discussed the number of small compartments for organization which are suitable for the most obsessive compulsive of the lot.  The upper compartment and pockets of the bag are designed with corner webbing so that you don’t accidentally spill its contents while searching for things.  The main camera compartment is a bright orange color which allows you to find things easier.  I only wish that the other compartments were also orange (they are gray).  For those of you who wish to carry an iPod or other MP3 player, there’s a special pocket inside the larger upper pocket where it can be stored.  There is also a special port where you can push through a headphone cord.  I also really grew to appreciate the “feet” on the bottom of the bag, rubber blocks that keep the bag off the ground in case you need to set it down.  I’ve seen many bags with this feature, and I wonder why there aren’t more that take advantage of such a similar implementation.

Zippers and the iPod headphone port (upper pockets)

The zippers – we need to talk about those.  I have never seen a zipper built like these.  The zipper itself is a typical zipper with teeth and a pull tab.  But these zippers are built so that the outside face is covered in a water-retardant textile fabric.  With the zipper closed, the fabric covering either set of teeth closes as well.  This essentially eliminates any chance of water getting in through the zipper.  Now that’s not to say that water wouldn’t get in if I submerged the bag in a tub of water – but I wasn’t about to test that with or without my equipment (this bag is on loan, after all).  Then again, I don’t expect that any of you are planning on swimming with your camera gear protected only by a bag.  What this zipper system does is eliminates the need for a rain-cover.  At first, I found the zippers a little tight to open and close.  But after about a week, they seemed to move smoothly.

Tow Strap detail

Those of you who have read my other reviews will know that I appreciate a good tow strap.  For many manufacturers, the tow strap is an afterthought.  In practice, however, I find myself using the tow strap a lot.  Putting the bag in and out of cars, moving around a crowded subway, or even for carrying short distances.  It seems trivial, but a well designed and comfortable tow strap is something I look for in a bag.  The Echo-X has an awesome tow strap.  It’s extra long and well padded, so you can fit your meaty hands, or even a gloved hand, in there comfortably.  One end of the strap is fastened to the bag itself, the other is fastened to the shoulder strap.  As a result, the bag carries quite comfortably at your side.  You can also reach the strap with your right hand while wearing it in case you want to use the quick-release on the strap to get out of the bag smoothly.

Not all details are perfect.  There are a few nuances of the bag that I didn’t like.  First is the shoulder strap.  It is fastened to the center of the bag at the top, which makes it lay at an angle across the back.  For many, this isn’t a significant issue.  But the bottom of the bag is flat, and at times I felt that the bottom right corner was digging into my waist.  I admit some hyper-sensitivity issues, however, so this would bother me more than most.  Even so, it’s not a difficult thing to fix – the strap could have been fastened off-center so as to allow the bag to hang more symmetrically.  I also didn’t like the quick release buckle on the strap.  I like that it’s there, but it didn’t seem very secure.  I have this odd habit of having a hand on my shoulder strap when walking about.  On multiple occasions, I accidentally grabbed the clip and nearly lost the entire bag (I never did, but the potential is there).  I would like to see an extra button on the buckle, at least, to prevent such accidents.  My final issue with the shoulder strap was the stabilizer strap.  With my coat off, it worked quite well to stabilize the bag, even to bring it more in line with my spine.  But with my coat on, it didn’t quite seem long enough to wear comfortably.  I’ll admit I’m overweight, but my gut is still an average size.  The stabilizer strap could stand to be a bit longer.  As such, I rarely used it throughout my experience.

The main compartment zipper vs. the front pocket zipper poses an interesting scenario.  Both sets of zippers (four pull tabs in all) have the same type of pull strings on them.  Though the main compartment zipper itself is slightly larger, at a glance, there doesn’t appear to be much difference.  The zippers both run along the mid-line of the bag, about a half inch from each other horizontally, but nearly the same plane vertically.  Normally, I like to keep my pull-tabs at the centers, but in doing so, I often pulled the wrong tabs.  I also found that I would occasionally zip one set of pull strings into the other set’s pocket.  I simply grew into the habit of pulling one set of zippers to one side, and another to the other side – and through such habitual means I was able to conquer the confusion.  But it would be nice of the main compartment tabs were more prominent or at least different to avoid such confusion.  I would consider this a minor issue.

The Echo-X in Action

Main compartment, front pocket and side access (closed)

I can surely attest that this is a bag designed for the elements.  In our area, we had an unusual winter, and we got ransacked with snow.  The week I started using the bag, we had a record breaking storm event just a few days after another big storm.  To really test the bag out, I ventured out into the windy, snow-drifted weather (it was still snowing) with the Echo-X on my back.  I slipped and fell, but my gear was protected.  The snow threatened, but was not able to penetrate the bag, not even at its zippers.  On this same excursion, I wanted to switch up lenses.  With all the fresh snow around, I didn’t have an opportune place to set the bag down, so I experimented:  With the strap on my shoulder as I would normally wear it, I was able to rotate the bag partially around and access the main compartment from the top via the mid-line zipper.  I’ll admit, it was not the most comfortable way to access my gear, but it was possible.  Because of the snug fit of how I set up the dividers, I don’t feel that any of my equipment was at risk to fall out either.

As for wearing for long periods of time, I carried this bag with me on a few day trips and several site visits.  I wore this bag for hours at a time.  It was quite comfortable.  The straps, well padded, didn’t dig into my shoulders much.  The sling design also contributes to it’s comfort.  The stabilizer strap adds to the comfort, but see my note above with regards to its size.  Despite the amount of gear I carried on one of these excursions, the bag remained comfortable.

Final Thoughts

The Naneu Military Ops Echo-X is a great bag for those of you who have a lot of gear, want something a little more rugged and somewhat casual.  It’s a bag you can certainly grow into, but many just getting started in the hobby will find this to be too much bag.  Aside from the quantity of lenses that could be fit into this bag, it can accommodate some moderately large lenses.  So this would be a great day bag for street photographers or even some landscape photographers.  If you have need for significantly larger lenses (something much larger than 200mm) this bag isn’t the bag for you.  It’s a rugged bag that can really stand up to the elements, so I suspect that for many it would serve well as a primary (or only) bag.  It goes without saying that a sling-style bag is a manner of preference.  Some bags accommodate multiple carrying options, but the Echo-X is explicitly a sling bag.  Try as you might, there is only one way to carry the Echo-X:  Across your chest, over your right shoulder.  Sling bags aren’t for everyone, so if you’re not sure, make sure to try it before buying.

As a company, I learned quite a bit about Naneu in this past month.  From my own observations, they make a quality product.  The bag appears to be well built, packed full of features and nice details.  I only used the bag for the last couple of weeks, so I cannot attest to its durability first-hand.  But I did some research and I found that many Naneu owners (not necessarily owners of the Echo-X) find their products to be durable.  In general, I feel pretty good about the brand, and based on my first hand experience, I’d be comfortable recommending any of their products.

I suspect that the Echo-X appeals to a certain type of individual:  Someone who likes organization, someone who shoots a wide range of styles and needs to carry an array of lenses and gear (maybe even an additional body), but doesn’t want to carry one of those massive backpacks.  If that person is you, the Echo-X is a bag you should check out.

I will admit that this bag is a bit too much for my needs.  It’s rare that I carry both camera bodies.  It’s even more rare that I carry all of my lenses (really, who needs both 50mm lenses).  But I would consider this bag if I traveled more often where I might want to have both bodies on the trip, if not at every moment.  I also tend to wear a lot of hats, and I personally prefer to have a bag where I can fit some items from my day job – such as my 8.5″x11″ notebook and a plan or two.  But again, these are preferences of my own.

As of this writing, the Echo-X is not available from our most trusted retailers.  But if you are interested, the Echo-X is available directly from Naneu’s website (naneubags.com) for about $143 (USD).

Things We Liked

• Hinged section design for easy camera/gear loading from the top.
• Rubber feet to protect the bag.
• Side Entry – camera is accessible without removing bag.
• Camera accessible from side and top entry.
• Fully covered velcro dividers – makes for countless configuration options.
• Pockets – pockets are everywhere, and they allow you to organize everything.
• Main camera compartment is a bright orange – easier to find small things.
• Really nice tow strap.

Things We Didn’t Like

• Location of clasp on sling strap – I accidentally grabbed it and nearly lost the bag more than a few times.
• Camera shelf spacer seems more of an after thought.
• Zippers on the front pocket sometimes confused with zippers of the main pocket (minor issue)
• The bag doesn’t lay square on the back (a very minor issue)

Detachable Lanyard on the Luma Loop (photo courtesy Luma Labs)

Like a few other manufacturers who have realized that the traditional camera strap isn’t perfect for everyone, Luma Labs developed their own spin on the Camera Sling camera strap:  The Luma Loop.  A sling-type camera strap is designed to hang on one shoulder, across your chest so that it keeps the camera at your side.  Now the Luma Loop isn’t the first sling strap that we’ve seen (we’ve even reviewed other iterations here).  But the Luma Loop has a few unique features that may make it appealing to consumers.  For the purpose of our review, Luma Labs was kind enough to provide a Luma Loop for our review.  In addition, they provided an additional detachable lanyard for convenience and a PodMount – essentially a bolt that screws into the tripod mount of your camera.  Before I carry on with my review, I’d like to share a video prepared by Luma Labs.  It’s a brief introduction into the features of the Luma Loop – and, quite frankly, does a better job than I could describe with still shots and words:

Using the Luma Loop

For the past few weeks, I’ve been using the Luma Loop exclusively with my primary camera, a consumer grade Digital SLR.  I used it on my lunch-break excursions, and I was able to use it on a half-day trip into the city.  As you can see from the video, you have a number of fastening options.  You can fasten it to any of the strap points your camera has.  You can also fasten it to your tripod mount using a PodMount (not shown in the video), which is essentially a sturdy bolt that screws into the tripod mount.  For the first few days, I used the PodMount and fastened the strap to the bottom of my camera.  Personally, I was not very comfortable with this type of mounting.  I use my tripod a lot, and this method seemed to get in the way.  Of all the mounting options, this does allow the camera to hang in the most comfortable position.  For some of you, this might be favorable.  But for me, with my tripod usage, it was not ideal for me.  I preferred to mount the lanyard to one of the strap mounts on my camera.  At first, I tried it on the grip-side of my camera.  The camera hung well at my side, easy to grab for a shot.  But the mounting point made it difficult to flip the camera to frame up a vertical shot with the grip at the top, the lanyard was being dragged across the camera.  The mounting option I eventually settled into and favored was to mount the loop opposite the grip.  It wasn’t as convenient to grab the camera, but it was certainly better for the many times I like to shoot vertical.  It certainly comes down to preferences, and the unique fabric loop lanyard makes it easy to mount to your camera in a number of ways.

One of the things I liked most about the Luma Loop was it’s relative lightweight design.  The strap is certainly sturdy – it was load tested for about 250 pounds on the strap and on the loop (there is an additional video showing the tests).  But the strap and the shoulder pad are flexible and lightweight.  The shoulder pad itself is made of leather – real leather – with padding underneath made of neoprene.  The nylon strap fastens to either end of the shoulder pad.  In front, there is a quick release clip to aid in getting in and out of the strap.  This is a welcome feature on the days I was wearing a coat.  It was easier to clip it on rather than putting on over my head.  Additionally, there is a quick release clip between the loop and the camera lanyard.  The lanyard quick-release is a nice feature as well.  It allowed me to easily set up my camera on the tripod without ever removing the Luma Loop.  It would also be useful if you had more than one camera, you could quickly and easily switch between cameras (each with their own lanyard).  I do question the feasibility of the quick release clips.  If you were to accidentally grab the clip, you could potentially drop your camera to the ground – something that no photographer wants.  Though I never had such problems with the Luma Loop, I have a backpack that has a similar clip and I have many times accidentally disconnected the clip.  I would like to see an additional safety measure put into the quick release clip.  For example, many child seats use similar clips except that there is an additional button – three in all – that needs to be pressed in order to release the other two buttons.  This would be a welcome feature.

As is the case with this type of strap, the adjustment method is usually on the back of the strap because the loop has to slide up and down the front.  With the adjustment buckle in the back, it made adjustment a little difficult to do while wearing the strap.  I’m not sure there is a viable solution, however.  Some systems have chosen to move the adjustment system into the shoulder pad, but then you lose the lightweight quality of the system.  I prefer lightweight, so this minor nuisance is one I can live with.  One thing to note is that the Luma Loop’s adjustment system works like a block and tackle.  The strap loops back on itself twice so that between the shoulder pad and the adjustment buckle, the strap is tripled up.  I was curious, so I inqured.  The purpose of this is so that the Luma Loop can truly be one-size fits all.

The sliding mechanism on the Luma Loop is actually the quick release clip for the lanyard.  There’s a slot in the back of the clip that the strap fits through.  For structural reasons, the clip has a fairly wide girth – not too wide, but wide enough to hinder the movement of the lanyard up and down the strap.  On occasion, I found the clip getting caught up on the strap.  It wasn’t hanging up enough to significantly slow my ability to get the camera to my eye.  But it was enough to be annoying.

Final Thoughts

I really grew to appreciate the Luma Loop in my daily use.  The sling type camera strap concept may not be ideal for everyone.  But if you like the concept, the Luma Loop may be a viable option for you.  The lightweight design and the multiple fastening options are appealing.  It’s shortcomings are few and easy to overlook.  In fact, our only serious concern is the safety of the quick-release system.  I’ll admit some paranoia, but there are ways to make the quick release a little more secure and a little less accident prone.

Because of it’s lightweight design, we feel that the Luma Loop is ideal for hobbyists.  It’s versatile enough to be used for nearly any type of photography.  Mounted on the strap loops, it doesn’t impede the use of a tripod.  And the lanyard system allows you to use the same strap for more than one camera (additional lanyards can be purchased).  But in the end, it all comes down to preference.  The sling type system isn’t for everyone, but if such a system is appealing, the Luma Loop is a contender.

At this time, the Luma Loop is not available at any of our favorite sources.  However, you can order the Luma Loop online at Luma Lab’s website.  As of this writing, the Luma Loop itself sells for about $60.  The Pod Mount costs an additional $10 and extra lanyards are available for $10 each.  Visit the Luma Labs Website for further information and purchasing.

Things We Liked

• Lightweight compared to other sling systems
• Lanyard System – the ability to fasten to any carrying point on the camera
• Quick Release system for shoulder strap and for lanyard
• One size truly fits all

Things We Didn’t Like

• Sliding mechanism was as smooth as we’d like
• Quick Releases should have an additional button or mechanism to prevent accidental releases

Everything included in the package

The purpose of White Balancing is to find the most accurate color rendition in your photos.  Digital sensors are especially sensitive to the different types of light sources that you may be shooting under (sunlight, fluorescent, incandescent and so on).  A good photographer should not only be aware of color rendering issues related to white balance, but they should have a plan or a process in place to correct the problem.  Cameras will have an auto-white balancing mode which are, for the most part, pretty good.  But they are far from perfect, especially under unnatural light sources.  For the purpose of metering, your camera sees in shades of gray, and sometimes the cast of a light source can throw off such balancing.

The ExpoDisc is one of the many tools designed to help correct the problem in the camera.  The people at ExpoImaging, Inc. were kind enough to loan me an ExpoDisc Neutral to evaluate and review for Shutter Photo.  A Portrait version is also available which adds a bit more warmth to your photos.  The package I received is exactly like the retail package and includes everything you see in the photo above.   Contents included the ExpoDisc, a carrying pouch, a lanyard (with quick-release), a quick-start guide, an instructional CD and an evaluation/inspection card (verification that the ExpoDisc was tested and meets their strict guidelines).  Though I’m sure you will want to read everything I have to say, let me cut to the chase and start off by saying that I am sorry to have to send it back.  It has already been added to my wish list.  But it is not perfect and it is not a device for every application.

The Importance of Getting it Right In-Camera

Before I launch into the review of the product, I want to start off by briefly discussing why getting the White Balance correct in the camera is so important.  I have been witness to many a conversation about whether such a tool is necessary if you’re shooing in RAW – the opposition arguing that you can balance as part of your workflow.  While this may indeed be the case, it’s time and effort wasted when a tool, such as the ExpoDisc, would save you a great deal of time on large sets.  Those of you who shoot in JPEG would have the most interest in White Balancing, because a compressed JPEG may not contain enough information to get back to an accurate white balance.  And even if you want warmer or cooler photos, you need to start somewhere, and starting with an accurate white balance is ideal.  Whether you make money from your photos or not, there are certainly better uses for your time.

Using the ExpoDisc

The ExpoDisc works like a lens filter in the way that it fits on the end of your lens (or your filter stack).  Unlike a typical filter, it does not screw onto the lens.  It has three spring-loaded ball bearings around the lip so that it can easily snap onto and hold firmly on the lens while you take your measurement.  When I requested the ExpoDisc for review, I was informed that the size should correspond to the filter size of your lens for best results.  I requested one to fit my largest lens.  Ignorantly, I assumed that it would be fine to just just hold the larger ExpoDisc in place while taking readings with my smaller lenses.  But this turned out to be a lot more cumbersome than I expected.  Not because of the ExpoDisc’s design, mind you.  Rather my camera requires me to hold a button with my left hand to put it in metering mode, then I need to take the reading with the shutter button (right hand).  In theory, I could set it in mode before holding the disc in place, but it is still a bit more juggling than would be necessary.  Though the lanyard certainly helped, this was not easy to do while holding it with my smaller lenses.  With my larger lens – the one the ExpoDisc was fitted for – this was not a concern at all because it just snaps into place and stays there until you’re done metering.  So I certainly appreciate that bit of advice, and I would offer the same:  If you choose to use an ExpoDisc, get one that fits your lens.

Taking a reading with the ExpoDisc was quite easy.  Though the process may vary between camera manufacturers, I essentially snapped the ExpoDisc onto the end of my lens, switched to “Pre-set” white balance, pressed and held the white balance button indicating that I was going to take a reading, and took the reading.  About 90% of the time, the reading was accurate, and my test photo yielded results I was happy with.  For the other 10% of the time, I had to take a new reading while aiming the camera differently.  For example, when I was taking a reading outside with snow, I found it more effective to meter from the sky.

The Results

In my experience, the ExpoDisc worked best under natural light.  To be fair, my camera’s auto white balancing also works best under natural light.  I experimented with the ExpoDisc for street photography, and I experimented with it in rural, urban and suburban environments.  I tried it on sunny days, on cloudy days – I even tried it once in the rain.  In all cases, the results were predictable:  The ExpoDisc performed well – but only slightly better than the auto white balancing.  But my eyes were opened after a snow storm that piled close to 30″ on our front yard.  Under cloudy skies with white lawns and salty pavements, I took this set of photos of my front walk.  Please note that I did not make any adjustments to either image.  The auto white balancing was clearly thrown – everything yielded a bluish cast.  The brick of my house appeared purple with drab grout.  The pavement was unnatural and the snow – well, you can tell it’s snow, but frosty would look sickly.  So I snapped on the ExpoDisc and pre-set my white balance.  The results of my photos from that point on were mind blowing.  As you can see, the pavement looks like concrete, the brick is brick colored, and the snow looks white.  Snow is incredibly difficult for the mechanical eye to to get right.  Your camera wants to believe that snow is gray, so the built-in meter almost always gets it wrong.  Experienced photographers now how to expose and meter for snow.  But without some white balancing solution, your camera is not going to get it right.  Gray cards are one thing, it’s an object in a scene that you meter from.  But where I was skeptical of the ExpoDisc was in a situation just like this – I was not expecting a snap on filter to be able to accurately meter a snowy scene.  But it worked well, and the snow storm – if nothing else – would have sold me on the ExpoDisc.

Artificial lighting is always tricky.  Fluorescent and Compact Fluorescent lighting is cool and causes a bluish cast in your photos.  Incandescent lights – especially soft lights and warm lights – will cause a yellow or even orange color cast.  The other problem with artificial light is that it dissipates very quickly – its influence on a scene can change within a couple of feet.  It’s very difficult to balance under artificial lighting, which is why studio lighting is such an important (and expensive) aspect of a portrait photographer’s trade.  Hobbyists rarely have such luxuries, however.  Rarely have I seen a white balancing solution that works perfectly.  I’m sorry to say that the ExpoDisc is not an exception.  Like many other solutions before it, the ExpoDisc was inconsistent under incandescent lighting.  Most of the time it worked, but sometimes, it did not.  One lamp in particular was cause for some problems – a 150 Watt 3-way incandescent bulb.  In the illustration at right, I have provided three photos.  The top was taken with the camera’s automatic white balance, the bottom with the preset form the ExpoDisc.  The center shot was manually adjusted to more closely match the actual color profile.  As you can see, the camera’s automatic sensor overcompensated and made the shot too warm.  The use of the ExpoDisc resulted in a bluer cast, which is odd considering the source casts a very warm.  In this case, I would say that the ExpoDisc yields no clear advantage.  No matter how you spin it, the majority of photos with incandescent lighting will need to be verified in post-processing.  The only possible advantage is that the ExpoDisc provides is to get you closer to the actual white point as a starting point for your corrective measures. It is, in my opinion, much easier to warm up a photo than to make it cooler without loseing fidelity.  The ExpoDisc got me to a manageable white balance.  But it is certainly not the perfect solution for such conditions.

Update (Feb 22, 2010): After conducting a series of additional tests, we discovered that if we removed the lamp shade, the resulting image while using the ExpoDisc for balance was not nearly as blue.  There was still a slight bluish cast, but the resulting image was fairly close to actual colors – much closer than the example above.  We would still consider incandescent light a difficulty of the ExpoDisc system, however, as there would not be an easy way to check – for certain – the accuracy of the color profile before continued shooting.  On the other hand, a good photographer already knows not to trust shots under incandescent light, and likely has a back-up plan in place for such photos.

Update (April 21, 2010):  Further lab testing debunked our findings.  For the full story, read our follow-up post.

To be completely fair, the ExpoDisc performed incredibly well under fluorescent and mixed (fluorescent and incandescent) light.  The photo at the top of the page showing off the contents of the package was taken under mixed lighting:  Compact Fluorescent, standard fluorescent tubes and an incandescent lamp.  The ExpoDisc worked perfectly in this case.

Final Thoughts

I was skeptical at first, but a few weeks spent with the ExpoDisc quickly changed my mind.  I’m a believer now.  I had expected the color correction to be inaccurate much more often.  In fact, the only time I experienced any sort of incorrect white balancing was under a 150 Watt warm incandescent light bulb – but it was still fairly close, significantly closer than the automatic white balancing, and still much closer than the incandescent setting on my camera.  The snap-on feature is a nice touch.  When I was advised to select a filter that would fit my lens, my first misconception was that I would have to screw it onto my lens to take a reading – an annoyance I did not want several time throughout a photo walk.  I was happily surprised with the ExpoDisc arrived and I did not have to worry about that.  The pouch and lanyard were also nice touches.  I fastened the lanyard to my camera bag so that it was in easy access, and it was protected from clumsy fingers dropping it to the ground.  It’s also a good length to hang around your neck.

For those of you shooting under the controlled environment of a studio – this may be easier, but it may not be ideal for your fine-tuning minds.  Studio photographers may still favor the over-sized (not as easy to carry) gray cards for their white balancing needs.  But for the rest of you, the ExpoDisc is a fine tool to carry with you.  It’s small, it’s accurate and convenient.  It will also save you time in post processing – and who wouldn’t want that.  I find the ExpoDisc to be more accurate and certainly more easy to use than pocket-sized gray cards in the field.  Anyone who’s tried to shoot in the city will certainly appreciate not having to place a card just right in order to meter for white balance.

As I mentioned earlier, the ExpoDisc comes in two varieties:  ExpoDisc Neutral, which I tried, and the ExpoDisc Portrait, which yields a warmer cast.  Though I did not test the Portrait, it is my opinion that the Portrait iteration is a bit too specialized.  As combined with a preset in your favorite photo editing software, your photos could easily be warmed up routinely since the starting image is corrected.  So I’m not so sure the Portrait version is worthwhile.

To be blunt – I will be purchasing one of my own as soon as my budget allows.  The cost is about $70-$105 (USD) depending on the size of the filter you need.  Without trying one out for myself, I would have said that was too expensive.  But after using one, I’d say it’s a fair cost.  It certainly saves a ton of time and frustration.  So yes, this is on my wish list, and I expect to have one of my own before too long.

If you are interested in the ExpoDisc, it is available at Amazon and at BH Photo. Just make sure to select a size that best fits your lens.

Things We Liked

• Accurate under most lighting applications.
• Easy to use with your camera
• Small – fits in your pocket easily.
• Snaps onto the lens easily without the need to screw it into place.
• Easy carrying options – lanyard and carrying pouch, quick access while in the field.

Things We Didn’t Like

• Not perfect under all light sources, such as some incandescent light Update (April 21, 2010):  Further lab testing debunked our findings.  For the full story, read our follow-up post.

(photo courtesy of Sun Sniper)

Camera technology has come a long way, but the camera strap hasn’t evolved much since the advent of the camera.  Recently, there have been several companies making efforts to improve the abilities of this essential accessory that is often an after-thought.  But the concept of the sliding harness – though not a new idea – is a breath of fresh air on the camera scene.  Among the sliding harness heroes is the Sun Sniper, which I was able to acquire for the purpose of this review.

Arguably, there are several contenders in the sliding harness ring – each with their own subtle design tweaks – but the general concept is the same.  Instead of hanging the camera from your neck, the sliding harness goes across one shoulder and the camera hangs at your side.  In the case of the Sun Sniper, the strap is not intended to move as you pull the camera up to your eye.  There are two versions of the Sun Sniper strap – the Sun Sniper “One” and the Sun Sniper “Steel”.  The model I reviewed is the “Steel” version, which contains a steel cable woven into the strap.  Otherwise, the two straps are very much alike.

The Sun Sniper’s strap is adjustable with a shock-absorbing shoulder pad.  For the “Steel” version, the strap is reinforced with a steel cable that is woven into the strap that not only helps the camera to slide, but also serves as an extra level of protection from would-be-thieves.  On the strap hangs a metal clasp slide with a carabiner-like faster.  This can be hooked (and locked via a screw mechanism on the clasp) to a special D-Ring screw that screws into the tripod mount of your camera.  The shoulder pad is contoured to hug your shoulder, partially for comfort and partially to permit the strap to stay put as you raise/lower the camera from its resting place.  The pad holds to the strap by two sets of velcro enclosures that serves to hide the excess strap.  The strap is adjustable, and the adjustment buckle nestles into a place within the strap – so once your strap is adjusted, it will not slide through the shoulder strap.

In Use

The concept of wearing your camera at your side, or possibly along your lower back, is appealing to anyone who’s been shooting for a while.  Wearing a strap around your neck can get tiresome, especially with a full-size camera or with your larger lenses.  The Sun Sniper – and other straps like it – transfers the weight to your shoulder, which is better designed for bearing weight.  I kept the strap fastened to my camera for several days to evaluate its use under several conditions.  I took it out on photo walks in and around the city to specifically get an idea of how it fared.

For street photography, the strap was a dream.  As many of you may know, when you wander about the city, you don’t want to pack your camera away all the time.  You’ll miss photos that way.  With the camera around your neck, it never seems to hang comfortably, especially when you have a heavy zoom lens on the front.  At it’s side, I was able to keep the camera relatively out of the way but easily within reach.  I still found myself keeping a hand on the camera when not in use (which you would normally do while walking through the city), but I didn’t experience any arm strain or stress as I would if the camera were hanging around my neck.  In crowds, having the camera at the side or even behind me seemed a little awkward as I shifted and twisted my body through crowds.  My first day out, I bumped my camera into a door I was trying to open.  I eventually got used to this, but there is certainly more potential for camera damage with it hanging at your side.

I did notice something relatively interesting – I found that the Sun Sniper worked much better with heavier lenses than with my small 50mm prime lens.  With the larger and heavier lenses, the camera and lens seemed to fit well into the contour of my back when not in use.  When I had my 50mm on the body, it never really seemed to hang just right.  Neither the body nor the lens would make good contact with my body, and I found it bouncing around quite a bit.

Adjustment Buckle nestled in the Shoulder Pad

As I mentioned above, the adjustment buckle nestles between two sets of velcro enclosures on the shoulder pad.  Think of these like over-lapping doors that hold the shoulder pad to the strap.  The buckle is far more durable than you might be used to, but it otherwise functions like other nylon strap buckles found on backpacks and the like.  In this photo, I have one of the enclosures opened to illustrate how it works.  You make your adjustments, and then fold and tuck the excess strap into the shoulder pad and close the velcro enclosure.  The shock absorbing portion of the strap is on the other side of the shoulder pad (not shown).  From a design point of view, this is a fairly nice system that keeps everything looking tidy and easy to manage.  However, in practicality, it makes adjustment more complicated than necessary.  One might argue that you’ll only need to adjust it once and then leave it be.  In practice, however, I found the need to adjust as I changed lenses – especially when I went from my 185mm zoom to my 50mm prime.  The shock absorbing portion of the strap works by elasticity.  It expands and contracts as your camera bounces – or as the weight of your camera changes.  Throw on a heavy lens, and the camera hangs just a little lower.  So when I placed my 50mm on my camera, it hung too high and it annoyed me.  Adjusting the strap proved to be a pain.  Making such adjustments while wearing the strap is uncomfortable and complicated.  Especially since on my shoulder, the end of the strap would hang over my back – tightening while wearing it is essentially impossible.

One misconception I dispelled on my own was the fastener – the D-ring screw that fits into your tripod mount.  My biggest concern was about whether or not that screw would loosen while in use.  The screw comes with a big fat spongy washer that functions like a lock-washer to hold it in place.  Through all my travels these past few weeks, the screw has not loosened once.  During the first days of my evaluation, I used the strap as designed, fastened to the tripod mount of my camera.  As I was moving about and hand-holding, this worked quite well.  But on the occasions I wanted to use my tripod or set my camera down on its bottom, the mounting bolt caused trouble.

Alternate mounting suggestion (not as designed)

Eventually, the bottom-mount annoyance grew to a point that I experimented with mounting the strap in other ways – mind you, not harming the product in any way.  As a proof of concept, I fastened a key ring to one of the strap points on my camera (see photo at left).  This is not as Sun Sniper had intended, but it was a potentially viable solution that I wanted to test out.  At first, I fastened the key ring and strap to the grip-side of the camera.  Unfortunately, I found that the strap’s hook pinched my fingers often when using it in this manner.  So I fastened it to the opposite side of the camera (as shown).  While it no longer pinches my fingers, the hook mechanism is not large enough to get the camera away from my body when in this configuration.  It does work, however, the camera hangs appropriately, and the strap is mounted steady.  But to consider this a better mounting position, it would need to permit the camera to get farther from the Sun Sniper strap.  I would consider a short web strap to fasten to your camera, like Op Tech USA’s Utility Loop.  I realize that this is the combination of two product lines, but something of the sort would allow a better fastening to the camera (as opposed to a keyring) and it would allow you to pull the camera away from the body.  I wonder if Sun Sniper might propose such an option in the future.

Final Thoughts

For a photographer that spends a lot of time moving around like event photographers, especially for a photographers with more than one camera body,  the Sun Sniper appears to be a great alternative to the every day strap.  Street photographers will also see some benefits, but portrait and landscape photographers may find it to be a nuisance if one cannot fasten the strap to their tripod mount.

The build quality is top notch.  Materials all seem durable and all points of stress seem to be addressed quite well.  Of the alternative straps I am aware of, this is the only one with the steel cable reinforcement.  The shoulder pad is also quite comfortable and well thought out, though it is arguably a bit bulky for a camera strap.

Bottom line, it really comes to preference.  But I would recommend this product for the movers – the street photographers, the wedding photographers and the like.  If you like to use your tripod, this is not a product for you, unless you modify it as I discussed above.

As of this writing, the Sun Sniper retails for about $55 (USD) and is available at Amazon.com and at B&H Photo.  The Sun Sniper “Steel” (which has the cable – the model I reviewed here) is available at Amazon.com for about $75 USD California Sunbounce Sun-Sniper Steel

Things We Liked

• Comfortable shoulder pad which also hides adjustment and shock absorption component.
• Very durable and strong materials.
• Steel cable embedded in strap (“Steel” version only).
• Locking clasp.
• Smooth operation as the clasp slides along the strap.

Things We Didn’t Like

• Fastening options – as designed, there is only one option:  The Tripod Mount.  It can be annoying for frequent tripod users, plus the jury is still out about whether this is a good place to hang your camera.
• Bulky – when not in use, the shoulder pad and strap will take up the space of one of your mid-sized lenses.
• Difficult to adjust – adjustments while wearing the strap is very difficult.  Getting it set perfectly while off your body is challenging.
• Not ideal for small lenses.