[John Bennett]

About the magic track pad, does it click and otherwise behave just like the track pad on the macbook pros?

Except for a couple very minor differences it behaves exactly the same. In fact, once it’s detected by your bluetooth, when you set it up or make changes your doing so with the same utility (track pad) in the mac sys preferences.

[John Bennett]

Eric I use drop box with a couple Art directors to quickly move full res files, folders. I find it as good, better than ftp or “you send it”.

[John Bennett]

Couple pics with it in action.

Set up: Took a little adjusting to get it to hold.
MKiv with 180mm f3.5 macro + 68mm ext tubes, flash and bracket, on the Q20 ball head with cable release.

ISO 800
f/16
5 seconds

That image appeared a bit soft. whether due to vibration, or manual focus or some other factor theres no way to know, although I suspect simply missing manual focus.

2nd image, same tech’s

[John Bennett]

Hey Neal.
The Ball Head I have on it is Markins Q20 (their heaviest and compares extremely well to RRS’s biggest). Yesterday I had a Gimbal on the Gorilla. I use plates on everything ( thats a RRS L plate on my body) so arca swiss dovetailed compatible ball heads/gimbals are a must for me

The Gorilla comes with a bushing which allows you to mount ball heads, pan/tilt heads, Gimbals etc…..or you can mount directly to the camera body, lens foot. So yeah you could use your BH-40.

Apple.
Im a sucker for them. They just make good products if over priced in some cases. The magic pad is one of their best accessories imo.

[John Bennett]

Few shots for you will with the 180 f3.5 macro and flash bracket mounted.Im guessing total weight of rig around 7pds, maybe 9pds factoring in the ballhead, flash bracket, flash head.

Few words, I have no doubts it will hold the weight of anything I can put on it. It will slip around depending on what your setting it up on. For example, trying to attach it to the chair arm, the weight of the camera caused it to rotate around the horizontal until I used an arm to prevent gravity pulling down on the rig. (see pics 3 and 4)

Long story short, the possibilities are endless, some time and care may/will be needed  securing it depending on the variables.

I generally don’t recomend much, but if your like me and do various activities where carrying a full size tripod isn’t always desireable or doable…cost aside, this thing is nothing to pack/carry even for ultra light hike,back country trips,air travel and it works in so much as being able ti support the weight of your rig without creep or collapsing.

[John Bennett]

sorry for th double post.
Heres the manufactorers link to it.
http://joby.com/gorillapod/focus

[John Bennett]

Hey Will, macro was one of my first application thoughts. Where before I didn’t like lugging my mountaineer when wading streams, and trying to fish, this will be cake to throw in a small pack or jacket pocket for that matter. I’ll do a few more trials tomorrow. Im very interested in how it will hold when the body/lens isn’t centred over it. It held up fine using the gimbal and angling the big lens, s as the center mass was above it. I think in all I left it sitting like that for 20-30 minutes with no creep.

With the weight of the above rig, I either had keep unit  vertical ( legs positioned similiar to a traditional tripod ^). Or ss you see above where they are soft S shaped, or just a few inches vertical and the legs splayed out along the floor, or folded back in on themselves. Basically anything other than roughly 60degrees or less with straight legs.

So I imagine, if your willing to lie down and mount it straight to a lens foot, you could use it such that the plane is just a few inches off the ground, if you fold the legs back in on themselves or at 90 degrees on the ground and then a few inches up to form the support.

When I said the 5D and 200 f2.8 IS was promising, in truth it was rock solid. I plan on testing it upside down on branches or sideways to thinner trees etc. Other uses I can see are attaching flash heads on branches, up n trees etc for remote triggering. I’m also thinking I’ll be able to mount it to my tripod so in the fall when Im chasing white tails, I can have my long lens on my tripod and a second with a shorter lens ready to go right there beside it.

Anyways, I’ll fool around tomorrow with a few different lenses and a few configs and post a few more pics so you might see and imagine some applications.

[John Bennett]

Matt I’m just more than a little tickled. Even
my carbon adds considerable weight to a pack, not to mention size and bulk. The days of wanting a pod on hand “just in case” but dreading lugging one around are over.I’m not even sure I’ll need my ball head (1+ pds) anymore due to the articulating nature of the gorillas.

If it can hold that rig, it will hold anything else I can throw at it.
It’s not perfect, lacking height

[John Bennett]

So its sounds like Im on the right track.

I bought the Lacie 1TB 3 way portable today so I can connect via firewire to either machine. My 2TB Time Capsule Im going to redirect to run time machine on my OS and software applications on both and the library just for redundancy.

1TB external and 1 TB portable. Only thing left to do is figure out if I want to have the library/catalogue on the external and just use the portable on my MPB/backup or use the portable to house the library/catalogue and daisy the external for b/u

Thanks much guys.

[John Bennett]

Thanks Kurt, Im really wracking my brain trying to figure what should work best. Id rather not go through the expense of experimenting too much.

The issue for me is wanting and needing to be portable. There are going to be times and occassions when plugging an external into the MBP is either inconvenient (say while in the backyard watching the kids in the pool) or simply not possible…On a back woods trip where theres little/no power. For example Ill be up in northern Ontario not far from hudsons bay later this year for a week or more where theres no power at all .

So at this point the most reliable config I can think of is a 1tb LaCie 3 way rugged portable.

iMac > portable (most often). Dasied to ext when in office
MPB > portable when needed

2TB Time Capsule running Time Machine on all devices for continious redundancy.

The other option is
iMac > 2TB external
MPB > Lacie 1tb portable
copy current library/catalogue folder each and every time I want the MBP and then reverse the process afterwards.
Time Capsule in the background doing its thing on all devices

[John Bennett]

“Now I’m wondering what lens I need next.  Macro?  Something else? “

Lol Cameron, you for sure have the bug now 🙂
Sincerely though
What are your favorite things to shoot/Whats in your kit.

[John Bennett]

Nice Cameron

[John Bennett]

great stuff John

[John Bennett]

Lol Zach.

I know you have editors that frequent the site, but you should start a “stock” agency of sorts…Theres a ton a talent on the board with a wide range of outdoor interest and activities that regionally covers most of NA . Think Windigo.

if you do I want some credit 😉

[John Bennett]

Loren.
1)Filters are Singh Rays. CPs and NDs. Always have them with me.
2)Sandisk are spare cards. Rarely need them but wouldnt go without atleast 4 gig in back up.
3) Just carry one flash and 8 batteries

re Weight.It doesn’t take long.
The pack itself (lowepro vertex 300) is heavy, a few pounds atleast. However thus far I find its the most practical to protect my gear and flexible enough that I can pack it a wide variety of stuff depending on whats on the agenda.

Spare batteries, filters, odds and ends, they all add up. If I bring my macro and I often do when fly fishing, I add my flash bracket ( RRS), plates and tubes. <

Re long lenses.
No I dont mind them. I’ve kept the 400m because its “light” and packs well in the back pack. Its sort of my “travel” long lens. That said I’ve brought it with me when out fishing as well. Sometimes a little reach helps

The 1st shot of my friend casting and standing in his toon (photo call thread) was taken with the 400mm from my kayak. That load out (kayak fishing) is usually body, 24-70, 400 + accessories……..

In March and April, on any given weekend I often spend the first hour lor two looking for Wild Turkey, then I hit a trib..So sometimes I leave the house with the usual basics (fileters, batteries etc)
and

24-70mm
85mm
500mm and TC

All taken in late March, on a typical (for me, Sat morning)

taken with the 24-70

taken with the 85mm

taken with the 500

You’ll “likely” get to a point where you’ve acquired a few lenses (or more) plus standard accessories, and some accessories for some specific types of shots.

[John Bennett]

[John Bennett]

Holy crap Kurt I hope that image is on a wall. Flat out love the sun burst

[John Bennett]

Thanks guys.

I love kestrels, I still don’t have any great shots of them though. Too often they are perched on wires and/or at steep angles. Cute little predators with a mean steak. 🙂 Doesn’t help that I do most of my bird shooting in winter when Kestrels are scarce 🙂

[John Bennett]

Loren.

Re “kits”.
I usually bring 3 lenses plus a bunch of accessories with me to the river.Id say on average my typical day on the water, the load out pushes 30 to 40 pounds.

If on assignment, where I’m less sure what I’ll need and don’t want to take any chances. I load for bear and may have 5 or 6 lenses, plus a PnS for underwater and accessories.

This was my “kit” last April for the 3 weeks leading up to trout openers

It’s not always just about focal range coverage. Zooms are great and there is definately something to be said for their convenience. As you get more and more into it though and assuming you really get into it, you will discover a desire to acquire lenses that produce certain and specific types of images…Theres a lens for every job…

Thats why imo, it’s important to take your time acquiring lenses that first year or two while your learn. Then and only then, will you have a better understanding of what you want to shoot, and what lenses allow you to.

My kit today
16-35 f2.8
24-70 f2.8
85 f1.2
180 f3.5 macro
400 f5.6
500 f4.0

plus bodies and more accessories than I care to think about. Be that as it may, a quick look at the focal ranges I have covered should tell you where 95% of my shooting is done….At the very short end, and at the very long end..I have little interest or need for stuff in the middle. If I shot more sports or similiar (even say kids on the field etc) it would be very different. Figure out what you enjoy shooting, identify the lenses for those applications, map it out, and invest in your lenses from the get go. Its takes longer but will serve you in the end.

ps the 50mm f1.4 was an excellent choice

[John Bennett]

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