Category Archives: Photography equipment

Rigu magnetic lens filter adapters and lens caps in use.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

A quick update, I tried out my new Rigu magnetic lens filter adapters yesterday. They works very well, I had no worries about the filters or magnetic caps falling off, they save a lot of time when fitting and changing filters and removes the possibility of a stuck filter. One thing that I did do is pack a couple of centre pinch lens caps in my filter pouch as well as the magnetic ones fitted to the lenses. When no filter is fitted the magnetic ones are absolutely fine but I prefer not to keep screwing and unscrewing the magnetic lens cap (which is also threaded) from the filter. I find that the centre pinch ones suits me better when a filter is fitted. This is not something that one has to do but just something that I prefer. Rigu have since promptly introduced selling the lens-side and filter-side adapter rings in pairs after some initial confusion on my part, yet another of my “senior moments”. 🙂 . It’s great to still be able to buy just one half if required.

If interested see my previous post for more information on the adapters..

Kind regards

Leigh

Rigu magnetic lens filter adapters and lens caps review.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Hi everyone

Before I talk about the adapters a shout out for the company that supplied them RIGU and its owner Andrew Bowness. Rigu is a UK company with a great range of camera accessories. As a Brit I always try and support UK businesses such as Rigu, Bowman Leather straps and Billingham bags. I’ve experienced exemplary service, great communication, fast, efficient dispatch and excellent quality products. from all these companies. It’s refreshingly nice in today’s day and age of “couldn’t care less/kick the can down the road” service which can often feel like its become the norrn. to buy from companies such as these that actually care about the quality of their products, their reputation and their customers’ satisfaction and I’m more than happy to buy from them again without reservation. When I find companies such as these then I have and I will go back to them if I require more of their products, safe in the knowledge that I’ve been treated courteously, received quality products and efficient service from them.

Now for the review bit.

The adapters come in two parts, a ring which screws onto the lens, another ring which screws on to the filter thread and a magnetic lens cap is available as an option, all available separately which is great if one wants to buy an extra ring or cap at any time . I ordered four of each adapter rings to fit my most used lenses and filters as well as four lens caps. It’s also worth mentioning that the lens cap has a thread so it will screw onto a filter’s external thread if desired. They come in different filter thread sizes and I got the 58mm size as that’s my standardised filter size. What helps to set these aside from other makes is the very reasonable price. One can pay a lot of money for what is essentially the same thing from the leading filter manufactures. My main concern with this type of thing is, how strong are the magnets and could I trust them to hold my expensive filters securely without fretting that the filter might drop off at any minute. To test this I fitted one of my heavier filters and then held the camera above the bed and shook it about a bit and the filter stayed put so I have confidence that unless I do something stupid 🙂 , the filter will be held securely, Rigu have an excellent guide to the fitting and use of the adapters which covers pretty much all one’s questions on their website and Andrew promptly e-mailed me with helpful information which I regard as great communication, he obviously takes a pride in the goods that they supply.. I don’t have much more to add except if you’re looking for magnetic filter adapters then check them out, save yourself some money and support a small business.. With free delivery on UK orders, 14-day returns and quantity discounts it makes ordering from them an even more attractive option.

As always, this post is entirely my own opinions, not in any way solicited and I’m not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in the post and the products have been paid for out of my own money for my personal use.

Images copyright, courtesy of Andrew Bowness at Rigu.

Kind regards

Leigh

Canada Trip.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment and tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Hi everyone,

I’ve given more thought as to what gear to take with me on my trip to Canada later this year, it’s nearly forty years since I last set foot in Canada and I was substantially fitter and healthier back then. I’ve decided to pack my two lightest and smallest lenses my 14mm f/2.5 and 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 Lumix tiny pancake lenses and Olympus PEN-F camera along with 4 filters and two spare BLN-1 camera batteries and some memory cards which fit comfortably in my small and sturdy Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag. Given the principle nature of the trip is to visit my elderly father and my sister and her family I’m going to do something that I wouldn’t normally do and pack another camera, my lightest, smallest camera, my Olympus PEN E-PL8, as a backup should anything happen to my beloved PEN-F. I’m certainly not going to take the chance of being stuck for the duration of this trip without a camera. I have a small matching detachable add-on pouch for the Billingham bag which is large enough to accommodate the E-PL8 camera, two spare BLS-5/50 batteries and a few additional memory cards. As this pouch is relatively small I’ve fitted my Olympus 15mm f/8 body cap lens. If worst came to the absolute worst then any lens is better than none. It’s not a lens that I’d relish being stuck shooting with for the duration of the trip with its small fixed aperture and poorer image quality but a heck of a lot better than nothing, “any port in a storm” as the old saying goes and a camera without a lens is about as good as a chocolate tea pot. 🙂

As well as the lenses in my camera bag I’m packing three more, my Lumix 20mm f/1.7 pancake lens, my small Lumix 35-100mm f/4-5.6 zoom and an additional backup Lumix 12-32mm lens packed in my travelling tech bag alongside my usual assortment of USB camera battery chargers, charging hubs, cables, card readers, travel adapters etc. etc…The plan being that I can just take out one or maybe two small, lightweight lenses at a time to suit my requirements for the day and still be travelling comfortably light or, if I chose, I could swap cameras and use the E-PL8 for an even lighter and relatively less conspicuous carry especially of a night time. All being well I think this arrangement should work well for me. The 14mm and 12-32mm pancake lenses are, to the best of my knowledge, the smallest, lightest, multi-aperture lenses for the Micro Four Thirds system and, from experience, I’m more than happy using both. If one mounts either of them on the E-PL8 then one really has a pocketable camera.

Kind regards

Leigh

Magnetic filter adapters

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

Some years ago I bought some Manfrotto XUME magnetic filter adapters which worked well for me at the time. In hindsight, I made a mistake as I ordered 62mm ones which at the time was fine as they were for my M.Zuiko 12-40mm lens which was my staple go to travel lens. As things turned out since then I have standardised on 58mm filters. The XUME ones are no longer on sale and change hands for ridiculous money on E-Bay etc… I’ve ordered up 4 of each 58mm lens and filter adapters to fit to my most frequently used lenses and filters from a cheaper make to try out. I’ll post when I’ve tried them as they’re very attractively priced and I do like the convenience of magnetic filter attachment especially when frequently changing filters and it does speed things up considerably and save the lens filter threads from wear and tear and the possibility of cross-threading as I’m always somewhat wary of the longevity of plastic lens filter threads. If one somehow manages to strip or otherwise damage the lens thread, then, to use a good old British expression, one is “stuffed”. As I very rarely use very wide angle lenses wider than 24mm equivalent there shouldn’t be any problem with vignetting.

Kind regards

Leigh

DXO PureRAWv6 XD3 IP Core noise reduction.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | 4 Comments

Hi everyone,

I’ve been testing the new DeepPRIME XD3 noise reduction in PureRAW v6. I think that this is a real game changer for high IS0 images. The quick test shots below were all taken at an absurdly high 25,600 ISO. I very rarely have the need to go anywhere near as high as that but the results were very impressive and yes, as if you couldn’t tell, I am a Blondie fan. 🙂 .The lens was my M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 prime lens @f/5.6.

100% crops, noise, what noise? 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

The beauty of Micro Four Thirds.

by in Landscape, Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | 2 Comments

Hi everyone,

This year marks the 13th Anniversary of my switch to using Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses. During this time my cameras and lenses have travelled thousands of miles and taken thousands of images. If it wasn’t for the small size and particulary the low weight of my cameras and lenses I wouldn’t be able to still be taking pictures today. Above is a shot of three very small and ultra-compact lenses that constitute a very nice lightweight travel kit. The Lumix 20mm f/1.7 prime lens and Lumix 12-32mm and 35-100mm zoom lenses which, along with a small camera body, all fit in my Billliingham Hadley Digital camera bag along with a few accessories.. When travelling it gives me the flexibility of taking just one lens with me when out and about such as the 12-32mm, two lenses by including the 35-100mm when I think that I might require it and the 20mm lens is there for low light/night time shots and one can get some nice environmental portraits with this lens as well as making a versatile all-round walk-about lens. I have found the 12-32mm to be such a useful lens that I own two of them and one lives in my travelling tech bag as a backup should I ever require it. The only thing that I’ve done is adding after-market lens hoods to suit my preference. and enable me to fit my standardised 58mm filters. I don’t know of any other system where one can pack three equivalent focal length lenses like these for a combined weight of 235g or just over 1/2 lb!.

20mm f/1.7:

Weight100g (3.5 oz)
Dimensions63mm diameter x 25.5mm length

Lumix 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6

Weight70 g (0.15 lb)
Length24 mm (0.94″)

Lumix 35-100mm f/4-5.6

Weight135 g (0.30 lb)
Length50 mm (1.97″)

So you can see from the above specifications just how small and lightweight these lenses are and they are all more than acceptably sharp. I’m not hooked up in the pursuit of absolute sharpness and I often prefer to diffuse my images occasionally with filters but more often in post-processing to create a softer, more atmospheric feel.

Kind regards

Leigh

Latest thoughts and ramblings.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment and tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hi evryone,

It’s getting ever increasingly more difficult to get the shots that I want. I’m now down to taking out just one small prime lens and pretty much the lightest of my Micro Four Thirds camera bodies. I started with prime lenses years ago and then bought several zoom lenses including my original travel zoom my Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO lens which is now far to heavy for me to take out. The lens that I need doesn’t exist and in terms of technology probably won’t exist for many years to come that’s a “standard” zoom lens that covers my preferred focal length range, mid wide angle to medium telephoto, as fast, light and compact as a standard focal length prime lens It’s a bit ironical as a standard zoom is what I need nowadays as , with my mobility problems, it avoids having to zoom with my feet or maybe that should be move with my legs but it’s not adequate as a one lens solution as I need a fast lightweight, compact lens for both day and nigh time use. So, the lens that more or less ticks the weight and speed boxes the best and covers most of my requirements albeit with its limitations is my M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 35mm equivalent lens. I’m missing some shots because my legs get very achy and tired very quickly on leaving the house not to mention painful by the end of the day but at least I’m getting some shots. At the risk of sounding melodramatic I’ve come close quite a few times to considering selling up my gear but something inside always stops me short of doing so.

Filters:

I’m not a big user of filters as I like to do most in post processing but I have narrowed it down to an absolute maximum of four filters that I’m experimenting with taking out and about with me.

Marumi Super DHG circular polarising filter. Not a filter that I need that often but useful on occasions.

Tiffen FusionPOL combined 1/4 pro black mist and CPL filter. I very rarely take portraits of people but it’s handy to have the black mist effect as well as the CPL but, for me, it’s not as useful as my other two filter below for use at night.

Kenko Black Mist #0.5. This filter has a pretty strong diffusion effect and works well if one want the halation to effect the whole image. It has it’s uses in both day and nigh time but I find my last filter give a more pleasing all round effect.

K&F Concept Shimmer Diffuser 1 filter. Unlike the black mist filter this filter is much more subdued, the halation is localised to light sources and hardly noticeable in daylight. I like this filter for nigh time use as the effect it a lot more subtle that black mist filters.

Software:

I’ve just invested in upgrading my DXO PureRAW software to the latest version 6. I’m a fan of DXO’s lens correction profiles which apart from lens distortionc correction it also includes corrections for lens-specific global sharpness and, vignetting as well as chromatic aberration correction option and, in my opinion, the best noise reduction out there and now incorprorating the DeepPRIME XD3 denoising tecnnology, The latest version also includes saving as compressed DNG format.

Kind regards

Leigh

Today’s trip out with two prime lenses.

by in Landscape, Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

All being well I’m heading out to Emsworth in Hampshire today to try out a combination of lenses that I haven’t used for quite a while, I’m taking my 12mm f/2 and 25mm f/1.8 (24mm and 50mm equivalent) lenses. These prime lenses were amongst the first lenses that I bought years ago for my Olympus cameras. I’ll upload some shots taken today with these lenses in a future post but here’s a few shots taken in Emsworth on a previous visit back in 2021. It’ll be interesting to see what I can find today using these lenses again. The only other items I’m taking with me are a spare camera battery, spare memory card and my combined 1/4 strength Tiffen Black Pro Mist and CPL filter. As it’s a fairly dull day I’m not sure if and when I might use the filter but it tends to live in my small camera bag nowadays and doesn’t take up any space or add any appreciable weight.

All the best,

Leigh

A short walk in Bognor Regis with my M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 lens.

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | 3 Comments

Hi everyone,

I’ve been feeling totally uninspired of late but I thought I’d ignore the cold wind and take only my 45mm lens for a short walk in Bognor as part of my reacquaintance with using this lens. Below some shots, I wouldn’t take only this lens out with me again as it’s too tight for framing my shots as I like them and it doesn’t leave much room for manoeuvre in tight spots I’m much happier with a lens between 17mm and 25mm (35mm and 50mm equivalent) which is where my Lumix 40mm equivalent f/1.7 lens fits in nicely as this suits my walk-about style much better and it’s how I see things. It is an excellent short telephoto portrait lens but I very rarely take shots of people or hanker for a longer lens which is why it’s been sitting on a shelf for ages. It was however fun trying to find subjects that I could more or less frame as I wanted with this lens and it was, as always, a joy to use

Kind regards

Leigh

Photo processing software licensing

by in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | 8 Comments

Hi,

Some years ago I promptly gave up Adobe products when they went over to a licensing model. I object strongly to having to pay and pay again to keep using a piece of software, I’m happy to pay a one-off payment for upgraded features where I feel that they represent good value for money and are of benefit to me or a one-off upgrade to a new software version where it offers sufficient useful extra functionality but to have to pay for the same upgrade features over and over again annually is something that I strongly object to. For some some years I’ve used Sklyum products including every version of their Luminar software, their Aurora HDR software and many one-off paid add-ons eg. LUTs etc.. I note that they now do an annual “Season Pass” which one has to pay in order to retain some of their add-on extra features that one’s already paid out for when one’s “pass” expires. as well as some extra features that I have absolutely no use for. For this reason I shall no longer be spending any money on their products. These companies seem to think that one has unlimited funds and very deep pockets, they want to try being reliant on a UK state pension!. Skylum marketed heavily on their software being “Pay Once” and not a subscription but they, like the vast majority of their competitor have done are moving in that direction which I find personally totally unacceptable.

Kind regads

Leigh