Hi everyone,

I’ve been busying myself recently by posting mostly about photographic gear whilst the main road has remained closed to public transport for more than a week due to the flooding following Storm Ciaran and I’ve been unable to get out and get any new shots or pretty much anything else for that matter, I’m going a bit stir-crazy but should be able to get out somewhere soon.

I got one of these small flash soft box diffusers with an elasticated fitting and part silvered inside specifically for my Godox Lux Junior flash. As the Lux Junior is a direct manual flash it can be a bit too stark with harsh shadows when mounted directly on the camera unless that’s the look one’s looking for. With the diffuser fitted I think that one would probably need to compensate for the loss of light by increasing the output power by one or two stops equivalent or, if not possible, by increasing the ISO setting by the same degree. The diffuser would also fit my Godox TT350 flash or I guess pretty much any other flash gun, but the 350 unit has a bounce head, bounce card and attachable diffuser so it’s probably not required so much as with the smaller unit. You can get these diffusers “as cheap as chips” at circa £5 UK on E-bay etc. and they don’t take up much space as you can see in the pictures below, side by side with and fitted to the Lux Junior. I’ve tried out other types of diffuser in the past which have all proven to be either too flimsy and/or too bulky so this one looks like a better bet. I suppose if all else fails I could always draw a nose and two eyes on it and use it as a glove puppet to keep our youngest baby granddaughter amused for a while. 🙂

All the best,

Leigh

Hi everyone,

I like to organise my camera gear into kits to suit my different needs. When thinking about a choice of the camera and lenses to take with me size and particularly the weight has ever increasingly become of paramount importance to me. The longer and more frequently that I have to carry the gear the lighter I want the load to be. Another factor that determines my choice is of course the type of subject. Generally, with the possible exception of travelling, I know pretty much what to expect and what I will need with me to give a good all round balance of focal lengths. They say “always expect the unexpected” but I do not want to carry the kitchen sink around with me all day on the vague off chance that I might require a certain bit of gear so, based on experience I pretty much know that my choice of gear for a day out or short stay will differ compared to a lengthier trip. Whether I’m going to shoot lots of landscape shots or maybe a selection of different subjects or a few family portraits shots. With all of this in mind I’ve put together four kit choices. There is a certain amount of overlap between the kits but I know which focal lengths I want with me and I’ve aimed to keep things down to a minimum whilst retaining a good degree of flexibility for shooting in different light conditions.

1. This kit is the lightest and most compact and contains my Olympus E-PL8 camera + EVF-4 electronic viewfinder and 12-32mm Lumix, 20mm f/1.7 Lumix (in the pouch) and 45mm f/1.8 Olympus lenses. So a small zoom and a couple of fast prime lenses. Great for a day out or a short trip, family shots etc..

2. This kit contain my Olympus PEN-F camera, Lumix 14-42mm II and Olympus 17mm f/1.8 (in a soft pouch) and my new Godox Lux Junior flash. Again good for a short trip or day out with the addition of a flash gun. This time one zoom lens and a fast prime lens.

3. A weather-sealed kit for travelling comprising of my Olympus E-M5 II camera and Lumix 12-60mm lens with small Olympus on-camera bounce capable flash . I used this combination several times in the past when travelling abroad and it provides me with the focal length range I require whilst keeping the weight manageable. The thing in the red pouch is a camera rain cover.

4. Another weather-sealed camera/lens combination, my Olympus E-M1 I and Olympus 12-45mm f/4 lens and Godox TT350 flash gun in the red pouch. The small Olympus on camera flash could optically trigger the larger flash if so wished. The heaviest, but still manageable, of the kits, The “Full Monty” 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone,

I don’t particularly like nor do I take many pictures using flash as portraiture isn’t my chosen genre and I much prefer natural light, only the occasional family portrait but as I’ve mislaid my Godox TT-350 flash I thought I’d get something to replace it, especially with the holiday season fast approaching, visiting family, kids, grandkids etc.. I’ve turned the place upside down looking for my TT-350 to no avail, as is usually the case it’ll no doubt turn up in the last place that I look for it 🙂 or, probably more likely, long after I’ve given up looking for it!.

I stumbled upon this very small (74×50×72mm), lightweight (130g), retro-styled flash. It’s not got any bells and whistles and if one was in the market for a state of the art flash with bounce/swivel head, diffusers, more power, TTL and faster recycling then I’d say “this isn’t the flash you are looking for” 🙂 . It has manual and auto modes like one of my flash units from the 70s or 80s, two remote trigger modes marked S1 and S2, comes with a short off-camera flash sync cable, small soft pouch, ridiculously small print manual (PDF on their website) and takes two AAA NiMH rechargeable (of which I fortunately have plenty) or Alkaline batteries. With a guide number of 12  (ISO 100, metres) it’s not going to light up the Royal Albert Hall but should be just fine for portraits and suchlike uses.

Because it’s not dedicated to any make/model of camera it will work with most film cameras and digital cameras alike with center contact hot shoe connection or off-camera with the supplied sync cable, both of which are nice bonuses. As far as flash guns go it doesn’t get much more basic than this. The inner dial is purely for reference, one adjusts by setting the flash-to subject distance against the chosen ISO. You then read off the top section of the dial which indicates which flash power to select for a particular lens aperture to obtain a “correct” exposure.

As anyone familiar with the exposure triangle will instantly recognise half as much light intensity illuminating the subject (in this case flash output power better expressed as output duration) requires twice the size of the lens aperture opening (+1 stop) and vice versa to obtain a correct exposure given a certain ISO setting and subject distance as the light will drop of as the distance increases, thus it doesn’t communicate with the camera in any way, no TTL here. Of course you have to keep the camera’s shutter speed at or below the camera’s fastest flash synch speed which for me would generally be 1/250th sec.. All intuitive stuff for any “old school” photographers, with the emphasis, at least in my case on old. 🙂 You have full manual control of light output by rotating the knurled top dial which has 7 click stop settings (1/1-1/64 power). They state light distribution 24mm-105mm lenses (12mm-50mm MFT lenses) so it should be a good match for my 12-45mm f/4 M.Zuiko PRO zoom lens and my range of f/1.8 MFT prime lenses such as my M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 shown fitted below.

For my occasional usage it would seem to tick the boxes, unlike my larger Godox unit it fits neatly inside one of my very small camera bags and doesn’t take up much room and, importantly, add very much weight which means that I’m more inclined to take it with me on my travels and thus potentially use a flash more often than I have previously. As the saying goes “the best camera is the one that you’ve got with you” the same could be said of flash guns not that I can ever remember feeling particularly disadvantaged by not having one with me given my photographic interests. However I think it would make a nice compact flash to accompany one when travelling light. I’ve never made any secret of my love of retro-styled things so it handsomely ticks that box 🙂 , seen here, of course! 🙂 ,on my equally retro-looking, beloved, Olympus PEN-F digital camera which styling-wise is a nice match right down to the faux leather covering which is firmly the look that Godox and myself 🙂 were aiming for.

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi,

I took my PEN E-PL8 and my tiny 9mm and 15mm OIympus body cap lenses for a short stroll along the seafront in Bognor. This whole setup goes in my pocket. Two shots, one taken with the 9mm f/8 fisheye body cap lens and the second taken with the 15mm f/8 body cap lens. With minimum processing to taste. Given good light these two little lenses are capable of performing very well. It’s a miracle that I got anything as I forgot to fit my electronic viewfinder and, in bright sunlight I couldn’t see a darned thing on the LCD screen, that’s why I detest them so.

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone,

Oh how I love pottering about finding solutions for my photographic gear problems 🙂 . I wanted to find a way of both protecting my 20mm lens plus lens hood when fitted to the camera and also something to protect it when it’s loose in my small bag whilst I’m using my 12-32mm or 14mm lenses.

Solution using what I had to hand, some time back I bought a couple of neoprene lens “hats” and more recently several silicone lens caps. So I wondered if I could use both together and they fit perfectly inside each other and over the lens. When the lens isn’t mounted, I can separate them and reverse the silicone one and put the neoprene one back over it. It also adds an extra layer of protection, not that it’s absolutely needed, to the lens when mounted on the camera with the added bonuses that it’s quicker and less fiddly to fit and remove and less likely to be lost or damaged when compared to a traditional lens cap and it cushions and protects the whole lens from knocks. No more fumbling around with, dropping or misplacing the lens cap. 🙂

As they used to say in the A Team: “I love it when a plan comes together!”. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi,

Shown below my main camera and lens cleaning solutions, past and present, missing from the shot my large microfibre cloth.

My very first cleaning accessory, the small puffer brush, advantages, very small, light and compact, disadvantages, a pretty feeble “puff” but as they say, “any port in a storm” 🙂 and better than nothing. Then there’s my “rocket” type blower, advantage, a more forceful “puff” but, for me, takes up too much room in a small camera bag. My Hama lens pen, I choose not to use the more abrasive end but the brush end is pretty effective at removing dust and it is quite soft. I prefer my, smaller, lipstick style Matin M-6328 Small Size Goat Hair Dust Brush, advantage verses the lens pen, very compact, lighter and easy to accommodate in my small bag, has a cap over the brush end to keep it clean when not in use and very soft bristles. I always have some Zeiss wet wipe sachets in my camera bag, my wallet and mobile phone case for the times when I require a wet cleaning solution and I’ve used these for years, I reckon that Zeiss know a thing or two about lenses 🙂 .

If neither of my puffers would, as the saying goes, “knock the skin off of a rice pudding” then my next cleaning tool on its maximum setting certainly would!, although I’ve not so far been inclined to test this theory. 🙂 So, lastly, my latest addition, my Nitecore BB2 USB rechargeable electronic air blower which I don’t habitually take out with me as it’s the heaviest of all but I use it back at base for thorough all round cleaning. “Puff” or more appropriately “blower” rating awesome and three-strength variable, really does work. It has a built in air filter and a detachable brush and I use it for cleaning camera bodies and lenses but I prefer to use either my lens pen or smaller lens brush for cleaning the lens glass/filters as I feel that they’re softer. Not an exhaustive cleaning accessory list but what I have and do use.

Totally unrelated but I heard on the radio that scientists are claiming that drinking two cups of tea a day helps one’s memory. I can’t remember how many cups I’ve had today but sounds good to me ,now where the blazes did I leave my cup?

Kind regards

Leigh