Hi everyone,

I picked one of these up, it seems quite good. For some time I’ve been looking for a small sized rain cover for my Micro Four Thirds cameras. All the ones that I’ve seen and a couple that I have, are by comparison, quite massive and perhaps better suited for a larger camera and lens setup on a tripod. There’s a large zip running the length of the bottom to insert the camera, two sleeves, a generous size transparent plastic panel and it fastens to the lens hood with a stiffened detachable collar which can be attached by a wrap-around velcro strap and another draw cord. It scrunches up pretty small into one of my waterproof pouches and is very light. It’s quite quick and easy to fit, I’m not sure if I’d ever do up the draw cords on the sleeves though, too much hastle and how exactly does one do up the other one with one hand already in the cover?, a job for the late Houdini perhaps. 🙂 One could leave off the collar and just use the draw cord to tighten around the lens hood as a matter of choice, depends on the size of the lens and hood I guess.

I think that they’ve been around for some time and were made by Kata and badged by Manfrotto. They seem a bit hard to get hold off but I found it on E-Bay. I believe that they also did larger sizes but this model is a good size for my gear, not perfect but a lot better fit than my previous efforts. It comes, like my other Manfrotto products, with a 5 year warranty if one registers it on their website.

To be clear, I find all rain covers to be a pain in the posterior to use but, as I was explaining to a friend, there’s nothing more frustrating than, when out travelling especially abroad and, like as not, you’ve paid a lot of money to get there and it rains heavily as has happened to me quite a few times and not being able to take photos and this is so small and light that one doesn’t know that one’s got it in one’s bag or pocket. As the old saying goes “the best camera is the one that you’ve got with you” the same is true of a camera rain cover. You may not need it that often but, when you do, you’ll be more than glad that you’ve got it with you.

Best wishes,

Leigh

Hi everyone,

As the winter is with us in this part of the world, a few simple tips. Forgive me if you already know of them or do the same but I thought I’d pass them on.

1. If you use a camera bag rain cover make sure that you have something to store it when it gets wet away from your gear. A suitable plastic bag or waterproof pouch will do. Better still if you can let it air dry.
2. If you use a camera rain cover the same applies as above.
3. In cold weather keep spare batteries warm (and most importantly dry) in an inside jacket pocket to help maintain and ,to a limited extent, recover a little of their charge. I have my spare batteries in a small waterproof plastic case arranged in such a way as to prevent the risk of shorting. So I can pop this case into an inside jacket pocket. I never carry loose batteries rattling around in a bag or pocket.
4. I always pop a couple of those small silica gel pouches in my camera bags to absorb any moisture.
5. If you have a weather-sealed camera remember that it’s weather-sealed and not totally water/dust proof so I usually carry some form of camera rain cover for use in heavy wet/dusty conditions and the same doubly goes for my non weather sealed gear.
6. If using a camera rain cover and using the camera’s LCD screen which is usually heavy on battery usage remember if possible to fit a fully charged battery and use sleep mode to save battery life as much as possible. It’s a drag to have find shelter and remove and refit the rain cover to change a battery.
7. I also take one of those cheap household microfibre cloths in a plastic bag with me in a pocket to dry anything off if necessary as they’re super absorbent.
8. If your gear gets exposed to salt water and/or dust, sand etc. clean these off as soon as possible as they’re abrasive/corrosive. If you have a weather-sealed camera you can use clean water to gently rinse them off.
9. I usually have a lens protect filter fitted in inclement conditions as it’s easier and safer to clean raindrops, water splashes, dust, sand etc. from this than the front lens element. It can also be removed and cleaned later. Wash off dust/sand etc. before using a lens cloth or suchlike to avoid scratching the filter with abrasive dust/sand particles.
10. If moving from a cold environment to a warm one watch out for condensation, I’ve seen it addressed by putting the camera with lens attached into one of those zip lock freezer bags along with some silica gel pouches before entering a warm environment and waiting until all the condensation has cleared before removing it. What you want is for the condensation to form on the outside of the freezer bag like it can do on the inside of a window in cold weather.

As the old adage goes, “better safe than sorry”.

K ind regards

Leigh

PS. I forgot to mention, use a lens hood as it helps to keep water off of the front of the lens.

Hi everyone,

Those that have followed my blog for any time will know that I absolutely hate tripods. Firstly, they slow me down and don’t work well with my liking for “walk-about” photography. Secondly, and personally very importantly, I find their weight and bulk fatiguing. So, why am I mentioning this tripod?. This isn’t a review, there are plenty of those around for this tripod but rather my rationale for even owning this one. I’ve read so much stuff about how one cannot do handheld HDR and/or serious landscape photography without using a tripod so how come I’ve been doing it habitually for years with consistently reliable results without one?. The answer is simple, great image stabilization, making use of any available support and being aware of what shutter speeds one is taking the shots at, that and very importantly, great HDR software.

Let’s start with weight, a huge factor for me, I’ve not spend a lot of time and energy refining my kit down to the most compact and lightweight configuration that I can just to add a lot of weight by carrying a heavy tripod especially as, on the occasions when I have chosen to take one with me, 9.99 times out of ten I just end up carrying it around and not using it very much and, frequently, not at all. So, I try and only carry a tripod when I’m pretty darned sure that I’ll require one, for example very long exposures and that hasn’t changed one bit but if I’m going to have to do so then it has to be the most compact and lightest one that I can find and, to-date, this is it. I think that its compact size and low weight make it a very good travel tripod option. I’ve owned it for quite a while now and it’s the only full-sized as opposed to tabletop tripod that I’ve used since buying it which must say something

As a user of Micro Four Thirds gear it works well as my cameras and lenses are all compact and lightweight. It’s not the tallest tripod in the world and not well suited for anyone who is tall and definitely not suited for heavy cameras and lenses but, for my needs at approx. 5 ft 8 inches tall with lightweight cameras and lenses it gets the job done. Typically I’ve done a few simple modifications to suit my personal preferences. It comes with a nice small carrying bag with decent sized cord strap which, unlike some bags with a thin cord, doesn’t cut into one’s neck and shoulder too much. I’ve covered over the large ME FOTO logo with some black gaffer tape as I’ve done with the logos on all my bags. I don’t wish to be an unpaid walking advert for anyone’s gear or draw unnecessary attention to the contents. The metal tripod legs are pretty slippery especially on a cold day if one’s wearing gloves so I’ve taped some neoprene round one leg to make it easier to grip when carrying. Lastly I’ve added red and yellow sticky dot labels to aid in quickly differentiating between the quick release plate and ball head locking knobs.

A couple of shots, You can judge the size by the A4 cutting mat.

So that’s my favorite go-to kit for the foreseeable future.

All the best,

Leigh

PS. I forgot that I had this 5 Litre capacity dry bag which easily accommodates the tripod and my intervalometer and maybe a few other small things like sandwiches? and is of course water proof and it has a bigger and wider strap. 🙂 It could also be filled with something heavy like stones from the beach and hung under the tripod to add extra stability if required. Making sure of course that one has removed one’s sandwiches first. 🙂

Hi everyone,

Using things that I had lying around I put my batteries into a small black ABS waterproof case and also my combined 58 mm CPL/Variable ND filter (+ 46 mm to 58 mm step up ring) into a small blue neoprene case that I can hang from my belt. The dual layers should keep the batteries bone dry in inclement weather and everything’s on my belt for easy access. A while back I also numbered my batteries for easy identification. Behind the foam rubber inserts are a couple of moist lens wipe sachets and a small microfibre cloth. I know my obsession with weather-proofing may, on occasions, seem like it’s bordering on the paranoid but, trust me, batteries are really not something that one wants to get wet and short circuit. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone,

Now that I’ve had a chance to test my new Lumix 14-42 mm II lens, during a recent visit to Worthing, a few thoughts. Center sharpness is excellent, the edges are a tad soft at 14 mm but nothing that overly concerns me especially as I had my tiny Lumix 14 mm f/2.5 pancake lens with me if required. The 14-42 mm is so light and small so much so that it didn’t feel like I had a lens on my PEN-F camera and thus not a lot of weight hanging from my neck which is always a blessing. Another interesting and nice thing is that the lens parks itself at the 25 mm focal length when powered down and thus it’s a simple twist of the zoom ring either way when powered on to zoom in to 42 mm or out to 14 mm. I like the 46 mm filter thread which is the same as two of the other lenses I packed, my Lumix 14 mm f/2.5 and Lumix 35-100 mm zoom. The lens auto focuses quickly and silently and the zoom and manual focus rings are smooth in operation. I really enjoyed using this lens and I’m more than happy with the image quality of this lens. Is it plastic?, yes, is a lens hood supplied?, yes, is it heavy?, no, is it weather-sealed?, no (nor is this camera), is it optically good?, definitely yes. 🙂

Kind regards,

Leigh

Hi everyone,

All being well I’m going to take my latest lens acquisition for a test at the weekend. I’ve bought a Panasonic Lumix 14-42 mm II lens at a good price. I’m swapping it over for my trusted and much loved Lumix 12-32 mm. The new lens fits squarely in with my love of small, lightweight lenses as it’s only 49 mm in length and weighs only 110g. Another advantage is that this lens takes the same 46 mm filter thread as many of my other lenses including some of my favorites, like my Lumix 14 mm f/2.5, 20 mm f/1.7 and 35-100 mm as well as M.Zuiko 12 mm f/2, 17 mm f/1.8, 25 mm f/1.8 and 30mm f/3.5 (macro) lenses and my Sigma Art 60 mm f/2.8 lens.

I do like the Lumix lenses for their size and weight, I’m not obsessed with the info to be found on lens testing sites. My experience is that these cheaper lenses with careful handling are very capable of producing very good image quality under most conditions. Especially so if one invests even a little time in post processing applying some basic adjustments as may be required to lens corrections, sharpness, contrast, saturation, shadow detail, vignetting, lightness etc.. I’m not hung up on an endless quest to find the ultimate in image quality especially if it comes, as it inevitably does, at a much higher price point and considerably heavier weight. I have neither the funds nor the will to play that game, I’d rather be out taking pictures and working on my shots. 🙂

The new lens looses a little at the wide angle end and gains a bit at the telephoto end compared with my 12-32 mm but I usually take my Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18 mm so it’s not an issue. So my kit for the day, in my new small Manfrotto bag, will be my PEN-F camera, 9-18 mm, 14-42 mm, 35-100 mm and 14 mm or 20 mm lenses or I might leave the primes and pack my 12-32 mm (70g) for backup. I’ll post some pics soon. Net lens weight 542g plus hoods, front and back lens caps and filters.For comparison my Olympus M.Zuiko 12-40mm PRO lens weighs approx. 380g, it’s weather sealed and constant aperture but it’s heavy and it’s only one lens.

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone,

I love my small Manfrotto bags and, as soon as I stumbled across this one I had to have it. 🙂 Unlike my other Manfrotto bags this one comes with a rain cover, detachable shoulder strap with padded shoulder pad, belt loops, an internal pocket inside the top flap and a bungie pull cord to fit a small tabletop tripod like my Manfrotto Pixie shown here. With careful packing I managed to fit my PEN-F and Lumix 12-32mm, 20mm, 35-100mm and Samyang 7.5mm or 14mm Lumix (below the 20mm) lenses all with lens hoods fitted. I’ve chosen to stash the rain cover in the internal top pocket for quick access, the pocket could be used for spare batteries, lens wipes,filters etc.. The bag comes with two red soft padded velcro-fitting divider inserts, I’m using one. I think that it should be fairly shower proof as the material is claimed to be water repellent and I have no reason to doubt that but the inclusion of the rain cover for heavier downpours is a great feature. . Cost, £29 on Amazon, some pictures:

All the best,

Leigh

Hi folks,

Heath Robinson would have been proud! . Whether or not Manfrotto had this in mind when they conveniently provide two loops at the back of the bag I don’t know but I had the idea of adding the strap from my WANDRD tech pouch and thus an extra carrying/support option. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh