JJC Reusable Desiccant Silica Gel Canister, Portable Moisture Absorber Dehumidifier with Type-C Port for Easy Reactivation

Hi everyone,

These look like a neat idea for one’s camera bag, tech bag, backpack etc.. I always pop some silica gel packets in but these seem good with a USB C socket to dry them out and reactivate them. Obviously they need to be in a confined space to work as intended like a bag or case, box, cabinet etc.. I ordered a couple to try out in my camera bag and tech bag. Sure, small silica gel sachets are smaller and lighter but how to you know when they’re saturated? and they’re not reactivated. The USB C socket fits in well with my 100% USB charging philosophy which always works brilliantly when travelling. The only downside to these that I’m aware of is that they can take 10 hours plugged in to completely reactivate but I suppose that this can be done in more than one session if more convenient. Probably better to do it like this as it keeps the heat to a reasonable level. From a safety point of view I never leave anything plugged in and charging overnight or unattended with no exceptions. Compliments my Nitecore Blowerbaby BB2 air blower. Blow the water off, wipe down the camera and lens thoroughly with an absorbent microfibre cloth and let the dehumidifier inside the camera bag absorb any residual dampness. Thanks to my mate Jimmy Cheng for the heads-up. 🙂 . Looking forward to getting more shots in the rain when the opportunity presents itself. Also enjoying my night time photography, maybe get some nice night time rainy shots sometime.

Kind regards

Leigh

PS. It fits nicely inside my Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag with the addition of a surplus to requirements narrow padded velcro divider from one of my tech cases to hold it in place without totally covering the holes in the case grill. I put the other one in my tech bag which I take with me when travelling.

For my next trip.

July 15, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my gear to take on my next overseas trip further refined from what has served me very well in the past and taking into consideration the local climate and my physical limitations.

As I like to travel light, Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag, Olympus PEN-F camera, Lumix 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6 and 20mm f/1.7 lenses. 4 filter pouch and 58mm filters, filter wrench, spare camera battery with case and 2 SDHC cards, Holux RCV-3000 GPS data logger with case and 2 SDHC cards, Tile bluetooth tracker and rechargeable bluetooth ear buds. Everything that I need to walk around with. The 20mm is there for low light/night time shots else the 12-60mm is a great all-round lens which I’m more than happy to shoot with all day long. It’s got a very good coverage for my needs and it’s lighter than my other “standard” zoom lens. I’d go as far as to say that it’s most probably one of the best kit lenses ever made.

Billingham AEVA7 addon pouch fitted for additional capacity when travelling with extra camera battery with case and 2 SDHC cards, spare 18650 batteries and case, Nllosa P01 10,000 mAh 3-port USB power bank. JJC USB dual camera battery charger, spare data logger battery and USB cable. This helps to ensure that if heaven-forbid my hold luggage gets lost or delayed in transit then I can at least charge up my phone and camera batteries etc. got to get one’s priorities right!. 🙂 I can always buy clothes and toiletries but finding battery chargers quickly can be somewhat more problematical. When travelling with my wife we pack a few of her clothes in my case and vice versa if one of the cases goes astray then at least you’ve got a clean change of clothes or two to wear.

My usual suitcase hold luggage tech bag assortment of Anker 4-port USB Type A/USB Type C fast charging hub, an additional USB dual camera battery charger, backup USB chargers, cables, UK-EU mains plug adapters (rarely needed as pretty much all my stuff is USB powered), camera and lens cleaning materials, USB rechargeable torch, Tile bluetooth tracker, spare lens caps and a backup Lumix 14-42mm II f/3.5-5.6 lens and step up ring for my filters.

That should cover all the bases 🙂 Kind regards

Leigh

My latest camera :)

July 13, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Blog Posts, Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

Hi everyone, spotted this in a local charity shop for £4. A Halina 35X 35mm film camera to add to my vintage camera ornamental collection. Judging by its weight it’s made out of depleted Uranium,. If I ever need a paperweight for use in hurricane force winds then this baby is up for the job. 🙂 Made in 1959 the same year as me it’s probably in better condition and has aged better. 😦 The one thing we do have in common, apart from our advancing years, is that our moving parts are very stiff to move. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

A few shots taken with my Lumix 14mm f/2.5 lens.

April 16, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi,

I took my Lumix 14mm f/2.5mm lens for a stroll on and around the Pier in Worthing yesterday to remind myself how good this versatile little lens is. This was one of the first micro four thirds lenses I bought and still great value for money and more than capable of producing excellent results. All shots taken at ISO 200, f/5.6, the detail in the full-sized images is outstanding. Some 100% crops included.

All the best,

Leigh

Easily remove a stuck memory card.

February 26, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi all,

A bit of an odd post this one but some time back I got a memory card stuck in one of my PEN cameras. It was my own stupid fault as I was inserting it in a hurry and absent-mindedly put it in the wrong way round front to back. As the ridge on the card was on the wrong side I had nothing to get a purchase on and no space to get my finger and thumb in the space in the hinged battery and memory card compartment. Fortunately this was at home and I used some tweezers to easily remove the card. Since then I carry a pair in my camera bag, I think that I can live with the extra weight 🙂 as, sooner or later, I’m going to do it again when out and about without anything to hand to remove it making it game over. Needle-nosed pliers would probably have done it too but I don’t want to accommodate these in my camera bag. There I said it was an odd post but, nether the less, hopefully a useful one, as the old saying goes forewarned is forearmed. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Add on pouch for my Billingham Hadley Digital Camera Bag.

February 15, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi,

I’ve ordered one of their Avea7 add-on side pocket pouches for my Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag. One can attach one of these pouches to either end of the bag if desired and alternatively the pouch can be attached to a belt. They make three different sizes (Avea3, Avea5 and Avea7) to fit this bag, I chose this model, the largest of the three, because it should be big enough to accommodate some extra items, predominantly additional rechargeable batteries, a small USB power bank including the one built into my RAVPower SD card backup/Travel Router etc. that air travel regulations dictate that one’s obliged to pack in one’s hand luggage and a backup USB camera battery charger. I’m also gradually revising my gear requirements for the big photographic adventure that I’m planning for later this year, more on that another time. It can be detached when these items aren’t required to be carried around all the time.

The pouch can then be used on one’s belt for going out with just a small lighter weight one camera-one lens like my Olympus PEN-F fitted with one of my small pancake lenses such as my Lumix 14mm, 20mm or 12-32mm as I like to do in the evenings. I like this idea a lot as I want to keep my bag as compact and lightweight as possible for every day usage with the option to make it expandable as and when required. In the past I’ve travelled with a larger bag and packed a smaller one for the occasions when I want to just take out a camera and lens so experience tells me that this idea will work very well, probably safer as it’s less conspicuous than carrying a larger bag, it will also welcomely take the weight off of one’s neck and shoulders.

The pouches are manufactured to the same high standards as their bags and use the same padding, leather and brass fittings and three-layered waterproof canvas or fibrenyte material and offer the same level of protection for one’s gear. The pouch also has a small half-height internal pocket in which one could put a lens cleaning cloth, a couple of lens wet wipe sachets, a spare lens cap, a filter or similar sized items.

Kind regards

Leigh

Olympus M.Zuiko 9-18mm f/4-5.6

February 14, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Landscape, Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel and tagged camera, cameras, lenses, Photography | Leave a comment

Hi everyone,

I’ve owned this lens for quite a few years now and never really written much about it. With its 18mm-36mm full-frame equivalent focal length range it makes a great travel/walkabout lens if one likes taking street shots, landscapes, architectural and interior shots. Its very small and light at 154 grams and 49.3mm when in it’s collapsed transit position as shown above. Some may not like its plastic construction, although it does have a metal lens mount, or its switch to lock the lens. You don’t use the switch to extend the lens it is used when one wants to fully retract the lens and lock it in this position. It’s also not a very fast lens at f/4 at its widest and f/5.6 at its tele setting but it is very sharp and extremely versatile. It covers the popular full-frame equivalent wide angle focal lengths of 21mm, 24mm, 28mm and 35mm. As a useful bonus the lens accepts 52mm filters and the lens hood is a bayonet-fitting aftermarket one from JJC at a much lower cost than the proprietary one from Olympus, I refuse to pay £30 for a bit of plastic when they should be included with any lens. I can thoroughly recommend this lens for any Micro Four Thirds system users wanting to get a compact, lightweight ultra-wide angle lens at an affordable price especially if, like me, you find one second hand at a good price. Here’s a few shots I’ve taken with this lens. Over the years I’ve taken some of my all time favourite shots with this lens.

Kind regards

Leigh

Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag, first thoughts.

February 4, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel and tagged Billingham, billingham-hadley-digital, camera, camera bag, cameras, lenses, Photography, Travel | Leave a comment

HI,

I took delivery of my new camera bag. The bag, is, as I knew it would be, superbly well made. It’s in excellent condition without a mark on it, a great second hand buy. One of the two internal dividers was missing but that doesn’t bother me for the price paid and they do spares if I choose to get more. A brilliant added bonus was the inclusion of the matching SP40 padded non-slip leather shoulder pad which, if bought as an accessory, is quite expensive. The big appeal of this bag, apart from the excellent quality of materials and manufacturing, is the extremely well padded plush interior with padded top, the good-sized front pocket which holds quite a bit and its weather proofing and it should be perfect for my day-to-day requirements, also no more zips, velcro and fiddling around fitting and removing rain covers!. I chose to try it for size with my Olympus PEN-F camera fitted with my M.Zuiko 12-45mm zoom with lens hood attached and it fits very well as the bag has some height to it which is another reason why I wanted it. Below a few shots of the bag and contents, if I was packing for a lengthier trip I’d probably squeeze in a small USB power bank and an extra spare camera battery into the front pocket and additionally pack one of my small, fast standard prime lenses in the main compartment if I get another padded divider.

PEN-F camera with 12-45mm lens attached, small four filter pouch, neoprene pouch containing lens brush, lens wipes and microfiber cloth, filter wrench as I’ve started to use filters more frequently of late, Tile Mate bluetooth tracker, spare camera battery plus two extra SDHC cards in a waterproof battery case, small cheap MP3 player and bluetooth ear buds as I occasionally like to listen to some music on my travels.

Kind regards

Leigh

I bought a Billingham Hadley Digital camera bag.

February 1, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment, Travel and tagged Billingham, camera, camera bag, cameras, Canvas Camera Bag, Hadley Digital, lenses, Photography, Travel | Leave a comment

Hi,

Back in the late 70s I bought one of the first Billingham 550 model camera bags ever made eagerly waiting weeks for it to be made and delivered as they were on lengthy back order such was their demand. It was a great bag, pretty large, quite heavy, but aged about twenty I was able to carry a lot more weight than I can now, it was really beautifully made and, at that time, it ticked all the boxes for me for a camera bag. It certainly wasn’t cheap even then given what I earned in those days but it was such a quality camera bag, it just screamed quality the second that one laid one’s eyes on it. I’ve been looking for a small camera bag specifically for a trip that I’m planning for later this year and I re-discovered their bags and I found one of these second hand at a very tempting price so I’ve ordered it. For my minimalistic requirements carrying just a small micro four thirds camera, one or two small lenses and a few essential accessories, spare batteries etc., I think that this bag will fit the bill very nicely. It’s pretty nigh impossible to find a bad review of Billingham camera bags, they’ve been making bags for fifty years and my experiences back then would bare this out completely. A quality UK product made from top quality materials, multi-layered waterproof canvas without the need for a separate rain cover, protective well padded interior and dividers with leather and brass fittings, arguably the best made and longest lasting camera bags that money can buy and the perfect stylish but still discrete companion to compliment my passion for retro-styled cameras and lenses 🙂 with the added bonus that to anyone not in the know it doesn’t look very much like your typical camera bag.

External Dimensions: W210mm (8¼”) x D130mm (5⅛”) x H210mm (8¼”) Internal Dimensions: W180mm (7⅛”) x D100mm (4″) x H170mm (6¾”) Capacity: 2.50 litres (0.09 feet³) Weight: 0.47 kgs (1.04 lbs)

Kind regards

Leigh

Analogue and digital worlds.

January 20, 2025 by Leigh Kemp - UK-based "Paintographer" in Leigh Kemp, Photography, Photography equipment and tagged analog, analogue, Photography, technology | Leave a comment

Hiya,

Using my manual focus lenses quite a bit recently and, maybe even more so, my manual flash gun from time to time has made me stop and think about the whole analogue digital thing. I don’t necessarily mean the quality of digital vs analogue I’m thinking more about the experience. I’ve readily embraced most modern technology in all my interests but, trying as hard as I can to set nostalgia aside for a moment, there are things that I do miss. Digital gear has made my life simpler in many ways, I can play my digital drums to my heart’s delight with next to no noise and just a pair of headphones on and I can choose from a huge selection of kits for different genres and further customise them to suit my personal taste in a way that I could never afford to do. I can and have talked to other radio amateurs all over the world without having to spend huge amounts of money on transceiver equipment and having to have large external aerials, prone as they are to come crashing down in high winds, sadly I talk from experience 😦 . I still marvel at being able to get 1000 or more images on a tiny memory card and see and work on the images pretty much immediately, I can download music straight to my PC or phone and hear it immediately all of which is more than just a matter of convenience.

However, there are things that I miss, so much of the tech. seems to promote not having to be bothered to learn any theory or, to put it another way an “I don’t care how it does it, it just does it” attitude which I think is a great pity. I appreciate that not everyone wants to get “under the bonnet” and invest any time an effort in learning what makes things tick and how to get the best out of one’s gear and one’s pastimes but it’s something that’s always interested me and the learning process can be incredibly rewarding and relevant. For all of it’s convenience there’s still something enjoyable about slowing down and seeing a shot come into focus or going to a record shop and thumbing through the used (I can no longer afford new) 🙂 “vinyl” on the shelves, spotting an unexpected find and coming away with something in one’s hand. I guess that it’s things like this that have driven the recent trendy revival in film cameras and records decks etc.?.

I’ve tried my best to separate nostalgic feelings from convenience but I’ve found that it can become somewhat detached and soulless if one lets it. Talking of record decks or “vinyl decks” as they’ve now come to be known, I wonder how many people who buy them even take time to understand or bother setting them up correctly so as not to plough furrows in one’s records? or see the arm go skating off of them, I certainly would at today’s ridiculous prices!. in the same way as how many are interested in the exposure triangle and it’s importance in understanding and mastering basic photographic techniques?, how many digital cameras ever come off of full auto mode and/or auto-focus?.

Well, that’s my ten pennies worth 🙂 , we live in a digital world with all of its many advantages and I wouldn’t put the clock back and I’m not dismissing modern technology out of hand much of which has opened up interesting new possibilities but I’m glad that I’m old enough to remember and still savour technology from the analogue world that I grew up in which taught me so much and given me so many enjoyable and rewarding experiences which I feel, on balance, has enriched my life. As a slight aside it’s interesting when I’m out and about with my retro-looking camera gear observing the looks I get from people of different generations, as a generalism, Baby Boomers and Generation X seem to be nostalgically interested in the look of the gear, Millennials/Generation Y seem to think that it looks “cool” and “interesting” whilst Generation Z and even more so, Generation Alpha, largely dismiss it (and probably me) as old and crappy tech. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

As I sit here looking at my modern digital cameras I’m reminded of my first camera and, in particular, the first photograph that I ever took. Nowadays we take cameras and camera technology pretty much for granted but when I was a child I can’t remember many photographs. The only time our camera saw the light of day, and it had to be the light of day, as there wasn’t a flash, was on a few family occasions, the usual thing, school sports days, birthdays, etc.. My interest in photography didn’t start until my grandfather “loaned” me his camera to take with me on a week-long school trip, sleeping under canvas, in Snowdonia, North Wales. It was a somewhat battered old twin-lens reflex camera in which one looked downwards in to the viewfinder when taking a photograph.

I remember being very excited at being entrusted with the family camera, film wasn’t cheap and I had very little to no idea how to use it. The experience must have made some kind of impression on me as, after all these years, I still remember taking my first photograph. The coach stopped en-route at Blenheim Palace, the ancestral home of Sir Winston Churchill and it became the subject of my first photograph. Although, sadly, like my other photographs from the trip, it has long since disappeared, however, I really don’t need the photograph to remind me as the experience is indelibly etched on my mind. I wonder if this is perhaps where my interest in landscape photography stems from but that’s probably too much of an assumption. As far as I remember I was the only kid on the trip to have a camera, that’s how different things were, nowadays, just about everyone has a camera of some sort built in to their mobile phones. It also taught me to be disciplined to the point of being frugal when taking photographs as the trip was for one week and I only had a 12 exposure black and white film in the camera.

Some years later I really got the photography bug and bought my first camera, an Olympus OM-1 35 mm film camera and I went on to own their OM-2 and OM-4ti cameras and a range of lenses. Film was still pretty expensive considering I earned about £20 a week in my first job so I got in to developing and printing my own black and white and, later, colour films to help keep the costs down and make things more affordable. Not only did this experience teach me an awful lot about image-making start to finish, many of the techniques and skills that I learned in my makeshift darkroom, a small room adorned with genuine World War 2 blackout curtains fitted to keep out the light, another hand-me-down from my grandfather, these skills would re-surface and be invaluable some years later when I started working on processing my digital images.

I put myself through University as a mature student and I badly needed the money so I had to very reluctantly part with all my photographic equipment, but needs must. After I graduated I bought my first digital camera, a small fixed lens Kodak compact camera, reduced in a sale. It had, by today’s standards, a laughably small maximum image resolution of 640×480 pixels or, to put it another way, a stunning 0.4 Megapixels!. For all of this and further equipped with screw on wide angle and telephoto lens attachments, it proved to be a fabulous little camera which I took all over the place with me. Put simply, digital photography was a revelation, to me, no requirement for film, no real running costs and a lot of image capacity on a small memory card which I found absolutely liberating.

A few years before that I had discovered some free graphics editing software on the cover disk of a computer magazine and that started off my real passion for working with graphics and, ultimately, photo processing. So I then had all the tools I required to develop, pun intended and further, my interest in digital photography. Processing is where the magic starts for me, I am totally absorbed in and fascinated by the range of options that digital processing affords me. It encourages me, if, that is, I ever need encouragement, to constantly experiment with new styles, new techniques and is such an important part of my enjoyment and interest in photography.

I went on to own several DSLRs but, as I got older I began to find that they were simply too heavy and bulky. I switched over back in 2013 to Micro Four Thirds cameras and lenses. My choice of MFT system was heavily influenced by my experiences with my Olympus film cameras, maybe it was, in truth, part based on nostalgia that I decided on their OM-D system. As a landscape/travel photographer I have to carry my gear around all day and the weight and bulk saving is highly significant. I’ve been very impressed with the image quality of my Micro Four Thirds equipment, it has traveled with me extensively, never let me down and I have never had cause to question my decision to go over to that format.

So my 50-plus year photographic adventure has led me from twin-lens reflex and single-lens reflex film cameras to digital cameras, from stumbling around in a dimly-lit darkroom to working with my images on my computer. I’ve heard it said on occasions, including a comment I read some while back by a very famous photographer, that cameras being so much an every-day item now and available in mobile phones etc. devalues photography. I feel quite the opposite, I firmly believe that it empowers everyone with affordable technology to take photographs and enjoy photography and that, in my opinion, is fantastic. Although I’ve very much enjoyed my personal photographic journey I do confess to feeling a slight tinge of regret that the technology wasn’t available when I started out but one can’t put the clock back and I intend to keep on embracing all these great technological advancements, experimenting and enjoying my work.

Cameras:

Olympus: OM-D E-M5 Mk II (titanium) & HLD-8G grip, OM-D E-M1 Mk I (black) & HDL-7 grip, OM-D EM-5 Mk I (silver) & HDL-6 grip, PEN EPL-5, PEN EP-5 (silver) +VF-4, PEN E-PL8 (Silver) +VF4, Tough TG-5 (red), PEN-F (silver), Canon Powershot G10, Nikon Coolpix A100

Lenses:

Olympus: M.Zuiko: 12 mm f/2, 17 mm f/1.8, 25 mm f/1.8, 45 mm f/1.8, 30 mm f/3.5 macro, 9 mm f/8 body cap fisheye, 15 mm f/8 body cap, 9-18 mm, 12-50 mm, 12-40 mm f/2.8 PRO, 14-150 mm II, 40-150 mm II, 12-45mm f/4 PRO, MCON-P02.

Sigma: ART 60 mm f/2.8.

Samyang: Manual focus 7.5 mm f/3.5 fisheye.

TT Artisan: Manual focus 17mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4.

Panasonic Lumix: 14 mm f/2.5, 20 mm f/1.7, 12-32 mm x2 (black and silver), 12-60 mm, 14-42 mm II, 35-100 mm, 45-150mm.

PEN E-P5, 9-18mm,12-32mm, 40-150mm II. A lightweight kit with virtually continuous coverage from 18mm wide angle to 300mm telephoto.

OM-D E-M1 I, 14-150mm II, 12-40mm PRO. . Heavier than my other kits but with complete weather-sealing. Coverage from 24mm wide angle to 300mm telephoto with some overlap for backup.

OM-D E-M5 II, 17mm, 35mm, 12-60mm. A balance of two fun manual focus lenses with a weather-sealed body and zoom lens.

PEN E-PL5, 9mm, 15mm, 25mm, 60mm, 12-50mm. Another lightweight fun kit with a zoom option.

TG-5, OM-D E-M5 mk1, 7.5mm, 12mm, 17mm, 45mm, 30mm macro. M-CON.

PEN-F, 14mm, 20mm, 12-32mm, 35-100mm. Probably my favourite lightweight day-to-day kit. Two fast primes and two zoom with almost continuous coverage from 24mm wide angle through to 200mm telephoto.

Software:

Corel: Paintshop Pro Elite 2020 & Video Studio 2019.

Skylum Software: Aurora HDR 2019, Luminar 4, Luminar AI and Luminar Neo.

DXO Labs: PhotoLab 5 Elite, Viewpoint 3, NIK Collection 6, Film Pack 5 and PureRAW 6.

Anthropics Technologies: Landscape Pro Studio 3 and Portrait Pro.

EyeQ: Perfectly Clear

ON1: Photo MAX RAW 2026

Topaz Labs: Studio 2, Sharpen AI, A.I Gigapixel, AI Clear, AI Adjust, DeNoise AI and Various legacy plugins.

Adobe: Lightroom.

GreenScreenWizard Studio Pro.

Serif: Affinity Photo

Microsoft: Image Composite Editor (Free).

Darktable (Free).

Olympus: Olympus Capture, Olympus Workspace and Olympus Webcam (Free to Olympus owners).

Sony: Movie Studio Platinum.

Datacolor: SpyderExpress display calibration device and software.

Lighting Gear:

Godox TT350o flash, Godox X1T radio flash trigger, Godox Lux Junior flash, LED ring flash, GVM RGB LED light, Olympus MAL-1 Macro Arm Light. Two Godox LED36 lights, Godox Litemons LED6R light. Three Bowen studio flash heads, barndoors, honeycombes, umbrellas and flash meter.