Hi everyone,

I promised that I’d report back. I am very happy with my new Manfrotto Compact 1 Advanced Shoulder Bag for CSC camera bag which I took to Corfu. Size-wise and weight-wise it’s absolutely perfect for my needs and is a great fit under the seat on flights out of the way of anyone kicking it. I prefer this to using the overhead lockers as folks are pretty ruthless and often inconsiderate when cramming their bags, cases, clothing, duty free and holiday souvenirs etc. into the lockers and there’s always the possibility of some clumsy “person” causing my bag to fall out. It did rain lightly on a couple of occasions but not heavily enough to resort to fitting the bag’s rain cover and the bag contents stayed perfectly dry.

To give an idea of the capacity of the bag I managed to accommodate the following items comfortably:

1. E-M5 mk II camera with Lumix 12-60mm lens and hood attached.
2. Lumix 12-32mm lens and hood.
3. Lumix 14mm lens and hood.
4. Anker 6700 mAh USB power bank in a drawstring bag.
5. Spare USB camera battery charger.
6. USB charge cable for above or my mobile phone.
7. CPL filter and pouch.
8. Several Zeiss lens wipe sachets.
9. Microfibre lens cloth.
10. Small lipstick-sized Matin lens brush.
11. 4x 18650 batteries in rubber (short-proof) cases.
12. 2 extra camera batteries in latching waterproof/short-proof cases.
13. Rain poncho.
14. Camera rain cover (which happily along with my other wet weather gear I didn’t need to use this time) 🙂
15. Bag rain cover.
16. Small 4x SDHC card case.

Note: I mentioned “short-proof” a couple of times because, with good reason, airlines and airport security really don’t like batteries particularly high capacity rechargeable batteries rattling around loosely in one’s cabin bag without taking adequate measures to prevent them from shorting on something the consequences of which being potentially pretty dangerous (read getting very hot and catching fire) especially so in a confined aircraft cabin, even a bit of tape securely attatched over the battery contacts will suffice. Also take a moment to familiarise yourself with the latest regulations regarding the type of battery (eg. lithium-ion, lithium-polymer etc.), battery capacity (mAh) and per-type quantity of rechargeable batteries permitted in cabin luggage. Likewise, air-travel or not, it’s obviously always a good idea to take measures to prevent them from getting wet. Always make sure that you have a charged battery in your camera when passing through airport security as, if stopped, you’ll need to be able to demonstrate that it works and isn’t concealing something. The above can save you a lot of hassle and make life easier for yourself and safer for everyone.

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone, Oh where did my youth go?! 🙂

Next year marks the 50th Anniversary of buying my first Olympus film camera, the manual metering OM-1 compete with it’s standard 50mm lens. From the start I fell in love with this lightweight compact designed camera. I subsequently bought a couple of their TTL light metering OM-2 model, the OM-10 plus manual adapter thingy and lastly my favourite of the series the OM-4Ti. At one time I owned quite a range of as was at the time manual focus Olympus Zuiko lenses. To me these stylish iconic cameras were beautifully designed and, although it’s hard to find the right words, they just felt right in one’s hands and psychologically that’s very relevant as if it feels right then one can concentrate on the job in hand. I’ve never liked heavyweight gear and that was one of my first likes about the OM system cameras and lenses. I saw a used silver-bodied Olympus OM-2n and 50mm f/1.8 lens in what looked to be excellent condition in a camera shop window the other day and it brought back so many happy memories, I have to admit that for a split second I wanted to buy it.

Since 2013/14 I’ve been using Olympus digital cameras and the modern day descendants of the OM film cameras in their Micro Four Thirds OM-D digital cameras, their modern classic digital PEN-F camera and M.Zuiko lenses, What I first loved about their film cameras I still love about their digital cameras, they still feel right. I like that they stayed pretty true to the original Olympus design philosophy, well built, lightweight, compact and innovative. In all these years I’ve only ever had one camera malfunction which was swiftly and efficiently rectified by Olympus’ service and support. I don’t know how many thousands of film and digital images I’ve taken over the years but, to me, that’s another reason to stick with a brand that one trusts. Nowadays they’re branded as OM System but they’ll always be Olympus to me. I’m a self-confessed fan of the brand, it’s served me so well over the years so much so that I cannot ever see myself voluntarily changing. I have only one regret and it’s not got anything to do with Olympus, I want the energy and strength that I had fifty years ago back. 🙂

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi everyone,

Recently I’ve been experimenting with different lens selections for my next trip as it gets increasingly closer. My E-M5 II camera remains my travel camera of choice but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to my lens requirements. I’m going to take two lenses, for widespread daytime usage my M.Zuiko 14-150mm II (28-300mm equivalent). There have been a few occasions where I’ve wished for a longer lens, one comes to mind where I visited a zoo in Portugal. It’s not overly heavy and it’s compact and weather-sealed with a fantastically useful focal length range.

M.Zuiko 14-150mm II – Lido di Ostia, Italy.

The second lens might come as a bit of a surprise, it’s one of my tiny Lumix 12-32mm (24-64mm equivalent) lenses. My reasoning for taking this lens over a faster fixed focal length prime lens are several-fold. Firstly, apart from my Olympus Body Cap lenses, it’s just about the smallest, lightest lens that I have. After I’ve been out all day, I ache and I’m tired, I want a very small, (at about an inch long), lightweight lens to take with me in the evenings when I’m strolling around and chilling with a meal and a beer (or two) whilst watching the sun setting. 🙂 Secondly it’s wider at the wide angle end so it’ll compliment my 14-150mm and it’s a very useful walkabout focal length range. Lastly it’s a backup lens in case something should happen to my bigger zoom. From my experience both of these lenses are capable of producing very good images. When mounted on the camera this lens fits inside my small Wandrd Tech Pouch along with a spare battery, a couple of lens wipe sachets and my very small adapted table top tripod, all I need. I have in the past happily shot all day with this lens and never felt in any way disadvantaged.

Lumix 12-32mm – Carshalton Ponds, UK.

When I mentioned that I’m taking two lenses, I’m actually taking three. I’m also taking my Olympus 9mm (18mm equivalent) fixed f/8 aperture body cap fisheye lens as it’s such a fun lens to play with, takes up next to no space in my bag and is extremely lightweight. I hardly think of this as a lens as it’s not very much larger than a body cap. but it is capable of producing nice results. I usually select the hyperfocal distance focus setting on this lens for most shots and use focus peeking to check focus when required. Like the 12-32mm it’s also a highly inconspicuous lens.

Olympus 9mm body cap fisheye – Worthing, UK.

I’m not really into interior photography although, when travelling, I’ve visited many beautiful churches and taken interior shots most of which have never subsequently seen the light of day. I guess that I find myself largely at odds and uncomfortable with the contrast between their often ostentatious opulence compared to the relative wealth of the populace. “Buying a stairway to heaven” comes to mind. I am certainly not anti-religious, everyone has a right to peacefully believe whatever they choose but what are far more of personal photographic interest are often unexpected finds, more telling, intimate-scale, humble places of worship, small churches, shrines etc..

Kind regards

Leigh

Hi,

I thought I’d post a few of my favourite tips.

1. I usually find space for one or two of those cheap slide-lock clear freezer bags, These have two uses the first of which is to put wet items such as rain covers in when they go back in my bag. It doesn’t make sense to put wet items back in an otherwise dry bag. With the rain covers inside one can roll the bag so as to squeeze out air inside the bag and compress the space it takes before closing it up. The second use is, when out in the very cold and coming into a warm environment where water condenses on one’s gear. Put the camera and lens in the bag and close it up whilst still in the cold and then the water will condense on the outside of the freezer bag when you come back into the warm and not on one’s camera. Additionally I pop one of those small silica gel sachets inside the bag before closing it up. Size wise this is suited to smaller cameras and lenses which works for me as I don’t use large cameras and/or very long lenses.
2. I always number my batteries so as to tell them apart using my Dymo label gun and I also put an arrow symbol on them which makes getting the battery the right way round very obvious when changing batteries in a hurry.
3. Use cheap centre pinch lens caps rather that the costly to replace camera manufacturer’s ones. Another nice thing is that, with a bit of searching around one can find different coloured ones which stand out better if you drop one of them.
4. Apart from the well know rubber band or filter wrench methods of removing a stuck filter I prefer using a different method. I cut squares from a hard fronted neoprene-backed mouse mat to fit the largest of my filter sizes. One then simply presses the neoprene side flat against the front of the filter and uses an even force whilst unscrewing the filter. This has never let me down. In a pinch one can use the rubber sole of training shoes etc. preferably not after trudging through a muddy field, along a dusty track or sandy beach etc.!!. 🙂

A fifth bonus tip 🙂 sometimes on longer journeys where available I use the USB sockets in public transport buses and trains to charge/top up my mobile phone or camera batteries using one of my USB camera battery chargers, well why not it’s free!. These sockets are vey often located at about ankle height. As I don’t want to put my phone or battery charger on the floor I make sure that I have a 2 Mtr long USB charging cable with me then I can put the device on the seat next to me or a tray table etc.. 🙂 Although I’m pretty standardised on USB type C connectors on my devices one can also get small push on adapters that convert from micro USB to type C and vice-versa to suit whatever type of USB cable your using and thus you have the best of both worlds and, if you have devices with both types of connection, one fewer cable.

I’m always keen to learn new ideas so if anyone has any that they’d like to pass on please let me know in the comments.

Kind regards

Leigh