Busy Busy Busy!

And the problem is I’ve been busy with stuff that has nothing to do with photography. I haven’t actually been able to take my gear out for some serious photography in nearly a month, so I haven’t had anything to write about, photography-wise, for about as long. But no longer! This week has been all about the togging, so I can finally write stuff. Woo to the Hoo. But where to start?

I guess I’ll start with the hiking gear and the problems I’m having with it.

The Hiking Gear and the Problems I’m Having with It

When I was in the army they taught us how to pack our kit so we had everything we would need for a long time out bush in a relatively small bag (2 weeks worth of gear in a 50L bag). And I can still do that... sorta.

Y’See, when I was in the army I could fit in the army sleeping bags, curled up all snug in my customary foetal sleeping position. But as I have grown older my body has filled out more, my shoulders have broadened and I just don’t fit anymore. I’ve got an army sleeping bag right now and being in it is like wearing a sleeveless wetsuit! Fortunately, my super-secret contact bought me a king size Weisshorn Camping Thermal Sleeping Bag for Christmas. I’ve tested it out and it’s great! I fit in it comfortably, it’s warm, soft and comparatively light. But it is a bit bigger, so it does take up a bit more space in the old pack. Not too much, but more than the ‘wetsuit’ option mentioned above.

Then there’s the problem of getting older. I’ve done a whole lot of dumb stuff in my life, the result of which being a body that is pretty much all aches or pains. So I need a comfy little camping mattress to ease my pains so I can get to sleep, and the hard foam camp roll yoga-mat-lookin’ thing just ain’t gonna cut it anymore. I bought a flocked single air mattress, and it is ever so comfy, but it

needs a pump to inflate it (huge freakin’ valve opening – look at it!), making the whole kit nearly as bulky as the sleeping bag, so that ain’t gonna cut it for hiking excursions. So that’s two bulky items; one I can cope with (sleeping bag) and one I need a solution for (mattress).

Then there’s the big one – the camera gear. Right now I don’t have a lot of camera gear and none of it is extremely bulky but it’s still too bulky for my backpacks, either of them, when the packs are loaded with camping gear. Part of the problem comes from the fact that my gear has to travel in a bag so that, once I reach my camping site, I can grab my gear and set off in search of compositions. I can go with the solution Thomas Heaton uses (hopefully I can get him to read this and offer me some advice!), that being a camera bag liner in the pack, but then how do I carry the gear on the searches? He never really shows that in his ‘what’s in my bag’ videos. Not that I’ve noticed, anyway.

I think the only solution is going to be another backpack. But this time I know exactly what I need from a pack and can go into it informed. So which pack am I looking at?

Caribee Jet Pack Travel Pack – The 75L version of this one seems the most logical choice. It

will give me plenty of storage space for my camping gear, external straps upon which I can fix things like my tent, my tripod and my hiking poles, and most importantly, it comes with a zip-attached day pack that I can build a camera bag liner for using tough polyester fabric and that camp roll mattress thing that is otherwise useless. The only problem I’ll be left with then is what to sleep on! Do any of you have some suggestions for me on this one?

So that’s the hiking thing. Next I suppose I should go on to my new project.

My New Project

So my Q-West Gallery project is suffering from an acute case of bad timing, meaning I just can’t get those people in position that I need in position when I’m in position to get the final few photos I need to start building the final presentation (that sentence should give you an idea of the complexity I’m dealing with!). The problem, I suppose, comes from the fact that all the little duckies I need to get in a row are in Queenstown, 154km’s away from where I am in Somerset. This is starting to get frustrating so, rather than just twiddling my thumbs, I am starting research on a new project.

This new story, Heritage in Decline, will look at abandoned buildings, factories, farming equipment and towns (yeah, Tassie has ghost towns!WOOHOO!!!) and ask the question, “What do we lose if we lose these places?”

By that I mean, what can we learn about the building, factory, town, etc that might expand our knowledge about the farm, the workers, the people that occupied these decaying spaces? I am hoping to stimulate an interest in the microhistory of Tasmania, and the rest of the world really. Why? Because we have enough books talking about the big players in the big events in history. We can easily lay our hands on a hundred books about World War II and another hundred about why the first hundred are wrong. But how many books are there about the challenges of farming central Tasmania in the 19^th or early 20^th centuries? What do we know about the life experiences of a mother living in Pillinger in 1890? I think a photo story presenting the right view may just provide the stimulation I’m aiming for. Whether I can provide that right view is another question, one that I will need to answer before I decide whether or not to go ahead with it.

So I’m researching locations to scout, searching for old buildings with the character and level of decay I’m looking for, and cruising the back roads in search of old buildings I can practice on. I’ll keep you up to date on this one if you are interested, so let me know! And let me know if you have done something like this yourself. What sort of problems did you face? What sort of problems do you think I’ll face?

If I decide to go ahead with this project, I’m thinking that might actually give me enough fodder to justify the purchase of a vlogging kit. I guess I’ll cover that next.

Vlogging Kit

Gear time! I do love gear time.

So what am I looking at? Well camera-wise I want to go compact, durable, portable and easy to use. There are a lot of options out there, but here are the ones I’m thinking of, and why I’m thinking of them:

DJI Osmo+ - This comes with the Zenmuse x3 Zoom 4k camera, has a minimum focusing distance of 50cm and comes attached to an intelligent gimbal system, all which weighs in at less than 500g (corrections welcome – I’m not sure of my numbers here). This makes it perfect for stuffing into my hiking pack (if I can figure that problem out) for vlogging some middle-of-nowhere building photography. The problem is I have no idea how the audio is out of these things, so...

Panasonic Lumix G7 – This seems to be TCSTV’s go-to suggestion for vloggers, and I can see why. It’s a well priced 4k camera with a micro four thirds sensor, a good range of lens options available and a flippy-out selfie/vlogging rear display. And it’s small. A G7 with the Panasonic 14mm F/2.5 wide prime weighs in at only 465g. That’s a nice small kit that I could carry in a pocket. Once again, though, I have to ask ‘how’s the audio?’ And then there’s the lack of the gimbal that makes the Osmo+ so attractive. And there’s also this:

Canon EOS M50 – This thing really gives the G7 a run for its money! It offers the tried and tested sensor from the 80D, a flippy-out rear display like the G7’s, 4k video and Canon’s Dual Pixel AF, which is apparently god’s gift to vlogging! But you can’t have Dual Pixel AF with 4k, which messes with my head a little. I have no idea what Canon was thinking there, but in my opinion they need to think again. Still, Dual Pixel AF at 1080 is still fantastic, and might be enough to draw me away from the G7. At 487g with the Canon 22mm f/2 it’s not that much heavier that the G7, but it is a fair bit pricier here in Oz. Again, cameras like this and the others I’ve mentioned don’t have the best reputation for audio, so let’s address that now.

Audio Kit

I’ve been thinking about audio quite a bit since I started thinking vlogging. I wear a hearing aid in my left ear, on those occasions when it works and my ear isn’t blocked, so I like good clear audio. I am also on a limited income (I may have mentioned) so when I look at gear I have to look at quality of the product for the price being asked. For these reasons I am thinking about these combinations:

Zoom H1N Digital Recorder – If I find myself going with the Osmo+ I’m thinking external audio is going to be easiest, and Zoom seems to be the buzzword for external audio, so the Zoom H1 suggests itself. Reasonable price, compact, good reputation for audio. I’d likely team it with a Rode Pinmic so I can get the microphone right up near my mouth and minimise the ambient noise factor.

Mirrorless Kit - If I go mirrorless, I’m thinking the Saramonic SR-PAX1 2-Channel Mixer with Preamp will give me some good audio and I’ll mate it with a Rode VideoMic. Why Saramonic? Their gear is priced to fit my budget and, from what I’ve seen, heard and read in reviews, they provide great audio for the price. But I won’t know for sure until I actually get hold of the stuff and try it out. Why Rode? I like my little Rode SmartLav+, so I think I’ll like the VideoMic. Sometimes I just go with my gut.

Now, there is a final kit option that I have to consider, and in considering it I have to say it looks like a sensible choice. I’m thinking about my Nikon D3200 in manual focus using hyper-focal distance to keep myself from getting all blurry, teamed with the mirrorless audio kit above.

There are pro’s and con’s to this option:

PROS	CONS
I already own the camera and lens, so I’m not spending big	Nikon’s autofocus in video mode is reputedly awful
I already know the camera and can start learning the video functions now	No 4k, only 1080 or less
Light enough for me to vlog with	Much heavier than the other options with my wide lens attached.
Sharp image	No stabilisation on anything but my kit lens

So that’s what’s come about in the last week, and wasn’t it a lot of shite to happen all at once?! Now I know you don’t like commenting, and most of you are probably bots, but if there are any humans reading this and you have experience with hiking or camping, taking photos of abandoned or derelict buildings, or if you know anything about vlogging or audio gear... well... help a blogger out?

Which of these have you done?

What camping gear do you use?

What vlogging gear do you use?

What audio gear do you recommend?

Do you have a preferred backpack for hiking? What is it and why do you like it?

As always, I hope you enjoyed the read! If you did, give me some feedback! If you didn’t, give me some feedback! (Get the feeling I’d like some feedback?)

Anyway, I’ve added some new stuff to my portfolio:

https://bobcartledgephotography.myportfolio.com/

And I’m fairly active on:

https://plus.google.com/u/0/+BobCartledge

https://www.facebook.com/bob.cartledge.758

https://www.flickr.com/photos/152458661@N05/

https://www.instagram.com/bobcartledgephoto/

And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter

Ciao!

Dear Nikon,

I’ve been watching what’s going on in the camera world for the last little while and I’ve noticed the fundamental shift in technology. Everybody seems to be developing mirrorless technology, with video functions gaining increased importance.

I’ve also noticed that you are falling behind a bit in both these areas. Now don’t get me wrong, I love your DSLR’s. Hell, I learned photography on a D3200 with its great 18-55mm kit lens! The D500 is on my wish list right alongside that totally insane, double-take-inducing monster, the D850 (I kinda like that one, too).

And then there’s your Nikon 1 system! ...Umm... Y-Yeah, the AW1 is a fantastic idea. Interchangeable lens underwater camera? Great! ...umm... Anyway...

Okay, so I get that you don’t want to cut into your DSLR market with your mirrorless system, but there are better ways to go about it. I thought I might share some of my ideas with you. Just things that have occurred to me over time, sort of thing. Just putting them out there to see what you think. So where do I start?

Well I guess I’ll start with this; stop trying to compete with Canon because, in the mirrorless market, they are playing catch-up too. Yeah they might be a step ahead of you, but considering that Panasonic, Fujifilm and Sony have lapped you Canon just isn’t your problem. No, I would suggest that it is time, instead, to start learning from Panasonic and what they are doing. Specifically, you need to learn video. In fact, I think that should be the focus of your mirrorless system.

The professional photographer of today is expected to be able to provide video as well as stills. You obviously know this because of your integration of video technology into your DSLR’s. What I suggest is that you keep your DSLR system primarily stills-oriented but capable of video, and then create a mirrorless system that is primarily video-oriented but capable of stills.

So how would I go about it?

First things first, I would stick with an F mount lens system. That way you don’t need to spend a huge wad of cash on developing a new mounting system (or salvaging the reputation of the 1 system), your existing customers have more incentive to stay with you because they already have the lenses for your new mirrorless system, and potential new customers are going to see a mirrorless system with the largest selection of lenses in the mirrorless market.

Next, and this ties in with the F mount point, I would go with a 24megapixel APSC sensor. It gives you a bigger sensor than the micro four thirds manufacturers, meaning you would be capable of better dynamic range, low light performance, etc. And, of course, you know how to work APSC with your lens mount. Again, you make savings in research and development and it’s good for your clientele, existing and future.

Now I’m going to really focus in on my target market. And for me, initially, I am going to go after the vloggers. It’s a huge market that is always on the lookout for the next ‘best vlogging camera’. To really snag the vlogger market, and pique the interest of the videographer, I would:

· Make sure I had 4K video capable of 60p, with 1080 capable of 120p, at a minimum.

· Keep your great low light performance. Vloggers can find themselves in any number of lighting situations, and a flexible vlogging rig capable of dealing with those situations is essential.

· Provide at least a flat picture profile, and preferably a log profile (‘N-Log’, perhaps?) so users can integrate video from other cameras like drones or action cams.

· Create an in-body stabilisation system that works with the VR system in the lenses. The more stable a platform you give a vlogger the happier they’ll be.

· Develop a line of lenses specifically for video shooters with a built-in aperture dial and a smooth, refined zoom and focus optimised for video.

· Increase the range of DX lenses available. This would be good not only for your mirrorless clientele but also your DX-sensored DSLR clients.

· Include aperture adjustment in live view for those lenses that don’t have the aperture ring I mentioned earlier.

· As always, make sure there are headphone and microphone jacks.

o A bit of an aside; why not get together with Rode or Sennheiser or some other audio specialist and develop a directional mic specifically for vlogging that links into the camera’s pre-amp through the hot shoe? You could power the mic the same way. Just a thought.

· Make sure the pre-amp is a good one so your clientele don’t need to invest in external recorders.

· Have a rear screen that flips out to the side, like you find on the Panasonic cameras, to make it easy for vloggers to frame and monitor their videos.

· Really refine the auto focus system for video so it doesn’t hunt, it focuses quickly and it doesn’t miss. The Sony A6500 is a great example of how to do video focus.

· Finally, keep the weight of the body and the video lenses down. I’d probably want to keep the weight of any new DX glass down a bit, too.

That’s just what I think. I’m not an engineer or designer, I’m not a corporate accountant and I would never work in marketing. But I am a photographer, and I am getting into vlogging and videography in the New Year. And I am a Nikon shooter, so I have a vested interest in seeing a good mirrorless system with good video capability from Nikon that doesn’t require me to buy into a whole new system. Do that and I’ll be with you for a long time.

I hope you enjoyed the read!