Gear
SIGMA SPONSORSHIP & CONTEST
I am very proud to announce that I am a new Sigma Pro Photographer! Yes you heard right! I am very honoured to be backed by one of the major photo equipment manufacturers.
I was approached by Sigma and asked if I was interested in a sponsorship. In essence, Sigma provides me with their lenses and, in return, I will give them access to some of the images I will make with those lenses.
What this means to you is that I now get to test a number of their offerings in the market firsthand and review them for you, providing you with additional information to make your purchasing decisions.
Now, like it is the case with all my sponsorships, I have every intention to remain objective and honest in my assessments. Sigma have assured me that I remain free to say what I truly think about their products. No questions asked. I greatly value honesty and will never recommend a product I cannot stand behind. I have used several Sigma lenses in the past and have enjoyed their strong build and quality, but rest assured that my reviews will always be direct and transparent.
Now, to promote their website, Sigma Canada has launched a contest with a prize package worth $1000. To get a chance to win and claim the goods, you only have to join the Sigma Canada website (http://www.sigmacanada.ca/mailing-list/) or upload Sigma photos to the Sigma User Gallery (http://www.sigmacanada.ca/sigma-user-gallery/) . The contest runs from now until December 31st.
Gear Review: The Sigma 15mm F2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye
As you may know, these lenses offer an extreme angle of view that covers a whopping 180 degrees. The main effect of these lenses is that the edges of the frame are significantly curved, while the centre remains essentially untouched, giving a definitely unique look to your images.
Note that I am in no way sponsored by either Gentec International or Sigma and that I have been given carte blanche to offer unbiased and fair reviews. While I have not purchased the reviewed lens, it was only provided to me as a loan for the duration of the testing.
The large field of view of the lens and fast speed (f/2.8) allow you make funky looking images in dim light.
Lens specifications:
Optimized Diagonal Fisheye AF Lens
Minimum Focusing Distance: 15cm
Filter Size: Rear (Gelatin)
Lens Construction: 7 Elements in 6 Groups
Angle of View: 180 degrees
Number of Diaphragm Blades: 7 Blades
Minimum Aperture: F22
Dimensions Diameter: 2.9″ x 2.6″ Length
Weight: 370g
Handling
As is my experience with all the Sigma lenses I’ve tried so far, the lens is very solidly built. It is very small and light, which makes it a great companion for when you need to carry a small kit. The autofocus is very fast and quiet and works like it is supposed to. For those who prefer manual focusing, the focus ring, while small, is very easy to locate and is nice and smooth. That said, I have to admit I used it rarely as I had a lot of trouble seeing if I had actually achieved focus through my viewfinder. I think that was likely due to the fact I wasn’t very used to the curvature of the frame.
I really like the very close focusing distance on this lens (15cm). You can pretty much put your lens right against your subject and still cover an incredible field of view. I have to say that is just mindboggling. This is particularly useful when you need to fill the frame with your subject. As this can only happen when you are very close to the subject, the close focusing distance is critical.
Here I am practically at the base of the columns, yet, my field of view allows me to capture an incredibly wide shot.
Performance
I have to admit I am very impressed with the sharpness of the lens from edge to edge, and even wide-open. Peak sharpness is between f/5.6 and f/11, but you have to look real (and I mean REAL) close to tell the difference with f/2.8. Having read several reviews about the lens previously, I expected the vignetting to be overwhelming at f/2.8, but I have to say it is more than manageable. While it is definitely noticeable at f/2.8, it is much less so at 5.6 and completely disappears by f/8. From an image perspective, the lens is very contrasty and has a very nice color rendition.
Another great feature of the lens is its flare resistance. Given the fairly prominent and bulbous front element, I expected it to be a flare disaster. Interestingly, I have not managed to have see flare at all with this lens, even shooting straight at the sun (to be fair, I haven’t pushed it to its limit, but I have tried enough to be very impressed).
On the less impressive side is something that I didn’t expect: chromatic aberration. I have not seen a single review mention this problem on this lens. However, the sample I tested displayed some pretty ugly chromatic aberration at the edges at f/2.8. At f/8, there was still some CA, but it was more acceptable.
To Recap
Pros:
- Very sharp
- Close focusing distance
- Flare resistant
- Solid build and smooth operation
Cons:
- Chromatic aberration wide-open, and to a lesser extent at smaller apertures
- Price. With the recent increase in price, it is only $100 less expensive than its Nikon counterpart, which makes it less of the no-brainer it once was.
Overall
While I consider this to be more of a specialty lens than a mainstay in my kit, I think Sigma has a definite winner in their hands with this model. It is a very solid performer in a compact and light package that will extend your toolkit and allow you to go for a different look in your images.
Your turn
Do you have cool fisheye images to share on the blog? Please post them (or links) in the comments section below.
Gear Review: F-Stop Gear Tilopa BC Backpack
When it comes to photo backpacks, photographers are probably worse than Celine Dion agonizing over a pair of shoes. You need one for every occasion and there is never a perfect pack for every occasion.
In my case, I have a lot of requirements that are seemingly incompatible. I hike a lot, sometime deep into the woods, meaning I need something light, comfortable and that can carry my gear, while allowing space for food, extra layers of clothing and other stuff like snowshoes. I Also travel a fair bit and need something that can fit in airplane compartments while carrying most of my gear, my travel documents and a laptop. I also do a fair amount of shooting in cities, where the same requirements hold but with the added element that I don’t want my bag to scream “EXPENSIVE PHOTO EQUIPMENT, PLEASE ROB ME”.
So far, the closest I had gotten was the ThinkTank ShapeShifter. This is a fantastic bag, super light and compact, pretty discrete, packs a laptop and takes a LOT of gear. However, it’s not really suitable for long hikes (little waist/back support and no real harness system) and it has no space for extra food or clothing.
When F-Stop Gear offered to let me test their new Tilopa BC backpack I was really excited as I had heard a lot of good things about them and had been contemplating the purchase of this bag in the very near future. I would also like to take the opportunity to announce that F-Stop Gear is now sponsoring me and my workshops. So keep on the lookout for goodies on this blog and on the workshop in the near future.
While I am indeed sponsored by F-Stop, I would definitely hold no information from my readers and hope to make as honest a review as I can. In fact, I have been holding on this announcement and review for some time. I have received the pack a while ago now, but felt like in order to endorse it and give it a fair and honest review, I had to test it enough to make an informed opinion. Now after a couple of months of carrying it around town and on long-ish hikes in nature, I am ready to spill the story 
.
So, how about this bag? If you don’t feel like reading until the end, the Tilopa BC gets a big thumbs up from me. Is it the bag that replaces all bags? Well I have to say that it gets very, very close. as this is a very strong and impressive product from F-Stop Gear.
The F-Stop Gear Tilopa BC in its "grey mist" look. If that's not slick design, I don't know what is .
The novelty of the F-Stop Gear bags, and the Tilopa in particular is that they are modular bags made up of two main parts: first, a real solid backpack that has been specially modified to accommodate the photographer; second, an independent and modular compartment, Internal Camera Unit (ICU), which holds your photo gear.
The Pack
First, let’s talk about the pack. Now, for the first time in my experience as a photographer, what I have here is a real backpack designed first and foremost to be a backpack. Not only does it have a super slick, great looking design, but it is solidly built and has a wonderful suspension system that balances the pack beautifully on your waist, such that you barely feel it when walking around. The waist belt is nicely padded and doesn’t rub the skin off your waist like so many packs have done before! The pack has no shortage of well thought-out straps and pockets that can accommodate just about every need you may ever have. Need to attach your tripod? Check. Have hiking poles too? Check? How about your snowboard/skis/snowshoes on top of that? Check. Yes. Really. And the pack remains superbly balanced through all of this (Never tried snowboard or skis, but check the snowshoe contraption in the photo below).
Testing the Tilopa BC on a snowshoe hike. The extensive strap system allows me to keep the snowshoes secured and out of the way, while shooting.
One of the really cool features of the pack is its back panel access. Instead of accessing the pack from the front, the pack in fact opens up from the back. The beauty here is that, if like me you carry your gear into snowy, muddy, wet places, you no longer have to end up with wet, muddy, snowy back! As you lower your pack to the ground to pull out your gear, it is the front of the bag that is exposed, while the back panel remains untouched. This has the added benefit to keep your gear protected from thieves if you’re travelling in really busy places.
Here you can see the inside of the pack with a medium ICU holding my gear. Notice how much space is left for just about anything you may need.
Last but not least, if you’re traveling or just wandering around town, the pack has an internal pocket to accommodate a 15” laptop. The pack is large enough to accommodate all your gear and more, but is quite compact and is meant to be airport friendly.
In all honesty, the pack is near perfect and I have no real complaint other than the small pockets in the back panel. These pockets are designed to carry memory cards, documents or maps, but frankly, they are way too tight to have any real usefulness (for me at least). Other than that, it is a photographer’s dream allying great support system, practicality and more room than you can dream of.
The Internal Camera Unit (ICU)
The back panel opens to give you access to the ICU (the large model is shown here). The ICU is F-Stop's modular camera system that allows you to modify your pack according to your needs. It is hard to see here, but my Gore-Tex jacket is sitting above the ICU, with plenty of room to spare.
The ICU is really the heart of the camera aspect of the bag. And when you see it, your first thought is “why the heck did nobody think of it before?”. It is simply genius. It comes in several sizes from small to extra large to fit just about every possible need you have. Going for a long hike and need extra clothes and food but not a lot of gear? Get a small ICU, which can hold a pro-body, a couple of lenses and accessories and use your Tilopa to carry the food and/clothes. The medium ICU holds just about every piece of gear I own without taking that much more space than the small ICU. Working not too far from your car, or need a lot of lenses? Put the large ICU in and don’t worry about a thing.
Here I have placed the Large, Medium and Small ICU side by side to give you an idea of their relative sizes.
I first really liked the size of the small ICU as it is small, light and leaves a lot of room in the bag. However, I have just tried the medium ICU and it wins hands down, in one word: perfect. It is barely larger than its smaller sister but fits my pro-body with a lens, 3 extra lenses and some room to spare, I think that if I try hard enough I may even fit a second body in there. The best part is that you have most of the pack left for just about anything, food, extra clothes, etc. Here it is no longer a compromise between gear or extras, you can have both at the same time. If I absolutely need more gear, I simply switch to the Large ICU, which is really the largest I’ll likely ever need as it has room for a pro-body with a telephoto attached, plus room for 4-5 more lenses, flash and accessories or a second body. While it is significantly larger than its siblings, it still leaves some room for food and/or clothing.
A close-up of my medium ICU with literally ALL my gear: 2 pro-bodies, 4 lenses, filters and accessories. This is my go-to ICU that I will likely have 90% of the time. I normally replace one of the bodies with a flash when I am not travelling.
Overall, the ICUs are really fantastically built with solid materials through and through, they are very well padded (the pads are thick enough for protection but thin enough to save weight), very modular (you can move the padding around), and interchangeable to fit your needs.
Conclusion
This is the large ICU open and closed, notice how much gear fits comfortably here.
I really had to think long and hard to identify real dislikes for this bag, and they are quite minor in fact
- As I mentioned above, the small pockets in the rear panel are not very useful, but these are balanced by the fact there are many other more useful pockets available in the bag.
- Also, while quite compact, the bag may seem a bit bulky in an urban setting, where I prefer smaller bags.
My likes:
- The pack. Everything here just plain rocks: the suspension system, the looks, the support, the build, the waist belt, the laptop pocket, the molle attachment system, the roominess. I have a very short back and always have trouble finding a pack that fits. Well, this one fits me just nicely.
- The strap system combined with the Molle system is very extensive and allows you to attach just about anything you can think of.
- The modularity. The ICU system is simply genius. Your pack can be adjusted to fit just about any application. More than that. You’re going on a multiday trip? Use your regular backpack (I own an Arc’Teryx Bora 65L) and throw in an ICU for good measure. The possibilities are endless.
- The laptop compartment.
- The rear panel: not only is it great to keep your back clean and your gear protected, it is actually designed to leave some breathing room between the pack and your back to try and prevent those uncomfortable sweaty backs.
Overall, as I said before, this is a pretty darn good bag that I would highly recommend to anyone who does adventure sports/nature/travel photography. It is in many, many ways a dream bag.
In my bag
A few weeks ago I wrote a post on the landscape photographer’s arsenal (part I and part II), highlighting some of the essential gear I use on the field. It is only then that it struck me that in all that listing, I never really talked about the lenses I lug around when I go out on a shoot. I figured I might as well remedy the situation asap. The reason I was reluctant to do such a post is that I didn’t want it to be a dry listing of my lenses, a sort of “look at me I am so much cooler than you” gearhead column. So, what I decided to do is to tell you what I use, why I use it, and for what purpose(s). As usual, if you have specific questions about any piece of equipment (listed here or not), just shoot me a question on the blog or by email and it will be my pleasure to help you out.
Wide-angle: Nikon 16-35 f/4 VR
Those who are familiar with my work know that wide-angle photography has been my bread and butter ever since I got into photography. And wide-angle lenses, I have owned a few…Four to be exact. My intro to wide-angle photography was with the very solid Sigma 10-20. It’s a fantastic little crop sensor lens, beautifully built, pretty good image quality, at about half the cost of its brand-name competitors (Nikon or Canon). The only drawbacks were the major distortion at the edges of the frame. It also didn’t like water very much (I am not talking about a little splash of water, full immersion, baby! I don’t do things halfway 
). I liked it so much though that I bought a second one when the first copy died from drowning.
When I moved to the full-frame Nikon D700, I obviously needed to change lenses. I therefore went big: The Nikon 14-24. Now that’s one big lens: it’s huge, it’s heavy and it’s built like a tank. It was simply put one of the sharpest lenses I have ever known. I mean, crazy sharp. Great contrast, and colour. Everything about it was simply world class. So what did I do with it? I sold it. Why, say you? Well, first, the bulk, that thing weighed a ton. That said, the main issue I had with it was that I couldn’t use filters on it. I often use ND grads, full NDs or polarizers when I was shooting, and the big bulging frontal element of that lens completely prevented that (I know there are solutions now, but none that really satisfy me). To my delight, Nikon came out with its new 16-35 VR lens. And to me, this is the winner. While it is not as sharp as the 14-24, it offers plenty of sharpness, and great color and contrast rendition. It is also superbly built but quite a bit lighter than its larger sister. While it is slightly less wide than the 14-24, I almost never find myself longing for the extra 2mm. On the other hand, the extra-reach all the way to 35mm, makes it a lot more versatile and has me changing lenses quite a lot less than before. The VR adds an extra 3-4 stops of hand-holdability, more than making up for the slower aperture (f/4 as opposed to the 14-24′s f/2.8). Last but not least, it has a standard frontal element which allows me to expand my creative options by using filters.
The wide angle lens allows me to capture very dynamic, grand vistas. The distortion resulting from the compressed field of view gives it the 3D-like look that draws you into the scene.
Another use for a wide-angle lens is for environmental portraits. Here I was able to photograph our mountain guide, but also include a grand view of the surrounding cliffs of the Terkeddit Plateau in Morocco
Mid-Range: Nikon 28-70 f/2.8
This is a fabulous piece of glass, a bit hefty, but built like a tank and blessed with superb sharpness and color rendition, in addition to a very responsive auto-focus ability. I use it mostly for portrait work, as it suits that type of work perfectly. That said mid-range zooms can come in handy when photographing mountains. I often try and capture mountains with as wide an angle as I can, but I find that it most often results in dwarfing them and robbing them of their majesty. To try and fully capture the majesty of these mountains, yet still capture the surrounding landscape, I will resort to the 28-70.
Here, I used the 28-70 to photograph this quasi-lunar vista, while still rendering the grandeur and majesty of the mountain towering some 11,000ft above Badwater Basin in California's Death Valley
Telephoto: Nikon 70-300 VR
This is, for me, the most surprising revelation of the bunch, both from the quality of the lens itself and from how I use it. When I first started, I think I preferred having my teeth pulled than having to use my telephoto lens. I could certainly blame my very deficient old Nikon 70-210mm, but frankly it all had to do with me. I think I simply didn’t know what to do with it. As progress in my craft and started trying new things and expanding my repertoire, I am finding that the telephoto is the lens that spends the most time on my D700 now. While wide-angle panoramas have mass appeal, I definitely get a lot more satisfaction at extracting a beautiful detail out of a given scene. From an equipment point of view, I first own the AF-S version of the Nikon 80-200 f/2.8. Fabulous lens on all accounts. Crisp auto-focus, phenomenal sharpness, great colour and contrast rendition. Just a superb lens. I think it compares more than favourably to the more recent Nikon 70-200VR (I got to test version I but not II, so I can’t comment about that). However, for a guy who travels a lot and hikes long distances at times to get to my shooting locations, the 80-200 had one fatal flaw: it is one heavy son of a gun! I mean seriously heavy, we’re talking almost 3 pounds worth of weight. That spells two words for me: No Go. In exchange, I opted for the much, much cheaper and lighter Nikon 70-300VR, which I bought on the used market for a measly 400CAD. Granted, it ain’t a tank, the build is all plasticky and I am not convinced it can take a full downpour of rain. However, the lens proved to be a great purchase. First, it is light as feather. Two, the VR is very proficient and has helped many an impossible situation, especially when coupled with my D700′s great low-light performance. Three, the image quality is in a word: flawless. There is definitely a bit of falloff in quality from 240mm to 300mm, but between 70 and 200mm is definitely on par with its bigger sisters.
The telephoto lens allows me to isolate details from a larger scene. This is not only useful when the overall scene is not too appealing. You can have a lot of fun drawing abstract images from any location
At their longer ends, telephoto lenses allow you to compress perspective to almost "flatten" a scene. These rocks at el Matador State Beach in California are several hundreds of feet way from each other, yet, at 300mm, they look like they are on the same plane, lending a very graphic look to this image.
Macro: Nikon 105mm
Last but not least, my macro 105 mm, which you would have guessed it I use for close-up and macro photography. It also a very capable portrait lens. I own the old, non VR version, and am very happy with it. Great sharpness, contrast and colour rendition. It is also built like a tank (all metal, yes sir). In fact it has survived a complete immersion in the Ottawa river. And I mean COMPLETE. Nikon now makes a VR version, which is supposed to be even better, but frankly, while the addition of the VR is nice bonus, I don’t think you can add more sharpness to a near perfect lens, so unless someone gives me one for free, I am sticking to my gun.
The macro lens allows you to get very close to your subject and isolate details you wouldn't be otherwise able to.
And that’s it for me. These are only 4 lenses but they pretty much do all I need them to do. I am not much of a prime type of guy and find that the zooms ally both quality and practicality. If there is one more lens I would want it is the Nikon 24mm tilt-shift which would come in handy for my architectural work, but also for the wide-angle landscapes. More on that when I get a hand on one…
Tools of the trade
“Gotta have a big camera, eh?” (yeah, I live in Canada) That’s a question I often hear when people look at my photographs. My standard answer (after several rounds of tongue biting) is somewhere along the lines of “Yeah, it’s HUGE”.
The thing is that the camera is, well, just a thing. It’s true that having a good SLR and a good set of lenses gives you options and more freedom for exploration (unfortunately I am still waiting for the hot models to come flocking my way…I guess that’s what dreams are for). The fact is, though, that the picture-making process is about vision, creativity and conscious decision-making. Pressing the shutter release is just the culmination of the process. This doesn’t mean that I never go snap-happy like Rambo in a shooting gallery, but in general, there is some work involved behind every shot.
Beyond the preparation aspect that I discussed last week on Darwin Wiggett’s blog, every shot involves a set of conscious decisions:
- what is your subject matter?
- which part of the subject matter do you want to reflect, emphasize or present?
- what focal length would better achieve that result?
- how do you frame your subject matter in a story-telling composition?
- how much depth-of-field will be needed to convey your story?
When you have answered all these questions, you can now turn to your camera to record the moment. Your camera comes in handy to measure the amount of light on your subject in order to calculate the required exposure. But even then, it only measures what it perceives as proper exposure. Your sensor/film will take in as much light at f/8 for 1s as it does at f/2.8 for 1/125s, yet the resulting image can be completely different. Similarly, your camera’s meter exposes for midtones (18% gray to be more precise), but is that the proper exposure from an artistic point of view. You may want to underexpose your subject to add more mistery, or to make it stand out from other parts of the image. Overexposing your subject (ah the dreaded blinking highlights), can also be desirable at times. Again, your camera may give you pointers and tools to make your images, but unless you take over and make conscious decisions on what you want in your images, no camera will ever make great images for you (well until the invent the D5billion with the “nocrapimage” button, that is).
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