Bags

Peak Design Capture Clip V3 review

by fotovolo · Jun 27, 2018

Verdict 5 stars ★★★★★: How can something so small be so useful? The Capture Clip V3 lets you carry a camera securely from any belt or strap, releases it in an instant and clamps it tight when you’ve finished shooting. It can hold up to 90kg, apparently, and the Arca-style camera plate will slide straight into any Arca-compatible tripod head. Brilliant.

How many different ways can there possibly be to carry a camera? We don’t know, but for sure there are always times when none of them are quite right. A shoulder bag is a nuisance if you’ve just got one camera, one lens and you just want to hold it in your hand and shoot with it. A strap is great if you like straps, but it’s like having a great heavy weight on a pendulum when you’re running or clambering about and the strap pulls off your spectacles/RayBans/hat when you take it off, while a waist pouch looks like something you should have stopped wearing in the 1980s.

Tough, isn’t it? Which is why there’s always scope for accessory makers to come up with new ways to carry a camera, and why gadget mad photographers like us are just going to keep on looking for them.

Which is why the Peak Design Capture Clip V3 has caught our eye. Peak Design is a San Francisco based company that specialises in smart ideas and smart design, and the Capture Clip is a metal buckle that clips to a belt, a bag strap or anything else that it can clamp its jaws around and holds a quick release plate that attaches to your camera’s tripod socket.

It’s not very big, but it is very effective. It takes a minute or so to attach it firmly to a belt/strap and tighten up the two locking knobs. They have wide, knurled shape and they spin nicely as you loosen them or take up the slack.

The plate attaches to your camera just like a tripod quick release plate, though here’s the slightly annoying part – you can tighten up the locking screw by hand, sort of, because it has a knurled edge, but really you need to use a hex key. You probably don’t want to carry one of these around all day, right? Well you could tighten up the plate before you leave your house/hotel/office, but what if it works loose during the day or you want to take it off? Hmm.

Peak Design Capture Clip V3 — You need the supplied hex key to properly tighten the plate on the camera but it’s Arca Swiss compatible so it fits straight on to a suitable tripod head.

But the mechanism itself works brilliantly. You slide the camera in from the side and the retaining catch springs shut with a reassuring click. To release the camera, you press a button on the top and slide the camera out – simple as that.

The best thing of all, though – the absolute best thing – is that the camera plate is Arca Swiss compatible. So if you suddenly decide you want to put your camera on a tripod, and the head uses the Arca Swiss fitting, you can just slide it in and clamp it on. You don’t need to change the plate. That is just brilliant.

The Capture Clip is great to wear, too. The weight of the camera does drag down on your trouser belt a little, if that’s where you’re wearing it, but it’s a whole lot better than having your camera swinging around on a strap, and your camera’s right by your hip so that you can give it a reassuring pat now and again. If you’re carrying a camera bag or shoulder bag anyway, you can fix the Capture Clip to the shoulder strap and the camera will then be at about chest height and even more out of the way.

For a little extra security, you could also attach Peak Design’s neat little adjustable Cuff, one of a range of Peak Design straps and leashes. It slides over your hand and around your wrist for when you’re carrying your camera in your hand.

The Capture Clip V3 costs £70/$70, which for some folk might seem a lot for a few bits of metal, screws and springs, but it’s slim, highly portable (it even comes with its own soft pouch and hex key), beautifully made and works beautifully too. You could probably find something cheaper and worse on Amazon if that’s the way you want to go.

We don’t know what happened to the Capture Clip V1 and V2, but Peak Design says the Capture Clip V3 is “way smaller, way lighter, all-metal build, ultra-smooth machined/anodized finish, hella comfy ergonomic design”. It also holds a claimed 90kg. Yes, you read that right.

Price: £70/$70
Rating: 5 stars ★★★★★
More information: Peak Design website | 3 Legged Thing (UK)

Tenba Cooper 15 Slim review

by fotovolo · May 11, 2018

Verdict: 5 stars ★★★★★
Don’t get me wrong. This bag won’t suit backpackers, travel photographers or sports fans. But if you’re a commuting photographer/journalist, like me, it’s perfect, and I’ve got five reasons why…

1: It’s supremely versatile

My laptop goes in a separate padded pocket in the back, so I can get it out to work on the train without exposing/disturbing my camera gear. It has an expanding zip-up pocket in the front for stationery, notebooks, cables and things I haven’t even thought of yet – plus two more expanding pockets in front of the that which stay open all the time but are covered by the bag’s flip-over cover. Which also has a pocket in it.

2: It holds lots of camera gear

The bag’s main compartment has its own zipper, so you can keep your camera gear covered and secured even when you’re using the bag for other stuff. Inside is a padded camera insert divided into three vertical sections, each with three adjustable dividers. You can easily cram in a couple of mirrorless bodies and a selection of lenses. The insert is a bit slim for the tall body of an enthusiast DSLR, but this is the Cooper 15 ‘Slim’ after all. There is a regular version. This whole insert lifts out for those times when you just want to carry around a lot of non-photographic gear.

3: It stays slim

I’ve used lots of bags that start out slim until you put something in them, when they immediately assume the shape of a half-filled sack of potatoes. That’s no good when you’re trying to manoeuvre down the aisle of a busy train, slide your bag under the seat on a plane or place it between your feet at a conference table. The Tenba has a solid, rectangular construction and the camera insert is a semi-rigid rectangle too, so this bag holds its slimline rectangular shape all the time. Which is just brilliant.

4: It stands upright

This is another major bonus in a shoulder bag. Too many have an displaced centre of gravity when they’re packed or a base that loses its flatness and starts to bulge, so when you put them down they just tip over. The Cooper 15 Slim does not. It stays slim (yeah, we covered that) and it stays upright… provided, that is, you remember one simple trick. When you put it down, hold it by the shoulder strap not the hand strap. If you don’t hold the shoulder strap it drops down underneath the bag so that it doesn’t stand up after all and everything I’ve just said is wrong.

5: It has a ‘quiet’ velcro lid

The lid fastens shut with a couple of velcro flaps which make the usual velcro ripping sounds when you pull the lid open. That’s fine in a city street, not so good in a conference or a theatre performance. But apparently the velcro pads have special directional hoops (or something of that sort) so that if you drag downwards slightly as you pull the lid open, the ripping noise is all but gone. It works, and it’s rather clever.

So I will concede the Tenba Cooper 15 Slim is quite expensive, but then a lot of the good stuff out there is unfortunately quite expensive. It’s also quite a specialised kind of bag that meets a certain specific set of needs very well, but it’s suitable for everyone. But then that’s the thing with bags, and it’s why there are so many different types on the market.

For my needs, though – commuting, photography, journalism and office work – it’s terrific, and out of all the shoulder/messenger/laptop camera bags I’ve tried so far, this is the one that’s impressed me the most, and not just because of its capacity but because of its neat and practical everyday touches.

Verdict: 5 stars ★★★★★
More information: Tenba website
Guide price: £215/$280

Buy from Amazon UK

Manfrotto Pro Light FastTrack-8 review

by fotovolo · Apr 6, 2018

Verdict: 5 stars ★★★★★

If you’re prepared to put up with a short learning process to try something new, the FastTrack-8 shows it’s not a gimmick and is actually a great idea. It’s a really good sling bag with lots of pockets for all your other paraphernalia, and it’s also a way of keeping your camera to hand, ready to shoot, but still secured on a strap.

This is a bit different! The Manfrotto Pro Light FastTrack-8 is a sling bag with a built-in shoulder strap. Sling bags are a cross between shoulder bags and backpacks. They go over one shoulder but are shaped to rest tight against your back rather than swinging freely against your side. When you need to open the bag to get your camera out, you swing it round under your arm to get access to the contents.

The FastTrack-8 current comes in one size and is designed for compact mirrorless cameras, though you could probably squeeze in a compact APS-C DSLR if you had to.

What’s different about the Manfrotto Pro Light FastTrack is that there’s a camera shoulder strap that runs parallel to the sling strap and is attached to the same anchor points at either end. There are attachment loops for your camera, and these are designed to slide up and down the strap so that you can leave the camera hanging at your hip or quickly slide it up to eye level without having to move the strap itself.

The idea is that you get the convenience and comfort of a sling bag, the speed and access of a shoulder strap, and without having two straps getting tangled up and fighting with each other.

The FastTrack has two compartments – one in the top for your camera, and one in the side for your lenses and other accessories.

How to wear a sling bag

If you’re not used to them, sling bags take a little acclimatisation. You need to hold them upright and then put your head and one arm through the strap loop. You can wear the FastTrack over either shoulder, but it works best if you put your head and right arm through. You can get to the top pocket where the camera is stored either way, but if you put the bag over your left shoulder, the side compartment opening will be on the underside of the bag.

The trick to using sling bags – well, this one, anyway – is to shorten the strap so that the bag rests snugly against your back, and you do this by pulling on the top of the strap where it passes over your shoulder to pull the bag against your back. Otherwise, if you just swing the bag under your arm, it will hang loose. When you swing the bag round to the front, it will pass quite close under your arm and sit at about upper chest height – sling bags aren’t designed to sit at hip or waist level like shoulder bags.

This guy shows how the whole sling and sliding strap arrangement works.

Pockets and compartments

The FastTrack’s top compartment is designed so that you can put the camera inside, even while it’s still attached to the strap, and zip it up leaving a small gap between the zip tags for the strap to pass through. Alternatively, if you’re putting it away for longer, it only takes a few moments to unclip the camera attachment loops from the strap so that you can close this compartment completely. There’s even a stitched in loop that slips over the zip tags to prevent the bag being easily unzipped behind your back (very literally).

Inside the lid of the top compartment is a velcro flap which looks like it conceals a small pocket but actually opens (with a bit of effort) to reveal a slim, padded compartment running the full length of the bag.

The side compartment has space for two longish lenses, or more if you’ve got a collection of shorter primes and don’t mind stacking them on top of each other. They’re protected by a single vertical divider in a padded insert that’s stitched to the bag on one side but has a gap on the other for sliding in a tablet. It’ll take a 9.7-inch iPad very snugly. This is the space you access via the velcro flap in the top compartment. Oh, and the top of the side compartment padded insert has an elasticated strap for securing a small tripod like the Manfrotto PIXI, or some other accessory.

The side compartment has space for a couple of long lenses or 3-4 shorter ones if you don’t mind stacking them.

This side compartment is closed by a single zipper, and this has its own small securing loop to prevent it being opened easily. In the lied are a couple of mesh pockets with fold-over securing flaps for storing memory cards, batteries or other small bits and pieces.

We’re not quite done yet. On the other side of the bag is a small zip-up pocket which would be idea for passports and other travel documents, and on both sides the compartment lids have elasticated flaps ideal for storing maps, water bottles, sunglasses (probably not expensive prescription ones) or any other bits and bobs you might need in a hurry and where it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they fell out.

There’s also a small zip-up pocket in the top and a much larger full-size pocket in the back, which is accessed via a zip in the side and would be ideal for larger documents, or maybe your tablet.

How the strap works

This requires a bit of concentration at first, but once you’ve got the hang of it, it works really well. The strap length is adjusted independently of the sling strap, but will probably end up a similar length, and just in case you’re worried about having two straps, they don’t end up in a tangle when you’re putting the bag on or taking it off.

You attach the camera to the strap by looping these buckles through the camera’s strap eyelets…

… then you clip these to the sliding buckles on the strap.

The trick lies in how the camera is attached and how it then slides up and down the strap. You get two buckle attachments which you can quickly loop through the camera eyelets and then clip to two sliding buckles fitted permanently to the strap. The camera can now slide freely up and down the strap, resting just below hip height at your side when you’re not using it and then sliding easily to eye level when you want to take a picture.

The natural stop point for this upward slide movement is the clip used to adjust the strap length, so in practice you position this clip so that the camera comes to a stop in the right place. This does leave the camera hanging quite low at just below hip level when you’re not using it, but it doesn’t take long to get used to that.

These little zipper tab loops are clever – they make it more difficult for anyone to pull the zip back without you noticing.

You could use the elasticated side panels for water bottles, sunglasses or maps, for example.

Manfrotto Pro Light FastTrack-8 verdict

First, sling bags are not to everyone’s taste because they take a bit of figuring out. Up is down and down is up, depending on whether you’ve got the bag on your back or swung round to the front. It’s disorientating.

Second, be aware that you’re not going to get even a mid-sized DSLR into this bag’s top pocket. It’s designed for the smaller bodies of mirrorless cameras – though you could probably squeeze in a Nikon D3400 or a smaller Canon EOS DSLR.

Third, this idea of combining a sling bag with an integrated strap takes a bit of getting used to as well. It looks like an overcomplicated gimmick, right?

Probably your first hour with the FastTrack is going to be spend fiddling with the straps, re-checking the photos in the leaflet and staring at a mirror wondering why you don’t look like the guy in the photos.

Soon enough, though, you figure it all out. You learn how to sling the bag over your shoulder, adjust the strap lengths and learn the movements needed to swing the bag around, shoot with the camera and get to your gear.

And that’s the thing – if you’re prepared to put up with this short learning process to try something new, the FastTrack-8 shows it’s not a gimmick and is actually a great idea. It’s not just a really good sling bag with lots of pockets for all your other paraphernalia, it’s also a way of keeping your camera to hand, ready to shoot, but still secured on a strap.

Rating: ★★★★★
Price: £109.95
Find out more: Manfrotto website

Billingham launches new Hadley Small Pro camera bag

by fotovolo · Mar 14, 2018

Billingham has launched a new Pro version of its popular Hadley Small camera bag, which is designed for mirrorless or rangefinder cameras, or mid-size DSLRs.

Made by hand in the UK’s West Midlands, using weatherproofed canvas or FibreNyte materials, brass fittings and leather straps, Billingham bags are built up to a standard rather than down to a price. They’re not cheap, but most buyers end up becoming long-term fans. They might look traditional, even old-fashioned, but they are definitely up to date with materials, modern camera gear and the habits of modern photographers.

The Hadley Small Pro is an addition to the range. It doesn’t replace the Hadley Small, but adds new features in response to feedback from customers.

These include a new reinforced leather top handle to make it easier to manoeuvre the bag in tight spaces, for example on a train, or getting out of a car, and the shoulder strap is now removable, so that the bag can be used as a briefcase style messenger bag, so it’s easier to use as cabin baggage, for example. Keeping the travel theme, there’s now a rear pocket with a water-repellent zip for safely stowing passports, tickets and other documents, and a new rear luggage strap so that you can attach it to a trolley suitcase handle.

Inside, there’s a full-size padded compartment for camera gear, with two movable (and removable) vertical dividers and two smaller dividers so that you can stack lenses within a single compartment. This compartment has its own padded flap on the top for further protection – or you can remove it altogether and use the Hadley Small Pro as a regular day bag or travel holdall.

Round the front, there are two expanding pockets for extra storage – and they do open out a long, long way – and the buckles on the the leather straps are adjustable so that you can keep the lid snug against the contents. At the same time, these straps use a Quick Release System that lets you release and secure the top cover with one hand. This top cover is ‘sculpted’ to hug the top corners of the bag for extra weather protection.

Billingham bags are made from durable canvas or the company’s own FibreNyte material. The weatherproofing comes from bonding two layers of fabric with a layer of butyl rubber between them to produce Billingham’s ‘Stormblock’ material. This is designed to stay water-resistant for the entire life of the bag and will never need ‘reproofing’. Billingham bags come with a five-year warranty.

The Hadley Small Pro will be available from the end of March 2018 in six colour combinations:

Khaki Canvas/Tan Leather
Khaki FibreNyte/Chocolate Leather
Sage FibreNyte/Chocolate Leather
Burgundy Canvas/Chocolate Leather
Black Canvas/Tan Leather
Black FibreNyte/Black Leather

The UK price will be £200, US prices to be confirmed.

Links

Billingham bags

Think Tank’s StoryTeller bags suit both DSLR and mirrorless

by fotovolo · Mar 7, 2018

Designed for both amateurs and pros, these are shoulder bags with adjustable padded shoulder straps and a flip-top lid for quick access. The main compartment can be closed securely, there is a zippered pocket for valuables and there are expandable front pockets for more gear and accessories. There are even stretchable side pockets for cramming in a water bottle, for example, plus a rain cover in the front pocket.

The smallest is the StoryTeller 5 (T801) at £60 in the UK. This measures 24 x 20 x 16cm, weighs just 0.5kg and should be about right for an unwrapped DSLR or mirrorless body (i.e. no battery grip) and 2-3 small telephotos or prime lenses.

The next one up is the taller StoryTeller 8 (T802) at £65, which measures 30 x 21 x 16cm and weighs 0.6kg. This one should fit an ungripped DSLR or mirrorless body, plus 3-4 small telephotos or primes. This time there’s room for an 8-inch tablet in the front pocket.

The largest is the StoryTeller 10 (T803) at £80, which measures 30.5 x 26 x 16cm and weighs 0.7kg. It holds an ungripped DSLR or mirrorless body, 2-4 standard telephoto lenses and also a 10-inch tablet in a dedicated pocket.

Links

Snapperstuff (UK reseller): snapperstuff.com
Think Tank (US manufacturer): www.thinktankphoto.com

Olympus x Bleu de Chauffe (fancy blue bags for the PEN-F)

by fotovolo · Mar 5, 2018

If you’re the ruthlessly practical sort that questions the price and possible pretentiousness of everything, then you need to look away now. If you think life should be about style and image and nice things, then you might want to keep reading.

Olympus has teamed up with “artisanal” French leather maker Bleu de Chauffe to produce four stylish accessories to go with its Olympus PEN-F camera.

The PEN-F, as well as being a rather good high-end Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera, is also designed with more than a dash of retro class, to appeal to a more discerning and (probably) more affluent market than the typical digital camera, so this prestigious Gallic tie-in makes a lot of sense for the PEN-F brand.

Bleu de Chauffe is, we’re told, known for its high quality and sharp designs. These accessories are hand-made in France and inspired by “the industrial universe of the twentieth century”. In practical terms, they’re designed to carry not just your camera but all the other paraphernalia of our electronic existences, including phones, tablets and laptops.

There are two briefcase-style bags in two sizes. The larger bag is the Arles (below), which is designed to accommodate two PEN-F bodies, 2-3 lenses and a laptop. Its dimensions are W 40cm x H 27cm x D 13cm and it comes with an RRP of £549.99.

The smaller bag is the Bologne, which is design for a single PEN-F body, 1-2 lenses and a small laptop or tablet. It measures W 32cm x H 25cm x D 12.5cm and will cost £399.99.

The Prades pouch is like a laptop sleeve but for cameras, and is designed to take a PEN-F with slimline lens like the M.Zuiko Digital ED 14‑42mm F3.5-5.6 EZ Pancake zoom. It measures W 31,5cm x H 19,5cm and comes in at £169.99.

Finally, if you can contemplate spending £199.99 on a camera strap, the Giraud adjustable leather strap is made to last but thin, light and very comfortable, we’re told.

Joking aside, we do spend a small fortune on camera kit, lenses, holidays, cars, smart suits and whatnot, so a little bit of luxury here and there in your photographic life doesn’t seem such a crazy idea. All these products go on sale from March 2018.