Reviews

Natural light is all the rage these days but that doesn’t change the fact that sometimes you need more light than you have. Ambient light is great but it’s very… ambient. Whether it’s to add some fill in, open up a dark corner, or freeze action, a flash can add an extra dimension to your shooting.

Those of you who read my previous review of the Canon SX200 will probably be wondering where I could take another camera that would be more bizarre than a hitchhike to Morocco. I came up with Blackpool… In my defence, it was Blackpool in January, for a Ballroom Dancing competition.

Despite sounding like some kind of washing powder technology that stops your colours running and still keeps whites whiter than white, colour management is all about ensuring that what you see on your computer monitor is what you get out of your printer. The ColorMunki X-Rite Photo is a device that helps you manage your colours, and one that is excellent on several counts…it is by far and away the easiest colour calibration tool I have used to date.

I dubiously opened the package, half expecting to be bombarded with a box covered in buzzwords and promises to make my screen come alive with colour! Thankfully there was none of that, just a simple straight to the point statement; “Get the most from your monitor”. Okay, so this is starting well, I thought.

One of the most exciting & challenging shoots I’ve ever done was during my trip to Lapland, in Sweden. The trip came about when I was booked to photograph a wedding at the world famous Ice Hotel. This was roughly the same time when the Nikon D3s was launched and was the perfect opportunity to test the camera for its high ISO capabilities in such low light and extreme conditions of as low as -30C.

It’s fitting that this little Lumix showed up for review so soon after the Olympus E-P1 paid a visit. The E-P1 is a new breed whereas the Panasonic LX3 is acknowledged as the best of an existing niche. The LX3 is also an enthusiast’s compact, with many of the features of an SLR in a much smaller package.

The Olympus E-P1 is a beautiful piece of kit; it’s not all about the tech at all. It looks and feels like a treasured 35mm film camera from the ’60s. It’s easy to make new stuff sort-of-space-age (black plastic?) which usually works for a month or two, but capturing a timeless but nostalgic look is much tougher.

I suppose everyone should have some New Years’ resolutions and one of mine is to write more about ‘on camera flash’. Over the last few years I just haven’t had the need to use one, but because I’m getting more and more questions and emails about them it’s high time I got to grips with them again.

Remote controls are a way of life these days; we either love them or hate them, not all of us understanding what every button does! However using a remote control in a dark studio makes a lot of sense, especially when you have multiple heads to operate.

The Epson P7000 Multimedia Storage Viewer is one of those devices that I’ve always thought was a really cool gadget and have considered buying for a number of years, but i never actually got around to it. So when Warehouse Express asked me to review it, it was the perfect opportunity to try it out first hand!