Reviews

It’s funny how sometimes a widget turns up just after you felt the need for it. Over Christmas I was staking out our bird table and bemoaning the need to shoot from a ‘hide’ and thinking to myself – wouldn’t it be easier to place the camera out there and shoot from the comfort of my sofa? And Voila! I’ve been lucky enough to have Hahnel’s new Inspire remote knock at my door

If you already use a D3s (or D3) you’ll feel right at home with the D4. It’s like an old friend, but one that’s been to the gym. There are subtle differences in the layout and overall form factor, and in fact it was explained to me that there are only three things shared between the older D3s and the new D4; the physical sensor size, the F mount and the 100% viewfinder coverage. Everything else has been redesigned.

To be honest I was a little skeptical of the SkyScout when first told of its introduction here at Wex. What can it do that a certain prominent Search-engine’s free app can’t I wondered, “A lot more” I was informed, “and easier and better!” So, a fair bit of hype then? Let’s get on with the review.

Bowens have just released a new version of the very popular Bowens Pulsar Radio Trigger, a system that allows you to shoot cordless without a sync lead. Designed to work with the Bowens Gemini Classic, the Gemini R and the Gemini Pro range, it replaces the older style transmitter with a brand new mini version.

Lowepro have recently extended their hugely popular range of bags by introducing a new line of backpacks designed specifically for DSLR videographers and based on their award winning Fastpack series.

This diminutive lens was launched with the last generation of Pens, and aside from its 100 degree wide field of view the big news then was that this is an MSC (Movie-Still-Compatible) lens. That plainly means that it’s optimised for movies and stills… and translated that means it’s fast, smooth and silent when focusing.

Yesterday I was given the opportunity to play with a Canon EOS-1D X. It was still one of the factory sample camera bodies so I wasn’t allowed to analyze the image or video quality. However, I was able to test out the new controls and experiment with many of the new features and functions.

When I heard that Lowepro were adding a range of optics bags that included a backpack specifically designed to give wildlife watchers a “hands-free, protective and supportive way to carry a large spotting scope and tripod in the field”, I was immediately interested.

Choosing a tripod can be a tricky process, especially if you need it to tick a number of boxes. I was asked to test the Velbon Ultrek UT-43D Tripod, described as a “new breed of travel tripod” according to the manufacturer, so I was looking forward to giving it a go and secretly hoping that it might just be the perfect tripod.

I was half expecting the 150mm to be a slightly more grown up version of Sigma’s 105mm macro that I tried last year. This, however, is a very different beast; modern, slick and smooth.