Reviews

So is it the perfect travel lens? It certain crams in all you’d normally need – with some icing on top as it has more than excellent reach – 300mm equivalent used to be ‘long’ so the 405mm the Tamron offers is a very useful bonus.

The E-PL2 gets underwater armour in the cobby, polycarbonate shape of the PT-EP03. I went for a nominal dunk before I could head off for my spring diving but a quick pool plunge can only tell you so much, real findings only emerge once the sea is playing ball.

The new housing for the XZ-1 may be the the junior system but expectations are sky high. It has a tough task ahead, to re-establish a line of serious underwater compacts that took a sabbatical in 2006. As a worthy successor it has the just right credentials; great lens, lots of control and designed-in dive friendly features.

Proof against more things in more ways than any of its rivals – the TG-810 can be dropped from 2m, submerged to 10m, crushed by 100kg, frozen to -10oC and apparently even resists scratches. At the same time it’s crammed to the gills with outdoor extras, so now when the going gets tough the Tough knows where it’s going.

In today’s photographic environment where photographers may have to carry a range of camera, video and computer gear and turn their hand to more than just taking pictures, a modular system that can be adapted on a shoot by shoot basis makes perfect sense, so it’s no surprise that Lowepro have revamped their Street and Field gear in the form of the new S&F Series.

I shall start by getting straight to the point; I wanted to buy a tough camera that could accompany me on my climbing, walking and canoeing trips and I’d narrowed my choice down to one of 4 point and shoot cameras; the Panasonic FT3, the Fuji XP30, the Olympus TG-810 and the Pentax WG-1 GPS. As such, in an act of selfless generosity I offered to review of all four during a trip to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis.

It’s often argued that in order to end up with great images, you need to ensure that you’re capturing the right colours to start with in the camera. Looking like a cross between a camera filter and a snow-globe, the ColorRight Pro promises to be “the ultimate white balance solution” and is the latest white balance tool to find itself in my camera bag.

Once upon a time if you wanted a camera bag you had to choose which type suited you best; a rucksack or a shoulder bag? Then, sling-bags came along that offered the benefits of both. With less than a week until I was due to take my children to Disneyland Paris, I still hadn’t sorted out how I was going to carry my camera gear. Then, as if conjured up by magic, an email arrived in my inbox asking if I’d review the Lowepro SlingShot 302 AW. Eureka!

It may be small, but the D7000 packs a very powerful punch and as I write this, pretty much stands as the best DX DSLR to roll out of the Nikon factory to date. Despite the size and lower spec, I’ve found it actually compliments the mighty D3s (yes, really) as a second body quite well and I’ve enjoyed shooting with it not only at home in the UK but as far afield as the freezing valleys of Yellowstone National Park in winter.

“As seen on BBC One’s ‘Lost Land of the Tiger’”. That’s what the publicity blurb says, so as I consider how I’m going to set about testing and reviewing the Bushnell Trophy Cam, I can’t help but feel that any footage I get is going to be somewhat dull by comparison. Still, I’m sure I can find something to do with it – just one question; what exactly is the Bushnell Trophy Cam?