Gear Talk

We know many of our workshop participants are thinking about getting some new Nikon camera gear, and now might be the best time to do it.  Nikon has a huge sale on both mirrorless and DSLR equipment.  What really caught my attention were $400-$500 off some terrific Z lenses like the 600mm PF, the 14-24mm Read More

We travel to remote lodges all the time for our photography.  And often this means travel by small plane (as in 4-12 seats), with strict weight limits on luggage and camera gear.  Places like Africa, Borneo, Costa Rica and Alaska often have an approximate 40 pound weight limit which includes clothes and camera gear.  How Read More

As many have predicted, Nikon has released another firmware update for the Z9…the new version is 5.0.  This update adds some of the recent Z8 firmware updates including being able to make the red square focus point thicker and easier to see (custom A11).  Also, you can choose ‘Cycle AF-area mode’ to toggle between auto Read More

Huge update for the Z8 released.  Probably the biggest addition is adding the bird autofocus mode that was already available in the Z9.  Also noteworthy are Auto Capture, Pixel Shift shooting, and even some new shutter sounds.  The update can be found here. I’ve been using the bird autofocus mode consistently, and I think it Read More

I just returned from a week long photo workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico.  We focused on portraits, travel and food photography while we were there (I’m still dreaming about the amazing mole sauces!).  A big part of the our trip was creating portraits, both with available light and studio lighting.  I was especially excited about photographing Read More

When the 500mm 5.6 PF lens came out a number of years ago, it completely rocked my world.  This lens was so small, light and incredibly sharp..it was hard to believe.  Cree and I liked the lens so much we had to buy two of them, no sharing with this lens!  The convenience of having Read More

I spend a lot of time cleaning cameras.  Trips to Africa and Alaska can really load on the dirt, dust and debris.  Recently I just returned from White Sands NP, and I noticed many of my lenses had sand on them, as well as my camera bodies.  Time for a camera cleaning. I used to Read More

It’s that time of the year again!  Ready to hit the ‘buy now’ button?  Cree and I are going to host another online gift guide version as well, contact cree (creetbp@gmail.com) to be added to the list.  We have seen a lot of things in the field this last year, gear that worked and made Read More

Elinchrom has been releasing a number of new lights recently, introducing their line of battery Monolights.  Battery mononlights are self-contained flashes, meaning no cables or separate battery pack, everything is in the head (or attached).  Elinchrom has three versions..the One, Three and Five.  The One has 131Ws power at 3.3 pounds, the Three has 261Ws Read More

Nikon is really doing some amazing things right now.  They have been introducing new lenses left and right; innovative designs, lightweight solutions, and incredible autofocus.  I can’t imagine shooting wildlife now without my 600mm F4 with built in 1.4x.  I flipped that converter on and off so much in Africa my finger got sore, and Read More