A month or two ago Fujifilm released the X10 advanced point and shoot camera.  I read the press release, then the reviews and drooled over the photos.  My trusty Canon S95 goes almost everywhere with me and as much as I love it, the gearhead in me couldn’t help but think that the X10 would be even more super awesome.  Living in Moab certainly has its advantages but on the down side, you can’t just run out to the nearest camera store to fondle new equipment.  Last week I finally made it to my favorite camera store, Pictureline in Draper, Utah, where Nick ever so kindly took a few moments to show me the very drool-worthy Fujifilm X10.  I didn’t walk out of the store with it but I did spend enough time handling the X10 to develop some initial impressions.

Build Quality

In a word, phenomenal.  Too many point and shoots feel cheap and fragile in hand.  Not the X10.  It’s heavy, but not in a bad way.  The metal body feels rock solid and whatever material is used to provide the leather-like texture provides a nice, non-slip grip.  The manual zoom lens is as smooth as silk and I love that zooming involves turning a ring around the lens instead of using your thumb on some teeny-tiny lever on the top or back of the camera.  The dials for mode and exposure compensation turn easily but lock firmly in place.  No complaints at all about build quality.

Features

One of the main features that attracted me to the X10 is the incredible frame rate – 7 FPS at full resolution.  My S95 captures a whopping 1 FPS.  For some, this may not be a huge deal but the X10 and it’s 7 FPS would certainly make it easier to go light when peak-bagging, canyoneering or mountain biking while still capturing action images that could be sold as stock.

The X10’s lens runs from 28mm on the wide end to 112mm telephoto with an impressive f/2.0 – f/2.8 aperture range.  This would make it a good choice for photographing action in low-light, such as inside a slot canyon.  Inside the store, which wasn’t exactly low light but it wasn’t really bright either, the X10 focused remarkably fast.

A real viewfinder!  Ok, so you only see about 85% of the scene through the optical viewfinder, and when zoomed out the lens consumes the bottom right corner, but I still prefer to hold a camera up to my eye when I make a photograph.  For one, it’s easier to stabilize than when you’re holding it in front of you while staring at the LCD, especially if it happens to be windy outside.  Secondly, the LCD on the X10 isn’t all that great to look at.  It’s bright and it works, but it’s half the resolution of many newer LCD’s, making it difficult to use when checking an image for critical sharpness at 100% zoom.

While most advanced point and shoot cameras allow you to make exposure compensation adjustments, it usually requires fumbling around in an on-screen menu or trying to find some tiny button.  The X10 has a nice, big knurled knob on top for this purpose and it adjusts +/- 2 stops, in 1/3 stop increments.  Genius, if you ask me.

The on-board flash is located in a good position and my grip didn’t seem to interfere with its operation.  This is one of my gripes with the S95.  When holding the camera in a normal, comfortable grip, my index finger is over the flash.  When it tries to pop up, it can’t because my finger is in the way and I have to turn the camera off and back on again to re-boot it.  The X10’s flash is quite powerful for it’s diminutive size and it seems to do a good job of intelligently selecting the correct power.  However, for those who prefer more manual control over flash exposure, you’re limited to +/- 2/3 stop.  I find that I often have to reduce fill flash on the S95 to -2 stops to avoid blowing out the foreground.  Perhaps the X10’s flash is more intelligent and +/- 2/3 stop is plenty, but it seems a little too restrictive to me.

A couple miscellaneous items worth mentioning: fast start-up, no discernible shutter lag and the Function button.  To turn on the X10 you twist the ring surrounding the lens.  Start up was nearly instantaneous, meaning you’d be less likely to miss an opportunity while waiting for your camera to fire up.  I could discern no shutter lag at all.  The X10 has a customizable “Function” button on top that can be assigned to perform any number of tasks.  My S95 also has one and I love being able to dedicate that button to a commonly used function.

In Conclusion

I haven’t decided whether the X10 is for me.  I love the feature set, the way it feels in my hands, the optical viewfinder and, from what I’ve seen, image quality appears to be quite impressive.  So what’s my hesitation?  It’s not exactly pocketable.  The S95 (and it’s replacement, the Canon S100) are small enough to fit easily into a jean or jacket pocket and if a camera is easy to carry, you’re more likely to do so.  The X10 is quite a bit bigger.  Yes, it handles better because of the size but that’s not a benefit if you don’t have the camera with you.  I need a camera I can easily fit in the pocket of my motorcycle jacket and I’m not sure the X10 will work.  But, if you don’t need a pocketable camera, or you’ve just got really big pockets, the X10 might be just the camera for you.

Maggiolina AirLand Roof Top Tent

Who wants to pull into camp late, dig through a mountain of gear to find your tent and then set about fumbling with shock-corded poles and tiny clips, blowing up air mattresses and unpacking sleeping bags when all you really want to do is lay down and go to sleep?  That’s the question I asked myself when I started researching roof top tents a couple months ago.  Didn’t know you could put a tent on top of your car/SUV/pick-up?  You sure can.

Roof top tents have been popular with the overlanding crowd for years.  Recently they’ve been gaining in popularity amongst more mortal folks who don’t have the luxury of spending months at a time off-roading their way around the globe.  Several varieties exist from nearly a dozen manufacturers ranging in price from about $800 to over $5,000 for high-end carbon fiber models.  After much research we settled on the Maggiolina AirLand tent, size medium, to sleep me, my wife Melissa and our 2 year old son, Jackson.  After using it for almost two weeks on a road trip around Oregon I’ve had enough time with it to decide whether I like it, or if we threw away a not insignificant chunk of change.  Read on for the low-down.

I usually prefer to start with what I like about a product.  This time, I’m going to start with one thing I really, really didn’t like.  In fact, I’ve even got a photo to share with you to demonstrate my point (see below).  While you’re looking at the photo I’d like you to imagine operating those latches without getting bug guts all over your hands.  Yeah, it’s impossible.

Bug Guts

The Good

Now let’s move on to the good.  The tent installs directly to your roof rack with four U-bolts.  Installation is simple, although there isn’t much room to tighten the bolts between the bottom of the tent and roof of your car.  A self-ratcheting wrench works wonders here.  Once installed, deploying the tent upon arrival at camp takes about 1 minute and is easily managed as a solo effort.  You simply unfasten two latches at the front and one at the rear, insert the hand crank and start cranking.  The roof of the tent rises up on two scissor style arms until the fabric is stretched taut.  Remove the ladder from inside the tent, extend it and secure it to the lip of the tent, climb inside and crawl into your sleeping bag for some shut-eye.  That’s right, your sleeping bag and pillows stay inside the tent, on top of the comfortable 3.5″ mattress.  This saves time in set-up and saves precious cargo space inside your vehicle.

The tent has two large doors on either side and two small, triangular shaped windows at the front and rear.  Ventilation was excellent and the interior never felt muggy, even in the humidity of the Oregon Coast.  Often times good ventilation comes at the expense of reduced water resistance, but a full night of persistent rain never penetrated the fabric.  While on the topic of rain, you can store the tent when wet, and it is much easier to do than trying to disassemble and pack up a regular tent in the rain.

Packing the tent away requires a little bit more effort and about 5 minutes of your time.  Still, less than it typically takes to break down a typical backpacking or car camping tent set-up.  The two most challenging aspects of packing up the tent are keeping the fabric tucked inside as the roof lowers and figuring out the best way to position your sleeping bag and pillows inside the tent for stowage.  If you don’t do it right, you won’t be able to secure the latches.  On the bright side, once you learn how to configure your sleeping bag and pillows you’ll be able to pack away the tent much quicker.

I expected a significant hit to our gas mileage and was pleasantly surprised to see that we only lost about 1 mile per gallon at 85 MPH.  Yeah, we didn’t always obey the speed limits.

The footprint is quite small.  If you can find a reasonably level place to park, you can find a place to set up the tent.

The mattress is quite comfortable.  It’s firm but not harsh and is plenty long enough for my 5′9″ frame, with a few inches left over.

You don’t have to search for ground that isn’t rocky, or wet or muddy or covered in thorns.  You’re somewhat better protected from animals and insects (ants, scorpions, etc.) although you’re still game for large predators, like bears.

The Bad

The tent ain’t cheap.  Retailing at $2,899 for a size medium, it’s a lot of money for four canvas walls and some fiberglass.

The ladder is sturdy but the rungs are painful on bare feet.  Speaking of bare feet and the ladder, middle of the night bathroom breaks require a bit of effort.  I determined that if I wasn’t in pain, I didn’t need to go bad enough to justify the effort.

We had a couple windy nights and the tent performed fine but I don’t think I’d want to test it in major gusts.  I’ve read elsewhere that none of the Maggiolina tents handle big wind very well and after using ours for a couple of weeks, I agree.

This model has no storage pockets inside.  I had to hang my glasses from a gap in the door, put my wallet and phone in a small cavity next to the mattress and my clothes at the foot of the bed.  Some models come with pockets along the walls and a net attached to the ceiling, and I think all of their tents should ship with these storage solutions – especially at $3,000 a pop.

All Maggiolina tents have a small light inside, which is cool, except that the light is powered by a cord that you have to plug into your cigarette lighter.  That’s just silly.  Put a battery powered LED light in the tent and I’m a happy camper (literally).

This may be a personal beef but I’m not crazy about the door closure.  There is no zipper on the bottom of the mosquito net door, which means you have to tuck it in to the mattress to keep the nasty little blood suckers out.  The outer door has an extra long flap that hangs down a couple inches past the bottom of the tent, which could be a bit drafty in cold weather as there is no way to seal it.

Maggiolina AirLand Roof Top Tent

The Verdict

All said, I think the Maggiolina AirLand is a quality product that definitely makes setting up and tearing down camp a less time consuming task.  It’s convenient, well made and a nice addition to our growing collection of tents.

Some Random Tips

If you decide to buy a Maggiolina tent, here are some tips to help get you through the learning process a bit faster.

First, read the instructions before you mount and/or deploy the tent.  Seriously.  I didn’t, and doing so would have made things much easier and significantly reduce the risk of damaging the tent.

As you deploy the tent, it is critically important not to let the roof slide forward or backward while cranking the roof into the up position.  Use one hand to crank and one hand to keep the roof parallel with the front and rear of the bottom section.  Failure to do so can result in bent scissor arms and a non-functioning tent.

When packing away the tent, we found that it is easiest to lower it approximately 2/3 of the way before tucking in the fabric.  There are two straps that tend to fall out just as you’ve almost got the tent closed and they can be easily pushed back inside if you notice it before the roof is all the way down.

Be sure to remove the hand crank before you hit the highway.  I left it in and noticed it in the rear view mirror a few miles down the road.  Luckily, it hadn’t fallen out or we’d have had no way to deploy the tent.  After that, I started doing a walk-around to make sure all latches were closed, all fabric tucked inside and no crank was left in place.

I’ve used the same trusty Gitzo carbon fiber tripod for nearly 6 years.  I’ve never had a back-up tripod but last year I decided to pick up one because I’d hate to experience a catastrophic tripod failure, which would inevitably happen while on a road trip in the middle of nowhere, USA during the most epic sunset ever.  As much as I’d love to have another Gitzo as a back-up I just couldn’t stomach dropping another six bills on three skinny little legs.  Much research later I decided a Flashpoint F-1228 carbon fiber, 4 section leg tripod would serve me well.  I casually mentioned this to Melissa and wouldn’t you know it, a Flashpoint F-1228 carbon fiber tripod showed up on my birthday.  I must take a moment to thank my friend Scott Bacon, whom Melissa contacted when she couldn’t remember which tripod I wanted, because she knew he’d have the low-down.  Of course, he did.  Thanks, dude!

Initial impressions were positive.  Lightweight, reasonably sturdy and it didn’t put too much of a dent in the old checking account ($180).  Many of you already know I’m a gi-normous fan of the Acratech ballheads.  Not surprisingly, I topped off my shiny new carbon fiber toy with a bombproof Acratech Ultimate Ballhead.  If you missed my long-term review of the world’s best ballhead for nature photographers, you can check it out here: Acratech Ultimate Ballhead Review.

Instead of using the new Flashpoint tripod as a back-up I decided to make it my primary unit.  I did this because I wanted to see if it could stand up to the rigors of regular use with the intent of reporting my findings to you good folks.  Here we are five months later and I’m writing this review much earlier than planned.  If you guessed this isn’t a good thing, you’d be right.

What I Like:

• At $180 the Flashpoint F-1228 tripod is a smokin’ bargain in the world of carbon fiber tripods.  Nothing comes even close to this price.  The Gitzo GT1541 tripod is $600!
• The leg locks twist smoothly, hold the legs securely and the ridged rubber twist-locks provide a very secure grip in-hand, even when wet.
• 3.3 lbs. Nuff said.
• Maximum height of 52″ without the center column extended, or 60″ with, is plenty of height for me. (I’m 5′9″)
• The center column comes apart, allowing you to use the tripod almost at ground level.

What I Don’t Like:

• The walls of the legs seem to be thinner than those on my Gitzo and the tripod isn’t as sturdy.  There is significantly more flex when the legs are fully extended.
• The feet have little spikes on them that retract into the rubber casing.  Some may like this feature. I don’t.  I found that they somehow sneak out all the time, which isn’t good on slickrock because they don’t afford a secure purchase like rubber feet.  Also, mud gets stuck inside the feet and is difficult to clean out.
• While we’re on the topic of the feet, they like to divorce themselves from the tripod.  All the time.  I lost count of how many times the feet came off in my hand or fell onto the ground during normal use.  This is unacceptable and judging by the reviews on Adorama, not uncommon.
• This one is odd: the tripod head mount screw doesn’t secure the ballhead as well as the one on my Gitzo.  I think it’s shorter than the one on the Gitzo.  This is bad.  Very bad.  While carrying the tripod over my shoulder with the camera mounted to the ballhead (I know, I know…bad idea) the ballhead came unscrewed causing the camera and ballhead to crash to the ground from a height of about 6′.  Fortunately, it landed in sand.  I also noticed that I had to re-tighten the ballhead often, something I rarely have to do with my Gitzo.  A little Loc-Tite would probably resolve this issue.
• The hook in the center column also comes unscrewed easily.  It’s fallen out a few times during normal use.  Not a huge deal but still a pain in the butt to have to screw it back in when it should just stay in place.
• After only a few outings the legs ceased to extend smoothly.  No doubt the culprit is sand or water but still, after 6 years with the Gitzo in sand, water (both fresh and salt) and snow it still operates flawlessly.  Seems a little premature to me.

And Here It Comes – The Verdict

The Flashpoint F-1228 simply isn’t up to the challenge of regular use in the outdoors.  It may work well for indoor photography where it won’t be exposed to the elements, beaten around on rocks and bounced around in the back of the truck – but it just ain’t built for folks like us.  I didn’t expect it to go toe-to-toe with a tripod costing three times as much but I did expect it to not start falling apart within three months of purchase.  If your tripod budget is in the $180 range you would be better served by an aluminum Manfrotto.  Yeah, it’s heavier than the Flashpoint but it won’t fail you.  If you can afford another $100 or so, I’ve heard great things about Induro carbon fiber tripods, although I’ve no first hand experience with them.  If you can swing for a Gitzo, you will not be disappointed.

Bottom line: I guess this is one area where you really do get what you pay for, and in the case of the Flashpoint F-1228 – you don’t get a whole helluva lot.

Tonight I was doing my normal nightly routine and scanning a couple of the internet forums I frequent for interesting topics.  I saw one on the Rocky Mountain Nature Photographers forum that piqued my interest titled “Nik Silver Efex – Is It All That?“.  No one who has been here for longer than a week will be surprised to hear me make this admission: I’m a Nik Software fanboy.  I love their stuff.  I do.  I preach about it on my blog, at my workshops and to my private guided clients.  I sing their praises on Facebook and twitter.  I use Nik plug-ins in the development of every single photograph I make.

So, what makes Nik plug-ins so great?  Is it because they can make a bad image good?  Or maybe it’s because they have powers far beyond those natively contained within Photoshop and Lightroom.  Nope.  Nik plug-ins don’t contain crazy voodoo magic that instantly converts an average photo into a masterpiece.  Truth be told, they don’t do anything that can’t be accomplished in the old fashioned digital darkroom using tried and true practices like layer masking, complicated selections, luminosity masks and blends, and other technical mumbo jumbo.

I’ve been using Photoshop since 2002.  That’s 9 years, folks.  The first 2 years almost don’t count since I was basically just floundering around in software that was way over my head.  I’m one of those freaks who would rather be outside playing than staring at a computer monitor.  Photoshop forced me to spend way too much time in a chair, at my desk, processing images.  Over the years I learned to navigate the myriad options pretty efficiently.  All was well and I was happy with my images.

Then one day, while guiding a client and talented photographer named Ray (who eventually became a friend), my eyes were opened to something new.  While hiking together in Arches NP he mentioned how amazed he was with these cool Nik Software Photoshop plug-ins he’d been using.  Ray told me how easy and powerful they were to use, and that he’d seen a dramatic improvement in the quality of his processed images.  A few days later, after Ray had headed back home to Texas, I downloaded a trial version of the Nik Software Complete Collection.

I was particularly interested in Silver Efex Pro for converting color images to black and white.  In all my years of using Photoshop and Lightroom I still hadn’t mastered the monochrome conversion.  In fact, I sucked at it.  I went to work on a few images with Silver Efex Pro and after an hour or two of experimentation, I was churning out pretty damn amazing black and white photos that made my previous attempts look like nothing more than sad, sad little pictures.

Next I tried Viveza 2, then Color Efex Pro 3.0.  They both rocked my socks off.  Dfine 2.0 for noise reduction?  Rocks.  Sharpener Pro 3.0?  Yeah, it rocks – especially if you’re new to printmaking, but that’s a whole other post.  The free trial offered by Nik lasts 15 days.  In less than a week I’d busted out my credit card and sprung for the whole enchilada.  That was over a year ago and never have I regretted that decision.  What’s so special about them?  I’m glad you asked.

Nik Software doesn’t make “magical” products.  That’s the domain of Apple.  The Nik plug-ins don’t allow you to do anything in the digital darkroom that wasn’t already possible within Photoshop and Lightroom.  What the Nik plug-ins do is flatten out the learning curve.  To become truly proficient with Photoshop takes months, at the very least.  For most of us it takes years to really attain a high degree of proficiency.  Here’s a bad analogy: Nik Software plug-ins are like the Slap Chop of image processing, but without the annoying infomercials.  Sure, you could slice and dice all those vegetables by hand with a knife but it’ll take a lot less time if you just Slap Chop them into juicy submission.  Nik plug-ins will save you time and headaches, and they’ll take you from a RAW un-processed file to a beautiful, finished image in a fraction of the time it would take using only the native controls in Lightroom and Photoshop.

As I’ve already mentioned, I’d rather spend more time in the field making new images and less time in the office staring at a computer monitor.  Thanks to the good folks at Nik Software, I’m able to do that now.  Every single image I process is touched at some point by at least one Nik plug-in.  Usually, I’ll use three of them: Viveza 2, Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Sharpener Pro 3.0.  For black and white images I’ll use the freakin’ amazing Silver Efex Pro 2, Color Efex Pro 3.0 and Sharpener Pro 3.0.  Nik plug-ins allow me to do more in less time.  They allow me to spend more time hanging out with my family, making new images, marketing and selling my work or napping in a grassy field filled with alpine wildflowers.  Only in the summer, though.  The bottom line is that Nik plug-ins allow me to spend more time doing anything else and less time tied to my desk.  If you’re content without them, good on you.  They’re not for everybody.  But if you want to go farther, faster – download the Nik Software Complete Collection 15 day trial now.  I promise not to say “I told ya so.”

Use discount code “BEDGE” to receive 15% off your purchase of Nik Software plug-ins at the Nik Software Store.

By now we’re all well aware of just how useful the Apple iPad is to photographers.  We can check our email on the fly, surf the web, keep an eye on the weather, get sunrise and sunset times, sign model releases and use it as a slick digital portfolio viewer.  Indeed, it is a sweet piece of technology.  All of this leaves me wondering – what’s next?

With it’s beautiful, fairly large screen there have to be some additional uses for the iPad beyond the current crop of “in the field” tools.  I did a little digging and found a couple possibilities, both of which I’m very interested in putting to use.

iPad As a Second Monitor – A company called MaxiVista created an app that allows the iPad to function as a second monitor.  What a perfect place to move all your Photoshop tool palettes to unclutter your main monitor!  I haven’t used it but if it works as advertised, this could be a really cool way to utilize your iPad at home.  Inexplicably, the app currently works only on Windows machines.  I hope MaxiVista (or someone else) is working on a Mac version.

iPad as Graphics Tablet - This one seems like a natural fit for the iPad.  Sure, there’s the pesky fact that the screen isn’t pressure sensitive.  Seems even that can be worked around, as evidenced by this hack by Ten One Design.  Not down with hacking your iPad?  Apple may just be working on making this one a reality.  A recent patent application for a pressure sensitive pen suggests that Apple might be looking to take a bite out of the graphics tablet market with the iPad (or a future generation of iPad).  I’ve never used a tablet but I’ve heard they’re fantastic.  I might make the leap if Apple releases this cool gizmo.

iPad as Portable Photo Storage Drive – I dreamed this one up all on my own.  How about a ruggedized iPad with a larger SSD hard drive and an easy way to download RAW images in the field?  Sure, it’s bigger than an Epson P7000, but it’s also got a much larger screen that would make it easier to weed out the good images from the bad.  The darn thing could even run a mobile version of Lightroom (or Aperture, if that’s your thing).  Yes, you can do this on a laptop but if the iPad could do it just as well, I think I’d leave the laptop at home.

Who knows what’s next?  The whiz kids at Apple seem to be light years ahead of my simple way of thinking when it comes to future tech.  No doubt they’ve got some really cool stuff planned for photographers using the iPad.  What apps or functionality would you like to see in the not-so-distant iPad future?

Nirvana is defined on Wikipedia as, “A central concept in Indian religions. In sramanic thought, it is the state of being free from suffering.”  That whole “free from suffering” part is what I’d like to address.  If you’ve ever worn an ill-fitting or poorly designed backpack for any length of time you surely recall the suffering.  I found my nirvana in the form of an F-Stop Tilopa.

Until recently, camera backpacks just weren’t designed for people like you and me.  My old Lowepro Nature Trekker AW was great when working from the truck.  Throw it on your back and walk more than a mile and it’s deficiencies were unbearably evident.  Bad suspension, no Camelbak pouch or water bottle holders, no room for non-camera gear.  It and all the others I’ve tried over the years simply are not designed for hikers, skiers, mountain bikers, climbers and canyoneers.  You know…us.

Then one day I’m contacted by this little company called F-Stop Gear.  They ask if I’m interested in a sponsorship and I fire off a dozen questions about their product.  I spend some time on their website and run a Google search.  I’m impressed.  I call them back and ask a few more questions.  They tell me their products are designed as true backcountry backpacks and offer to send me a sample.  I bite, they send, I fall in love.

Full disclosure – yes, I am sponsored by F-Stop Gear.  However, that has no bearing on the review you’re about to read.  This is my honest to goodness, totally unbiased assessment of the Tilopa backpack.  So, let’s dig in.

And Now, The Review

F-Stop products don’t look like camera packs.  They look like backpacks – the kind you’d strap on, hit the trail and hike for 20 miles.  Some of you may think it’s silly I’m even mentioning this next bit, but they’re good lookin’ packs.  There, I said it.  I don’t like to wear ugly crap and F-Stop packs are anything but ugly.  Because they don’t look like camera packs they don’t come with a big sign reading “STEAL ME – I’M FILLED WITH EXPENSIVE CAMERA STUFF”.

What good is a backpack if the suspension sucks?  Absolutely none.  Thankfully, the F-Stop Tilopa features a well designed, functional suspension system that a) fits me, and b) transfers the weight to my hips.  I have a long torso and finding daypacks that fit is a nightmare.  Usually, the hipbelt rides somewhere in the neighborhood of mid-belly.  On the Tilopa, the hipbelt sits exactly where it should – centered over the iliac crest.  This, combined with load lifters and straps that suck the bottom of the pack into your lower back, results in a pack that carries comfortably during long days on the trail.  The shoulder straps and hipbelt could be a little bit beefier, as they are on the new Tilopa BC, but even as-is they get the job done.

One of the coolest features of the entire F-Stop line is the modularity built into every pack.  Some times you carry a lot of camera gear and other times very little.  With that in mind, F-Stop’s packs are designed around a “shell” and an “ICU, or internal camera unit“.  The “shell” is the pack bag and harness.  The “ICU” is the padded compartment where your camera gear lives and they are available in four sizes.  The Tilopa has a rear zipper compartment that provides access to the ICU and your camera gear inside the pack (see photos).  The ICU’s swap out quickly, making it easy to carry an extra large ICU one day and a small ICU the next.  This system has the added benefit of keeping dirt and debris off the back panel when you take off the pack to access your camera gear.  Very nice touch!

Let’s move on to a few smaller details.  Even with a large ICU that’s filled with gear, I’ve got enough room to carry my 15 essentials (more on that in another post), a down coat, a 5 in 1 reflector, snacks, two Nalgene bottles, a SPOT and GPS, and I’ve still got a bit of room left over.  Yeah, you guessed it, I don’t travel light.  The Tilopa has several pockets on the top, sides and front of the pack bag that make it easy to organize all that extra stuff.  You’ve got a total of 3,100 cubic inches in which to cram all your gear.

There are straps on the side of the pack and on one side of the hipbelt that accepts all pouches that use the MOLLE attachment system.  Speaking of the hipbelt, it’s got a little pocket on one side that provides on-the-go access to small items like snacks or lip balm.

Tripods can be securely mounted on either side of the pack or right down the center.  The water bottle pockets hold a 32 oz. Nalgene bottle snug enough to keep it from falling out at the wrong time during a scramble, and if you’re even moderately limber you can reach them without having to remove the pack.  I don’t use it, but the Tilopa also has an internal padded laptop sleeve.  Kinda cool.

Some camera packs are built with little or no regard to weight.  Not so with the Tilopa.  Weighing in at a reasonable 4 1/2 pounds, including ICU, the Tilopa manages to hit that sweet spot where light weight and durablity co-exist nicely with full support and a comfortable carry.

Now you know what I love about the Tilopa.  Here’s what I’d change: As mentioned, the shoulder straps and hip belt could be a little beefier – especially the hip belt.  An integrated rainfly would be a nice touch, and there’s even a pocket at the bottom of the pack that would fit one perfectly.  A good friend who has the Tilopa says his back gets too hot and sweaty because there aren’t any air channels.  I don’t have an issue with it, though.  Finally, and this is being really nitpicky, but adding a built-in whistle to the sternum strap wouldn’t suck.  Hey, I get lost a lot and may need to whistle for help some time.

02/01 – Update from F-Stop Gear: The good folks at F-Stop read my review and sent me an email to say that all of my “dislikes” have been addressed on the curent model Tilopa BC and future models of the Tilopa.  There’s a sternum strap whistle, much beefier shoulder straps and hipbelt and a new, vented back panel.  Also, a rainfly is available for both models that fits perfectly into the pocket mentioned above, although I couldn’t find it listed on their website.  So, there you have it.  Sounds to me like the perfect photo backpack just got more perfect-er.

What Do I Carry in the Large ICU?

I don’t travel light.  As I see it, every time I go hiking I’m getting a killer workout.  Here’s the list: A 15mm fisheye lens, a 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, a 100-400mm lens with attached tripod collar, 2 Pocket Wizards, a 550EX flash and small soft box, extra batteries, 1 large GND filter and a few other small gadgets.  See the photo below to get an idea of the size and quantity of gear it will hold.

In Conclusion

The Tilopa is a rock solid, feature filled backpack that will work well for virtually all outdoor photographers.  It isn’t cheap ($295 for the shell and one ICU) but you’ll get several seasons of comfortable use before retiring it to the very back of your gear garage because you just can’t bear to part with it.

Here are a few photos of my Tilopa.  I’m including one that shows all of my gear in the large ICU inside the pack, one of the backside of the pack and one of the front, with my tripod in it’s usual carry position on the side of the pack.  You can see more and better photos of the Tilopa and it’s burlier brother, the Tilopa BC, on the F-Stop Gear website.

We all know that you can’t make photographs without a camera.  And, since I don’t carry my bulky DSLR everywhere I go, I miss quite a few amazing opportunities.  Enter the Canon S95.  I bought this little wonder camera on a whim while on a motorcycle trip last fall through Crested Butte and Aspen, CO.  I wanted something more powerful than the camera on my iPhone but that would still fit in a shirt pocket.  No matter how hard I try, my 5D MKII just doesn’t fit.  Maybe I need bigger pockets.

I had a few demands for the new camera.  As mentioned, size was a major priority.  Next up - I needed to be able to tell it where to focus, what aperture to use, whether I wanted the flash to fire and it had to let me dial in exposure compensation.  It also had to record in RAW format and though not a make or break factor, HD video was a nice touch.  If it had built in HDR, that wouldn’t suck.  Lo and behold, the S95 met every one of those requirements and more.  So, I adopted one at Best Buy.

What you are about to read is my completely non-technical review of the best point and shoot camera I’ve ever laid hands on.  I won’t dazzle you with resolution charts.  Rather, these are my impressions of the camera after more than 10 weeks of real use in the real outdoors where real nature photographers make real nature photographs.

What I Like

• The size is just about perfect.  It’s small enough that you’ve literally no excuse not to have it with you at all times.
• The user interface is simple, intuitive and customizable.  You can customize the function of the front ring, the direct print button (who the hell uses the stupid direct print button to directly print anything, any way?).  You can customize the on-screen menu, too.  Lots of options to make the camera work the way you want it to, not the way some engineer in a lab thinks you should want it to work.
• Phenomenal macro feature.  Closest focus is about 2″, which allows for some seriously creative macro work.
• Fast start up, not much shutter lag = fewer missed photographs.
• Coating on the camera body feels amazing in hand and provides just enough texture for a solid grip, even when hands are sweaty or really dry.
• RAW!  I love being able to record in RAW or RAW + JPEG on the S95.  The RAW file format allows me to squeak out every last little bit of information in post-processing.  But, I like having the ability to quickly switch to just a JPEG when I’m feeling snapshotty.  Best of both worlds here.
• I’m not much of a video guy but I like having the option to make relatively high resolution video snippets any time the mood strikes.
• Image files are surprisingly high in detail and low in noise when used at ISO 200 or below.  At ISO 400, while still very usable, the noise levels start to really creep up.
• Maximum aperture of f/2.0.  Nice!
• Nice, big LCD screen w/ 100% coverage.

What I Don’t Like

• The flash pops up from the top left hand side of the camera.  That’s fine, unless you hold the camera like I do, with your thumbs on the bottom and your index fingers across the top.  When I need to use flash, I’ve got to reposition my grip.  Not a major issue, but worth mentioning since we’re pointing out flaws.
• As stated in my “likes” the lens maximum aperture is f/2.0.  This is awesome.  What isn’t awesome is that you only get f/2.0 at the very widest focal lengths.  Nudge the zoom just a tiny bit and the aperture starts creeping up all too quickly to f/4.9 at the maximum focal length of 105mm.
• 28mm is nice.  24mm would be nicer.
• Slow frame rate.  Roughly 1 frame per second does not lend itself to adventure or wildlife photography.  I know, it’s a point & shoot for Pete’s sake.  Just sayin’.

The Verdict

Overall, I’d rate the Canon Powershot S95 as the best point and shoot camera I’ve used in 11 years as a photographer.  Plenty of manual control for true creative expression, great form factor and gorgeous image files.  If you don’t believe me, check out the small gallery of photos below, all of which were created handheld with my trusty S95.  If you’re in the market for a new go-everywhere camera, you’ll be very happy with this little camera.

Purchase the Canon Powershot S95 at B & H Photo.

John Shaw’s “Photoshop Field Guide” has been my bible for years.  So, when “John Shaw’s Digital Processing: A Personal Workflow Using Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4″ was released I purchased it right away at a reasonable cost of $25.  What follows are a few of my thoughts on what, at the time, was John’s latest e-book.  Note: he has since released “Using Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5″ ($15).  Both e-books may be purchased on his website, which earns you a PDF of whatever book you’ve chosen.

John clearly states on his website that neither of these titles are intended to be “how-to” books.  Rather, they are a rare glimpse inside the processing habits of a seasoned pro.  In fact, the highlight of the book for me were the examples where John discusses not only the step-by-step workflow used on each image, but his reasons for making each adjustment.  Truly invaluable material.

I’ve been using Lightroom since version 1 was released in 2007 (or maybe early 2008).  I’ve read and own a couple ”how-to” books, the best of which is Nat Coalson’s “Lightroom 3: Streamlining Your Digital Photography Process“.  It’s safe to say I’m no spring chicken when it comes to using Lightroom and Photoshop.  I mention this because I believe someone newer to working in the digital darkroom will find John’s e-book much more useful than I.

Having said that, here’s what I really like about John’s e-book:

• As usual, John doesn’t use technical jargon or geek speak.  His instruction is easy to understand and flows nicely.
• I’m glad he spent a few pages discussing the importance of devising a system for organizing your digital files early in your career.
• The short chapter on “Getting Started” touches on just about all of the most important aspects of configuring Lightroom for optimal performance.
• His thoughts on the initial edit of images after downloading them to your computer were helpful.
• Shortcuts!  Using shortcuts in Lightroom can dramatically increase the speed with which you are able to process images and John details the most used ones, even providing a handy cheat sheet.

What didn’t I like?  Really, it isn’t so much that I didn’t like certain things.  I just found that for me, as a fairly experienced user, some of the content was too basic.  By no means does that make this a bad investment.  If you are newer to using Lightroom and Photoshop, this may well be the best place to start.  If you’re an experienced user, you’ll benefit from the examples and possibly from one or two of the Photoshop tutorials on such topics as image blending or luminosity masking. 

The bottom line is this: you can’t write a fairly generic book and have it appeal to newbies and power users at the same time.  ”Digital Processing: A Personal Workflow Using Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4″ succeeds in keeping both sides happy about as well as can be expected.  Would I spend $25 on the book, if I had known then what I know now?  Yep.  Those examples I mentioned earlier are worth the price of admission alone.  Consider the rest of the content a nice bonus.

I haven’t yet purchased “Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5″ although I do plan to pick it up.  I’ll do a separate review on it at some point in the future.  If you’ve got either one, please take a moment to leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions on them.

Yes, this is a photography blog but it’s written by and for those whose photography is done outdoors in the mountains, canyons and deserts.  Since folks like us often spend time hiking to our photographic destinations I’ve decided to start including a few gear reviews of outdoor equipment I’m using as I explore the great outdoors.

I jumped on the softshell bandwagon back in 2002 or 2003, when Arc Teryx released their first softshell jacket.  I still own and use that jacket, which says a lot since I tend to go through gear at an alarming rate.  When most people think of softshells they think of heavier weight jackets and pants designed for cold weather.  That’s great, and they do work well in the cold, but for years I’ve wondered why no one had released a lightweight softshell pant for hiking in warmer climates.  Seemed like a no-brainer to me.  Finally, this year, I found just such a thing.

What I Like

The North Face Outbound Pant is constructed using a thin softshell material with a DWR (Durable Water Repellent) coating.  Unlike the old nylon fabric that most hiking pants are made of, these do not restrict movement at all thanks to four-way stretch.  Instead of binding and becoming uncomfortable they just stretch as you move, barely even reminding you that you’re maxing them out.  These pants are just flat out comfortable.

The DWR coating kept my legs dry in light rain, morning dew and when rock hopping cascading creeks.  I can’t say they’re waterproof but they have yet to absorb water.  It just beads up and rolls right off.  Nice!

The fabric is thin and doesn’t initially inspire confidence in it’s ability to withstand abuse.  After six weeks with the pants, hiking in slickrock desert and alpine mountain environments the pants still look new.  No holes, no loose threads – nothin’.  While six weeks certainly isn’t a long time I have worn my Outbound pants a lot during that time so I’m comfortable saying they’re built to last.

The North Face has included some nice touches, too.  There’s a small zipper pocket on the left thigh, vents at the knees and a built-in belt.  The fit is roomy without appearing gangsta rap baggy.  I really like that you can buy them in waist sizes instead of just “small, medium and large”, and that you can choose your inseam length.  Super handy when you’ve got disproportionately short legs like me.  The North Face Outbound pants are also available in a women’s cut and sizes and as shorts.

What I Don’t Like

At $80, they aren’t cheap but they aren’t the priciest, either.  My main complaint involves the built-in belt.  It seems to ride up over the waistband and dig into your skin after you’ve worn the pants for a while.  I notice it more toward the end of a long hike when I’m forced to cinch the belt down a bit tighter.  It’s a minor annoyance but an annoyance nonetheless.  Finally, I wish they were available in a color other than gray or khaki.  Yes, I am now being uber-picky.

Other manufacturers are now making thin softshell pants for hiking/scrambling/climbing.  I’ve seen some by Marmot and another pair by Arc Teryx.  Both are more expensive than the Outbound pant, although I suspect they are every bit as good.

Conclusion

The North Face Outbound pants totally rock.  They’re comfortable, durable, water repellent and well-featured at a reasonable price.  They are definitely worthy of my seal of approval.

A few weeks ago I was guiding a client whose tripod was one of those flimsy plastic drugstore kind that you can usually pick up for about $30 bucks.  I offered to loan her my extra tripod, an aluminum Manfrotto with an inexpensive but effective ballhead.  She graciously accepted.  At the end of our two days together she confessed that she was surprised how much easier it was to work with my tripod than her own.  Eagle eyed as she was, she noticed that my tripod wasn’t aluminum and that my ballhead differed from hers.  She asked about the differences and why mine cost so much more, and her query put my mind in motion.  Below you will find a somewhat more detailed version of my response to her.

First let me explain why you need a good tripod for nature photography.  Photographing during the “magic hour” usually results in slow shutter speeds and long-ish exposures.  Unless you’re built like a statue you probably aren’t going to create razor sharp images while handholding your camera during an exposure lasting several seconds.  Image stabilization is great but even this cool technology has limits.  Enter the lowly tripod to save the day. 

Tripods serve one purpose: they’re a secure platform upon which to mount our cameras.  Sure, I’ve used mine to hold a lantern, maintain my balance while crossing a creek and, when I was single, it was abstract art in the living room.  But really, we buy tripods because we crave images that are crisp and sharp.  We also look really cool carrying them over our shoulder when silhouetted against a setting sun.  In theory, any tripod will serve this purpose.  In reality, those weak little tripods with plastic heads and one of those awkward cranks for moving the center column up and down just aren’t that stable.  Nor are they very durable.  I’ve had several clients break these tripods during a guided excursion.  A broken tripod serves no purpose but to frustrate the crap out of you.  It pays to spend a little extra cash and get a whole lot more stability and durability.  Here are some suggested options to start you down the right path in your quest for the perfect tripod.

For around $150 you can get a rock solid aluminum tripod like the Manfrotto 190XPROB.  Add a ballhead with quick release plate like the Manfrotto 494 Mini Ballhead for about $70 and you’ve got a stable, very workable tripod solution for under $225 weighing in at around 5 pounds.  Not too shabby!

Let’s say you’re of average height and need a taller tripod than the Manfrotto 190XPROB, which maxes out at 57.5″ with the center column fully extended.  The Manfrotto 055XPROB offers a maximum height of 70″.  Combine that with the more burly Giottos MH-1302 ballhead, which is capable of supporting up to 18 pounds, and you’re ready for almost anything.  This system will set you back about $300 and weighs in at nearly 6 pounds.

If you don’t often hike long distances with your gear or regularly operate in wet or dusty environments either of the aforementioned solutions should suit you well.  However, if you spend long hours on the trail or you’re like me and are downright abusive to your gear, an upgrade might be in order.

The Gitzo GT2531 Mountaineer carbon fiber tripod weighs in at a scant 3 pounds but extends to almost 64″ in height.  Slap on the Acratech Ultimate Ballhead, which weighs just 12 ounces but supports up to 25 pounds, for a go-anywhere in any conditions tripod package.  Total cost: about $950.  Yikes!  That’s a new lens, right?

What do you gain by spending an additional $650?  Really, it’s not so much a matter of what you gain.  It’s about what you lose – weight.  Generally speaking, the more money you spend the more weight you shave.  For $950 you get a complete package that weighs less than 4 pounds and will withstand some serious torture.  A similar set-up for $300 adds 2 pounds.  If you’ve a strong back and legs it may not be worth it to you to spend that extra $650 on the Gitzo/Acratech combo.

Yes, there are additional differences.  Carbon fiber doesn’t transfer cold to your hands as much aluminum.  The Acratech ballhead will never need to be cleaned and will never fail on you.  The Giottos ballhead; not so much.  The Manfrotto tripods allow you to place the center column horizontally for strange angle photography while the Gitzo does not.  Manfrotto utilizes leg clamps, which many consider easier to operate than the twist-lock legs on Gitzo tripods.  The downside: they’re bulkier and may not fit as nicely in your backpack.

In the end, any of these tripod/ballhead combinations will work for most nature photographers.  Consider too that these are but a tiny sampling of the options available to you.  Is one better than the other?  I guess that depends on how much cash you’re willing to shell out to lose a little weight.

What tripod/ballhead system do you use and why?  What issues have you encountered in the field with certain products?  Leave a comment so we can all benefit from your experience!