RSS
 

Posts Tagged ‘Insert’

Not your ordinary camera bag: Rhake waterproof pack with Camera Capsule insert review

26 May

The Rhake Weatherproof Bag + Camera Capsule
$ 365 (bag) + $ 130 (insert) | MissionWorkshop.com

The Rhake pack has a roll top giving it a decent degree of expansion.

The Rhake waterproof backpack by Mission Workshops doesn’t look like an ordinary camera bag – instead it looks a lot more like a high quality bike messenger pack or something you might take on a weekend trip when packing light. And that’s the point. The bag’s 22L main compartment is designed to be multi-functional. Once you slide the Capsule Camera insert ($ 130) into the Rhake you have a camera bag with a utilitarian design, albeit with a very high price tag.

The Capsule Camera insert that slides into the Rhake pack.

Though this pack is not designed specifically with photographers in mind, I was intrigued to find out just how functional it could be.

Specifications

  • Exterior: 21 x 13 x 5 in / 53 x 33 x 13cm
  • Interior Volume: 22L
  • Capsule Insert: 9.75 x 17.75 x 4.25in / 25 x 45 x 11cm
  • Laptop Compartment: Dedicated 17in Exterior Pocket
  • Weight: 3.1lbs / 1.4kg

Design & construction

The first thing I noticed about the Rhake was the high quality construction – Mission Design guarantees their products for life – which makes me believe that this thing was built to last. The bag is made of weatherproof nylon fabric called HT500 that is apparently exclusive to the company. It gives the pack an understated look and a good degree of water and stain resistance.

The Rhake pack’s laptop compartment can fit up to a 17″ computer. The pack also has a dedicated tablet compartment.

The second thing I noticed about this bag was the amount of organizational pockets. There are technically two zippered compartments that are large enough to fit a laptop (a dedicated exterior pocket, shown above left, and a second one within the 22L main compartment). On the back of the bag, opposite the exterior laptop pocket, there is a mesh water bottle pocket that tucks away when not in use.

There are numerous options for organization within this bag to suit your tastes

The front of the Rhake features a dedicated 10” tablet pocket and two accessory pouches (one at the top of the bag and one at the bottom) for stashing chargers, spare batteries or other items that need to be accessed quickly.

There are two zippered front pockets with plenty of room to organize smaller odds and ends. There are also two accessory pouches, one at the top (accessible via the roll top) – and one at the bottom (accessible via zipper).

There are also two larger zippered front pockets, one of which is filled with three smaller interior zippered mesh pockets. In short, there are numerous options for organization within this bag to suit your tastes.

The straps are well-padded and a horizontal strap offers added stability.

The back of the Rhake is made of perforated foam and there is a luggage handle pass-through for use with roller bags. The straps have a nice amount of padding and feature an additional horizontal buckled strap.

The camera insert can be accessed from the top of the bag. A look inside the Rhake pack once the camera insert has been removed.

The Camera Capsule insert is accessed from the top of the Rhake pack. The inside can be customized to your taste using the padded partitions. There’s also a back pocket in the insert where you can slide in an 11″ laptop or tablet.

A close-up look inside the Camera Capsule insert. I was able to fit two bodies, several lenses and a flash.

In the field

All of my photographer friends who saw the Rhake in action immediately complimented the style of this bag. It looks good, and it can comfortably hold a large amount of gear. I loved the many organizational pockets and those tiny mesh interiors were a great place for all of my miscellaneous items that I end up with at a shoot.

Once it’s packed, the front is snapped together and the top rolled shut, the Rhake pack is a surprisingly compact gear bag with the ability to expand to hold a large amount of equipment.

Its compact silhouette made it a good for riding the subway (even during rush hour) and hauling it around didn’t make me feel like I was in danger of destroying a shoulder.

There’s no way to access most of the gear stored within the Camera Capsule insert unless you completely remove it from the bag

Unfortunately, there is one glaring design flaw with the Rhake: there’s no way to access most of the gear stored within the Camera Capsule insert unless you completely remove it from the bag. For some photographers, this might seem like a minor oversight; after all the Rhake is a multi-functional bag, but I found this design element to be really inconvenient. It was easy enough to access my main camera body through the top zipper, but if I wanted to switch lenses I needed to totally unpack the 22L compartment – which is kind of a pain when working in the cramped quarters of a dark music venue.

When the bag is fully packed it also takes a little bit of elbow grease to remove the Camera Capsule from the main compartment. I imagine that with more use the bag’s structure will become less tight, but on the shoots I took the Rhake to I found myself having to spend a few extra moments safely removing the capsule from the bag. The Camera Capsule essentially fills the 22L compartment, making it difficult to stash anything else in there (a jacket, supplies for an overnight trip, etc.). I’d be curious to see how the Rhake would function with smaller camera inserts like the Topo Camera Cubes.

What’s the bottom line?

The Rhake’s construction is high quality, the design is aesthetically pleasing and it can hold a good deal of gear without looking bulky, making it great for everyday use. But the bag is pricey and the multi-functionality aspects make certain elements of the design inconvenient for photographers. Ultimately, if you’re looking for a dedicated camera bag, there are other more cost-friendly and functional options out there. However, if you want a pack that can pull double duty as a bike bag or a weekend travel pack, the Rhake might be for you.

What We Like:

  • Utilitarian design
  • Durable construction
  • Slim profile
  • Ample organizational pockets
  • Holds a lot of equipment
  • Multi-functional bag, could be used as a camera bag or for something else

What We Don’t Like:

  • High price tag
  • Inability to access lenses in Camera Capsule without unpacking

Rating:

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Not your ordinary camera bag: Rhake waterproof pack with Camera Capsule insert review

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Video: Astronaut forgets to insert SD card into GoPro before spacewalk

22 May

An unnamed NASA astronaut stationed on the International Space Station recently ran into an issue during a spacewalk: he forgot to check whether his GoPro camera had an SD card installed before embarking on a spacewalk. We’ve all been there, right?

The astronaut, who may have been Andrew Feustel, was featured in a spacewalk livestream on NASA’s Twitch account last Wednesday. During the livestream, viewers were treated to a brief conversation that started with the astronaut asking, “Hey, Houston, I gotta ask a question about the GoPro real quick.” The astronaut explains that he sees a “No SD” warning on the GoPro’s display when pushing a button.

“Do I need that to record?” he asks, referring to the SD card. “And if it’s recording, is there supposed to be a red light on?”

After a long moment of silence, Houston clarifies that the red light should appear while recording if the SD card is inserted, and that the “No SD” message likely meant the camera didn’t have a media card installed. The astronaut ultimately abandoned his plans to use the camera during the spacewalk.

Clarification about the SD card’s whereabouts was not provided, but if we had to guess, it’s probably floating (in this case literally) around in the bottom of Feustel’s camera bag alongside a half-eaten protein bar and a few extra lens cleaning cloths.

Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
Comments Off on Video: Astronaut forgets to insert SD card into GoPro before spacewalk

Posted in Uncategorized

 

Review of the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

22 Jan

Is the perfect camera bag still eluding you? If so, Tenba has a great DIY option worth checking out. Dubbed the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert, it invites you to actually Bring Your Own Bag while still protecting your camera gear. Here’s more about what fits in the insert, plus pros and cons about using it as your new camera bag.

Review of the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

What is it?

The Tenba BYOB Camera Insert is a padded shell meant to carry and protect camera gear while being carried inside another non-camera bag. It consists of a soft yet durable outer shell that easily molds to fit the shape of other bags, such as suitcases, handbags, and backpacks. Unzip the insert and you’ll find padded interior dividers that can easily be configured to hold gear of all shapes and sizes.

On the outside, there’s a handle for carrying the insert as-is if desired. Or you can purchase the BYOB Packlite Bundle, which includes a BYOB Camera Insert and an easily storable Packlite bag. The optional bag is rather thin, yet very durable and easily expands to hold the Camera Insert, or compresses to a size that will fit in your pocket.

There’s a range of sizes available for the BYOB Camera Insert, with the smallest being the BYOB 7 (best for inserting into a purse or handbag). The largest is the BYOB 13, which is big enough to hold a DSLR with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens attached, plus 2-3 additional lenses. In this case, I’m testing out the BYOB 10 with the Packlite bag included.

Review of the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

The Good

Solid Build

Even though Tenba doesn’t really refer to the BYOB Camera Insert as a camera bag, it really can function as one. This insert is very well built and feels very solid and durable. Pockets line the exterior of this bag, with two flexible mesh accessory pockets on the ends. There’s even a solid top handle to help with removing the Camera Insert from another bag or to carry the Camera Insert on its own.

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Lots of Space

I used the BYOB 10, which was advertised to carry a “DSLR or Mirrorless Camera with 2-4 lenses.” At first glance, it looked like a large DSLR, such as my Canon 5D Mark III, would be a challenge since the BYOB appears very slim and narrow. It turns out that the BYOB has quite a bit of depth, allowing it to carry its suggested load, and then some. I appreciated the inclusion of flexible padded dividers that made it easy to pad stacked lenses to take full advantage of available space.

With the Tenba BYOB 10, I was able to pack the following camera kits. In the case of the Canon kits, it was definitely a tight fit, but the zipper did close all the way in both cases. For the Sony kit, I still had room to spare.

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Canon Kit #1 (tight fit)

  • Canon 6D (with camera body cap, no lens attached)
  • Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
  • Canon 70-200mm f/2.8

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Canon Kit #2 (tight fit)

  • Canon 5D Mark III (with camera body cap, no lens attached)
  • Canon 24-70mm f/2.8
  • Canon 16-35mm f/2.8
  • Canon 580 EXII Speedlight

Sony Kit (with room to spare)

  • Sony a6300 with 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 attached
  • Sony 24-240mm f/3.5-6.3
  • Sony 20mm f/2.8
  • Rokinon 12mm f/2
  • Small bag of spare batteries

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Truly Flexible Bag Options

The Tenba BYOB is efficient at packing and protecting your gear while also maintaining a slim profile. This makes the camera insert truly flexible, as it snugly fits into a wide variety of bags. I appreciated this for several reasons.

First, it was nice to not be restricted to having to carry a typical camera bag. I could literally choose ANY large bag I had and convert it into a camera bag. This is especially handy if you want to fly under the radar with a bag that is not so obviously a camera bag.

Second, the BYOB addresses the constant problem of being limited by the amount of baggage you can typically take with you when traveling. Usually, the two-bag carry-on restriction for airline travel means that at least one bag needs to be your camera bag. With the BYOB Camera Insert, you can easily turn your dedicated camera bag into a more multi-purpose bag that can hold additional items.

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

What the BYOB 10 Fits into

The list of what bags you can stuff the BYOB Camera Insert into will vary based on the specific size of your bag. During my tests, I was able to stick my BYOB 10 into the following bags, each with room to spare:

  • ThinkTank Airport Takeoff Rolling Camera Bag
  • InCase DSLR Pro Pack
  • Clark and Mayfield Stafford Leather Laptop Tote Bag
  • A medium-sized women’s handbag
  • A Poler drawstring backpack

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

What Could Be Improved

All in all, the BYOB Camera Insert is a very simple concept that is executed well. Thus, it’s hard to find too many points for improvement.

The one thing I’d say is that the optional Packlite bag could use some improvements in terms of aesthetics. It is made of a thin water-resistant fabric that packs down to an incredibly small size, but at the cost of the bag appearing very wrinkled when unfolded. As a result, this Packlite bag is great to use if you really need it, but it won’t earn you many compliments.

Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Over to You

What do you think of Tenba’s BYOB concept? Would you try it out for yourself, or do you have another camera bag that you’re dedicated to? Let us know in the comments below.

The post Review of the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert by Suzi Pratt appeared first on Digital Photography School.


Digital Photography School

 
Comments Off on Review of the Tenba BYOB Camera Insert

Posted in Photography

 

Microsoft Word 2010 – Allow the Insert Key to Overwrite Existing Text

25 May

Overwrite existing text in Word 2010 documents simply by pressing the Insert key.

Normally when you type inside pre-existing text in a Microsoft Word 2010 document, your new text pushes existing text to the right. This “insert” mode is the default and lets you easily add text to pre-existing paragraphs.

In some cases, however, you may want your text to overwrite what is already in the document. Perhaps you have written a word and transposed a couple of characters. You could carefully highlight the offending characters and then type the correct order. Or, move your cursor to the right of the offending characters, press Backspace twice, then type the correct characters. However, with an “overwrite” or “overtype” mode you can move your cursor directly on top of the first offending character, press the Insert key, and then start typing – your new characters will overwrite the existing text….

Read more at MalekTips.
New Computer and Technology Help and Tips – MalekTips.Com

 
Comments Off on Microsoft Word 2010 – Allow the Insert Key to Overwrite Existing Text

Posted in Technology