Think Tank has expanded its Retrospective photography bag lineup with leather versions of its bags – the Retrospective Leather 5, Leather 7, and Leather 30. The company describes these as ‘upscale, rugged shoulder bags’ with a new Dual Cross buckle on the front flap, Sound Silencers that eliminate front flap noise, YKK zippers, removable padded dividers, and a removable carrying handle. Read more
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We’ve condensed everything you need to know about the Sony RX100 IV into less than the length of a pop record. Having shot, tested and lived with the little Sony for more than a month, we’ve summed up the findings of our review in video form. Is it worth the extra cash over the Mark III? Come join us in sunny Seattle as we look at the pros and cons of Sony’s capable but pricey super-compact. Read more
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Finding the perfect camera bag is a challenge in today’s world where every bag style is possible. From messenger bags to belt packs to purses, there are many different camera bags out there to tickle your fancy. While the trend recently may be minimalist and compact, I’d like you to consider for a moment the exact opposite – a large, yet highly versatile, camera backpack known as the Think Tank Shape Shifter.
In general, many bags suffer from giving off the feeling and appearance of too much bulk, while at the same time not having nearly enough space for all of one’s camera gear. The Think Tank Shape Shifter is ingenious in that it is designed specifically to go from thin and skinny, to large and expansive, whenever you need it to. Top that flexibility off with fantastic padding and back support, as well as lots of pockets to hold all sorts of gear, and you have what I deem to be the perfect camera bag.
The Shape Shifter’s key feature is its flexibility in sizing, thanks to its rather simple zipper system. Similar to how luggage works, you simply unzip a section of the bag when you need it to expand, or zip it up to minimize the size. At its most compressed, the Shape Shifter measures 3 inches in diameter, and 7 inches at its maximum expansion.
As you can expect from all Think Tank bags, the Shape Shifter is built tough, despite having a minimalist profile. Featuring a black water-resistant exterior fabric, it also comes with a seam-sealed removable rain cover, just in case of a sudden downpour. The straps and back padding are made of 3D air mesh with a breathable air flow system, making the bag extremely comfortable to wear for long periods of time. There are also strong waist and chest straps to help equally distribute the bag’s weight across your upper body. The ergonomic value here is especially high, since backpacks already do a better job of equalizing the weight of heavy gear, as opposed to a one-sided messenger bag.
There are several main pockets in the Shape Shifter including a compartment for a laptop, up to 17″, and a huge compartment full of stretchable neoprene pouches for holding lenses and camera bodies. Alternatively, you could also stuff about four size small t-shirts in the pouches if you wanted to use the bag as a makeshift suitcase. There are also smaller zippered pockets on the bag’s exterior, where smaller items such as batteries and memory cards can be stored. Larger items such as tripods and lighting stands can also be strapped to the backpack if needed, using two sturdy straps that come with the bag.
I took the Shape Shifter on a trial run while photographing the USGA U.S. Open at Chambers Bay recently. Needing to take along a majority of my photography equipment, I managed to fit all of the following into the backpack:
The resulting bag was admittedly pretty heavy, but the comfortable back padding and straps made the bag much easier to carry despite the added weight.
One of the biggest challenges that the Shape Shifter has is in its ability to carry your whole photo studio. You can indeed do just that, but the bag gets extremely heavy, and some gear is difficult to reach without stopping to unzip and lay out the entire bag. Additionally, the structure of the bag makes it hard to carry preassembled cameras (lens attached) in it, meaning it is meant to have the lens and bodies in separate pouches rather than attached as one unit. The best way around this is to simply wear your cameras while shooting, and keep items you don’t need regular access to in the Shape Shifter.
Alternatively, you could also convert the Shape Shifter into a more functional daypack or suitcase, since its pockets and design don’t restrict it from being used as solely a camera bag. Say you’re travelling by air and trying to meet the two bag carry-on limit. You could put the majority of your camera gear that you need to be readily accessible in a smaller bag such as the Think Tank ChangeUp, and use the Shape Shifter to carry your overnight travel items and excess gear. Again, the big benefit of the Shape Shifter is its ability to shrink or enlarge depending on your needs.
Have you tried out the Think Tank Shape Shifter? Did it meet your expectations? Let me know in the comments below!
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Packing and carrying equipment for travel adventures is always a challenge. With increasing airline restrictions and not being willing to check your gear, you need to find the best possible alternative for your needs. Like most of my peers, I covet several bags. Usually when going abroad I take a bag with all the equipment and a smaller, second bag for everyday outings once on location. As I tend to travel lighter and lighter every day, I was on the lookout for a bag that could serve dual purposes for my recent Italy trip. I wanted a bag that could carry my two Fuji X bodies, some lenses, a filter kit, and my iPad. The other important consideration was that the bag needed to be easy to access and work from.
Think Tank Photo Sub Urban Disguise 30 – Image Courtesy of Think Tank Photo
After much looking around, I settled on the Think Tank Sub Urban Disguise 30. As you may know, Think Tank products are legendary and they carry their well-known “non-rhetoric warranty.” This bag is one from their compact series, designed for small kits. There are four different models and the 30 is the biggest of them all, the one that features a separated iPad compartment.
The bag is constructed of high-quality ballistic polyester, treated for water resistance. It features YKK® zippers, stretch pockets on the sides, two-ply bonded nylon thread, and a removable shoulder strap. The interior comes with removable dividers and a rain cover that fits in the main outside pocket.
Besides the main compartment, the Sub Urban Disguise 30 has multiple pockets. There is a front organizer pocket on the front flap that can accommodate personal items. Under the main flap, there is a large pocket that is roomy enough to store bigger accessories, like battery chargers, cables, or perhaps a travel book. There is also a mesh pocket inside the main flap for smaller accessories. The exterior stretch side pockets can fit a bottle of water or a flash.
Think Tank Photo Sub Urban Disguise 30 Details – Images Courtesy of Think Tank Photo
The bag dimensions are:
According to Think Tank, this bag can fit a standard-size DSRL, two to four zoom lenses, a regular iPad, and a 70-200 f/2.8 lens unattached. As I am shooting mirrorless, my use was a little different, and I was able to fit two Fujifilm X-T1 bodies with lenses attached, three separate lenses, a full-size filter kit, the iPad, and accessories, and I had room to spare.
My kit bottom layer contains Fujinon XF 55-200 mm f/3.5-4.8, Fujinon XF 23mm f/1.4 and Rokinon 8mm f/2.8 fisheye for Fuji X mount.
My kit upper layer contains Fujifilm X-T1 body with Fujinon XF 10-24mm f4.0 lens attached, Fujifilm X-T1 body with Fujinon XF 16-55 f/2.8 attached and on there is a complete Lee Filter kit with 3 ND grads and 2 NDs. (Photo taken with iPhone)
As you can see, I loaded mine by layering the interior in two tiers. I placed lenses on the bottom of the bag, which I separated from the top with the provided dividers, and then placed both camera bodies on top for easy access. On the side I had the filter kit. As explained above, one of the things that I was looking for was to have easy access to the gear, and this way I had both bodies with the most used lenses within very easy access. The bag is very comfortable to wear as the shoulder strap is solid but very well padded.
One of the best things about this bag is the way it opens. There is a flip-top lid that folds away from your body, and that really helps you to reach the camera fast. This top lid is zippered and totally separated from the main Velcro exterior flap that accesses the bigger pocket. In the end, the bag was everything that I expected, so I will continue to use it on future trips, especially the ones around cities with lots of walking, and where I need quick access to the cameras, to take a shot and put it away again.
Obviously, how much you can fit in the bag will depend on the type of configuration you use and how you divide the bag internally, but if you want something relatively light for urban walks or travel, this is really a very good option. If you don’t need to carry a tablet, you can also consider this bag’s smaller siblings with three more models to choose from. There is probably one that will suit you well. The price for this bag starts at $ 49.75 and this particular model is $ 84.75, a price that I believe is more than reasonable for all these features and quality.
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Think Tank Photo has launched two new bags, the Trifecta 10 DSLR Backpack and Trifecta 8 Mirrorless Backpack. Both backpacks are designed to hold a photographer’s ‘workhorse’ lenses, including ultra-wide, mid-range, and telephoto zoom lenses. As the names indicate, the bags are designed to accommodate DSLR and mirrorless systems. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Bag and accessory manufacturer Think Tank has announced that it will introduce a new range of shoulder bags and a backpack for compact system camera users in April this year. Dubbed the ‘Urban Approach’ range the bags are said to be ‘low profile’ to allow the photographer to carry equipment without standing out, and will be finished in low-contrast matte black. Click through for details
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Camera bag manufacturer Think Tank Photo has announced a backpack designed specifically for photographers using Phantom Quadcopters paired with GoPro cameras. The Airport Helipak is said to accommodate DJI Phantom 2, Phantom 2 Vision or similar quadcopters with their accessories, along with a 15-inch laptop, small cameras such as GoPros, and personal effects. Read more
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A great quote from Sebastian Marshall:
I don’t differentiate between work and play. I think my time is spent in either excellent, good, okay, or bad fashion. If too much of my time is just “okay” or “bad” – I’m doing something wrong
I think most freelance photographers, painters, writer, and pretty much anyone in a non-“standard” 9-5 job can relate. Kinda reframes the whole “wasting time” thing – instead of trying to stop wasting time, just aim to increase the amount of time spent in excellent fashion!
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USA bag brand Think Tank Photo has launched a collection of daypacks and a new holster designed specifically for mirrorless camera systems. There will be three new bags in the Perception series of small backpacks, and will be available in sizes that range from the Perception Tablet that is suitable for a body, lenses and a mini tablet, to the Perception Pro which holds a tablet, a 15-inch laptop and a large mirrorless body with a collection of lenses. Read more
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The way you frame a photo is an important part of the composition. There are several key decisions to make when composing your photos:
The best way to learn about this is to look at several photos and explain how these principles apply. Let’s look at how they all apply:
I took this photo of a local singer in Wellington’s Botanical Gardens. I knew what I wanted to include in the composition: the singer herself (she is the main subject of the photo and should take front stage in the composition) plus a hint of the background.
I achieved this by using a short telephoto lens (85mm on a full-frame camera). Telephotos are lenses of exclusion – their narrow field-of-view means they don’t include as much of the background as wide-angle lenses do.
I was also able to blur the background by using an aperture of f/2.8. This is another form of exclusion. While the leafy trees in the background are still recognizable, they don’t pull the eye as much they would if they were in sharp focus. This helps direct attention to the singer.
I placed her centrally in the frame. Central compositions work well when the subject is quite prominent in the frame. There is only focal point, the person in the portrait, so she doesn’t have to be on a third (following the Rule of Thirds).
Of course, this is subjective, and I know some people will disagree, so I’m going to provide a second version of this photo, cropped so the singer is on a third. It’s an important point because in an ideal world we will frame our photos perfectly when we take them, there are always times when a crop in post-production may improve the composition. Here are the two versions side-by-side.
Which do you prefer? For me, I feel the original version has a better balance between the singer and the background.
The cropped version includes less of the background, however, the singer is larger in the frame, which will make it more attractive to some people.
There is no right or wrong here, like many aspects of composition it is completely subjective. But isn’t it interesting how a relatively small change in composition (a different crop) can make such a big difference to the same photo?
In the first example I minimized the amount of background in the photo, but in this one I included a lot more. The environment is an important part of the portrait. It was a cold, cloudy, wintery afternoon. I included the houses and hill in the background to emphasize the bleakness of the weather and the location.
The idea is for the viewer’s eye is to move between the girl in the foreground (the main subject of the portrait) to the houses and the hill in the background, taking in the detail along the way.
To achieve this I used a wide-angle lens (24mm on a full-frame camera). I was standing quite close to my model, yet this lens still included a large amount of the background. I used an aperture of f/2.8 to make the background slightly out of focus.
The placement of the model is an important part of the composition. If you have used a wide-angle lens you will know that a slight change in viewpoint makes a dramatic different to the composition. I made sure I held the camera high enough so that the model’s head was lower than the houses. If I crop the photo you can see that the only thing behind the model is the beach.
I took care to prevent the model and the houses overlapping because they are separate elements of the photo. The composition is stronger if they are separated.
I took this photo at a Chinese Lantern Festival in Auckland. There were hundreds of elaborate Chinese lanterns on display, and they made wonderful subjects.
I like to take the simple approach to photography and for this shoot I used just one camera and one lens, an 85mm short telephoto. My aim was to focus on the subject and practice using wide apertures to throw the lights in the background out of focus. This is one of my favourite photos from the evening.
I framed the image in such a way that the face of the lantern man was clearly the main focal point of the image and the lanterns in the background were out of focus. The question was just how much of the lantern should I include? The full lantern shows a Chinese man holding a bird cage. Including too much may weaken the composition. Getting too close risks cropping too tightly.
The solution, which is easy to apply with a static subject like this, is to take a variety of photos. Take some time and explore it from different angles, moving closer or farther away to change the subject’s size in the frame. Then you have the luxury of deciding which composition works best when you get back home.
The more photos you take, the more possibilities you see. It’s as if the act of taking photos warms up the part of your mind that works visually. It helps you see different and more effective ways of composing the image. It is normal to find that the last images you took are some of the best in the sequence. You end up with stronger photos than if you had taken just one or two then moved on.
Here are some of the other photos I took of the same lantern as I worked the subject.
Now it’s your turn. How do you use framing in your photos, and decide what to include or exclude from the frame? Let us know in the comments and feel free to add photos to illustrate your point.
Mastering Photography
My latest ebook, Mastering Photography: A Beginner’s Guide to Using Digital Cameras introduces you to digital photography and helps you make the most out of your digital cameras. It covers concepts such as lighting and composition as well as the camera settings you need to master to take photos like the ones in this article.
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