Frederik Bøving – Page 13

Review: Viltrox AF 33mm f/1.4 APS-C lens for the Nikon Z-mount

Viltrox is a Shenzhen based company in the People’s Republic of China. They have produced lenses since 2019. The company was founded back in 2009 and also does many other photography related products like adapters, lights and monitors.

Despite its young age in the lens line of business, Viltrox produces APS-C lenses for both Sony, Canon and Fujifilm. The lens in review here is the Viltrox 33 mm 1.4 prime for the Nikon Z mount. The Z mount is used by Nikon in their mirrorless series of camera bodies (say Z50 or Z6ii), and hence this lens cannot be used with Nikon DSLRs that use the older F-mount.

Introduction to this lens

You can get a 23mm and a 56mm lens for the Z-mount as well, but I chose to take a closer look at the 33 mm. You can read more about the alternatives here.

Viltrox kindly sent me a copy for review.

The Viltrox lens mounted on the Nikon Z50 camera body

You probably already know that due to the crop factor, a 33mm APS-C lens is a 33×1.5=49.4 mm full frame equivalent. In other words, it is a nifty fifty 50mm, one of the most versatile general purpose focal lengths. Primes are more simple constructions than zooms, and hence often both cheaper, lighter and sharper than zooms, but I will stay clear of the pros and cons of primes vs zooms in this review and just assume that you are in the market for a 50 mm FF equivalent APS-C prime lens for the Nikon Z-mount.

You can use this lens on a full frame body like the Nikon Z6, but as it is intended for APS-C, you will either only use a fraction of the sensor of the FF camera (DX crop) or you will experience heavy vignetting where the corners are very dark. So in this review I have only tested the Viltrox lens on my Nikon Z50 – a little APS-C camera that I use a lot.

First look

The first thing I noticed was the weight of the package with the lens – around 300 grams! That may not sound like much, but relative to other APS-C lenses it is quite some! I like heavy lenses as it signals lots of glass and metal, and this lens is exactly like that – all metal and glass; even the lens hood is made of metal – no plastic here! Wonderful!

The aperture ring is here set to "A" and that means the aperture is controlled from the camera. As soon as you turn the ring, the lens takes over the aperture control. — The aperture ring is here set to “A” and that means the aperture is controlled from the camera. As soon as you turn the ring, the lens takes over the aperture control.

The solid build quality continues with the manual focus ring which is wide and easy to grip, and dampened just enough to give a bit of resistance without making the ring difficult to turn.

You can select the aperture on the lens by turning a click less ring close to the camera. If you turn it all the way to the right, so the mark is aligned with the red A, the lens allows you to select the aperture on the front command dial as you are used to, but as soon as you start turning the ring, the lens takes over control. I find that this works really well, and many Fuji shooters will love this feature. It will take me some time to get used to the lack of clicks on the ring.

The lens has a 52mm filter thread and there are no external parts that move due to the Internal focusing mechanism, making the use of filters easy. For the price point around 280 USD I did not expect to find autofocus (AF), but my expectations were surpassed, and the AF is both fast and silent.

Demanding videographers with microphones close to the camera may pick up a bit of noise from the motor, but the rest of us will be very happy with both the speed and the silence of the AF system in this lens. Perhaps needless to say, the lens comes with no stabilization – not that I would find it necessary in a lens this fast.

You can see the aperture blades at the center of the lens - here closed down. — You can see the aperture blades at the center of the lens – here closed down.

On the rear of the lens I found no rubber gaskets to give weather sealing and instead I found a little USB-C connector for future software updates. It is of course super useful when Viltrox is to push out new versions of the lens software either as improvements or to keep up with whatever changes Nikon may do. But it does certainly not give the impression of a lens that will withstand heavy rain or the elements on a stormy day at the beach. So I will not grab this lens for heavy weather conditions, unless wrapped in a plastic bag or similar to give protection from the elements. In all fairness, the Nikon Z50 is not weather sealed either, but I just think it would have been nice if Viltrox had gone to some length to protect the interface between the lens and camera from dust and moisture.

Use

The lens clicks onto the Nikon Z50 body like any other Nikon Z-mount lens. And from there on it just works. The AF is fast and silent and works in tandem with the Nikon camera body and I cannot tell the difference between a Nikon lens and a Viltrox lens in this regard.

The manual focus ring is big and wide and easy to use – I like the way it is dampened a bit but not too much and the focus peaking highlights makes manual override a pleasure. The only thing to get used to is the lack of clicks on the aperture ring, but I simply put the lens in mode “A” and control the aperture from the camera body.

This is a lens you will get used to in a matter of minutes.

Sharpness

Without bothering you with the more technical testing presented in a MTF chart, I can reveal that the sharpness of this lens is quite impressive, especially center sharpness. As with any lens that opens up as wide as f/1.4, you would expect some softness wide open and the lens to get sharper when stopping down.

But this lens has impressive center sharpness also when fully open, whereas the corner sharpness leaves something to be desired. As soon as you stop down, then also the corners become very sharp.

Bokeh

There are 9 slightly rounded aperture blades. I prefer straight blades as I like sunstars when shooting stopped down into the sun, but on the other hand the rounded blades help produce rounded bokeh, so I guess you can’t have both. Aperture ranges from super fast f/1.4 down to f/16.

Focusing at the lights in the foreground and shooting fully open at f/1.4, the fireplace in the background is rendered out of focus beautifully.

With a lens this fast, I guess that many want to use it for rendering beautiful blurred backgrounds. I find the bokeh absolutely beautiful and the 9 rounded blades certainly deliver according to my expectation. I know that bokeh experts will look for both cat’s eyes and onion rings, but I am not that advanced or demanding, and I simply find that the bokeh this lens produces when wide open is all I need.

Chromatic aberration

We all have different preferences and different things that are important to us. And when it comes to CA, I am one of the more demanding photographers. The reason being that I often shoot into the sun or in high contrast situations, and fixing CA in post processing is simply a nuisance. And on top of that, LR often does not remove the CA and I have to use an eyedropper tool and manual setting to get an acceptable result.

Unfortunately this lens suffers from CA and it is quite significant. The CA shows both as coloring of the letters when doing the classic “book” shot and also as clear lines of coloring when I do my party trick number one: shooting curly tinfoil in stark light. I know it is a brutal test, but my use of lenses when it comes to contrast is also brutal.

Minimum focus distance

The minimum focus distance for this lens is around 40cm according to the spec sheet, although I managed to get down to around 38cm in my own testing, measuring from the position of the sensor to the subject matter.

The little shell on a big stone. Would be nice to move closer to the subject in this case

I managed to focus around 38cms as the closest minimum focus distance.

If you, like me, like to fill the frame with your subject, then a minimum focus distance of 38-40 cm is a lot, and you will find it annoying that you cannot get closer to the subject. In the picture with the little shell on the big black stone, you can see an example where it would have been nice to move closer to the subject. I had hoped for more, but if you shoot landscapes or portraits entirely, then the minimum focus distance may not be important to you at all.

Color rendition

I am very cautious when it comes to an assessment of color rendition, simply because it is super subjective and subject very much to personal preference and what color cast you are used to. If you have ever tried working with post processing of an image where you e.g. change the color temperature a lot, then take a 10 minute break and go for a cup of coffee and then come back to study your own work, only to find that the color rendition has been tweaked so badly that you immediately think “why did I not see this – it looks horrible?”. But the answer is that you slowly got used to it as you worked with the picture.

Beautiful sunset with the silhouette of a boat.

Long story short, then I think you will like the color rendition of this lens. I will give you some links to Flick towards the end of the review, so you can see some landscape images. The good image quality of Flickr can hopefully help you assess what you think of the color rendition.

Distortion

Back in the day when there was film in the camera, distortion was a big thing to avoid, as it would sit on your film after the shot was taken and there was very little you could do about it. With a digital image, lens profiles and smart post processing software, the removal of distortion is but a click away. And that is why I think that lens producers in their work to design the best lenses, simply let go of the ambition to contain or diminish distortion – there are other design criteria to give priority.

In that vein, I have not tested the lens for distortion. And even if I could not remove the problem with a few clicks in LR, I think that you will find that distortion – irrespective of barrel or pincushion – seldom is visible, unless you are a demanding architecture or real estate photographer that needs a straight line to be straight.

Focus breathing

Testing for focus breathing is really easy: Grab the manual focus ring and turn it back and forth and check in the viewfinder if the field of view changes, i.e. if it looks like the lens zooms in and out while you change focus point. If your lens has focus breathing, then you will see the field of view changing – your lens is “breathing” as it focuses near and far.

For videographers the absence of focus breathing is vital, as they often change focus in a scene where they need to shift focus from one actor to another. And exactly in those situations you don’t want the field of view to change. You want it to be rock steady.

I am happy to say that this lens has NO focus breathing, or at least so little that I cannot spot it. In combination with the fast and silent AF, the lack of focus breathing checks an important requirement for videographers.

Conclusion

I like a lens that delivers great value for money, and this lens checks that box in full. The Viltrox 33mm f/1.4 is a breath of fresh air to the Nikon Z-mount cameras, as you now can get a fast lens with great AF for a price well below the Nikon alternatives. And Viltrox did not spend all their focus on the inside of the lens – the build quality of the lens is great and the manual focus ring is a pleasure to use.

At this price point I did not expect to find AF, but it is there and works well, and further at this price point the expectation to find VR would be a bit unreasonable if you ask me – so I have put lack of VR as a point not assessed. I think at this price point it would be unfair to bring it up as a con.

Nobody’s perfect, and this lens has some weak points. One is corner sharpness that is less of an issue for me (and should be if you want to use this lens for say street photography or portraiture). Another is the strong CA in high contrast situations and the minimum focus distance that makes it hard to fill the frame with your subject. These are clear limitations for me that will influence what I will use this lens for.

So can I recommend this lens? Yes, if minimum focus distance and corner sharpness wide open is less of a concern for you, then this is a fast and well built value for money AF lens that can take up the 50mm FF equivalent spot in your APS-C prime lens collection for your Nikon Z-mount.

Pro

Price / value for money
Build quality
AF speed and silence
Maximum aperture at f/1.4
Bokeh
Centre sharpness
No focus breathing

Cons

Corner sharpness wide open
Chromatic aberrations
Minimum focus distance
No weather sealing

Not assessed

Color rendition
Distortion
Lack of VR

Video link

Sample images

Using a grey card and histogram to exposure correctly in Manual mode

Manual exposure

There can be many reasons why you want to control your exposure manually – the scene may contain a lot of bright or dark that confuses the automated metering system, you are shooting with flashes in manual mode or you just want to control the exposure because you like this way of working. Whatever the reason, there is a way to secure correct exposure using a grey card (18%) and the histogram in the camera.

Right in the middle

One of my flashes came with a grey card in credit card size. Actually it came with 3 cards, one white, one black and one grey. You only need the grey one, but just for the fun of it, I will use all 3 in the following.

The grey card to the left, the black card top and the white card right. The fact that the white card appears a bit grey would indicate that this image is slightly underexposed.

The grey card returns light in such a way that if your exposure is correct, then the grey card will produce a peak in the histogram right in the middle of the diagram. The histogram shows the distribution of light in the scene, with completely black areas to the left, completely white to the right and everything in between somewhere in the middle. The height of the graph shows the number of pixels in relation to the entire scene. So if you have a very dark scene, then the histogram is “lefty”, i.e. it looks like a mountain appears in the left side of the histogram whereas the right side is more flatland.

The simple idea is now that you take a test image of the scene, study the histogram and if it is off center, then you adjust the camera settings to make the grey card appear in the middle. If you are in Live View on your DSLR or have a mirrorless camera, you can actually see the histogram update real time as you adjust the camera settings, and hence no need to do a test shot unless you want to.

You adjust the camera settings meaning ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed. If shooting in manual mode is new to you, you can follow the link and see how it is done on a Nikon D750. The principles are much the same across different camera brands, and I think you can get the gist of it by reading the post in the link.

In the example above, you can see the 3 cards on a whit table and top right the histogram. Yes, it is a bit small, but you can see that there are 3 peaks – one the the very left originating from the black card, then the peak in the middle from the grey card and then the wider peak to the right, that is a combination of the white card AND the table behind the cards. This table is also white, but not as bright as the card. So the rightmost peak is also wider than the other two, as it is a combination of the table and the white card that span across a wider range.

In this example the grey card peak is not in the middle, but to slightly to the left, which is a sign of underexposure. Had it been to the right – then overexposure. So in this case the camera settings needs to be adjusted to let in more light, say leaving the shutter open for longer time or opening up the aperture. After the adjustment, a new test shot is needed to see if the desired effect has set in. If not, then redo until the grey peak is right in the middle.

So this is really all there is to it. Given that the ambient light does not change or the flash settings remain constant, you can now shoot a series of images without worrying about the exposure settings on your camera. I find this super useful for product shoots and indoor portrait shoots.

Nikon D700: Image file formats explained

All about the data…

The options available for storing files on the Nikon D700 can be a bit overwhelming, so I try here to give a short overview, so you quickly get a “drivers license” to the options available. It is not intended to be a full blown engineer explanation of all the ins and outs of file formats and compression, but a drivers license to help you make some clever decisions without getting too bugged down by technical details.

Resolution and compression

Your Nikon D700 has a 12MP sensor. No matter which format or compression you choose, the source of the data is still the same. And the resolution of the sensor remains the same. What your are changing is the format of the file, how much info is stored about each pixel and how the file is compressed. But not the number of pixels.

Note: You can change the cameras image area between FX and DX format, and within these choose between L, M and S. I will not cover this part here, but always recommend that you go for Large (L) FX format, to give you the most options in post processing. You can always crop the file, if that is to your liking.

RAW format

The D700 stores in RAW format named NEF – Nikon Electronic Format. It is just a format or a way to structure the file. Most software these days like Lightroom or Photoshop can read and work with these files. RAW is the “richest” format you can choose, i.e. all that is recorded by the sensor is also stored in the file. If you don’t like RAW format, then TIFF is an alternative, but if you don’t know what TIFF is or your printer doesn’t insist you send the files in TIFF format, then I would suggest you ignore this option.

You can compress the RAW file to varying degrees. The objective of compression is to save space. Lossless compression is the “lightest” way of compressing that enables your computer to “reverse engineer” the compression back to the amount of information available when the image was taken. In other words, despite the compression, no information is lost. Hence the name. My recommended setting. Uncompressed has the same advantage – no data is lost, but mind you that it takes up a bit more space and that processing time is a bit longer simply because the file is larger.

Compressed RAW saves you around 40-45% of disk space, and you loose very little data. However, you do loose some data, and the original file cannot be recreated. It is in other words a non-reversible algorithm that is applied when the compression is done. If you struggle with card and disk space, i.e. you have too little of it, then this could be a really good option to use for mitigating your space headache. But mind you that the price for memory and disk has only gone one way for many years – down.

Another dimension to the RAW format is the bit depth. Again, it is not related to resolution, but how much information is stored for each pixel. You can choose between 12-bit and 14-bit. It may sound like a small difference, but the number of options explodes exponentially as you add positions for storing information, and hence going from 12 tp 14 bit enables your camera to store MUCH more information. If you in any way shape or form can handle the bigger files that 14 bit generates, then the 14 bit is my recommendation.

JPEG format

JPEG is a very different format from RAW, and the objective is first and foremost to save space and make the file significantly smaller. Not in terms of resolution, but in terms of how much info is stored per pixel. JPEGS were designed to share images via low bandwidth channels and hence compression and small files is the main objective here.

The D700 gives you 3 JPEG options: Fine, Normal and Basic. Basic is where the compression is the biggest and the file is the smallest. Fine is where the compression is the least and the file is the biggest. Normal is the middle of the road alternative sitting somewhere between Fine and Basic. The compression takes data out of the equation. To illustrate: Where a RAW file may store say 100 shades of grey, a JPEG file reduces these to 30 shades of grey in Fine mode and only 10 shades of grey in Basic mode. So the granularity of the shades and the colors will be reduced due to the compression made. JPEG files are rather small also in Fine mode, so if you want to use the JPEG format, I always recommend that you use the format with the least compression: Fine.

Combined formats

You can choose to combine formats, so that the camera records both a RAW and a JPEG file at the same time. I have used this in my post processing so that I load the JPEGs and do a review of the images, mark the ones that I like and then afterwards only import the ones that I like as RAW files. As this is an additional step in the work, I have dropped this way of working and now only shoot and import RAW files. It takes more space both on my camera and my computer, but it saves me for a lot of time, and hence it is to my preference. As they say, time is money.

High dynamic range shooting with a DSLR

Nightclub photography

So I got a question on YouTube related to nightclub photography and how that can be achieved. In order to answer, I will start with the human eye, which has a dynamic range of 21 stops! Even the best cameras ever made can keep up with this performance – for example the acclaimed Nikon D700 “only” has a dynamic range of 13.9 stops according to DXOmark, whereas the very best modern cameras manage to go to 15 stops.

The dynamic range is the ability to distinguish between light intensity in the darkest of the dark and the brightest of the bright at the same time. The fact that it is at the same time is important. You can always underexpose an mage to make sure you preserve the details in the brightest of bright areas. And the other way around, you can always preserve the details in the darkest areas by overexposing the image. But the challenge is to do both at the same time.

A nightclub with both neon lights (super bright), disco light (bright and moving fast) and also dark areas (could be the dancing floor itself or the side of the bar) has an extremely high dynamic range. It is very similar to shooting the moon at night – you both have something very bright and something very dark at the same time. It is like shooting a 100 watts light bulb in a dark room at night.

Metering

Your metering system is likely to very confused if you shoot at a nightclub, especially if you meter with an average method. 95% of the frame is likely to be pitch black, whereas the remaining 5% is super bright. My guess is that your camera, unless you try spot metering or go to manual exposure, will over expose the image to compensate for the dominating dark. Try to experiment with different metering modes or manual exposure to get the exposure as you want it. You can also give exposure compensation a try.

ISO or not

A camera that can go to crazy high ISO values will not help you. Setting ISO high enables you to capture images where there is little light, buy when doing so, the parts where there is light will be over exposed. In other words, you will loose details in the bright areas. Here I ignore the issues related to high ISO such as grain and noise, the point is that even if you can live with these issues, it will not help you much.

Fast lens

A fast lens has the same features as high ISO, but without the grain and the noise. It will take in more light and enable you to shoot at faster shutter speeds all things being equal, but you will have the same issue as with ISO, that it will only push your histogram to the right and you need it to be extended in both sides.

HDR

High Dynamic Range or HDR you probably know from your smartphone. It offers the HDR feature without telling you what it does – it is an integral service that just presents you with the result. But behind the scenes the smartphones takes a series of images, typically some over exposed and others over exposed, and combine them into one picture selecting the correct exposed parts from the different pictures into one. You can do HDR with your DSLR and combine the images in post processing, and this will certainly work. The problem is just that your subject has to stand still while this happens. And disco lights have a tendency not to obey to this wish.

Loosing details

One of my favorite photographers is Sean Tucker. If you study his work, you will see that he often and deliberately looses details in the dark. His motto is to “preserve your highlights”, i.e. preserve the details in the highlights and let the different shades of grey be one big black surface without any detail.

You can loose details in both ends of the spectrum. Which “end” you choose is up to you. I would imagine that loosing details in a neon light would not matter much, suggesting that you should expose for the dark parts, i.e. over exposing to preserve details in the darker parts. But this is of course entirely up to you and what you want to express.

Review: Photography and the Art of Seeing by Freeman Patterson

The art of Seeing

Being a Canadian, Freeman Patterson is perhaps not so well known in Europe or the US as many other leading photographers. But if you look at his resume with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the North American Nature Photography Association and the Miller Brittan Award for Excellence in visual arts, then you start to understand the magnitude and importance of Patterson’s work.

Who is it for?

If you are new to photography and want to learn the basics, then this book is not for you. I would recommend that you instead look towards the books from Bryan F. Peterson or Joel Sartore. The Art of Seeing is much more about the photography process and how you can widen your creativity.

What is it?

The book is organized around 3 main themes:

Learning to observe
Learning to imagine and
Learning to express.

Especially the last part, where Patterson talks about visual design, was a an eye opener for me. I have the same feeling when reading the book The Art of War by Lao Tzu, that even though I do not yet understand every sentence or every paragraph in the book, I have a very distinct feeling that it is a super condensed text that presents the essence of years and years of experience. I have read the book once, but want to read it several times to make sure I get all the points.

Can I recommend it?

Yes is the short answer. I have read many books about photography as this blog documents, and this is probably one of the best. The book has been developed to support a series of workshops that Patterson held way back when, but you can still make use of the exercises described in the book of you want to have the full benefit of the book. Even if you don’t do all the exercises or if you only want to read the theory, I find that this is an excellent book about the photography process and it comes with my highest recommendation.

Shopping link

Freeman Patterson, Photography and the Art of seeing

Video link

Review: XTAR GoPro battery charger on-the-move

Charging out and about

The XTAR GP2 is designed to give you extra power for your GoPro 5/6/7/8/9/10 while you are out and about. It works very much like the cradle for my iPods – it is a storage case and a power bank at the same time.

My iPods next to the XTAR GP2. They solve much the same need: A carry case and a power bank at the same time.

At home

You simply charge the GP2 while at home, and then the extra battery in the GP2 will enable you to charge 2 GoPro batteries when on the move. Notice that when the GP2 is unplugged, i.e. out and about, it only charges one battery at a time, but it automatically starts charging the second battery as soon as it is done charging the first one. When powered via the USB-C connector, it charges both itself and docked batteries at the same time.

The XTAR GP2 itself is charging here. There is a small USB-C connector on the rear to feed the power to the GP2. Notice the little rubberized door that can seal off the connector from dust and moist.

My copy came with a wall charger (rightmost) and a cable to fit into the USB-C socket on the rear of the GP2 dock, but if you already have a USB-C charger, you may not need this.

The indicators are easy to learn: The GoPro batteries show red for charging and green when fully charged. The XTAR GP2 itself has a 4 bar indicator all with white LED’s – 25% for each step. In the example below the GP2 is fully charged, as is the battery to the right, whereas the battery to the left is charging.

Battery to the left is charging (red). The GP2 is fully charged (4 bars). The battery to the right is fully charged.

Older batteries

To work with the older and smaller batteries for the GoPro 5/6/7/8, you have to buy an additional battery holder that makes the smaller batteries fit snugly into the same space as the batteries for the 9 and 10.

Battery for the GoPro 5/6/7/8 mounted in the holder, so the battery gets the same size as the battery for the GoPro 9 and 10.

There is a little hole in the holder, so you can keep the smaller battery and the holder together as one unit, this is especially useful when you pull the battery out of the charger.

The GoPro 7 battery to the right and the battery holder to the left. Notice the hole in the battery holder that fits the handle on the battery, so that you can pull holder and battery out of the charger as one unit.

Memory

Another nice feature is the ability to store 2 memory cards inside the XTAR GP2, so you have a carry case for both power and memory.

The XTAR GP2 charger right, my battery for the GoPro 8/9/10 to the left.

Use

The lid on the case closes using magnetism, and it works really well. In order to fit into my messy camera bag, I close the lid with a rubber band so I am sure the lid stays closed during transport. I would hate to start searching for micro SD-cards in my not-too-orderly camera bag!

Price and place

Here early March 2022 the product has not yet been launched, but it will happen very soon. The retail price is expected to be around US$40, but if you are one of the first to buy, you may find that it comes with a nice discount. XTAR plan to sell the product via Kickstarter first, then on XTARdirect (XTARS homepage where you can make purchases), then Amazon store and finally Aliexpress store is planned.

Conclusion

This product quickly made its way to my camera bag. I can now have one battery in my GoPro 10, and 2 ready in the GP2, and then I can do a round robin to continue to have power in the GoPro. The manual says that the GP2 gives 12 hours running time for the GoPro camera – I have not tested it, but it is also far beyond my needs.

I find the XTART GP2 to be a relatively small and light product that fits into my camera bag with no problem. It solves my worry to run out of both power and memory, and as such I can really recommend this product if you find yourself in the same situation. I also like that the design enables you to use this product with the smaller batteries for the GoPro 5/6/7.

The only improvement I can think of is that it would be nice to be able to lock the lid, but for now a rubber band takes care of that.

All in all I can recommend this product.

Find more information about this product via this link.

Important

This is not a product designated to photographers. I know. But backups of your photography data is so important working as a photographer, that I take the liberty to review this product in that context.

I have several of these drives. I do backups at least every month and as part of my year end procedure. And do I then store it in a drawer? No, not immediately. I drive the backup far away from where I live and store it in my summer house (swapping backups with a friend also works). That way I am safe in case of fire or theft.

You may think that no one breaks into your house or that a fire is unlikely, but recently we have had a client where half of their house burned to the ground, and this was the part of the house where the pictures they had bought from us were located. The first thing they asked us was if we could reproduce the images – and I was happy to say yes, knowing that I had several digital copies of the images in several locations.

The tin

This little 4TB drive weighs around 200 grams (a little less if you go for the 2TB or 1TB versions). I find the price around 130 EUR here in Denmark very fair, but in the US and UK they can be bought for less than that. 4TB is a massive amount of data, and I manage to put several years of data on a single drive.

Content

There is not much to say about the content of the box: A drive, a little guide and a USB cable. That’s it. What you cannot see is that the drive is pre-formatted – you can get versions for both Windows and IOS. I got the Windows version.

There is also pre-installed software on the drive that allows you to encrypt the data and facilitate the backup process. I have not used this part – I simply use the Lightroom facility “export this folder as a catalogue”; then I know I can import it again and get all the edits etc maintained. Probably also possible with the backup software provided by Western Digital, but I prefer a process that is simple and low-tech.

Operation

The drive is quiet. If you lift it while it is working, you can feel the gyro effect of the hard disk drive spinning fast, but you can hardly hear it. The little light on the side of the drive flashes when the drive is working and is steady when not. If the drive is working, then it is vulnerable to say being dropped or bumping into something. The head of the drive will potentially touch the drive with severe consequences. So only move the drive when it is not at work.

There is no on/off switch. In the beginning I found that a bit odd. But the drive can sense the power disappearing and manages to park the head before the power runs out. It took me a little while to get used to.

I backup using Lightroom as I previously stated, and the combination of Lightroom and this drive is no speedy Gonzales. It takes time. But as it says very little, you can have the backup running while you are working in Lightroom; it seems to me the backup process takes very little energy from Lightroom, and as such the time required to do the backup is not issue for me.

Verdict

You may have guessed that I really like this product, as I have several of them. It provides an astonishing amount of room for data (4TB) at a reasonable price of 130 EUR, the operation is silent and the drive is only 18mm thick, and 7,5 x 10,5 cm in size. The USB connector is not USB-C, but it still manages to get the data safely across and power the drive at the same time. HDD may not be the latest and most fancy technology, but for backups I prefer proven technology, and that it certainly is. I can recommend this product.

Video link

Review: Asus TX-AX58U router – Smart WiFi 6

Back in the day…

I like Apple products. They are perhaps over-priced, but very nice in design and for me easy to understand. So when my trusty router, the Apple Airport Extreme finally gave in after many years of service, I was ready to make a replacement purchase. But I was to learn that Apple stopped producing routers back in 2018! I felt very alone all of a sudden, but also the pressure from the family missing the router for both work and streaming!

So there was nothing to do but consult the homepage of the local IT hardware pusher to see what I could find. And as I feared, the list of routers was long and intimidating, leaving only network engineers happy: routers of many different manufacturers with strange names and prices that range from next-to-nothing to crazy expensive.

I would love to claim that my purchase of the router was a rational man decision after scanning the market for all available options. It was not. This little label pushed me in the direction of the Asus router.

I know from experience that buying the most expensive gear is seldom worth it, and the other end of the scale is also to be avoided. So a good middle-of-the-road alternative is what I was looking for. Me eyes fell on the Asus RT-AX58U for two reasons: it was on sale, and it had a little “readers choice” award that lifted my confidence from zero to just a little bit. The name itself (RT-AX58U) meant nothing to me, other than sending a strong signal that Asus has hired more engineers than marketing people!

From the tin. Lots of things I don’t understand!

The “key selling arguments” on the tin meant next to nothing to me, but I have later learned that the AiMesh is a way to connect several units into the same network in a smart way. So with only the worst of expectations, I pushed the purchase button and started to wait for the parcel to arrive at my doorstep.

Setup

When I opened the box, this is what met my eyes. Intimidating for a non-engineer. But it turned out to be not bad at all.

Opening the parcel, I found what I feared the most: a complex looking compilation of items to be assembled – my IKEA complex started growling in the distance. But I quickly learned that it essentially was the router itself, a power supply and a network cable! What a relief

Power supply and a network cable. That is all that is required other than the box itself. The intimidating booklet named “Quick start guide” to the left.

However, the “quick start guide” quickly reversed that: it was a thick booklet! What! Apple’s quick start guides can fit into a single A5 paper!

The user guide is a book! But the reason is that it comes in a large number of languages. The relevant section is only a few pages – phew!

But it turned out that the size of the booklet was related to the number of languages involved, and that the relevant pages were only a few! I was back in business!

Router rear. Leftmost the power supply, then the power on/off switch, then a USB plug that I have never used, 4 physical network connectors in yellow, the network connector for the internet, a WPC button and rightmost a reset button.

So I plugged the power supply cable into the rear of the router along with the supplied network cable, which I connected to my LAN. My ISP has provided another router that connects to the internet so the role of the Asus is to give WIFI on first floor where the ISP router has insufficient reach.

You can setup the router two ways I learned from the guide: using a browser and a URL, or by downloading the Asus app and take it from there. I chose the latter, and was asked for two things during the setup: A SSID plus password, and an ID and password for logging onto the router. That’s it! After that the network just worked!

Everything I buy seems to be in need of a firmware upgrade. This one is no different. Luckily it was a fast and hassle free experience.

Of course I cannot buy a gadget without the first thing that happens is that it demands to have the firmware updated! It seems to be a thing that haunts me, and this one was no different. But it was both quick and easy.

And then – of course – I misspelled the SSID! I found that the easiest was to reset the router to factory settings and re-do the installation process, this time with the correct spelled SSID. Although there is a “reset” button on the rear of the router, the way to reset it is to turn it off, hold the “WPS” button and then turn it on. I tried to do that holding the “reset” button instead and that led nowhere, so remember that reset to factory settings involves the “WPS” button and not the “reset” button.

I love this: you push a button in the app and the network optimizes itself. It could be a big make believe button, but it feels great that I don’t have dive into technical details to have a optimized network!

The app is easy to use and hold a lot of good information, for example a list of the units logged on to the WIFI, and you can rename them from mumbo jumbo to something useful like “Frederiks Ipad” or the like. Great! Also the app has features like network optimization and allows you to give priority to certain types of network traffic over others. I have no idea if this works or not, but it seems smart.

The app has lots of interesting screens and metrics. Here a real time traffic overview. Another useful screen is one that lists all units logged onto the WIFI.

Conclusion

I found this little router easy to set-up and install, despite my track record of messing up even the simplest network things. The app gives useful information in a not-too complicated user interface.

In terms of alternatives to this router or if the price around 120 EUR is fair or not, I have no idea or baseline to assess. There are cheaper alternatives out there, and maybe they can do the job as well, but I just wanted a hassle free solution with quick installation, and that I got.

I am glad the router is in a location in the house we seldom visit. It is a little black plastic thing with 4 antennas, and the design immediately makes you want to wear a silver hat and talk to UFO’s. I have no idea if the antennas play an important role or not, but this router has no better reach than my deceased and beautifully designed Apple router, unfortunately.

Review: Ulanzi G9-5 Metal Cage for GoPro 9 and GoPro 10

No nonsense

The Ulanzi G9-5 Metal Cage for GoPro 9 and GoPro 10 comes in a small plastic wrapped cardboard box that certainly does not make a big fuzz with colorful images or the like. It signals an engineering no-nonsense approach from the very start.

Review: Ulanzi G9-5 Metal Cage for GoPro 9 and GoPro 10 — The Ulanzi G9-5 comes with in a small box with no user guide.

In the box you will find the cage itself, with a small cage for the sound adapter already mounted at the bottom.

To fit the GoPro Hero 9 or 10 into the cage, the rear of the cage has a sliding door. The door is locked into position by a small spring laden ball that fits into a dent into the rear side of door. This works really well. The door on the side of the cage follow the same principle.

Mounting the GoPro in the cage is very easy and after closing the sliding door on the rear, the GoPro is well protected. The lens is protected from the side by a metal ring, but unfortunately this metal ring also blocks a little of the view to the front LCD, which is a bit annoying, but not a showstopper in any way. The metal ring around the lens has a thread to mount filters in front of the lens.

One very important feature of the Ulanzi cage is that it holds the sound adapter for the GoPro, that would otherwise be dangling down the side of the GoPro, at risk of being accidentally pulled out. The adapter simply slides sideways into position as in kept there by a little bit of friction – this also works well and I think there is little risk that the adapter by accident will be pushed sideways out of the cage.

The cage comes with a metal door that has a small hole to give access to the USB-C connector on the side of the GoPro. This door cannot be mounted together with the GoPro door, so you have to choose between GoPro door (waterproof) or the cage door (access to the USB-C connector).

If you choose the GoPro door, then be aware that it cannot be opened while mounted in the cage – you have to take it out of the cage to get access to the battery, SD-card and USB-C connector.

As I am very dependent on access to the USB-C connector, the choice is easy, but I have to be careful with water and dust.

Another item that I am keen to keep track of is my Røde wireless recever (sound), that needs to connect to the adapter at the bottom of the cage. You can find a review of the Røde wireless Go here.

There are two cold shoes for mounting the Røde sender, either at the top or the side. If you mount it on the side, then access to the power button is blocked, so I prefer to have the Røde on top of the cage instead.

The black box on the top of the cage can easily be removed – I think it mainly serves to give some distance between the camera and the microphone, in case you want a microphone to be mounted on the top.

I have not really used the 2nd cold shoe, but I would imagine that a small light could go here to help out in case the ambient light does not suffice.

The final thing to do is mount the cage on a tripod or the like, and for this purpose there is a thread at the bottom of the cage, or more precisely at the bottom of the holder for the sound adapter.

So with both the Røde and the sound adapter mounted on the cage, and the cage on a tripod or the like, you are ready for vlogging with all your bits and bobs well under control and your GoPro well protected.

Conclusion

I really like this little no-nonsense product. It does exactly what I had expected it to. It protects the GoPro well, it gives access to vital buttons and contacts and it keeps track of the additional items that I need for sound and light. And then it enables you to mount filters in front of the lens and put the GoPro on a tripod out of the box.

The only problems that I see with this product is that it partly blocks the view to the front for LCD for vloggers that need to frame what they shoot while in front of the camera. And then the cage is not water or dust proof when you want to have access to the USB-C connector like me. But in all fairness, this is more due to GoPro that insist both an adapter and a connector is necessary to get the sound into the GoPro.

Price wise I find this product to be a bit on the steep side, but it is very well made and keeps a much more valuable product well protected. So I guess it is ok, but a bargain it is certainly not.

Shopping link

Buy the cage on Amazon here.

Review: Photo Icons, 50 landmark photographs and their stories, by Hans-Michael Koetzle

400+ pages of iconic images

The title of the book as per the headline is a very precise description of what this book is all about. It “puts some of the most important photographic landmarks under the microscope” as it says on the cover. And very much so.

Photo icons, 50 landmark photographs and their stories, by Hans-Michael Koetzle.

The 50 images are presented and analyzed over the 400+ pages of the book, giving an average of 4 pages per iconic photograph. Enough to cover the basics and tell the story around each picture.

The table of content has an excellent overview with each picture in icon size and annotated with the relevant year and page to look up. The 50 images range from year 1827 to 2001. So you can quickly dive into the images of interest (I doubt you will read the book from front to back unless you are equally interested in each image).

Photographer Peter Leibings picture “Leap to Freedom” from 1961, just after the wall between East and West Berlin was in effect.

As I “cherry picked” the images of most interest, I have not read every single page in the book, but many of them, and I really enjoyed the “behind the scenes” view that you get to each image: What was the story, the photographer, what was going on in the world at the time the shot was taken, was it staged or candid, etc. Hans-Michael Koetzle really packs a lot of information into very few pages for each picture – it is a condensed read, but certainly worth the while.

So as a photographer it is not a book that will make you wiser in terms of photo technique (f/11 vs f/5.6), but it really documents how a photograph – even with all the videos and movies available today – can be powerful and influence what we remember and how we see history. And as such it for me adds a layer to my motivation to shoot the best pictures I possibly can.

Introduction to this lens

First look

Use

Sharpness

Bokeh

Chromatic aberration

Minimum focus distance

Color rendition

Distortion

Focus breathing

Conclusion

Pro

Cons

Not assessed

Video link

Sample images

Related reading

Manual exposure

Right in the middle

Related reading

All about the data…

Resolution and compression

RAW format

JPEG format

Combined formats

Related reading

Nightclub photography

Metering

ISO or not

Fast lens

HDR

Loosing details

The art of Seeing

Who is it for?

What is it?

Can I recommend it?

Shopping link

Video link

Related reading

Charging out and about

At home

Older batteries

Memory

Use

Price and place

Conclusion

Related reading

Important

The tin

Content

Operation

Verdict

Video link

Related reading

Back in the day…

Setup

Conclusion

Related reading

No nonsense

Conclusion

Shopping link

Related reading

400+ pages of iconic images

Related reading