04/12/2008 – – iPhone ‘App’ Of The Week : World View

Some iPhone ‘Apps’ are immediate hits, getting daily use from the moment I download them, other iPhone ‘Apps’ take some figuring out.

This week’s iPhone ‘App’ Of The Week was one of the latter.  I downloaded WorldView without a clear idea of what I would do with this ‘App.’   The idea of being able to view more than 6,000 web cams from all over the world was interesting, but was it just a novelty?

After playing with WorldView I found it to be a useful tool as a location photograher when trying  to come up with concepts for photo shoots in unfamiliar locations.   While the webcams tied into WorldView might have a limited view, they provided me with some valuable information I could not gather in any other way.   Most cameras are updated about every 15 minutes, and watching these webcam images allows me to see the ‘quality of light’ at certain times of the day , in the days leading up to a shoot.

I have learned what cities have a haze at certain times of the day (or all day long) and I have been able to find out accurate weather, visually.  WorldView has allowed me to determine if the sky is grey or if the sky opened up with nice warm light following a heavy rain storm.  This information is not available on weather sites, but WorldView has allowed me rapid access to this information to make quick decisions on where I plan on setting up a photo shoot.

While WorldView will probably never be a daily use ‘App’ for me, and it is intended to be a novelty ‘App’ for traveling, it has proven to be an extremely useful tool for remote planning and logistics. Being able to get a semi-real-time view of the sky has afforded me some great insight for rapidly setting up a location photo shoots and creating images I would have missed  due to relying on incomplete information.

With a price tag of ‘free’ download WorldView and see if it works for you.

Below are four screen shots of WorldView
Happy Flying!

–Click Images Below To Enlarge–

04/12/2008 – Updated Anti-Theft Camera Strap : The New PacSafe CarrySafe 100

Earlier this year I was introduced to the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 anti-theft camera strap by Dan Bannister, a travel photographer based in Calgary, Alberta.  Upon first using the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 I immediately switched all my cameras to these straps. This was a significant change for me, as I had exclusively used the Domke Gripper Straps for the previous 17 years on all my camera bodies and long lenses.

You can read my extensive review of the original PacSafe CarrySafe 100 strap, and it’s fantastic anti-theft capabilities, in this post: 16/02/08 – Security Strap For Your Camera – Check Out The Slim, Comfy, Slash Proof Camera Strap!

After extensive use of this strap, it was apparent that there was one drawback, the shoulder pad.   While the shoulder pad was comfortable, it slid off my shoulder constantly.  I had the opportunity to address this concern with PacSafe’s designers at their headquarters in Hong Kong earlier in the year, and just a few months later they have addressed the concerns of photographers using their outstanding strap!

The newly updated PacSafe CarrySafe 100 strap is identical to the original strap, with one major design improvement. The underside of the shoulder pad is no longer made from fabric; it now features a neoprene grip-pad. This newly integrated design eliminates the only drawback to this strap.

I have been using the updated strap for a little over a week with both Canon 5D and 1D series bodies, with lenses of varying weights, and not one camera has slid off my shoulder.  I have even tested out this strap while wearing a North Face Denali jacket, with nylon shoulders that cause everything to slide, and my cameras stayed in place.

My previous straps all had the pads cut off to allow me to use just a ‘bare’ strap, which I was very happy with.  My new straps all have their pads intact and I foresee the pads staying intact.

In addition to the strap’s outstanding anti-theft design features, the updated PacSafe CarrySafe 100 is light, slim, very comfortable, easy to wrap around my wrist, stays on my shoulder and is slash-proof.

After using the PacSafe CarrySafe 100 strap for the past 3/4 of a year, and traveling with these straps around the world (literally) more than once, I have no intention of switching straps.  I still firmly believe that at US$20 a strap, these straps are an incredible bargain and something every photographer should consider adding to their cameras, point-and-shoot, video camera or SLR.

For more information, visit PacSafe’s web site directly at:
http://PacSafeCarrySafe100.notlong.com

Below are photos of the new strap pad, the old strap pad and two photos of the new improved strap.

Happy Flying!
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25/09/2008 – iPhone ‘App’ Of The Week : A Free Level

This week’s iPhone ‘App’ of the week, A Free Level, may seem whimsical at first, but for a photographer in the field this ‘App’ can be a fantastic tool!

Many photographers use tripods or heads with a level built into them, however on the road I don’t know any ultra compact tripods that have a level integrated into them. To get around my hatred of an uneven horizon in certain architecture photos I downloaded “A Free Level” for my iPhone.

A Free Level is just that….a completely free ‘App’ that turns your iPhone into a level! Now whenever I am struggling to line up a straight horizon, especially when working with tilt-shift lenses, I whip out my iPhone, place it against the hot-shoe of my camera and get my camera straight and level.

This tool may not be ideal for general travel use, but you can always place it on the tray table in front of you and find out what direction the plane is leaning.

Happy Flying!
–Click Images Below To Enlarge–