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Universal Truth (pt. 1)

You got your toy for the holiday. Now you want extra stuff to make your toy more fun. The toy probably works to some extent just the way you got it, but that extra stuff, now that’s gonna make more useful. More fun. This is how it was with Hot Wheels, G.I.Joes, Barbies, you name it as we were growing up.

This is how it is with the toys we use as adults (I hesitate to say grown ups) too.  Let’s say you got a lens shutter (point and shoot) digital camera for the holiday. (I waited for you to say it, did you say it? Say it NOW or I won’t continue.) That was to easy, NOW buy every thing that I recommend in the post. NO? Can’t blame me for trying.

So you got your new point and shoot digital. Is that it, are we done? No so, a mini tripod from Trekpod, or one of those Bogen Manfroto tripods or a way cool Joby Gorilla pod will give you so many more opportunities to exorcise your inner Ansel. An accessory case or bag can add safety and protection to your memory maker, and piece of mind to you. Extra batteries will double your next urban safari time. A car battery charger can insure that when you arrive at Aunt Tilly’s Cotillion you can capture every terpsichorial treat. Lastly do I even have to mention memory cards? Stock up our SD memory cards, and Flash Memory cards are still at holiday prices. Since you will have extra memory, get a Memory card reader so you don’t have to tie up your camera for downloading.



Buy Something Cool, Get Something Useful

Christmas shopping is down to the final week, and I just remembered that we have a special coming to a close at the end of this month. No no, this is good, listen:

You buy one of a selection of Kata’s DR-465 Rucksack (available in several colors, including the one pictured here)

Kata Digital Rucksack

We’ll include this free Manfrotto monopod (yup, Manfrotto, maker of fine camera tripods).

Manfrotto Monopod

There you go. I just made everything easy. Buy the bag for yourself, give the monopod to someone you love (if that happens to also be yourself, don’t worry, we won’t tell.) Is the monopod as good as a Trekpod? Well, not entirely, but heck, it’s free, and free is the best price.



It’s EXPO!

EXPO 2008

It’s Expo here at Roberts. Well, today and tomorrow anyway. Our sales floor is busy busy buzzing with activity and darn near everybody is down there. The list of manufacturers with representatives 10 feet below me as we speak is over 30 now. We’ve converted many of our sales displays downstairs, draped them in brightly colored cloths and buried them under Canon digital SLR cameras, PowerShot digital cameras, Nikon digital SLR cameras, a rainbow of Nikon Coolpix Cameras, and Sony digital cameras of all sorts.

Olympus is down there, and I had to stop and chat with them and try some of their f2 constant glass on my E-3 Olympus digital camera. And, bonus for you guys: they’ve loaned me a 1050SW so we can make a Raw Footage showing you just what sets the SW line apart from others.

If you’re eyeing any camera tripods (Bogen Manfrotto tripods, sturdy Induro tripods, the niftiness that are the Trek-Tech Trekpods, you name it) you’ll find the best help in the area.

Mac Group is down there with popular digital camera accessories, including Sekonic light meters, PocketWizards, and the ColorMunki (which I use for my own laptop’s color calibration.)

Professional studio lighting more your cuppa (you can keep it, my current cuppa is a nice mellow Juan Valdez Colina), Profoto and Elinchrom are down there, as is Lastolite for you lighting accessory needs.

And video! I almost forgot our Canon video rep is down there next to a case full of shiny HD camcorders and a few odd professional camcorders.

Bottom line, if you’re in the Indy are– heck, central Indiana period– and you aren’t here, well…THEN YOU’RE IN LUCK! We’re doing it again tomorrow. Don’t miss out.



Gizmos, nay, Doodads

It’s kind of a potluck Thursday here in the web department that I call home, and I’m not quite ready to smack out the next bokeh post, so I’m going to goof off today and mostly just point out a few odds and ends things I’ve seen kicking around the dusty corners of our site that interest me.

CMS-Flat
First up is this clever hackjob, the CMS-FLAT (catchy name, right?) by DM Accessories. So, here’s the skinny, some new Canon Camcorders (the HF10 and HF100) started using a new type of hotshoe, the “Mini Advanaced.” This is particularly frustrating for a lot of filmers since, y’know, it doesn’t let them mount their old lights on some pretty stellar new camcorders. So, here we go, clever solutions at work. These jobbies slide into the Mini Advanced hotshoe and give you a universal coldshoe. Bada-bing.

read more



They Run in the Rain

As a general rule, electronic devices do not like moisture. This weekend in Indianapolis (and Speedway) Indiana there is going to be a plethora of electronic devices; mini DV camcorders, high definition camcorders, Nikon Coolpix cameras, Canon Powershot cameras, Sony Cybershot’s, Panasonic Lumix’s as well as Canon, Sony, Nikon, Olympus and Pentax digital  SLR’s from every corner of the planet, and with only a few exceptions (see Derek’s recent blog, spill) those devices are not going to be very happy getting wet.

Jeff Goshert AquaTech GeekYesterday I sold at least 5 different AquaTech raincover configutrations from the SS-200 all the way up to the SS-600 for the giant lenses that will be panning and riding on Gitzo, Bogen and Trekpod tripod and monopod supports in the damp and wet as well as a Kata rain cover for Sony HRV-V1U HD video camera. Today we expect to sell a few more rain resisting or shielding devices too.

Tomorrow, Sunday in Speedway, at the world famous Indnianapolis Motor Speedway; there will be noise, speed, excitement, and fans from across the globe; and there will be rain. The forecasts are not friendly.  If you have never seen a motorcycle race in the rain it is an amazing spectle, the flashy colors of the bikes and the rooster-tails off the wheels. The good news is this the racers in the MotoGP run in all but the very worst weather conditions. Like a flashy spectral watercolor painting they do run in the rain!

P.S. For the low tech crowd we sale umbrellas and disposable film cameras too.



Confessions of a Coffee Addict, pt 2

I Gots the Jitters 2

Hello again everybody, I’m still Derek and this is still Coffee Addicts Anonymous. Last session we talked about using tripods to eliminate shake from my jitters. This time, we’re going to explore some other options for keeping those shots steady.

1. Trekpods. Last time I complained that tripods are too awkward for someone trying to remain flexible in their composition (ie, me). Monopods are more flexible, or at least easier to move around with, but don’t quite cut it like a tripod does. Fortunately, since this is The Future we no longer have to compromise. The Trekpod is the interesting cross-breed of a monopod and a tripod. Functionally, it’s a monopod until you unlatch a strap at the bottom and then, WHAM, it’s got three little legs lending it more of a tripod stability. But, don’t take my word for it, watch their surprisingly infomercial-like video for yourself:

http://www.trek-tech.com/content/movies/lossless/TrekPod_nature_photography.mpg

2. Optical Image Stabilization. Ok, sure, not as good for night shooting, but OIS in any form is nice. I shoot Olympus digital cameras, and they use in-body stabilization turning any lens I mount into a mean, precision-ground jitter fighting machine. I can’t speak for the effectiveness of Canon or Nikon’s lens-based systems, but I know combining f3.5 with my in-body OIS has allowed me to pull crisp shots off at dusk at a focal length equivalent to 800mm, so if you’re waffling about paying more for real (optical) IS, don’t. Unless you only shoot at high noon (you photo cowboy, you), or in a studio, you’ll find use for IS.

3. The DIY solution. This went around all the DIY photo blogs for a while, so if you’ve seen it before you’ll just nod knowingly. If you need flexible, portable stabilization, this’ll help in a pinch, but it won’t save those long lens night-time shots from getting a bit soft. It is pretty darn neat, though:


$1 Image Stabilizer For Any Camera – Lose The Tripod




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