| Review of: Rogue Flashbender - Small by enoxatnep on Fri July 25, 2014 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
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Reviews: 2
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I bought this after experimenting with the Black Foamie Thing popularized by Neil van Niekirk but realized this only works well when you have a nearby surface to bounce flash off of. What about a dark surface or a church with a high vaulted ceiling or far-away wall, for example? Direct flash is the only solution, but the harsh light needs softening. The Rogue Flashbender is where my research led me.
Keep in mind that things like van Niekirk's BFT are flag/snoot-type products only. They're designed for having a nearby surface to bounce light off of. The Flashbender is a reflector, and my research also revealed that the larger the reflector, the softer the light, and this is much larger than a built-in flash reflector card. The bonus is that the Flashbender can also be folded so that it acts as a flag or snoot.
For situations where portability is a concern and you're moving around a lot - say at a wedding - you don't want to be packing around softboxes or holding the flash off-camera, making the Flashbender an excellent solution. Note that you can also buy the accessory diffusion panel that attaches to the front to create a makeshift softbox. Sure, it's not like the real thing, but outside of a studio this one of the best solutions for on-location shots.
Anyhow, enough background info. In the photos I've taken thus far with my Metz 48 AF-1 on a K-5, comparing photos using direct flash, built-in white reflector card, and Flashbender, I've been very impressed with the Flashbender. As most of us know, direct flash blows out highlights and causes harsh shadows, and the small reflector card causes uneven lighting and darker images. The Flashbender, however, exposes perfectly and shadows are much softer. Combined with a reflective surface, you get the added benefit of nearly complete shadow reduction as the light "source" is now coming from two directions: the reflective surface above/to the side of the subject and the Flashbender from the front.
Some have complained that the weight is just enough to cause the flash head to move lower when not upright at 90 degrees. However, I haven't found this to be the case with my Metz.
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| Review of: Metz mecablitz 48 AF-1 digital by enoxatnep on Sat December 18, 2010 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
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Reviews: 16
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In all honesty, I see no reason why anyone would consider buying a more expensive Pentax external flash when they can just buy a superior Metz, other than for brand-name familiarity. I whole-heartedly echo the positives of this flash - or any Metz flash, for that matter - as written by other reviewers for the sake of not repeating them.
But I also echo others' frustration with the goofy menu system, one so cryptic and vague that unless you use the flash often you're forced to snoop through the Germanic-English instruction manual to remind yourself of what features like SL, FB, ML, and CC stand for. And once you find the acronym in question, Roland or Mannfred or whoever wrote the "English" portion of the manual - rather, "translated-from-German-to-English" portion of the manual - doesn't do a very good job of explaining exactly what each feature does.
For this reason, experimentation is the only way to effectively learn the many, many great features of this flash, which I suppose couldn't be a bad thing. Nevertheless, the only reason the Metz 48 loses a mark is not due to features or a lack thereof, but due simply to its menu system.
I'd like to add that I was greatly frustrated with the flash delay of this unit between pressing the shutter button and the flash actually firing, until a friend of mine - a Metz guy literally since he was old enough to hold a camera - pointed out that I had set my camera's flash mode to red-eye reduction. Since setting it to "Flash On", I'm now able to capture things exactly when I see them instead of having to anticipate expressions or actions like you have to with a built-in flash.
Unless you like to spend extra money for the fun of it, I will be blunt by stating that buying any other brand of external flash for your Pentax camera is completely beyond my understanding.
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| Review of: Lowepro Fastpack 350 by enoxatnep on Fri December 17, 2010 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 9812
Reviews: 2
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After I bought this bag, the biggest of the Fastpack series, my Kata 3N1-20 found a space in my closet where it collected dust until I sold it. I know this is pretty much camera-bag blasphemy given the wild popularity of the Kata 3N1 series, but the 20 couldn't hold my K20D with my Pentax A 70-210 attached.
So why didn't I just move up to the 3N1-30? Well, I have to admit that the Katas have a versatile strap system totally unmatched by any other camera backpack. But I was willing to give even this up because of the lack of versatility of the Kata 3N1 layout. The 3N1s also look too “boxy” whereas the Fastpack series is more rounded and refined. I also like how the Fastpack has all zippers on one side of the bag; I can access all compartments without having to flip to the other side of the bag, which is what you have to do with the 3N1s.
In particular, the two small zippered pockets on each side of the upper compartment of the 3N1s were very impractical, each only roomy enough for a small filter or two, or a cleaning cloth and Lenspen. The Fastpack has a much larger zippered pocket to the rear of its upper compartment, and also a smaller one to the rear of the lower compartment (not seen in photo). This represents to me a much better solution - and a several-fold increase in accessory storage area - than cramming all my accessories into one compartment like the upper one on the 3N1s (or cramming some of them into the lower compartment on the 3N1, like I did, where I preferred only my camera, lenses, and flash to be). I want my upper compartment to be free for a bag lunch or other non-photographic gear.
What I found frustrating about the lower compartment on the 3N1s, the one with the removable dividers, is how once you opened one of the side access doors, the outer portion of the bag overhung the compartment too much. This meant that there was not too much room to reach my hand in to the edges of the compartment to grab a flash or a lens since there was too much of the bag material in the way. Not so with the Fastpack; adding and removing items is much easier.
Though the upper compartment of both bags are similar, I found that of the Fastpack to have more small pockets – some Velcro, some open - than that of the 3N1s, perfect for that larger filter, cell phone, spare battery pack, or other small accessories. The Fastpack also has a handy mesh side pocket for a drink bottle, or perhaps even a lens stored in a separate case.
Again, where the 3N1s fare better is with their strap system. When the bag is slung around to the front of your body, the 3N1s hang there effortlessly, giving you totally hands-free access to equipment through the side-access door. With the Fastpack, you need to somewhat hold the bag in place while you access equipment. Both have a thick, generous waist belt, but the 3N1 waist belt can be concealed when not in use unlike the Fastpack.
These things aside, I greatly prefer the internal layout of the Fastpack 350 and it has suited my needs perfectly.
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| Review of: FlashZebra Flash Shoe (Item #0068) by enoxatnep on Fri December 17, 2010 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 8784
Reviews: 1
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You wouldn't believe the trouble I had trying to find a simple, cheap, yet rugged mount for my Metz 48 flash to be able to do nothing more than stand on a tripod! If it wasn't a hot shoe, then everything I found couldn't screw onto a tripod, was proprietary (ex. Nikon only), or made of plastic. All I wanted was simply a shoe for wireless remote flash operation. Found it! And with all-metal construction (aluminum, I believe) for only $5.50 + shipping, I also spent a fraction compared to all-metal offerings by recognizable brands. Shipping to Canada was also very reasonable.
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| Review of: Sanyo Eneloops (NiMH Rechargable) by enoxatnep on Sat December 11, 2010 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
Views: 13717
Reviews: 15
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I know that adding another 5-star rating might be redundant, but I absolutely have to cast my enthusiastic vote for these outstanding batteries as well. Let's just say that I've tried many brands, capacities, and technologies of rechargeables over the years, dating back to the 1980s with the first Dynacharge batteries. NOTHING comes close to the Eneloops, period.
I had to get over the 'they're only 2000 mAh' stigma as well in this age of 2500 mAh+, and am very glad I did. I really did waste a lot of money on other rechargeables over the years, and as my existing non-Eneloops gradually die off - well short of the 1000+ charges they claim they're capable of - I'll be replacing them with Eneloops.
As a rule-of-thumb, standard rechargeables lose about 1% of their charge per day sitting on the shelf, whereas Eneloops and other "pre-charged" NiMH batteries lose only about 15% of their charge over one year. Therefore, Eneloops are also suitable for items like remote controls, wall clocks, and other low-drain items since they hold their charge for a long time even if not used. This means I'm replacing all existing AA and AAAs in our house with Eneloops.
WARNING: You can kill an Eneloop's life span really fast by charging them with a fast charger like those 1-hour or, God forbid, 15-minute third-party chargers. Definitely take the time to charge these - or any rechargeable - properly using a 200 or 500 mA current at most. I also state this from experience. (I now use a La Crosse BC-9009 charger - the other smart rechargeable-technology move I've made in recent years.)
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| Review of: Op/Tech Double Lens Mount Cap for Pentax by enoxatnep on Sun June 13, 2010 | Rating: 10 | View more reviews | |
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Reviews: 4
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I bought this item from Adorama, and my only regret is that I didn't buy another one! I also like how it covers all the contacts on the lens mount; nothing is subject to the effects of dust or moisture when attached to this cap.
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