Tag: Hardware

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Bracketmeister: Hardware exposure bracketing from Joergen Geerds

Here is a great invention by Joergen Geerds, a hardware based platform for doing exposure bracketing.  Just when I released a software approach targetted at Nikon cameras Joergen releases a hardware approach targetting Canon! 

Actually I suspect that both ways will work with both Canon and Nikon, but that is untested.  Where as I’m using USB and WIA and PTP to control the camera from Windows Joergen is using a microcontroller and a cable release to the camera which is in Bulb mode to do variable length exposures.

I wish I could make Bulb mode work, but the way WIA just sends “commands” like “take picture” I don’t see how I can get an open shutter command and a separate close shutter command at a later time.

[via gorillasites] well just about everybody; www.dsgnwok.com,  www.hackszine.com,  digital-camera-online.co.za,  www.electronicsinfoline.com

,  www.hdrlabs.com,  www.usd6.com,  dailydiy.com,  and blog.makezine.com

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How low can you go?

What is the lowest spec PC/Laptop that Camera Control will work on? I don’t know — I have a Thinkpad X31 running XP SP2 and it is ok though you can see a little sloweness at times.

Would it work on lower end, either old machine or one of the new light netbooks? Let me know!

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You know what a Justin Clamp is, right?

If you follow any of the small light shooters or “strobism” in general as I do then you’ll have come across the “Justin Clamp” quite a few times in passing.  If not, then lets just say it is an ugly beast that provides several useful ways to attach something to something else — typically a hotshoe flash to a pole, shelf, tripod leg or probably someone’s nose if they stay still long enough.

Supposedly it was invented by Justin Stailey (formerly of Bogen, now of Leica USA per Drew Gardner)  to satisfy the need of one particular photographer, but anyone can buy one if you are prepared to part with the cash.

It comes with a cold shoe but it may be a bit tight for the SB-900, but works fine with an SB-800.  Now I haven’t got a 900 but presume that like a SB800 it comes with it’s own cold foot or stand – the AS-19 which is a often ignored but very useful piece of kit.

This gives me a simple option to DIY a replacement for a Justin Clamp, for cheap.  A Bulldog clip from a stationary store, bolt and a couple of nuts and I have this.

Shown here clamping onto a bookcase with flannel to get a good grip without scratching the wood.

And if you are wondering why I don’t use those big clamps with the green or orange rubber tips, it’s because I can’t find any place that sells them around here!

Finally, if you want a real Justin Clamp – which is better but more expensive than a DIY version then you can always buy one from B&H. They are $56.95 but like any Bogen stuff will probably last your whole lifetime!

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DIY Bamboo Light Stand

Why a bamboo light stand?  Well if you are a reader of Strobist

then you know that lightstands are very handy — if not read here first.  Of course a factory built one is simple and probably the best option

, but it isn’t exactly cheap.  Particularly if you want more than one — and you will, you’ll want several.  There’s your main light, then fill, then hair and rim lights, and what about some reflectors and…  you get the picture.  Just try not to over-do the whole speedlight thing, heh?

Now one good solution to keep Strobist from hurting your wallet is the Stick in a Can, click that link and watch the video if that name doesn’t mean anything to you, but good/cheap and DIY as that is it isn’t great for portability.  I mean how many cans full of concrete can you carry about – even in the back of your car?

So here is my solution to the problem — which makes sense for me because were I live bamboo is cheap cheap cheap.  This light stand uses three 6 foot pieces of bambo, some brass bolts and a piece of string.  The bolts and string cost me more than the bamboo.

If you live somewhere where bamboo is an exotic import and costs a fortune, well then this post is of only academic interest.  Though flip through the pictures and maybe consider doing the same out of PVC tubing?  I understand that’s pretty cheap — using PVC tubing for photo stands is not new of course.  But that’s another topic. 

As we are visual types I’ll start with a slide show that shows what the stand looks like and how it’s used.  And I’ll follow up with some more details in another post.

[svgallery name=”DIYStrobistBambooLightStand”]

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D300 – Tethered as well

Well I’ve been a bit busy the last week and a bit, and what little “photo time” I have has been occupied with playing with my new toy the Nikon D300.  It was a gift to me and I’m really appreciating it very much.  It is a lot of camera when compared with my D40 and I really now understand what I read before about for people upgrading D40 -> D300.  Because it is a “class well above your current camera” you will need to “step up your game photographically if you want to get the benefits of those extra pixels. And there’s an enormous amount of controls to master to do that

In a sense I am no way near there — I wasn’t even near there with my D40 though I did feel a little frustration at its limits.  But as always it is the photographer, not the camera, that is the critical component and I want to spend more time on that aspect.

Still, as a geek I’ll never turn down, or fail to appreciate the fun, in a new gadget.

Pro:

  • Finally auto-focus for my 50mm f1/8 lens!
  • Better high ISO, it is not miraculous, but it is better
  • ISO 100 — so called “Lo”
  • Built in CLS commander, so I can free up my SB-800 and effectively get another off-camera flash
  • It works fine with my tethered shooting script.  🙂

Con:

  • It’s heavy – really, I don’t want to carry this about in my bag all the time
  • RAW files are so big — oh no, do I need another hard disk already?
  • It uses CF cards — when I have a big collection of SD 🙁

And the absolutely biggest issue:

  • I can no longer blame my terrible photographs on having inadaquate equipment.  😉

Ok I’ll stop playing soon and get back to doing something constructive.  Next up on my list “The World’s Most Expensive D300 Remote Shutter Release”.  Details to follow (if it works!)

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