Moose News Blog

Lenscoat has some cool new protection for our gear just in time for summer travels with TSA. Their new BodyBag Pro is cool because it really takes up no room yet provides a barrier between your camera body and the outside world (the body is faded in above so you can see how easily and custom the BodyBag Pro fits a D3). You can even use this with the body attached to a neckstrap. The FlashKeeper does the same thing for your flash unit while providing an extra compartment for batteries or gels. It easily holds the SB-800 with the 5th battery chamber attached. And the BeamerKeeper is super for holding the Better Beamer. I rely on all of these products to protect my gear when I’m flying and when it’s being shipped in the Pelican to locations. It’s never let me down!

It’s here! We’re quite happy to tell the world (well sort of, it’s in our current BTJ) about our latest photopack, the MP-7. In my mind, I call it the Joe McNally pack because it can easily carry 4 SB-800s and all the other gear I’ve seen my hero take out when he works his magic. To learn more and to place your order, head here. The majority of our first shipment is already gone, so new orders might not be shipped for two-three weeks. But it’s well worth the wait. This is the photopack I was carrying around Photoshop World a couple of weeks ago that many were asking about.

As promised, here’s some trivia on the new 24PC-E lens.

I’ve shot with it for about a month now, starting at the March Moab DLWS event. It can be used as a “regular” 24mm lens with manual focus put that’s not truly how it’s meant to be used. Simply put, it’s an amazing piece of optical technology. Its Tilt is vastly more than what I expected, the Shift is what I expected. The panos it produces are stunning. It is a very sharp lens with amazing edge to edge quality.

It’s purpose, operation and shooting tips I’ve written up in a four page PDF you can find here. Hope it helps.

Started receiving a number of emails asking, “Where on your blog are these videos?” Finally, someone said they heard them mentioned at PSWTV. If I didn’t have this or that micro site, it probably would be easier to keep track of all this “stuff” I’ve put out there (I have a paper map on my desk so I can find stuff). Anyways you can find the D3 videos here. Will I be doing the same thing for the D300? I won’t. As time has gone by, I’ve gone to just shooting with the D3 with its FX sensor for everything so I don’t know the D300 that well. Many of the settings on the D3 like those for the AF translates to the D300 though just fine. Will I be coming out with more videos? Heck yeah…just watch the blog next week. Remember that McNally posting about me a while back….pay back time

This has been a common question of late, “what about flash and the D3?” and it’s a darn good question. What about using iTTL flash with the D3? What about using flash with the 600VR? What about using flash with wildlife? All darn good questions that I’m trying to produce new content as quickly as I can to help answer. I have two of the three answers up for you now. We’ve just posted TWO NEW videos on D3 flash. You can find them here. I’ve posted a new paper on the basics of using iTTL flash in the D3 and flash in general you can find here.

Hopefully while I’m on the road the next couple of weeks (in part filming Wildlife Photography videos for Kelby Training), I can get some content written on flash for wildlife. Flash for wildlife is different from what you’ll learn from the greats, the Strobist or Joe McNally because we have no control over our subject so it requires a little different approach.

What you see pictured here is the flash set up I use with the 600VR (which you’ll notice is wearing its “coat“) when photographing birds. The 600VR is mounted on a Whimberley Head with the Whimberley F-9 Flash Arm holding a SB-800. There is a shortened SC-29 cable connecting (using this) the flash to the D3. There is a SD-8a powering the SB-800 with a BetterBeamer (to increase DOF) attached to the SB-800 head.