BlackRapid R-Strap: A camera strap to REALLY use!

The last time I blogged I spoke of the BlackRapid R-strap that I was waiting for. After spending time with a Lowepro strap I was completely unimpressed. The buckles kept getting in the way when I lifted the camera to my eye. By the time I had rectified the situation, the photo was gone or almost... Come December 2009, I eagerly awaited my sister's visit from the US. Cos along with herself, she brought along my BlackRapid RS4-straps, which I had ordered and had delivered to her place in the US.

Once unpacked, the straps went onto my Nikon D40 and D300 respectively. Then what... Anti-climax! I was expected them to magically just do stuff. Jump the camera into my hand or something. Nadda! Nothing! Zippp! Well, OK! So, I went and watched a few YouTube videos on this strap and adjusted it as requested.

Since then, this strap has been an amazing addition to my gear. It is just out of the way, laying across your chest, doing its job; ie. holding your camera at a ready point dangling at your hip or slightly behind your back. When you need it, voila! You just reach down and the camera falls to your hand, ready for it to just pivot up and snap snap snap.  In fact, everything is so quick I often take multiple shots before I can stop myself (my camera is set on continuous mode). I'm able to frame, compose and take the photo in a... snapshot :)

I would give this camera strap 5 stars out of 5 just for its sheer simplicity and practicality. A few notes, once you've adjusted the strap to the right height for you, the "bumper" should ALWAYS be facing behind you. This becomes second nature once you are used to the strap. When you are fitting the rubber compression ring to your camera or lens, wet the rubber with some spit or water before screwing it in. This helps with the grip when it screws in. It helps keep your expensive camera and lens from dropping off the mounting screw. Also, the zipped section on the shoulder pad is great for extra digital cards. And the last point. I'm nervous about the front end of the my 18-200mm lens dangling out from my body, especially when I'm walking amongst people. Despite the filter on the lens, I worry about marks and dust and stuff as I'm strolling along in a crowd. While I initially kept the lens cap on, I've now gone and dragged out the lens hood for the lens and put that on. With the lens hood on, I in fact take the lens-cap off, and comfortably carry the camera with me, knowing there there is a bit of protection for the front of the lens.

This strap makes my life so comfortable that I dont know what life was like before that. This past weekend I took the family on a short hike up a hill and didnt even bother with a camera-case. With a water bottle over the one shoulder, camera over the other and a fanny pack it was no problem. I would heartily recommend Black Rapid's straps, if you are thinking of a replacement for your camera strap.

Travelling Light with cameras

Just did a two week trip through Sweden and Switzerland, carrying a Nikon D40 body, 12-24 f4, 35 f1.8 and a 18-200 F3.5-5.6 (all Nikkor lenses). I hardly used the 12-24mm and the 35mm, shooting withth 18-200mm 90% of the time on Auto ISO and using the Vibration Reduction (VR) option on the lens to its fullest. Of course Gitzo Traveller tripod helped for those long exposures at night. My aim was to travel as light as I could. I left the laptop at home, opting for lots of SD cards, a Gepe card-holder, a portable hard-drive. All of this was carried in one of Pelican's protective cases (waterproof and crushproof). My photo gear was carried in a Think Tank Change-up, along with a Think Tank Digital Holster 10 (which my wife brought along when she joined me). Honestly, I could have left the wide-angle and 35mm at home, along with the Change-Up and gone with the Holster, Think Tank Pro Speed Belt and a few extra pouches. I was walking the streets most of the time and the versatility of the harness system would have suited me better. The Change-Up was used more to transport my gear from city to city, rather than as my shooting bag. I did not miss my D300 that much, except for changing AF-focussing options with ease (you have to access it via menus, rather than buttons, like the D300). Also I realised a carrying strap for the Gitzo would have proved useful. I fashioned one out one of the two Change-Up straps and managed that way, carrying my camera out and ready instead of the holster. This increases the probability of you actually taking photos, instead of just carrying it around with you. One niggle... I shot the D40 with Lowepro new camera straps. It was a pain to get the quick-release buckles out of the way at critical moments when lifting the camera to my eye. It made me miss critical moments when I really could have done without this hassle. I'll hang onto it temporarily, but will keep my eye open for an alternative that won't break the bank. All in all, as an experiment in travelling light with a D-SLR I was very happy and would even shed some more weight next time. I missed the laptop in terms of backing up, but knew that my cards were safe in the Pelican Case. Digital memory is cheap, so load up.

Try this one it works...

Crazy Cool Internet Trick!
by Justin Benton

Try this crazy cool internet trick in your browser!

Go to google images. Search whatever you want. Then copy/paste this code in your internet address bar:

javascript:R=0; x1=.1; y1=.05; x2=.25; y2=.24; x3=1.6; y3=.24; x4=300; y4=200; x5=300; y5=200; DI= document.images; DIL=DI.length; function A(){for(i=0; i
Hit enter. Crazy, huh?

Hit refresh over and over to make it go faster. It also works on the main google images page, as well as many other websites if you just look around!

To see the youtube video of this being done, simply Click here. Enjoy!

Keeping your arm alive

VideoJug: How To Avoid Trapped Arm Whilst Cuddling In Bed

Waking up to poverty

When was the first time that you became aware of poverty? Hernando de Soto says he first became aware of poverty at the age of 18. The story he relates on Aljazeera makes reference to awakening to poverty in Peru when he came face to face with people from other countries. Until that time he believed others were less fortunate than himself. In Peru he had wide open spaces, could go horse riding and viewed Europe as being less privileged. Is the realisation of the existence of poverty only rooted in comparison? Do you realise your own privilege only through viewing your neighbours, seeing squallor on the highway flashing by, watching it on television? At what point do you reflect on what makes you happy and what do you need to make yourself happy? Do possessions or experiences constitute your happiness? And what role do you play (once you've reached your own enlightenment) in making others realise their own happiness?

Queuing for an aquarium

I was fortunate recently to be standing in line with several hundred others waiting for a new bulk shopping centre to open in Pretoria. The opening had been marketed well with newspaper adverts detailing massive specials and road-signs from close to the city centre pointing the way many kilometers out to the east. I was there to buy a luxury goods item, a satellite decoder.
My compatriots were competing for the same item and we joked about how far we were from the entrance, the amount of stock involved and would we be able to lay our hands on the prized item. In the half hour that I stood there the queue snaked back onto itself almost six times.
Besides the bonding so early in the morning, my thoughts drifted to old images of people queuing for far more basic necessities, such as bread or milk or fuel. The images that flit through my mind was of the old Eastern European countries and the stories we heard of the lack of basic goods. Is this a relic of history, the present reality or a foreboding future?

Coming closer to home the absence of basic goods is felt across the continent. In the last decade I've seen 7-hour fuel queues in one of the most oil-rich country on the continent. Today we hear of more recent queues even closer to home where even just getting a passport is as important as getting fuel or loaf of bread. Bribing the right people becomes an option many would rather not confront. Queuing for luxury goods in the early hours of the morning seems a far cry from queuing for basic groceries to feed your family.
David Lipton, reviewing economic shifts in Eastern Europe, wrote:

"One Russian pundit, commenting on the communist legacy, explained that anyone can turn an aquarium into fish stew, but it is much harder to turn fish stew into an aquarium."

I was standing in line in order to get a massive saving off this decoder, while others were paying far more dearly for a basic loaf of bread. Without basic services such as electricity my decoder will not even function. We have recently been suffering from load shedding in South Africa. Power cuts have caused great consternation amongst businesses and citizens. Everyone laments the inconvenience and thanks their gods that they don't live in another country. "Thank God we had enough power to watch the Rugby World Cup" was often heard over the last heady weekend. At least this load shedding can be classified as an inconvenience rather than a way of life (at present).

While we are moving into the 21st century at a rapid pace, we are also still sitting with massive poverty and an accompanying flare-up in corruption around the world. I enjoy the luxuries of new technology, but I wonder how we are going to provide everyone with consistent lights, clean water, sufficient food and adequate safety. How can we be putting all the benefits we enjoy of this new century to good use to benefit more people? How are we/am I making a difference? Is there an aquarium or fish stew in the future? Am I building a wall between me and my neighbour so I can keep my aquarium safe? Will I be queing for fish stew within the next few decades?

They've landed!

The 2007 Springbok rugby team have arrived from France, bring the Rugby World Cup trophy proudly to the South Africa. Jake White and his class of 2007 could not have been as proud as the many thousands of fans who were awaiting them at the international and domestic passenger lounges of OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The South African anthem was sung a few times, amidst renditions of "Shosholozosa" and toyi-toying as the crowds were jubilant. The big count-down clock (for the Soccer World Cup in 2010) in the domestic arrivals lounge was ignored by all, as one fan even claimed that this win "made us hate soccer"!

The players appeared quite shell-shocked by the reception which would've overwhelmed anyone. Highveld Stereo was quick to comment on the lovely reception tourists and domestic travelers were getting as they battled their way through the crowds trying to catch their flights. Today was not a day to be rushing anywhere by plane. It was estimated that there were about 10,000 fans at the airport. All missing out on work and school. All of them wearing green and gold in their hearts. It was well worth getting up early and navigating the traffic to the airport. Well done guys! Thanks for inspiring us!