Lexar’s Professional UDMA card reader is a compact, collapsible memory card reader with slots for SecureDigital and CompactFlash memory cards. It has a USB 2.0 interface and can read the new UDMA CompactFlash cards as well as high-capacity SDHC SecureDigital memory cards. I’ve been using the Lexar Professional UDMA reader in the office and on the road for a few months now and recently tested it against a couple of other card readers.
 

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If you look at the $700 Epson P-5000 image tank and think to yourself “That’s what a low-end laptop costs with a larger HD and big screen! Why would I want that?!” then this review isn’t for you. But if you look at your laptop before every shoot and dread having to deal with it, then read on.

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Wireless gadgets, USB gadgets, and wireless USB gadgets generally don’t warrant a second thought, but the Eye-Fi Card is a new wireless product for casual photographers that automates the process of downloading pictures to your computer and uploading them to your photo sharing service. You shoot, it does the rest.

The Eye-Fi Card comes in SD (Secure Digital) format and is aimed at those people who don’t want to mess with cords or bother with using a card reader. In addition, the automation handles resizing the images for online use while also saving them to your computer as well.

Once you set up your Eye-Fi to work with your home wireless network and a service like Flickr (it takes about two minutes), the Eye-Fi will automatically detect and transfer JPEG files to your online account and/or your home computer whenever it’s powered on.

That’s pretty much it, but don’t forget to leave the camera on and turn off its auto-power saving function (the Eye-Fi draws its power from your camera battery). It’s that simple.

The great thing is that the software and hardware is smart enough to accommodate real-world glitches like powering down the camera during a transfer or losing your wireless signal. Both of these happened to me while testing the Eye-Fi and it simply picked up where it left off before the interruptions.

You will still have to download pictures the old-fashioned wired way if you have RAW format files or if you have movies shot with your camera on the card. Eye-Fi simply ignores these file formats. I could not test TIFFs.

The card conveniently comes with a card reader and the setup is handled by simply plugging the card and card reader into your computer’s USB slot. On my Mac, the Eye-Fi Manager application launched Firefox (you have to set Firefox or IE as your default browser, a hassle if you use something else like Safari or Camino) and started the process. Each step was well documented and you are told what is happening.

Once you’re set up, you don’t need to have the Eye-Fi Manager application running. If you do, it will show you the progress of individual pictures being transferred to your online account and/or your computer’s hard drive. If you don’t have it running, you won’t see anything if transferring online, but you will get a little pop up box and progress bar as it transfers to the hard drive. Unfortunately there is no “all done” confirmation message to remind you to turn off your camera.

A bit of detail about how Eye-Fi works: the card has a dedicated computer inside which connects to Eye-Fi’s servers over your network. At this time it apparently cannot transfer files via a public hotspot which requires signing on through a log-on page. Once connected however, Eye-Fi transfers full size files. If your online service limits the file size, no problem, Eye-Fi’s software does that for you. And as I mentioned, if your computer is off and you have Eye-Fi set up to save to the hard drive, that will happen automatically the next time your computer is online.

Here are the services that Eye-Fi works with at the time of this review:

Walmart
Vox
Shutterfly
Fotki
Phanfare
Sharpcast
SmugMug
Flickr
Snapfish
Webshots
Gallery2
dotPhoto
Typepad
Facebook
Picasa Web Albums
Kodak Gallery
Photobucket

Eye-Fi Card Benefits:
* Easy setup
* Easy use
* Smart hardware/software accommodates interruptions

Eye-Fi Card Drawbacks:
* No RAW file support
* If you need speed, you ain’t got speed (compared to card readers)
* Eye-Fi Manager has no “transfer complete” confirmation, although there are progress bars for individual pictures
* Need to keep the camera on (and turn off the camera’s auto-power off)
* Battery drain is higher with Eye-Fi than with regular SD card.
* Only one online photo service at a time

My guess is that if you’re in the product’s target market, you won’t be put off by the Eye-Fi’s disadvantages. Serious photographers, who are shooting up cards and cards full of photos won’t find this product to be of any interest. However casual snapshooters making just a couple pictures here and there may find a lot to like in this unique little gadget. If you’re one of those folks, this could be a nice little timesaver. As Joe Bob used to say, “Check it out.” Eye-Fi’s website is here at www.eye.fi.

Laurence Chen
www.lchenphoto.com

It´s obvious, I know, but electronics and water don´t mix. And unless
you’re shooting with a body made before 1980, chances are it´s filled
to the brim with the stuff. Even though a little drizzle typically isn’t anything to worry about, it is not unheard of for even a little
bit of water to render a camera inoperable. So what can you do about it?

First, it’s important to note that even weather-sealed professional
bodies are prone to failure in the elements. For just as many people
that take their pro bodies through a storm without ill effects, there are an equal number that have their bodies stop functioning due to
much less exposure. Samples vary, seals wear out, dust causes leaks,
etc. The same thing applies to non-sealed gear. Some people never protect it,
and others lose it in minor conditions. The only way to guarantee your
investment is safe and dry is to do your best to keep the moisture
off of it. And the methods to achieve that goal go from goofy to
purposeful and anywhere in between.

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 Lowepro Vertex 200 AW Camera Backpack
A Serious Backpack For Outdoor Photographers

I’ve been using the Lowepro Vertex 200 AW backpack for a few months now. Generally it carries a Canon EOS-1D Mark III, Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di, Canon EF 28-300MM f/3.5-5.6 L IS, a Canon 550 EX flash, Pocket Wizard radio slaves, memory cards, extra AA batteries, and miscellaneous other pieces of photographic paraphernalia. The backpack has a sophisticated harness system, holds a laptop computer, and features Lowepro’s adjustable Glide-Lock system for attaching a tripod or Lowepro Slip-Lock accessories to the outside of the backpack. It also has weather-resistant zippers and Lowepro’s Patented “All Weather Cover.”  The Glide-Lock system carried my compact travel tripod securely and was easier to use than other tripod attachments I’ve used in the past. The Vertex 200 AW also comes with another removable tripod holder that will carry a larger tripod on the rear of the backpack.

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Intro

There is no arguing that a tripod is the ultimate camera support. But sometimes you may want to carry something lighter, more compact and in some ways more capable than a traditional tripod. In those instances the Joby Gorillapod might fit the bill.
The Gorillapod comes in three models:

• “Original” - holds up to 9.7 ounces, has quick release
• “SLR” - holds up to 1.75 pounds, has quick release
• “SLR-Zoom” - holds up to 6.6 pounds, no quick release

My experience is with the Original and the SLR-Zoom. The SLR version wouldn’t work well with my cameras, so I passed on buying it.

Original

I remember seeing the Gorillapod online when it was first released. I didn’t really think much of it, since it seemed a bit gimmicky. The whole premise behind it was the ability to wrap its legs around something stable to create unique mounting opportunities. I had little faith in its performance, even though I had never had a chance to use it. However, it seemed to really catch on as time went on. Its reviews were favorable and its popularity spawned its two bigger siblings.

(Image provided by Joby)

A little over a month ago I was at a local electronics store shopping for a case for my Canon TX1. Right above the cases hung the original Gorillapod and the SLR version of it. Never having the chance to use one, I was curious enough to take a closer look at it. The case is a blister pack, but it’s not sealed, making it very easy to open and examine. What I found was a compact, light set of legs that wrapped around its display “branch” very snugly. On a whim, I decided to give it a try.

(Image provided by Joby)

Once I got it home I started putting it through its paces. Right from the start I was impressed by how sturdy the little legs were. With the TX1 mounted on it, a considerable amount of force was needed to get the legs to collapse. The joints held strong enough to make it a viable micro-tripod alternative. But, like any chain, the elements are only as strong as their weakest link. Some of the joints hold much better than others, and I noticed that in some positions the stress of even a moderately heavy camera would collapse the weakest joint on a leg, making the whole thing collapse. It’s not difficult to work around this with different leg positions and bends, but something to be aware of. With most small cameras this won’t be an issue, but it can become a problem with heavier setups.

Though surprisingly strong, the plastic construction sacrifices a lot of rigidity. With the TX1 I need to use the self-timer to allow enough time for the shaking to subside. Any sort of touch makes the camera tremble, making long-exposure shots difficult without a timer or remote. This can also make precise framing difficult. You just never know if the image is framed the same way after the shaking subsides.

SLR-Zoom

Even with its shortcomings, the Gorillapod impressed me enough to make me curious about the largest of the three versions. About two weeks after getting the original, the SLR-Zoom was at my doorstep.

Though it exhibits less of the shaking that plagues the little version, it still suffers from the weak link syndrome. But I found this more difficult to work around with the SLR-Zoom because of the extra weight it is meant to support. I am unable to use the legs splayed out like a tripod because there are several joints near the mounting plate that are weaker than the rest. This causes the legs to buckle unless they are shaped just right, reducing the unit’s usefulness as a small tripod replacement. The legs still hold tight when twisted around oddly shaped things, but when fully loaded I have a hard time trusting it. Granted, fully loaded to me means having a ballhead on along with my 20D with grip and 70-200 IS. Though I have not weighed it, I’m confident that I’m pushing the bounds of its weight specification. So if you intend to use it with a similar setup I suggest you test it thoroughly to see if it works for you. Once the ballhead is removed and a more reasonable lens is attached (17-40L) the setup becomes much more stable. Even wrapping it around the oddly shaped armrest of an office chair results in a reasonably stable platform.

Bottom Line

What it comes down to is that the Gorillapod, in its many incarnations, achieves some of its goals most of the time, and others in certain specific situations. It is useful as a tripod replacement as long as you stay under its rated weight. It shines when you are able to utilize its unique design to wrap around things or fit into odd spaces. But even then, you have to remember that the legs don’t exert any force on the object they’re grasping, relying instead on friction and gravity. Friction is hard to come by on account of dirt and lack of clamping force, but if you can utilize gravity and use the Gorillapod to act as a hook then it can pull off feats that no other tripod can. The only thing that compares is a magic arm/superclamp setup, but that is a much more costly set of gadgets that limits you to a certain usable thickness of clamping surfaces. Like with everything else, it’s a tradeoff. If you have a stable tripod but want something light and compact to have as an alternative with a light to medium-weight camera setup, then definitely give the Gorillapod a look try. But if you are looking for a steady and reliable camera support for most situations, you might want to stay clear.

Overall I like both the Gorillapod and the SLR-Zoom. In those instances where they are useful I am really glad to have them. These are tools that shine in a narrow realm of uses, for all the good and bad that comes with that distinction. My recommendation is to buy with caution.