New Think Tank Streetwalker Pro Roller and Turnstyle v2 Sling Bags
Our friends at Think Tank Photo have just released a new rolling backpack as part of its classic StreetWalker series, as well as upgraded all three of the backpacks in that series.
Now with the StreetWalker V2.0 series, you get new features such as increased depth for modern DSLR systems, and dedicated pockets for both tablets and smartphones.
The new rolling backpack’s harness system allows you to roll the bag or carry it on your back in comfort.
The new Think Tank Streetwalker Pro Roller
This is the perfect bag for when you need both wheels and a backpack -- which happens often in my world (for example, at the airport, I love rollers, but for an outdoor, beach wedding, having a backpack is really nice).
(To order that roller using my affiliate link please click this line:)
In addition, they’ve upgraded their popular TurnStyle sling bags.
Ideal grab-and-go bag for a casual day of shooting with a DSLR or Mirrorless system and lenses, wear a body-conforming TurnStyle bag as either a sling bag or beltpack to move and shoot freely.
The new Think Tank Turnstyle v2 Sling Bag.
The new Turnstyles feature a tuck-away stabilizer strap and are available in two new colors: Charcoal and Blue Indigo.
To order this new bag, using my affiliate link, please click on this line:
Don’t forget that because of my relationship with Think Tank when you click on these links you will receive free gear and free shipping!
Ask Paul: What would you recommend for getting started with video?
I enjoy hearing from colleagues and friends about Sony and am starting to get more and more inquiries not only about the Sony a9 camera but also, video.
As a photographer who has made most of his living with the frozen (still) image for nearly 3 decades, I'm starting to add more video to my mix this year and I couldn't be more excited about it.
I got an inquiry from a photographer who is primarily a wedding and portrait shooter and, with his permission, I'm sharing this email and response because I think it's really an issue that many starting out deal with. ENJOY!
“Q: Hey there, Paul! This time, it’s MY turn to ask you some questions.
Well, it’s really ONE question, but please bear with me.
We have been seriously considering adding video to our skill set. In so many ways, I feel like I waited too long.
So we’re now trying to refocus our efforts.
I don’t know if it will work, but we’re wiling to explore. Long story made short: As you know, I’ve already been invested in the Micro Four Thirds system with Olympus.
However, video is merely a hobby for Olympus, and they’ve admitted as much.
One of the most popular cameras for video is the Panasonic camera, a GH4 or a GH5, which would also allow me to use my current investment of Olympus glass. HOWEVER, it seems the Panasonic GH5 has some serious issues with autofocus, and a number of reviewers are complaining about it or simply tolerating it and saying “For video I use manual focus anyway.”
So if you were looking to recommend a camera to produce video clips for an experienced primarily stills photographer, what would you recommend? I’d be glad to have your honest opinion about it. Notice, I have NOT defined a budget. I’m merely interested in the tool that will serve me well, and I can decide budget from there. Thanks for your input! No rush. I don’t have any cash burning a hole in my pocket. LOL! Thanks! again.”
And here's my reply
(TL;DNR - get the Sony a6500, and 16-50 kit lens to start or, get the 18-105 Sony with it's power zoom -- perfect for video. Then add a full frame camera like the a7SII, the a7RII or the new a9 and get the ability to shoot full frame video).
Thanks so much for your note. Those are some great questions. And I will try to give you what I think is the best answer.
So you know I’m a Sony guy so I’m not going to sugar coat it. I think they have the best view of the future going forward from both the standpoint of stills and video.
I do believe that video is going to be figuring into our futures — even us still shooters — because that is the way the world is evolving. If you watch little ones, and I watch my kids and how they consume information on the web and they 1) love video and 2) easily go back and forth from stills to video — on an iPhone or an iPad it’s a swipe or a button press. That is the future and video is going to be omnipresent.
I see this in many ways just as profound a shift — actually MORE of a shift — than when we went from film to digital. This will impact not only our tools but the mindset with which we work. It’s exciting and I am embracing my inner Spielberg as I move forward. In fact I’m having more fun with it (despite the long learning curve to learn Premiere (but I’m getting there!) as I try to gain my footing on a somewhat rocky earth as the business changes.
In 2012 I was looking to update my gear since my Canon 5dm2 was getting long in the tooth as were the v1 zooms and I wanted to look at everything. And I did. Everything (well almost everything but enough to make what I feel was the best decision for me).
Babysteps, babysteps...
First came Samsung.
I was given an early camera (which was BAD) but it came with an 85 mm f1.4 lens (which was INSANELY great) and while the EVF was slow, the camera was primitive, I had a sense that this was where the future was going. Good thing I didn’t go in that brand direction because Samsung eventually bailed on their attempt, but still it was a great place to start.
Then I tried Olympus, Panasonic (GH2, GH3 — before the GH4), early Fuji (I had an XE-1 and some glass) but none of them ever really made me think that I could give up DSLR 100% of the time. I just never loved the look I was getting from M4/3 though I know many love them. (As an aside, the GH5 is a great camera with some awesome specs — I will address that a bit more later….suffice it to say they raised the bar for the standard offerings for a small compact video/stills hybrid camera).
Doing DSLR with video was always a huge PITA for me. I just didn’t like using it and having to put a viewfinder on the back of the monitor on the camera just seemed like such a compromise.
Working with the Sony cameras, I use the tilting monitor on the back of the camera, add an external monitor (I haven’t yet done that but am looking at the new 5” monitor from Small HD, Atomos, or the Sony 5” monitor, or look through the EVF just like I would look through it if I were to be taking stills. To have that many options really works for me…especially as I move to video coming from my ingrained habits of shooting stills.
I was just about ready to give up on mirrorless all together and re invest in DSLR until my good friend (and fellow Sony Artisan Pat Murphy-Racey) said to me: “I know you’re frustrated with mirrorless and you don’t want to try anything else, but please try ONE more camera.” He suggested the newly launched Sony a6000 and the newly launched 70-200 f4 and I rented them from LensRentals.com and the rest, as they say, is history.
I knew within minutes of picking of the camera that this was indeed going to work for me…and I migrated from Canon DSLR to Sony immediately. I also stopped any dalliances with other mirrorless systems because I believe I had found "the One" (how's that for a Matrix reference!?) that I was looking for.
Three Sensor Sizes Give Sony users a distinct advantage
One of the reason was choice: there are three basic sensors that I can use — from 1” sensors on the RX100V, RX10II, III, to the APS-C sized sensor on the a6300 and a6500 to the full frame (35mm size) sensors on the a7RII, a7SII and now the a9. I like having those options and in fact last night I photographed an event using only the a7SII and the a6500 and it was great.
Start small, get your feet wet, then expand...
So my recommendation to you starting out as wanting to try the Sonys for video would be to get an a6500…I wouldn’t get an older camera because the a6500 has built in 5 axis IBIS and if you plan on shooting 4K video there is a thermal sensor override that lets you keep going with video and it works well. The a6300 which is a bit cheaper, doesn’t have the IBIS and tends to overheat when shooting 4k video. You don’t want that to happen so trust me and get the a6500.
For a lens, you can start with the little 16-50 kit lens which is actually a good little lens, but be careful with it…it isn’t super heavy duty….you could also look at the 18-105 f4 which has a power zoom and is a favorite of videographers who want to use the camera and lens on a gimbal. And, because it’s a power zoom you won’t need to rebalance it as you zoom.
There is a 16-70 f4 Zeiss lens which is a very good lens, though it’s more of a still photography lens, meaning that as you zoom, the lens protrudes so it’s not ideal for using on a gimbal because it would mean having to rebalance.
After you get your feet wet with the a6500, then you might want to go up to a full frame sensor and then add some glass.
I love the 24-70 f2.8 GMaster, it is superb and works well in AF on the a6500…it covers Full Frame. Then you could add an 85mm such as the 85mm f1.4
GMaster lens, the 85 1.8 Sony or the 85mm f1.8 Zeiss Batis. All are native on the E mount cameras but full frame and cropped. I also have a relatively inexpensive 10-18 f4 which is the perfect super wide for gimbal work and it gives you a 15-27mm equivalent on a full frame. You could add a 70-200 then and I recommend the 2.8 because it is the best made 70-200 that I have ever used for stills. The smoothest zoom and the most even manual focus make it so good. I’m very happy with this lens.
New Life for Sony A Mount Glass with the a9
If you get an a9, then the world opens up even more for your needs in glass. You can use the Sony A mount lenses (the earlier models, meant for the a99II and are the old Minolta Maxxum mount). The new sensor of the a9, coupled with a souped up Sony LAEA3 adaptor and those lenses will track at 10 FPS.
I have a 24-70 f2.8 A Mount lens and I absolutely love it (it might even be sharper than the GMaster!) and is amazingly smooth in manual focus. I use MF with this lens all the time for stills and video. A superb lens and you could probably find a used one for a song.
The other thing about the new a9 is that it should really open up the Canon glass even more using adapters such as the Sigma MC11 or a Metabones EF-E. There are reports out that they will perform as well on the new a9 (EF glass that is) as it does natively. Note: I have not tried for myself, so I cannot speak to the claims personally, but I plan to try it as soon as possible.
If that was the case, it opens up the range of the Canon optics onto the Sony line and that is very cool (though Canon probably doesn’t love that news)…
Even the AF on the a6500 with the 24-70 f2.8 and the LAE3 is very very good. I cannot wait to see what happens with the new camera and sensor.
So there you have it -- I hope you find it helpful.
Paul
Any follow up questions? Please post them in the comments below!
Orange County Personal Branding Photography Session with Jody
I am excited to share these portraits that we just did in the studio for Jody.
Jody is a long-time client and I have photographed her and her lovely family several times as well doing some portraits for her husband’s business.
For this session Jody wanted something beyond the traditional headshot so together we selected several different clothing styles and we had our favorite hair and make up artist Nikki to add her masterful touch.
Jody said this about the session:
“I have had the pleasure of working with Paul Gero on a few different occasions over the past 10 years.
Paul has photographed our family photos on a few different occasions along with utilizing Paul for all of my and my Husband’s corporate needs.
Paul is a joy to work with. He is calm and precise which in turn always produces the best photos.
Recently I used Paul for new corporate head shots.
Paul was very flexible when it came to me wanting a little more edgy style corporate photo versus the more traditional style photos.
I am overjoyed with the outcome and have received tons of positive feedback from my peers after posting them online.
Lastly, I would like to say that having the option to have my hair and makeup professionally done was fantastic. It was very conveinent and I was very pleased with how it all turned out.
You cannot go wrong in working with Paul especially if you want amazing photos in the end!”
Personal branding photographs go beyond our normal standard headshot — they often involve hair and make up, more clothing options for different looks and can be utilized in a variety of ways for your business. If you would like to know more about what these sessions entail, contact us through the form below — we would love to work with you to create the perfect images that showcase you — because you are your brand!
My Top 10+ Reasons Why the Sony a9 is the perfect camera for wedding and portrait photographers!
After a whirlwind trip and upon returning from Sony's announcement on Wednesday April 19, 2017 in New York City, these are my 10+ reasons why this camera will turn heads in the industry and entice many DSLR shooters from Canon and Nikon to switch to Sony.
While presented as the state of the art camera for professional and serious amateur sports and news photographers, this camera certainly has a place in the bags of wedding shooters.
My top 10+ reasons:
#1 Speed 20 FPS to capture peak action!
#2 Focus Precision 693 Phase Detect AF cells cover nearly 93% of the full frame sensor!
#3 Silent Shooting! Perfect to quietly and discreetly record wedding ceremonies with no shutter blackout and up to the full 20 FPS!
#4 New Battery! Pro wedding photographers have been clamoring for a stronger battery and Sony delivered. This battery should put it on par with typical offerings from Nikon and Canon.
#5 Pro Grade Lenses to go with this pro camera. Sony has been amassing a murderer's row of the finest professional glass and now they have their most professional body to date to go with that glass.
#6 Improved controls. A new joystick and touch focus help make this camera be even more of what pro photographers require to do their work!
#7 Small Camera Size is Maintained. Somehow Sony engineers made this camera more robust, and perform like a Porsche, while still keeping it small -- especially when compared to the flagship DSLR sports cameras like the Canon 1dx Mark II and the Nikon D5.
#8 Improved the EVF -- this is Sony's best and sharpest EVF ever and makes working with an EVF even more realistic and immersive. With an EVF when shooting with available light or continuous light such as LED -- What You See Is What You Get with this camera.
#9 Insanely fast, brand new sensor!. This probably should have been #1 because everything that is possible is because of this new Sony Innovative full-frame stacked CMOS sensor with integral memory. Because of this sensor which is 20X faster than anything Sony has ever released before, the camera can perform as it does.
#10 More TTL flash options (with Sony's launch of their first radio transceiver flash -- the HVL45M in November of 2016, Sony has more offerings that will work wonderfully with this a9 camera. Flash is important and imperative to most wedding photographers and now there are more options from Sony and third party manufacturers because Sony is gaining such critical mass in the marketplace.
#11 Improved High ISO capabilities. With each subsequent generational leap (Sony a7 to a7RII) I have gained an effective full stop of high ISO performance and I surmise and expect that to be the case with this camera. For example, with the original Sony a7, I felt comfortable at a top ISO of 6400 for color; with the a7RII I felt comfortable with a top ISO of 12,800. I expect to be able to work at 25,600 with this new camera.
#12 Improved 5-axis IBIS (In Body Image Stabilization). This is a must have for still and video shooters and will change how you work.
#13 Sony's commitment. If anyone stills doubts that Sony is 110% committed to this market, the a9 should dispel that notion. I've believed that for a long time and was the reason for switching from DSLR to mirrorless. Sony gets it and sees the future and mirrorless is the future of photography.
#14 Dual SD Card slots. Wedding shooters who have held out switching because of the previous lack of dual slots can not make the move knowing that their requests have been answered. And, by using SD cards (and releasing their fastest SD card to date to go with this camera), Sony kept the size and weight of the camera down.
So those are my top 10+ reasons why I think that the Sony a9 is the perfect camera for wedding and portrait photographers!
What do you think?
Please comment below and I am happy to answer any questions that I can if at all possible.
Thanks for watching (and please subscribe to my You Tube channel and give me a thumbs up if you like the video).
Regan's Recent In-Studio Portrait Session
Photographing Regan, a Mom of two gorgeous pre-teen kids, was a treat.
Not only because Regan is a lovely woman but also because of her upbeat and positive personality. She is one of those kinds of people that you just love to be around because she’s got an easy smile and a warm laugh.
This session was extra special because while we were shooting, we were being interviewed and videotaped by none other than Sue Bryce http://suebryce.com and her crew for an upcoming broadcast on her educational site. Sue is the patron saint of the modern glamour photography movement throughout the world and we have been following her for years. To say that it was an extra special treat for us to be profiled is a huge understatement.
So for this extra special event, we needed the perfect person for this particular shoot and Regan was the first person that came to our minds.
She is married to Matt, the head coach of the Tesoro Titans Varsity FB team so she was used to being in the limelight.
And she knocked it out of the park.
Look at these portraits from her session!
But the best thing is what Regan said after viewing her photographs and it drives home the reason we do this and the reason we believe in this and why you should have this session done:
"Thank you so much for such an amazing portrait experience. To be honest, I would have never considered spoiling myself this way... as a wife and working mother of two kids, I barely have time to take a bath. Haha! And, I really am not one who enjoys spending time being pampered... 45 minutes getting my nails done is excruciating, which is why I never do it!
That being said, when I was approached by you to give this a shot, I thought, "Why not? This is something I would normally never do." I considered it as pushing myself a little bit out of my comfort zone. I started getting more excited than I thought when thinking about the outfits I would wear and putting them together. I got together with my sister so she could help "style" me in preparation. On the morning of the shoot I was a little nervous, but was quickly put at ease when I showed up to your studio. Your makeup artist was perfect. She was personable and professional. My nerves of looking like someone other than myself, were quieted as she just made me look like a better version of myself. She could tell I was getting a little anxious as the shoot was getting ready to start, so she offered me a much needed glass of champagne - I loved that!! The shoot started, and it was like nothing I would have ever imagined. It was like I was transported to another place... on a magazine shoot, and surprisingly I started to love it! I felt so comfortable and it was so much fun! You and your wife are such an amazing team, and your experience came through in every detail of the shoot. When the shoot was over, I was nervous again... What was I going to look like? Would I be happy with what I saw? Would I look like myself?
The time came for my portrait reveal... the nerves, they came back! Ugh! My husband and I walked in to see them all and I was immediately overcome with emotion. I started to cry! I was in shock. How could I look like this and still look so much like myself? It was like nothing I had ever felt. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could feel so beautiful. You have such a gift! This was definitely an experience I will never forgot, and something I wish ever woman could experience. It wasn't on my bucket list before, but I added it after, so that I could check it off... it was that good! Every woman should treat herself to such a gift. xoxo"
Thank you Regan for being such an amazing person and subject!!