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Once again the guys at Kase Filters have listened to the photographers that use their equipment and have actioned some of the things that was felt needed to improve on their already excellent K8 filter holder. I was lucky enough to be loaned a demo kit for a little while to see what I thought of it. So without further ado here's my review of the soon to be released K9 Filter Holder Kit. Improvements MadeSo whilst the fundamentals of the holder system remain the same, the new Kase Filters K9 holder has some differences, and these differences make the K9 even easier to use. They have shaved a little bit off from around the top and bottom of the K9 holder, making it not only slightly lighter again than the K8 but also making it ergonomically better. They've added in some lovely little divots perfectly shaped to help you lift out your polariser when in situ much easier. The geared wheel for polariser adjustment on the side of the holder has been enlarged on the K9 for better ease of use. The filter slots have been redesigned making it easier for you to take your filters in and out of the holder but still retaining the super hold of the K8. The red knurl to tighten everything up has a slightly coarser thread making it again easier to adjust. Changing the wheel and the knurl in particular makes the K9 easier again to use with gloves on in cold weather which is always a good thing. The one change that stands out from all others in the kit though is the fact that the polariser has been made larger, going from 86mm to 90mm. The reason for this is that it was identified that there was some vignetting with the K8 system on some wide angle lenses such as the Nikon 14-35mm and the Sony 16-35mm f2.8, so that's been listened to and the adjustments made accordingly. What Do I Think Of The K9? I think that the improvements that have been made to produce the new K9 holder are once again very much in support of the photographer. It's not just a product that looks good, but it works superbly well out in the field making photography a joy. Even in chilly weather with gloves on you'll have no problem making the fine adjustments that you need to to get your images. It's a very well thought out item. The one thing that you have to keep in mind is that the K9 hasn't been produced as the next step up from the K8, the K8 is still the tops and very much holds its own for the majority of lenses, the K9 however has been made with specific wide lenses in mind that suffered with a little vignetting previously when using the K8. Therefore, you don't need to rush out and buy it unless you actually have the need for it. There is a slight increase in price from the K8 at £110 to the K9 at £140, however as with all of the Kase Filters range you very much get what you pay for. Top quality equipment with solely the photographer in mind. Personally I won't be purchasing the K9 holder as I don't have a need for it, the K8 does the job absolutely fine for me, however my partner in crime Alan Howe does and will most likely be investing in one as he was equally impressed with it. So, if you want to #CaptureWithConfidence as the Kase Filters UK slogan says and have a wide angle lens that requires the Kase Filter K9 Filter Holder, I'd recommend it you without hesitation. The Kase Filters K9 Filter Holder Kit is due for release mid November and if you would like a 10% discount code should you wish to purchase one simply drop me a line at info@philstarkeyphotography.co.uk A Rather Sketchy Video! Below you can find a rather dodgy little video of how easy it is that the Kase Filters K9 Holder Kit goes together, I gave it a bit of a shake to show you how it doesn't budge too. It's a great bit of kit!
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Sock ProblemsGet ready for an epic review of socks, walking socks to be precise. Ooo I can hear the excitement from here at my desk as I type. Actually it's not so much a review but a blurb! Not the most grabbing of subjects and one that I didn't think I'd be blogging about but there we go. Socks. Bridgedale socks to be precise. Soft, springy, comfortable socks that I fell in love with a while ago now. These socks have made my running more bouncy, and my long distance walking infinitely more bearable, especially with a hike across Devon that I did last year where I only suffered minor blisters due to these lovely, well made, wonderful foot pouches. Those were the Trekkers that I wore at the time. So, why did I have a moan about Bridgedale Socks on Twitter a while ago then and ask my fellow photographers and walkers about other brands? Well, because unfortunately the Summit type of Bridgedales caused me to end up with a huge blister the size of the moon (I kid you not) on my right foot nine miles into a fourteen mile walk. Ok, so, maybe it wasn't the size of the moon, just from one side of my foot to the other, covering the whole ball from the base of the toes to almost half way down the foot. Now that's a pretty epic sized blister really isn't it. Needless to say the bloody thing was excruciatingly painful and I nearly had to chop my foot off. Well I did get my penknife out and have to burst the bugger simply to give some sort of relief from the ridiculous pain, it really was that bad. At the point of burstage I still had another two miles to do before making it home, and there was no way the other half could reach me in my hour of need due to the location, and the fact that he was finishing up at work. So, with a branch lodged between my teeth, swigging brandy from a bottle, and going at the pace of a tortoise, I hobbled home using the side of my foot to relieve pressure on the fluid ridden skin bag whilst developing blisters on the other foot too and having to give the biggun a poke with the penknife another couple of times en route. Happy days! I did find one bonus to the old style Summits, they made great fluid mops!! After getting home, discarding the branch and brandy and reporting my big, brave, tough, adventure of endurance to my other half who had since got home and was being very sympathetic by offering me a much needed cup of tea and mopping my fevered brow, I decided that I would take up the tweeting, not for any other reason than to seek advice and alternative recommendations on socks by a number of acquaintances. This tweeting resulted in Jim, the Product Manager from Bridgedale themselves, seeing my woes and suggesting that I might like to contact him via email to have a chat about this a little further. So that's exactly what I did, and what a pleasant chap Jim was too. He was extremely helpful in explaining the different types of walking socks and came to the conclusion that I probably had the wool, old style Summits and that might be what had caused the issue. He very kindly offered me a pair of the new Explorer Heavyweight Performance Merino to try (which are the old Summits rebranded), and didn't even bat an eye when I went off on a tangent with a moan about why the womens socks were shorter in the leg and that I couldn't stand pink and was fed up with outdoor companies thinking us girls live in pink......we don't! So, I took Jim up on his kind offer of trying out the Explorers and within a few days they'd arrived in the post ready for my little tootsies to be eased into them. I have now worn these Merino toe bags of fluffiness a million times since they landed, they're not pink but blue/green (big bonus points Bridgedale), they fit like an absolute glove, they're super warm but without being sweaty, they are ridiculously comfortable (if you could have pillows on your feet these would be that), and I'm very happy to report that as yet I have not suffered with even one minor blister let alone a moon sized one since using these beauties, and I can assure you that there have been many many Dartmoor miles racked up in them. Oh, and they're longer in the leg too which is marvellous! Bridgedale you have restored my faith in your super walking socks thank you, I am more than happy to once again recommend them to anyone and everyone, even as bed socks because they'd be great as those too being so snuggly. And Jim, you're a credit to the company with your super customer service skills and general helpfulness, many thanks to you also. Go buy Bridgedales.........they rock! I will be increasing my stock without a doubt. To find your own pair of exceptional Bridgedale socks please visit their website here at www.bridgedale.com
Kase Filters ReviewYou know when you have a piece of kit in your hands and you're so impressed with it that you think it'll be hard to beat? Well, I felt like that when I tried out the Haida filters if you remember, but after attending the Photography Show back in March I was contacted by Kase Filters UK and offered the opportunity of meeting one of their Brand Ambassadors and testing their filters out in the field......that meeting once again changed everything for me, and for several different reasons. Kase Filters have blasted onto the landscape photography scene in the UK in recent months with impressive gusto and are armed with a wide range of kit that is not only excellent quality, but also they boast that their filters are more robust than others out there on the market, their unique selling point. Their kit is very well thought out and designed, right down to the smallest of details, and when it's in your hands you feel very confident using it, especially knowing that even if you are a bit of a klutz and you do happen to drop one of your filters the likelihood of it breaking and shattering into a million pieces is rather slimmer than if you were using other makes! So, onto a few details.......the Kase K8 Holder and Polariser. Now there's a smart little bit of kit both in the way it looks and the way it works, and being machined from aerospace grade aluminium you know it's going to be a tough cookie. The polariser is just as impressive, it's sleek and ultra slim and does it's job perfectly reducing glare and reflection without adding unwanted tones to your images. Setting the polariser in place is as simple as this; you screw on the adapter ring to your lens, you hold the polariser to the ring and before you know it they've hooked up to each other as if by magic! Well, by magnetism actually.......yes it's a magnetic system, genius! There's no faffing, no fiddling, no movement, nothing. It just sits in there perfectly and securely. The next step is to add the holder. This attaches once again very simply and easily with the geared wheel on one side and the little tightening knob to the other. Both the wheel and knob are in red unlike the rest of the holder which is black, and this helps greatly for quick recognition when wanting to adjust either the polariser or holder itself. The holder itself also has a gasket attached helping to stop any form of light leakage once the filters are inserted, and because it has the geared wheel on the side this means that you can adjust your polariser without disturbing your filter positioning, or likewise with using the knob, adjust the filter holder without moving the polariser. The Kase Wolverine Filters. Well weighted, colour neutral, shock resistant, top notch optical glass filters. I'm very impressed with them. They sit beautifully in the holder, which they should do, without any slippage at all, and I have to say that in a windy environment there is absolutely no movement or vibration from the whole system. It sits so securely on my lens at all times. The clarity of the optical glass is spot on and the neutrality of the filters themselves is absolutely superb. It's on a par with Haida which I had previously used, and post processing is a joy as there's absolutely no colour adjustment needed. This isn't only found in their graduated neutral density filters, but also in their full ND's too. Since testing the filters I have now used both the 6 and 10 stoppers and they really are superb with no cast at all! I believe the 16 stop, which I've not tested myself, is also absolutely colour neutral too. There is a scratch resistant coating which resists unwanted things like sea spray and this also makes the filters really very easy to clean without smudges or smears. I mentioned at the start of this post about the shock resistant factor of these filters. Something we're all very aware of is that when we're spending out a small fortune on glass filters for our beloved landscape photography, the very last thing that any of us want to do is break them whilst out in the field! Many of us have been almost reduced to tears by that awful sound as one hits the deck. Now although Kase cannot guarantee that their filters won't break, they can assure you that they are tougher than the average filter and should withstand the odd fall. Now that's got to be worth the money in my book! Not bad hey! Another point to make is that I used to be a resin filter user in the past, and it wasn't until I tried out optical glass filters that I really began to appreciate the differences. Although resin is a fairly tough substance, it scratches really quite easily and sometimes quite badly, I have also dropped one in the past and it chipped awfully. But when using the Kase Wolverine filters this is something that's not quite so much of a concern due to the anti scratch coating and the sheer toughness of them. Clarity is something else that has struck me too. Now although the resin filters aren't bad at all there is certainly an element of softening the image to them. Again I could only see this properly when I compared images taken with both types of filters side by side, and obviously clarity is something that is important to us all with our shots. So overall, not only do you have an excellent quality, excellent clarity, truly neutral filter to play with with Kase, but you also have the added security and peace of mind that you don't get with other makes. Not bad hey! The Filter Bag. I prefer to call this item a box because it's far more solid than any bag I've used before, bag just doesn't seem the right description for it. Sometimes this is an item that's a little overlooked, but for myself I think it's an important part of the equipment and Kase have got it bang on here. This lovely looking sturdy little PU leather coated box can hold up to five Kase Wolverine filters, both the square and the 100x150mm designs, has a separate slot for your polariser, and on the front a little pocket for your filter holder. There is also space next to the filter slots for a cloth or perhaps the shoulder strap that comes with the box when you're not using it. The box is lightweight yet there's absolutely no concern that your equipment will get damaged whilst inside of it, it really is protected very well indeed. There is one little feature about it that I love, and that's the little D-ring on the back. This enables me to attach a carabiner to it and to hook the whole thing onto my tripod meaning that I don't have to keep diving in and out of my camera bag every time I wish to change filters. As I use a large rucksack a lot of the time for comfort too I've found that I can clip the box on the strap of this also, meaning I can walk around with it on my person which is sometimes more practical than attaching it to my tripod. It's a nice handy little addition.
In summary, this is a set up that I like very much indeed. I have tried hard to find something that might niggle me, but I can honestly say that I can't! As Kase state on their website, it's 'By Photographers, For Photographers'. The people who have developed these things know exactly what's needed and how it should work, and so therefore have produced something that is quite spot on. One other thing that I haven't yet mentioned but feel that I should, is their excellent customer service. Polite, informative, and they genuinely care whether you are happy about the product or not, and if not do their utmost to make things right. Customer care is such an important aspect of any company and Kase seem to do very well at this. I would like to point out that this review is based solely on my findings as of when I first used Kase Filters equipment, however since then I have in fact purchased and now use my own set as I was that impressed with it. I was also offered the opportunity to represent the company by becoming an official Kase Filters UK Reseller which I have agreed to because I believe in the equipment and the company itself. Maybe that tells you something about quite how impressed by it all I was! If you would like any more information about Kase Filters UK please visit their website www.kaseuk.com and if you're in the market for any new gear please visit www.philstarkeyphotography.co.uk/store/c41/KaseFiltersandEquipment. You can also email me at info@philstarkeyphotography.co.uk Below are a few examples of images I've taken using Kase Filters polariser, K8 filter holder and Wolverine filters. Haida Filter Review |
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The CPL filter was presented in a smooth plastic box, again with a foam insert, and again with the well thought out cut out for handling. To put together the CPL and holder ready to place on my camera was a complete doddle. There was no messing around, just three simple aluminium alloy pieces which screwed into one another very satisfyingly. The pieces are also machined in such a way that the edges are slightly curved in and out to enable a much firmer grip when putting everything together, once again taking that element of fear about dropping them. Mounting the whole set up onto any one of my lenses using the lightweight but sturdy aluminium adapter rings was equally as simple, no faff at all. And all of these items, including the CPL and filter holder, fit very nicely, and with room, into the lovely thickly padded pouch when not in use.
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I was keen to test out the CPL first on my wide angle 10-22mm lens, as this is my favourite and most used of all of my lenses. I’ve seen similar CPL mechanisms from other companies used before, and many seem to have suffered with a certain amount of vignetting when used with a very wide angle such as this, and I was at first a little unsure of whether this would be any different. I really needn’t have worried at all. Not an ounce of vignetting in sight! I was obviously really quite overjoyed at the prospect of not having to sort out in post processing this little but highly irritating matter. A big thumbs up from me for that. I did find with the CPL though that there was possibly a teeny tiny bit of warmth to it, but, it is barely noticeable to the point where I really didn't feel the need to adjust in post processing. A handy little feature of the CPL filter also is that it has a little gripped knob on one side, this makes life so much easier when you want to move it around and adjust it, especially if you’re wearing gloves at the time.
The filter holder, once again sturdy and well made, was a cinch to fit to the CPL. It has a bayonet fitting and it’s as easy as lining the arrows up, slipping it on, twisting it round and then tightening the thumbscrew on the side of the holder to put it firmly in place where you want it. You still have freedom of movement of the CPL that’s behind it, as this works completely independently from the filter holder itself. The filter holder also has a foam gasket to stop any light leakage and two rails for the filters themselves. Haida also include a spare rail in the kit if you wish to add more. A really lovely set up which feels, and is, very secure but freely manoeuvrable. And yes, again, there is no issue on adjusting even with gloves on.
The filter holder, once again sturdy and well made, was a cinch to fit to the CPL. It has a bayonet fitting and it’s as easy as lining the arrows up, slipping it on, twisting it round and then tightening the thumbscrew on the side of the holder to put it firmly in place where you want it. You still have freedom of movement of the CPL that’s behind it, as this works completely independently from the filter holder itself. The filter holder also has a foam gasket to stop any light leakage and two rails for the filters themselves. Haida also include a spare rail in the kit if you wish to add more. A really lovely set up which feels, and is, very secure but freely manoeuvrable. And yes, again, there is no issue on adjusting even with gloves on.
I might just add that being able to use this equipment easily whilst wearing gloves is actually really quite important to me, as the last thing that I want to be doing in chilly conditions is taking them on and off to make fine adjustments and freezing my fingers off. I want to stay comfortable out in the field. This kit really did enable me to do so, so it’s worth mentioning I think.
So the next test of course was what would it be like adding the ND filters to the set up. Would that dreaded vignetting pop up on my wide angle lens? Not in the slightest. The set up is such that even with using more than one filter, for example an ND and the ND Grad, there was still absolutely no vignetting on any of my shots whatsoever, even at 10mm! Impressed? Well of course I was.
ND Filters - As a lover of the Intentional Camera Movement method, having the choice of the the two ND filters I was given was great. They’re handy in bright conditions to help bring the shutter speed down just enough to enable you to get your creative side going. I was out and about working on a project of mine regarding trees in my local area and had blue skies and bright conditions in the middle of the afternoon, so, it was the perfect time to test out the NanoPro 0.6 ND Filter. It of course did the job regarding shutter speed for me, but what I was most impressed with was the colour rendition. It was as near to perfect to the eye as it could possibly be. Superb!
I then decided to test out the NanoPro 0.9 ND Filter at the beach. This time at sunset, but it was an extremely clear sunset so lots of light about and I needed to slow the shutter speed down a bit to smooth out the water the way I wanted it. I was shooting some of the pebbles on the edge of the tideline as the waves came in close to them, and once again, the filter did it’s job superbly without any kind of colour cast at all. Yes, I was once again very impressed indeed.
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The NanoPro Soft ND 0.9 Filter – Now, I’m usually a Medium and Hard grad user when it comes to my landscapes and seascapes, so getting to try out the soft grad I was actually looking forward to. It was really rather soft indeed, but this allowed me to use it in all number of situations and I really enjoyed using it to be honest. Once again this filter performed beautifully. The shots came out lovely and sharp and again there was no visible colour cast. Below are some images that I've taken recently around where I live in Devon using this lovely filter.
One thing that I must also mention is the nano coating on all of Haida's filters. This wonderful feature reduces reflections, scratches, smears and beads any rain that lands on your filters beautifully. Whilst using the filters there was many an occasion where I had to wipe them off for varying reasons, and every single time without fail there wasn't a streak left behind. It certainly did make things so much easier in slightly more difficult conditions.
In summary, when using these filters I honestly found there to be no colour issue at all with any of them where usually you might expect a little at the very least, they really are as spot on as you can get and are colour neutral. They are solid, sturdy, beautifully made items. You certainly don’t feel like they’re fragile and going to break in your hands. They slide effortlessly into place in the wonderfully made holder, and working independently to the CPL there is never any issue with having to faff around with the equipment, so easy to use even in difficult situations. The quality of glass is really top notch resulting in wonderfully sharp crisp images, there’s absolutely no softening at all when using these filters unlike others I’ve used before. I found there to be almost virtually no reflections or flare when using them in most situations which was absolutely brilliant, and what can I say about the way that they shed any kind of dust, dirt, water and even sea salt! That nano coating is pure genius! With one gentle swipe of the soft cloth the sea salt was gone without any marks at all……..you wouldn’t have even known it was there in the first place. The whole set up is extremely sturdy in very windy conditions. I felt completely confident that none of the equipment was going to move, rattle about or shake resulting in unwanted effects to my images. It stayed perfectly put and without so much as a quiver. Plus, and this is something that is important to many of us, they're not the most expensive on the market either. For the pricing you really are getting a lot for your money.
I think what strikes me most of all about these filters, is the absolute superb quality. It slaps you in the face the very moment that you set eyes on the boxes and before you even glance at the filters themselves. Everything about Haida's equipment is very well thought out, very well designed and beautifully made.
Am I impressed? Absolutely I am! I’m actually really quite taken with them in all honesty, and after having had plenty of time to use them, I would now more than happily recommend Haida’s NanoPro series and equipment to anyone!
If you would like to see more of Haida Filters range of equipment please visit www.haidaphoto.com for more details.
A few weeks ago Alan and I were very kindly asked by Vanguard UK if we'd like to choose a tripod from their new Pro 2+ range and do a review for them. Both of us being users of the Vanguard 263 tripod we jumped at the opportunity as you can imagine! We had a good look through the catalogue at what was on offer and made our choices. Al opted for the Alta Pro 2+ 263CT model and myself the Alta Pro 2+ 264CT and we took them out for a thorough workout on both Dartmoor and the Devon coast. Alan's review can be found on his website and here's my honest take on how I found the Alta Pro 2+ 264CT tripod.
Key Features
Very quick and easy set up
Multi angle hexagonal center column
Four section legs with angles of 20°, 40°, 60° and 80° for positioning
Made of carbon fibre
Twist lock system on the legs
Built on bubble for precise levelling
Work load of up to 7kgs
An extra 3/8 accessory thread
TPU non slip grips on two of the legs
Angled rubber feet
Roll top fastening carry bag with shoulder strap
First Impressions
A very sleek smart looking tripod that's extremely easy on the eye. Lightweight and balanced when in the hand with no risk of slipping due to the grips on two of the legs. Beautifully quick and easy to extend the legs with the twist lock system, and lovely grips on the centre column buttons making it easy and comfortable to move them about. The centre column is smooth to extend and simply stops when it's reached full extension, and flipping over the column is a cinch with the easy to use button on the side and it glides into position wonderfully. First impressions........a very well thought out and good looking tripod.
Key Features
Very quick and easy set up
Multi angle hexagonal center column
Four section legs with angles of 20°, 40°, 60° and 80° for positioning
Made of carbon fibre
Twist lock system on the legs
Built on bubble for precise levelling
Work load of up to 7kgs
An extra 3/8 accessory thread
TPU non slip grips on two of the legs
Angled rubber feet
Roll top fastening carry bag with shoulder strap
First Impressions
A very sleek smart looking tripod that's extremely easy on the eye. Lightweight and balanced when in the hand with no risk of slipping due to the grips on two of the legs. Beautifully quick and easy to extend the legs with the twist lock system, and lovely grips on the centre column buttons making it easy and comfortable to move them about. The centre column is smooth to extend and simply stops when it's reached full extension, and flipping over the column is a cinch with the easy to use button on the side and it glides into position wonderfully. First impressions........a very well thought out and good looking tripod.
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Performance Out In The Field
So the first outing was a very gentle one to Lustleigh Woods and Hisley Bridge on Dartmoor. It was a lovely calm day and the perfect opportunity to try and get some low level water shots in this area. The initial set up of the tripod was really nice and easy taking no time at all, and manoeuvrability of the centre column was smooth and simple enabling me to get my camera into the right position to shoot towards the bridge and across the water. I had to splay the legs in order to balance the tripod correctly and this was absolutely no issue, the tripod sat nice and securely in position. At no time did I feel that my camera was at risk and I happily shot away. I continued to move around the area with the tripod trying it out at lots of different angles for different shots and came away very happy with how it functioned and the ease of use too.
Another outing for the 264CT was close to Merrivale on Dartmoor. We walked out to a rocky outcrop to set up for sunset which turned out to be quite chilly and breezy. Once again the tripod was lovely and easy to set up, however I found that even when the legs were fully extended it really didn't have a wide enough footprint for it to feel secure in the breeze, I wasn’t overly confident about walking away from it and leaving it on its own with my camera attached. Even though my 263AB only has an extra five degrees on the initial footprint before opening wider it makes a lot of difference to stability. There was another little matter of the feet too. Now although the design looks very good, they're non slip and also performed well in previous circumstances, on the granite rocks that I was working on they didn't feel so secure, and on a couple of occasions they did move jolting my equipment. At the time I wasn’t taking a shot so this didn't really matter, but if I had have been it would've resulted in a blurry image which would've been somewhat disappointing. These matters aside though it worked sufficiently well enough for me to be able to come away with some decent images over the course of the evening, I just had to keep my eye on it a little bit.
For another test it was time for some coastal shooting, destination of choice Wembury, Devon. Coastal being very demanding on equipment with the salt in the air, stiff sea winds, sharp rocky terrain and tiny grains of sand ready to cause havoc. I chose my spot on the rocks quite close to the waters edge but far enough away to be safe from splashes and being caught by the waves. Out came the equipment and I began to set up. The rocks at Wembury are really very angular and are quite tricky to position your gear on, so making use of the variable leg angles was a must and the twist and lock leg system was very useful enabling me to get into and change positions really very quickly in between wave sets. I did have a few fumbles with the adjustment buttons for the angle settings on the legs, and once again the rubber shoes on the tripod weren't as grippy as I’d have possibly liked them to be, but overall the tripod scored well on ease of set up, use and manoeuvrability. There was one thing that really bothered me throughout the shoot here at Wembury unfortunately, and that was vibration through the tripod legs. It seems that although this time stability wasn’t such an issue, probably due to the legs being all splayed out here there and everywhere, in the strong wind the tripod vibrated a lot. I actually had to hold on to it and push it downward in order to get rid of some of that vibration so that I could take my shots. This was a shame as I was really hoping that it would be sturdy in tougher situations. Having said that the issue was pretty much overcome and I did come away with what I wanted by the end of the shoot.
So the first outing was a very gentle one to Lustleigh Woods and Hisley Bridge on Dartmoor. It was a lovely calm day and the perfect opportunity to try and get some low level water shots in this area. The initial set up of the tripod was really nice and easy taking no time at all, and manoeuvrability of the centre column was smooth and simple enabling me to get my camera into the right position to shoot towards the bridge and across the water. I had to splay the legs in order to balance the tripod correctly and this was absolutely no issue, the tripod sat nice and securely in position. At no time did I feel that my camera was at risk and I happily shot away. I continued to move around the area with the tripod trying it out at lots of different angles for different shots and came away very happy with how it functioned and the ease of use too.
Another outing for the 264CT was close to Merrivale on Dartmoor. We walked out to a rocky outcrop to set up for sunset which turned out to be quite chilly and breezy. Once again the tripod was lovely and easy to set up, however I found that even when the legs were fully extended it really didn't have a wide enough footprint for it to feel secure in the breeze, I wasn’t overly confident about walking away from it and leaving it on its own with my camera attached. Even though my 263AB only has an extra five degrees on the initial footprint before opening wider it makes a lot of difference to stability. There was another little matter of the feet too. Now although the design looks very good, they're non slip and also performed well in previous circumstances, on the granite rocks that I was working on they didn't feel so secure, and on a couple of occasions they did move jolting my equipment. At the time I wasn’t taking a shot so this didn't really matter, but if I had have been it would've resulted in a blurry image which would've been somewhat disappointing. These matters aside though it worked sufficiently well enough for me to be able to come away with some decent images over the course of the evening, I just had to keep my eye on it a little bit.
For another test it was time for some coastal shooting, destination of choice Wembury, Devon. Coastal being very demanding on equipment with the salt in the air, stiff sea winds, sharp rocky terrain and tiny grains of sand ready to cause havoc. I chose my spot on the rocks quite close to the waters edge but far enough away to be safe from splashes and being caught by the waves. Out came the equipment and I began to set up. The rocks at Wembury are really very angular and are quite tricky to position your gear on, so making use of the variable leg angles was a must and the twist and lock leg system was very useful enabling me to get into and change positions really very quickly in between wave sets. I did have a few fumbles with the adjustment buttons for the angle settings on the legs, and once again the rubber shoes on the tripod weren't as grippy as I’d have possibly liked them to be, but overall the tripod scored well on ease of set up, use and manoeuvrability. There was one thing that really bothered me throughout the shoot here at Wembury unfortunately, and that was vibration through the tripod legs. It seems that although this time stability wasn’t such an issue, probably due to the legs being all splayed out here there and everywhere, in the strong wind the tripod vibrated a lot. I actually had to hold on to it and push it downward in order to get rid of some of that vibration so that I could take my shots. This was a shame as I was really hoping that it would be sturdy in tougher situations. Having said that the issue was pretty much overcome and I did come away with what I wanted by the end of the shoot.
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The Carry Bag
The bag….......the bag is great but please Vanguard could you supply a slightly larger one? I only just managed to fit the tripod with my ball head on in it. I imagine if someone is using a bigger tripod head it might be a bit of a squeeze. Just a minor thing though ;)
Final Thoughts
How would I sum up the Alta Pro 2+ 264CT tripod? Despite having a few issues whilst using this tripod it really is overall a very good piece of equipment. I think as a travel tripod it’s absolutely perfect and I would highly recommend it, but as a heavy weather tripod I would suggest maybe something a little sturdier. There are features on the Pro 2+ 264CT which I absolutely love like the design of the buttons. They’re so easy to use, are very smooth, and have great grip especially with cold hands. The workings of the central column are a joy and it just seems to glide into position, and the twist lock system on the legs…..brilliant, quick, easy, and simple. Overall this tripod really has been enjoyable to use and if you’re looking for a decently priced carbon fibre tripod, want a well built piece of equipment that is easy to carry, very quick and easy to set up, and extremely smooth to use in relatively fair weather then I would certainly recommend the Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 264CT.
The bag….......the bag is great but please Vanguard could you supply a slightly larger one? I only just managed to fit the tripod with my ball head on in it. I imagine if someone is using a bigger tripod head it might be a bit of a squeeze. Just a minor thing though ;)
Final Thoughts
How would I sum up the Alta Pro 2+ 264CT tripod? Despite having a few issues whilst using this tripod it really is overall a very good piece of equipment. I think as a travel tripod it’s absolutely perfect and I would highly recommend it, but as a heavy weather tripod I would suggest maybe something a little sturdier. There are features on the Pro 2+ 264CT which I absolutely love like the design of the buttons. They’re so easy to use, are very smooth, and have great grip especially with cold hands. The workings of the central column are a joy and it just seems to glide into position, and the twist lock system on the legs…..brilliant, quick, easy, and simple. Overall this tripod really has been enjoyable to use and if you’re looking for a decently priced carbon fibre tripod, want a well built piece of equipment that is easy to carry, very quick and easy to set up, and extremely smooth to use in relatively fair weather then I would certainly recommend the Vanguard Alta Pro 2+ 264CT.
Sleeklens Landscape Adventure Collection Review.
I was kindly asked by the folks at the Danish company Sleeklens whether I would do a review of their Landscape Adventure Actions for Photoshop. These actions have been designed by Sleeklens to make the photographers workflow quicker and easier when it comes to post production of their images. They state on their website that there are fifty six actions available but there are in fact sixty four in total, and these can be easily installed by following their online guide. These actions can be used both on JPEG and RAW files, however the lists are based on using RAW images and this should be kept in mind.
To the actions themselves: There are eight different sets of actions within the whole collection. These are Exposure, Base, Tone, All In One, Enhance, Speciality, Temperature and Web File Preparations. Each of these sets have a number of presets within them and can be adjusted by using the opacity slider once applied.
I was kindly asked by the folks at the Danish company Sleeklens whether I would do a review of their Landscape Adventure Actions for Photoshop. These actions have been designed by Sleeklens to make the photographers workflow quicker and easier when it comes to post production of their images. They state on their website that there are fifty six actions available but there are in fact sixty four in total, and these can be easily installed by following their online guide. These actions can be used both on JPEG and RAW files, however the lists are based on using RAW images and this should be kept in mind.
To the actions themselves: There are eight different sets of actions within the whole collection. These are Exposure, Base, Tone, All In One, Enhance, Speciality, Temperature and Web File Preparations. Each of these sets have a number of presets within them and can be adjusted by using the opacity slider once applied.
Exposure - I have to say after going through every one of these actions I don’t think that I’d be inclined to use any of them, purely because I tend to make preliminary adjustments in Camera RAW before opening in Photoshop anyway. I also found that I could fine tune my exposure adjustments much better in Photoshop in comparison to using the Sleeklens actions, and to be honest, using the action was not any faster than the way I would normally do it.
Base - As with the exposure actions, I found that some of the base actions were pretty much pointless as these adjustments could be made in Camera Raw before opening in Photoshop. However, I can see how the Autumn Colours, Retro, and Desaturated could be applied effectively if you were going for a certain look in your images. It’s not really up my street though.
Tone - Once again, if you want fine tuning, Photoshop is much better. However, if you wanted to play about and give an overall effect to your image then some of these like the Cinematic and Warm Highlights actions could be quite fun.
All In One Actions - Once again, not my thing. Personally for me they’re a bit in your face and seem to take a lot to tone down. The black and white actions irritated me because as I used the opacity slider to take back the impact, it also completely reduced the black and white effect taking it back to colour. Seems a little pointless really.
With All In One Action Black And White At 100% Opacity.
With All In One Action Black And White At 61% Opacity.
Enhance - Out of all of the actions within this set I really liked the Warm Highlights. The fact that I could brush in exactly where I wanted to warm up certain areas of the image was very appealing. Even at 100% opacity it still wasn’t completely overpowering. This action I probably could, and would, make use of. I think the fact that you can brush in on the Enhance set as a whole means that more people would find it useful than some of the other sets in the Landscape Adventure Collection.
Enhance - Out of all of the actions within this set I really liked the Warm Highlights. The fact that I could brush in exactly where I wanted to warm up certain areas of the image was very appealing. Even at 100% opacity it still wasn’t completely overpowering. This action I probably could, and would, make use of. I think the fact that you can brush in on the Enhance set as a whole means that more people would find it useful than some of the other sets in the Landscape Adventure Collection.
Without Enhance Warm Highlights Action.
With Enhance Warm Highlights Action Brushed In At 100% Opacity.
Speciality - I’ve never been one for dreamy images previously, however, after trying out the Dreamy Landscapes and Dark Dreams actions I got quite hooked! I can see how both of these could be applied effectively to specific scenes giving a magical atmosphere to images. It’s one that I may well consider using in the future.
Without Speciality Actions.
With Speciality Dreamy Landscapes Action At 58% Opacity.
With Speciality Dark Dreams Action At 90% Opacity.
Temperature - I can see how these actions could be useful but for me personally I will be sticking to fine tuning in Photoshop.
Web File Preparation - Quick, easy and probably useful for some, however I already have my own resizing action in Photoshop.
Overall I think that the majority of these actions are not for professionals because they will have already formed their own routines for speed, efficiency and personal style with regards to processing their images. However, I do think there are a few creative actions within the collection that may appeal.
There are a huge number of actions; I think this possibly needs to be scaled down somewhat and also the ability to be able to brush in on actions needs to be increased within the collection.
For the £37 you would pay for the package at present, it would be a useful tool certainly for non professionals who aren’t so familiar with using Photoshop, and the collection could make their life easier and make image processing a little less daunting perhaps.
To find out more about Sleeklens and their variety of different photography actions and overlays for both Lightroom and Photoshop please follow the links below.
Sleeklens Website
https://sleeklens.com/
Sleeklens Landscape Adventure Photoshop Actions
https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-adventure-photoshop-actions/?currency=GBP
All Sleeklens Photoshop Actions
https://sleeklens.com/product-category/photoshop-actions/
Temperature - I can see how these actions could be useful but for me personally I will be sticking to fine tuning in Photoshop.
Web File Preparation - Quick, easy and probably useful for some, however I already have my own resizing action in Photoshop.
Overall I think that the majority of these actions are not for professionals because they will have already formed their own routines for speed, efficiency and personal style with regards to processing their images. However, I do think there are a few creative actions within the collection that may appeal.
There are a huge number of actions; I think this possibly needs to be scaled down somewhat and also the ability to be able to brush in on actions needs to be increased within the collection.
For the £37 you would pay for the package at present, it would be a useful tool certainly for non professionals who aren’t so familiar with using Photoshop, and the collection could make their life easier and make image processing a little less daunting perhaps.
To find out more about Sleeklens and their variety of different photography actions and overlays for both Lightroom and Photoshop please follow the links below.
Sleeklens Website
https://sleeklens.com/
Sleeklens Landscape Adventure Photoshop Actions
https://sleeklens.com/product/landscape-adventure-photoshop-actions/?currency=GBP
All Sleeklens Photoshop Actions
https://sleeklens.com/product-category/photoshop-actions/
Phil Starkey Photography
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