The search for the perfect photo gear bag is a never ending search that rarely ends with the perfect bag. I own several bags for my photography gear including multiple backpacks, sling bags and shoulder bags none of which is a do-it-all bag that I could suggest for all users or uses but if your looking for a medium sized backpack for your camera gear the new Lowepro Flipside 300 may be something you want to look into.




I have been searching for a backpack style camera bag to use on day shoots where I need a variety of gear that would be comfortable to carry all day, is user friendly and most importantly can carry a Pro sized camera body such as the Canon 1D series cameras or the Canon 5D with grip along with a 70-200 f2.8 attached. The Lowepro Flipside 300 is claimed to be able to hold a pro body along with a 300 f 2.8 lens attached but my shooting style generally requires me to carry only the 70-200 along with two other lenses that I find I shoot with most often including the Canon 17-40 f/4 L and the bargain bang for the buck 85mm f/1.8 prime and a couple flash units. When I discovered this bag I had to give it a try and so here I present you with a small review of the Flipside 300, with my needs in mind.

First off, this bag lives up to Lowepro's excellent quality standards with tight seams, quality zippers and well padded compartments with very nice padding and dividers. On initial inspection this backpack camera carrier is sleek with very few outward indications of what might be inside to the casual observer. I removed the waist belt right away so that it wouldn't be hanging or get caught on anything, knowing that I will not use it myself. The single external pocket is just large enough for a couple memory cards, a pen or two, some business cards and possibly other small items that you may wish to carry. Inside the bag, which is accessed from the back of the bag that presses against your back when being worn, is divided into four areas. The primary interior area is for your camera storage with plenty of room for for the attached zoom lens with a narrowly separated compartment along one side for small equipment such as hot shoe flashes. The opposite side of the bags main compartment is customizable with removable separators for different gear arrangements. The upper area holds a removable accessory pouch that can hold anything from additional gear to you afternoon snack. There is also a flat pocket on the zippered opening that is perfect for flash gels, paperwork, or other flat items that need to stay that way. On the outside of the flipside 300 you'll also find a tripod holder tucked away nicely into the bottom of the bag.



The interior of the Flipside 300 is shown loaded with camera gear including a Canon 1D dslr with attached 70-200 f/2.8 with hood (reversed), a 17-40mm f4 lens, an 85mm f1.8 lens along with two 580EX flashes (one is inside the upper pouch).

Carrying this bag is relatively comfortable with a well padded rear surface and nicely padded and sturdy shoulder straps though I wouldn't mind the straps being just slightly wider for all day carry. Accessing the camera requires you to completely remove the bag from your back but that doesn't bother me much as I tend to keep the camera out as long as I need and only pack in up when I'm done shooting, primarily using the bag for transport rather than access and shoot use. I've been able to carry this bag loaded as shown along with a small photoflex light stand in the tripod holder for day long outings without any noticeable soreness to either my shoulders or back.

Overall I find this photographic gear backpack to be a relative bargain at only $57 combined with how useful, rugged, and protective it is to expensive camera gear. I would recommend this backpack to anyone looking to carry a larger lens along with a small kit of gear for a full day of shooting who doesn't want to have to carry one of the much larger photo backpacks to accomplish this. My only wishes for something different on this bag would be slightly wider shoulder straps, full velcro lining rather than the strips of lining it has for relocating the compartment dividers, and possibly an optional all weather cover. However, I wouldn't let those small quibbles stop you from picking up this very nice backpack what is a very reasonable price.
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Lowepro Flipside 300 Digital SLR Backpack, Water Resistant with Removable Accessory Pouch, Black The compact, lightweight design of the Flipside backpack lets you carry your pro digital SLR or DSLR without worry. The unique back compartment entry gives you safe, easy access to camera gear when you're setting up plus extra security when you're on the move. The outer storage pocket keeps digital accessories and personal items close at hand. Key Features *Back Entry Compartment: Provides easy access to equipment as well as extra security when pack is being worn *Outer Storage Panels: Centralizes digital accessories and personal gear for handy access *Hideaway Tripod Holder: Carries a compact tripod or monopod when you need it and is easily concealed when you don't *Removable Accessory Pouch: Allows you to take cables, chargers, manuals and other key accessories with you when you need them or easily leave them behind when you don't *Detachable Waist Belt and Adjustable Sternum Strap: Helps to stabilize pack, distribute weight evenly and ensure carrying comfort when you need it *Mesh Side Pocket: Keeps a water bottle or other personal items readily accessible *SlipLock Accessory Loops: Expand carrying capability via SlipLock compatible pouches *Tough, Water Resistant Outer Fabric: Protects against moisture and abrasion Specifications *Interior Dimensions - 9.1 W x 5.4 D x 15.9 H in. 23 W x 13.8 D x 40.5 H cm *Exterior Dimensions - 10.2 W x 6.9 D x 17.5 H in. 25.8 W x 17.4 D x 44.5 H cm

$57

Are you looking for the perfect portable softbox? Well, the good people over at Photoflex have heard your wishes and have delivered a very nice setup just for you.




This Q39 Small Softbox kit comes with everything you need for a lightweight quality on the go lighting setup except the shoe mount flash and batteries. Couple this kit with the flash of your choice and the DIY 6 volt battery setup and you’ll have the perfect portable location photography lighting setup that you can carry with you wherever you need.

The shot below demonstrates how well a shoe mount flash fills this softbox with light. This picture was taken with a Canon EOS digital camera using the Canon wireless flash system so that a capture of the actual flash while it's going off can be taken. Notice how well the little 580 EX hot shoe strobe fills even the corners of the box with light.

Photoflex Litedome, Small Softbox Kit with Basic Connector, Mount & Stand This kit is used to soften the light output of your shoe-mount style flash. Includes a LiteStand and hardware for stable light placement. The face of the Small LiteDome is 16"x22". The diffusion face is easily removed,allowing you to go from soft, diffused lighting to high-contrast without changing your setup. Small LiteDome soft box works with our small Dome Accessory Kit and small Grids (available separately), giving you great control over light direction Item Includes Small LiteDome Soft Box (XT-1SLD293), Adjustable Shoe Mount Hardware (AC-B222SM), Basic Connector for LiteDome, LiteStand 2205 (LS-B2205), Shoe Mount MultiClamp (AC-BSWCP) Key Features *Litedome Platinum Small *Removable Face - allows you to adjust the natural, soft light to create just theright diffusion and contrast *LiteStand extends to 7' 8"

$114.95

What is it that a polarizing lens filter can do for you and how does it work? Well, to be honest we're going to skip how a polarizer works for this article and stick mostly with how it effects your pictures and how to use one. If you search the net for when you should use a polarizing filter you will get back a slew of results about landscape photography and how it enhances the blue of the sky. Well great, so we don't have to cover that stuff here, because you can get it elsewhere! What we're going to quickly look at here is the effects of a polarizing filter for automotive photography.

Let's start by looking at two pictures of the same Mitsubishi Lancer Evo taken on the same day minutes apart. This particular day was heavily overcast all day.



You can see in this image that the reflection of the clouds is plainly visible across the entire surface of the car. The reflection leaves this bright red car with a dull almost orange appearance with a uniform flat color across the top surfaces. This shot was captured with a Canon EOS 30D with a Canon 70-200 f2.8 lens, f5, 1/500, ISO 200.



This second image was captured with the same camera and lens as the first but a
77mm Super HMC (Multicoated) Circular Polarizing Pro 1 Glass Filter
. Exposure of this shot was f4, 1/400, ISO 200. With this picture you can see that the polarizer did eliminate the reflections from the clouds from the hood, front bumper and windshield of the car very nicely. The roof line is also very much improved with a smooth transition from deep red to a gray reflection near the rear of the roof. The driver is plainly seen in this shot and the car now looks the dramatic rich color it was intended to look.

Pay close attention to the sides of the car in both shots and notice that it doesn't appear much different from one to the other. That is simply because the filter was set to minimize the reflections along the front surfaces of the vehicle. By rotating the filter the sides of the car could have had the reflections removed however it would would have brought them back along the front of the Evo. This happens because the polarizer can only block the reflected light that appears from one specific and somewhat narrow direction at a time therefore it is not possible to eliminate the reflections from the front and side at the same time.

Just to reinforce the usefulness of this filter below is one more example of shots taken with and without a polarizing filter in place.


Shot without the polarizer.


Shot with the polarizing filter on the lens.

77mm Super HMC (Multicoated) Circular Polarizing Pro 1 Glass Filter This low profile Circular Polarizer takes advantage of Hoya's patented optical glass technology to create a hardened optical glass that is thinner than the normal optical glass. This allows the overall thickness of the filter to be reduced to avoid vignetting when used with ultra-wide lenses. The Hoya Super-HMC Pro 1 low-profile frame is a slim 5mm, making it the same size as a regular Hoya filter frame. Standard Hoya Circular Polarizer frames are 7.5mm thick where other manufacturers filters are as much as 10mm thick. Another advantage to the Super-HMC Pro 1 Circular Polarizer is it has normal front filter threads, meaning a normal clip-on style lens cap can be used. The Super-HMC Pro 1 Circular Polarizer has a 6 layer Hoya Multi-coating, the most used in industry, applied to the front surface of the filter to greatly reduce the chance of lens flare or ghosting caused by reflections.