Tomasz Loba Photography

New Phottix TR-90 remote trigger - my full review

2010-10-05T23:08:00.002+02:00

Brand new gadget in my camera bag :)

Yep, yet another remote trigger. First I've had two RS-80N3 replacement remotes (i.e. not Canon's original), even though I used them a few times both worked for about 2-4 months. No wonder, they were 1/5th of a price of the original one. Then decided to invest in Canon's RS-80N3 (original), which lasts me until now (9 months, and still working). The RS-80N3 can be seen on the above "Phottix vs Canon" comparison photograph.

What made me buy the TR-90 ?

During one of my last projects, "Time-Lapse" I lacked a possibility of taking the pictures at equal time intervals. Instead used a wrist-watch (traditional/non-digital), which was pain in the butt. Had to constantly look at the watch so that I could press the trigger on the RS-80N3 every 15 seconds. Many times I've missed the interval, SMS, chat with my fellow photographer that was also in the middle of Time-Lapse production, but he had his MacBook with him, with the Canon EOS utility installed that allowed to take pictures automatically saving them straight to the hard drive. My oldish iBook G4 not only has a small HDD as well as its battery lasts for about an hour - good enough at home, but not while on the move. On the other hand you can't always take your laptop with you, so the best solution is a clever remote trigger with an intervalometer.

This is where the Phottix TR-90 comes in. It's about the same price as Canon's RS-80N3.

When I first opened the box I said "holly cow, that's huge". Nevertheless it has a good grip, and can get used to its big size.

Starting from the photograph at the top, well the box ... nothing unusual. Then a good close up on the remote. Buttons are easy to reach, nicely spaced out so if you have thick fingers you won't have a problem with them. LCD showing parameters that are currently set. The LCD can also be lit up, very handy while taking pictures at night or in dark places. Also it keeps you refrained from turning on the light on camera's display, that may cause some minor vibrations and in the end affecting your long exposure shot.

There's also a lock button, blocking all switches apart from "main trigger" and "light".

A small red LED indicates some operations, pretty useless if you ask me. An operational sound/beep can be turned off if you find it annoying.

Main functions of the TR-90:

1. Timer delay.

2. Exposure time, with bulb function by locking the main trigger switch.

3. Time interval.

4. Number of shots

All of the above (apart from no.4) can be set at 1 second interval, and up to 99 hrs 59 min 59 sec.

And the number of shots can set set from 1 to 399, or left intact for unlimited number.

TR-90 is powered by two AAA batteries (or re-chargeables), and as the vendor states they should last for 3 months of constant operation. One thing that they forgot to mention, as well as all reviews on the Internet, is that the TR-90 does NOT have the power on/off switch !!! What a bummer! It does seem to have some kind of power save option, which just displays the minimum number of symbols on the screen. Can always remove the batteries if you're not using the remote - simply by opening the back cover.

A strap can be attached to the remote. Useful when carrying it, or simply for hanging it on the tripod.

As an alternative to Phottix TR-90 there's also Nikos model. It seems much smaller and lighter due to a small flat lithium battery that is powered by (where according to Phottix it should last for 3 years). Slightly bigger LCD, showing more parameters and functions they are being used/turned on. A big advantage of the Nikos model is the power on/off switch, which I guess allows the battery to last for such long time, unlike in the TR-90 model as I've mentioned before. For those who use multiple systems, i.e. Canon, Nikon, Sony and so on, Phottix Nikos is a better option due to its detachable cable - you can have a cord for each of the systems you use. I only use Canon, so I have no need for such luxury. On the other hand I believe that you might just accidentally unplug the cable from the remote itself, quite possibly dropping the device on the floor or even worse the ground ... can it get any worser? Yes, having the remote dropped in a water runoff or a hole of some kind.

Nikos or TR-90 ? Well it's up to you. They're both good and with same functionality (apart from the lack of power switch), and the battery life issue.

Now what's left to do is to put my Canon RS-80N3 on eBay ;-)
Or should I keep it as a backup remote? What do you think?

Kozubnik in HDR

2010-09-29T01:25:00.002+02:00

Finally I've managed to get down with the post-processing of the remaining photographs of Kozubnik leisure resort (mentioned in one of my previous blog posts). Those were taken for HDR, and that takes a bit of time to process, time I didn't have until today.

You can view the HDR pictures in the following external galleries, titled "Kozubnik 2010 HDR":
PicasaWeb
Flickr

My first Time-Lapse production

2010-09-26T23:29:00.003+02:00

Click here to view the time-lapse video on YouTube in HD (High Definition)

And here's my first try with time-lapse technique. And this was also the first time I've used my new tripod. Works nicely, stable and accurate when it comes to moving the camera on the panhead.

As for the time-lapse movie itself, well it took me about 2.5 hours of shooting. Picture every 15 seconds with my wristwatch in sight. About 350 pictures in total. All in RAW of course.

Exporting RAW to JPG took the most time due to old G4 CPU in my iBook. All the compilation of the actual movie sequence was a piece of cake.

Enjoy it!

SLIK PRO 500DX tripod

2010-09-25T22:51:00.004+02:00

Newly purchased tripod, replacing my older Velbon DF-50. Well in fact a voucher that I've won in photo competition was used to get this Slik PRO 500DX tripod.

500DX is much larger and heavier that its predecessor, which allows taking pictures at strong winds and more uneven surfaces such as staircases. It weights approx. 2.5kg, and you may think it's a lot, well it is, but it comes in handy with some heavy gear like a gripped Canon 40D with a large lens.

The panhead is still only a 3D panhead (ball heads are the best), but the two handles make all the head movement quick, easy and very smooth. The center column can be moved vertically in a nick of time simply by loosing up the locking collar. It can also be totally removed and inverted - that allows us to attach a camera upside down, and do some macro photography. All three legs can be widely spread apart (each can be positioned separately), which also helps with macro shots, as well as we can take pictures from frogs' eye view, well almost. Legs are of course covered with a soft foam for better hand grip.

The tripod itself is made out of ATM, i.e. strong aerospace alloy composed of aluminum, magnesium and titanium. Nicely packed in a carry sack and a cardboard box. The only con about the carrysack is that it lacks of a typical armstrap, instead it has basic handles, but those are too short to carry it on your arm without a hassle - so I have attached (like I did with the Velbon DF-50) a Canon 20D strap to the tripod itself - no need for the carry sack apart when you want to travel around.

The panhead in this model is fully detachable, which means you can invest in any other panhead, such as the Manfrotto horizontal grip action ball head, something I'll be willing to get - Christmas is just round the corner ;-)

Slik could also have made the panhead with a quick lock/release mechanism for quick hot shoe plate attachment. Even so, the tripod is of high class and quality, and worth every cent.

Few reasons why you should get a tripod:

1. You can do some self portraits, or simply pictures of you with your family.

2. Night photography, now a tripod is a must here to keep the camera still.

3. Long-exposure shots, i.e. of moving cars, lights, water/rivers.

I am pretty sure there are few more reasons, but the above 3 are the most common ones.

Along with the tripod you should get a remote shutter release, either the wired or wireless one. This will allow you to take pictures without causing the camera/tripod to be moved while pressing the trigger on the camera itself.

And remember, NEVER take pictures using the image stabilization (Nikon's VR, Canon's IS, Sigma's OS) while having the camera on the tripod.

Abandoned holiday resort

2010-09-23T20:36:00.004+02:00

A recent visit to an abandoned old hotel complex was a great treat for my gear.

Native name "Zespół Domów Wypoczynkowo Szkoleniowych HPR Porąbka-Kozubnik", translating it would sound like: Complex of rest and training houses HPR P-K, but in short "Holiday and Training Resort HPR P-K", a less complex name.

Construction begun in 1968. It had its own groundwater, wastewater treatment plant, and a back-up power supply powered by two large 400kW tank engines, not to forget own medical staff and that included a general practitioner, nurses, dentist and an ambulance.

The resort was owned by a non-existent now large Silesian enterprise which at that time employed 18000 workers. But the luxury rooms and apartments were usually occupied by highly ranked Polish government officers and clericals. This place was also visited by guests from capitalist countries.

In latter years the enterprise was sold to two Polish brothers that came to Poland from USA. At times of People's Republic of Poland fall they quickly begun to drown in debts. In 1996 the court of law announced the enterprise' bankruptcy.

With the lack of holiday grants, tourists stopped visiting, as well the new owners did not invest in resort's refurbishments and repairs. All leftover valuable items and resort's equipment was quickly robbed by thieves and homeless. Once a luxury resort of high standards, now an abandoned place visited by photographers and ASG/paintball groups.

The whole of ex-resort's area is generally closed and with a high level of hazard, all due to old, partially demolished and unstable architecture.

For more photos of this place visit any of the two of my galleries:

Picasaweb

Flickr

Will upload few more soon, once I'll get them post-processed into HDR which takes quite a bit of time.

OP/TECH USA rainsleeve for my Canons

2010-09-14T21:14:00.002+02:00

Since autumn is just round the corner, thought of protecting my gear against rough weather.

Bought this OP/TECH USA rainsleeve for about 8 USD/6 EURO. To my surprise there were two pieces inside. The lady in the shop said that the sleeve is for a single use, but I think it will last for much longer if I take care of it.

The sleeve is made out of a thin plastic foil, not too strong though. Each sleeve consists of two parts, laminated together at an angle. From the lens side it has a strong string to tighten around the lens/hood.

The LCD is quite visible, and it has a hole for attaching on the viewfinder, so that you look straight through it.

Although the rainsleeves by KATA are great, and of high quality and durable, but spending about 50-60 Euros for an accessory that I might just use once in a while is not affordable. This simple and cheap solution is just perfect.

Pink tools kit

2010-09-14T20:33:00.003+02:00

Well this has nothing got to do with photography as such, but thought I'd share it with you all.
Found this funny pink tools kit in a drugs store (Rossmann). It consists of a hammer, some pliers, screwdriver with lots of different ends, tape measure. All pink, and nicely packed into a pink carry case.

Click on the photo above for a larger size.
Lovely, isn't it? :)

Go Karting

2010-09-06T23:46:00.003+02:00

Thought Saturday would have been miserable, mainly due to rainy weather.
Decided to go out for some photo shooting in Zabrze (some rural areas), but nothing interesting was in sight. Coming back to a car park at M1's shopping mall saw this pretty large go kart racing track - thought might give it a try.

So took one of my Canons and 100mm lens - that was the only one I needed for sports and close up shots. Had about 30 minutes before it started raining and people had gone.

Looking at the photographs that day didn't turn out so bad after all.
I have sent some of the pictures to the track owners (http://www.tor24.pl/) so that they could post them on their web site's photo gallery. Hoping for some feedback with information on upcoming go karting events.

The above photo is for a starter, for more see my online galleries at links provided below:
Picasaweb
or
Flickr

Enjoy!

Silent Hill

2010-09-04T23:48:00.006+02:00

It was just on ordinary staircase, well it still is ... I think.
The moment I saw it I remembered the "Silent Hill" movie.
Thought I'd take the shot, and see what can be done at home.
Some pretty heavy post-processing took place here to achieve the "final cut".

Now it's pretty scary down there.

For a slightly larger size click on the above photo or the link below:
Silent Hill

City by Night - Ligota

2010-09-03T00:59:00.004+02:00

Today I thought I would take my camera with me for a dog walk.
Location: Ligota, one of Katowice's boroughs.

Took only a few pictures - it's not easy to take photographs while walking your dog, especially if you keep him on a leash. Trying to carry and operate a tripod would also be a paint in the butt. So I like to keep it simple, one body, one lens ... all packed into a small carry pouch, easy to carry and handle.

For few more pictures see direct links below:
Bridge
Vanishing Point - under the bridge
STOP !
Freight wagon

Foldable table top for home studio

2010-08-31T23:19:00.006+02:00

Welcome back,

So this is my second post :)
Didn't think I will write it so soon after the first one, but here we go.

For the past 2-3 years I've been planning on buying some backdrops for photographing small objects, flowers, items for auctions and macro. Shadeless tents are a good option (many come with some backdrops to be placed inside the tent), pretty cheap, foldable, portable, but the only con is that they require extra lamps, minimum of two, one on each side - some use third in front of the tent. The whole business becomes much more expensive - too much if you're not planning to use it on a regular basis, and for business use (i.e. internet shop etc.). This solution gives you perfect shadeless photographs.
Another option was to a get glossy acrylic top (came in size of about 30x40cm or so, either black or white version) ... glossy meant a lot of reflections (from home light, flashgun and others) unless you had perfect lighting conditions at home, extra photographic lights. I needed a second top to be used as a vertical backdrop, i.e. behind the photographed subject, quite possibly seeing myself in its reflective surface. So I gave a pass on this one too.

But recently I've found a great foldable table top for home studio for about 21 Euros - as seen on above photographs. Consists of two equal rectangular pieces (both matte white, made out of plastic foam) joined with few metal hinges. The size of each piece is 55x40cm, so large enough for some bigger items like flowers (those in smaller pots/vase).
On top of that the whole set came with 5 coloured backdrops and 4 small paper clips to have those backdrops attached to the table top. The commonly used backdrops will be white and black, the remaining colours are good for pictures of some fancy items like jewellery etc.

Once home, I made some test shots - results as seen above (GPS and a flower). Maybe not the best of quality as I did them pretty quickly, just to demonstrate the good use of such photographic table top at a home studio. But I think the results are astonishing for such cheap backdrop solution.
Now can only buy some extra backdrops for a penny. Also purchased a plastic storage tube for keeping those backdrops safe. Now looking around for a right sized protective portfolio case for the table top itself.
Now the question is, would I need the extra shadeless lamps for this set? Well, first of all I need to test the set as it is, only with (or without) the flashgun, see the results ... and then decide whether I really need them.

If you really like this table top solution to be used at your home studio, then look for it in auctions such as ebay/Allegro (depending on your geographical location).

Good luck !

A welcome note...

2010-08-29T22:41:00.002+02:00

Welcome to my first Blog.

I've opened up a Blogger account quite a long time ago, uploaded some of my best photographs and left it as it was. Since I never updated it I didn't see a point of keeping this blog, thus removed all content and suspended my account.

What you won't see here is tons of photographs, but rather incentive pictures with some active notes to go along with them.

I hope that this blog will evolve into a great place for you to visit every now and then, and gather information about photographic techniques as well as ideas for your own inspiration just like I did back in 2005 onwards.

If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to contact me via the links panel or through my Blogger Profile. Thank you for visiting and see you around.