Review: Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW

Lowepro Slingshot 202

One of the realities of photography is that in addition to buying equipment, you need something to haul it around in. Over the past few years I've accumulated a large Tenba messenger bag, a small Wenger messenger bag, my Lowepro Slingshot 202 AW, a Lowepro Pro Runner 200 AW, and I have my sights set on a Lowepro Video Fastpack 350 for my return to Big Sur. Each of these bags is suitable for a specific amount of equipment and photo shoot. As time goes on my bags get bigger as I accumulate more lenses and "stuff."

I had shied away from sling bags, concerned that the weight would not be comfortably distributed on my back and would lead to cramped muscles, something I had experienced with the large Tenba. I have found that the larger the bag, the more likely you are to fill it full of things, "just in case." "Just in case" quickly gets heavy, so it makes sense to have more than one bag. I bought the Slingshot 202 AW as a day bag for shooting at venues where I might need a second lens and a few accessories, but not a full kit of filters, lenses, etc. I found that it was perfect for shooting when my 18-200mm zoom was going to be the "lens of the day" and I would probably leave my heftier 70-300 in the bag for the rest of the shoot. As you can see in the photo, it holds this set up with ease and still leaves room for extras. There is an attached microfiber cloth in the main compartment that can cover the camera.

Nikon D7000 with 18-200
& 70-300

What do I like about the bag? Just about everything. There's enough extra storage space in the upper compartment to hold a speedlight, extra camera battery, and smaller items. I can even slip in a disposable plastic poncho if the weather is unsettled. The outside pockets hold a pen, small notebook, multitool, chapstick, and business cards, the things I want to be able to get to with ease. There's space designated for memory cards in the main flap, along with another space for thin items. The all-weather cover disappears into the bottom of the bag. I haven't had to use it---yet, but it's nice to know it's there and it's easily implemented.

On the other hand, I have used the side-mounted tripod holder with mixed results. It works fine for carrying my small Manfrotto travel tripod. I had hoped I could pull the tripod out over my shoulder. Maybe more flexible users can do that; I couldn't and found I have to remove the bag to get to it. The small tripod, which weighs just over 2 pounds, also causes the bag to sag off-center. Perhaps a center-mounted system would work better, but that would potentially interfere with the main compartment flap. Given this, I would not try to carry a full-size tripod on the side. I prefer to carry tripods over my shoulder anyway, so this is not a drawback for me. And, this is not an expedition bag where one expects to attach lenses, water bottles and other extras on the outside. (I have cargo pants and a vest for that.)

Upper Compartment with
Lowepro Memory Case, mini-
flashlight, multi-tool &
Emergency Poncho

The sling arrangement is very comfortable and I find that I forget I have the bag on after a while. I can easily wear it all day without feeling overburdened.  I can get to the main compartment quickly by releasing the chest strap. It being the mid-sized bag in this line, it is ideal for me as a day bag. It will slip under an airline seat with ease, if you are planning to fly. Build quality is typical Lowepro: solid, hiqh quality materials that are securely stitched and should last for many years.

If you're looking for a walkabout bag that is comfortable and yet spacious, give the Slingshot 202 AW a thorough look.

Review: Lightroom Workshops

I confess: I had Lightroom for over six months before I really started to use it. I was happy with Photoshop and bought LR mostly to see what all the fuss was about. In retrospect, I wasted time that I could have used to learn to use an outstanding image processing program. I decided that if I was going to really learn Lightroom, it made sense to get some hands-on training. I searched the net and found plenty of workshops. Some were four days of training costing more than $1,000. They were all in distant cities and I wasn't ready to invest that much.  I found Lightroom Workshops and saw that they were offering a workshop only 2 hours away for about $300 for two full days of instruction. Sign me up.

Review: The Photographer's Ephemeris

Link to Photo Ephemeris

For virtually every outdoor photoshoot we want to know where the sun will be at any given moment. Whether it's the blue hour, golden hour, sunrise or sunset, we are bound by the sun and if it's a night shoot, we want to know the phase of the moon and where it will be. And we don't just want to know it for today, we want to know it days, weeks or months in advance anywhere in the world. And as if that isn't demanding enough, we want this info to be simple to understand and visual. Photographers want to see a depiction of these astronomical facts, not stare at a list of numbers followed by headache-inducing mental contortions. Fortunately, there exists a free computer program that does all of this and more.

The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) comes in Windows, Mac, Linux versions. All use the Adobe Air engine and there are paid versions for Android ($4.99) and iOS ($8.99). I have the Windows and Android versions on my laptop and smartphone and Android tablet, and I have to say that once you see it at work, it is nothing short of miraculous.

The program allows you to choose any location in the world and save it for later reference. You then designate the dates you want to see plotted.

Screen Shot from Tutorial

The desktop program displays azimuths on Google maps, using its satellite, terrain, road map, and hybrid options. This is especially invaluable if you want to know where the sun and shadow will be in hilly or mountainous terrain. Want to know when the sun will come up behind that mountain and illuminate the fall foliage in front of you next Thursday? TPE will tell you. Trying to figure out when the back side of that mountain will be out of shadow? TPE will show you that as well, and to the minute. You can move your marker anywhere you want so that within an area you can easily plot and replot the paths of the rising and setting sun and moon.

The Android version is extraordinarily useful, since I don't ordinarily carry a laptop or tablet in the field. One feature I would like to see in the desktop version is the ability to print the terrain map and accompanying ephemeris (the panel on the right), but if you have the mobile version that isn't really necessary. Another feature I'd like to see and would pay for is the ability to sync the desktop and mobile versions.
If you are a photographer and ever take photos outdoors, this program is well worth the few minutes it takes to download, install, and learn. The web site also has links to very useful tutorials on YouTube, which really demonstrate the program's power.

The Android version is in the Android Market and resembles the desktop version except there is no terrain view. The iOS version also lacks a terrain view. This view would be nice to have but apparently there are some legal/licensing issues that are currently an obstacle. We can all hope for this feature and the site indicates they are exploring alternative map providers. In the meantime, this is a must-have photographer's app for your PC and smartphone.