Playing with Flash

I've been playing around a bit more with my SB600 since doing the RPS Studio Lighting course. It's a far cry from a studio setup, but now I understand a lot more about flash, I'm finding that I'm learning a whole lot more about photography overall.

I purchased an SC-28 Sync Cable this week from http://www.microglobe.co.uk in London so that I could start experimenting with off-camera flash. The cable isn't cheap (though Microglobe were pretty good, having it for £45), but worth the money for the flexibility it gives you. I also have a free reflector from a Practical Photography subscription I had last year - it's pretty good and sturdy, considering it cost me absolutely nothing.

I haven't got any results I'd like to show off just yet, but to anybody just starting out with flash I'd recommend purchasing a sync cable. Chris Burfoot said, "The problem with on-camera flash is that you need to get it off the camera". From my little bit of experimentation so far, I'd say he's absolutely right.

Grey Imports

"Grey Imports" are items that are legally imported and sold in a country, but where the stock originates from a different country. In the photographic example I will discuss here, they usually refer to camera equipment that is bought in from China, Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.

Grey Imports are usually on sale at cheaper prices than UK stock, simply for market reasons; goods simply wouldn't sell in much of Asia for the sort of prices that can be commanded in Western Europe. Sometimes, it can be due to exchange rates - a lot of Asian businesses trade in US Dollars - and a weak dollar can make goods significantly cheaper. This, in turn, makes Grey Imports very attractive to buyers - who will usually be unaware or not care where their goods come from - so long as they are getting a bargain. This is made all the more acute because we are frequently ripped off for consumer goods in the UK, especially when first released (how many American products simply turn the $ into a £?)

Yet, for all this, many photographers will advise you to steer clear of grey imports. Why?

• Warranty. It is very, very difficult to claim anything back under an "international warranty", no matter how easy your Grey Import seller says it is. Most sellers are, in fact, re-sellers or agents - they don't hold any stock, and they don't want to. They certainly don't want to be receiving non-working cameras back to their office to then have to post them to China and act as your go-between. Nikon and Canon UK will not recognise a so-called "international warranty", so you will have no choice but to try and get the item back to Hong Kong or whereever. Camera equipment is very technical and a lot of it still goes wrong from time to time, so be warned.
• Import Tax. One of the reasons Grey Imports look cheaper is because they don't have any taxes applied to them. Every item in the UK is sold with 17.5% VAT on top of it, and it is illegal to display goods for sale without adding all applicable taxes. Not so in the rest of the world. If you're bringing expensive electronic goods into the UK, HM Customs & Excise may well class you as an "importer" - even for a one-off purchase - and sting you for import duties. They can do this, and it's perfectly legal. The amount you will pay in duties varies according to the value of the item - the higher the value, the more likely you will get stung. Usually, when delivery and taxes are added to Grey Import goods, they become much dearer than if you had just bought UK stock from a UK dealer in the first place.
• Contact. When dealing in Grey Imports with foreign retailers, information can be very hard to come by. Contact is usually a very hit & miss affair, and most won't deal with you by telephone. This can make returning items a nightmare - even just checking where your goods are can become a hassle. Also, don't ever expect to be able to visit the premises of a Grey Importer to be able to try out the equipment first.
• Non-UK Parts. If your equipment needs to be plugged into the mains, it won't be shipped with a UK adaptor. Not a major problem, but I wouldn't like to be running a full studio setup that wasn't properly rated and designed with UK voltage in mind. Also, don't expect an English manual - most supplied instructions (if any) will be in Chinese.

Grey Importers have also been linked with scams and murky business practices. One Stop Digital, for example, deliberately mark down the items they ship as being "Gifts" of a lower value than they actually are to try and avoid import duties. A noble aim, perhaps, but it could bring you some unwarranted attention if HMRC open your parcel and find out that it isn't a £10 garden gnome inside, but actually a £3500 Nikon D3s. I believe Evasion of Tax Liability is a civil offence. The ubiquitous Camerabox are also Grey Importers, but at least they actually have items shipped to their warehouse in Oxfordshire. However, several people have reported fraudulent credit card payments being made on their accounts soon after shopping at Camerabox. While there is no suggestion that Camerabox are directly responsible, it just seems that murk and Grey Imports go together. You could even find yourself becoming a victim of Crazy Cameras, who have already been shut down once before after posing as a UK seller. They are, in fact, from the USA. So why hide as a British company? Again, look around the net - hundreds upon hundreds of negative reviews, claims of scams, goods never arriving, no refunds, "restocking" charges, and so on.

Even this morning I was answering questions about Froomoo, who also trade under the name of Fizi. A typical Grey Importer, Fizi / Froomoo are run from a rented office in the back end of Birmingham, but their identikit website gives an impression of sleek corporate functioning - a "world class operation" - to use their own hyperbole. In the real world, there is no warehouse, no team of "customer service advisers", and no "technical support". Froomoo is probably no more than a couple of people and a desk. They act as agents to Asian distributors, while appearing to undercut British retailers. They are nothing more than middle men looking to make a quick buck by creaming off the profit of selling Asian-market priced goods at slightly-cheaper-than-UK priced goods. It's not a scam, and what they're doing is legal. But do you think you're just going to be able to drop into Froomoo's office when something goes wrong? Like hell you are, even if they're around this time next year.

My advice? Cut out the middle man. Grey Imported goods aren't always bad - I bought a genuine Nikon HB-7 lens hood for my 80 - 200mm lens for £15 off a Hong Kong eBay seller, which was a lot cheaper than the £40 it was selling for here in the UK. But that's a piece of plastic. It's not likely to go wrong. If you want to dip a toe into Grey Imports, my advice would be to do the same (though beware of the millions of fakes on eBay and always read the small print). Don't give money to shady middle men who seek to destroy genuine British retailers. Yes, the genuine goods are dearer. That's because British retailers have to pay for their premises, staff and stock - those same premises where you can visit, try out camera kit, ask questions and even send it back if it all goes wrong with a refund or a replacement. With Grey Imports, you get none of that.

Tackleberry

In the police, "Tackleberry" is a moniker given to new officers who spend far too much money on gadgets, in honour of the equipment-overkill character from Police Academy. Recently, in photographic terms, I have become a bit of a Tackleberry - though with the best of intentions.

Firstly, I bought a Manfrotto 680B Monopod, for use in my sports photography. It's a wonderful, sturdy piece of kit - great for panning shots, and it really does help take the weight of my 80 - 200mm f/2.8 lens. This was quickly followed by purchasing the Quick Release Head, to allow me to quickly snap my camera on and off.

Then, our old Sony Cybershot packed up. My girlfriend wanted a replacement, so, another trip to Amazon later, I'm now the owner of a Sony Cyber-shot DSCW180, and thankfully for only a fraction of what Amazon are charging for it at the moment. A new memory card was also in order.

As I'm starting to get into studio photography, it was time to update my Nikon SB-28, which no longer allows TTL-metering capability on my D80. I'm not going to get rid of it - it can still be used as a slave flash as part of Nikon's CLS system - but I do like being able to meter automatically. Eventually, I managed to find an excellent second hand model in mint condition from MPB Photographic.

By now considerably poorer, I vowed not to spend any more money on equipment. With my birthday coming up, I decided I wanted to enrol on the Royal Photographic Society's Studio Portraiture weekend course in Lacock, Wiltshire. Birthday money was duly spent on this and I'm due to travel down in July. The Documentary Photography course I completed last year was excellent, so I have high hopes for this one as well.

Now, severely out of pocket and with a very angry girlfriend (now fiancee) I resolved not to spend any more money. And then, last night, while practicing my recent studio reading, my tripod literally fell to bits. I had it repaired last year, but its gone again in the same place. The leg has fallen off and the locking mechanism has fallen to bits. So, secretly, I've snuck out today and bought a replacement. Buying a cheap tripod seems like false economy - I'd rather have a good quality model that will last - so, after moving some savings around (and shoving the rest into an ISA so I can't touch it!) I trotted off to Park Cameras in Burgess Hill, Sussex. I am now the proud owner of the Manfrotto 055CX3 Carbon Fibre 3 Section Lightweight Tripod, and the Manfrotto 322RC2 Heavy Duty Grip Ball Head. I'm going to hell.

Review - Jessop's Spirit Level

One of the pitfalls novice landscape photographers often fall foul of is shooting a horizon that isn't straight, and they are often harshly criticised for sloping skylines - because, ultimately, unless it's justified in some artistic way - the sky never slopes when the eye looks at it. I have often read that a spirit level is used by many photographers, so I decided to pick up a standard hotshoe spirit level from Jessops. At the time, it cost me about £6.95, but I see on their website that the price has currently risen to £10.

The spirit level itself seems well-made, and fits neatly into the camera's hotshoe. For most landscape photography this shouldn't be a problem, since you won't be using flash at the same time. The level seems accurate, and is very easy to see from all sides, being made of clear plastic.

Having said that, I can see no reason why you would have any use for this if your camera is capable of displaying grid lines in the viewfinder, as most Nikon cameras from the D80 upwards are capable of doing, along with many Canon SLRs. The disadvantage of the spirit level is you have to remove your eye away from the viewfinder to check that it is still level, whereas an in-camera gridline allows you to check the level and a whole lot more. I find the in-camera grid to be quicker and more versatile. However, if your camera doesn't have such a feature, this spirit level is a good quality little piece that will banish wonky skylines forever.

Review - Lowepro Mini Trekker AW

One of the many things I like to do with my girlfriend is to go for country walks. We're members of Walking World, so we're never stuck for somewhere to go whereever we are. I like to use it as an excuse for taking pictures, and have bought an excellent backpack for carrying all my kit in. I can't recommend the Lowepro Mini Trekker highly enough. I found the best price at Amazon (link below), followed by Warehouse Express. I got mine last year for £59.99, and it was one of the best investments I've made.

The Lowepro Mini Trekker AW is a multi-pocketed canvas backpack, designed purposely with the travelling photographer in mind.

The Mini Trekker has a roomy main compartment inside - enough for carrying an SLR camera with a lens attached, and several more besides. The main compartment is further divided into smaller compartments, made of interchangable velcro segments. They're surprisingly secure, so your kit won't rattle around. All in all, assuming you use all of the inner pieces, there are around 12 compartments, though you can have less if you want. You'll comfortably have room for about 5 - 6 lenses of varying sizes, which is more than enough for most people, along with flash units, filters and other gadgets. The inner compartments are very well padded, providing excellent protection against all sorts of knocks.

The Mini Trekker also has several external pockets for other pieces of kit. I use these for storing some of my less essential (certainly less breakable) equipment, since there's no real padding on the outside. There is enough room to fit in a few trekking supplies, but not enough to hold all your hiking equipment as well as your camera kit. There is an excellent tripod holder in the form of two bungee cords on the outside. This took me a bit of practice to learn to use properly, but now I've worked out the best way to secure my tripod to it, I find it indispensible on long hikes. However, this is also where the only design flaw in the Mini Trekker rears its head. While carrying a tripod, you cannot use the built-in waterproof cover for the pack. This hasn't been a problem for me so far, but if you were on a long hike and got caught in some heavy rain, you'd need to seek a workaround. There are also some links on the outside of the pack for some add-on pockets I believe you can buy from Lowepro if all the storage space isn't enough, but I haven't had any need for them.

The pack is comfortable to wear with generously wide shoulder straps, and two front-fastening straps to keep movement to a minimum. I have given mine some fairly rough handling and found that it more than stands up to the task. If you're going on a lengthy walk for several days and want to carry just one pack including all your camera kit, then you'll need a larger pack than this. However, if you're going just on a day trek or you've got someone else to carry your other kit, you'll struggle to do better than the Lowepro Mini Trekker. For your £60, you're getting quality materials that won't let your camera get damaged, and allow you to carry your kit comfortably from A to B. As the Ronseal man might say...it does exactly what it says on the tin.