Accessory Reviews

The Nissin i40 Review – A great flash for Micro Four Thirds cameras

14/04/2015 By Mathieu

When you get used to working with a compact system such as Micro Four Thirds, you also start to consider compact accessories. You have a small camera and tiny lenses, so you obviously want a small flash as well. Some Micro Four Thirds cameras have very tiny flash units (often included with the camera) or built-in flashes that can cover the basic needs of an amateur photographer but these won’t satisfy the needs of an advanced or professional user.

Review of the Lollipod – The “take-with-you-everywhere” tripod for small mirrorless cameras

12/03/2015 By Heather

When you hear the name Lollipod, it is difficult to suppress the urge to start singing that catchy 1950s tune by the Chordettes. Now that I’ve got the song permanently stuck in your head, we can take a look at the tripod that is as “lightweight” as the song it brings to mind!

What is the Lollipod?

The Lollipod is a casual carry-around tripod constructed from pure lightweight aluminium and hardened plastic. It has been built to support any camera or smart device that weighs less than 420 grams, including smaller mirrorless cameras such as the LX100, RX100 series, X30 or G7X.

Lollipod review — Using the LX100 on the Lollipod

Based on a photographer’s light stand, it has three short legs and a long pole that extends to a height of 113 cm. Included in the package are a net carrying bag and a stabilisation net that sits under the tripod legs. You can choose between six jolly colours.

Is it portable?

At a mere 320 grams and 32cm in length when retracted, the Lollipod is the lightest, most portable tripod we’ve ever tried. It comes with a handy net bag which you can use to either store the tripod or carry it around via a clip that attaches to belts, zippers and bag handle attachments. I personally found that latching the bag onto my coat pocket zipper was the most convenient solution for when I was out walking.

The fact that it is so small and light means that you will be more likely to take it out on walks or pack it in your hand luggage for short vacations. When it is attached to my coat, I barely even notice that I am carrying it.

Is it practical?

The Lollipod is practical for some applications, but less so for others. This is due to the very characteristic that makes it so appealing – its lightweight build.

First of all, even a moderate wind will cause the tripod to sway back and forth, particularly when it is extended to its full height. The same happens when you press down on the shutter release. I thought that a 2-second timer might solve the issue of the micro-movements generated by my hand, but even then it would continue to sway long after I’d pressed the shutter button.

For this reason, I only ever extended the tripod to its full height for shots where I would have normally used a monopod. It worked quite well for bracketing for example.

The swaying was greatly reduced however when I retracted the tripod to half its full height, and it disappeared completely when I used only the bottom pole. Both long exposures and time lapses are possible when the tripod is set to its minimum height on a calm day.

Another point in its favour is that you don’t have to twist the camera onto the mount. Instead, you set the camera on top of the mount, align the tripod head screw with the receptacle, and rotate a dial on the side which locks the camera in place. Attaching a camera to a tripod head has never been easier.

I was also surprised to learn that the Lollipod can be used in both landscape and portrait modes thanks to its very flexible tripod head.

Is it durable?

I won’t mince words in this section: if you are looking for a tripod that will last you years and stand up against even the harshest weather conditions, the Lollipod is not for you. Rather, it is an inexpensive solution for people who want a little more stability than a hand-held shot would give.

While the aluminium poles and plastic joints seem durable, the knobs that adjust tightness are notably more fragile. For example, the knob that adjusts the position of the head developed a crack down the side when I tried to tighten it the first time I used the tripod. It is still usable but I’ve learned not to strain the knobs too much.

DMC-LX100, 1/20, f/ 28/10, ISO 800 — The cracked knob to adjust the tightness of the tripod head

The most durable part of the Lollipod is most certainly the tripod head itself. It is made of hardened plastic and features a flat layer of textured rubber around the screw to protect your camera and keep it in place.

DMC-LX100, 1/50, f/ 17/10, ISO 800 — Tripod head with screw and dial on the side

The Lollipod has been designed to support a maximum weight of 420 grams but it is possible to use slightly heavier cameras as long as they have small and flat primes. I had no trouble using it with the X100T, for example, which is 440 grams. In the case of larger premium compacts with zooms like the LX100, the tripod head will slump a little under the frontal weight if you fully extend the zoom, changing your composition.

Is it easy to use?

The Lollipod is very easy to use and adjust. The aluminium poles slide up and down very smoothly and the legs are easy to extend. Since there aren’t any tightening mechanisms on the legs or poles, they rely on friction to stay in place.

The additional stabilising net is also easy to attach. You simply slide the three plastic hooks into the holes on the legs and fill the net with heavy objects like rocks or sand. The net will stop the tripod from blowing over but won’t stop it from shaking.

Note: if you want even more stabilisation for the lollipod, or any tripod for that matter, you may also want to consider the InspiredPhotoGear WaterWeight (pictured below). Fashioned in a doughnut shape so that it slides onto your tripod, it can be filled with either water or sand, and can easily be wrapped up and stored inside your camera bag or carried around with the attached handle. (Keep in mind that you’ll need a small funnel of some sort to fill it up efficiently.)

waterweight tripod — InspiredPhotoGear WaterWeight

Is it priced right?

The Lollipod is one of the most economical options out there for people who want to engage in casual tripod photography. You can find it on InspiredPhotoGear.

Conclusion

As I stated at the beginning of this review, the Lollipod isn’t suited for the rugged lifestyle. It is however a fun, easy-to-use and economical alternative for anyone who owns a small mirrorless camera and is interested in dabbling in the world of tripod photography. Most importantly, it is the kind of tripod you wouldn’t hesitate to bring along even on the shortest of outings. That’s something I can’t say about many of the other tripods I’ve used in the past.

What I like about the Lollipod:

lightweight and portable
very easy to use and adjust
poles and tripod head are well-made
very economical

What I don’t like about the Lollipod:

a bit too light for many kinds of photography
sways back and forth at full length
some parts are fragile such as the adjustment knobs

Hey, it can also be used as a selfie stick! ;) — Hey, it can also be used as a selfie stick! 😉

Do you own the Lollipod? If so, share your thoughts about it below!

Elegant, enduring and eco-friendly – Nucis Leather Strap Review

06/03/2015 By Heather

Our friend Matthew Maddock of PhotoMADD recently introduced us to a new brand of leather camera strap that has quickly become one of our favourites for our smaller rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras. The manufacturer is called Nucis. It is the brainchild of Fernando Carvalho da Silva, a Portuguese photographer wanted to create a series of camera straps and cases that were not only appealing but comfortable and practical as well.

For testing purposes, Mathieu and I received the Good Vibes neck strap, tan Vintage Wrist Strap and Cork Neck Strap.

The first thing you’ll notice about Nucis straps is just how thin and lightweight they are compared to other leather straps. The chance of these straps adding bulk to your set-up is next to none, which is quite important if you plan to use them on a small mirrorless camera. They both come with leather discs that you can attach to your camera’s lugs for protection.

best leather camera strap — The Nucis “Good Vibes” neck strap

The Good Vibes neck strap’s appeal lies in the colour contrast between the upper and lower parts of the strap. The upper side is fashioned in discreet black leather whilst the lower side features a soft suede layer in bright cherry red. To add some extra flare, the ends have been hand-stitched with red thread that matches the underbody of the strap.

Unlike many other straps, the metal ring fasteners are quite easy to open and slide onto the lugs of your camera. It comes in two different lengths – standard (100cm) and long (120cm). My guess is that the long version would be better for a man as the standard version fits me quite well.

X-T1, 1/8, f/ 8/1, ISO 1600 — The Nucis “Vintage Leather Strap”

We also enjoyed using the Vintage Wrist Strap. Fashioned completely in smooth durable leather, it adds a stylish and classic look to your camera. Both the strap end and the leather O-ring have been neatly hand-stitched for practical and decorative purposes. I was especially happy with the latter as it easily slides up and down the strap when you want to adjust its size yet has excellent resistance once in place. As with the Good Vibes strap, the metal ring fastener is very easy to open.

You may have noticed that I mentioned the word “eco-friendly” in the title of this article. This refers to a unique product produced by Nucis, the Cork strap. By producing a leather strap that incorporates cork fabric on one side, the company helps to sustain one of the most important ecosystems in the south of Europe, the Montado cork industry.

If being eco-friendly weren’t enough, it is also one of the most beautifully-made straps I’ve ever used and looks truly distinctive paired with a vintage-style mirrorless camera. You might naturally think that cork would be prone to breaking or crumbling but this is not the case; it is actually extremely soft, smooth and resistant. The strap is 20mm wide and comes in two lengths (100mm and 120mm) like the Good Vibes strap.

Have you tried a leather camera strap from Nucis? If so, tell us about your experience with it!

Luscious in Leather – Review of DeadCameras wrist, neck and shoulder straps

26/01/2015 By Heather

I’ll be honest–we rarely dislike the neck and wrist straps we test here at MirrorLessons. I would guess that this is because most of the products we test have been around for a while, and have thus already been tweaked to near perfection. Very rarely do we get the chance to try products from up-and-coming accessory producers, but this was exactly what happened with DeadCameras, a small company from Portugal that only just started making leather camera straps last year.

6 Authors of Mirrorless Camera Manuals Whose Books You’ll Actually Enjoy Reading

21/01/2015 By Heather

I am generally an avid reader but there is one genre of literature that sends me running in the other direction: official camera manuals. A few pages into reading one, and I can feel my eyelids becoming heavy and my mind beginning to wander to thoughts as varied as that evening’s dinner and the meaning of life.

E-M1, 1/30, f/ 28/10, ISO 400 — Me “enjoying” some fine literature!

Thankfully there are a handful of authors who have taken on the task of publishing thorough, accurate and interesting camera manuals of their own. Not only are these manuals just as informative as the manufacturer’s version (if not more), but they are usually written in the first person by an actual photographer who has used the camera in various situations and can share personal tips on how to get the most out of that particular model.

In this article, you will find six authors of mirrorless camera manuals whose writing I’ve sincerely enjoyed reading. These books may not be as riveting as The Lord of the Rings but they are certainly far more digestible and helpful than the one currently sitting in your camera box.

Brian Matsumoto & Carol Roullard

Unlike the other authors mentioned here, Brian Matsumoto and Carol Roullard always work together to create their camera manuals. Whereas Brian comes from a primarily scientific background, having recorded experiments with film and digital cameras for over 30 years, Carol is a fine art, landscape and architectural photographer with a background in IT. Together, they consistently create manuals that are detailed, extremely well-organised and approachable.

Having read their Sony A7/A7r manual from cover to cover, my impression is that their manuals are particularly appropriate for experienced photographers, which makes sense as most of their books deal with mid-to-high end mirrorless cameras. With that said, they do make a point to cover the basics of photography (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, exposure compensation, etc.) at the beginning of the book for the sake of beginners and those in need of a refresher, and do not hesitate to explain even the most banal of concepts, such as reviewing or deleting your photos for example. If you are already familiar with these concepts, it is simply a matter of skipping to the sections that interest you.

, , f/ , ISO — Two pages from their A7/A7r book

A section I enjoy is entitled ‘Recommendations’ found at the end of each chapter. Here, the authors share personal tips and recommendations gathered from their own experience using the camera. You’ll also find useful tips highlighted in orange tables sprinkled throughout the book.

A great strength of their manuals is that they don’t simply list the functions of the camera like an ordinary manual. Rather, they make a point to describe what works well, what doesn’t, what users have complained about, how these issues can be resolved, and finally, how the brand in question can improve future models. The word “thorough” is an understatement.

If I could make one small criticism, it is that the authors sometimes have the tendency to be too verbose, causing confusion for beginners. A few more images taken with the camera in question would also help to break up the long streams of text.

Brian and Carol’s manuals are all available as paperback or e-books on Rocky Nook.

Below you can see a full list of mirrorless camera manuals they’ve written:

All MirrorLessons readers are entitled to 15% off all e-book orders from Rocky Nook. Simply include the coupon code “mirror lessons” in your order!

Sony A7/A7r – Rocky Nook
Sony NEX 6 – Rocky Nook
Sony NEX 7 – Rocky Nook
Panasonic Lumix GH2 – Rocky Nook
Panasonic Lumix GH4 – Rocky Nook
Panasonic Lumix G2 – Rocky Nook

Alexander S. White

If I had to name one thing I really like about Alexander S. White’s manuals, it would be his writing style. Not only are the books well-organised and easy to follow, but the author also has a real knack for explaining concepts in the simplest terms possible, partially owing to his non-technical and friendly manner. It almost feels as if you are chatting to him over a cup of coffee. For this very reason, Alexander’s manuals make an excellent starting point for beginners and more experienced photographers alike.

To write this list, I was given a copy of the RX100 II manual. Although Alexander does not include tip boxes throughout the book, his writing is littered with personal experience, which is complemented by some examples of his own photography. He uses many real life examples to explain when you should and shouldn’t use certain functions, and when explaining the settings, follows the original order of the default camera menu.

Unlike other authors, Alexander starts off the manual with the ideal settings for the complete beginner, indicating exactly which shooting mode to use and what to adjust in the menu. This means that by the end of Chapter 2, the beginner is already primed to shoot.

The end of the book is equally useful, with two extremely detailed sections about Accessories and the author’s Quick Tips for getting the most out of the camera. The latter is basically a condensed summary of all the tips he’s mentioned throughout the book.

I would have personally liked to see more of his personal image collection but the props he uses for his example images (figurines for DOF and macro, mannequins for portraits and flash, etc.) demonstrate the concepts of photography very well.

So far, Alexander has written eight manuals about premium compacts* including the three RX100 series cameras, the X100 series and most recently, the LX100. He also runs a website, White Knight Press, where you can purchase his books.

*We define premium compact as any mirrorless camera with a sensor equal to or larger than 2/3-inch.

Below you can see a full list of mirrorless camera manuals written by Alexander:

Sony RX100 – White Knight Press
Sony RX100 II – White Knight Press
Sony RX100 III – White Knight Press
Sony RX10 – White Knight Press
Fujifilm X100 – White Knight Press
Fujifilm X100s – White Knight Press
Fujifilm X10 – White Knight Press
Panasonic Lumix LX100 – White Knight Press

Rico Pfirstinger

Rico Pfirstinger is a journalist, publicist and photographer. Compared to other authors, he definitely takes a more casual approach to writing his more recent camera manuals, preferring to share a list of 100 useful tips for those who have already read the official manual than detail every minute aspect of the camera in question. (Only his first two manuals about the X-Pro1 and X-E1 were complete in the sense that they covered all aspects of the two cameras.) Each tip is divided into a series of bullet points for easier reading. Whilst this style isn’t great for beginners, it is perfect for experienced photographers who want to get the most out of their new camera.

Rico strictly talks about mirrorless cameras from Fujifilm, and his experience with these cameras shines through in his exhaustive though sometimes very technical descriptions. He goes into particular detail about lenses, Raw processing in-camera, JPGs, ISO and DR in the X-E2 manual I was given to review.

Another great thing about Rico’s books is that he frequently links to external resources on the web throughout the book so the reader can find out more about a topic that interests him or her. Doing so keeps the book relatively short and clear of superfluous information.

You can also read Rico’s excellent reviews and first impressions articles in his X-Pert Corner featured on Fuji Rumors.

Below you can see a full list of mirrorless camera manuals written by Rico:

All MirrorLessons readers are entitled to 15% off all e-book orders from Rocky Nook. Simply include the coupon code “mirror lessons” in your order!

Fujifilm X-Pro1 and X-E1 – Rocky Nook
Fujifilm X-Pro1 – Rocky Nook
Fujifilm X-E2 – Rocky Nook
Fujifilm X-T1 – Rocky Nook

Gary L. Friedman

You may recognise Gary’s name as I have already written a dedicated review of his Sony A7/A7r manual. Originally a rocket scientist for NASA, during which time he patented the image authentication system used by Nikon and Canon, he later graduated to photography (with a primary focus on his stock image website FriedmanArchives.com) and has since been featured in various magazines, newspapers and books worldwide.

As I mentioned in my first review, Gary has a very approachable and conversational writing style which is easy to follow, even if your photography experience is limited. Though his books might be a little confusing for complete beginners, they are well-suited to enthusiasts, advanced amateurs and professionals. (This makes sense as most of his books deal with mid-to-high end mirrorless cameras anyway.)

Gary’s books are also some of the longest I’ve read but there is a good reason for this–the manuals are overflowing with gorgeous imagery from the author’s personal collection and diagrams that explain important concepts. Not only do these images break up the text but they show the reader just what the camera is capable of in the right hands.

Like many of the other authors mentioned here, Gary also uses Tip boxes to highlight important points throughout the book, which deal with topics such as useful shortcuts, optimal button configurations or workarounds for tricky issues. Likewise, he includes many links to external resources so that the reader may deepen his or her knowledge about a given topic.

Depending on the camera, Gary occasionally collaborates with other experienced professionals in the field on his books. These authors include Mike Hendren, Ross Warner, and Tony Phillips, the latter who is the final author on our list.

If you are looking for an extremely thorough and straightforward manual about your camera, you can’t get much better than Gary Friedman’s line of books.

Note: I have read that the Kindle version of his books do not display well. It is best to download the PDF or order a hard copy.

Below you can see a full list of mirrorless camera manuals written by Gary:

Sony A7/A7r – Friedman Archives
Sony a6000 – Friedman Archives
Sony NEX 3, C3 and 5N – Friedman Archives
Sony NEX 5R, 5T and 6 – Friedman Archives
Sony NEX 7 – Friedman Archives
Sony RX100 – Friedman Archives
Sony RX100 II – Friedman Archives
Sony RX100 III – Friedman Archives
Olympus OM-D E-M1 – Friedman Archives

Tony Phillips

Last but not least, we have author Tony Phillips, a photographer, writer, pilot and teacher who publishes extensive manuals about Fujifilm cameras on the Friedman Archives website.

Given that Tony’s books are part of the Friedman Archives, they follow pretty much the same format as Gary’s books, including many useful yellow Tip boxes, links to external resources scattered throughout the text, dozens of beautiful images the author has taken himself and helpful diagrams to explain difficult concepts. It immediately becomes evident as you begin reading his manuals just how knowledgeable Tony is, not just about Fujifilm cameras, but about the art of photography as a whole.

Since Tony assumes that, as an X100s or X-T1 user, you are already an experienced photographer, he does not dedicate any time to discussing the basics of ISO, f/stops, shutter speeds, or light and composition, and does not hesitate to dive right into technical explanations. He does however include an Appendix at the end for those who need to review.

One small point that readers will either love or hate is Tony’s extremely informal writing style. He tends to write as he might speak, which makes for easy reading on one hand, but can also be somewhat bothersome when overused, such as when one paragraph contains a handful of bracketed sentences, exclamation marks and emoticons. That said, it doesn’t happen too often and given the very technical nature of his explanations, it does become necessary to “lighten the mood” at times.

I would definitely recommend either of Tony’s Fujifilm books to users who have significant experience in the photography world, particularly those who have just switched over to a mirrorless system from a DSLR.

Below you can see a full list of mirrorless camera manuals written by Tony:

Fujifilm X-T1 – Friedman Archives
Fujifilm X100s – Friedman Archives
Fujifilm X100t (coming soon)

Have you read a mirrorless camera manual by one of these authors? How about an author we haven’t mentioned? If so, let us know in the comments section below!