Monday, March 30, 2009

Review: Kata H-14 Holster camera case

I bought this bag after a lottttttt of online review and after checking out other branded bags in the stores. I knew I definitely needed a bag that would allow me to access the camera with a lens mounted in a quick manner. So I was looking at slingpacks and the holsters. This was the only holster style bag that-

- would allow the flexibility of becoming a sling pack with an optional accessory
- would host the camera face down for quick top access
- would have a designed flexible yet sturdy casing for the camera in the central compartment... separate from the other lens and accessories
- would have two side pockets to keep an extra lens in one plus accessories in another
- and would be solidly built.

I have used it to keep the following at different times:

[Combo A]
- A Canon Rebel XSi + Sigme 70-300mm lens in the main compartment
- A Canon 28-105mm lens + a 50mm 1.8 II lens in one side pocket
- Lens/body caps + battery charger + cleaning kit in another side pocket
- Spare SD card in top sleeve above the camere

[Combo B] (a bit tight, but 50d does fit in there)
- A Canon 50d + Tammy 17-50mm 2.8 lens in the main compartment
- Lens/body caps in one side pocket
- battery charger + cleaning kit in another side pocket
- Spare CF card in top sleeve above the camera


[Combo C] (My current kit)
- A Nikon D90 + 18-105mm lens in the main compartment
- A Nikon 70-300mm VR lens in one side pocket
- Lens/body caps + battery charger + cleaning kit in another side pocket
- Spare SD card in top sleeve above the camera


Bonus: It looks great!!



The only con I found is that the top flap's zipper is a bit too sturdy to quickly open it in need. I think it is by design.. so if one wants a quick access, she/he can leave the zips open but instead buckle the flap up. The bag is also great in the way that you can review pics/change settings/look at back LCD panel without taking the camera out.

A perfect bag for you if you only want to carry a maximum of 2 lenses on a trip/hike: a basic kit lens on the body, and a zoom in the side pocket. Still leaves room for other stuff:-)

I would highly recommend this bag for starters.... you will soon realise that you have spent more than the price of this bag because you switched those generic bags 2-3 times (do the math, you will know). You may rather buy a great bag in the first place.. and it will last a long time too.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Getting the "Nikon" vivid colors from a Canon 40D




If you read my previous post on getting vivid colors out of Canon 50D images using Canon picture style editor, you may be interested in this post too.

I have created a lightroom template file, which tries to vividify the greens/blues/yellows in a Canon 40D landscape image just like a Nikon D90 result.

Here are a few samples:












Updated 02/20/2010. I get many emails every week asking for my custom picture styles, and how to upload them to your camera. Here are the answers:

[1] If you are interested in a copy of the picture styles that you can import to your Canon 50d camera, download them from this link. No catch here, its available for free. I am a big proponent of the "free resources for all" policy:-)


[2] Check this link for how to upload a custom picture style to your Canon camera, provided your model supports it. If it doesnt support it, you can still apply picture styles after you download pictures to your computer.