PhotoPlus 2016 Gadget Report–Day 3

Friday October 21 was my last day at PhotoPlus 2016, but it was a big day with lots of great products. While I can't fit them all here, I thought I'd go over some of the ones that I liked the most for consideration for future blog articles.

BlackRapid

Double-locking hook

If you think you know BlackRapid, think again, as they've updated their entire line to include big improvements in comfort and safety. As you can see from the image above, the locking mechanism across the board ensures that your gear can't come out with this double locking system.

Below is the new design for the shoulder straps that allows for better breathing and feels much lighter and comfortable in person:

BlackRapid Breathe Strap Design

Improved fasteners

Everything in the line up is improved and better, so if you've had or heard of issues with their stuff in the past (and I've only heard one which I think was user error), then it's time to look them up again.

Click here to learn more about the new BlackRapid Breathe products.

Mindshift Gear

I've been a long-time fan of ThinkTankPhoto bags so when I heard some of the same great people were going to go off and form a new company with lighter bags for hikers, I supported them on Kickstarter. I was one of the first to get and review the MindShift Gear Rotation 180°, and I still have it to this day, but it's evolving and improving as shown above.

They are also making more sizes and colors than when I last reviewed the MindShift Gear Panorama. As a result, this show was a wake up call for me that this is no longer a company that just makes a couple bags, and that I should start reviewing them more in the near future.

I loved my Digital Holster, so these lighter versions are likely to be where I start...

Nikon

The all new 70-200mm from Nikon

I already talked about the new lenses in this article, so check that out if you haven't already.

In addition to the lenses, I spent most of my time talking about the new Action Cameras.

This discussion warrants its own article, so come back later this week for more details. I've got lots of pictures and hopefully some new info so if you are as excited about these very well built cameras as I am then you'll really enjoy this article.

Epson

Epson always has the most amazing art display at PhotoPlus, and this year was no different. So many images were breath taking, but on the gear side there wasn't much new news. They did have one of the P20000 beasties which is fun to see as it's as big as a small car!

Tether Tools

I haven't caught on to the tethering fad, but the crowds around the demos by great photographers like Peter Hurley suggest that I'm the exception, and not the rule.

Peter gave an awesome demo using the Flex light panel from Westcott and showed near live results via Lightroom for this very impressive demo of studio photography in 2016.

Check out more about Tether Tools current line up here.

AquaTech

AquaTech is well known for making create underwater housings, but their rain cover looks pretty good so I might be checking that out in the near future. If you've got one and want to share feedback, then leave me a comment here. Please note that comments are approved manually due to massive bot attacks, so you only need to post once and you won't see your comment right away.

Westcott

Westcott Flex Continuous Light Source was definitely the star of PPE 2016!

It was clear at this show that Westcott wanted to make a big impression with its Flex LED mat products as they were all over the show. Either they are that good or they spent a bunch of money to create that perception, but there's no doubt that they are both very cool and worth giving a closer look. Definitely look for a review of this very promising, but very expensive, continuous light source in the future.

In case it isn't obvious, what makes these so great is that they have a ton of light in a mat that can literally roll up like a blueprint. No more bulky flashes as what you see is what you get, and they don't run hot or take up a lot of space. Perhaps the only down side is that they are so bright that having that much light in your face can be pretty annoying. Videographers are likely to love them and photographers will certainly benefit from them.

Learn more about Flex here.

RapidBox reminds me of my Elinchrom 39" Rotalux Deep OctaBox
in terms of performance, but at much friendlier price

SkyLux LED Lights aren't new, but definitely were a popular choice at several booths at the show

LUMAS Opens New York Gallery with a WhiteWall.com Showroom

I had a chance to check out the new LUMAS gallery where WhiteWall.com is the as part of a show related event for the media, and let's just say I'm a huge WhiteWall fan now. If you haven't heard of them it's because they are a major fine art print service in Germany, but they are just landing on our shore in the heart of the New York SoHo district.

As a print master, NEC Color Visionary, X-Rite Coloratti, successful eBook author on printing, and the success of my printing series certainly qualifies me as someone who knows a good print when he sees it. After touring other galleries in New York and seeing WhiteWall's best work, I can assure you there's nobody in the US printing business right now has impressed me more than they did.

I'll be talking a lot more about WhiteWall, but in the meantime you can get a discount and learn more about how much I loved my HD Metal print here.

The studio in the basement gave us an opportunity to see everything they make on all of the different media, so if you get a chance then stop by or book an appointment with them as it's very helpful in deciding what you want to do for your next print.

Other print services should take notice that it's time to up your game as no print company in the US that I've seen prints from can touch them, so prepare to lose market share from photographers who care about quality as they switch to a company that I think is the best in the business.

Conclusion

PhotoPlus New York is always a great way to see the best of what everyone in the camera business has to offer, so while it's a bit expensive to get out there it's worth the trip. I had fun getting see what's new and what's coming from my blog partners, so I can't wait to get you some fresh reviews this coming year based on what I've learned.

Other Articles You Might Enjoy

NOTE: More gadget reports to come about PhotoPlus very soon!

If you enjoyed this article, you might also enjoy these:

• PhotoPlus Expo 2016 Day 1 Gadgets Report
• PhotoPlus 2016 Gadget Report–Day 2
• Black Rapid RS-7 & RS-Sport
• GoPro HD Hero 2 Motorsports Edition
• MindShift Gear Rotation 180° - Hiking Camera Backpack
• MindShift Gear Panorama - Smaller Day Hike Backpack
• ThinkTankPhoto bag reviews & special offer
• Whitewall Metal & Acrylic Frames - Discount
• Discount Coupon Codes Page
• Printing Series 
• Ron’s Recommendations 

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.

Lighting Tips on a Budget by Rogue and 15% Discount Offer!

Rogue Flashbender 2 Portable Lighting Kit

My friends at Rogue have been creating awesome products for flashes that have been all the rage for years now, but their web site has been rather simplistic to say the least. To address this shortcoming they’ve launched a new site this past April that now features a bunch of videos and blog articles to help you to master their full suite of affordable light modifiers.

However, the really cool part is that they’ve extended the ronmartblog.com 15% off discount from their old site to this new site so you can save on their huge lineup of products.

Cool Videos Filtering Feature

Isn’t it frustrating when you watch videos that don’t really apply to you because they use too many products you don’t have or want? Wouldn’t it be great if you could filter the videos to only include what you have or what you are interested in? Well here’s a great solution on Rogue’s Video Page:

How to save 15%

Click here to see their full list of products and add any items you want to the cart, then begin the checkout process which begins with an order summary like this:

Be sure you click the link to enter the discount code. Once you’ve done that, enter my discount code which currently is ronmart09 and CLICK APPLY as shown below. If that doesn’t work then check my discount coupon code page for the latest code. If that still doesn’t work then contact me.

If you did everything right you should see the discount code and the amount deducted along with a summary at the bottom similar to this:

What’s new for FlashBender 2

If you’ve already been using FlashBender products or have read my previous reviews, then you’ve probably wondered what’s new for version 2. To help with that I’ve created this slightly underexposed image to highlight the difference in the reflective surfaces:

New (left) vs Old (right)

While it is immediately obvious that the new system to attach the FlashBender to the flash is smaller and more secure, what’s less obvious at first glance is that the material used on the reflective surface is lighter and thinner – but just as effective. The net result is a lighter and more secure product.

If you’ve used the first version of the Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit that I reviewed, you’ll be happy to know that the new one uses the new FlashBender 2 system and includes an egg crate grid as shown below:

New Egg Crate Grid Feature on FlashBender 2 XL Pro Lighting System

The left shot shows it attached and the right shows that this is the same system as v1 with a carrying case a egg crate attachment.

Be sure to use my previously mentioned coupon code to pick any of these up on the Rogue website or at B&H.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• KelbyOne Training Review and Discount
• Rogue Gels (Color Correction Only Version)
• Rogue Grid
• Rogue Softbox and Diffusion Panels
• Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit
• Tripod Recommendations
• Variable Neutral Density Filter Comparison (B+W, Bower, Hoya, Singh-Ray & Tiffen)
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (ST-E3 RT)
• Discount Coupon Code Page
• Ron’s Recommendations 

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

REVIEW: Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit by ExpoImaging

ExpoImaging Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit

When the ExpoImaging Rogue Small Soft Box Kit came out I was an instant fan as it’s a nice compact alternative to my EzyBox. As much as I enjoy it, I did wish it was much bigger so I was pleased when I found out that a larger version was coming in the XL kit. With a surface area that’s nearly as big as my portable softbox, I can get nice studio light with a configuration that easily fits in my Think Tank Photo camera bag.

Sample Images

I managed to talk my wife into stepping into the studio for a quick 15 minute shoot so I could show you what kind of light you can expect to get from the Soft Box featured in this kit. The following images were taken with a Canon 1D X but would have looked the same way had they been taken with a 6D, 5D Mark III, or even a Nikon D600. I used Canon 600EX-RT flash so I could take advantage of the radio trigger from my Canon ST-E3.

I chose to shoot in Manual instead of ETTL just so I could have a little more control of my light power. My flash was set to 1/32 power most of the time and my camera was set as shown. I intentionally went a little hot with the flash on these as the brighter light makes my wife happier than lighter light which brings out more skin detail. ;-)

I had my black background already up so I decided to go for a dark one-light look just for fun, so don’t let the dark look fool you – it had nothing to do with the lighting modifier.

Canon 1D X 1/160 sec at f/4.5, ISO 100 at 70mm (24-70mm f/2.8L II)

In the Shadows Sepia Toning done with Topaz B&W Effects (bundle on sale here) Canon 1D X 1/125 sec at f/4, ISO 100 at 70mm (24-70mm f/2.8L II)

Here’s the basic I used for the two images above, but I moved the soft box to the opposite side & to the side for the Sepia shot

Canon 1D X 1/160 sec at f/6.3, ISO 100 at 70mm (24-70mm f/2.8L II)

The shot above was done with a Lastolite Triflector (now only available as a kit), but any reflector would do if positioned properly.

Configurations

Strip Box

Soft Box

Reflector (Silver & Black attachment not shown)

Conclusion

Personally I had no use for the strip box, but that’s a personal preference other photographers most likely do not share with me. I supposed if I wanted to I could have used it as a hair light or used it for the In the Shadows shot, but I didn’t feel the need to. I consider the strip box to be an extra included in a kit that I consider to primarily be a big portable soft box/reflector kit – which is a good thing!

I liked the compact size, but I did find that with the Rogue FlashBender being this larger that weight becomes a bit of an issue so it would slide down on my flash head from time to time while I was shooting. I found this to be annoying, but I eventually tightened it up enough where it stopped. A piece of gaffer’s tape would have done the trick too. It also means that you’ll probably want a sandbag on your stand to avoid it tipping over (a problem I didn’t have indoors), but realistically you should always do that when you use stands anyway.

Those issues aside, I was very happy with this product and the results. I’m glad to have a more compact and portable option to my EzyBox.

Where to order

Click here to order the ExpoImaging Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit from the B&H web site. My friends at Adorama have it available here.

Special Offer Direct from Expoimaging

You can purchase ExpoImaging Rogue XL Pro Lighting Kit direct from ExpoImaging and get a special discount:

NOTE: You MUST provide your credit card info before the Redeem button will work!

Click here and use the coupon code ronmart09 to learn more and save.

Codes change so check the discount coupon code page for the latest code if this code doesn’t work.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Rogue Gels (Color Correction Only Version)
• Rogue Grid
• Rogue Softbox and Diffusion Panels
• ExpoImaging ExpoDisc (Color Balancing Tool)
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (plus ST-E3 RT)
• Home Studio on a Budget
• Things You Need AFTER You Buy Your New Camera - Must Have Photography Accessories
• Which books should I read?
• Light It, Shoot It, Retouch It
• Flashpoint Soft Box (vs Lastolite Ezybox)

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this.

COMPARISON: Flashpoint Soft Box for Shoe Mount Flashes vs Lastolite Joe McNally 24" Ezybox

Lastolite Joe McNally 24" Ezybox vs Flashpoint 24” Softbox

My friends at Adorama sent me a Flashpoint 24” Softbox to see how I liked it, so I decided to do a very quick (like 20 minute) test to check it out. You know, this is the kind of thing you typically do when you get something new where you rip open the box and just try it out right away (while UPS is still on your block!). I was already a big fan of my Lastolite Joe McNally 24" Ezybox (which is just a branded version of this), so I thought I’d try it out really quick before watching a movie with my wife last night.

Ezyboxes collapse faster, but are huge. The Flashpoint is easier to travel stuff in your luggage

I couldn’t rope my wife into being a model, and my kids were getting the popcorn ready so please bear with my quick and dirty review here (and lame pics of yours truly with laying on the sofa hair <g>).

Physical Comparison

Before I discuss how each unit performs as a softbox, it’s important to discuss how practical they are as portable softboxes. This is where the Ezybox has set the golden standard (in my opinion) for great performance and easy of use.

Sure Westcott has the Apollo in a variety of sizes, but I never liked it because the flash is inside means that you either need something like Pocket Wizards or a sync cord because there is no line of sight with your trigger. I preferred to use my old 580EX II’s (or NikonSB-910’s) with line of sight rather than Pocket Wizards so the Apollo was out of the question for me.

Of course Westcott offers the outrageously priced $229+ magic slipper and softbox kits to match the Ezybox, but even that didn’t perform as well as the Ezybox and it wasn’t very portable. As a result, the Ezybox, trigrip (for shooting through) or an umbrella has always been my portable soft light solution.

As you can see from the photos above, the Ezybox collapses quickly into a nice flat triangle and comes with a storage bag, but it’s so large you can’t fit it in typical luggage bags. This means if you want to travel with this gadget then you need to carry it on the plan which is a bit of a hassle. The first thing I noticed about the Flashpoint was how compact it was because I knew I could toss that into any of my existing luggage bags.

Ezybox includes everything you need like a plastic slipper that holds your flash

Setting up the Ezybox is equally easy but over time it gets a little wonky shaped (see above) unless you wrestle with it a bit. It’s okay though because light doesn’t care much if the box is a bit off kilter – it just works. It features a plastic slipper for your flash that just pops in the back and it also has proven to be durable and just work.

Inside the Ezybox there is a inner baffle and it comes with white or silver inside

The Ezybox works like a proper softbox and even features an inner baffle. My McNally version has a white interior, but it’s also available in silver as well. What’s more, the Velcro on the recessed lip on the inside and around the outside can be used to mount accessories like an eggcrate grid.

Ezybox vs Flashpoint side view

When you put the Ezybox next to the Flashpoint, you quickly see the quality advantage of the Ezybox which drives up the price, but you also see that the Flashpoint offers the same size box for a fraction of the cost.

Ezybox vs Flashpoint head on view

Head on you quickly see one big difference – the Ezybox has a smaller surface area thanks to its very nice recessed design. However, both offer roughly the same amount of soft light for your subject, so the biggest difference here is the control you get from the recessed design.

If you look inside of the Flashpoint you see a very “Apollo-like” interior with no inner baffle or obvious support for accessories:

The No-Frills Flashpoint Interior

It’s Spartan, but it works. From behind it’s much like the Ezybox, but it uses a much taller tower of brackets:

Flashpoint Rear View

Setting up the Flashpoint is much more challenging thanks to its very annoying tent-like poles (shown in the first picture in this article) that are common to pro softboxes. While nicely designed Velcro straps help make inserting and removing the last two very easy, its still a pain and not as quick as the all-in-one design for the Ezybox by Lastolite.

Softbox Performance Comparison

Flashpoint behind the scenes setup

Since I was alone and in a hurry, I tried to do this quick test on the cheap. Instead of using my reflector (which I’d get out later), I just grabbed a piece of foil and tossed it on a tripod for a quick mild fill light on the opposite side of the Flashpoint box. It wasn’t pretty, but it worked. On the white seamless I just tossed a purple Rogue Gel on a flash to get a little color in the background.

Flashpoint test #1 (f/2.8 for 1/60 sec @ ISO 400)

Initially I used my 600EX-RT flash with the ST-E3 in radio mode to trigger them, but I’d switch to a 580EX II’s triggered by optical instead radio just to give them a real workout. They performed well, so I got started with my testing. As you can see from my setup and the shot above, this simple one light configuration turned out okay. Sure, I could have dialed it in better but what I saw was that I got nice soft light from the Flashpoint, so I was happy.

Ezybox test #1 (foil shown off my arm, but it was on my arm for the close up)

Ezybox test #1

I got less light spill and a slightly softer light with the Ezybox, but overall the two performed equally well. There’s lots of tests I could do here, but I just wanted to see if I could get this basic shot – it did it with no problem. I had more shots than you see here, but the performance was similar so I just grabbed one randomly to demonstrate that it doesn’t suck for you.

Over and under "Clamshell" setup with reflector

Just in case anyone might complain that neither of these boxes gives much light, I thought I’d have fun with a clamshell setup to show that bright light is no problem.

Flashpoint test #2 (f/13 for 1/60sec @ ISO 100)

You’ll notice here that I was able to do f/13 at ISO 100 with no problem (at 0EV and ETTL). I also elected to use a 580EX II only with a 600EX-RT as a optical trigger (but a ST-E2 or another 580 would have worked just as well) to show that you can use older flashes (and whatever you need to trigger them) and get good results.

Conclusion

While I hated the complexity of setting the Flashpoint up, the reality is that you get used to it really quick and it only takes a few minutes longer than the super easy Ezybox. Lightwise they both performed well, but I did prefer the Ezybox recessed design which helps prevent as much light spillage and also the interior baffle to soften the light even more. Both of these issues could be addressed by the do-it-yourselfer, so for those on a budget the Flashpoint 24” Softbox offers a great value. It’s also can’t be emphasized enough how easy it is to air travel with the Flashpoint vs the Ezybox, so some may find it worth picking up a Flashpoint for that reason alone.

Where to order

Click here to order the Flashpoint 24” Softbox or you can click here to order the Lastolite Joe McNally 24" Ezybox on the Adorama web site.

Other articles you may enjoy

If you enjoyed this article, you may also enjoy these:

• Home Studio on a Budget
• Lens / Camera Gear Rental Series (includes discounts)
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (ST-E3 RT)
• Olympus OM-D E-M5 (with 2 lenses) Review
• Getting Started in Boudoir Photography
• Discount Coupon Code Page
• How do I get my kid to look at the darn camera?
• What’s Hot in Photography and Photo Editing Books

Disclosure

If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission. It doesn’t cost you a penny more, but it does help to support future articles like this. While I paid for my Ezybox, I was given a Flashpoint soft box – at my request – by Adorama for testing for this review.

REVIEW: Rogue Small Soft Box Kit & Diffusion Panels

The ExpoImaging Rogue Small Soft Box Kit is what I used for this review

The ExpoImaging Rogue Small Soft Box Kit is a game changing product in the overcrowded field of small flash light modifiers. It’s so simple and subtle that you don’t expect it to make a huge difference, but I honestly think it does – and I love it! In fact, I’ve used mine so much since I got it that I’m months late doing this review because I couldn’t force myself to shoot a flash without it to give you some comparison images. I just love the results I get from it like this unprocessed shot (okay, so her cheek needs a slight touch up but that’s my bad – not the product):

Canon EOS-1D X, f/4.5 @ 88 mm,1/160, ISO 100
Canon 600EX-RT straight upwards with Rogue Small Soft Box Kit

This is a solid result with a flash on the camera but when you take it off it gets even better as you have a small portable softbox which we know improves as you put your softbox closer to the subject!

Comparing different flash techniques

All of the following shots are in-camera JPEG’s with a .25 exposure boost, a +7 temp & clarity boost and a +48 vibrance boost in Lightroom 4.2. All were taken with a Canon EOS-1D X, f/4.5 @ 98 mm, 1/160, ISO 100, Auto White Balance (AWB) and Standard picture style. I intentionally didn’t do my typical editing so you can get an idea of your starting point with each of the following three flash techniques. Naturally I’d fix the hotspot on the cheek and skin soften a tad to remove some skin glow and a few other things if I were to edit this shot, but I’ve left them mostly as they came out of the camera so you can see what you’d get using each method.

Canon 600EX-RT pointed directly at model with no diffusion

This first image is where you put the flash on the head and point it directly at the model for a nuclear blast of light. Surprisingly it isn’t too bad (beyond the obvious hot spot we get from Juliet’s rounded cheeks <g>) but there’s not much catch light sparkle in her eye and the shadows in the neck are harsh.

Canon 600EX-RT angled upwards with white card bounce

For this second shot we do the classic tilt up and get some indirect bounce with the white card up. As a starting point for a raw image it’s certainly usable, but the light fall off on the face is bad and the catch lights are lacking. The outfit feels a little dark to – especially the scarf. Overall this is my least favorite.

Canon 600EX-RT straight upwards with Rogue Small Soft Box Kit

Now for this shot with the Rogue Small Soft Box Kit we get nice even light throughout the body, soft shadows on the neck, good catch lights and well lit hair. This is the magic of this product even in very difficult conditions outdoors where there’s no walls for the light to bounce off. This product makes the most of your on-camera flash power!

I’m sure someone out there will disagree with me, but personally I like the Soft Box Kit version the best which mimics my real-life experience. I LOVE this product and use it whenever my Canon 600EX-RT flash goes on my camera now.

Off-Camera Flash Experiment

Now the cool thing about softboxes is that as you get them closer to the subject the wider and softer the light gets, so here’s a simple test that shows the result of setting the flash on a stand next to the camera to light the 1D Mark IV with the softbox and with the flash techniques previously discussed:

	Rogue Softbox
	Bounce Flash
	Direct Flash

Notice how the softbox shot at the top gives nice even light whereas the bounce drops off and the direct just sucks? Ever noticed the two problems with your on-camera flash? The Rogue Softbox helps to distribute the light more evenly and effectively which makes life so much better indoors with one of these things on your flash!

Conclusion

The world is overcrowded with flash modifiers. While I love my Rogue FlashBenders, I couldn’t get myself to review them as honestly there’s many ways to get similar results using home made products. I think the FlashBenders are the best of their class of product on the market and I use mine quite a bit, but I just didn’t feel like they were as important to review as this soft box kit that I used in this article. By mounting the diffusion panel to your existing FlashBender or buying the kit you can really improve the quality of your small flash light – that’s something I honestly believe in which is why I feel compelled to review this product for you.

I think beginners will get the most of this product right off the bat, but experience shooters can find it useful as well – especially if you get the flash off the camera and are packing light. It’s really the ultimate photojournalist light modifier! I also love that I can store this flat in my bag as that cause me to bring it everywhere and consequently use it more often.

This is a game changing small flash light modifier and I highly recommend it!

Special Offer

ExpoImaging Rogue Starter Lighting Kit
is great for beginners
(Flashes not included)

You can purchase ExpoImaging Rogue Small Soft Box Kit or the individual diffusion panels for your existing Rogue FlashBender from B&H, but you can also purchase direct from ExpoImaging

NOTE: You MUST provide your credit card info before the Redeem button will work!

My blog already has a discount coupon code in place for existing ExpoImaging Rogue products shown at the end of this article, but I’m pleased to announce now that you can also save 15% when you use the coupon code ronmart09 to order your Rogue Grid.

Codes change so check the discount coupon code page for the latest code if this code doesn’t work.

Other articles you may enjoy

Serious Photographers will want the
ExpoImaging Rogue Master Lighting Kit
(Flashes not included)

If you liked this article, then you might like these as well:

• Rogue Grid
• Rogue Gels
• ExpoImaging ExpoDisc (Color Balancing Tool)
• Canon 1D X (Real World Usage)
• Canon 600EX-RT Flash First Look (plus ST-E3 RT)

Disclaimer

Expoimaging has provided me with this product to review, but I loved it so much that I ended up using it for months before getting around and reviewing it! If you make a purchase using links found in this article, I may make a commission.