In part two of the new Gura Gear Bataflae series of videos we have a look at just what I pack in my camera bag for both international travel and local landscape photography. Depending on where I am travelling and what I am shooting I occasionally swap lenses in and out of this collection. As you will see, you can fit quite a bit of gear in a Bataflae 32L! I actually discovered another tele-converter in the bag on top of all the other equipment when I was repacking the bag after we finished filming. Just click on the image to watch the video via You Tube. I hope you enjoy. You can order the Gura Gear Bataflae cameras bags directly from Gura Gear.
Category: Reviews
Gura Gear Bataflae 32L vs. Gura Gear Kiboko
My good friend Antony Watson and I were standing around at a nearby nature reserve late last year and decided we would make a short video of the differences between the original Gura Gear Kiboko and the new Bataflae 32L camera bag whilst we waited for the light to improve. It just so happened that between us we had the original Kiboko, the new Bataflae 32L and the Bataflae 26L in the field as well as enough hands, gear and motivation to make a couple of short videos. This first video is a straight comparison of the differences between the original Kiboko and the newly designed (and I think much improved) Bataflae 32L. Just click on the image to view the video on You Tube. I hope you enjoy.
Cathedrale Notre Dame : Reims, France
France is home to some of the most magnificent and spectacular cathedrals, churches and chateaus I have had the privilege to visit in Europe. During my time in France in July this year my wife and I visited a great many throughout Paris and the French countryside and I spent a lot of time looking up with my camera at the wonderful architecture. Without doubt the most famous cathedral in France is the Notre Dam in the heart of Paris. I was actually unaware that there are in fact two Notre Dame Cathedrals in France. The first (where all the tourists go) and most well known is in Paris. The second is in Reims – Cathédrale Notre Dame; and is where this photograph was taken.
Many of the photographs I made in both France and Italy I have converted to Black and White and treated with Nik Silver EFX Pro 2 as I felt the monochrome tonalities better captured the timeless feeling of the various places for me. This first photograph however I chose to keep in colour (although the pallet is selective and somewhat muted) as I very much like the dichotomy of the stone and stained glass and the rays of sunshine streaming in through the windows. I did not in anyway ‘treat’ the colour in this image and simply left it as captured by the cameras sensor.
I admit to pre visualising this photograph as I wandered around the Cathedral with my camera in the late afternoon listening to the school choir. I had noted the angle of the sun on entry and had hoped it was going to strike the stained glass and indeed it did shortly after my arrival. It lasted only a minute or so before the light was gone; but it was a magical minute of wonderful light. In order to achieve this effect in a single frame without shenanigans I used the cameras spot meter and metered off the windows as I knew this would preserve the highlights and let the shadows fall where they may. I was then able to coax out the detail in the shadows in post-production in Lightroom with the Shadows slider.
Just an aside; but I continue to be absolutely amazed at the high ISO quality of the files from Canon’s 1DX camera. Shot at ISO3200 the RAW file is incredibly clean and the tiny bit of luminance noise that is apparent at 100% in the shadows at ISO3200 is easily cleaned up in Lightroom with small nudge of the luminance noise slider. The noise control of the 1DX is truly remarkable.
Review: Canon GP-E1 GPS Receiver for the Canon 1DX Camera
Geotagging photographs is becoming increasingly popular these days and there are now quite a wide range of geo-tagged guidebook resources available for photographers to aid in location scouting. If you carry a GPS and a GPS guidebook you can very easily find the location where a particular photograph was taken. If it is the first time you have ever visited an area and you are attempting to get to a well known ‘photo hot spot’ this could be a real time saver. I never put much stock in the benefit geotagging photographs could provide until my first trip to Antarctica where I quickly realised that it was just about impossible to keyword locations or record exactly where a photograph was taken without some sort of GPS tagging device. It is one thing to photograph a waterfall in a national park that is well sign posted and another to be shooting from ship, plane or zodiac where recording the position of a photograph is more difficult without some sort of GPS. Whilst it is possible to use an external GPS device to do this (or even an iPhone) I find it impractical to have to carry yet another device or to have to remember to take a photograph with my iPhone to record my position. The obvious benefit to an add on GPS to a camera (or better yet, built in GPS functionality) is the ability to record exact co-ordinates, time and direction at exact time of exposure with every press of the shutter.
Canon GP-E1 GPS Receiver for the Canon 1DX
The Canon GP-E1 is an optional GPS accessory for the Canon EOS 1DX Camera that automatically geotags images as they are captured with latitude, longitude and directional information that is then viewable in either the provided software or 3rd party software such as Adobe Lightroom. To get my only real gripe about the GP-E1 out of the way early I find it regrettable that Canon chose not to build a GPS into the 1DX but rather offer it as an optional add on accessory. I am sure studio photographers are equally lamenting Canon for the lack of inbuilt wireless capability. Not to harp on it, but I would have definitely preferred to see GPS functionality built into the camera rather than having to purchase an optional accessory.
The GP-E1 retails for approximately $330 Australian dollars or around $270 US from B&H, but can be had online for under these prices if you are prepared to shop around and wait for a ‘grey import’. I prefer to purchase these sort of things from my local professional dealer as the cost difference is minimal these days and I like the added peace of mind of local support and warranty through Canon Professional Services (CPS).
What you Get in the Box
The GP-E1 comes in a box at least six times larger than is required for the actual GPS receiver in order to accommodate the included Software CD, Instruction Manual, Warranty Cards and associated packaging. The actual GP-E1 GPS Receiver is not much larger than my thumb.
Included in the box you get:
- Canon GP-E1 GPS Receiver
- Instruction Manual
- Storage Pouch for the GP-E1 when not attached to the camera
- Warranty Cards
As a Footnote: I really wish more manufacturers would take a leaf from Apple’s marketing department and give more thought to their packaging and the copious amounts of wasted cardboard that goes into packaging their products. Apple’s packaging is really second to none and a lot of manufacturers would do very well to follow Apple’s lead in this regard. Less packaging not only means less environmental waste, but it means a lower cost of production as well.
Instruction Manual
A detailed ‘pocket’ instruction manual is included in the box with the GP-E1 in nine different languages. Like most Canon manuals it is fairly well laid out and the instructions are simple and easy to follow. Although I did not check the bundled software I would guess an electronic version of the manual is probably included on disc as well since most Canon products now ship this way.
Installation
Installation of the GP-E1 is simple and straight forward. The unit simply screws into the extension system terminal after removing the terminal cover. There is an alignment pin at the top of the GPS unit which makes aligning the unit straightforward. Total time to install the GP-E1 is less than a minute and is dead simple. I would assume that anyone purchasing a GP-E1 is already familiar with the 1DX and capable of installation without the included manual.
Installation with a Really Right Stuff L Bracket
The observant amongst you will have already noted that the GP-E1 screws into the 1DX in the same position that you would typically find the side plate of an L Bracket, such as those from Really Right Stuff. The GP-E1 can still be used if you have the Really Right Stuff L bracket for the Canon 1DX installed on your camera but does require that the ‘L part’ of the bracket be moved to its farthest position. This is easily accomplished even in the field as the new L bracket from Really Right Stuff now includes a place to house the required Allen Key to move the bracket. Moving the bracket to the extended position does make an already large camera that much larger again and it would have been preferable if space could have been allowed for the GP-E1 during the design of the Really Right Stuff L Bracket. I am told that Canon could not supply a GP-E1 to Really Right Stuff during the design of the bracket and as such the decision was made to simply provide the ability to extend the bracket to accommodate the receiver. Although it might look a bit awkward to handle with the L bracket in the extended position it actually provides a solid place to grip the camera when transporting it and is quite practical to use in this configuration. The only downside being the extra space that is taken up in the camera bag if you leave the GP-E1 attached to the camera and the L bracket in the extended position. I have not yet decided wether to leave the GP-E1 permanently attached to my camera and the L bracket in the extended position but I suspect I will be removing them at least for international and domestic airline travel just to save space in my camera bag. Once on location I will likely leave them permanently attached to the camera for the duration of my photography.
Initialising
In order to begin geo-tagging your photographs after installation of the GP-E1 you need to enter the cameras menu system and tell it you have attached the GPS Receiver. To do this you select GPS in the GPS device settings menu and simply set it to ‘Enable’. According to the manual signal acquisition takes anywhere from thirty to sixty seconds after you turn on the camera. In my own experience it was much faster than this taking around fifteen seconds. Although I was able to obtain a satellite signal inside my house I recommend you do this step outside initially to more easily acquire a satellite signal. A flashing GPS annotation is displayed on the small lower LCD screen on the 1DX prior to a ‘satellite lock’. Once ‘Lock’ is achieved the GPS text stops flashing and the camera is now ready to geotag images. At this point all you have to do is press the shutter and the GP-E1 will write its GPS data to your file automatically. Regardless of wether you are shooting RAW or Jpeg this information is written directly into the file and is not attached as a side-car file.
Features
The GP-E1 records the latitude and longtitude of its location as well as the elevation and direction each time the shutter is pressed and adds this information to the camera generated image file (RAW or jpeg) The GP-E1 also records the UTC or Co-ordinated Universal Time which is essentially the same as Greenwich Mean Time. The direction recorded simply indicates the direction the camera was facing when the shutter was pressed and an exposure recorded. This information is displayed as Direction: NE 45 indicating that the camera was facing 45 degrees North East. This information could be useful if you were trying to replicate a particular photograph or wanted to know your angle in relation to the setting sun as an example.
The GPS information display also indicates either ‘2D’ or ‘3D’. A ‘3D’ display means the GP-E1 is able to record the cameras elevation at the time of exposure. ‘2D’ indicates the GP-E1 cannot record the elevation at time of exposure and thus will not record this information to the file. A more detailed explanation of why the GP-E1 might not be able to include elevation information is not included in the manual but I would surmise it is related to either signal strength or number of available satellites.
Positioning Interval
There are multiple options to set the Positioning Interval of the GP-E1. The positioning interval determines how often the GP-E1 queries nearby satellites for location information. Shorter positioning intervals yield more accurate location information but require more battery power and thus fewer exposures can be made on a single charge. The options are every: 1 second, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 2 minutes or 5 minutes. I have not as yet had a chance to experiment how much of difference this makes in real world shooting; however, the manual indicates a difference of 200 frames between 1 second and 5 minute intervals. Until such time as I can test this in the field I will leave it set to every 30 seconds which would seem sufficient for most applications. Perhaps if shooting from a fast moving car, plane or helicopter it would be worth changing to every second. For most land based applications I would imagine a setting of 1 or 2 minutes would be sufficient.
Digital Compass
The GP-E1 includes a Digital Compass which provides you with the direction the camera was facing when the exposure was made. The compass can also be used when shooting by pressing the ‘info’ button on the 1DX which will display the cameras inbuilt level and the direction the camera is facing. The compass is also displayed in Live View mode or movie shooting, but can be turned off my pressing the ‘info’ button. In order to take advantage of the Digital Compass feature the compass has to be calibrated and this is achieved by rotating and waving the camera laterally and vertically in at least a 180 degree arc. This process is well described and documented in the manual and only takes a few seconds. This process only needs to be performed once and not every time the camera is turned on.
GPS Time
The GP-E1 can be used to record the time of exposure with an error margin of +/- 2 seconds. For anyone who travels a lot like I do this is a real benefit as I am constantly forgetting to update my cameras time from my point of origin to the time at my current location. The GP-E1 can be set to automatically update which removes the requirement to manually update the cameras time or it can be manually updated by a force option in the menu. Comparing this time to the official local time as displayed on my computer the GP-E1 is extremely accurate and within the +/-2 seconds quoted in the manual (although it does not take into account Local Daylight Savings Times).
Power
Unlike the Canon GP-E2 the Canon GP-E1 is powered from the Camera’s main battery and does not require an additional battery to make it work. This is a real positive as I do not want to have to carry yet another battery type on a photographic shoot. The only down side to utilising the Camera’s main power source is that it does reduce the number frames that can be captured on a single charge. The number of reduced frames will depend on how often you have set the GP-E1 to update its location information and the external temperature in which you are shooting. Colder temperatures will result in fewer exposures before a battery charge or replacement is required.
Bundled Software
The GP-E1 is supplied with a Canon Software solutions disc which includes a Map Utility and ImageBrowser EX software. The map utility uses local information recorded by the receiver to show shooting locations and the shooting direction on a virtual map. Imagebrowser EX is used to update the Map utility. Since Adobe Lightroom is capable of reading the geotagged RAW files directly from the camera I did not bother to install and test this software as I have no need for it. If you use Canon’s own Digital Photo Professional Software (DPP) or other RAW image processing software that does not natively read geotagged files this bundled software may be more useful to you. I suspect anyone who is using a GP-E1 will most likely also be using Adobe Lightroom and therefore not require this bundled software.
Weather Sealing
The supplied manual does not state wether the GP-E1 is weather sealed. However, the unit is for all intent and purpose fully sealed and highly unlikely to fail due to exposure to the elements. Installation of the GP-E1 does require removal of the Extension System Terminal Cover; however, the GP-E1 is a very snug fit once screwed into position and I feel quite confident that there is likely to be no effect on the cameras weather sealing with the GP-E1 in position. I would happily shoot with the GP-E1 attached to the 1DX under any normal conditions I might subject the camera to and this includes heavy rain, snow, sleet, salt spray, dust, heat and cold.
Who is it for?
The simple answer is the GP-E1 is for anyone who has a 1DX and wants to record the exact location where their photographs were taken. Personally, I purchased one for the Arctic and Antarctic Expeditions that I lead as I find it difficult to otherwise record exactly where my photographs were taken when shooting from ship and zodiac.
Testing
Initial testing of the GP-E1 at parklands nearby to my house shows that it is highly accurate in recording the exact position a photograph was taken. Comparing its location information to that captured by the iPhone shows negligible difference. Looking at the location information from my testing I can see that the GP-E1 was able to record accurate data about where each image was captured and thus it could easily be used to help add place names to images after a shoot.
Lightroom Map Module with GP-E1 Tagged Files
On import into Lightroom Raw files that have been geotagged by the GP-E1 automatically show up in the Map Module without any input from the user. I personally find the Map Module in Lightroom a bit of a gimmick but I suspect it may yet prove useful for working out place names where photographs were taken.
Although I have already conducted some testing of the GP-E1 I see the first real field test as the Jewels of the Arctic trip I am leading in August next year when I will be travelling on the Polar Pioneer from Longyearbyen in Svalbard to Greenland and Iceland. At sea there are no signs to otherwise record the position a photograph was taken so I will be totally reliant on the GP-E1 to record exactly where my photographs were taken. Based on my experience so far I feel very confident that the GP-E1 will work just fine.
In the meantime I will take the GP-E1 to Iceland for the two Winter Workshops I am leading there in March next year and again in July for my Summer workshop before I head North for eight weeks photography in the Arctic.
Conclusion
The GP-E1 is an easy to install, easy to use device for effectively geotagging your images with Canon’s 1DX camera. Whilst the addition of the GP-E1 makes an already big and heavy camera bigger and heavier yet again it does provide a rich feature set and geotagged files that can be natively read in programs such as Adobe Lightroom. I would have liked Canon to build the GP-E1 into the 1DX (since even my iPhone includes built in geotagging) but I guess I will have to wait for the 1DX Mark 2 for this feature. In the meantime I can see the GP-E1 becoming a permanent addition to my camera equipment. Particularly for the trips I lead to the Arctic and Antarctic.
Pros
- Does not require specialised software to take advantage of the GPS co-ordinates (files can be imported directly into Adobe Lightroom where they are automatically tagged in the maps module)
- Is powered off the cameras main battery and does not require a seperate dedicated battery like hot shoe GPS units
- Small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive
Cons
- Not built in to the Camera like an iPhone or many other current digital cameras
- Makes an already big and heavy camera even bigger
You can order the Canon GP-E1 GPS Receiver for the 1DX camera directly from B&H
NEW GURA GEAR BATAFLAE BACKPACK REVIEW – IMPROVING ON PERFECTION
How do you take what is widely regarded by many photographers as one of the finest camera bags on the market and make it even better?
I was pondering this when the guys at Gura Gear first told me that they were working on an update to the very popular Kiboko 30L camera bag along with a range of new accessory storage bags called the ‘Et Cetera’ range.
I was an early adopter of Gura Gear bags. After I returned from my first expedition to Iceland I realized how unhappy I had become with my then current camera bag (whose name shall remain anonymous). For a variety of reasons it was no longer satisfying my needs and I was on the lookout for a new lightweight bag that met airline carry-on restrictions for size but enabled me to carry more equipment comfortably into the field. Anyone who has travelled domestically or internationally with camera equipment understands the importance of being able to carry equipment onto the airplane to avoid the risk of damage or theft in checked luggage. I therefore needed a bag that could not only hold all of my equipment, but that was light, robust, suitable for moderate hiking, and still enabled me to glide through airport check -in with a smile and a wave. My search led me to the Kiboko which, after several years of photographic travel, has become my number one camera bag of choice for all of my photography.
Fast forward to 2012 – With a four week photographic trip to Europe and a workshop in Iceland in July and August this year it was the perfect opportunity to field test the new Gura Gear Bataflae camera bags and Et Cetera range. The good folks at Gura Gear agreed and a shipment of the new product range was soon winging its way to me.
I admit to being very excited when I opened up the boxes from Gura Gear and saw the new products. You know you have purchased a quality product when you open the box and are greeted by the super slick black dust covers bearing the Gura Gear logo. Whilst the addition of a dust bag might seem superfluous it does in fact prove very useful for long-term storage and can even serve as a pretty cool laundry bag when travelling.
Widely regarded as being capable of swallowing copious amounts of camera equipment with room to spare (the Kiboko 30L will hold just about everything you can throw at it) the new Bataflae 32L adds even more space. Overall, it is larger and deeper than the original. This extra space proved a real blessing during my field tests as Canon’s new 1DX camera with a really right stuff L bracket is a very tight fit in the original Kiboko, but slides perfectly into the new bag thanks to the extra head room. Users of professional DSLR’s, medium and large format camera gear will really appreciate the extra height available.
Those of you familiar with the original Kiboko will already be sold on the benefits of the unique butterfly openings that avoid that unwieldy large flap that most camera bags provide for internal access. There are, however, times when it would be nice to be able to open the bag right up for packing and full access. Well, the new Bataflae gives you the best of both worlds with the traditional butterfly openings but adds the ability to open the entire bag up by releasing a simple clasp at the top of the bag. This really makes packing much simpler as well as providing full access to both sides simultaneously when required in the field. The centre divider contains extra strengthening to maintain rigidity even when the bag is fully loaded. In use, I found this to work very well.
The rain cover has been relocated from inside one of the butterfly pockets to outside the bag in a small zippered pocket, which has freed up more room in the butterfly pocket. The rain cover now also utilizes a draw string which is an improvement over the original elastic cover because it can now also serve as a ground sheet if required.
Like the original bags, the new range is manufactured from highly durable materials, although the new material has more bling. The stitching, zippers and internal fittings of the new bags are improved in every respect. Even the finger zipper pulls are easier to use. Additional padding has been added to the backpack harness, which makes the bag noticeably more comfortable when hiking. There are yet more refinements to be found in the way of improved clasps for carrying tripods which can even accommodate items such as crampons. Like its predecessor, the new range comes with a considerable number of extra dividers so that its internal storage space can be customized to one’s own particular needs. All of this amounts to a very compelling reason to upgrade to the new models.
When the new Bataflae is fully loaded with my camera equipment it was significantly over the normal carry-on luggage allowance during my Europe and Iceland expeditions, yet I had no issues on any of the five international and domestic flights, including several long haul flights. With the increase in size, the new Bataflae still fits in the overhead lockers on the aircraft I travelled and still retains its understated appearance. I am utterly convinced that the Bataflae is the best camera bag on the market for photographers who fly and travel.
During my four weeks in Europe I used the new Bataflae everywhere, from the bustling streets and Cathedrals of Paris to the more subdued provincial countryside and wine regions of France where I travelled by hire car. I took it mountaineering at 13,000 feet at Mont Blanc in Chamonix where it was -15 degrees Celsius, and trod the myriad of canals in Venice Italy during the peak summer season. I then travelled to Iceland for my 2012 summer Workshop where I spent time on the Snaefellsness Peninsula, the highlands of Landmannalaugar and the stunning Jokulsarlon glacial lagoon to name but a few locations. I undertook some fairly arduous hiking in the Landmannalaugar region and subjected the bag to everything from waterfall spray, rain, salt spray, sand and dust. I threw just about everything I could at the new bags and found them an improvement in every way over the originals.
The design changes and refinements to the new bags are in many cases subtle but they add up to a significant overall improvement that makes for a very compelling reason for existing Kiboko owners to upgrade. If, on the other hand, you haven’t already pampered yourself and your camera gear with Gura Gear then you are about to be presented with a fantastic opportunity with the release of these new products. They are highly recommended for their robustness and overall design.
The new product range takes everything that was great about the original bags and improves on it in just about every respect. I would argue that, outside of the camera and lens, there are few pieces of equipment that can have as much impact on your photography as your camera bag. If you travel or frequently change locations (and which photographer doesn’t!) you owe it to yourself (and your expensive equipment) to check out a Gura Gear camera bag.
Part Two – The Et Cetera and Tembo Range
As photographers we are constantly adding accessories to our equipment arsenal. Additional batteries, chargers, color checkers, CF and SD cards and card readers, adapter rings – the list goes on and on and there is only so many of these that can be shoehorned into a camera bag already overflowing with bodies and lenses. I am sure many of us have thrown all manner of photographic accessories loose into our suitcases before we travel because our camera bag was already overweight with bodies and lenses and at risk of airport check-in destruction.
Solving this problem could well be Gura Gear’s masterstroke. Its new Et Cetera and Tembo line of products is designed to solve that annoying problem of finding a home for some of those accessories. The range is perhaps best thought of as the ‘Tupperware’ of camera storage and provides a range of different storage options for different accessories. I found these storage containers invaluable on my recent European trip and Iceland workshop and far more convenient than throwing items loosely in my checked luggage.
There is a range of different sizes and shapes from which to select and photographers will likely choose those models that best suit their needs and requirements.
Gura Gear products can be ordered directly from the Gura Gear Website
www.WILDNATUREPHOTOTRAVEL.com 