My first real camera bag was a Canon 200DG, and I’ve written a review of it previously. It’s large and it’s fairly durable, but it didn’t last forever.

A few weeks ago, I ordered a Canon 200EG Camera Backpack. I’ll be writing up a full review of the backpack after I’ve had it for a few weeks. Although it’s definitely not better on every point, I can already tell that I like it better than the old camera bag. Here are a few direct comparisons to help you figure out which is the best camera bag for you…

Capacity – How Much Does It Hold?

I was able to put everything that had been in my old Canon 200DG into my new Canon 200EG backpack. They’re fairly comparable when it comes to capacity. My backpack is currently holding: a Canon t1i body, a Canon 18-55mm lens, a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens, a Canon 430 EX II speedlite, a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, a set of radio triggers, about a dozen extra AA batteries, two extra camera batteries, and the camera battery charger. There are a few other random accessories, too…

It’s a pretty packed bag. The Sigma lens takes up a lot of room. In fact, the items fit better in the backpack than in the traditional bag. Before, I had to lay the flash down on top of the Sigma lens. Now, everything lies flat in the backpack and nothing is stacked on anything else.

One thing I do prefer on the old camera bag is that the side pouches were much larger. The side pouches on the Canon 200EG backpack are fairly small, and they won’t hold much. There’s also no big front pouch like there is on the Canon 200DG bag. Overall, I’d say there’s a pretty comparable amount of space, and the 200EG backpack puts more of the space in the main compartment while the 200DG puts more space into extra compartments on the sides of the bags.

Comfort

This is one reason I wanted to get a new bag. The old Canon 200DG bag is not very comfortable. It has a single shoulder strap, and when the bag is heavy there’s no comfortable way to hold it. It’s too bulky to rest on your hip, and it doesn’t really shape well to fit against your back. I used to kind of rest it on the front of my hip to help support the weight that way.

The Canon 200EG is a big improvement in this area. The two shoulder straps help distribute the weight more evenly, and I feel comfortable walking around with the backpack on. It’s not digging into one shoulder and straining my back. I think the shoulder straps are a little short, and the backpack rides a bit high… but this might vary per person. It may not be perfectly ergonomic, but it’s definitely better than the old bag.

Durability

In the long run, I’ll have to see how the backpack holds up… but I’m going to lean towards the backpack on this one. I had two problems with the old Canon 200DG bag. First, the bottom began to fray, and right now it looks like it’s going to start ripping open some holes. Second, and more importantly, the plastic clip that resizes the shoulder strap developed a slight crack and over time it will eventually break completely.

I don’t know how the material of the backpack will hold up, but I assume the strap will hold up better. There are plastic resizing clips on the shoulder straps, but they don’t really bear any weight. My biggest concern is whether or not the shoulder straps themselves will stay attached to the back of the bag (I briefly had a sling-style backpack where the strap began tearing off the top of the backpack). However, I’m going to assume, due to the even distribution of weight, that the straps will hold up just fine.

Convenience

The one thing that I do like more about the old Canon 200DG bag is the convenience of getting into it. I could swing it around to my front, keep the bag over my shoulder, and open the top of the bag to get something out. This made it quick and simple to assemble/disassemble the camera, especially if I was just handing the parts to someone else who would actually be taking pictures.

With the Canon 200EG backpack, I need to find a place to lay the backpack down. Then, I have to unzip the whole bag and life the top off. It would be next to impossible to do this while still wearing the backpack, even if I were to flip it around and wear it on my front.

Major problem? Probably not… but minor nuisance, sure.

Bottom Line

For me, the Canon 200EG backpack turned out to be a great choice for a camera bag.

It’s large enough to store all the crap that I use on a regular basis, and it’s lightweight and portable. This bag is big enough for most portable gear kits, assuming you’re only taking the stuff that you’re likely to use, and it’s comfortable enough to wear around a football sideline for a few hours.

It is not big enough to hold your camera gear and a three flash lighting kit. It is not an extra-durable, indestructible bag that you would use if you were checking your camera gear as luggage.

Something else to keep in mind is that Amazon offers it’s own “Amazon Basics” backpack that seems almost identical. It’s a little bit cheaper ($32.99 at the moment, while the Canon backpack is a tad under $40). One difference also seems to be that the Amazon bag is the same depth from top to bottom, while the Canon backpack tapers slightly. This makes the Canon bag look nicer, but it does make it more problematic to use the very top of the storage space.

I’ve been looking for a small, portable printer that I can use at a photobooth or to print up pictures at an event. I decided to try out a Canon SELPHY CP800, and it came in the mail yesterday. For the first time, I’m actually really pleased with the results when printing pictures on my own.

Some initial thoughts, and then more details after the jump. It’s cheap ($80, $0.27/print). Image quality is good. It’s small and portable. Only thing I don’t like is that you have to rip some perforated edges off the end of the paper. Keep reading…

One of the most useful accessories you can get for your digital SLR camera is a battery grip. A battery grip performs a couple functions.

First, it allows you to put two batteries in the camera at the same time, effectively doubling the length of time between changing batteries. By doing this, I’ve never had to worry about changing batteries in the middle of an event or game.

Second, it gives you a second shutter release button. If you’re taking a picture in a portrait orientation (vertical), it can be really awkward to curl your hand around the lens and press the regular shutter release button. There’s a second shutter release button on the corner of the battery grip, so that when you rotate the camera to take a vertically oriented picture the button will be in the regular location.

The question, then, is what battery grip do you want to get. You could invest in an expensive, OEM option, or you could buy a cheap, third party option. Here are some thoughts on three options for the Canon t1i. Similar options are available for the Canon t2i and Canon t3i, and probably for entry level Nikon cameras as well.

Keep reading…

Shortly after I bought my Canon t1i, I also bought a Canon 200DG Camera Bag.

I had a smaller, off-brand camera bag, and it just didn’t hold up. The Canon 200DG wasn’t quite as durable as I’d hoped, but it is certainly sizeable. Here’s a quick run-down of my experience with the Canon 200DG bag.

Keep reading…

A few weeks ago, I picked up a Canon Digital Rebel XT on eBay. It was part of a lot, and I didn’t really need it… but it turned out that I was able to use it as an extra body at the 2011 William Paterson University Fashion Show.

All of the pictures in this post were taken backstage with the XT, documenting the prep work involved in the fashion show. Even though the XT  is only an 8 megapixel camera (about half the resolution of my t1i) and despite the fact that it was released 6 years ago, it performed quite nice.

The Set Up

The fashion show was a pretty busy night. We had a two-fold task: work out in the auditorium and cover the actual show and work back stage and cover the preparations. That pretty much necessitated two photographers and at least two camera bodies.

I stayed out in the auditorium working the show, and Olinda went backstage with the XT. She also had a Canon Speedlite 430EX II, which was pretty necessary for the poor lighting backstage. That let her work with a relatively low ISO (400), and a standard indoor exposure (f/5.6 and 1/30).

The result was that the pictures came out pretty good. She didn’t have to worry about using a high ISO setting, which I did out in the auditorium (I was shooting at ISO 3200 all night).

The pictures came out especially nice in the backstage hallways. Thanks to the low ceilings, the flash could be pointed straight up and bounced off the ceiling to light up the whole hallway. Out in the stage area, everything was covered with black curtains… and bouncing wasn’t so helpful.

Before doing this, I don’t know that I’ve  have been as satisfied with pictures taken on such an old camera. But, I must say I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of images the XT produced and I’ll probably end up picking up an older camera body at some point to keep around as an extra. You never know when you’re going to need to be in two places at once or use two lenses at once.

Shortly after I bought my Canon t1i, I purchased a Canon 430 EX II Speedlite. Why? At this point, I’m not so sure… except for the fact that it was considerably more affordable than the Canon 580 EX II.

Now, with the addition of two new flashes to the line up (Canon 270 EX II Speedlite and the Canon 320 EX Speedlite) and my temporary acquisition of an old used flash (Canon 380 EX Speedlite), the question seems even more tough to answer: what’s the best speedlite to own? Keep reading…

It’s been about a year and a half since I purchased my Canon EOS Rebel T1i. In the meantime, Canon has put out not one but two upgrades… the Canon EOS Rebel T2i has been available for a while now, and the Canon EOS Rebel T3i was just released about two weeks ago.

So what are the differences between the three? If you’re comparing the Canon t1i vs t2i vs t3i, what should you be looking for…?

Price

First, let’s see how they stack up price-wise. The Canon t1i isn’t available new from the factory, but you’ll still find some floating around.  Amazon lists it at $529, a little cheaper than where it started two years ago. Amazon is currently selling the t2i for $677, and the t3i is listed at a full retail price of $799.99.

If you’re willing to dive into the used camera market, you might find some better prices on the Canon t1i’s and Canon t2i’s. A used Canon t1i body is selling on eBay for something in the neighborhood of $400 to $450. Canon t2i’s are selling used for somewhere in the neighborhood of $650, so not a great deal; but that might change if more people start to upgrade to the t3i.

Resolution

Here’s one reason to upgrade to a Canon t2i or Canon t3i from a Canon t1i: resolution.  The t1i boasts 15.1 megapixels, which is not too shabby at all. I haven’t upgraded yet (although I plan on doing so relatively soon), and those 15.1 megapixels are enough for most purposes. I’ve made 36 inch poster prints from my football shots, and I haven’t noticed any problems stemming from resolution.

However, the Canon t2i was a clear upgrade in terms of resolution. It jumped from 15.1MP to 18MP – about 20%. Is it necessary? Probably not. Is it better? Sure. The Canon t3i still has 18 megapixels, so no upgrade there.

Despite the resolution shift, all three cameras have the same sensor… so no difference there.

Flash Control

Here’s the one reason I’d consider choosing a Canon t3i over a Canon t2i: flash control. Currently, in order to use my flashes off camera, I need to use some wireless radio triggers. If I wanted to use Canon’s built-in wireless system, I would need to either buy a (not-so-cheap) Canon Speedlite 580EX II or a Canon ST-E2 Speedlite Transmitter. Both of these products work as a master commander for Canon’s wireless system, and you can use it to control multiple Canon flashes from in camera.

The Canon t3i introduces a built-in pop-up master flash, a feature that was definitely lacking in previous models. Now, you can control Canon flashes with just the built-in pop-up flash. Of course, this also means that I’ll need to buy all Canon flashes (I currently mix a Canon flash with some Vivitar 285s for my off-camera lighting). Oh well… more money to spend. Still, for the Canon t2i vs t3i, this is a clear advantage for the Canon t3i.

Video

I don’t use my Canon t1i much for video, but I have in the past… and it’s pretty cool. Focusing and adjusting the light mid scene is a pain, but it definitely makes some high quality video. This is where you’ll see some new changes.

The Canon t2i presents an improvement over the t1i in terms of video quality and frame rate. If you’re shooting in 1080P, the Canon t1i has a frame rate of 20fps. Meanwhile, the Canon t2i (and the t3i) boast full frame rates of 24 and 30 at 1080P.

The Canon t2i also introduced an audio jack that you could plug an external microphone into. If you’re trying to make a real video and not just a home movie, this is pretty key. The built in microphone is ok, but it’s nothing special.

The Canon t3i also introduces a new twist: an articulated LCD screen. Nikon put this in the mix a while ago, and Canon is kind of playing catch up… except for the fact that it rarely matters. I have never used the LCD screen to preview/compose an image since I dumped my old Nikon Coolpix P80 for a real dSLR. However, the articulated screen does have a use for video people. If you’re shooting video you’re looking through the LCD screen anyway… so it’s nice that it moves around.

So… What to Buy?

Depends on what you’re doing.

Looking for a good quality, cheap, entry level dSLR? Try scooping up a used Canon t1i on eBay for $400. I still love my t1i, and that’s half the price tag of a new Canon t3i. In the last year, the price of a new Canon t2i has dropped, and if you’re buying a new camera… there’s almost no price difference between the Canon t2i and the Canon t1i. So just get the newer camera. Looking at the Canon t2i vs t3i, however, there’s still a decent price jump. So only upgrade if you need to.

Do you do video with your digital camera? If so, consider the t2i or the t3i. The external microphone and better video quality is a nice improvement, and the articulated screen of the t3i may help you out. This is one area where the two newer cameras have a clear advantage over buying a used, older Canon t1i.

Do you do a lot of Strobist stuff? Well, then you might want to upgrade to a Canon t3i (or a Canon EOS 60D). Both the Canon t3i and the Canon 60D offer a built-in commander option to control Canon’s flashes wirelessly. The problem? You need to own a bunch of Canon flashes. If you already bought some off-brand manual flashes, then this is quite a bit less attractive… but if you don’t own a bunch of flashes yet, it might be worth paying a bit extra to get some Canon flashes and use the built-in wireless system. It definitely provides some flexibility and power that you don’t get with wireless triggers and manual flashes.

Note: Curious about the 7D vs 60D vs t3i? I recently wrote up another thorough but simple review, looking at the pros and cons of upgrading.Check it out: Canon t3i vs 60D vs 7D.

What happened to Opteka’s wireless flash trigger system? I don’t know why I went to Amazon the other day looking for them, but I couldn’t find them. When I eventually found a link to them on Amazon, they’re listed as “Currently unavailable,” and they don’t know when they’ll be back.

Hmm… guess it’s time to move on. They were a great introduction to wireless flash, and they always worked pretty reliably for me when I remembered to put fresh batteries in the receivers. But, I may need a fourth one soon and one of the receivers is getting pretty beat up, so I think it’s time to invest in a new system and keep the Opteka’s on the shelf as an emergency backup.

So am I upgrading to Pocket Wizards? Umm, no. Wish I could say so, but that $5-600 just isn’t in the budget these days. What is in the budget is a set of Cactus V4′s, with one transmitter and three receivers. I haven’t found them on Amazon, but they’re available through the Midwest Photo Exchange. It’s currently $46 for the initial set and $25 for extra receivers. Not bad; still under $100 for a 3-flash set.

One thing I really like is the form factor of the receiver. It looks like it’ll take up less space and hold the flash better on top of a light stand with an umbrella adapter.

My birthday is coming up in February, so I expect to either get them as a gift or I’m going to buy them myself. When I do, I’ll write up a review. In the meantime, let’s hope these Opteka triggers hold out a little longer.

Looking for a perfect Christmas present for a girly girl? Or, at least, for a girl who loves the color pink?

Yeah, I had that problem. She mentioned that she needed a camera, and it had to be pink. Like, well, just about everything else in her life.

So I hopped on Amazon and did a quick search. There were a couple good options. Although I usually opt for Canon cameras, I really liked the look and form factor of the Olympus FE 4020.

It’s got respectable specs, 14 megapixels (do you really need more than that in a point and shoot?). The price point is nice, at around $90 on Amazon after shipping. Plus, I could get this cool pink case to go with it.

I ordered the camera, the case, and a 4gb SD card. When I got the camera, I opened it up, charged it up, and put the SD card in for a quick test shoot. It was your average point and shoot – look at the screen, autofocus and shoot. Good quality pictures with a high resolution.

One cool thing about the Olympus FE 4020 is that the battery doesn’t have a separate, external charger. I admit, this confused me for a second. Instead, you put the battery in the camera, plug the USB cord into the camera, and charge the battery with the USB cable. The camera also comes with a converter to plug the USB cable into a standard electrical outlet, but I often find that I’m around a computer and using the USB cable is easier than pulling out the battery and plugging in a cumbersome charger.

As a random aside, this wasn’t actually a Christmas present. My friend’s birthday was December 14, so it was a birthday present in the middle of Christmas season. She definitely loved the camera, though, and so far I’m 100% satisfied with the purchase.

I do still have some Christmas shopping to do, and someone asked for a Nikon Coolpix L22. It’s another entry level point and shoot camera. It has 12 MP compared to the 14 MP of this Olympus, but that’s not really a huge difference. Once I get my hands on the Nikon, I’ll post my first impressions of it.

I was looking through the Google Analytics data today, and I came across this question that someone had searched for: Is the Canon 85mm f/1.8 a good lens for night football photography?

I own a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens. I love it, for certain things. Night football photography is not one of them. Keep reading…