Amateur Photographer - UK (2020-07-04)

http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk 51

TechTalk

Ask the ex erts

LoweproPhotoSportBP

300 AWII Backpack

Availableinblueorblack,the

PhotoSportBP 300 AWIIhas

beendesignedforactiveusers.

IthasroomforaDSLRandtwo

standardlenses,featuresa

dedicatedspacefora2-litre

hydrationreservoir,hasmultiple

attachmentpointsfortrekking

polesorsmalltripods,andinternal

spaceforabikehelmetorother

personalitems.Anall-weather

coverprotectsyourgear,whilethe

paddedand

adjustable

ActivZone™

harness

system

keepsthe

bag

supported

atalltimes

fortotal

comfort.

GitzoAdventury45L

Backpack

Ifyou’reinterestedinabagwith

maximumstoragespaceconsider

theAdventury45L.Itcanbe

configuredtoholdlarger

telephotolensessuchas600mm

primes,multipleprofessional

camerabodies,andevendrones,

oralternatively,smallersetupswith

plentyofroomforpersonalitems.

An‘infinitypocket’isdesignedto

takeatripod.Thebag’sshoulder

strapsarefullyadjustableandits

backpanel

featuresa

ventilation

system.

Coatedzips

andarain

cover

ensure

weather

protection.

MindShiftGearBackLight

Elite 45 Backpack

Itmaynotbethecheapestofthe

three,butifyouneedthe

ultimateadventuringcamera

bag,thenlooknofurtherthanthe

BackLightElite45.With 45 litres

ofspaceforcameras,lenses,or

hikingequipment,thereare

almostnolimitstowherethis

bagcouldtakeyou,orwith

what!Itfeaturesdual-density,

honeycombmeshshoulder

strapsfortotalcomfort,two

largewaterbottlepockets,

numerous

attachmentpoints

fortripodsand

walkingsticks,

anddedicated

laptopand

hydrationsystem

compartments.

£159

●UltraCinchsecuresgearfor

bounce-freeprotection

●SpaceforoneDSLRand

twostandardlenses

●Weight1.5kg

£179

●Dedicated15-inchlaptopcompartment

andspacefora 9.7-inchtablet

●Spaceformultiplecamerasand

lensesincludinga telephotoprime

●Weight3.1kg

£359

● Removable camera compartment

with emergency shoulder straps

● Space for multiple cameras and

lenses including a telephoto prime

● Weight 3.2kg

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

Looking for a new camera or accessory and need some advice? The experts at Wex Photo Video

are here to help. Contact us at [email protected] or on Twitter at @AP_Magazine and #AskAP

Q

My two main passions are hiking and

photography, often combining them as

I adventure around the UK and further

afi eld. Despite owning a few small camera bags

though, I’ve never found one that I really love for

my trips, they’ve all either lacked enough room for

my gear or failed to support me properly. Are

there any particular models I should be looking at

picking up? I normally carry a Canon EOS 5D

Mark IV, a spare lens or two and a tripod.

Elisha Campbell

A

When it comes to camera bags there are

literally hundreds of choices, all providing

their own unique feature sets. If you’re

looking for a camera bag that’s suitable for hiking,

we’d probably opt for a classic backpack-style

design that will offer you shoulder and back

support to help it remain comfortable when worn

for longer periods of time. Weatherproofi ng,

protective padding for your gear and lightweight

design are also important features. Here are

three models we’d recommend.

Best camera bag for hikers?

A new way to support

heavy wildlife lenses

Q

With lockdown rules about

outdoor exercise opening

up a bit, I’m now looking

to really go out and embrace my

passion of wildlife photography

once more. I’m lucky enough to

own a fantastic 500mm prime

lens for this but due to my age,

struggle to support it after a while.

I fi nd monopods don’t take the

weight in the way I’d like and fi nd

my tripod a bit restricting in terms

of its movement when tracking a

subject. Any ideas for a solution to

this problem? Frank Wilson

A

Telephoto primes are an

ideal choice for wildlife

photography, but as

you’ve found Frank, they are

often bulky and heavy. While

many professional sports and

wildlife photographers do opt for

monopods, you’ll be pleased to

hear that there are other

options for supporting large

optics on the market. We suggest

you consider picking up a gimbal

head for your tripod. This type of

head allows you to securely

balance the weight of your setup,

so that it can be moved

effortlessly vertically and

horizontally on an axis when

tracking a subject, with no need

for adjusting pan or tilt knobs as

on other types of tripod heads.

One of the options we stock is

the Calumet Gimbal head priced

at £179, below, which will safely

support loads of

up to 12kg and

provides drag

adjustment for

total control.

Our experts suggest