NEW GEAR
New gear
Here’s what caught our eye this month
Stash Master 13L Travel Cube
£TBA/$60 http://www.thinktankphoto.com
T
he Stash Master Travel
Cube is a padded insert
designed to convert a
large standard
backpack into a camera backpack.
There’s space inside for a gripped
DSLR body like a D5, attached to a
70-200mm f/2.8, with room for a
24-70mm f/2.8 and 16-35mm f/2.8
alongside. High-density interior
padding and reinforced vertical
dividers keep your gear well
protected, while carry handles
make it easy to transport. Despite
being intended as a backpack
insert, the outer material is still
water-resistant should you need
use this just as a shoulder bag.FIRST IMPRESSIONS
If you only need a backpack for
occasional use, the cost can be
off-putting, but having a camera
insert that can adapt into a
backpack is
a tempting
middle
ground.Nissin MG80 Pro
£TBA/$TBA http://www.nissindigital.comT
he MG80 Pro has Nikon
I-TTL automatic flash
metering, as well as
built-in radio control
for wirelessly controlling other flash
units, or remotely triggering an
off-camera MG80 Pro. Max power
output is GN60, and Nissin quotes
the output in watt-seconds – a
rating of 83Ws – that compares
well with the rival 76Ws Profoto A1.
There’s also first and second-
curtain sync, red-eye reduction and
high speed sync. But the MG80’s
biggest point is it can be powered
by AA rechargeable batteries andLi-ion 14500 cells. Nissin claims the
recycle time is reduced from 3.8
sec (NiMH) to just 1.5 sec (Li-ion).FIRST IMPRESSIONS
We’ve seen the effect of Li-ion
power in a flashgun from using the
excellent Hähnel Modus 600RT.
If the MG80 Pro can come close to
this and it gets a decent price, this
could be a bargain for enthusiasts.Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di VC OSD
£799/$799 http://www.tamron.euT
he Tamron
35-150mm
f/2.8-4 Di
VC OSD
comprises an unusual
focal range for what
the company
described as a “fast,
compact portrait
zoom”. The idea is
this is a do-it-all
lens for portraiture
and wedding
shoots,
incorporating
popular 85mm,
105mm and
135mm focal
lengths, with the
flexibility to shoot
as wide as 35mm
for group shots.
This particular zoom
and aperture range hasalso allowed Tamron to keep the lens
relatively compact at just 124.3mm
long, and it tips the scales at a
totally reasonable 790g.
Tamron claims the lens’s optical
quality can rival that of dedicated
portrait prime lenses and can meet
the requirements of high-resolution
cameras like Nikon’s D850. A trio
of Low Dispersion glass elements
aligned with three hybrid aspherical
elements are employed to deliver
prime-quality sharpness and
contrast throughout the focal
range, with optimum
performance at 85mm.
Autofocus is powered by an
‘Optimized Silent Drive’ DC motor
for quiet focus acquisition, and a
‘Dual Micro-Processing Unit’ system
balances AF performance and
vibration compensation. The lens’s
minimum focus distance is a
versatile 45cm across the zoomrange, and this is also an all-weather
lens thanks to Tamron’s Moisture-
Resistant Construction. Future
firmware updates and feature
customizations are enabled via
Tamron’s optional TAP-in Console
and a USB connection.FIRST IMPRESSIONS
A portrait lens with this kind of
focal flexibility is ideal for fast-
moving wedding shoots where
you can easily miss a spontaneous
moment when changing lenses. Its
compactness further enhances the
appeal for handheld shooting. But
of course you can’t have it all, and
a maximum aperture of f/3.5 at
85mm is a stop slower than a lens
like Nikon’s 85mm f/1.8G. This will
likely mean bokeh is a little less
creamy, and that alone could be a
deal-breaker if you’re after the
best possible portrait shots.