F-8K Crusader and F-14A Tomcat on the deck of the USS Yorktown at sunset. I was done shooting for the evening when the sky turned quickly from a dull grey to this amazing cotton candy blue and pink. I had to work quickly to get this shot knowing I only had a few minutes before I lost the sky completely.
That’s just how it is sometimes: you’re working slow and methodically and the next thing you know you’re running around at breakneck speeds reshooting shot after shot that you just completed because God hands you a beautiful gift of a sky.
Epcot’s Illuminations fireworks display as seen from the Japan Pavilion at the World Showcase. I was shooting very long exposures this night (30″+) and was only able to get a few images because of the duration. I didn’t get a lot of images, but I do like what I captured.
It was also a fun shoot. I locked up focus and composition an hour or so before the show, ate some sushi, chatted with some friends and waited for the fireworks to start. I love the music that accompanies the show.
Located between the Germany and Norway Pavilions at Epcot’s World Showcase, the China Pavilion features a replica of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. Epcot’s replica is home to the 360° movie “Reflections of China”. I love seeing this movie and all the images of China it contains but I don’t always get a chance to when I visit Epcot.
Outside of the frame on either side of the bridge are serene ponds that make for interesting photos themselves. I’ll see about grabbing a shot of some of the lily pads next time I’m there during the day.
Flo and Ramone bask in the sun at Radiator Springs in Disney’s Art of Animation Resort in Orlando Florida. I love it when the sky just comes together for a photo like it does here.
You might worry when a company like ThinkTank lists zipper specifications in descriptions of its CityWalker line of messenger bags. After all, when was the last time you went shopping for YKK® RC Fuse (abrasion resistant) zippers?
At first glance you might think: “Wow, zippers!! Are zippers a bragging point?!”
You might think that, but after using the CityWalker (I have the CityWalker 30) you realize ThinkTank brags about the zippers it uses because it cares about details. But, before I get to the review, let me back up to why I’m even talking about this bag at all.
So why this bag?
Teaching workshops presented me with an unexpected problem: I need to carry my 15″ Macbook Pro and a 5DMKII. Sounds simple enough, right? I started by carrying a small backpack and a walkaround camera bag. This seemed like a good idea, but there I was with backpack straps on each shoulder, a camera bag strap on one shoulder, and a BlackRapid strap on the other shoulder. If that wasn’t ridiculous enough in itself, I needed to make sure I put the assorted bags/straps on in exactly the right order or I would find myself unable t o bring my camera up to my eye or move my camera bag around because I was entangled in assortment of straps. The CityWalker solves this problem: one bag instead of two and a max of two straps at any time.
Which one is right for me?
A messenger bag may be what you need, but ThinkTank has 3 CityWalker models: the CityWalker 10, 20 and 30. What’s the difference? In a nutshell:
Citywalker 10 carries: Camera body with a 24-70 attached, a second small lens, flash, and a tablet
Citywalker 20 carries: Camera body with 24-70 attached, 70-200mm lens (detached) , flash and a tablet.
Citywalker 30 carries: Gripped full-frame camera body with 24-70 attached, 70-200mm, detached, flash and 15″ laptop
You should be getting the sense of small, medium and large at this point. Keep in mind the above is a rule of thumb. ThinkTank rates the CityWalker 10 for one 24-70 with one extra lens & flash, CityWalker 20 for 24-70 with 1-3 extra lenses & flash, and the CityWalker 30 for 24-70 with 2-4 extra lenses & flash.
Here’s what I managed to fit in my CityWalker 30:
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List of Contents:
Canon 5DMKII – gripped Canon 50D – gripped Canon 24-105mm f/4L attached to camera with hood Canon 17-40mm f/4L (hood attached) Canon 70-200mm f/2.8L (hood reversed) Canon 430EXII flash 15″ Macbook Pro BlackRapid Strap Assorted other small accessories |
Using the CityWalker 30
The strap is nice and wide with embedded no-slip pads and the shoulder pad slides allowing you to reposition the bag on your body. Also, the bag stands up easily when it’s set down on the ground. Keep in mind, there are no spacer nubs, so when you put the bag down it’s touching the ground. This is not a big deal for me as I prefer not having nubs (I’ve always found them to unbalance bags), but this may be an issue for some.
Removable Padded Insert: The camera and lenses fit in an insert, but if you want a more streamlined bag, the insert can be removed. Conversely, this also makes the CityWalker more versatile allowing it to hold a wind breaker or perhaps be used as an overnight bag. As an aside, the insert is well-secured by velcro and is not easily jostled.
Sound Silencers: This is a nice detail; the front cover has a buckle and can also be velcroed shut by two flaps on either side of the buckle. But, let’s say you want to keep a low sound profile when opening the bag. For this ThinkTank provides covers that go over the velcro leaving you with only the buckle to keep the front cover shut.
Dedicated laptop compartment: your laptop doesn’t just get thrown into the bag, there’s a separate compartment with its own flap within the bag. This protects the laptop from being scratched by your gear (and vice versa.)
Additional Details:
Rain cover: ThinkTank includes a seam-sealed rain cover should you get caught in an unexpected rainstorm.
Business card holder: I can’t tell you how many times folks ask me for business cards while I’m out shooting and it’s nice to have a dedicated pocket within easy reach.
Exterior Mesh Pockets: I like to keep a water bottle with me as I’m walking around and talking/teaching; it’s nice the pockets can hold a large bottle.
Colors: you have your choice of blue slate or black.
External Material: The exterior is a durable water resistant 3-ply bonded nylon thread. For added water protection, the bottom of the bag is coated with polyurethane. The details include: YKK® RC Fuse (abrasion resistant) zippers, 420D velocity nylon, 420D high-density nylon, 600D brushed polyester, 250D shadow rip-stop polyester, Derrington™ mesh pockets, antique nickel plated metal hardware, Dual Cross™ Buckle, 3D air mesh and mono mesh.
Internal Materials: PE board reinforced removable closed cell foam dividers, 210D silver-toned nylon, polyurethane backed velex liner, 2x polyurethane coated nylon 210T seam-sealed taffeta rain cover, 3-ply bonded nylon thread.
Specifications:
CityWalker 10:
Outside Dimensions: 12.4” W x 9” H x 6.7” D (31.5 x 23 x 17 cm)
Inside Dimensions : 10”W x 7.5” H x 5.3” D (25.5 x 19 x 13.5cm)
Tablet: 10.3” W x 8”H x 0.8” D (26.2 x 20.3 x 2 cm)
Weight: 1.9-2.1 Lbs. (0.8-0.9 kg)
CityWalker 20:
Outside Dimensions: 13.8” W x 9.8” H x 6.7” D (35 x 25 x 17 cm)
Inside Dimensions : 13” W x 8.7” H x 5.3” D (33 x 22x 13.5cm)
Tablet: 10.3” W x 8”H x 0.8” D (26.2 x 20.3 x 2 cm)
Weight: 2.0-2.3 Lbs. (0.9-1.0 kg)
CityWalker 30:
Outside Dimensions: 16.3” W x 11.4” H x 8.3” D (41.5x 29 x 21 cm)
Inside Dimensions: D : 13.4”W x 9.6” H x 6.7” D (34 x 24.5 x 7 cm)
Laptop: 15” W x 11”H x 1.4” D (38 x 28 x 3.6 cm)
Weight: 2.7-3.0 Lbs. (1.2-1.4 kg)
Final thoughts:
I chose the CityWalker 30 because I needed a large capacity bag to carry my gear to and from workshops as well as allow me to carry my laptop while walking around shooting. But, do I like it? The answer is yes: It’s a well-crafted urban messenger and ThinkTank’s attention to detail can be seen through its design. It is light, flexible, and built with durability in mind. You may not need a bag as large as the CityWalker 30, but if you do, it’ll definitely do the job and do it well with room to spare. If you can get away with just a tablet, the CityWalker 10 or 20 may be a more compact option for you.
Where to buy
ThinkTank: CityWalker 10, CityWalker 20 & CityWalker 30
B&H: CityWalker 10, CityWalker 20 & CityWalker 30
There’s no way to travel faster around the world than to take a walk through the World Showcase at Epcot. There are eleven countries represented including France (which you see in the photo here). There are rides, foods, and shows at the various countries to give visitors a “taste” each nation (especially if you’re there during the annual Food & Wine Festival as I was to take this photo).
I wasn’t fortunate to have clouds that night, but it was an exceptionally clear sunset which has its own charm.
Disney’s new Fantasyland at Walt Disney World in Orlando will be fully open on December 6th featuring two new areas that will double the current size of Fantasyland: the Enchanted Forest and Storybook Circus. Storybook Circus with the new Dumbo Ride and Barnstormer (a Goofy based coaster) is already open. The Enchanted Forest will open next week.
The image above was taken just outside Beast’s Castle in the Enchanted Forest a few weeks ago.
Controlling noise in HDR is no easy matter as HDR applications invariably multiply noise . There are several noise reduction opportunities within the editing workflow and careful consideration must be undertaken in deciding “when” and how much noise reduction must be applied to each image. As you’ll see in the video, my preference is for denoising before tonemapping then applying noise reduction sparingly and selectively afterwards as/if needed.
For most images Lightroom’s noise reduction controls are a good choice, but for full control over denoising (especially for underexposesd or night images), I use Topaz Denoise. Dont’ get me wrong, Lightroom is a top-notch tool and it does a pretty good job, but it’s limited; It does not allow you to control the application of noise reduction to the highlight and shadow areas of an image or control over color channels. Topaz gives you a granular control for when you need it and I find it does a better job maintaining details because of the granularity of its controls. It also does give you some presents to use as starting points to get you going (I go over this in the video)
While the video is focused on using Topaz Denoise, I also talk about my camera setup and considerations during shooting. After the session, I was asked to clarify my camera setup. Here’s what I recommend:
Register Custom User Settings
These are the C1, C2, C3… etc on your dial (if you’re not sure how to do this, take a look here). I setup C1 on my camera for f/8, 0.5″, ISO 100, Auto Exposure bracketing (-2,0,2), White Balance to tungsten, and Long Exposure Noise Reduction. This basically is my “HDR Shooting Mode” so to speak. This makes my life easier as I don’t have to fumble around with settings when I’m ready to shoot. Keep in mind: these aren’t absolute settings; they are a starting point. A tip: I start with the settings I mentioned at C1, the adjust to the scene I’m shooting and register to C2 that way if my camera “goes to sleep” I can quickly start at where I need based on my lighting conditions.
Shoot the Lowest ISO Possible
The same rules for minimizing noise when not shooting HDR apply: your ISO should be as low as possible to accomodate the shutter speed you are looking for. As a general ISO 100-200 is where I’m typically at. If time is not an issue, i’m at 100. If I want to half my shutter speed, I just double up to ISO 200.
Alright, for the rest, you’ll have to watch the video. Keep in mind, I focus mainly on Topaz Denoise and noise reduction. I do go over Photomatix and tonemapping but only briefly and not in detail; I am putting together a tutorial on Photomatix that’s coming up. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a discount code use: CertainPointofView for 15% off Photomatix and let me know if you have questions.
An aircraft carrier like the USS Yorktown is not a small ship and it does not turn without effort, yet a small wheel at its helm as seen here is all that is required to turn the mighty ship. The Yorktown is now a decommissioned museum ship docked at Patriot’s Point in Charleston, South Carolina but it is still a sight to behold. There is an efficiency and purpose to every piece of her.
I am very lucky to be able to start my workshops at the Attic Door in Winter Garden. Classes start here for a discussion of the fundamentals before heading out to walk around downtown. If you’re in the Orlando area and haven’t checked it out, you should stop by sometime; it’s one of the gems of downtown WG. You have to see the cloth ceiling in the main room that you don’t see in this image. (If you’re curious, you can check it out here)
© Copyright Ali Elhajj 2014-2020
