REVIEW - LOWEPRO MAGNUM 650 AW

"Lowepro designed Magnum, the original pro bag, in 1976. This next generation of the series remains the pro photographer’s essential toolbox: extra-portable, durable and flexible." - Lowepro website

The Specs:
Internal Dimensions: 41 x 28.5 x 28 cm (16.14 x 11.22 x 11.02 in)
External Dimensions: 49 x 36 x 33.5 cm (19.29 x 14.17 x 13.19 in)
Front Compartment: 36 x 7 x 22 cm (14.17 x 2.76 x 8.66 in)
Weight: 3.4 kg (7.48 lbs)
Price*: $329.99 (Henry's) and $299.99 (Vistek)

The Problem: I needed something to store my gear when not in use. I have been using one of those plastic storage things, but after buying some used gear last year it wasn't big enough. (Or, admittedly, sturdy enough). Also, with the purchase of our first (pre-construction) condo I knew eventually I'd need something more compact.

The Solution: A camera bag large enough to hold ALL my gear/equipment, but was compact enough that is didn't take up too much space.

What finally (after months of looking at bags) pushed me to this one is actually the fact that they no longer manufacture the bag I wanted (the Lowepro Stealth D650AW). Go figure right? The person from Henry's who emailed recommended the smaller Magnum 400 as an alternative. But it was missing one of the key features I wanted - a laptop pocket. I decided the larger bag would better serve my needs, now and in the future. Plus, the square design means I can place lighter items (like my other camera bags) on top of it when being stored.

PROS
- Laptop sleeve with sunshade
- Large interior
- Locking zippers with rain-flap
- Accessory/Memory card pouch (I'm crazy about pockets and pouches)
- Built-in all purpose weather guard

CONS
- Almost too deep, making it hard to get items out if you have them "stacked"
- Large, not appropriate for carry-on luggage

It is the expensive side, but comparable to similar products I've seen and well worth the quality. I would recommend this bag to anyone who needs somewhere safe to keep their gear, who carries a lot of gear with them, or someone travelling (even if it's not full of equipment, there's lots of room for other essentials).

Price: 3/5
Value: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Over-all Rating: 4/5

* Prices at time of publishing

DANIER WEBSITE - ONLINE ORDERING

Last week Danier started offering online ordering. Great! Right? It was great because the bag I was looking for wasn't available at our local store. But not great ... Here's why,

I placed my order last Friday (Feb 21, 2014) and on Monday the order status was changed to "In Progress." (Still pretty great).

Then I checked again on Wednesday and Thursday mornings; based on the est. shipping time I should have it around Tuesday the following week (Mar 4, 2014), but it was never changed to shipped.

Friday morning I receive an email saying that my order had been cancelled. No explanation given, just an automated email saying I would be refunded. If they cancel an order on someone it better bloody well be refunded.

I immediately call customer service. (BTW, don't bother with the 416 number - it's a fax machine). They tell me it was cancelled because it's no longer in stock (they just updated the website and the stock isn't being updated properly). I tell them they should fix it, because I could go online again right now and order the same "hasn't-been-in-stock-in-over-a-week" bag again. He tells me I should call around and see if any of the stores have it. (I called the two closest stores, they didn't have it). I say thank you and he hangs up.

What's the point of all this? I have a few actually.

1. Make sure your website works BEFORE launching it to the mass public.
2. Notify your customers/clients BEFORE canceling orders on them.
3. I really wanted that purse.

Have you had something like this happen to you?

NEW CAMERA = BETTER PHOTOS

Today, while checking my emails, I found this ... And it was glaring at me, almost mockingly.

Apparently, if you buy a new camera your guaranteed better photos. The debate over whether or not there is any truth to this statement will probably go on forever. But that doesn't mean I don't have my own opinions.

I'll attest to the fact that if you're shooting with a really crappy camera (like the cheapest point and shoot you could find) you might win the "better photo" battle with a new camera. Better being the quality of the image, not the photo itself.

But can a camera really take a better picture? Some might argue that with functions like facial recognition, red-eye removal, image stabilization ... (you get the picture), that it can. I'm not talking about those things though. I'm talking about a really good picture, one that moves you or expresses you as an artist. Until a camera can imagine, compose and frame on it's own they will not truly take "better photos."

"A lot of photographers think that if they buy a better camera they’ll be able to take better photographs. A better camera won’t do a thing for you if you don’t have anything in your head or in your heart." - Arnold Newman

A truly great photograph isn't just about the technology or technique or even experience used. It's about creating something that has not been created before, or is better than anything you've done before. A camera might be a tool that can be used to aid in this, but it cannot make you into a photographer you a not, regardless of whether you got there with natural talent or lot's of practice.

THE MISSED SHOT [AND WELCOME]

My original thought for the first post of my new blog was to write something witty about myself and my love/passion for photography. But, whatever I started writing, it didn't feel right. Then it dawned on me, it never felt right, because that really isn't who I am.

Instead, I've decided to share with you all the shot that I never took.

At the time I was probably 5 or 6. My Grandfather and myself were in their backyard and he was just about to start tearing up the forest of weeds that had taken over the back part of the property (with what might have been a bobcat - it's been so long I can't remember if that's what it actually was). There, amid all the weeds, was a single red rose in bloom.

Even though it's been 20-something years, I still think about that image - it's still burnt into my brain, like some weird dream I can't forget. Maybe it's something that drives me as a photographer and artist. Or maybe it's like Roger Ebert said:

"Life's missed opportunists, at the end, may seem more poignant to us than those we embraced - because in our imagination they have a perfection that reality can never rival."

Either way, welcome to my little speck of the Internet. Won't you stay a while?