What if I told you there’s a number of ways you can save weight and especially one that you might not think much about but one that does a major difference in overall performance? – Allow me to elaborate.

More than often modern lenses and even more so perhaps prior generation of larger telephoto lenses came and come with a vastly over or undersized lens foot that requires a hefty lens plate to mount on your camera support.
For more than a decade both Manfrotto and Arca-Swiss styled plates have been going like hot cakes every time a large telephoto lens was sold just to be able to mount the lens on a tripod. Besides added bulk and size it also adds weight. Manufactures like Canon and Nikon are brilliant in designing lenses that are optically superb but somehow when it comes to lens foot often fail to create the support the lens deserves, either by being huge and imbalanced like most Nikon’s or perhaps to fiddle and small like most Canon’s.

Photography is all about stopping time into a fraction of a second and one thing you don’t need or at least try to eliminate as much as possible is vibrations and carbon fiber is truly remarkable in that sense!

The Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot changes that.
In typical Zenelli fashion it’s made mostly by carbon fiber and aluminum, exotic materials only Italians truly master – Sleek woven carbon fiber that makes any gear near go aah and an item you can want to be fiddling with feeling the contours on the lens foot and beautiful craftsmanship. Or I could have a carbon fiber fetish, you tell me.
The ergonomically friendly design gives you a strong impression and one you can carry the lens with despite any heft of the lens for a long period of time.

At first when changing from OEM lens foot to the Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot you’ll notice just how light it is. Despite being the size of a hand it’s an object to your muscle memory will play you a trick thinking it’s much heavier than a really is. An object of this size can’t be this light, but Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot only weighs a mere 109 grams, most aluminum lens feet or OEM lens feet weighs twice as much. At least it feels like so.

Another thing you’ll be happy to discover is the build-in Arca-Swiss profile than not only saves the weight of it being carbon fiber but also saves the weight of a large aluminum lens plate you’ll otherwise have to use as well, twice the savings twice the gains!

Zenelli Clip Safe Support concurs that by adding a tiny clip on the mount side preventing it from ever toppling over

Moreover another important feature in the incredibly stiffness and anti-vibration properties of the carbon fiber, one you’ll perhaps already know from the Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head or Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head. Photography is all about stopping time into a fraction of a second and one thing you don’t need or at least try to eliminate as much as possible is vibrations and carbon fiber is truly remarkable in that sense. So not only does the Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot offer superb stiffness but it also class leading weight savings.

Thoughtful!

A brilliant feature I haven’t seen before that Zenelli incorporates besides the all impressive carbon fiber is the anti-roll over plate or what Zenelli dubbed the Zenelli Clip Support.
You see on every serious lens plate or lens foot you’ll find two safety stops, one in each end to insure that if you haven’t secured in probably in the lens mount of the tripod head it’ll staying within the safety stops and not tilt down and out of the mount and onto the ground leaving you and the lens as one smashed up pieces of expensive equipment. Until now the problem has been that each safety stop makes it impossible to put the lens on a table or on the ground without it rolling on to either side and potentially damaging the lens if you’re unlucky. The Zenelli Clip Safe Support concurs that by adding a tiny clip on the mount side preventing it from ever toppling over yet still incorporating the ever so important safety stops. Now that’s brilliant engineering and one you could ponder what none has ever done so before.

So what to conclude exactly?

Easy peasy!

The Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot is the best lens foot ever made, light, super strong, patented Zenelli Clip Save Support and class leading low weight WITH built-in Arca-Swiss mount. – What’s not to like.

Zenelli Carbon LFC / LFN lens foot Tobias Hjorth.

Some prefer feet, others a good bum, me I like a nice pair of legs. When you can’t have a pair I’ll settle for just one.
Bad jokes aside the Gitzo GM4552L is as good a leg or monopod as you can buy – If you’re into photography.

Firstly a big thanks to Tura Scandinavia and especially Jan for hooking me up with short notice just in time for my trip to Iceland. Some of you might know but for those who don’t Iceland is basically a huge lava rock in the northern region of the Atlantic ocean just below Arctic where the weather can be a harsh and as windy as they come. If there’s a place you need proper support figuratively speaking it’s here. And what better way to support a largish lens than a solid carbon fiber monopod and tripod head.

Ahh yes Gitzo, the brand that every other manufacturer strives to be yet no one to this day haven’t really reached that level of finesse and quality. Some have come close, others have surpassed on some aspects but failed on others. Gitzo is still the de facto go for still photography setting industry standards for the past decades as the number one support brand, bar none.
Gitzo is the equivalent to Ferrari just for comparison in case you haven’t heard of Gitzo before – Chances are, since you are looking at this review they’re probably slim.

Over the years Gitzo has come to be even more expensive than they were just 10 years ago yet their products have also improved. Slowly but surely under the radar updates like new sleeker woven beautiful carbon fiber, not something you can easily see just by looking but more something you’ll notice as soon as you use it. Increased stiffness as a benefit.

Gitzo might not have past times popularity due to increased competition from particular Asian brands that often offer (at least on paper) roughly the same performance. But Gitzo is also their own biggest competitor meaning they have been building tripods and what have you that most wouldn’t change in a heartbeat the next 20 years to come. Customers literally thought they had no reason to replace their expensive high-end Gitzo tripod bought back when D-SLRs was a new thing with another one that looks almost the same. To some extent they’re right at least until they try the updated version, then everything is apparent.

With video being ever more popular and still photography with typical regular D-SLR being on a steady decline other brands looks to please the video market too much more so than I think Gitzo does. The product is prove of that – Geared towards the professional still photographer that want the very best support money can buy.

I’m not too sure the Gitzo GM4552L changes that and thank god for that. This is an old-school, the best of the best type of monopod without super innovative never-seen-before solutions that cater to another crowd other than the one they have been serviced for the last 50 years.

So what is it?

GM4552L just rolls of your tongue doesn’t it. It’s about as sexy a name as a numberplate. Sure you can argue that the name itself actually implies the capabilities of the monopod which it does but no other than Gitzo, retailers and perhaps returning customers know that.

But what it means is that it’s a 4 series monopod (Gitzo characterized their series from 0-5 where the later is the beefiest and most solid), 5 sections (meaning it’ll fold to a relatively short length) and that it Long (meaning ability to go over the head type of shooting). It also tells which generation it is which is less important. Did you figure that out before reading all the way here – Be honest.. I for one wouldn’t if I didn’t already knew.

I looked high and low for the very best, over my head, fold down to fit in a smallish luggage bag yet also support whatever lens I could muster on the tripod

A new thing for Gitzo is to include a pivot foot which makes the footprint larger but also one that in certain situations on flat tarmac and what have you increases your stability as well as movement – Perfect for the professional sports photographer, a hindrance on the molten lava rock. Thankfully Jan got me covered and included the regular rubber foot as well just as well.
Like all monopods and tripods in this segment you can just as easy remove the regular rubber foot and discover a steel spike perfect for where the soil it extremely hard and you really need to dig down in order to gain traction.

Based on my needs!

I knew I needed a hefty monopod but like most of you that travel anywhere with your gear know there’s a certain size and length you can bring along before it becomes a nuisance.
I looked high and low for the very best, over my head, fold down to fit in a smallish luggage bag yet also support whatever lens I could muster on without it bending (I can’t count the number of both tripods and monopods the claim a kilogram number so vastly out of league to what the capabilities actually are).
I brought the Canon EF 200-400mm f/4L IS USM Extender 1.4x which was a perfect fit. Like the monopod not too heavy, not too cumbersome and delivering the very best money can buy (or regular folks can buy at least).

An evening in windy conditions at the coast reminded me why it’s sometimes better to use a monopod than just to go handheld. On this very evening was there was opportunities the whole time reaching into early night. We’re talking at least 5 hours of constantly shooting – Sure I’m not the weakest of the bunch but still 5 hours hand holding 5 kg camera gear in stretched arms would be a hassle at some point or another.

…that certain safety professionals tend to like and rely on

The strong winds reminded me why I brought the Gitzo GM4552L along as the increased support gave me quite more keepers than if I didn’t. Sure the awesome Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head that I converted to a side loader helped quite a bit. This gimbal head by the way, if you can then you must a least try it. Leaves virtually no footprint but still is beyond rock solid and weighs next to nothing. – Now that is a combo!

Another industry best are the quick-lock which are indeed quick. But not only do they require a quarter of a turn they also don’t need to be tightened as much as most of the competition meaning there’s that certain safety professionals tend to like and rely on. There’s no reason to check it twice cause you know it just works, no questions asked.

Conclusion

What more can be said about one of the best if not the very best monopod money can buy. Sure it’s not as cheap as some of the competition, sure it doesn’t cater much to the video crowd and might not be the lightest and smallest on the market. But what it does it does better than everyone else.
A TRUE 30 kg max load rating, quick-locks that work even without you going full bore on the locks, a close to perfect travel length and an over the head max height. What more could you need?

Gitzo GM4552L review – What a nice leg you have there! Tobias Hjorth.

The multipurpose gimbal head!

What better way to describes the Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head than multipurpose.Made of carbon fiber and CNC milled aluminium Zenelli takes the definition of the gimbal head, shrinks it down to a much smaller than regular size and adds a bunch of features you seldom see on a modern gimbal head. – How does it work out?

Full disclosure:
I was giving this product by the manufacturer, not to review it but to try it out and see what my thoughts was. I’ve travelled with it quite a lot and used and abused it the way I see fit. I was not obliged or encourages to write a positive review nor does it have any impact on my relationship with the manufacturer whatever outcome this review will have. I have no personal relationship with Zenelli. All I know is they make killer products

Why another gimbal head?

Different strokes for different folk’s. The Carbon ZC is to most extend a much smaller head than the Carbon ZX (that Zenelli also produce) meaning it leaves a smaller footprint when you’re travelling light or using smaller telephoto lenses.
With the latter in mind do note that even the large 500 F4’s and even larger 600 F4’s of tomorrow is getting so compact and light that some day in a near future the full-size gimbal will be obsolete. In the last 20 years the size of the 600 F4 has almost lost half of its weight and long gone are the day where anything from 600mm and larger were plus 6 kg’s.

Birdwatchers like to travel far, light and compact and that’s where a product like the Zenelli Carbon ZC carbon fiber gimbal head comes into its own right.

The Zenelli Carbon ZC carbon fiber gimbal head boasts compact size with a number of features and well tought ideas.
In addition it’s also a products that does more than it’s larger sibling.
In another world closely resembling to the photography one is the digiscoping world with telescopes and smartphones as the go to tools to  spot and capture everything from distant wildlife to rare birds. And the that realm there’s a change happening.
You see digiscoping and birdwatchers have always been used to the small somewhat underwhelming and lackluster video head from the likes of Manfrotto and Velbon mainly because birdwatchers never really needed ultimate stability all photographers strive for. And that’s despite spottingscopes offer FAR more magnification than whatever telephoto lens you can buy.
But with digiscoping and phonescoping (essentially the same) that has changes.
Birdwatchers like to travel far, light and compact and that’s where a product like the Zenelli Carbon ZC carbon fiber gimbal head comes into its own right.
The Carbon ZC carbon fiber gimbal head does only satisfies the needs of most nature photographers it also fills a void in the birdwatching society.

Eyecandy

Even before receiving the gimbal by mail I had a hunch about the feel and quality. Back when I reviewed Zenellie Carbon ZX the overall buildquality and feel blew my mind, I mean just take another look at it and you’ll see what I’m all about.
So expectations were high and I had no doubt that Zenelli would deliver.

Thankfully I was not disappointed!
The white branded Zenelli box came with cleverly cut holes in where lens plates and carbon fiber gimbal rested in.
But the box is less of importance right? If you ever unwrapped a box of high end Zeiss binoculars you’ll find a luxury box with large printed bird and almost watchbox-like interior.
The Zenelli box was good but not at that level. Either way substantially better than a box from any of the camera manufacturer which always feels cheep and some you’ll just throw out. In all in does it really matter?..

As with the larger ZX brother the ZC looks stunning. The CNC aluminium to carbon fiber ratio is a bit less but still made with impeccable finish. Despite having a beefier core the ZC weighs less than it’s bigger sibling. Especially the part where the swingarm connects with the rest of the gimbal is a lot thicker. I suspect it’s so because it carries the load higher up the head than the taller brother. The size difference between the two is noticeable and Zenelli even managed to shave up a couple of hundred gram of an already class leading low weight gimbal.

It does not however feature a level quick-release lock and does away with the old turn style knob which might not be as fast, but still does the job as well as you like.

Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head is more modular than you might expect.

There’s a noticeable size difference for those who would use smaller lenses and be less noticeable for curious eyes but also leave a lot smaller footprint when traveling light.
A GREAT partner for lenses such as 200-400 F/4, 400 F/4, 500 F/5.6 and 150-600 super-zoom lenses.

It just works?!

Not to my surprise the gimbal worked as advertised. With the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II USM plus various extenders the gimbal was as good as any I’ve tried and operated flawlessly.
It’s very easy to find the right balance which is essential when using a gimbal head, even with a lens this compact. A BIG plus for  those of you who would like to use your super-zoom lens on the gimbal. The stepless craddle along with the included lens plates makes centering and balancing easier to find than most of the competitors. All the knobs you’ll see are a joy to use.
Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head is more modular than you might expect.
Meaning if you want to go ULTRA-light (slightly above 0,5 kg / 1 pound) and only use it for photo you can just as well place the lens in the craddle mount (Arca-Swiss standard – THANK YOU Zenelli) rather the using the whole craddle and pivot arm setup.  Not only is it the worlds LIGHTEST gimbal it’s also the worlds MOST COMPACT.

You could argue it’s close to the ultimate birdwatchers tool

And there’s a HUGE bonus!
Let’s say you’re first and foremost a bird-watcher that likes to take decent photographs. You most certainly have a high-end telescope and probably a superzoom lens on a smaller camerabody. The Zenelli CARBON ZC is the perfect companion for that because of the moduler design.
Slap on the craddle-mount your telescope, lock the head slightly to get to tension and use the pivotarm to find and look for your “target”.
You could argue it’s close to the ultimate birdwatchers tool. Suddenly there’s a bird flying towards you. Quickly half-a-turn on the knob, remove the telescope / craddle setup and slap on your telephoto lens / camera combo, half-a-turn on the knob again and you’re suddenly photographing the incoming subject. This can literally be done in seconds and makes the difference between night and day. Gone are the times where you missed heaps of shots due to you fumbling with the gear – It’s truely a solution that just works.

Surprised!!

There have never a good product with a pleasant surprise and that came when I slapped on the mighty Sigma 300-800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM. Sure you could argue that it’s a dated as a navel battleship, but in the right place at the right time there’s no better tool for the task.

When you’re already lugging 8 kg camera equipment as well as a sturdy tripod you’ll choose the lightest Gimbal possible and when it’s a well functioning as the Zenelli CARBON ZC it was an easy choice – Everytime!

I wasn’t too keen how it functioned when I used the craddle mostly due to the fact that you couldn’t mount it low enough (remember this is a small gimbal head) and nowhere did the specifications say a lens as big as the Sigma 300-800mm F5.6 EX DG HSM was supported.
So I removed the craddle and mounted the lens just as I did the aforementioned Canon and voila. Not only was it buttersmooth but it also handled the much bigger than recommended lens almost as good as the larger brother (Zenelli Carbon ZX)

In fact I liked that setup so much I CHOOSE it instead of the ZX version due to the very small size and therefore small footprint especially working from my small portable blind.
A waterproof poncho does many thing and the birds didn’t mind that screaming blue color.
When you’re already lugging 8 kg camera equipment as well as a sturdy tripod you’ll choose the lightest Gimbal possible and when it’s a well functioning as the  Zenelli CARBON ZC it was an easy choice – Everytime!

Bird-watcher Deluxe

As a bird-watcher you’re probably not used to gimbal heads or the name Arca-Swiss for that mater.
Most if not all bird-watchers has perhaps even higher demands when it comes to weight and travelling and you’ll find more bird-watchers settling for smaller scopes and binocular wellknowing they’re sacraficing lightgatering ability for low weight.
The Zenelli CARBON ZC is a godsend mostly due to the ultra low weight and modular design that fits in almost any smaller backpack along with the scope and set of binoculars. The pivot arm helps smooth tracking even when using extremely long focal length and would be a dream partner for spotting scopes the likes of Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope which I’ve reviewed some time ago. Got the greatest scope money can buy and to ditch the abysmal and way to small Manfrotto 128RC head and use one that upholds the standards your scope demand.

Conclusion

How do you rate a product that does almost everything in one class and sets standards in another..

The Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head is truly multipurpose.
If you’re both a  bird-watcher and photographer it’s a no brainer – The Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head is as good as it gets.
If you’re first and foremost a photographer the larger sibling the Zenelli ZX is probably the one for you.
For me the conclusion was easy as I found the ZX stayed at home and the ZC stayed in my backpack and that’s saying a lot. I was more than impressed how well it functioned with one of the largest lenses you can buy and how awesome it handled the smaller spotting scope AND disassembled could easily be tucked away in the backpack.
All this makes me wonder – How could you ever improve this?

Zenelli CARBON ZC Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head review Tobias Hjorth.

Early spring morning, one of the greatest things is getting up early and going to one of your favorite photography locations.
This year I did just that, feeling special not only cause I knew it was one of these mornings where most things would fly, the weather was the nicest for the past 4 months but also because I couldn’t wait to give the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens a whirl for the money.

Full disclosure; I didn’t buy this lens. It’s an off the shelf sample and I’m not paid to write a review for the lens nor do I gain anything to write a positive review. These are all my personal opinions and your’s may vary.

Interestingly the buzz about this newest Sigma Sports line lens died quickly after lunch. As a true wildlife photographer lens you would think there was a lot more of these in the field but I rarely see any – Or let me rephrase that; I’ve never seen anyone use it. And that’s despite receiving praised reviews it’s a bit of a puzzle.

So off I went lugging this beautiful fallos over my shoulder safely mounted on the stunning Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head and with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II strapped it’s back. I heard a number of birds singing in the distance but they weren’t the subject I was going for this morning. In fact the bird I aimed to photograph doesn’t even sing – The most you’ll hear is the males farty sounding mating call. The common Goldeneye and what better way to capture the stunning beauty of this duck than with the cream of the crop Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens. And luckily I did succeed!

It’s not the lightest 500mm F/4 lens you’ll come by but it’s a huge step over the older 500 F/4.5 from years past

So what to think of this lens that has gone past everyone’s nose into über ninja mode where no-one and their mother know or knew anything about it?! It’ll bet you see fewer of these in the field than almost any other Sigma branded long lens perhaps with the Sigma 200-500mm f/2.8 APO EX DG as an exception..

BUT it’s actually quite good. Strike that it’s actually REALLY good, NO it’s actually AWESOME with a few exceptions. In fact it’s so good you’ll be hard-pressed to tell if this wasn’t a OEM version (Canon or Nikon branded).

It might set the record for being the lens with the most amount of buttons and toggles with total of 11 (13 if you include the knob and the de-clicker for the tripod-foot)
You’ll notice right away Sigma went all in on this Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens  as a symbolises class, heft and brilliant ideas.  From focus recall buttons in the front (or switch focus mode depending on how you configure your camera body) to the various OS (Optical Stabilization) and the class leading CUSTOM settings toggles and button.

The Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens carries it’s weight not-so-lightly as it is (not by far) the heaviest prime 500 f/4 on the market but only by a few hundred gram, which can seem like much but when you’re past kg’s their almost all the same. In a blind test I probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Coming from a consumer grade ultra-zoom it’ll seem like the heaviest thing ever and vice versa if you’re a used to shoot with 600 F/4 or a 800 F/5.6 probably with the exception of the Canon EF 600mm f/4L IS II USM (as of today)

The first 15 minutes took the next they slowly but surely thought that I have in fact transformed myself into a pile of grass and rubble

So there I was back at the lake setting up my small bag-hide getting ready to photograph the common Goldeneye.  I knew from past experiences that if you give them time they’ll come right up next to you but at the same time knew it’ll take some time and it would be a wise to bring a lens extender for the first couple of hours photography.
So arriving at the site, swiftly threw on the bag-hide then the waiting game started. The first 15 minutes were without any action what so ever.
Firstly the birds were startled over this strange man disappearing into a large piece of camouflage looking cloth, but as the first 15 minutes took the next they slowly but surely thought that I have in fact transformed myself into a pile of grass and rubble – A good thing for me at least.
I saw the small group of Tufted Ducks approaching and hoped they would ignore the big piece of glass slightly protruding out of the pile of rubble (my hide).  I had them and everyone-else fooled, close by birdwatchers included – SUCCES!

Another 20 minutes past by and I thought that maybe just maybe, the Goldeneyes were scared off by my tactics until suddenly the male, slowly but surely glided past my sight of vision and travelled across the camera viewfinder. NOW it’s beginning to look like christmas as Bing Crosby back before travelling by plane was a common thing.

FOCUS darn it FOCUS

Happy as a camper I imitate noticed the female too much closer to what I would call photo distance with the 1.4x Sigma Teleconverter TC-1401 and I started pressing the backfocus button. Do note I’ve configured the camera-body to have different focus modes depending on what button I press. The usual backfocus button have I configured to what Canon call’s “FOCUS CASE 2” with some tweaks meaning it’ll ignore the most obstacles and try to keeps focus on the subject as long as possible and focus within a large zone. If you don’t take opportunity of your camera’s various custom modes and button configurations perhaps it’s about time you should.

Knowing that the zone was covering a great deal more than the bird I concluded unwisely the camera should be able to figure it out. Armed with this piece of photographic equipment a focus task easy as this should be a breeze. Calm waters and a bird with contrasting plumage should be a walk in the park – So I thought!

The Goldeneye couple continued their small swim towards me. SLAP – SLAP – SLAP, in focus, backfocus, frontfocus

It didn’t take more than a couple of seconds to discover that was not the case. With the advanced continuous autofocus engaged, the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens plus Sigma  1.4x Teleconverter TC-1401 focus rapidly and constantly. Unfortunately to my surprise also imprecisely. I noticed one frame in focus, the next frame completely backfocused, the next frontfocused and then in repeat  in an obvious pattern. Must be an error was my first thought as powercycled the camera to no avail.
The Goldeneye couple continued their small swim towards me. SLAP – SLAP – SLAP, in focus, backfocus, frontfocus.. I reached for the button on the lens barrel which protruded the bag-hide all while hoping the subjects wouldn’t take notice. They didn’t.
You see I’ve configured the button on lens barrel (if such exists) to only shoot IF and only IF the subject in 100% in focus. Equally the camera is, when a lens barrel button is pushed, configured for one focus point only as well and complete ignore all obstacles. You can’t get any more strict focus mode on a Canon camera. It’s truly a brilliant way to swiftly switch from birds in flight with the back focus button engaged to a very slow moving and stationary subjects only. I have to stress if you have yet to customize your camera please consider doing so as you’ll be saving a lot of time in the heat of action as well at least give yourself a lot more opportunities.
Back on subject literally and this I too discovered this focus tweak didn’t do any favors. With my go to lens the Canon EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II there’s clearly a BIG difference and even sometimes the camera refuses to shoot even when I think it’s in focus.
Not the case with the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens plus Sigma  1.4x Teleconverter TC-1401 as it kept clicking away like crazy. SLAP – SLAP – SLAP, in focus, backfocus, frontfocus – What the h***?! Unexpected behavior…

Now the birds where so close they were filling more of the frame so in a rapid move that didn’t disturb the birds by yours truly and I swiftly with elegance of an elephant removed the Sigma  1.4x Teleconverter TC-1401 and BAM. The “issue” was gone and things were making sense again.  The culprit was the teleconverter and one which I should have suspected earlier.

I must admit I thought and hoped for a better focus precision with the teleconverter mounted, so have that in mind if you’re pondering to buy this otherwise excellent lens.

FOCUS SPEEEEEED

An essential buy with the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is the Sigma USB dock. Besides it gives you the ability to microadjust focus way beyond what a normal person would find just too much, you can temper with both OS (Optical stabilization) modes and even more so focus speed.
It’s really going from good focusing speed to world class – the difference is VAST!
Beforehand I would rank it pretty good but not 500mm f/4 prime good more like 70-200mm good. With speed priority it’s 300mm F/2.8 fast (or EF 400mm f/4 DO IS II  <- don’t tell Canon cause they’ll just ramp up prices on this otherwise a steal of a lens)
Focus speed takes a toll with the Sigma 1.4x Teleconverter TC-1401 but as written in the last paragraphs focus speed would be the least of your worries. Besides it’s not that big of a speed decrease but it’s noticeable.
All in all a fast focusing lens. Supply with the USB dock and you’ll get a very fast focusing lens in return.
Forget the performance with the Sigma 2x Teleconverter TC-2001

Pixelpeeping for days

It’s a common fact that a lens is only useable if you’re happy with your pixel peeping results. Who gives a flying bird if it’s superb in everything else.. – Sharpness is king.  Well sort of but for all you pixel peepers out there I’m more than happy to report it’s OEM quality and I’ll swear on the eyes of my child (Borat reference) you will never ever be able to tell on from the others. The Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is a optically superb lens! Dead sharp wide open and I’m not too sure you’ll gain anything by stopping down. With the added Sigma 1.4x Teleconverter TC-1401 sharpness a minimally reduces (as it would be a on lens in the class) and you could easily (focusing issues aside) shot this wide open everyday with or without the TC-1401 with little difference in terms sharpness.
I find the contrast slightly lower than the Canon counterpart (Canon lenses are often quite contrasty) which gives a worse JPEG image but with almost no difference if you’re shooting RAW. Often does lower contrast lenses look better into the shadows or highlights but tend to give a flatter image.

Download the samples here:
Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens samples on Onedrive

Prior high-end lenses from Sigma like the Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF had a very warm color tone (suitable for nature photography) but the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens shows a very neutral color-tone. (I tend to like warmer colortones more than most)
In terms of colors I couldn’t see a difference when using either teleconverter.

Forgot the 2x extender or to be specific the Sigma 2x Teleconverter TC-2001, the lens isn’t up to the task a delivering acceptable results unless you stop down beyond what most would use and the focusing leaves much desired. I’m sure it’s the same with the Canon branded one. – Leave it home or in your backpack and only use it for those rare occasions.

I did find the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens less sharp at larger distances than the Canon counterpart (in where Canon usually excels) so it was as I suspected and better than the  Sigma 300-800mm f/5.6 EX DG APO IF.
All in all a strong optical performer MUCH better than previous renditions and all the other tele-lenses Sigma has ever made.

Conclusion

In short if you think an equal OEM (Canon or Nikon or perhaps even Sony) is out of your reach then the Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens is an easy buy. It’s really that sharp and if you’re in a region where you’ll never or seldom use a teleextender it’s a gem of a lens as it offer ultra fast focus speed, super sharp images and a plethora of options for your shooting style.
I’m a bit disappointed about  teleextender (or teleconverter, which name is it anyway..) performance and I find it hindered the lens more than I would like to.

All in all great lens ALMOST as good as the OEMs in some areas and BETTER in some.
Sigma if you can please firmware update the lens for better extender performance so we can use this otherwise great lens to its full potential.

Sigma 500mm f/4 DG OS HSM Sports Lens Review Tobias Hjorth.

With a plethora of adjectives to describe exquisite Italian design the likes of exclusive brands Ferrari and Gucci, one could easily place Zenelli and their latest top-of-the-line gimbal in the same class. This is a head turner. This is nature photographer high-fashion and with functionality that matches this incredible look.

All fine and dandy but what is it?

Admittedly most if not everyone outside nature photographers and gear heads knows what a gimbal head and with good reason. What appears to be a fallos symbol more than a camera accessory is in fact one of the most important aspect in still and videography – Stabilization.
And while a gimbal can give tremendous stabilization on even the largest lenses it is in fact NOT the most important cause when choosing a gimbal. Where high-end gimbal heads shines and the Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber certainly belongs in this category is SPEED. How fast and how easy can you move a 25 pounds camera setup. How effortless and easily can you swing, pan and tilt your gear in the heat of action.

Why not just buy a cheap $99 gimbal of Ebay, they’re all the same right?

WRONG, there’s much more to the gimbal than just a low price point. This is truly a class where you get what you pay. A $99 gimbal might give you a place to rest your biggest lens, but as soon as you get in the action you’ll find out how badly it pans or how badly it tilts – How badly it functions! How cheap and poorly used knockoff chinese aluminum can be and how frustrating it is to buy anything besides top-quality products. I’m all for getting as much for the buck as the next one but there’s not reason to save a bit to give up a lot.
Are you into high-end gear? Do you strive for the best? Then why not use the best gear to get there.

Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber

There’s only so much you can write about things and still not convey the full message. Having tried ALL the major gimbal brands and products on the market ($99 gimbal included) I can truly say the Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber gimbal head is a good as it gets!
Ultra sleek exquisitely made woven carbon fiber with beautiful bends and pattern, aircraft grade! aluminium and large knobs that can be used even with huge winter gloves. In warm light this gimbal looks stunning!
I love how they included the italian flag in the base.

This is a product that was made with a certain amount of pride and it shows.

You know you have something unique and high quality when it takes just a hint of effort to lock the head completely. If you have a thing for pushing locks with your pinky here’s the product where you in fact can do this!
Zenelli included a brilliant quick-lock you’ll use when transporting it from A to B.
As you might have noticed they even included a camo-cover and they even included 2 large sized lensplates.
Take a look at this video to see how easy it is to use.

Quick-release shoe in the swingarm

In fact this is nothing new or groundbreaking. But there’s only a handful of gimbal heads where the quick-release truly offers QUICK release. Remember how I talked about the gimbal is all about speed. The Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber clamp-style release means you can mount your camera-combination within seconds, if you were to switch your 500mm lens with a 800mm lens.
With the older style knob release chances are you’ll still be turning the release knob even when the actions sequence is long gone.
As easy as it is to close the clamp as easy it is to open it again. It takes slightly more effort but you’ll learn it in no time.
The clamp is the Arca-Swiss type, but since there’s no true standard how wide the plates can be Zenelli made the clamp fully adjustable, just to be sure you’ll never run into the problem where one plate might be too wide or too narrow – Awesome!

Why not just choose an aluminium version like the Zenelli KEVLASS-Z Gimbal Head and save money?

Fair question! My answer is; why settle for the lesser product?
If you have already invested $20000 worth of camera equipment well knowing you bought the sharpest lenses and the very best camera body combination, why settle for a product that is less stable, prone to failure and weighs twice as much?!
One of the multiple benefits by chosen carbon fiber is not only does it weigh close to half of the aluminium counterpart, its MUCH more rigid and less prone to bend. In the heat of the action the last thing to want to happen in the head failing due to metal fatigue or inferior rigidity. You won’t have that happen to you with this carbon fiber gimbal – Ever!
As already mentioned one of the major benefits by using carbon fiber is weight. And indeed the Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber is the lightest full-size gimbal head on the market by a fair share. In fact it weight almost HALF of its main peers.
Zenelli made that possible by using clever sculpting techniques both for the carbon fiber as well as the aluminium. A full-size gimbal head with a weight lower than a milk carton, only a mere 900g including the swing-arm is truly a magnificent achievement.
You know when you’re looking at something real and are about to lift up an item only to find out it weighs ever so less than you’d imagined – You’ll do the very same with the Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber gimbal head.

Conclusion

What can be said that I haven’t said already. – As expensive as this carbon fiber gimbal head is there’s no way around it – It’s as good as it’s gets. If you want the lightest, smoothest, fastest and coolest looking gimbal head on the market the Zenelli CARBON ZX is the only option. If you’re already heavily invested into the best camere-gear money can buy why settle for anything less.
This is the cream-of-the-crop and as good-looking as it is a professional tool for any serious nature / wildlife photographer.

Zenelli CARBON ZX Carbon Fiber Gimbal Head review Tobias Hjorth.

The world of scopes couldn’t oddly be any different from the one of telephoto lenses. Extreme focal length up to 1800mm and apertures as small as F/21 are not your ideal photo conditions but Swarovski aim to change that. Did they succeed?

Let’s settle this once and for all – Who is this bundle for?

Chances are as a nature photographer you’re already bogged down from carrying 1-2 large lenses as well as a tripod and all of your photo accessories, so carrying  a large scope like this Swarovski ATX 85mm as well as the TLS APO adapter is highly unlikely. Therefore we have to change perspective a bit to see it from a bird-watchers perspective.

The quality-conscious bird watcher is more than likely to carry a set a binoculars, a tripod and a spotting scope like this top-of-the-line Swarovski.
While most bird watchers enjoys to document their finding, image quality not the number one priority. Therefore shots of documentary quality are more than plentiful. Most wouldn’t know too much about focal length or apertures nor do they talk about full-frame sensor or highly advanced autofocus systems. All they want is a photograph where the main focus is bird identification.

With this in mind perhaps it’s a bit unfair to compare the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter to a true telephoto lens like the ones from Canon or Nikon.
Ultimately this in a scope and not a lens and so it’s made primarily for the contour of the eye and not the flat plane of an image sensor.
But if you were to read on Swarovskis website and marketing material you could think otherwise:

The right choice for anyone who appreciates top-quality digiscoping, the TLS APO 30 mm camera lens was developed as a complete system with the new ATX/STX spotting scopes. Its excellent optical quality makes it particularly attractive to the most discerning digiscopers who want to use single-lens reflex cameras.

All fine and dandy but just how excellent is optical quality and how does it stack up on a much-more-than-the-eye demanding image sensor? Let’s find out.

As a spotting scope

There’s no question that the Swarovski ATX spotting scope series consists of high-end glass some with exotic materials such as fluorite, something also found in high-end telephoto lenses.

There’s something very satisfying going for a lot of magnification to the extreme magnification and still maintaining an impressive sharpness throughout the range.

As a spotting scope the Swarovski ATX 85 with 25-60x zoom is very SHARP and CONTRASTY. There’s a noticeable dip in light at full magnification compared to the widest 25X magnification as well as a slight dip in sharpness. But that’s common and among spotting scopes this is (SPOILER ALERT) as good as it gets. Due to what Swarovski calls SWAROVISION you’ll notice a much greater edge to edge sharpness over the nearest peers. That means identifying birds in the outer perimeter of the glass should be easier than ever before. See it as a field flattener similar to what you’ll find in modern lenses but rarely in binoculars and spotting scopes.

As a spotting scope the Swarovski ATX 85mm is a joy to use. There’s an extremely long focus throw is trademark Swarovski. Meaning even the smallest increments are easy to manage without focus in front or back of whatever you’re watching.

Perhaps even more interesting is the 25-60x optical zoom (30-70x with the ATX 95mm). There’s something very satisfying going from a lot of magnification to the extreme magnification and still maintaining an impressive sharpness throughout the range. As stated before there’s a noticeable dip in the amount of light but that’s physics AND we’re still looking through a relatively small 85mm lens. The more you zoom the more you’ll see how the image you look at enlarges with 60x magnification being the largest yet darkest.
Swarovski explains:

Taking functionality to a new level: the ATX/STX/BTX spotting scope system combines exceptionally flexible modularity with optical perfection. The objective lens can be changed to suit any viewing situation. Extreme detail recognition at crucial moments thanks to SWAROVISION technology and total ease of use ensure fascinating experiences in the great outdoors.

You’ll appreciate the craftmanship of the Swarovski ATX 85mm telescope. It’s not like you’re average high-end lens with bare metal everywhere, instead with a heavy green Swarovski colored thick rubber armor all over the scope. It makes the scope slightly larger and thicker than its peers like Kowa but also feels like it can take a beating and then some. If you’re ever about to get mugged and you have your scope around, use it to intimidate even the most persistent robber.

For those accustomed with large telephoto lenses you’ll recognize the spotting scope foot. Oddly there’s only one thread for a 3/8″ screw, a bit puzzling but industry standard for spotting-scopes. Note the foot fits directly into the most common and should I say vastly undersized (for the focal length) Manfrotto clamp mount without mounting a lensplate. I would have liked at least one more threading to ensure a super tight and firm fit as well as to ensure the scope doesn’t turn on the tripodhead. With one thread you’ll almost guaranteed the in the heat of the action you’ll turn the scope on the lens plate if you don’t use the mentioned Manfrotto clamp.

All in all there’s no denying that the Swarovski ATX 85mm spottingscope is when used as what it’s design for, is an exceptional piece of bird watching equipment.

As a telephoto lens

Evidently things changes a bit when using the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter as a telephoto lens for your D-SLR camera. One of the major benefits by using a modern camera is autofocus, in fact there’s auto-everything if needed!
Autofocus is on of the major breakthroughs on the last 30 years of photography.
As a nature photographer (and sports photographer for that mater) you’ll pay a hefty sum of money for super advanced autofocus modules in where you’ll set a number of focus perimeters that’ll benefit your photography situation. Almost always it’s only the top-spec’d and most pricey cameras that carries the most advanced autofocus. There’s no taste involved when it comes to autofocus, you can’t argue that having no autofocus is better, just ask any nature photographer prior to 1989 –
Autofocus is a MUST for the professional nature photographer. But since we already established this is a product for the bird watcher, why is this still a factor?

That leaves us to the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter. As there’s no electronic connections anywhere on this spotting scope, there’s no communication between the scope and your camera. That means you’ll always be shooting wide open and you’ll have no option to stop the scope down to a smaller and sharper aperture. Since we’re already at diffraction limit for most modern cameras, chances are you wouldn’t be gaining much by doing so.
Another thing missing is (BIG SURPRISE) autofocus – It’s manual focus only. Whenever you’ll miss the shot it’s your fault – You can’t blame the camera nor the setup. Prepare yourself heaps of missed shots and photography opportunities. Even when you think you’re in perfect focus you’re more than like not. Remember there’s huge focus throw on a spotting scope (especially on Swarovski’s) which is fine when you’re using it as a scope, but more a burden when using it as a lens.

Photographing with  the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter was in fact a FUN but not very rewarding experience.

For instance let’s talk about a day this winter I spend with the ever-so-cute White-throated dippers. In fact there were three and they were what I would call almost tame. As long as you kept low, avoided quick movements and kept patience they came extremely close, more than often so close that I was waaay “overlensed”

These White-troated dippers were what I would call stationary birds. Sure the male would once in a while charge one of the other but even then everyone would settle down quickly and things would go back to standing or foraging in the water.
It’s a quite predictable bird and one that I would, as long as you can get close enough (which I could) an extremely easy bird to photograph and an especially awarding one. You always wonder how in-the-h*** they’ll swim or walk so elegant and fast in raging water with feet that resembles most songbirds.

Photographing with  the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter was in fact a FUN but not very rewarding experience.

More than often I found myself twisting and turning for focusing forever each time either of the birds moved in and out of the frame. I shot close to 1000 photograph and found 2-3 was what I would call acceptable.
Sharpness at 25x magnification was SHARP and in fact sharper than I might have expected a least in the center and not so much in the corners. At least magnification there’s no doubt the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope is good glass. There were quite a lot of aberrations and uncorrected lens characteristics you’ll seldom or never see in an equally priced telephoto lens.
At 60x magnification it’s just too much focal length for the optical quality and things falls apart. Sure you can see your subject and everything else but forgot all about feather details on everything besides subject at near minimum focus distance. You’re also extremely diffraction hindered shooting such a small effective aperture. All fine details are simply smeared away.

For a less experienced photographer or the common bird-watcher this is a frustrating solution

“But Tobias you’re a photographer and you’re looking at this from a photographers standpoint” you might ask. We’ve already established that nature photographers are not the target users for this setup – Let me turn this the other way around for a second;
Why should those with the lesser experience in photography (bird-watchers) use the gear that’s most difficult to photograph with? Isn’t kinda like if Canon made a telescope adapter for the 500mm II F/4 IS USM, charged a healthy price and sort off told through clever marketing that this could perhaps replace your telescope.. It wouldn’t cause spottingscopes are tons easier to look into.

For an experienced photographer like yours truly Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter is a fun but very cumbersome solution. For a less experienced photographer or the common bird-watcher this is a frustrating solution to photograph with and that alone is the reason I can’t recommend it for anyone other than purists that loves a hassle and less than stellar image quality.

Conclusion

If you’re a bird-watcher and wants to capture or document birds and observations in the field I recommend you use a phone adapter instead of the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter.
Phone adapters like the Swarovksi PA adapter iPhone adapter or one similar from Kowa (note Kowa makes adapters other phones than the iPhone) are a much more simple and easygoing solution without all the hassle of adjusting exposure, mounting adapter, removing cover, blowing away dust and all of the things you don’t want to waste your time in the field with.
Sure you might argue that using a phone yields lower quality than using a proper D-SLR which is true.  But since we’re not foremost hindered by image quality but by inconvenience of using a DSLR on a scope where you’ll get none of the benefits from the DSLR, the phone adapter is a better choice and a no brainer.
The Swarovski ATX 85mm is a stellar spotting scope and one you’ll enjoy using as such even at maximum magnification. Using it as a telephoto lens is another story and you’re better off looking elsewhere if you want to capture anything moving or expect image quality for the amount you’ll pay for the Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter.
If you already own a spotting scope and wants to capture and document what you’ll see go for a phone adapter and enjoy 90% of the same image quality and a more pleasant and rewarding experience.

Swarovski ATX 85mm Scope and TLS APO adapter review Tobias Hjorth.

Mission-critical access is what Lowepro promotes the ProTactic series on their website. While the backpack is aimed for photography and not for tactical use you can’t help notice this clearly draws inspiration from tactical backpacks.

Loads of options

The Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW is definitely a sweet looking backpack and easily holds most of your equipment. As aforementioned there’s no doubt this pack draws heavily inspiration from tactical backpack with the Molle-styled webbing all over the pack. Lowepro does not call it Molle and use their own term “Sliplock” but I can tell you for a fact it’s so close you wouldn’t be able to tell much difference – Which is a good thing! – That means you have, besides all the Lowepro accessory pouches and lens pack, access to a plethora of back, locks, webbing and so on and so forth.
Interesting enough a MUST-HAVE feature on tactical bags on this one-day patrol size, the water-reservoir is clearly absent. One could argue that water and camera gear doesn’t match well but that could easily be addressed by making the water-reservoir chamber waterproof. It seems Lowepro included everything else so why they left this one out is a bit boggling.

Mission-critical access

An area where the Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW more than delivers is access to the camera compartments. Besides main access which you’ll gain from the back of the pack there’s also access to the lower area of the main compartment and where you’d usually store the heaviest equipment like the camera-body plus attached lens. And it doesn’t mater if you’re a lefty as myself and you have both options.
Watch the view review for a more detailed look both on the compartments as well as the support this bag offers 

Awesome looking backpack!

There’s no denying it. Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW is easily one of the most awesome looking packs, clearly resembling that on an Operator. That no-nonsense, tuff to break look with the, a dare I say macho webbing all over, this pack clearly aimed at the male audience. If you look at some of the more popular EDC bags on the market it’s obvious what Lowepro was gunning (pun intended) for. A quick Google search should give you a hint. – You might argue that a photographer also shoots with his or hers gear so there’s probably the connection Lowepro what trying to do. Either way love the look not too sure my girlfriend would.

Conclusion

There’s no denying of this is an awesome bag with a few hiccups. The look is second to none, all the possibilities you can do with the Molle style webbing is endless. Awesome pack as long as you don’t stuff it with too much gear!

Lowepro ProTactic 450 AW video review Tobias Hjorth.

In the world of photography support and accessories the Zenelli Kevlass-Z gimbal brings something new to the table. Sure it’s a gimbal like the plethora before it, but the Zenelli KEVLASS-Z is the first one made out of Kevlass which is a woven mixture of kevlar and glassfiber. Is the $899 pricetag the comes with the Kevlass-Z a reasonable price for this new technology? Watch the video and find out. Images after the click

Images of the Zenelli KEVLASS-Z Gimbal Head:

Zenelli KEVLASS-Z Gimbal Head review Tobias Hjorth.

With a plethora of camera bags on the market it takes a lot more than the run of the mill camera bag to stand out. The Manfrotto Off road Hiker 20L takes the modern everyday backpack look and included a camera section – But does it stand out?

Stylish backpack with camera-insert

The Manfrotto Off road Hiker 20L is divided in two compartment, the top one being the largest. Here you’ll place your jacket, gloves, food, water and what have you.
By opening the top-flap and loosen the drawstring you’ll get easy access, just as you would with a modern daypack.

The Manfrotto Off road Hiker 20L is a fully featured backpack with an included and removable camera-insert that holds a DSLR with attached lens as well as an extra lens or flash.
The back of the pack includes a mesh cover that make sure you a less of a sweaty back than if the backpack was fitted closer to your own back.
While it’s definitely a more comfortable solution, the slight bent slightly decreases the overall amount the backpack can hold compared to similar sized packs. Typically a similar size pack would hold roughly 25-28L.
Most will find the meshing comfortable as long as you don’t stuff plus 15kg’s in the pack. In that case you’ll probably looking at another and much larger pack all the same.

Customizable straps for days

The mesh for easier heat transfer is carried over to the shoulder straps too.
That means the pack sits comfortable on the shoulder with a soft yet firm padding. The backpack features a plethora of adjustments but missed height adjustment. That means it’ll only suit a certain size – Anyone over 175cm will find the backpack too short and therefore unsuitable to most men.
If you’re over that height you want to check out the Manfrotto Off road Hiker 30L which is a larger variant of this backpack.
There’s an ingenious way you can hang your camera on the front securely and without your regular camera-strap. Anything that takes the weight FROM your neck is a plus!
Notice how it wouldn’t get in the way of the chest strap.

Attention to detail

A thing that you do notice right away is the attention to detail. My girlfriend was especially fond on the zipper loops for easy zip and un-zip – Something every backpack should have I you ask me.
The waist strap featured a zippered pocket on the right side. A detail well received and one where you can place your wallet, cellphone or camera-accessory within hands reach. Thanks to another zip-loop you can open this pock WITH gloves on as well.
The chest strap was height adjustable for a correct fit and the waist strap was adjustable too.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt Manfrotto Off road Hiker 20L is a great camera-backpack that leaves little left to be desired. Comfortable and with good-sized compartments for most all-round camera gear (DLR or Mirrorless camera plus lens) and accessory, food and clothing. The style and design are modern, fresh and somewhat still new to the camera business as it resembles a daypack and not a camera-backpack. The mesh, adjustable straps and modern look makes way it stands out from the competion especially in the pricerange.
But do note the height disadvantage mentioned earlier and look for the Manfrotto Off road Hiker 30L if you’re a regular size male.

Manfrotto Off road Hiker 20L Backpack – Review Tobias Hjorth.

The Sirui RX Reporter X series is the top-of-the-line carbon fiber tripod with all the bells and whistles you would come to expect from a high-end tripod. But is it any good?

Admittedly the title may have given away my thoughts on the Sirui R-5214XL. So here’s my reasoning why so.

Never buy a low quality tripod! – You’ll regret it forever.
When dealing with large telephoto lenses you need to look for the very best. There’s no reasoning in buying a $8000 500mm F/4 lens and then putting it on top of a $99 tripod. It an accident waiting to happen and despite the manufacturer claims the tripod can carry a certain degree on load, you HAVE to take it with a gain of salt and a large one at that too.
A flimsy tripod may have the ability to sustain the load in ideal conditions but as soon as you move it outdoors and use it with a gimbal or video-head chances are you’ll find it bending and twisting all over the place.
A rule of thumb that applies to almost any manufacturer:
Find the claimed maximum load rating and divide it by 3 and then you have the somewhat correct rating in ideal conditions. If you divide it by 4 you’ll find the true work load under stress in any giving situation.

Another thing you would want to avoid especially when dealing with large telephoto lenses are risible center-columns. No tripod is better than the weaker link and a risible center column is, on almost any tripod on the market THE number one reason the camera / lens combination is stabilized less than it should be. So when using large photo gear the rule is; flat base tripod good, $99 center-column tripod bad

The Sirui R-5214XL IS a flat base tripod – The first plus point!

Why would I need a 200cm tripod?

Truth is you probably don’t if you only think about your own height. A higher tripod is also a more versatile one than a short and much needed aid in situations where you find yourself on higher ground than the you own height or when the tripod legs are spread flat out 90 degrees as the tripod covers a larger area. In certain situations this can be a lifesaver. – Height equals instability in which there is some truth, but with a tripod as large and beefy as the Sirui R-5214XL the oversize height makes some difference in a positive direction.
The Sirui is a 4 section tripod meaning the minimum height is a mere 69 cm which is given the size of the R-5214XL is impressive. It weighs a mere 3 kg’s which for a tripod of this size is impressive!

Legs for days

What good is a tripod if the legs are as sturdy as diamonds and the locks are as brittle as ceramic you might ask. Luckily this Sirui is fitted with oversize locks that grips over a large area. This makes it much harder to bend, twist or turn and a feature you’ll appreciate in harsh conditions
If you want to lock the legs all is takes is a slight twist and you’re all set. Gone are the days where you could twist for an eternity before the lock finally engaged, half a turn is more than enough.
Did I mention how well made the Sirui R-5214XL is? – Just look at that carbon fiber pattern, an impressive 10 layers of it!
I’m sure Sirui takes pride in that.

Must have accessory? – Leveling head!

Definitely the most important accessory anyone could ever buy when using a flat base tripod and a gimbal-head is a leveling head. Thankfully Sirui makes the brilliant 75mm Sirui YB-75A leveling half-ball that kicks whatever Gitzo or Manfrotto equivalent out of the park (Have been using both for ages). The adjustment arm is SO much easier to use than the competition due to its size and form.
A leveling head is a must when using a gimbal because the gimbal requires balance around the nodal point in order to work with gravity. Otherwise It’ll just dangle to whatever side you tripod is leaning and render the gimbal otherwise smooth operations cumbersome and pointless.

Conclusion

The greatest tripod Sirui’s ever made – Easily!
Lone gone are the days where Gitzo was the go to brand on carbon fiber tripods and other brands where considered sub-par – The Sirui R5214XL is the definitive proof!

The tripod could support my 8 kg lens and body combination with EASE and I’m sure you could add 5 kg’s without too much hassle. The leveling ball-head was a blast to use and overall this Sirui tripod impressed me more than I expected.

Awesome tripod!

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Sirui R-5214XL review – This beauty is a beast Tobias Hjorth.

If you’re into Photography and need the utmost best image quality available this side of $20.000 the Pentax 645 Z is as good as it get’s. And with a street price below $9000 its actually a bargain!

First impressions

The heft leaves you thinking if you’re up to the task. The Pentax 645 Z Medium format camera is with all its glory a camera that demands at least as much of the photographer as the photographer demand of the camera. The slow workflow makes you think and visualize every photo before you shoot it.
I started out running and gunning I soon found myself looking at my shots and despite all the technological wonder of this amazing imaging machine, at least a dozen shots came out blurred and lacking anything interesting. The Pentax 645 Z requires you to take the task seriously!

Body, design and features

With a weight of a solid 1550 grams, battery and SD Card included the Pentax 645 Z feels as sturdy as it look. With top-of-the-line 35mm camera from Canon or Nikon in mind, the Pentax is a least as solid and even more so extremely boxy – The trend with even larger sensor cameras getting smaller and smaller (APS-C and even full frame) it’s nice to see Pentax ditch the somewhat hype of a smaller camera and make it as big as possible. Use it as a hammer, go ahead, but note this isn’t a camera you’ll be doing to many selfies with. Let alone the weight I don’t think anyone would ever be able to straight out their arm that much. Who does that anyway

Going from the back to front the first thing you’ll see is the large 3.2″ Sharp tiltable TFT screen dotted with information. As the Pentax 645 Z is a professional photographers tool the ability to customize almost anything you’ll find on the screen is a huge plus. The screen is very sharp although I found it a tad too bright. This is a necessary easy adjustment, even with R G B sliders – how cool is that. The menus are so deep and the Fn options so many I’ll direct you to the manual to read them all. It’s almost overwhelming.

Leaving the menus alone for a second and still keeping our keen look at the back of the camera it’s nice to learn a dedicated button for almost everything you’ll ever need. Sure there’s a quick menu where you can easily scroll through the most common settings, the chances are you’ll use the much simpler and faster button press. A few buttons has a second/third feature but most are dedicated to one function. To mention a few there’s an AE-L, AF, WB, Info, Flash, Timer, ISO, Exposure, RAW, Bracketing and metering buttons to name a few. Then there’s a Photo / movie knob (Yes this medium format camera shoots 1080P video) and a much-loved mirror lockup button.

The viewfinder, aahhh this is viewfinder. In a true Medium Format fashion the Pentax 645 Z boasts a viewfinder the size of the front window in your car. It’s truly a pleasure looking through a finder that rivals that of a larger diameter binoculars. In familiar SLR style you’re find information such as aperture, shutter speed, ISO value if the button is pressed, buffer size and levelometer to make you sure all of your shots are level.
It hard to express how wonderful it is to use a GOOD optical viewfinder for a change but the one you will find in the Pentax 645 Z is better than any D-SLR ever made – Period!
The diopter is a huge chunk of a wheel you can trim so far a blind man is be able to see the information clearly. I love it and it’s going to be a daunting task going back to the Canon EOS 1D viewfinder Again.

On top of the camera you’ll find some of the aforementioned buttons, the mirror lockup knob and the matrix display where in true old school fashion you’ll see most of your settings. In teori you could just flip-up the tiltable screen but with a finder and matrix display this simple, informative,user-friendly and fast so you probably won’t. The grip is deeper than the Mariana Trench and even Andre the Giant would find it comfortable. Most women will probably find the grip too large and deep but I’m sure the trade-off would pay you tenfold in the end.

Removing the included Pentax D FA 645 1:2.8 55mm AL (IF) SDM AW lens (really Pentax, you couldn’t come up with a lengthier name) reveals the huge mirror-box. It’s like opening a lost treasure chest and I found myself starring at it and pressing the shutter just for a quick peek at the awesome 44mm x 33mm Medium Format sensor. It’s like you’re looking into something forbidding, like when you were a kid and discovered about the opposite sex. You’ll do almost anything for a peek even it’s looking into a flapping mirror inside a camera – Nerdgasm is allowed.
Speaking of sensor size it’s actually smaller than what is considered true Medium Format  which is 60 x 60mm. You could call this an APS-C sized Medium Format sensor but since most of its competitors uses the same sensor lets just call it Medium Format. Compared to a full frame 35mm sensor it’s about 1.7 times larger. You want shallow depth of field this is the way to go.

If you’re talking about camera’s being a sexy man-made object overall the Pentax 645 Z isn’t it. It’s bulky, longer than wide and with a design sorely made for a purpose. There’s a HUGE Pentax badge on it reminding everyone with a mile radius that this is a Pentax camera (and probably the only one in a mile radius). The camera is much wider and deeper than the included lens and features an oversize base that can hide even the largest Manfrotto lens plate. There’s a base on the right side of the camera to in the same size. An elegant camera the Pentax 645 Z is not. And in all honesty, no Medium Format camera is, well perhaps with exception of the Leica S2 but that’s stretching it.

In use and daily operations

If I told you the Pentax 645 Z functions as well as your enthusiast line D-SLR would you believe me?
The screen is when reviewing your Photos easy to use and well suited for judging whether your latest Photo is a keeper or not. The screen is, as mentioned earlier, a bit too bright leading you to over exposing your images, that is if you relying on the screen for exposure. Luckily as mentioned Pentax allows for adjusting brightness although it’s well tugged away in the menus.
If you choose to solely rely on the screen for exposure there’s a histogram to aid your exposure.

No camera is complete without novice user functions even a Medium Format one and although the camera and it’s use goes completely against what a novice user would buy as a starting camera, the Pentax 645 Z features the almost 100% Automatic P mode. So point-and-shoot a Medium Format camera is an option if you so choose.
In all seriousness you’ll also find Aperture, Shutter or Manual mode.

In Manual mode the camera is a pleasure to use. Everything functions quick and snappy. – The days where Medium Format camera reacted slower than it took to develop film are long gone. The auto-focus feels great with promptly focus acquisition even in more difficult situations. It’s at least on par with entry / enthusiast level D-SLR. Even live-view functions with auto-focus works although it’s nowhere near what you’ll find on modern day Mirrorless or EOS 70D / 7D Mark II D-SLR’s.
As with most higher-end camera’s you can fine-tune the auto-focus if you’re experiencing front or back-focus.

Focus-tracking is somewhat okay again with tracking performance around entry D-SLR level, but chances the Pentax 645 Z would probably never be used for any type of action / BIF photography.
It’s extremely nice to learn that Pentax managed to squeeze out 3 frame per second out of this shutter and circuitry – That’s a huge amount of data!
Pentax claims the buffer is around 25 images deep, a number I never experienced but let’s be fair in call it in the same ballpark. All that data requires the fastest memory card available, if you don’t prepare to wait forever.

There’s 27 selectable AF points with the 25 of these being cross type. Cross type means in theory double the accuracy as the camera searches both on a horizontal and vertical line. In the very center of the sensor there’s three focus point with increased sensitivity when using F/2.8 lenses. It should resolve in increased accuracy and ought make sure a perfect focus every time. Conclusion is it works and it works well!

All the rest of the buttons functions instantly with no lag, the shutter button ditto. You could argue that Pentax D-SLR´ed the Medium Format camera – It’s really that functional and easy to use! If you’re a landscape photographer you’ll enjoy the dedicated mirror-lock knob that ensures a steady shot each time without any hint of mirror slap vibration.

Another feature that you wouldn’t expect to be in this type of camera it the weather sealing, both on the body, hotshoe and lens. A reason to get out and use the camera even if it’s pouring down.

To make sure you never run out of space, Pentax made two SD card slots with backup capability. Simple and effective!

Image quality

The image quality is hands down the most detailed of any camera in almost any price range. The 51.4 Mpix resolution easily trumps any D-SLR and you’ll be enjoying in finding very fine detail you probably didn’t see when you took the shot. The final image has this Medium Format look that’s hard to explain and easier to show. Go ahead and grab the RAW files.

Looking at 100% crops, an exercise more important than actually taking pictures, or so it seems if you browse the internet, gives you the pleasure of knowing this is how good and sharp a Bayer sensor image can be.
The highlights holds extremely well and there’s a certain distinct film look to it with a lot of micro-contrast detail. It’s not a Foveon micro-contrast but it’s up there..

The Dynamic range of this sensor is more expressive than anything on 35mm. – While not HDR´esque is seems there’s almost no end recovering the highlight and pull out details from underexposed blacks. The highlights rolls off very smooth, something you’ll only see on medium format and the levels of grey to white feels endless. In the studio shooting model or fine details Medium format is king.

In the past you would be hard pressed going past ISO 400 in the CCD based Medium Format cameras, but just like Nikon found out CMOS is vastly superior to CCD in terms on high-ISO (gain) performance, the Pentax 645 Z shows impressive images even at super high ISO. Looking at the highest ISO values is more for show or fun but back off just a little and you’ll be more than satisfied with photos at and around ISO 25600.

Thank to the big sensor, high-resolution and no low pass filter the Pentax 645 Z gives you tons and tons of detail. True to medium format the colors are subtle and muted in a good way. Push them in post and be delighted with smooth colors and low noise in lower ISO’s. The camera seems to capture colors without any color-bias.

Samples

The DNG Raw files are available for download and needs a Raw converter to open. Use whatever converter you are comfortable with. You’ll find all the files on my OneDrive right here:

Conclusion

There’s no doubt the Pentax 645 Z was a love relationship albeit a short one. Never have I seen image quality from any kind of digital camera especially in this price range. The Pentax 645 z thrives both in low and high ISO values easily matching the D-SLR in terms of noise and beats it by a healthy margin in detail and latitude. – The Pentax 645 Z handles and feels like a fullframe D-SLR and even boasts the speed of such. AND it shoots 1080P.

In my relatively short time spent with the Pentax 645 Z I was enjoying how capable and easy it is shooting with Medium Format and I’m sad to see it go. Hands down the greatest Pentax camera ever made and in a price range for everyone who’s looking for the best to afford.

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PENTAX 645 Z Medium Format camera – Review Tobias Hjorth.