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Doug Murdoch, Designer & President, Think Tank Photo joins host Scott Sheppard with some tips about traveling with your camera gear. Think Tank Photo develops a range of camera bags specifically to meet the needs of the professional photographer. Working closely with a team of working photojournalists, and other shooters for the past four years the feedback they’ve received from the field testing have been incorporated in their line of carriers and transporters.

Doug discusses their latest addition launched at Photokina, the Shape Shifter Backpack. Unlike other photo backpacks, the Shape Shifter actually changes it’s depth allowing you to expand or contract the bag to snugly fit your camera bodies and lenses without taking up extra unnecessary space. This is critical for traveling on location, and through airports. The backpack is soft and flexible, fully padded with air pockets on your back making it comfortable to wear while working. It includes extension flaps that work with the Speed Belt enabling quick access to lens changes while shooting, acting as a harness that provides additional stability to the backpack. All Think Tank modular products are designed to work together and help you configure a solution completely customized to carry your favorite gear.

Doug also describes their Skin line of carriers, that are thin, and lightweight without heavy padding developed for times when you don’t need the extra weight especially critical while traveling. Most photographers cringe at the idea of checking their camera or lenses at any point during their travels. Think Tank’s lightweight solutions allow for configurations that hold equipment securely to your body or fit easily under the seat or in the overhead compartment.

For more information on their full line of products visit: http://www.thinktankphoto.com/

The McNamara Report on Inside Digital Photo with Michael J. McNamara
This week’s topic: Still shooters: Are you ready for video?

Today’s DSLRs are starting to add live video capture modes to their Live View modes. For example, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II : a Full frame 21.1MP camera with full 1080p HD video and sound (mono from camera, or stereo with optional mike via input jack). The Nikon D90: an APS-C sized sensor that can capture 720p video (with mono sound) in Motion JPEG format with the professional smoothness of 24 frames per second.

On both cameras, the sensor is much larger than those found on typical pro or amateur camcorder, helping to deliver higher image quality and exceptional low-noise still images, as well as high ISO capture and dramatic depth of field control during movie shooting. Capturing creative movie clips or the drama of life’s moving moments is further enhanced by the wide selection of incredibly sharp Canon and NIKKOR interchangeable lenses that are available, from fisheye to wide-angle to super-telephoto (and image stabilization works in video mode!) But is video capture a great feature on a DSLR, or just one more tool that will rarely get used? Listen in on the McNamara Report segment.
Read more insights and analysis from Mike McNamara on: http://www.mcnamarareport.com

Inside Digital Photo - Special Report
Photokina 2008

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Join Scott Sheppard and Mike McNamara as they review this year’s highlights announced at Photokina 2008 held in Cologne, Germany September 23-28, 2000. Many of the product that were introduced were previewed in the U.S. prior to the event and Scott and Mike share their personal experiences with them and discuss some products that should stay on your radar screen as the fall show season unfolds.

• Adobe CS4 - many features added to this version provide enhanced productivity which at first seem tuned for graphic/print design but will offer great benefits for professional photographers once they become more familiar with the new tools.
• Casio - announced the Casio HIGH SPEED EXILIM Pro EX-F1 and the EX-FH20 Camera superzoom with 9.1 megapixels, and high speed burst shooting up to 40 fps at 7 megapixels and high definition movie recording at up to 1,000 fps. At a price point around $600.
• Canon - launched the Canon EOS 5D Mark II, which could easily become the camera of the year but they also showed their new top range compact digital, the PowerShot G10. Both cameras offer the key functionality and performance near their professional cameras but are marketed to the prosumer/entry-level DSLR users.
• Leica - introduced the Leica S2, with its premium collection of lenses that include everything from ultra wide to super telephoto. The S2 features a smaller metal body that is easier to carry, and a special new sensor with 30 x 45 mm and 37.5 megapixels designed for professionals.
• Sigma - delivered upgrades to their camera bodies with Sigma SD15 powered by the 14 megapixel Foveon X3 direct-image-sensor which captures all primary RGB colors. They also announced the Sigma DP2, also 14 megapixel high definition digital camera, which packs the full spec of a DSLR into the body of a compact camera.
• Pentax - took the lead in the entry-level category with their lightweight, easy to maneuver, PENTAX K-m digital SLR camera and lenses. The lenses include two DA L-series interchangeable zoom lenses: the smc PENTAX-DA L 18-55mmF3.5-5.6AL and the smc PENTAX-DA L 50-200mmF4-5.6ED. The system is perfect for first-time DSLR users.
• Ricoh -adds another "cult" point-and-shoot with the GX200 featuring 24 mm wide-angle optical 3x zoom and an effective 12 mega-pixel CCD. Not readily available in the U.S. these cameras add another option to those wishing for their unique status and capabilities.
• Epson - introduced the Epson Perfection V300 entry level scanner, at a price of $99 which includes 4800 x 9600 dpi optical resolution and a built in transparency unit to scan 35mm film.

Scott & Mike also shared their insights to new products announced by Fuji, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, and Kodak with their predictions on the impact of these new technologies and their effect on the "megapixel" and "camera wars" which are sure to drive performance to new heights in the next 6 months.

Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage on these products or visit Mike’s site "The McNamara Report" at http://www.mcnamarareport.com.