Billingham Hadley Pro

Photo by Bo Bozeman
 Billingham has been hand making canvas fishing bags in England since 1973. In 1978 they transitioned to making camera bags after Mr. Billingham, a photographer himself, learned that photographers were using his fishing bags in New York. 

I have been using the Billingham Hadley Pro for a little while now as my day bag and I am really pleased with it. I was looking for a bag that could carry a small camera setup along with an iPad. I wanted something slim and without noisy velcro. There are plenty of bags out there with velcro silencers but I prefer the adjustable leather quick release straps on the Hadley Pro. Like most bags it has dividers that can be adjusted to suit your gear. The insert can be removed and now you have a messenger  bag.

The Hadley Pro is a premium bag that is not cheap and no it will not improve your photography but there’s no doubt that it is a quality camera bag that will last for years.

Billingham

Fuji X100

Photo by Bo Bozeman

In 1998 I purchased a Fuji MX 700 camera that was 1.5 MP with a max resolution of 1280 by 1024. It was a strangely shaped little camera that I adored. It was so small compared to my film camera and I carried it every where. Here we are thirteen years later and I recently acquired a Fuji X100. 

There was a lot of hype about the X100 and some mixed reviews. This camera is beautifully designed with it's retro rangefinder look which is very Leica like. However the X100 is not a rangefinder and as far as how Leica like it performs I unfortunately can not say having never used a Leica.  

I was hesitant about purchasing this camera after reading about sluggish AF (in low light), short battery life, long write times and general performance problems. I also saw many positive reviews and kept seeing stunning images that the X100 could produce. Plus the hybrid view finder really seemed intriguing and I liked the idea of an APS-C size CMOS Sensor in such a small package. After watching firmware updates being released I decided to give it a try. When I purchased it I made sure to get a fast sd card and an extra battery.

So far I am loving this little camera. I have not experienced many of the problems  mentioned in early reviews but some do remain. The AF can be sluggish in low light and manual focusing is really slow but it's not a deal breaker. I like the fixed focal length of the 23mm (35mm equivalent) f2 lens and for me this a great compact camera to carry when you don't want to carry a complete kit. 

Would I recommend the X100? Yes I would as long as you are ok with a fix focal length and are not looking for the quickest AF on the market. The hybrid view finder is truly innovative and the image quality is fantastic. It has it's issues but I have yet to use the perfect camera. I can't deny the fact that I am having a lot of fun with the X100.

Gordy's Camera Straps

Photo by Bo Bozeman

Here is a photo of my Olympus Pen EPL2 sporting an new camera strap I recently purchased from Gordy’s Camera Straps. I like to have a longer strap and luckily Gordy’s will make them to custom lengths. They have a variety of well made leather wrist and neck straps that are reasonably priced. I love this camera strap and now I have to order a couple more.

Gordy’s Camera Straps

Gordy’s Camera Straps Gallery

Olympus 45 1.8 Micro 4/3 Lens

Photos by Bo Bozeman

I failed to pre order the Olympus 45mm 1.8 prime and at the time of writing this it is still back ordered at most outlets. Reading photographer Steve Huff’s site I saw a post that he had an extra one for sale. Talk about luck. I am really enjoying this great prime lens, thanks Steve. Check out his review of this lens and much more at stevehuffphoto.com.