There are many cool features to talk about here.  Let’s look at them one at a time. The first and most obvious of new features is the display on the front of the drive.  This is called the “Smart display custom e-label”, and it is a very cool new feature.  Those who are familiar with the newest line of My Book Elite 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB and My Book Studio 1TB, 1.5TB & 2TB recently introduced for the desktop will be familiar with this new feature.  It allows you to both label the drive with a 12 character description and to monitor the status of the drive, including available space and security status… even when the drive is unplugged!  And this label lasts for up to 6 months without plugging the drive in.  The next time you plug it in, it recharges itself for up to another 6 months.  With the price of drives these days, I find that I often store client projects on a drive on a shelf for 6 months, a year, sometimes more.  With the e-label system, it is easy to see which projects you are storing.  And the WD SmartWare software that is included makes changing the label (among other things) really simple.

The next feature to discuss is interface/connectivity.  This drive is the Mac drive for a couple of reasons… most importantly being the connection options.  This drive has the option of both USB 2.0 and Firewire 800 connections directly on the drive, and Firewire 400 adapter to connect to machines without Firewire 800 connections.  This gives you just about every possible connection you could need to get to your data.  The included cables are short (15″ or less), but that is all that is needed to connect to your MacBook.

Security is the next great feature, and it ties right into the software that comes with the drive.  The WD SmartWare software mounts to the desktop the first time you connect to the drive.  Setup is easy through this very well designed application.  You can set up the drive, the label, the security and even backup options through this software.  Once you assign a password to the drive, the password is required every time you plug the drive into a Mac.  This is a great option and makes you feel good knowing that if someone acquires your drive, they will not be able to get to your data.

This screen shows the settings options for the drive.  As you can see, you simply type the label in, choose a normal or inverted display, and save the label settings.  From here, you can choose other options to set up including sleep timer, diagnostics, virtual CD and other options.  The software is clean and easy to understand.

The WD SmartWare software has built in backup software.  It analyzes your drives(s) and allows you to select which folders you wish to back up and restore.  The design is very graphical and seems very easy to grasp and understand.  With the limited time we have had this drive, there has not been the time needed to dig into the use of this application.  But we do intend to look more at it at a future date.

The next feature to talk about is performance.  We wanted to get a feel of just how fast this drive is for backup and use.  We did some basic speed tests around the FireWire 800 and USB connectors, and we compared it to another commercial, portable USB drive that we commonly use.  It was a simple test where we drug a folder full of 450 different 20 to 40MB RAW photos to the drives and tested the performance.  This folder was 11GB in size, and should represent a typical copy that photographers would go through in backing up their data.  The results were good and about as we would expect.

The testing was not “milspec” or overly thorough, but very real world.  We took this new WD My Passport 640GB drive and tested both of it’s connectors and then tested a year old 120GB external drive that has served us very well over the past year.  This is about as real world as we can get in this amount of time.  Yea, yea, not a fair comparison to an older drive, etc., but the numbers are still true and comparable.  And beyond these numbers, I think we are chasing too small of details.

The WD My Passport Studio drive is small, but large in storage.  It is versatile and comes with great software.  It has features offered on no other drives available today (e-label).  It comes with a 3 year warranty backed by one of the largest and most reputable drive manufacturers on the market today.  What else could you want in a drive to trust your valuable photos and video?

Available March 1st, 2010 at retail stores like Best Buy, and click the links here to see reviews of this product and purchase the 320GB, 500GB or 640GB My Passport Studio.

Score Card (scale of 1 to 5)

You can visit Western Digital’s website here.

• WPPI – http://www.wppionline.com
• ExpoAperture Discs – http://www.expoimaging.com
• DOFMaster.com – http://dofmaster.com
• Digital Pro Talk – http://digitalprotalk.com
• Digital Wakeup Call: http://digitalwakeupcall.com/
• David’s book
  • Captured by the Light: The Essential Guide to Creating Extraordinary Wedding Photography
  • $34.94 – Available on Amazon.com

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Kerry Garrison
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Syl’s new book LIDLIPS Lessons I Didn’t Learn In Photo School is available on Amazon for only $13.45.

Be sure and check out Syl’s websites: http://pixsylated.com and  http://speedliting.com

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Kerry Garrison
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Roberto talks about composition and gives the following guidelines:

• Choose a selective focusing technique
• Placement and composition of your main subject
• Use converging lines
• Use repetitive elements
• Use Framing techniques

http://www.robertovalenzuelaphotography.com or follow Roberto on twitter at http://twitter.com/robertophoto

Roberto also mentioned the Magic Lantern Guides Camera Books that help your learn your camera and what the controls do.

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Kerry Garrison
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Marc Fuller’s Website:
http://marcfuller.com

Marc’s top 20 list of Wordpress plugins
http://marcfuller.com/2009/12/top-twenty-plugins-for-using-wordpress-as-a-website-cms/

Don’t forget about Marc’s Try-it, Like-it, Buy-it offer. With “Try it, Like it, Buy it” Marc will place on your server/host a full working demonstration installation of Kertesz II complete with functioning main page, blog page, contact, NextGen gallery etc..  Then you can explore it as much as they want.  If you like it and decide to use it, either as your entire site or as a complement to a Flash site, then you pay for it and Marc will support you in making it custom to your use – including placing it a new folder, importing your current blog (if you have one) etc. And then when ready to go live, revisit your hosting; doing page replacement if needed, WP tweaks, SEO adjustments, etc.  The price for all this remains at just $267.00 but not payable unless you decide they like it and want to use it and Marc’s services.

Show Host

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Join the forum discussion on this post - (2) Posts

To enter to win a copy of Gary’s book, you need to follow these instructions:

Go to Gary’s blog site at: http://garyfong1.xanga.com/

You may need to go back a little bit, but you need to find the answer to the question “What animal makes a good pet”

Send your answer to contest@cameradojo.com with the subject “Gary Fong Contest”. We will pull several names on Jan 15th 2010.

Be sure and check out all of Gary’s products at http://garyfonginc.com/

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Kerry and Jules also announce their upcoming workshop on Jan 26th. For more information on the Light, Location, and Love workshop, please check out:
http://cameradojo.com/2009/12/09/light-location-love-workshop-with-jules-bianchi-and-kerry-garrison/

Be sure and check out Jules’ website at http://julescafe.com.

Don’t forget about our CameraDojo MediaSmart Server Giveaway

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Kerry Garrison
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Jim provides some good insight into current purchasing trends that Pictage is seeing and talks about how to incorporate this information into your business.

Jim also discusses some of the changes going on with Pictage and the upcoming Pictage PartnerCon.

Pictage: http://pictage.com

PartnerCon: http://pro.pictage.com/community/ppc/neworleans/

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Chase’s Links:

Chase on Twitter / Facebook

Chase Jarvis website: http://chasejarvis.com

The Best Camera: http://thebestcamera.com

The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You: iPhone Photography by Chase Jarvis (on Amazon)

Songs for Eating and Drinking: http://www.songsforeatinganddrinking.com

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[podcast]http://cd.pod-ad.com/content/CD/CD_068_ConversationChaseJarvisTalkingAboutWorld.mp3[/podcast]

Join the forum discussion on this post - (1) Posts

Jamie talks about her techniques, equipment, dealing with animals, and getting great shots.

Be sure and check out Jamie’s work at:

http://cowbelly.com
http://cowbellyblog.com
http://cowbellyworkshops.com

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• Hot Shoe Diaries
  Joe McNally [Amazon $26.39]
  You cannot go wrong with Joe’s tips on lighting, simply superb, a must read
• Fast Track Photographer
  Dane Sanders [Amazon $26.95]
  Run your business, don’t let it run you. Learn how to get your career on the right track
• Digital Photography Book 1, 2, 3
  Scott Kelby [Vol 1 Amazon $16.49] [Vol 2 Amazon $16.49] [Vol 3 Amazon $16.49]
  I am including all three books in the series (hence 17 books), these recipe books help you get the shot you want
• The Moment it Clicks
  Joe McNally [Amazon $34.64]
  Excellent background and stories on different shots. Inspirational and educational
• Light: Science and Magic
  Fil Hunter [Amazon $30.91 ]
  Some consider this to be the ultimate book on lighting
• Within the Frame: The Journey of Photographic Vision
  David DuChemin [Amazon $26.39]
  Within the Frame is a book about finding and expressing your photographic vision, specifically where people, places, and cultures are concerned.
• Beaton: Portraits
  Terence Pepper [Amazon $40.50]
  This is an essay of the works of Sir Cecil Beaton who was a major contributor to Vogue and Vanity Fair
• Lighting for Photography: Techniques for Studio and Location Shoots
  Glenn Rand [Amazon $23.07]
  This book shows how to perfect lighting in the studio as well as on location
• Sculpting with Light: Techniques for Portrait Photographers
  Allison Earnest [Amazon $23.07]
  “With tips for working with individuals and groups, indoors and out, this book is not to be missed.”  —ImagingInfo.com
• The Daybooks of Edward Weston
  Beaumont Newhall [Amazon $44.97]
  This book gives an intimate view into the day-to-day trials of a working artist, Edward Weston
• Keith Carter Photographs: Twenty-Five Years
  Keith Carter [Amazon $35.00]
  Be inspired by looking through 25 years of Keith Carter’s work
• Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Location Photography
  Kirk Tuck [Amazon $23.07]
  “Pure gold, showing real solutions to real lighting situations and along the way creating some of the most natural-looking on-location portraits.”  —Shutterbug
• Minimalist Lighting: Professional Techniques for Studio Photography
  Kirk Tuck [Amazon $23.07]
  “Richly illuminated with location portraits and a few still lifes, and written in a clean down-to-earth style.”  —ppmag.com
• The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
  Michael Freeman [Amazon $19.77]
  The Photographer’s Eye shows how anyone can develop the ability to see and shoot great digital photographs.
• Understanding Exposure: How to Shoot Great Photographs with a Film or Digital Camera – Bryan Peterson [Amazon $17.13]
  For serious amateur photographers who already shoot perfectly focused, accurately exposed images but want to be more creative with a camera, here’s the book to consult.

If you have some favorites that I missed, please post in the comments.

Our main guest for today is Zach and Jody Gray (http://www.grayphotograph.com) from Nashville, TN. The Grays, as in Zach and Jody, not aliens) are Westcott Top Endorsed Pros and I am huge fans of their work. Zach and Jody are doing a presentation at the Pictage PartnerCon November 3-5 in New Orleans so I asked them to come onto the show and talk about running your photography business. Be sure and check out their upcoming workshops and mentoring sessions.

Pictage User Groups: http://www.pro.pictage.com/community/index.html

SmugMug User Groups: http://www.smugmug.com/smugs/info/

Meetup.com: http://www.meetup.com/

Noah Camera Holster

Show Hosts

Kerry Garrison
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Maurice Naragon
http://headcheese.com http://webscience.com

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The TrekPod XL is adjustable from 39” to 62.5” and can handle camera gear weighing up to 13.5 pounds, making the TrekPod XL an extremely versatile unit.

Summary

The TrekPod is part monopod and part tripod which isn’t really the first of its kind but Trek-Tech has done a pretty good job of creating a really usable hybrid. Like any device that is a hybrid of two other products there are some compromises that need to be made to combine the benefits of each into one new product, the big question is if Trek-Tech was able to bring the strengths of a tripod and monopod together without sacrificing too much.

Features

The TrekPod XL is made from carbon fiber, high strength polymers, and stainless steel to create a high quality, heavy duty, and super ultra lightweight unit. Unlike most monopods, the TrekPod XL breaks down into four pieces that fit nicely into the included travel bag that is small enough to fit into almost any suitcase or carry-on bag.

Specifications

Usage

At first glance I wondered if there was any right or wrong way to assemble the TrekPod but it turns out there is only one way that the system can be put together and it only takes a few seconds to figure out which ends go together. At a little over a pound, the TrekPod XL is exceptionally light which, while great for hiking or traveling, can be a negative since with about half of the leg spread of a medium tripod, stability can be an issue. I wouldn’t put my camera on top of the TrekPod if there is any wind. Secondly, since you can’t adjust the legs like a regular tripod, you cant stand it up straight on an uneven surface. Then again, the TrekPod isn’t a tripod, its more like a monopod with pop-out legs.

The MagMount is a very unique feature of all of the Trek-Tech products The MagMount uses a pair of high-strengh Rare Earth Neodymium Magnets to hold the camera to the ball mount.

Although tests showed that just the magnets would probably be sufficient for almost any setup, the bottom section has a small clamp that swings around to give you a little more piece of mind.

The TrekPod XL comes with two different attachments, the “jagged” version shown in the image here that is tightened down with an included Allen wrench and a smooth version that has a knurled outside for hand-tightening.

The ballhead moves smoothly and locks with a large paddle which also locks down the rotation of the ballhead.

Setup

The TrekPod comes in four pieces that fit together. The leg piece has a threaded top that the first tube (the one with the TrekPod XL logo on it) attaches to. The second piece, the tube with the foam handle on the top, slides into the lower tube. Finally, the top tube section, the piece with the ballhead on it, slides into the top of the tube with the foam handle.

All that’s left is to take one of the attachment points and screw it into the tripod mount on your camera, pop it onto the top of the MagMount and flip the lock into position.

The entire build process takes about 20 seconds so its really quick to setup and start using. This means the TrekPod is useful more more than just your camera. For me, I have been looking for a quick to setup and light-weight light stand for use with my speedlites and the TrekPod is just about perfect for this. If the plastic cap actually had an umbrella hole and a hot shoe mount, it would pretty much be ideal (hint hint Scott and Ken).

Results

As I said earlier, anytime you take two diverse products and create a hybrid, you have to compromise somewhere. On the other hand, if you look at the TrekPod as a monopod with pop-out legs, then it does that job very well and it can be used in some places that you wouldn’t have enough room to setup a tripod. If you have an angled or uneven surface, well, at least you can use it as a tripod. In thinking about this, something like the ballhead to connect the legs to the first tube might allow more varied surfaces but would also negatively impact the price. With the TrekPod XL running around $360 at Amazon ($399.99 list), and a high-end carbon fiber monopod being around $200 with a good ballhead running around $120, you are going to pay a little bit of a premium for the TrekPod XL’s design and tripod legs, not bad when compared to a high-end monopod.

If you want to save some money, you can get the TrekPod Go! PRO which is made of aluminum and is a little heavier, but will only ding you for $179.99 at Amazon ($229.99 list). If the ability to break it down so much isn’t such an issue, you can really save some money with the Trek-Tech TrekPod II for only $74.17 at Amazon ($99.99 list). So regardless of your budget, there is a TrekPod for you. You will be quite happy with a TrekPod if you think of it as a replacement for a monopod instead of a replacement for a tripod. For me, the TrekPod XL fills a need I have had for a lightweight stand that can be used for a camera or a light but takes up less room than a tripod or light stand.

Score Card

Trek-Tech: http://www.trek-tech.com
TrekPod XL: http://www.trek-tech.com/products/trekpods.html

During the show we look at some of  Mark’s work and you can follow along at:

http://markroberthalper.com

If you are interested in any of Mark’s workshops, please visit:

http://studiomark.com/workshops.html

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