Vanguard Supreme 53F

We have looked at different types and styles of camera bags but the Vanguard 53F isn’t your normal camera bag. The Supreme 53F is a hard-sided case more at home in the cargo compartment of an airplane than it is being used as a daily equipment hauler. While other companies selling hard cases have been around for many years, Vanguard has a lot to live up to. Let’s take a look at at the Supreme 53F and see if Vanguard has succeeded in building a better mouse trap.

53F with Handle Extended

Overview

Vanguard’s Supreme line of cases are watertight and airtight up to a depth of 15 feet, dustproof, virtually indestructible, resistant to corrosion, and can withstand extreme climate variations.  All of the Supreme cases are design to withstand temperature variations from -40° to 203°. The Supreme cases have quick release latches that are easy to use, and the comfort grip handle is ideal for carrying heavy equipment. With pad lock receptacles on each case, they are ideal for airline travel.

Features

The Supreme 53F is as rugged of a case as you are going to find anywhere. The case itself in extremely strong and durable with very well designed latches that lock easily and securely. The retractable handle locks into place in both the extended and retracted positions. The main handles have nice padding to make it more comfortable to carry. Internally, an O-ring helps keep the case water and dust resistant while the octagonal pluck-foam allows for almost any shape of object.

Secure Latches

• Water, air and dust tight
• Resistant to 264.5 pounds weight pressure
• Automatic pressure equalization valve
• Padded handles
• Metal lined padlock holes
• Waterproof name tag
• Locking travel handle
• Two layers of thick pluck-foam

Specifications

• Inside dimensions: 22†x 17 3/4†x 7 7/8â€
• Outside dimensions: 24 3/4†x 20 1/2†x 9 1/2â€
• Weight: 22.93lbs

Usage

Rubberized Handles and Pressure Relief Valve

The 53F is nice and big, too big for carry-on luggage on an airplane but not too big to be considered oversize for regular check-in luggage. The wheels roll smooth on flat surfaces but are too small to work well off-road or and in grass.  With two layers of foam included, you could have two levels of regular camera gear or remove one for larger items like studio strobes. The travel handle locks securely when retracted so you don’t have to worry about it coming out when it is being shipped.

Results

Having used other hard cases that are similar, the others just don’t stack up to the Supreme 53F. The latches are the best I have seen on cases of this type and the padded handles make it more comfortable to pick up when loaded. Knowing that when the case is closed my gear is safe from water and dust because of the integrated O-Ring gives you piece of mind. The only thing I would change if I could is the thickness of the pluck-foam. The 53F comes with 2 very thick sheets of foam but I would prefer 3 or 4 thinner sheets for more versatility but that is just being picky. It’s not everyday that you need a super rugged hard case, but when you do, the Vanguard Supreme series of cases is as good as it gets and with a street price of around $230, you get quite a case for the money.

Big Roomy Case

Product Review Scorecard

Author: Kerry Garrison

• 21.1 Megapixel Full-frame CMOS sensor, 14-bit A/D conversion (16,384 colors/each of 3 primary color), wide range ISO setting of 100-6400 (expandable L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600).
• Full HD Video capture at 1920 x 1080 resolution for up to 4GB per clip with HDMI output for HD viewing of stills and video.
• Next generation DIGIC 4 Image Processor for faster processing of fine detail and color reproduction as well as reduced image noise.
• High performance with 3.9 fps continuous shooting, new shutter with a durability of 150,000 cycles and improved weather-resistant body.
• Live View Function for stills (Quick, Live and Face Detection AF modes) and video.
• 3.0-inch Clear View LCD (920,000 dots/VGA) monitor with anti-reflective and scratch-resistant coatings for improved viewing and smudge protection.
• Updated EOS Integrated Cleaning System specifically designed to work with a full-frame sensor.
• Compatible with over 60 Canon EF/EF-S lenses and most EOS System accessories.

The EOS 5D Mark II features a huge, full-frame sensor. A 21.1-megapixel CMOS sensor delivers images of up to 5616 x 3744 pixels. And since it is full-frame, all lenses will deliver the angle of view they would on a 35mm camera without a conversion factor. This comes in handy especially when shooting with wide-angle lenses. For the flexibility to shoot in even the most dimly lit situations, the EOS 5D Mark II offers Canon’s highest ISO sensitivity to date, ranging from 100-6400 (expandable to ISO L: 50, H1: 12800 and H2: 25600). Thanks to improved noise reduction technologies, images shot even at highest sensitivity will be remarkably smooth.

The Canon EOS 5D is slated to ship towards the end of November 2008 at an expected street price of US$2699 in the U.S.

What is white balance?
While we have another article that goes into more detail, let’s do a quick summary refresher about what white balance is. Light actually comes in different temperatures, measured in degrees Kelvin. Daylight and flash is typically around 5200 degrees which is considered to be neutral. Late afternoon/evening light and incandescent is warmer (more orange) and is usually around 6200 degrees, Fluorescent light is on the cooler side (around 3800 degrees) and has a greenish tint. While your camera will generally do a decent job of estimating the white balance, the problem is that the camera is measuring the white balance based on the reflected light on the subject. This method works alright most of the time but it is not going to be absolutely perfect, nor will it even be close under some conditions. A very common example of this is shooting a scene in the snow, this can really throw off the sensor and you can end up getting a blue color cast on your images. If you are shooting in RAW, you can easily compensate for poor white balance but this just adds to your workflow. If you are shooting in JPEG, this poor white balance makes it much harder to recover the scene without losing image quality.

Good Balance

Too Warm

Too Cool

Getting a good white balance
The best way to get a good white balance is measure the light temperature from the position of the subject towards the camera, while a camera is looking at the subject and can only measure reflective light and not direct light. Other methods for measuring white balance include placing an 18% grey card where the subject is and setting the white balance against that. While this is the most common method used by experienced photographers, the theory that you are still using reflected light instead of measuring the direct light.

Using the Colorright
To get the best results from the Colorright so put yourself in the position of the subject and aim your camera towards where the camera will be when you take the shot, place the Colorright disc over the lens and take your picture. Using the custom white balance settings on your camera, select the image to use as your white balance reference. Now go back to the camera position and you are ready to shoot. This should result in a perfect white balance since your camera measured the light from the light source and not a reflected light that can be altered by the reflective property of the subject.

If you cannot put the camera in the position of the subject, you can also use it by aiming it at the subject like you would use a gray card. While this may not be ideal, it is certainly far better than not having other means of getting a good white balance.

Results
The results are absolutely spot-on. While the design is very similar to the Expodisc, the difference with the Colorright is that is doesn’t allow light from all directions to hit the sensor, instead a smaller area ensures that the light hitting the sensor is exactly what you are looking for. The Colorright disc sells for $89, and the obvious question is “is it worth it?” Like many other things this depends on how many images you take and how much time you end up spending doing post correction. In some places you may only need to get a good white balance setting once or twice and you are good, in other places like weddings and receptions there can be several different locations that have radically different lighting and when you have to process hundreds of images from a place like that, the Colorright can pay for itself in post production time savings the first time you use it. If you shoot fewer or smaller events it may take longer for you to realize the benefit of getting your shots right in-camera versus processing the images later.

Website: http://colorright.com
Author: Kerry Garrison