Remember my portrait lens shoot out? Well, it caught the eye of the folks over at Olympus Passion Magazine as they’d previously featured my article testing the Leica 15mm against the Panasonic pancake 14 and 20mm lenses on their website, and had asked to feature the portrait shoot out in the August edition of the magazine. I happily obliged, and it can now be seen in the current issue of their beautifully curated, Olympus-centric mag HERE.
With our family move in the rear view, Mrs Squeeze and I are back in the saddle and really excited to try and drum up some help this month for a wonderful cause to help families suffering from ALS. ALS, (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known to many as Lou Gehrig’s disease, is traditionally a gradual onset disease which affects everyone a little differently at first. It affects the nervous system resulting in a loss of physical, muscular function, with the timetable for most lasting between 3-5 years from diagnosis before the body and muscles which control breathing and functional regulation, begin to fail. There is no known cure currently, but the ALS Association works to develop treatments and drugs to slow the effects.
This brings us to this month’s donation. I’ve long followed Anthony Carbajal (find Anthony and his wonderful photography on Instagram HERE) and his knack for street photography for years now. Anthony has inspirationally lent his story and gritty photography from the streets of Redlands, California to a cause near and dear to his family’s core. Anthony suffers from ALS, as does his mom. To try and give a tiny bit of insight, he has been focusing on helping 30 families suffering from ALS over 30 days before his 30th birthday, and we’d like to try and help a little bit as well. I’d strongly suggest checking Anthony out on Instagram and following his journey. The stories of families he is aiming to help with this project read as diversely as ALS is indiscriminate in the families it affects. Anthony’s positivity and spirit are so strongly inspirational to me, and I’d like to think he will be for you too. I don’t know Anthony personally outside of interacting through Instagram, but his story and his actions have touched me in a deeply transforming way and the Mrs and I started this business hoping we could use it to benefit others as well as our family through our work. This month, we want to donate to Anthony’s project.
You don’t need to buy a camera strap to help, as you can see more about the project which was originally set up to help Anthony directly, which he then chose to use to help others, by going to the You Caring Page set up HERE. If you would like to help, and are in need of a new, hand built camera strap, Nauti Straps will be donating 10% of all sales this month to Anthony’s 30 for 30 project as well (see what we hand build HERE). I will be donating as much as I can personally, too. Anyone cool with Anthony, is tops in my book.
Please help get the word out, and let’s try to help kick some ALS.
All our best,
Team Nauti (Tyson and Rachael)
I get a lot of enjoyment from figuring out more efficient and elegant ways to design camera straps. One question I’ve fielded multiple times has been the desire to see an adjustable, nautical rope shoulder strap. The Regatta strap has done well, and has been well received, but for me, it posed two problems. First, the adjustability. Tricky part with rope is that there are few ways to actually allow for adjustment to length without bulky hardware. Secondly, while it does well for rigs up to 2-2.5 lbs, after that, a single rope can become a little uncomfortable while out and about if carrying your camera for long periods of time. Enter the brand new Wayfarer shoulder strap which remedies both of those issues, and I’m really happy with how they’ve come out. Available in 7 different colorways, at Nautistraps.com now, you can also get them for 15% off as an introductory sale offer this week, using the code “NAUTIWAY15” at checkout.
C’mon in to see colors and learn a little bit more about the design process…
The world is no stranger to injustice and human hatred. Living in a normally progressive city can often feel like an echo chamber of similar interest and opinion, but just last week a hate crime took place in Portland, Oregon which has certainly rocked the community both here, and around the country. While standing up to a grown man, racially and religiously abusing two teenaged girls, three men attempted to calm and repel a horrific situation that ended up with two of them being murdered, and gruesomely injuring the third. Rick Best, a 53 year old Army veteran and father of 4, along with Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, a 23 year old recent Reed College graduate, lost their lives standing up for these two young girls. The third man, Micah Fletcher a 21 year old Portland man who has come out in strong support of the two young girls that this attack was directed at, is speaking the way that most people I know, feel about this. He has heroically called out a need to rally around people of color and religious minorities stating:
“The Muslim community, especially in Portland, needs to understand that there are a lot of us that are not going to stand by and let anybody — whether they are from here or not — scare you into thinking you can’t be a part of this town, this city, this community, or this country,”
A minority of closed minded, scared and ignorantly intolerant individuals have seen recent events as a rallying cry and excuse to bring their racism out into physical manifestation, and in my opinion, the only way to combat that is to work together to both discuss and educate those willing to listen, and to fight against those refusing to do so, that hatred toward any group of people because of perceived difference in race, religion, class or gender, is not okay, and never will be. They’re on the wrong side of history, and while there will always be those who feel that they are better because of a religious outlook, or their skin color, there are more of us that understand that we live in a diverse world with a vast tapestry of belief, culture and identity. When unjustifiable hatred is directed toward anyone, I feel it important to do what we can to support those who are victimized, as well as those who stand up to repel it.
We chose to start this monthly donation program to financially support causes in immediate need through something we’d be marketing and selling anyway, while finding a way to donate where we otherwise might not have been able to, or not nearly as much. It has honestly been sad that it has been difficult choosing between many different, worth causes every month, but this is the world we live in. We have chosen to donate 10% of any and all sales of our camera straps monthly to a new cause, and this one has hit close to home.
You don’t need to buy a camera strap to support the families of this horrific event, and I’d certainly suggest offering support if you’re able, but we will be donating 10% this month via Nautistraps.com to the Tri-Met Hero’s GoFundMe HERE. There are also funds set up for the two young girls and their families (see more about that HERE) who have obviously been traumatically affected, both by the attack on them, as well as witnessing the brutal attacks on these three men.
Portland, en masse, has rallied around all of the families affected, as well as the greater Muslim community here, and for that I’m happy to say that while we will never entirely eradicate hatred, we can meet it with more force by supporting each other in times like this. Be a decent human being and continue to stand up to hatred and racism as it rears its ugly head.
Cheers,
Tyson and Rachael
In an industry that provides me with my very favorite of hobbies, the idea of perceived perfection in performance is often the benchmark. To this end, I too am guilty in that I often look for and test to make sure I have the best optics for whichever sensor I happen to have invested in. Often times, when we as photographers focus on measurable optical metrics, we can lose sight of the artistic, creative outlet that visual art such as photography can provide us. As the old adage goes as far as skill and creativity are concerned, sharpness is overrated.
I like to explore photography from a very large spectrum of angles, and find I enjoy myself most when I change my vantage from time to time. I don’t feel photography is one thing, and certainly feel for me that if it only provided me with one type of result, I’d not be nearly as happy. I like variety, I like difference, I like weird. For those who’ve been around for a while, you’ll probably remember articles I’ve written about Lensbaby products, and how the company resides just down the road from me. Back when this was a fledgling little blog, they offered me many opportunities to beta test new optics, and provide fodder for those looking for adaptable optics for their (at the time, young, new) mirrorless system cameras.
Say hello to the Lensbaby Trio 28mm f/3.5 lens. Three unique Lensbaby optics, built into a single lens for mirrorless systems, and I’ve been loving it. C’mon in for some examples and comparisons…
We’ve heard whispers of the Sony FE 16-35mm GM lens bandied about, and perhaps those in the know have also been hearing about an even wider option, but the FE 12-24 f/4 lens just caught me by surprise!
While pre-orders won’t be taken until this Friday, you can submit to have an email alert once they are available via these links which you can see more about these lenses, their specs and will take you directly to B&H:
B&H lists the specs of the 16-35 f/2.8 lens as follows:
…And the 12-24 f/4 lens is listed at B&H as such:
Obviously, the B&H site has mis-listed the max aperture on the 12-24, but both of these lenses look really, really good on paper. How they test out optically is yet to be seen, but I’d imagine it won’t take long for us to get many comprehensive reviews very soon. These are going to be two popular lenses.
The 16-35 looks very nice, and I’m sure will be an extremely popular UWA zoom for pro use, the price is very high in my opinion. Reminds me of the Canon debate between their EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L and EF 17-40mm f/4 L lenses where the extra stop costs nearly twice as much. For me personally, I use an ultra wide zoom for interiors and landscapes which usually see me stop down to f/8- f/11 or so, and will be shot on a tripod. That made the decision for me an easy one. I see a similar situation here with Sony’s offerings. The 12-24mm lens looks pretty damn intriguing, and while the price is still very steep, by comparison to the 16-35, for my UWA use, I’d be opting for the wider, slower zoom myself, assuming these both test well optically.
Both are dust and moisture resistant meaning they should do well to hold up in inclement weather for outdoor shooting, as we should expect for lenses like these, targeted and priced for professional use.
Anyhoo, keep an eye out for these bad boys. Should go some way in helping round out Sony’s full frame lens game for those serious, and deep pocketed shooters.
Cheers, and happy shooting,
Tyson
Hello dear friends. There has been no secret here on the bloggings, surrounding my desire to find the perfect 85mm lens. It has become my own photo gear holy grail, and a fun journey it has been. I’ve owned, sold, used, borrowed or rented at least a dozen different 85mm (or equivalent) lenses for a few different systems over my years. It’s probably the single most fascinating focal length, for me. The most popular classification for a lens of this focal length, is going to be portraiture. It balances minimal distortion, with flattering spacial compression when working at traditional distances for portraits, and is a go to for many portrait photographers. I do like a good portrait session, but a mid range tele lens like a nice, fast 85mm can offer much more than merely head and shoulder shots. I want to look at this lens on its own at first. How sharp is it? Bokeh? What kind of value does is present at its price point for a photographer like me, or you? Later, I’ll be comparing this lens to a couple other fast portrait lenses that I have here on the blog, but for now let’s see how this beautiful new Sigma Art lens stands on its own…
If you’ve been overwhelmed by global news or light shed on the huge variety of conflict and injustice being inflicted globally, I can understand as it has been taxing to wake to a seeming constant flow of issues ranging from bizarre to horrific, daily. This month, we wanted to focus our effort on the horrific Chechnyan anti-gay purge seeing people of the LGBTQ community in that country, literally put into what are being called “torture camps” with the Chechnyan government hunting anyone even rumored to be gay or transgendered with families being urged to kill their children, or face having it done within these torture camps. Chechnya’s police call it ‘Cleaning your honour with blood.’
I know that I have subscribers and readers from all over the world. I’ve used my blog as a way to converse with many of you, I continue to follow many of you as well, and I have greatly enjoyed doing so. As it has progressed, my new camera strap business has naturally worked its way into the site here, and I appreciate all who have helped support me in that venture. With the state of the world, and the country that I live in, it’s role in the global community and the affects our policy have for many planet wide, I’ve made a conscious effort to try and use Nauti Straps to help in ways I was unable to before. If you live in a place that affords you freedoms enabling a relatively safe and secure lifestyle, appreciate that and we’d urge anyone willing to listen, to do what they can to support those in greater need that are living in places where they’re not afforded similar freedoms. It is difficult for many of us to singlehandedly, financially support causes, but if we circle the wagons, band together, we can help spread that burden out so that we create a chorus of voices as opposed to feeling as if we are trying to tackle any injustice we’re troubled by, alone.
This month, Nauti Straps will donate 10% of all sales of our camera straps to the Rainbow Railroad, an organization focused on advocating and directly aiding LGBTQ people all over the world. Currently, much of their need and effort resides in the horror happening in Chechnya. You can see more about Rainbow Railroad and what they do HERE. From the Rainbow Railroad’s website:
In countries all over the world, lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-identified (LGBT) people still live in basic fear for their freedom, their safety and their lives. They often have nowhere to turn because their government and police not only tolerate but encourage this brutality. Rainbow Railroad exists to help these people get out of danger to somewhere safe. In the spirit of and with homage to the Underground Railroad, the mission of the Rainbow Railroad is to help LGBT people as they seek safe haven from state enabled violence, murder or persecution. Through funds collected by people like you, we’re able to support, provide information, and help to arrange safe transportation for these LGBT people to somewhere in the world where they can live their lives in safety.
We’ve decided to say the hell with being politically and ethically neutral at Nauti Straps (just in case you haven’t yet noticed) through our monthly donation program where we choose a cause we feel is in immediate need, to donate a 10% portion of all our sales to. While we fully support every person’s right as a human to have differing views, opinions and framework for your lives and the lives of those you love, we respect EVERYONE’s ability to live life as who they are, as long as that life in no way inflicts direct harm or oppresses anyone else’s ability to have the freedom to do the same, and hope you feel similarly.
If you, or anyone you know would like a hand built camera strap, while helping the Rainbow Railroad you can see what I make at Nautistraps.com HERE. If you feel you are in a position to financially help, and don’t necessarily need a camera strap, you can donate to Rainbow Railroad directly through their website HERE.
Thank you and as always, any help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.
Team Nauti
You can find Nauti Straps on Instagram HERE
*we will return to our semi-regularly scheduled photo review blogging shortly. Thank you for your support.
I cannot think of a situation more dire than that which is taking place in Syria and affecting Syrian people right now. I’d imagine we’ve all read about, and seen the horrific footage of the most recent spate of chemical attacks and while extremely hard to watch, if you haven’t, I think it important to do so to understand just what the evil in this world is capable of. The Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets are a group of Syrian rescue workers who risk life and limb to respond to bombings, chemical attacks and any other act of violence against innocent children, women and men, and do so outside of any political or religious framework. Pure humanitarian motivation. I would suggest seeing who they are, and what they do here: www.whitehelmets.org
As of the time of this writing (according to their website), 166 White Helmet volunteers have been killed, and yet they continue to charge into affected areas to help the people, the families, the children who are otherwise helpless.
Politics aside, and regardless of who is responsible for the continued aggression against Syrian civilians, we can at the very least, financially help. We will be donating 10% of all sales of Nauti Straps (find Nauti Straps HERE) to the White Helmets this month, and even if you’re not in the market for a camera strap, even a few dollars can help if you feel so inclined to donate directly. I’ve tried to find worthy causes to support each and every month, and right now, I cannot think of any cause in more immediate need. We may not be able to do much in the grand scheme of things, but this is one way that we’ve decided to try and use our new business to help a little bit.
We will be getting back to our regularly scheduled programing shortly as I have multiple lens reviews and comparison articles in the works.
Thanks all, be well and happy shooting.
Tyson
Mrs Squeeze and I have been going back and forth about what to do, and how we can implement ways to both help others while alleviating the feeling of depressing hopelessness that seems to have crept into our collective consciousness. With a young family and ever increasing cost of living, we don’t have unlimited funds, nor, often time to dedicate to those who are on the front lines. Months back, we did a special sale code which led to us donating to Standing Rock this last Fall (thank you guys for helping out on that!), and now we have decided to eliminate a specific code, and just donate 10% of any and all sales through NautiStraps.com to a particular cause each month. It’s not going to change the world on its own, but it will help us feel as if we’re able to do a little something.
This month, we will be donating 10% of all sales of camera straps, to the Southern Poverty Law Center. The SPLC functions as a non-profit group which observes and tracks known hate groups throughout the United States. It provides legal and on the ground support to individuals as well as local law enforcement in cases where individuals and communities are threatened by these hate groups.
We recognize the danger behind marrying business with a political stance, but we’re at a point in our lives that we feel we should be trying to do whatever we can to push back against hatred in any form, and this is a small way we’ve chosen to do this. Over the years, I’ve worked hard to build relationships through this blog over the many years I’ve been writing it, and hope to continue to do so. If this offends you, I apologize, respect your difference of opinion, but feel you can now choose to continue to read my ramblings, or use this as an excuse to unfollow me. Of course, any and all help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated. I’m not going to lie, I don’t give these camera straps away (not often anyway) and have always looked to build this as it’s own standalone business, but we’re choosing to use this new business to provide a little financial support to causes we support moving forward.
You can see more about the SPLC and what they do HERE.
If you or anyone you know is in the market for a new, hand built camera strap, we’d be honored to make you one, and donate 10% of that to the SPLC. We will continue this monthly donation program through the year, while keeping an eye on areas that we feel are going to be in need of financial help. Many of us are very privileged in ways we may not even see or know. I am certainly guilty of taking many of my privileges for granted, and want to try to use these privileges to do something positive for those who may not have the same privileges.
Thank you all for the continued support, the read and the friendship. Let’s try to be good to and for each other.
You can find my hand built camera straps at Nautistraps.com
Happy Shooting!
Tyson
Tyson Robichaud Photo-blography 