Field Test: 24/7 Holster M Camera Bag

The so-called "wine country" of Northern California is one of my absolute favorite vacation spots—not only for the wine but also for the incredible scenery and picturesque towns found throughout the Napa and Sonoma valleys. There are photo opportunities at every turn, making it difficult sometimes to let go of my camera and just be in the moment. Nevertheless, I always carry my camera with me, so my most recent trip to Sonoma and Napa in late April of this year provided the perfect opportunity to field test a new camera bag.

The bag, called a Holster M is part of a new brand launched exclusively at Adorama. The 24/7 Traffic Collection was created for the urban photographer looking for infallible support and organization when shooting from location to location, according to the manufacturer. So the major selling points are durability and all-weather protection. Currently, the collection features six, lightweight, nylon bags, which you can view on Adorama's website.

Granted, I definitely wasn't in an urban environment, but the same rules apply for me. I much prefer to have a lightweight, smaller bag when vacationing. This forces me to really consider what camera equipment I actually will use (Am I really going to stop and set up a tripod everywhere I go?), and it surely gives my shoulders a break. There are many instances where I have chosen to make-do with a point-and-shoot. But for this trip, I knew I needed my Canon Rebel.

The Holster M is a medium-sized bag designed to hold a DSLR and a few accessories or everyday carry items, which suited my needs perfectly for a long weekend of wine tasting and exploring the countryside of Northern California. The bag features an adjustable, removable shoulder strap, a padded interior that holds a camera body and two lenses, secure storage for an extra memory card, an exterior pocket for your cell phone and other items, and a rain cover that stows neatly in an exterior pouch on the bottom of the bag. Other than trying out the rain cover for size, I didn't make use of it during my travels, but I can't say that I am disappointed in having sunny—albeit chilly—days for the duration of my trip.

What I can say is that I really enjoyed having this bag strapped across my body. Even when fully loaded, I hardly noticed its weight (the bag itself weighs less than one pound), and its relatively small size (11-5/8" long by 10-1/4" high by 4-7/8" wide) ensured that it never got in my way. When full, it easily carried my DSLR, a 50mm lens, a 28-80mm lens, a spare camera battery and charger, a lens brush pen, a padded camera strap, my iPhone, and a few personal items like allergy medication and a small tube of sunscreen. For me, it is the perfect camera bag for shorter trips because I don't like to be bogged down with a heavy bag full of camera equipment.

Editor's note: If you're curious how some of my photos turned out, click on over to my Flickr page.

The 'Cooke Look' Brings Murder To Life

When Director of Photography Julián Apezteguia, ADF (La Asociación de Autores de Fotografía Cinematográfica Argentina—Argentinian Society of Cinematographers) got the chance to work with Director Pablo Trapero for the second time, on the director's latest film El Clan—a dark story set in the 1980's about a family of kidnappers and murderers—they used a full range of Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses to give the film a “strong optical personality.” 

The lens package for the Goya Award-winning Best Foreign Film in the Spanish Language, winner of the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and Argentina's Oscar® submission included the Cooke Anamorphic/i 32mm, 40mm, 50mm, 75mm, and 100mm lenses, with Apezteguia primarily relying on the wider lenses. El Clan is the third feature film that Apezteguia has shot with Cooke lenses, and his first shooting anamorphic, using the Alexa XT in 4:3 sensor mode.

“Working with a director like Pablo Trapero is always very collaborative because he has a strong vision of the kind of film he wants to shoot, but he also needs to walk the path with his DP and Production Designer in order to find the way to bring this vision to life,” said Apezteguia. “With this process, there’s a lot of discussion about the technical and aesthetic aspects of the film, evaluating different options in order to get the desired result. This exchange of ideas goes all the way to the final grading of the film.”

Set in Buenos Aires the 1980’s, El Clan is the true story of the Puccio family who kidnapped four people and killed three, and how they live their lives through these events. Starring Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani, and Gastón Cocchiarale, the story demanded that the characters maintain a strong look.

“We decided to give the film a strong optical personality, and for this we chose Cooke Anamorphic lenses with an Alexa XT 4:3 camera,” added Apezteguia. “I feel the way the anamorphics render perspectives, and the [unique] way they twerk the out of focus part of the image—what’s behind the subject in focus—gives the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses a unique look that is perfect for generating the feeling of a strange place or situation.”

Apezteguia relied on a host of other optical techniques, such as split field diopters, starting or finishing a shot with the image out of focus and even taking the lens out of the camera while recording. All of this helped build the optical personality.

Shot entirely on location, Apezteguia used tungsten fresnels, Kino Flos and HMI lights, both big (12k, 6k) and small (1.8k and 400w). In some specific instances, sodium or mercury streetlights were used.

“The main challenge I had to face was a series of sequences that Trapero wanted to shoot in a long Steadicam shot with no visible cuts. These were the kidnapping scenes (exteriors involving cars), the final sequence where one of the main characters jumps from a building trying to kill himself, and a long walk of the father from the family kitchen to the bathroom/dungeon where he keeps his victims. It’s always difficult to light a scene when the camera describes many different points of view without cutting, so I try to use the minimal quantity of fixtures possible, or use practicals so that they can be seen by the camera. Also coordinating the camera movement with the actors’ performances is part of the hard teamwork involved in the making of this film.”

Having used Cooke S4 lenses on two previous feature films, Habi, la extranjera and Dias de Pesca, plus many commercials using Cooke S5s, Apezteguia is very familiar with the distinctive look that Cooke lenses give cinematographers. “I like the texture they provide; they are sharp but not too crisp. I think this works very well with digital cinema cameras, giving you the chance to keep the cinematic feel working with an electronic image. They are also very kind to the actors’ faces.”

Apezteguia is so confident in Cooke lenses that they were chosen without testing against any other lenses. “We did extensive testing with the Cooke Anamorphic/i lenses so we knew how to get the exact look we wanted. One of the interesting things about working with anamorphic lenses is the particular perspective they provide that is inherent to the construction of a lens that squeezes the image that will be un-squeezed later. Cooke was the obvious choice because we got the perspective without losing definition...and with the plus of getting the ‘Cooke Look’ for our period film.”

The Best of 2015

By Cory Sekine-Pettite

As the staff of Markee continues to plan our 2016 editorial, we can't help but reflect on the articles we published last year. There were so many great projects covered and interesting perspectives revealed. So naturally, we wanted to share a few of our favorites with you again. Enjoy!

After Post Afterglow

Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas from Screen Novelties.

At the beginning of the year, we featured a collection of articles geared toward independent filmmakers that demonstrated the "Business of Film"—from what to do with dailies to cloud-based storage options to following your passions. If you've already read this collection, it is worth reviewing again, but if you didn't catch it at the beginning of last year, I encourage you to read it now. There are many great lessons to be learned.

Changing The Soundscape

Frank Morrone at work doing a mix at Technicolor Studios.

In the spring of last year, we interviewed MPSE President Frank Morrone about how sound editing and production has changed during his illustrious career. "The big changes now are just in workflow because our track counts are getting bigger, and our budgets are getting smaller, and our times are getting shorter. That’s been the biggest change,” says Morrone, who has mixed sound for high-profile TV shows and movies, including The Strain, Boss, Sleepy Hollow, and the Oscar-winning When We Were Kings.

Lighting Up The Hunger Games

Julianne Moore from The Hunger Games. (Photo: Murray Close)

Last summer, we had the chance to speak with DP Jo Willems SBC about his work on The Hunger Games franchise. It was a rare opportunity for us to take readers behind the camera of one of the most successful series of films in movie history. Willems and his crew described for us in detail all of the lighting tools, equipment, and techniques they used for The Hunger Games. Budding filmmakers will want to read this article throughly—and take notes. Willems and his team have a great deal of knowledge to share.

Monsters Under The Bed

A model bridge—a bigature—goes up in flames and flying debris for a scene in The Lone Ranger.

In a world where digital effects reign, there still are talented professionals creating practical effects for movies and even some television programs. Last fall, we profiled 32TEN Studios, which has worked on practical effects for such features as The Lone Ranger, Pacific Rim, and Tomorrowland. "As you can see, our practical elements are always used in conjunction with CG to create the imagery the production desires. But without the practical, the virtual would be less believable in this age of digital excitement on the screen," says 32TEN CEO Tim Partridge.

1,000 Feet To Victory

A student from PS 57 competing in the the annual Soapbox Derby in Akron, Ohio.

Last, but certainly not least, we recently featured a documentary film that followed the students and teachers from a New York school system (PS 57) as they traversed the country to compete in a soapbox derby. Photojournalist Steve Eisen followed the soapbox kids as they not only had a great time racing, but learned valuable lessons in science, math, engineering, and technology. It's a great story that you really must check out. “As a photojournalist, working for all of the major networks for more than 20 years, I’ve covered the darker side of neighborhoods such as the one the kids were growing up in,” Eisen notes. “And I’ve also covered how competitive sports can make a big difference in their lives."