The last item I got from the Kickstarter campaign of Peak Design was the POV kit. But as I had no use for it, I had no way to test it out. But recently I got the GoPro camera, so it immediately became useful. The POV kit is a addition to the Capture clip from Peak design. On it’s own it can’t be used. The purpose is to attach a GoPro camera or a compact camera to the capture clip.

You get a lot of small parts in the POV kit. Some are specific for the use with a GoPro, some for the use with a compact camera. For the GoPro you can also choose to use the arm to attach it, or attach it dirrectly to the quick release plate.

You will also get a small pad, that should be used if you want to have additional padding and stability, when you attach the Capture Clip to a backpack strap. You also get a second set of longer screws for the Capture clip (needed when you use the pad).

Here you can see the setup for a GoPro and a setup for a compact camera. I like the one with the arm more, and that’s how I’ve been using it all the time. It easier to move the camera when connected to it.

It’s a shame that there was no second screw included, as a setup where you use the arm for a compact camera, is not possible. I put it together only because I had additional screw from the GoPro package.

Connecting a GoPro is very easy, and after a few days of use, I liked to used the POV kit more, than the default mounts of the GoPro. The quick release on the Capture clip is just much more versatile (you can put it in any orientation) and is much more easier to release with one hand, than the GoPro releases.

Also attaching the Capture clip to a backpack strap, and so having the camera right there for a nice POV view, is very easy. I just wished that they would include an option, where you could rotate the arm in the quick release. My backpack has only one strap and it goes across my chest, so if I connect the Capture clip on it, the camera is not leveled. I have to put it on crooked, to level up the camera, but it’s not the best solution.

Overall this does exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s a simple addition, but if you use the Capture clip and the GoPro camera, this can combine these two very nicely.

For more information, please visit the Peak design site.

View all my other reviews here.

Traveling at the speed of light

For today I looked back at the beginning of 2013 and chosen a photo from London. This one was taken very early in the morning at the Westminster bridge. My plan was to get the bluered bus on a half of the photo, just on the right. But as it’s really hard to time a shot like this, especially if you do multiple exposures, I ended up with this.

This is manual blend from two exposure, but maybe 95% is just from one. I left the red of the bus quite saturated, as it creates a nice contrast with the darkens of the background.

Behind the screen

Few days ago, I was in the mood to take some photos, but the weather was just ugly. So instead I set up my camera behind my desk and got this. My point of view while editing photos :). I think I should have made it a recursion, which I still maybe will.

Under the bridge arch

I have an exact idea of a photo I want to get from this point. A perfect reflection of the castle and the bridge, so getting a nice symmetry in the photo. But until I get that, I have to be satisfied with this, a very un-perfect reflection. The Danube was just not calm enough when I took this.

This is a HDR from 3 exposures in Oloneo (I took 5, but some were too blurry from how much the bridge I was standing on was shaking) and blended with the original exposures in Photoshop.

Not so colorful

Even with the lovely sunset, the photo came out not so great. Not really sure why. They are quite un-colorful. The light really was strange. So for today I chosen one from the blue hour today, as I will have to work more on the sunset ones to get some good results.

This is a HDR from 6 shots created in Oloneo Photoengine and then blended with original exposures in Photoshop.

An we have another Tuesday here, and another process post. For today I have chosen an evening shot from Paris, so lets take a look at it.

For this photo, I took 6 exposures, but used only 5. I had no need for the +2EV. As always I started in Lightroom, where I corrected the white balance, horizon line a cropped the image. From there I loaded all the brackets into Photoshop and continued with the following edits (layers numbered from bottom up):

1. -2EV exposure to start with, as I usually start with the one, from which I want to use the sky
2. -3EV exposure to tone down few bright spots
3. -1EV exposure to brighten the foreground
4. 0EV exposure to brighten the foreground even more
5. +1EV exposure to brighten the trees
6. added detail using a high pass filter
7. Color Efex pro contrast, to bring more local contrast into the photo, but then toned down with opacity at 60%
8. a little bit of overall contrast using curves

And that was all.

Here you can see the original 0EV exposure, for the camera info, please visit the original blog post.