Win stuff… enter our monthly competition!

Hi, thanks for dropping by! Before you read on, why not take a moment to enter our monthly competition where you can win a great prize… Every month we give away a B+W Lens cleaning kit ( Opticlean & cloth)!

All you have to do is click on the link below and sign up for our newsletter to go in our monthly draw. The rules are:

• Open only to Australian residents.
• You can only enter once.
• Entries end 12pm last day of the month, winner is notified by email.

To enter click here

Mainline Christmas Holidays.

Just a quick post to thank you all for your support and business during 2011. We are off for our annual holidays from the 23rd of Dec until the 18th of January.

Merry Christmas and Happy New year from all of us at Mainlinephoto!

Gift ideas for photographers. The Australian Photography and Gallery Compendium.

Looking for cool gift ideas for the photographer that has well you know has almost everything. Here is a really good recommendation.

The Australian Photography and Gallery Compendium is a perfect gift for any person with an interest in photography. At $55 plus postage this beautifully hardbound book contains a collection of treasured images from a wide range of Australian photographers. To see more information click on the image below.

This books is a real work of art and a credit to the photographers and edtiors!

This large coffee table book is a photographic book that you will pick up again and again.

New Expert Shield Screen protectors for Fuji X100.

We were looking for a good quality screen protector for our X100 cameras as Rene found out to his dismay the plastic is pretty soft and marks easily. So we got hold of some of these and we liked them so much we approched Expert Shield to become the Australian Agents. We are proud to annouce they are available in two versions now in our webshop.

 

There are two models one is the anti glare which is pictured on my X100 below and the standard gloss version. I love the Anti glare one as while a little grainy I rarely use the screen and this cuts down on reflections coming off the gloss screen. Rene on the other hand prefers the gloss as he can see every detail.

These Screen protectors are of the highest quality for more details see our website here.

 

A great night out. The Genesian Theatre Kent St Sydney.

Last month Monica and I were invited to attend the first non professional performance of Agatha Christe’s The Mousetrap at the Genesian Theatre. What a delightful experience it was the old church that has been converted into a theatre is a perfect place to spend a sunday afternoon. If you live in Sydney and enjoy the performing arts then do yourself a favour and check it out. The Genesian Theatre.

With it’s rustic interior that seats only 120 the theatre has real atmosphere.

Airline strikes are not new. 50 years of historical photographs.

TWA planes stand idle during the 1961 Strike in the US

Photography has the amazing ability to freeze moments in time, as we are a reminded in this stunning collection of images. Scrolling through these 50 images from 1961 is like taking a walk through history – from the inauguration of John F. Kennedy as the 35th president of the United States to the construction of the Berlin Wall.

Sirui wins German FOTO Magazine award. Best Carbon Fibre Tripod 5 stars!

Well the folks at Sirui are right chuffed at the moment and so they should be. When one of the world’s most authoritative Photographic magazines pits your carbon fibre tripod against all other major brands including Gitzo in a best of  shootout and you win by quite a margin you would have to be happy.

The Sirui tripods have been flying off the shelves here and no wonder, at the price they are for the quality and design there is no need to look further for your dream tripod. Looking for the perfect christmas present for the photographer take a look at our hot picks below. Or if you want one for christmas? then be quick put it on your wish list now to make sure Santa gets it before they sell out.

Here is a few of our picks:

Ultra light travel tripod setup.

Perfect for the uber lightweight traveller as you usually leave the tripod at home and regret it when you need one.

We recommend the Best selling  T-025 ( inc c10 head) 800 grams of carbon magic folds to 30cm! Only $195.00

Something that is still lightweight but with increased stability.

Perfect for the gentleman style traveller who still carries a carpet-bag but needs to have room to spare for other goodies. Or maybe a your an outdoor adventurer into photography who wants to be able to strap it on a pack?

Too easy the choice is the T-1204X  $249.00  for you combined with a KX10 head $109.00 it weighs 1.1 kg.

The all rounder!

Ok so your tripod needs to be a jack of all trades ,your photography takes you far and wide, like a chameleon, one day it will be your Leica M9 on it the next your 617 Linhof and the day after your 5d at the racetrack.

We have got you covered the N-2204 just 1.3kg without head and with a height of 1.650 mt is the perfect all rounder comes with retractable spikes and a leg that removes to become a monopod. All this goodness for only $375.00! We recommend the KX 20 or KX 30 ballheads for this tripod. Wins our top pick for a Landsacape/Nature tripod.

Tip: Using a tripod even when it is not totally necessary I find slows me down and gives me more focus on the image I am trying to capture.  A tripod is an important tool that many of us too often overlook.

Or you can browse the Sirui website right here at Sirui Tripods.

No words needed….

How to focus a Rangefinder camera.

Neat and simple video by Freelance Photographer ( and Mainline customer) Kristian Dowling.

Kristian has also started a new Photographic news website called Photohub. Hop on over to catch all the latest news and gossip.

Photographing Ferrets… not recommended with your phone.

This weekend we had our grand day out at the Ferret Fun day. This one is always particularly enjoyable for the ferrets as the hosts have turned part of their backyard into a ferret heaven with tunnels dug under the turf all over the place. Our ferrets had a ball and returned home needing a good bath.

Ruby on guard duty… this tunnel is mine!

I thought about which camera to take with me and settled on my smartphone… everyone is taking about how good/cool the phones are for taking pictures. Well maybe they are but don’t expect your phone to be perfect in daylight with fast moving objects. No wonder I was the only one using a phone.  Doh!     Umm…. yup that was the best shot I got.

Recycle your old cameras at Mainlinephoto.

We are now part of the national camera recycling network so bring in ( or send them in)  those old cameras hanging around gathering dust. Why recycle them here is the good oil here.

Friday Photo

Taken by Mainline customer Hendro Soetrisno using his trusty 501 Hasselblad.

Mirror refections Yosemite , and below….

Cool Hey!

Pimp your Fuji x100… everyones doing it here’s mine.

Well I mean why not the Fuji x100 is a camera that just lends itself to been pimped. Mine tends to change like a chamelon so here is what it currently is wearing out for the long weekend.

Artisan and Artist ACAM 103N Strap in Red, Ladybug Red soft release, Thumbs up EP5 and a B+W UV xsp nano filter

And of course you can shop for all those items at Mainlinephoto

New product Sirui Tripods and Ballheads. Lightweight and affordable.

We have been appointed the Australian Distributor for the SIRUI tripod range Sirui is a well know top quality brand in it’s home country China. It could be on of  China’s best kept secrets. These are quality kit. As our customers know we do not sell anything we are not happy using ourselves. So now you can get that lightweight carbon fibre tripod you have always wanted at a fraction of the cost of the euro brands.

Highest quality manufacturing processes and materials with 6 year warranty!

The real winner of the range is the little travel tripod the T-025 which we just have to say is the ultimate travellers tripod for those like me who tend to leave theirs behind. This 600 gram wonder folds to 30cm yet extends to 130cm! So there is no excuse for not having a stable support to hand now. It comes with a beautiful matching ballhead that will take upto 6kg. All for only $195.00

Destined for great things off the beaten track….

Absolutely perfect for Micro Four Thirds cameras, the Fuji x100, Leica M8 & M9 etc… Great with compact video cameras as the ballhead has a separate pan control. We have even used it with our DSLR’s. Try one for 14 days and if your not convinced it’s worth every gram of it’s measly weight send it back for a full refund! Comes with one plate and carry bag.

Some good advice….

Is Nikon finally catching up? Digital Rangefinder maybe?

Nikon while holding it’s own in the DSLR marketplace has always lagged behind most other manufactuers in the compact camera side of things. Now we find this appears on the web a Nikon design countdown to what? A mirrorless compact system? or much better a Digital Rangefinder system? Not long now… place your bets.

Click on the image to check the count or result.

UPDATE:   NO DON’T CLICK!!! it is a waste of time!

What a let down here Nikon had the chance to put themselves in the ballpark again and what do they do set themselves back 5 years….  a bunch of wimpy compact cameras.  Bah Humbug!!!! Back to the drawing board guys.

Well this is what we think!  ( Mainlinephoto collection 1968)

Every photographer needs to know this.

How to do a perfect job of tying your tie! Presented by Mainlinephoto customer  Gudio Wong. Shot on his X100. No smoke or mirrors were used in the making of this video. Oh and no ferrets either.

Guido apart from being into all things nice writes a blog sorry bRog called Most Exerent check it out if you like the finer things in life Guido has got you covered!

Recommended calendars for Christmas gift ideas.

Here are a couple of calenders that will make great  Christmas gifts.

Sydney photographer David Jenkins is always coming up with something out of the ordanairy and his gorgeous Godesses of Shangri-la calendar is no exception.

A calendar worthy of a God. 12mths of Godesses…..

Victorian Photographer Richard White produced his calendar of the High Country of Australiafor 13 years now and it is one outstanding production with not only superb images but also with a quality of finish that must be seen to be appreciated.

Each image is worthy of framing!

The Kodachrome RIP T shirt…

A must have for those who shot with Kodachrome.

Available for a limited time from Dwaynes Lab in the USA

Well Fuji seems to have a supply of Rabbits… New X10 announced!

Looks like the team at Fuji is on a roll. The X10 seems a logical next step on the success of the x100. Here are some images of the X10 and a link to the website for the specs.

Ok now to start figuring what to pimp the X10 out with, hmmm all black I think. Fuji has a dedicated website here for the X10 camera.

Friday Photo

Blackwattle Bay taken by Rene Vogelzang with his Fuji X100