1. Fill lower bowl with pre-heated water
2. Insert upper vessel containing measured amount of coffee
3. Apply heat source to lower vessel – the water will rise and mix with the coffee in the upper vessel.
4. Once all the water has migrated to the upper vessel (there will be a little residual water) leave heat on for approximately 1 minute
5. Remove heat and watch the wonder of gravity and pressure differentials (the vacuum) draw the coffee back down
6. Remove upper vessel and enjoy your coffee

http://vimeo.com/34564139

At this time of year, the moon is normally visible to the east in the late afternoon sky (n.b. I’m in the northern hemisphere).  At the time of writing this post the moon should rise at 13:05 -according to the Pocket Universe app for the iPhone, which leaves plenty of time to capture an image.

It’s quite an impressive site and as long as the skies are clear you should be able to get a good picture using a telephoto lens and DSLR with a remote shutter release. To capture the image above I used my Canon 7D, the Canon EF 100-400mm Zoom, Canon 2x extender and Lilliput field monitor to help with focusing.

A Good camera bag

I’ve seen people shoving their expensive camera, lenses and filters into handbags, ruck sacks and even plastic bags.  Nothing beats having a good padded camera bag with the compartments for all your accessories. The National Geographic Midi Shoulder Bag is a perfect solution to carry your gear around.  Unlike most of the “camera” bags on the market which look a little too geeky and attract unwanted attention, the National Geographic bag is unassuming and functional.

Filters, Filters and more Filters

You can never understimate the importance of having the right filters with you.  From the basic UV Filter to the enhancing effects of the neutral density filters such as the Hoya 58mm HMC NDX4 Filter and on to the fantastic polarising filters such as the Hoya 58mm Circular PL Filter, you should invest as much money as you can as some of the cheap brands suffer from poor optical quality.  While not strictly a filter, you should also invest in a White Balance Lens Cap.  Trusting the camera to correctly calculate the white balance is something that you do not need to do.

A better view

Something big, very big!

One of my most prized and often used possessions is the Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L Zoomlens.  Not only does it look the business, it delivers on every level.  If you like shooting people then this lens lets you get in very close without upsetting the subject.  If you like mother nature, then this will let you capture both wildlife and astronomical events with ease.

So, what are the options to transfer the data?  The most common way is to use the camera connection kit. It’s the simplest of all the methods requiring only the CCK and a USB lead but is quite slow.  A new way is to use one of the new iPad to CF card readers – popularised by the great people over at Photojojo.

Playing back media is there – you can import all the media types from the Canon and view/playback the RAW stills and 720p/1080p footage.

Update – iOS 5 Beta 2

The latest release from Apple not only brings the Wi-Fi syncing feature but has also improved the rendering and playback of the Canon MOV files. With Beta 2 the thumbnails of the movies are now rendered and playback is full screen.

The restriction with iMovie remains – it can’t deal with non iPhone/iPad shot video.

Delay : The amount of time before the remote starts to control the cameras shutter.
Long : The length of time the shutter will stay open when using BULB mode on the camera.  It has no function in the other mode such as Av/ Tv etc.
Interval : The time between shots – this is quite important, see below.
N: the number of shots the remote will take – anything between 1 to 399 or “-” which means keep going until the batteries give in!

Firstly, the delay feature is the best way to avoid any camera shake when starting a long exposure at night. Set it for 10 or 20 seconds and set the remote off – that way, by the time the first shot is taken the camera, lens and tripod should all be stationary.  Secondly, the interval between shots should be considered with respect to how long the shutter will be open.  If, for example you’re shooting at night with a long exposure it would be pointless to set an interval less than it takes the camera to process and save the shot to the memory card.  Thirdly, how many shots are you going to take, do you have enough space and will your batteries last the duration of your time lapse? The answer is to calculate the desired number of shots (see my other post on creating a time lapse) and put the camera on external power.

Here’s a quick demonstration on how to set the timer – the functions are navigated using the up/down and left/ right controls with functions confirmed by pressing the set button.

Step 1 – Setup the tripod and attach the Giottos MH621 Sliding Quick Release Adapter Plate to the Giotto – 4 Section Pro Carbon Fibre Tripod With Two-Way Column

Step 2 – Attach the WK10-80 system to the tripod – here’s the underside view of the rail.

Step 3 – Attach the Giottos MH7000-652 Series 1 Ball Head With Quick Release to the rail slide

Step 4 – Slide the carriage on to the rail gently so that you don’t damage the polymer bearings and attach the camera.  If the carriage is a bit sticky then loosen off the bolts holding the bearings but don’t forget to tighten them up!

And here’s the video