Formatt In Focus by formatt-hitech

Vieri Bottazzini Davie Hudson Ben Pruchnie

Spring Edition

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Bernard Geraghty Landscape Tours

Workshops witha Vieri Bottazzini zzini

Multi stop Variable ND

The Photography Show

PAGE 02 \ JURASSIC COAST WORKSHOPS. LEARN ALL ABOUT IT

PAGE 06 \ CHECK OUT THE BRAND NEW VARIABLE ND FROM FORMATT HITECH

PAGE 20 \ FORMATT HITECH ARE GOING TO THE PHTOGRAPHY SHOW AT THE NEC

FIELD TESTED BY BEN PRUCHNIE

Davie Hudson

Photocrowd Results

Daveâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Beginner faq

PAGE 22 \ DAVIE HUDSON GUIDE TO MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

PAGE 26 \ THE RESULTS OF OUR PHOTOCROWD GLOBAL LANDSCAPES COMPETITION ARE IN

PAGE 28 \ DAVE IS HERE TO GIVE YOU THE TERMS IN PLAIN ENGLISH

FORMATT HITECH

Firecrest Prozzini

Ones To Watch

PAGE 32 \ FORMATT HITECH'S NEW 100 MM FILTER SYSTEM

PAGE 36 \ CONGRATULATIONS TO FORMATT HITECH USERS ON AWARD-WINNING IMAGES

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VIERI BOTTAZZINI

Workshops witha Vieri Bottazzini

At the end of February 2018, after leading a couple of Workshops One-on-One in Dorset, I returned to the Jurassic Coast for my first Landscape Photography Workshop dedicated to a maximum of three participants. The southwestern coast of England, and Dorset in particular features such a wonderful stretch of amazing seascapes that it has been rightfully declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With its sea arches, sea stacks, white and black cliffs, coves, bays and beaches; with incredible rock formations, Dorset’s Jurassic Coast definitely makes an impression. Furthermore, its inland is equally beautiful, with smooth hills, fields, rivers, churches and castles: in short, a true paradise for 02

the landscape photographer! Master Series Workshop on Dorset’s Jurassic Coast THE WORKSHOP My Landscape Photography Workshops are normally dedicated to a maximum of three participants. This year, however, one applicant couldn’t make it to the Dorset’s Jurassic Coast Workshop due to medical reasons, and another decided to cancel, being worried about the uniquely severe weather that was forecast to hit the south of England. Something extraordinary for February, it eventually did hit, with snowfalls never seen in the last century. While the weather didn’t stop us from photographing almost with no interruption during the whole six days, the week effectively turned into a Workshop One-on-One for the sole remaining gentleman, whom happily enjoyed my undivided attention for the whole duration of the trip.

FORMATT HITECH

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VIERI BOTTAZZINI

Designing my Workshops, I always make a point

Not getting discouraged by the odds and being

to choose locations that aren’t just spectacular,

able to create great images under any conditions,

but that offer unique photographic challenges

in my opinion, is what truly makes a landscape

together with their exceptional beauty. I always

photographer. This is what I aim to do myself,

look for locations offering the most comfort as

and what I teach my participants to do.

far as accommodation and eating goes, but still as far off the touristic routes as possible, so that

As I always do, at the beginning of our Workshop

the group can work in peace. Dorset definitely

in Dorset I presented my photographic vision, my

makes the cut: its little villages and small towns

philosophy, my working systems and workflow;

are truly charming, and hospitality is of the

together with a general look at the landscapes we

highest level. Crowded in summer and during

were going to tackle. On top of that, I did a short

holidays, carefully selecting the period for my

briefing before each session in the field, where I

Workshop assured us to enjoy Dorset in perfect

presented each individual location’s challenges

peace and solitude.

and offered suggestions to best solve them, always respecting our participant’s individuality

“this is what I aim to do myself, and what I teach my participants to do.”

and his approach to landscape photography. During our work in the field, I then offered specific suggestions and answered questions related to the photographic challenges we faced. As well,

On the artistic side, it is important for me to choose locations presenting photographic challenges as varied as possible. This way, during any given Workshop I can help my participants to face and solve as many photographic problems as possible. For instance, while it’s relatively easier to photograph i.e a wonderful sunset with a clear subject in front of it, what is most important for me is to teach people to “work against the odds”, so to speak. During my Workshops, we work together on finding successful compositions where they aren’t immediately evident. Of course, we hope for the best weather conditions, I work to make sure that participants learn how to put whatever light we find to the best use even when it’s not ideal.

when I thought it could help, I showed him my own approach to a given location through my images. Two unique features of my Landscape Photography Workshops are their truly limited attendance and the opportunity to revisit some of the locations. During our daily post-processing and image analysis sessions, I point out things that could have been done differently, proposing alternative solutions to compositional and lighting problems: this way, participants can then try them out when revisiting a location. As always happens, in Dorset I was very happy to see my participant’s confidence increasing each time we revisited a location.

FORMATT HITECH

“As I always do, at the beginning of our Workshop I presented my photographic vision, my philosophy and my working systems.”

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Multi-Stop Vari a b l e N D 02 Ben Pruchnie TRAVEL FILM MAKER BEN PRUCHNIE ROAD TESTS THE BRAND NEW MULTI-STOP VARIBLE ND FROM FORMATT HITECH

ORMATT HITECHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NEW MULTI-STOP VARIABLE ND IS ESSENTIAL FOR ANYONE TRYING TO UP THEIR SOCIAL

GAME AND MAKE BETTER CONTENT. WE TEAMED UP WITH A MAN WITH POSSIBLY THE MOST ENVIOUS JOB IN THE WORLD TO PUT IT TO THE TEST!

BEN PRUCHNIE

Ben Pruchnie is a Travel and Adventure

In the age of social media, video is becoming

filmmaker with Ink Global, making travel films for

increasingly important not, just photography. So

clients including American Airlines Ben previously

we asked Ben what he thought of the filter.

worked for over eight years as a photojournalist for Getty images covering subjects from Cannes

“I have used the filter for a couple of jobs now. I

Film Festival to the terrorism in Brussels.

have been using it with my Sony Fs7 which is the workhorse of the travel and commercial video

“Working as a self-shooting Director/Producer all

scene. I first used it on a fashion shoot, the client

over the world comes with its own distinct set of

had a new collection, and I was commissioned to

challenges.”

film it. One of the things that was important was

"Sometimes being in remote locations such as a tropical island or the midst of a desert means you have to pack everything you possibly need from drones to batteries. Weight can become a

the ability for me to be able to move quickly. With fashion shows, you only get one chance, so it has to be right the first time. It proved to be very useful, and I particularly liked the inclusion of the handle which made using it

“Working as a self-shooting Director/ Producer all over the world comes with its own distinct set of challenges.”

real issue as well as the bulk of items. Carrying

on a longer lens a lot easier. The other thing was

large amounts of equipment can really slow you

the build quality; is much higher than I am used

down and get in the way of the creative process.”

to with variable ND’s! The range of ND never felt limiting, and I found

The Formatt Hitech Multi-stop Variable ND filter

myself using it like a declicked aperture.”

was designed for the hybrid shooter who not only needs to take photography but more importantly

“The second job was entirely different. It was an

film. With 1 - 6 stops of ND on demand it is fast

episode of the Hemispheres Travel Show.

and straightforward to change your settings to

I would typically take a full set of Formatt Hitech

get the perfect depth of field while keeping your

4x5.65 ND filters and a wooden camera zipbox.

video at a smooth frame rate. When transitioning

But due to the nature of the shoot, I wanted to

from one area to another; like walking out into

save as much weight and luggage space as I

the sun from inside, the ability to quickly and

could. When you are working all day and carrying

smoothly change exposure is invaluable.

equipment, the extra grams soon add up to kilograms.”

FORMATT HITECH

S t i l l f ra m e s S o n y F s 7 Formatt Hitech Multi-stop ND.

Photoshoot using the 77mm Multi-Stop ND

“You only get one chance”

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BEN PRUCHNIE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the bright beach environment, the 6 stops of ND came in handy and helped to keep everything correctly exposed.â&#x20AC;?

Solore, te dolore simpos ilis prae cusam eossus esequi inull

FORMATT HITECH

“In the bright beach environment, the 6 stops of ND came in handy and helped to keep everything correctly exposed. The hard stop was also useful when I was filming “run and gun style” as you can’t always stop to check the filter settings, and I have experienced in the past the dreaded cross polarisation X pattern that happens when a variable ND effect is used too strongly. With the hard stop, I could tell when I was at full ND and am safe from any x patterns which made filming a lot more relaxed.” “The filter is definitely something that I will include in my kit bag from now on. It won’t entirely replace my need for a larger ND filter, but when I need to move quickly, and weight is a consideration, I will be using the Multi-stop.” “If I had to say one negative, it is that with a variable ND you can get a slight colour shift. In this case, it is a little more yellow at 6 stops than 1. However, this is very slight and simple to correct in editing.” “On the plus side the filter is extremely light and packs in the versatility of 1-6 stops of ND; as a filmmaker I would rarely go beyond this. You could potentially even do some long exposure photography with this filter at 6 stops as well!” “Overall the build quality was excellent, and the inclusion of a handle to control the strength was

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BEN PRUCHNIE

more useful than I had expected. The filter is also very light and being 77mm easily fits my lenses. In the case of a smaller thread I just used a cheap step-up ring, and it worked fineâ&#x20AC;?.

FORMATT HITECH

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Using the rear locking ring allows you to set the level of polarisation you desire, making it possible to remove some reflections from water and foliage, helping to boost contrast and clarity.â&#x20AC;?

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NEUTRAL DENSITY F I LT E R S Neutral Density (ND) Filters diminish light reaching the camera sensor between 1 to 24 stops. They equally reduce the intensity of all light wavelengths and with equal proportions decrease the visible light entering the lens; without altering the colour contrast of the particular subject you are shooting. An ND filter is essential for filmmakers to control the depth of field and shutter speed. Photographers can use neutral density filters to create long exp wosure effects or maintain a shallow depth of field. Especially useful when you have a very bright light source, they enable far more control over the exposure without affecting the colour nuances or contrast.

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Eastwood Media

Bernard Geraghty 16

Mark Mc Neill

World Of Photography

FORMATT HITECH

Julia Anna Gospodarou

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Kieran Hayes

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AUTHORISED EUROPEAN DEALER

NEWMAN

WHERE CRE

In November 2018 CVP opened a unique showroom called the Creative Experience, at Newman Street, London. It is full of production equipment from leading manufacturers across its five floors.

The concept behind the Newman Street facility is to enable visitors to walk in with a creative idea and walk out with a complete technical solution that can fulfill that idea. Visitors can discuss their projects with one of our technical staff, all of whom have solid creative and technical knowledge, know the products inside and out, want to find the right solution for each individual production need – and, crucially, aren’t working on sales commission. If someone comes to us for a product, our team will ensure it works as a package for their project; they will advise what options will best fit the user’s needs, inform them of any issues that may arise from incompatible choices and offer alternatives. Our philosophy is that repeat business is better than one-off kit sales; if someone feels we have listened to them, understood their needs, given good and impartial advice – even disagreed with them - and cared about their end results, we can build a trusting long-term relationship. The equipment available at Newman Street is a veritable playground for creatives, ranging from the latest cameras and lenses to tripods and gimbals to switchers and editing solutions. Like a trade show, visitors can see the products close-up and play with them; but unlike a trade show, they can go to the Camera Testing Area to try out an ARRI camera with an Angenieux lens on a OConnor tripod – or any custom solution they want to build with the showroom’s kit - to see how different products will work together to meet the technical criteria as well as achieving their creative vision.

FORMATT HITECH

N STREET

BY Jon Fry, SALES DIRECTOR, CVP

EATIVITY MEETS TECHNOLOGY

| 19 While the equipment is important, we also wanted to create a space that could be used for training, networking, presentations and even production meetings and small screenings. We are running a variety of training sessions, some product-based and some skills-based, where people can come to learn something new and get better at their craft. While we might cover the features or functions of a product, we will also look at how that product can best benefit users in a true working environment – the benefits, pitfalls and workarounds where the overall product is the right one but there’s an element where it’s not so good… the key thing is that we’re agnostic so we can point these things out. The goal is that every time a customer makes a decision, it’s informed and there are no surprises.

Customers can also book space for board meetings or production meetings, in a quiet and discreet environment that allows discussion. Newman Street has only been open for a few months, but the reaction has been overwhelmingly positive. We’re look forward to welcoming more visitors as the product inventory and space continue to evolve. To arrange a visit to the Newman Street Creative Experience, call 020 8380 7400 or visit cvp.com.

Networking is a key element of our industry, and we have already started hosting events relating to specific industry bodies such as the BSC and ACO, or vertical markets like education.

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We are going to The Photography Show NEC

Come meet us and check out all our products at stand F125 From the 16th - 19th March

We will be bringing our photography range including the brand new Firecrest Ultra Hard Edged Grad Filter. We will also be bringing a range of cinema and video filters.

FORMATT HITECH

DID YOU KNOW? Firecrest Ultra 4mm ND filters were used on the last two Star Wars Anthology films. “I hate to see people use crap gear when better gear is out there. I’m currently shooting in Sicily, on a film called Mary Magdelene. We have been facing 50 mile per hour wind on the beach here, and we’ve chosen the Firecrest filters because they seem to not only give us the best filtration, but are proving themselves to be incredibly durable also”

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Greig Fraser ASC Cinematographer Rogue One A Star Wars Story

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FORMATT HITECH

avie initially had no interest in the outdoors and refuses to be pigeonholed having recently reverted back to film after years of using digital.

He is now the Chairperson of The Society of Scottish Landscape Photographers and an Ambassador for Formatt-Hitech. He has had four solo exhibitions in Scotland as well as being part of the Societies exhibition series.

Davie Hudson

As the Chairperson of the Society he gets asked for tips and advice on a regular basis, both by professionals and amateurs which led him to formulate them. He feels these are as relevant to a

DAVIE HUDSON IS A LANDSCAPE/ORGANIC PHOTOGRAPHER, ENGINEER AND FORMER DJ FROM DUNDEE IN SCOTLAND

newcomer as they are to a seasoned professional.

hotograph What You Want this; is obvious, right? I think the reality of the situation might surprise you. Having conducted many workshops, I have to drag it out of people what they

like, visually. My own style is very mood-driven and sometimes quite dark, sometimes very dark, and this can often make people question my sanity; but I have a fascination for the darkness in images and for wear and tear, things with age and the impermanence of things. In my own work, I am looking for the image that speaks to me more than a perfect image, I have no interest in the perfect image, and I was told once….. Ain’t nothing more boring than perfect!!

ork The Scene Shoot it like you’ll never be back, get up high, get down low, try different settings, go long exposure… You have potentially driven 5 hours to get to a

location, so please do not miss anything because believe me there is nothing worse than driving home to see someone else’s image that was directly behind you. Always remember with this frenetic shooting of everything to SLOW DOWN, relax and let it sink in… the mental and physical benefits are massive, so take your time.

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FORMATT HITECH

ontrol. Are you a creative person? If you are drawn to photography then you probably are; if you are; you will have a vision… DON’T LET ANYTHING GET BETWEEN YOU AND

YOUR CREATIVE VISION, not other people and certainly not your equipment; your equipment is part of your vision: it helps you be creative and should be part of you, and you must choose it very carefully, and YOU MUST CONTROL YOUR EQUIPMENT.

uy The Best Glass You Can. If you buy cheap your images look cheap; this goes for lenses and filters. People think filters are an afterthought, but that is as far from the truth as

you can get. I spent a long time researching filters when I was in the market to buy a set, I spoke to users, read reviews and articles. It was at this stage I bought a set of Formatt-Hitech filters, and when I saw the first image I made with them I was hooked and knew they were right for me, I have included the first shot in this article. This advice goes for lenses also, buy the best you can for you and what I mean by that is a lens you love might not be what you need. I only use vintage lenses, but I have some of the best vintage lenses ever produced, they help me with my vision, they have quirks and they have a soul but mostly I can rely on them as I can with all my equipment…. I’m passionate about the equipment I use, and I was honoured to become a Formatt-Hitech Ambassador because of the fact that I am a committed user, they do what I want them too, and I can rely on them… that makes them special for me.

njoy Yourself. This is the final tip, have fun and be yourself. You are in a privileged position of being able to do what you do, so enjoy it, smile and laugh because for most of you it’s

not work, so try things, get your feet wet and have a great time.

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PHOTOCROWD

P h oto cr o w d C o m p et it io n Winners

Earlier in the Year, we ran the Global Landscapes competition with Photocrowd. The prize for the two winners was an Elia Locardi Travel Kit worth £400 each, in a choice of either 100mm or 85mm.

Formatt Hitech was blown away by the quality and quantity of the entries. One of our top Ambassadors was specially selected to act as sole Judge, Vieri Botazzini. Vieri had this to say about our winner Helen Trust. "First of all, congratulations on your victory in this competition! To tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting to end up rewarding a cityscape, when I started

“However, the elegance of your image won me over and, in the end, made me prefer it over the other 3700+ images I examined during the voting process.” 26

judging the competition. However, the elegance of your image won me over and, in the end, made me prefer it over the other 3700+ images I examined during the voting process." I particularly appreciated how you positioned yourself to organise the skyline in your frame, leaving enough room on both sides not to feel cramped, but managing to get the central skyscraper just off-centre. The Long Exposure definitely helped here to achieve the result you were after in terms of mood. I enjoyed your use of light, both at the time of shooting and during your post-processing of this image: if I might offer a suggestion, it would be to slightly tone down the light on the central skyscrapers, while adding a tiny bit of light to the clouds just behind them: I think that this would help balancing the image even better." Other than that, I must once more commend you for your work: Sincere congratulations, and enjoy your well-deserved prize! We also had a second winner who was selected by popular vote Angela Lambourn who took this stunning image of North Eastern Greenland, which was also commended by Vieri. This was the first competition run by Formatt Hitech but based on the success of Global Landscapes it won’t be the last. A Big Thank you from Formatt Hitech to all entries and for the 20 plus hours, Vieri spent judging the competition.

FORMATT HITECH

Vieris winner

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Crowd winner

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DAVID LUTWYCHE

ormatt Hitech is very passionate about training and development. As such, I often get asked by photo newbieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s various

different questions that I have covered off in this beginners Q&A.

David Lutwyche is the Marketing Manager

David Lutwyche

for Formatt Hitech, but he has come from a commercial photography/cinematography background having undertaken projects for clients including ITV, BBC and the WRC.

FORMATT HITECH

. What Are Megapixels? A megapixel is one million pixels, the more pixels in a picture the more detailed it is. So more megapixels is better? Most

new photographers look for the most megapixels for their money. This is due to early marketing for DSLR cameras which focused on the number of pixels as a benchmark of quality. Many modern phones have very high megapixel counts but will be outperformed by even a moderate megapixel DSLR. The Canon 1DX MKII only

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has 20.2 megapixels despite being the flagship model, where as an entry-level Canon PowerShot G1 X Mark III had 24 megapixels. This is due to the extra digital noise created by higher pixel density. Also, not all pixels are equal; some sensors have higher quality or more sensitive pixels. It is important to remember that pixels count is only one part of making an image. The amount of light, digital processing and lens all play significant roles in the end result.

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DAVID LUTWYCHE

2. What Is ISO?

when taking portraits to give emphasis to your

ISO is how sensitive the cameras are. The term

subject; if you select a larger aperture this can

ISO means International Standards Organisation.

help to decrease the depth of field.

It is an agreed specification for the measure of sensor sensitivity adopted by all major camera

Alternatively, you may wish to narrow the

companies.

aperture when you want to have more of the

The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor

frame in focus. When you stop the aperture

will be, so ISO 1600 is more sensitive than ISO

down, it collimates the light, resulting in a more

800.

evenly focused image across the frame.

The disadvantage of a higher ISO is that the images are much noisier. When first starting out Automatic ISO mode is a good option, which lets the camera choose the ISO. Some cameras will

the lens, the smaller the number, so f1.8 is more

as camera makers often include high ISO for the sake of the spec sheet, but they do not look very

aperture.

3. What Is Shutter Speed? You set your shutter speed controls for how long

is represented with an f stop. The more open

let you limit the maximum ISO which is helpful

good.

A wide aperture is when it is more open which

the shutter is open, which controls how much light can reach the sensor. A shutter speed of 1/1000th of a second is better for shooting high-speed action like sports; a shutter speed of

open than f2.8. This can also be called a fast

5. How Do I Use These Altogether? Setting your aperture shutter speed and ISO can be quite tricky at first; but most SLR and SemiProfessional cameras offer different modes which allow you to set just one parameter such as aperture priority. The camera can then work out the shutter speed and ISO for example.

20 seconds will allow you to capture photos of blurred or smooth water.

I would recommend getting used to these

The shutter speed is often the most critical part

features, working on your composition at first

of the shots style; a tripod might be needed

before moving to full manual as you learn. It is

if ywou want to shoot below 1/25th second

in my opinion better to work with a mode like

without blurring pictures.

shutter or aperture priority than automatic, as

The use of an ND filter will allow you to extend

you are still learning about how exposure is

this shutter speed for creative reasons.

made and are active in the technical aspects of photography.

4. What Is the Aperture? The aperture is the Iris in the lens which lets

I would also highly recommend a beginners

more or less light into the camera by opening

photography course when you first start out.

or closing just like the Iris in your eye; but even

Many Formatt Hitech Signature Artists and

more importantly from an artistic standpoint, the

Ambassadors run these workshops and they will

aperture helps sets the depth of field.

often save you countless months working out

You may wish to have a blurred background

what each mode does.

FORMATT HITECH

| 31 View of Prague taken with a Firecrest 0.9 GND Image by David Lutwyche

6. Why Do I Need More Than One Lens? The lens really depends on your budget and your subject. Most cameras are pre-packed with a standard lens which covers general photography. For the average user these will offer great value for money, but depending on what you shoot you might need a different lens. For example, a wildlife photographer would often require a telephoto lens to zoom in and capture detailed pictures over long distances.

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WORLD CLASS CAMERA FILTERS

Firecrest Pro The Firecrest Pro builds

Robust Construction

upon the reputation of our

Firecrest filters with enhanced

The filters are water resistant

manufacturing and black out

with the coating safely

edging to give you even more

sandwiched between two

optical performance.

layers of Schott Optical Super-Wite glass. These outer

We have listened to the

glass layers also gives the

feedback from customers to

coating scratch protection;

bring you the very best filter

rather than just a simple

available.

coating on the surface!

Infra-Red Neutral Density

Brand New Pouch

Filters Each filter comes with a Each Firecrest Pro is IRND

padded microfiber lined water

meaning you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to

resistant case ideal for putting

worry about colour casts, so

in your camera bags or using

you can just concentrate on

in harsh environments. Its

your photography.

magnetic closer means it is easy to use even in the cold

The light is always filtered

weather.

evenly including the Infra-Red spectrum, removing the risk

Give Yourself The Edge!

of colour casts, giving you the true colours.

We hand apply a special black anti-reflection coating

Firecrest Pro comes in our

to the edge of every Firecrest