Kit reviews
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PermaJet Test Packs £11.95 Home printers are blessed with a huge choice of media, of all finishes and weights, but some photographers still play it safe, sticking with the paper they’ve always used. A sampler pack of paper could be the way forward though, and PermaJet, leading third-party provider of inkjet media, has recently updated its paper test packs. Two new sampler packs are available, both A4 and priced at £11.95. Test Pack 1 features 30 sheets and eight finishes from PermaJet’s Digital Photo range and includes the every popular Oyster 271, Smooth Pearl 280 and the fairly new Titanium Lustre 280. Test Pack 2 has fewer sheets – 14 – and here you get two sheets each of seven surfaces featured in PermaJet’s FB Baryta range including three of my personal favourites, FB Royal 325, FB Gloss Warmtone 295 and FB Gold Silk 315. Each test pack comes with a sampler swatch of every PermaJet material, which is a nice little bonus. An instruction sheet tells you the layer order of the different finishes in the box and that the papers are packed printing side up. The sheet also provides a couple of rather useful handling tips: write the paper type very lightly on the back in pencil in case the papers get shuffled around (also handy when you are comparing prints afterwards); and how to identify the printing surface again if the papers get shuffled around. I also kept a note of each finish as I used them. I found the top section just as useful to hold a camera. Actually, there is enough room for a Nikon D800 and a standard zoom, plus my pack of Lee filters. Then in the lower section I had two more zooms, plus a second camera body with a prime standard lens – all without kit rubbing against kit. There are other small pockets for extra filters, lens cloths, quick release plates, spare cards and batteries. Manfrotto Advanced Travel Backpack £109 Manfrotto, world renowned for its tripods and studio products, has been making waves in the camera bag market over the past few years, and the range includes everything from fashion photo bags to pro rollers and the like. I’ve been trying one of its latest releases, the Advanced Travel Backpack which sells for £109, and sports one or two nice features. The first thing to say is that it’s surprisingly spacious given its fairly low profile – it’s not a backpack that’ll cause consternation when the wearer spins around in a crowded place. The main compartment is divided into two sections, but is easily converted into one compartment. The lower half is intended for photo kit and the top compartment for the essentials of travel like waterproofs, guidebooks and so on.
SPECS
PRICE £109 CONTACT www.manfrotto.co.uk CONSTRUCTION High density nylon fabric POCKETS Eight including for tripod and laptop RAIN PROTECTOR Supplied AVAILABILITY Black only DIMENSIONS (HXLXW) External 48x30x23cm Main compartment 23x30x17cm Tripod compartment 40x10x10cm Laptop pocket 46x30x2cm WEIGHT 1.45kg (unladen)
The verdict
I came away from testing this backpack with lots of positives. For me, this slim profile bag’s ability to take two cameras, three or even four lenses plus stuff like filters and spare batteries is very impressive. Carrying comfort is good too, even when fully laden with tripod and laptop or tablet. A broader waist strap would be a good idea as I didn’t find the supplied thin one very comfortable and took it off. Stylish, good-looking and practical, it offers a high level of protection at an attractive price.
Should you want to cart a laptop around, the padded rear pocket is big enough for a 13in model, but nothing larger. More unusually there is an expanding pocket for a tripod. It’s designed for the Manfrotto Befree travel tripod, but similar small pods will fit. Bigger tripods can be accommodated if you don’t zip the compartment up, plus there are hanging straps on the outside for larger pods. In fact, without a tripod in the pocket, the bag could easily unbalance when put down on its side. I thought the bag worked really well, offering a high level of protection and being very usable.
PROS
Versatility, tripod compartment, lots of pockets
CONS
It can overbalance when stood on its side
SPECS
PRICE £11.95 CONTACT www.permajet.com TEST PACKS Digital Photo range: Product code APJ20040 30 sheets, A4 – Oyster 271 5x sheets, Smooth Pearl 280 5x sheets, Titanium Lustre 280 3x sheets, Gloss 271 5x sheets, Matt Plus 3x sheets, Smooth Gloss 280 3x sheets, Ultra Pearl 295 3x sheets, Matt proofing 3x sheets FB Baryta range: Product code APJ20045 14 sheets A4, two sheets each of: FB Gold Silk 315, FB Gloss 295, FB Gloss Warmtone 295, FB Royal 325, FB Delta Matt 285, FB Photo Art Pearl 290, FB Distinction 360
The verdict
These two new test packs are a great, cost- effective way to sample a selection of the many surfaces PermaJet has to offer. Three other test packs are also available, Smooth Art, Textured Art and Canvas, so check the website for size and price details. For those photographers who like me loved making prints on fibre-based materials in their darkroom, the FB Baryta test pack has an extra special appeal.
There’s also advice about ICC printing profiles. Generic profiles for popular printers are available free from the PermaJet website and if you buy a full pack of paper later, you can claim free custom profiles made for your system. For this review, I downloaded the free generic profiles for my printer, an Epson Pro Stylus 3880, following the detailed instructions. Once installed, I picked a bunch of images and spent a happy hour or so printing. I was getting good, accurate prints straightaway.
Trying different surfaces at low cost PROS
CONS
None
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Issue 12 | Photography News
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