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For those of you looking for a battery pack similar to the Quantums, I was shown Calumet's new battery pack today.
Priced at £139, it comes with a charger and speedlight cable included and recharges in 2 hours. Though not as well made as the Quantums (plastic case for example), I thought it represented good value for the light user.
Worth a look...
Andy
I shop at Calumet a lot, some of their own branded kit is exceptionally good value and quality. Speaking of which I've just bought one of their large rucksacks, big enough for two DSLR's with lenses attached, plus six other lenses and all my other paraphernalia and kit. Priced at a £109 and as well made as any Lowerpro bag and represented a significant saving over rucksacks of equal size. What's more it looks like it was even made in the same factory as the Lowerpro kit, right down to the label inside the bag which looks exactly the same but say's Calumet rather than Lowerpro.........A real bargain if you ask me.
Ade
No No, anything but with my spine Mike, however I don't like leaving anything behind when I go on a shoot either so I've found a few solutions over the the years. Firstly thing was and some folk may have seen me on one or two of the EPZ meets dragging it around, a converted a fishing trolley to carry all the kit around. However this in itself proved to be a bit large and it didn't fold down flat either. So after buying this new rucksack from Calumet I tried to find a trolley more suited to my needs.......I did think about buying a rucksack with wheels built in, but discounted them in the end because I often go to places that are a bit muddy and these kind of bags just wouldn't have been suitable. In the end I plumped for something called a camping trolley from Argos, cheep and cheerful, but trust me it's strong enough to strap the rucksack too, it's reasonably light for what it is and it folds flat for transportation in the car. I'd recommend it to anyone that has a bad spine or just want to save themselves from having to carry a rucksack all day.
Have a look at this link for more details CAMPING TROLLEY As you'll be able to see, it's high enough so that if the ground is muddy, you don't drag the rucksack through it all, it folds flat and it's rated to carry 35kgs. I have to buy another one now as wifey has decided she wants one.......I think this could be the next big photographic accessory 
You heard it here first folks......Now I wonder If I can screw a bit of commission out of the manufacturers? 
Ade
Having purchased one of these packs recently, I thought I'd give you a little review of them in use:
Pros
- Very lightweight - belt clip and shoulder strap
- Shoulder strap, mains charger and car charger supplied
- Quick recharging, very good 4-led display for status indication
- Works as well as other, more expensive makes
- Allows very quick bursts of flash for sequences
- ideal for on-camera flash or for strobist work - strap allows it to hang nicely off a light stand
Cons
- Plastic case seems quite cheap - probably not much impact resistance
- Socket cover (rubber) obscures led display in use
- Socket for both flash cable and charger use means it will wear quickly in pro use situations, leading to possible intermittent connection. Better quality socket required.
- Security of flash cable in use relies on mechanical grip of socket - risk of cable becoming detached as socket wears (Quantum now has locking sockets on their newest packs for this reason)
- Flash cables available seperately at £20 each (though this is much cheaper than Quantum cables, so more of a "Pro"!)
We've found this little pack to be a revelation. Easy to use, light to wear and efficient in use, it means that we get a greater hit rate and better results in the "flash-heavy" days of summer when fill-flash can be so important at weddings. Sure, it's not as bomb-proof as the competition (we also have Quantum 2x2 packs we use) but it definitely holds its own and it's a great investment for anyone needing a flash pack.
I'd give it 8 out of 10 and say that the addition of a tougher case, locking cables and a seperate charging socket (even with a premium on the price) would make this a 10 out of 10 product.
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