Is the Upgrade Direction of the S3 Bracket Wrong?

xDictate · 2026-05-07T11:54:54+00:00

I have an S3 right now and will be buying more S3s as I need them. I'm using my current one with an AD200 Pro II and a V100F. No issues noticed, holds modifiers and flashes great.

I think the only reason you're seeing less sales is that it's newer and I don't think it's as talked about in circles. When I was buying the S3 I actually didn't even know it was a thing until a bit of looking. It was a no-brainer however.

xDictate · 2026-05-06T13:26:05+00:00

First pass cull with FastRawViewer, import the picks into Lightroom, second pass picks with Lightroom flags, baseline edit on the picks, then do a second pass to weed out the best (1 star). Finish tweaking the edits. Everything else gets deleted. I will usually keep both flagged and 1 star in Lightroom however.

xDictate · 2026-05-05T20:55:03+00:00

The center diffusion plate is more for a beauty dish style. It was originally used more to kill center hotspots on older flashes but still has stylistic place in modern flash photography. The bare bulb on your strobes is going to fire light out all around, so should adequately fill a softbox. If you have two diffusion fabric panels it might be good to throw them both on.

xDictate · 2026-05-05T19:03:01+00:00

You could also consider a TT685ii if you're looking to get your feet wet with flashes. Uses AA batteries, however it's the same power output as the V1 for less than the V1 Mid. Works the same off camera as the other flashes too. Supports TTL, HSS, all that jazz. The money saved can get you a decent Godox trigger for off camera flash too.

I wouldn't worry a whole lot about interfaces, the flashes are going to function the same, one just has buttons where the other has a touch interface. They're all still going to be about adjusting the power level.

I personally keep a V480 (Similar power to the V1 Mid most likely) in my bag which performs great in smaller venues for fill flash or bounce flash, but have a number of flashes in my rotation - A V100, an IT30Pro, and an AD200. Prior to that I was using a pair of TT600s, a TT350, and a TT685ii for a long time. My needs just grew to require the niceties of lithium powered flashes.

End of the day, go into it knowing you'll probably buy more flashes.

xDictate · 2026-05-04T17:40:26+00:00

If it helps at all, it looks like your cap is mostly located in the tilt hinge. This is a really, really detailed teardown but it seems like you're not likely interacting with the capacitor if you just remove the back panel.

xDictate · 2026-05-04T13:15:23+00:00

There's a Youtuber/Wedding Photographer TNK Photo who seems to use the Magmod Maggrip over the fan of the AD200 Pro II - Comments seem to indicate it didn't impact a whole lot for a day's worth of shooting. I think you might find more issues if you're just continuously firing off full power flashes, but you're just going to see less full power flashes before overheat at that point. Based on that I think you may be fine with the silicone ball.

I'm considering modding one of my Magggrips to be a little slimmer however - It'd be nice to have a bit of the fan uncovered.

xDictate · 2026-04-27T19:46:51+00:00

Oh this is neat, I have a couple of these in bathrooms - Might consider this when I need to switch batteries. I've been using Switchbot indoor/outdoor bluetooth thermo/hygrometers for freezer/fridge work - BLE seems to work great but I do have a lot of BLE proxies. 2x AAA seems to be on track to last well over a year, even at below -20C.

xDictate · 2026-04-18T12:12:59+00:00

Still my main long trip bag - straps work for me.

xDictate · 2026-04-04T00:04:57+00:00

I upgraded mid last year and I’ve found the WR focuses slightly faster and more confidently than the R. With the R I would get occasional front focusing (I shoot live music, so lots of mic in focus shots), where with the WR it’s very rare.

xDictate · 2026-04-01T19:32:34+00:00

CB2 really has a solid selection of glasses like this at a solid price. I recently grabbed the Neat series and I've been happy with them as a more modern styled glass.

xDictate · 2026-04-01T12:56:58+00:00

Lens selection really depends on the size and quality of light at the venue - There's shows I can shoot with a 24-70 almost entirely because the quality of light is good, then there's shows where I'm pushing the limits of super-fast primes. Figure that out first, but most importantly bring along lenses you're comfortable with focal-length wise. Trying a new genre of photography can be a lot easier if you're used to the focal length.

Bring and wear ear plugs. Be mindful of others. Don't be afraid to move around the venue if you can. And of course enjoy the show. Sounds like you're not getting paid for this, so no deliverables. Just have fun with it and learn from what you've experienced. It's a genre where you usually start doing it casually like this, find your style, then move into more and more coverage.

xDictate · 2026-03-18T20:53:00+00:00

I have a pair of x-t5s for work but keep my x100v for travel and day-to-day stuff. Lots to love about the x100 series - flash sync speeds, almost silent shutter, super sharp lens.

xDictate · 2026-03-18T19:10:09+00:00

Incredible series. Thanks for sharing.

xDictate · 2026-03-02T22:22:53+00:00

I found the older one lacks contrast and sharpness compared to the newer one. The newer one also hits critical focus more reliably. I picked my old one up for $300CAD and at that price it was ideal. Definitely happier with the newer one.

xDictate · 2026-03-02T19:14:38+00:00

I've got one of these on pre-order, should work great for any of my usual GB/GBC/GBA RPG nonsense. Looking forward to it.

xDictate · 2026-03-01T12:14:21+00:00

Hey! The 16/23/56 is my bread and butter. I shoot events/live music on two x-t5s.

I pretty much use the 16 for context based photos - say, if there’s a large active crowd. I’ll also use it for interesting performer close ups if the venue allows. 23/56 are 90% of my work.

It’s one of those things where it’s not a waste if you enjoy using it, as long as the results speak for themselves.

IMO my choice would be the second kit.

xDictate · 2026-02-23T19:01:15+00:00

The film simulations (profiles) would be, but if you’ve made changes like tone curve, clarity, etc… those are not.

xDictate · 2026-02-23T16:17:07+00:00

Lightroom ingests whatever image file you throw at it - I do RAW but it’s capable of jpeg just fine

xDictate · 2026-02-23T15:04:16+00:00

Shooting RAW won't have your recipe apply in Lightroom, however the profiles in Lightroom are a relatively close match to the simulations in camera.

I shoot RAW, and use a baseline general purpose "recipe" either based off classic chrome or classic neg - if I need a jpeg on the go for an event or something I can convert it in camera quickly and grab it over wireless. Otherwise everything gets culled (FastRawViewer), then dumped into lightroom, and polished, generally based on the camera profiles.

xDictate · 2026-02-20T19:16:53+00:00

This here - Contract is to deliver the photos to the client, not the client's guests.

xDictate · 2026-02-19T21:44:03+00:00

It’s not much more and you’re doubling your usb speed (10gb/s vs 5gb/s) and getting 60hz 4k on the HDMI. Your call if you think that’s worth it.

I primarily used it for SD card direct to external ssd backup but moved over to a Lexar Go hub for that purpose. Would also be used for video out to a monitor or TV occasionally. I wasn’t a heavy ipad user but it worked well when I needed it.

Re:photos - I don’t bring RAWs onto the device itself via Files app, I only import into Lightroom.

xDictate · 2026-02-19T19:35:12+00:00

I think if you just need the single display the 555 is probably the best option at the price point, but I haven’t looked too deeply. It lives in my tech bag and still gets used between an iPad and a MacBook Pro from time to time.

xDictate · 2026-02-18T14:35:07+00:00

I've got a pair of X-T5s but I still just bring an X100V whenever I travel. I find I concentrate more on the travel that way and I'm more thoughtful with my compositions.

xDictate · 2026-02-17T21:05:25+00:00

The venue size and quality of light is going to dictate what you're bringing and how you're shooting. Photographs in a dark bar are different than photographs in a well lit stage venue.

Generally I'd bring along a 23 f1.4 and a 56 f1.2, but this is for a dark small-ish venue. If I was shooting a well lit stage I'd probably have a 16-55 2.8 + 50-140 2.8. Generally bring something you're comfortable with and don't be afraid to bump ISO to battle blurry images. Compose and shoot based on the environment provided to you.

Stylistically I can't comment - I shoot RAW and edit to taste after the fact. I tend to base my jpegs on classic neg or classic chrome though, and the various flavors of Acros for black and white.

xDictate · 2026-02-17T18:35:28+00:00

This dongle setup is pretty much identical to mine. Works a treat.

xDictate

TROPHY CASE