I’ve been trying to find the perfect Photographer shooters gloves for a while now. I bought gloves from Naturescapes.net figuring they know what they’re talking about when it comes to outdoors shooting. I have purchased many things from them in the past, but the gloves were not up to par. They definitely let me feel the camera, but didn’t block wind or cold AT ALL.
Why these gloves?
I was reading on various forums, including Flickr groups that the Under Armor Cold Gear Fleece gloves may be the best choice. These gloves are actually Cyclists gloves so they have reflective piping on the outside. The UA logo is also reflective. For photographer it doesn’t matter, but can’t hurt. The There is also a hidden backhand key pocket if needed. The fabric on the backhand is lightweight form fitting micro fleece designed to withstand some pretty cold temperatures that a cyclist could face. The inner hand fabric is constructed with Under Armors ColdGear fabric and gripping. The ColdGear fabric itself doesn’t block too much cold but it is definitely better than bare hand. Because the fabric is thing it is easy enough to dial a cell phone. The silicone gripping is rather sticky and hopefully will stay that way for a long time.
Where did I get them?
I called the Dick’s Sporting Goods near me and was put on hold for 30 minuets while they searched to see if they had the gloves in stock. I hung up and drove over there. I found the gloves in the winter clearance section. Normally the gloves sell for $30 but I got them on sale for $20.
How do they fit?
I have a hand to fit size hand. Medium gloves are typically too tight and large gloves are too big. When I was trying on each glove I noticed that the medium actually started to hurt a bit. The large was too long on my fingertips and thumb. Usually when I wear gloves I don’t need my fingertips but with a camera I would obviously need some sort of feeling in my fingers. I started playing with the fit of the gloves while in the store and found that if I pushed the finger part of the glove down it actually stayed in place. Not only that but because of the fabric design, the part of my fingers that would be needed to change camera settings were easily accessible. That being said, I went with the large size gloves. To stay on your hand Under Armor designs the wrist cuff with neoprene putting on and taking off. Because neoprene stretches the gloves go on easily, stay on (unless pulled hard) and remove just as easy.
Pre-shooting thoughts
I decided to test these gloves before shooting so I put away my North Face fleece gloves which keep my hands really warm and will be wearing these all weekend. This morning it is 20 degrees in New Jersey. My car was frozen and the steering wheel was extremely cold. The first thing I noticed when gripping the steering wheel was just how well the gloves did grip. It was very impressive. The second thing I noticed was the cold of the steering wheel wasn’t so bad. A tripod would be colder as it is metal and my steering wheel is leather but it wasn’t like touching ice. The ColdGear fabric cut down on the cold temperature a great deal. When I got to work and was walking from my car to the building (about one block away) my hands were getting a little cold so I made a fist and my hands warmed up. It made sense since cyclists hands are usually gripped to the handlebars.
An Inconvenient Truth Weather 02/02/2009
All week, and the beginning of the weekend has been 20 and under. Snowing, icy, freezing rain, etc… Sunday happened to be 50 degrees on the beach. I put the gloves on to test and my hands started sweating too much. So far all I have is a pre-shooting review. I will finish the review at my next chance.
Getting Started 02/03/2009
Since it is going to be 20 degrees or below today I will have a chance to review more!
The Point & Shoot
I was easily able to take pictures with my point and shoot cameras. I was also able to zoom and reviewing my pictures but accessing the menu is tricky. Depending on the camera I would assume people should be able to do the same. I wasn’t predicting the the ability to adjust settings on a point & shoot camera so no disappointment there.
The Big Boys
Just like the point & shoot cameras, get your settings in order and prepare to adjust focus, zoom, aperture and shutter speeds as necessary. With the gloves I was able to really feel the lens and dials. I was also able to review my photos.
My Conclusion
If you buy these gloves knowing that you will not easily be able to change settings (in the menu) with the gloves on then go for it! They kept my hands warmer than any other ‘shooting’ glove. The inner hand gets a little cold at times but make a fist and wait a minute and it warms up quick. Zooming, focusing, aperture & shutter speeds were a snap!
Thanks for reading!
Scott
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