That good looking fellow is Rob Curtis who writes for Gear Scout and is an honest to God war correspondent and gun enthusiast. A few years ago he started working with Mayflower to produce a custom photographer’s vest. This is the latest version and according to Mayflower, it will be available come the New Year.
Although it was originally envisioned for photography work, we think it will all be popular with medics and those in the Search and Rescue business due to the pocket layout.
this is good news! hope they also make a micro chest rig sized version. like the one on the picture but without the side pouches.
Ok, so here’s my 2 cents.. I’m sure this is an awesome rig, I’m sure that this has everything a pro photographer would need (i.e lens bags, battery pouches, wire stays), And mayflower makes nothing but the best.. my main point is as follows..
I would “assume” this would be for CONUS work.. personally if i were a photographer in say…. OCONUS it’s want a NON military color.. say like, UN blue, or BLAZE safety yellow, white, grey.. or “don’t shoot me because i look like the saw gunner” color…. just saying.. Mayflower makes great combat gear.. and they’ve made something that looks like it should be in combat, and not on the sidelines of a football game or covering a warehouse shooting, on the 6 oclock news.. Imagine this guy showing up to a movie theater at the next harry potter premiere…
There are .mil personnel using cameras for whom this rig may be a boon. Some in PAO/PIO, as well as others who gather imagery for less “public” purposes.
Win. Standing by for more info.
I’m not trying to stir things up and hate but, wouldn’t it be dangerous to have a colored rig? A photojournalist may be a non-combatant but, it could possibly pose a threat to his life and even worse, the lives of the ground forces that he or she may be covering by saying, “Hey! Look over here!” I mean, it’s not like insurgents care if you’re a non-combatant, as we’ve seen over the years when they’ve taken journalists and aid workers hostage and have killed some of them. I don’t think they care what color your rig is or who you work for so, if it was me, I’d sooner just just want to blend in with the environment and the troops that would be protecting my rear when you know what hits the fan.
I think that color choice would depend on what kind of assignment you’re on. If you’re doing photography while embedded w/military personnel then, yes, you’ll want something in a military like color so as not to draw undue attention to the troops you’re with. But if you’re just running around on your own or as part of a news team and not with any military personnel then color choice would be largely irrelevant. However, even when embedded with military personnel, how many civilian war correspondents dress in tactical colors and clothing, don’t most just dress like civilians in civilian clothing in civilian colors?
“personally if i were a photographer in say…. OCONUS it’s want a NON military color”
It’s up to the person, but in my experience there is no safe passage for journalists. In fact, journalists are often specifically targeted because of their value in IO operations.
So, if you’re embedded with a unit, it’s best to blend in. If you’re running unilateral, then use whatever you think makes you less of a target. If there is such a thing.
Also keep in mind that this may appeal to active duty combat camera folks, too.
It’s a work in progress and all opinions are appreciated.
Those look like a near 1:1 copy of the Newswear Chestvest System. An industry standard system which has been around for years in the photography world.
http://newswear.com/
thanks for putting this product into context.
^^^ mayflower’s is a *cough *cough tacticalized *cough *cough version of theirs.
match this mayflower rig with a bushhawk then your tactical photographer look is complete. and don’t forget the ‘soul stealer’ photographer patch.
I’ve been rocking the Newswear foul weather chestvest for probably eight years now. It’s on it’s last legs. The pouches are starting to wear thin, the straps are fraying (just a little, not heavily). As soon as I saw it I knew that it would be so much better than carrying a shoulder bag everywhere. I had everything I needed right in from of me. I’ve put it through the ringer and was looking at replacing it but, I think I’ll hold out and see how Mayflower’s fairs. My only real gripe was that the pouches were so thin and offer little protection against the occasional banging up against things. Hopefully, Rob Curtis and Mayflower took this into consideration. I dig that it has some molle straps though. It’ll be nice to be able to customize and maybe add some additional pouches to load other essential items depending on what the assignment calls for.
I put those Lowepro S&F lens cases inside my Newswear vest to get a little extra protection on my lenses. Works perfect.
I’ll look into that. Thanks for the tip! I’ve been using the little tear-away pads that come from my camera bags but it only does so much and they shift around a lot.
Looking forward in seeing these.
Hopefully they make a Canon version, I don’t want my gear contaminated by where Rob plays “Hide the Nikon”… All kidding aside, it will be interesting to see more info about this and if the pouches are modular.
Thanks SSD! I have been working with Mayflower on a chest rig for photographers that will work with or without body armor. So far Mayflower has made a prototype, seen in the photo, and we are working on Gen2. I will post more info over on my blog.