Photo Accessories

One of the fun aspects of photography—once you’ve learned how to use all the bells and whistles with which your camera is bedecked—is to push beyond the borders of what you already know about taking pictures. The e-filming 360 Digital Drive Panorama Base/PS-30B allows you to literally go beyond the borders of your camera’s native aspect ratio by enabling you to capture panoramic photographs of up to 360°.

The benefits of using a battery grip are twofold. The first has to do with ergonomics. Specifically, battery grips enable you to shoot vertical images far more comfortably using a product primarily designed to be used horizontally.

To date, the largest LCD you’re likely to find on a DSLR measures about 3.5” diagonally. Even among pricier medium-format DSLRs, the largest LCDs top out at 6 x 7 cm (2-1/4 x 2-3/4”). The reason we can’t have larger LCDs has nothing to do with technical limitations, but simply the fact there’s physically no room for larger screens, even the touch-screen variety.

The Bokeh Masters Kit  contains 21 pre-cut circular templates that enable you to add unique and playful shapes to the out-of-focus highlights in your photographs, especially when used with point light sources such as street lights, spot lights and candles.

The good news about your DSLR's pop-up flash is that it's right there whenever you need it. The bad news is the light it produces is harsh, prone to weird shadows and red eye and seldom—if ever—flattering. To right these wrongs, Light Scoop has introduced a pair of mirrored bounce attachments designed to soften the blow of your pop-up flash.

People love National Geographic magazine, the TV specials on PBS and the many different TV programs on the National Geographic Channel for the fabulous photography and videography. Perhaps, if you carry your gear in a National Geographic camera bag, a bit of that National Geographic perfection will shine through in your own work. 

Most camera accessories do just that—they accessorize the camera. But some accessories define their intended products. Sony's FDA-SV1 Optical Viewfinder, designed for use with a Sony Alpha NEX-3 or NEX-5 and a Sony 16mm f/2.8 pancake lens, is such a product.

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II and Canon 7D digital cameras can really suck up power, especially when shooting HD video. That’s why the Switronix PowerBase 70 Battery Pack is such a valuable accessory. The PowerBase 70 delivers six times more power than the original battery supplied with either of those cameras. 

Even though most people still cringe at the thought of polycarbonate camera bodies, the truth is at the consumer level they hold up better than aluminum alloy camera bodies when it comes to small dings and minor bumps.

There isn't much you cannot do with the simplest of cameras nowadays, but even the best of the lot have their limitations when it comes to tricky exposure scenarios. The Promote Control, from Promote Systems, is a remote-control device that enables you to push the so-called limitations of your camera's standard operating parameters.

For some photographers, any tripod head will do. And while this may hold true for many photographers, others eventually get to a point at which the subject matter they're pursuing—and sometimes where they're pursuing their subjects—starts revealing the limitations of the pan or ball head they've been using until that time. If this sounds familiar, you might want to look into Induro's PHQ-series 5-Way Panheads.

I love collecting knives. I have a large collection of them, including some that I’ve had since I was a kid. I collected the bulk of them during the past decade or so, while satisfying my addiction to eBay. But before I bought anything on eBay, I already owned two Leatherman multitools.

When it comes to offering advice about photo gear, camera bags are perhaps the toughest to qualify due to the numerous variables that go into the process of choosing the best bag for one's needs and tastes.

When Cliff Hausner of MACGroupUSA greets me in the hallowed halls of B&H Photo with his familiar "Al-you-gotta-see-this..." it's usually for good cause. This time it was to show me the new gimballed tripod heads from Induro, which are designed to make working with longer focal-length optics smoother and easier.

Your camera's built-in flash is designed to replicate neutral color in your photographs, which means when you take pictures of Uncle Jake and Aunt Millie, their skin tone shouldn't foretell a looming case of food poisoning or festering liver condition. 

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