When light gets the best of you and there is not enough of it to to properly illuminate a shot, a flash is needed. Only having a pop-up flash, it is what is used. The light it gives is a little harsh, but when a Gary Fong Puffer
It was a dog day of summer, somewhere between 95 and 100 degrees on July 24, 2010. Scott Kelby’s Third Annual Worldwide Photo Walk, which could almost be considered a photographer’s holiday, was at hand. A bright, sunny, and brutal day for photography. Two of the things I carried while trying to keep the load light were the EasyTag GPS Device and Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro
I’m a traveling geek, moving through places, space and time, some locations weird and unique, other locations normal but still great locations to take the camera out an take some shots. When I produce images of these places I’ve always wanted GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates to share the locations with others, and to have a record of exactly where these places were. The EasyTag is a decent and reasonably priced device that uses the space-based global navigation satellite system that provides reliable location and time information in all weather and at all times and anywhere on or near the Earth when and where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites. It is maintained by the United States government and is freely accessible by anyone with a GPS receiver like the EasyTag
Flashes. Many photographers say that they’ll never need one or want one. I was one of them. Then I bought one as my wedding, event and portrait photography business grew, and it changed the way I photographed completely. It is quite possibly the most unappreciated consumer photography accessory. We recently received a question about it from HoMan, one of our readers.
The video above is perhaps one of the weirdest PR video ever. Everyone knows that no one in the world sounds like the teacher from Charlie Browne.
If you’re into great lighting and you’re a Canon shooter, there is a $25 rebate on the MiniTT1 and FlexTT5. For those of you not familiar with PocketWizard products, you actually need to buy both units. One goes on the camera and the other goes on the flash. The units make the flash think that it is on the camera. It’s best to leave the flash in E-TTL mode in this case but it gives you light essentially wherever you need it.
If you need flashes, I recommend the 430EX II
One thing that I have I’ve learned in photography is to always carry a zoom lens. If you shoot photos for fun or you get paid for creating compelling photographs, you will find need for a zoom lens. There are spots you just can’t reach and things you cannot get close to. A zoom lens will afford you that opportunity. Though my Nikon 35mm F1.8 remains my favorite lens and is almost always on my D90, the Sigma 70-300mm F4-5.6 DG Macro is by my side often now.
Camera Plus Pro for the Apple iPhone has been updated. Now priced at $0.99 the new fully iPhone 4 compatible app can now control the LED flash on/off/auto options and switch between Front and Rear camera. The new update also has realtime preview for photo editing, real time video exposure and white balance control and other great features that make the Camera Plus Pro app stand out from the rest of the camera apps out there. Full release is after the jump. Be sure to also check out our iPhone coverage and review here.
Recently the the Gary Fong Lightsphere Collapsible was sent to me to try out. As a photographer that loves and often uses the standard Lightsphere, personal experience has rated it as a very good and useful product. However, I couldn’t have predict how versatile it would be as a diffuser. I stopped by the F-Stopper‘s meetup in NYC two weeks ago and gave this a quick test.
Most readers of The Phoblographer have entry-level DSLRs (like the T2i) or very high ones (like a 5D Mk II). After spending quite some time with the Canon T2i, I’ve realized that there are a couple of items that people buying this camera should get their hands on to get the very best out of it. In addition, it will probably totally be, “all that they need” as many people in this segment of the market want one camera and won’t replace it for years. Either way, here are some great items for users to get no matter what your photography level.
Continue reading…
I’ve been using the Sun Sniper Reinforced Camera Strap
In my time as a photographer and tech journalist, I’ve tried out loads and loads of items. All reviews have been very fair: pointing out the good and offering recommendations on improvement rather than full out blaring criticisms. After going through my accessories recently and clearing out my photography bag to carry only what is essential, I’ve found that there are items that I really don’t use anymore. Check them out along with my explanations after the jump.
Continue reading…
Myself and Vincent extensively covered tablet PCs and their applications for photographers a while ago. Back then, I concluded at the moment that I probably wouldn’t get one. Despite the fact that still stands, I’m actually considering it now. There are actually a couple of good reasons why as well. More on this after the jump.
Samples of the Noktor F0.95 lens for Micro Four Thirds have appeared on Flickr. We’ve been very excited about this lens for a while in our postings and we know for a fact that Steve Huff is getting one soon. Those of you interested in Micro Four Thirds and the format should surely check this out. On a personal point of view note: I think this lens needs to be stopped down a bit for better sharpness.
Update: Here’s a video shot with the lens using the Panasonic GH1. Noktor – Shoot Wide Open from Noktor on Vimeo.
Not long ago, I wrote about editing photos on the much rumored about Apple Tablet. According to one CEO (via Gizmodo) the Tablet is launching on January 27th. Because of this, us photographers should be looking at it with lots of curiosity and with wonderment as to how it can help them. Reasons to get the tablet, after the jump.
Eye-Fi announced the availability of their new flagship Pro X2 8GB + WiFi SD cards designed for professionals. The card should make usage easier and faster while out there in the field blogging, shooting an event or even just uploading to Flickr. Complete with 802.11n Wifi, it should be very awesome and further speed up the workflow of many photographers. The even more awesome part is that once you fill up those 8GB (which is truthfully hard to do) the card will automatically delete photos that have been uploaded to the interwebs. For $150, this will be more than worth it for many pros shooting with D90s or 50Ds, and there are lots of them out there. Press release is after the jump; I’ll be trying to get my hands on a review item soon as Eye-Fi gear is highly recommended by me.
Lots of photographers edit their photos with a tablet device of some sort. There is so much on the interwebs about the rumored Apple iTablet. In addition, there are so many clues pointing towards it’s inevitable release. But the question for us photographers is this: would you want to edit your photos on one? There are lots of pros and cons to the issue. The newer guys may say, “I want it now!” while people with bad vision (like my fellow Blind Photographers) may say, “I want my big screens.” More after the jump.
Though not a new product at all, VisibleDust’s Arctic Butterfly is still something that photographers may want to keep in their bags as it can prove invaluable to cleaning their camera. Some photographers may prefer their Zeeion Blower for safety reasons, but the Butterfly has served me well over the past year that I’ve used it (I got it at least years Photo Plus) with only minor problems. More after the jump.