Photo Accessory Reviews

Well, the birds are queuing up in the backyard and you know what that means. Three calling birds, four French hens and two turtle doves—or is it four calling birds? They won’t stand still so it’s hard to count. And no one knows where in hell the partridge went. She was last seen talking to a couple turkeys who were all paranoid about some big feast that’s supposed to be happening soon. Anyway, you do know what this means, right? Time for our intrepid list of holiday photo gifts that cost less than $100.

Photographer Tom Mackie of Landscape Photography iQ says he’s so frequently asked what the best filters for landscape photography are, he decided to create a series of videos on the topic.

The Kodak Scanza is a basic film/slide scanner that is well made, very easy to use, and capable of producing entry-level scans of your photos. It comes complete with a generous array of accessories and can save digitized images on an SD card or output them to a PC (or Mac) for storage or a TV for viewing.

A friend showed me a Father’s Day gift list published by venerable Vogue and on it was a pair of socks from Thom Browne for $150. Not to be a lowbrow, but I would think that for $75 a foot they could at least learn how to spell colors. If I put $150 socks on my feet I’m afraid that my other extremities would be jealous. Imagine what I’d have to pay for a hat, gloves and a jockstrap.

April showers bring May flowers—and water damaged camera equipment if we’re not careful. Here are seven nifty devices that fortify your camera gear against the ravages of foul weather.

Shutterbug, a member of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA), once again joined forces with 30 other member magazines from around the world to choose the winners of the annual TIPA Awards for the best photo/imaging products in 40 different categories. The award process began in early 2017 with an initial selection of a wide range of products conducted by TIPA’s Technical Committee, on which Shutterbug’s Editor-at-Large George Schaub serves. 

While image stabilization in camera bodies and lenses has stretched the bounds of slow shutter speed usage, there’s nothing that can take the place of a good tripod in terms of image sharpness and the ability to take advantage of today’s camera technology. Working with HDR, with very long exposure times, and the ability to shoot at virtually any aperture and shutter speed without resorting to excessive ISOs are obvious benefits.