Photo Accessory Reviews

I think my urge to customize cameras comes from a love of cars. I can’t seem to leave my cars alone and each one has touches that make it unique. I think that’s why everybody gets really personal when it comes to finding, using, and often treasuring photographic accessories, gadgets, and gizmos. It helps if the source is obscure, foreign, and off the beaten track, which only adds to the exclusivity. And why not? The whole idea is to seek out photo accessories that accomplish something camera and lens manufacturers didn’t think to make but perfectly fills a niche in your own photographic pursuits.

Photographer Ryan Stout used his engineering skill to create “Arsenal” which he describes as “the world’s first intelligent assistant for DSLR and mirrorless cameras. The idea is that with this compact, wireless device you can use an iOS or Android smartphone to control your camera and take the guesswork out of capturing great images.

Photographers should back up their image files—it’s as simple as that—and there are numerous services that offer their services today. In this article I’ll be looking at one, Carbonite (www.carbonite.com), that works somewhat differently from others. Many people have told me that their $59 per year for the Home Plan, unlimited backup, is a steal, so I thought I’d check it out.

Wet happens. Having photography without protection in unstable climates is more than risky—it’s an invitation to calamity. Practicing unprotected video may seem like a safer alternative, but that’s a myth. Why take chances with something as precious as your camera? Here’s a look at five products you should have on hand when life deals up an unexpected cloudburst.

Many people still use the wide camera strap that came with their digital camera, but I’ll never understand why. You wouldn’t wear the same shoes for all occasions and all weather conditions, would you? High heels to play softball? Moccasins with a tuxedo? Here are three unique straps from three excellent companies because one is not enough. 

One of the most common complaints about digital imaging is the lack of consistency when going from one device to another—most commonly screen to print. Dark prints are the typical complaint, but color shifts are also a contributor to choice language and lack of hair. Yes, we tweak the image until the sky is that perfect hue of blue, or the skin tones have just the right amount of warmth and vibrancy. When it’s all done, the image is posted online or printed and it looks nothing like what we expected. The image is too dark, skin tones are too red, any number of problems. Where did it go wrong?

In almost all cases, the culprit is an uncalibrated display. Back when CRT displays were the common screen type, color could be wildly different and it was usually pretty easy to detect when the display was at fault. With modern LCD displays that isn’t necessarily the case—color is often close to correct in hue, but luminance, or brightness, is where the problem usually lies.