Like many manufacturers, Pentax is constantly striving to upgrade their SLR cameras. At this year's PMA show, Pentax released the new ZX-L, called MZ-6 in other countries. This mid-range model benefits from some of the technology developed for the...

Still the only independent lens maker to design and produce 35mm SLR cameras, Sigma continues developing and upgrading their line. Replacing the previous SA-5, two new models were recently introduced. The SA-9 and the SA-7 are very similar in...

Novoflex has long made a series of what they call panorama plates and what the rest of us call panorama heads, although they really are closer to being a plate than a head. At photokina 2006 the company added two new versions of these precision-machined products. Like all kinds of support-related products, the Novoflex Panorama=Q and Panorama=Q PRO are media-passive, not...

When hiking or traveling with my SLR system, whether 35mm or digital, I prefer hand holding the camera to shoot nature and scenic views. Yet the value of a tripod is not lost on me, especially when confronted with the relatively long exposures required to capture a gracefully cascading waterfall or the warm glow of a sunset, or when employing a long lens with wildlife (especially...

You have a bag full of lenses, but you need a pair of binoculars, too. Binoculars are a true "crossover" accessory that are useful when you're out taking pictures--but are equally useful when pursuing other pastimes, like watching your kids play soccer, or checking out the birds that frequent your back yard feeder.

Externally, binoculars look...