Photo Accessory News

There are numerous variables to ponder when spending your hard-earned cash on new optics, and focal length is typically at the top of the list. That's because the angle of view provided by a lens is what differentiates it from others you already own.

Gear wraps, those flexible, soft squares of protection we use to cushion our cameras and lenses, are pretty much all the same, right? Wrong. Although they're all used for the same purpose (more or less), each brand has its own unique characteristics. Today we look at four wraps, each of which can be crowned king of its category.

Maniacal about making backup copies of photos and video footage like I am? Then this baby is for you. When set to RAID 1, the SanDisk Professional G-RAID MIRROR drive automatically duplicates data onto a second built-in drive as it's stored to provide worry-free data redundancy.

Our new Choosing Wisely series aims to deliver concise, summarized information about products we think you'll like. You can read what Choosing Wisely wrote about the SanDisk Professional G-RAID MIRROR external hard drive here.

The Western Digital My Passport Ultra is exceptionally compact and offered in five capacities up to 6TB. Prices start at $69 and performance is superb. Everyone needs more hard drive space; here's yours.

Our new Choosing Wisely series aims to deliver concise, summarized information about products we think you'll like. You can read what Choosing Wisely wrote about this extraordinarily compact WD external hard drive here.

Gitzo turned the tripod world upside down—literally—when the company first introduced the Traveler, a true travel tripod. This lightweight carbon-fiber support was unusual for its inverted, contortionist-like design, where the legs fold back 180 degrees on themselves and the leg tips hug the ball head, making it more compact.

Manfrotto unveiled an intriguing new device at the NAB show in Las Vegas this week: Digital Director, which is the only Apple Certified interface that lets you operate, adjust and shoot photos via a live feed on a tethered iPad.

The Cooperative of Photography (COOPH) recently added a few new additions to their popular line of graphic shirts. Inspired by photography, COOPH tops are made from comfortable, soft 100 percent cotton fabric and feature a handy pocket for your lens cap. The new line of Leica inspired shirts features: