Photo Accessory Reviews

One of my favorite camera straps and a brand that’s widely used by professionals is going away. I’m sad to confirm the rumors that UPstrap production is ending soon, likely by the end of this year. The message today is simple and clear: if you want to buy one of the professional camera straps that I think are the best on this planet, order one now.

If you're a landscape photographer who strives to capture great images in the camera, rather than resorting to post-processing, the quick tutorial below is just what you need. In barely 10 minutes you'll learn what an accomplished pro says are the three lens filters you need, and how to use them.

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. 

Easy-to-carry travel tripods are more popular than ever, as photographers have turned to mirrorless cameras and correspondingly small lenses to lighten their load. The challenge is finding an appropriately robust model that doesn’t sacrifice stability, quality and features—just to be small.

Wacom recently introduced their new line of Bamboo tablets, and we thought we’d revisit the use of stylus and tablet tools to give it a try. For our test we worked with the Bamboo Capture, described by the company as most apt for enthusiast digital photographers, although there are three intros in this new line.

I’ve been a long-time user of Wacom graphic tablets as part of my editing workflow. Making selections, painting a mask, and many other operations are not only more intuitive with a pen, but you have much finer control than you do with a mouse or trackpad. Until now, the Intuos4 Wireless tablet with Bluetooth has been what I considered to be as close to perfect as you could get. Used either left- or right-handed, I can have it plugged in via USB or use with Bluetooth when traveling or when I need to be a bit further from the computer, as when I’m teaching a workshop. When Wacom announced the Intuos5, I was curious as to what could possibly be improved upon from the current model, so I was anxious to take a look.