Well, we're a little late in getting the list out this month, but we've found a great selection of the most sought-after items for photographers for October. Whether you're looking for something for your favorite photo buff or just want to add to your own arsenal of photographic tools, I think you'll find something here that will suit. Without further ado, here's What's Hot among photographers this month.
Enjoy!
Datacolor Spyder5 Express
Every successful photographer knows how important monitor calibration is to creating images with true, accurate colors. If you're not sure why it's so critical to making the most of your photos, here are just a few of the reasons:
- Prints won't match the colors you see on an uncalibrated monitor.
- Adjusting colors for printing requires extra editing.
- Different monitors show colors differently.
- Monitor color can shift as your monitor ages.
- Without calibration, you may not be seeing the true colors of your image.
Fortunately, the folks at Datacolor make setting your monitor to match industry standards and maintaining those settings quick and easy. With the Spyder5 Express, it's also very affordable.
Initial monitor calibration is a 5-minute process with this hardware and software package. Checking and recalibrating takes even less time, so you can do it on a monthly basis to ensure that your photo colors stay bright and accurate. You can even see the “before and after” results when you're done, so you can be confident in your settings. It works with all of your laptop and desktop monitors, so you everything stays consistent no matter which computer you're using.
With the Spyder5 Express, you get all of this for less than $130.00! That's an investment any photographer can afford and every photographer should make. Get yours right here!
Photomatix Essentials + Plugin Edition
If you've had any interest in HDR photography, you'll no doubt recognize the Photomatix name. As one of the premier applications in the field, Photomatix Pro has set standards for ease of use and outstanding results and it's the choice of many professionals for creating HDR images. In short, it allows photographers to create high dynamic range images from their photos, quickly and easily, with full control over the effects, from realistic to artistic.
Photomatix Essentials is Photomatix Pro's “little brother”, offering a simple, automated approach to HDR processing with a much lower license fee. Photomatix Essentials is now available as a plugin for Adobe Photoshop Elements in addition to the standalone application.
Don't be misled by the lower fee; this is a very powerful, versatile application that delivers amazing results and lets you customize them to suit your needs. It also integrates features like alignment technology that adjusts your bracketed images for camera movement and automatic removal of “ghosts” caused by moving objects. You can select from a great range of styles for the final image and “tweak” the results with presets or manual adjustments.
Photomatix Essentials is useful for more than working with bracketed images. You can use it to enhance the tonal range of single shots, too, so there's extra hope for those grab shots when you don't have time for bracketing or conditions don't allow it.
The software is available for Windows and Mac and the plugin included in the license is compatible with Photoshop Elements version 10 and higher. If that's not enough, there's a trial version that never expires but adds a watermark to the final image, so you can take as long as you like to make up your mind about licensing. Whether you're interested in diving into HDR imagery or just want to see what it's all about without the need to spend a fortune, you're going to want to give this application a try. If you've never thought about creating HDR photos, now would be a good time to consider it! Download Photomatix Essentials and the new Photoshop Elements plugin here.
Lightbox Photography Cards
This clever deck of cards is one of our favorite items of the year for photographers. It's an incredibly useful tool based on a deceptively simple process. Whether you're novice or a seasoned pro, you'll not only enjoy them, you'll use them over and over for inspiration.
Each of the 52 cards describes a different photo challenge created by award-winning photographer Paul Michael Kane. Think about it; that's a new project to sharpen your skills and spark your creativity for each week of the year. Of course, there's no rule that says you can't use them more often.
The idea is simple; when you need a little creative inspiration, want a little practice or just need to give your camera a little exercise, you pick a card and complete the challenge on it. With inspiration literally at your fingertips, there's no need to ever endure another creative block. What's more, Lightbox Photography Cards won't set you back - you can pretty much buy them with your spare change. Get your deck today and start letting those creative juices flow.
Ikigai™ Rival Camera Backpacks
Once in a while, something innovative comes along that makes you wonder why no one thought of it before. This is one of those times and here's one of those product lines. Ikigai's new Rival Backpacks are taking convenience to a whole new level when it comes to packing, carrying and using your photo gear in the field.
Everyone recognizes the convenience of carrying your photo equipment along with other, personal gear in a backpack. If you've ever lugged your camera, lenses and other equipment into the field for a shoot, along with everything else you need in the outdoors, you know that a backpack is the most practical way to get it there safely. Unfortunately, they don't always make it easy to access just your photo gear when you need it.
Thanks to Ikigai's “Camera Cell”, you now have a separate, secure module that you can customize to protect all the photography equipment you're packing in, and it slips out and carries easily when you're ready to start shooting. It's like having a pack within your pack just for your photo stuff.
The backpacks themselves are designed to make getting there safer and easier for you, with all of the features a high-quality, high-tech outdoor backpack needs. Put simply, they're rugged, lightweight, easy to open and close and ergonomically designed to distribute the weight of all that equipment properly.
There's simply too much in the way of features to list here, so do yourself a favor and go check out the concept and the product line on Ikigai's website.
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Looking for a high-quality wide-angle zoom lens for your Canon EOF (EF-S) or Nikon F (DX) that won't put you in debt for the next few years? Good thing you're reading this! Here's one that has the specs and the price tag to fit the bill. Sigma has long been a go-to manufacturer for high quality and low price in lenses and this WA zoom is a good example of why. Check out this list of features:
- Multi-layer coating to reduce flare and ghosting and provide optimum color balance throughout the zoom range
- Three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements for maximum correction of aberration effects
- Internal focusing for easier handling, less bulk and less risk of damage
- HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) for super-quiet, fast focusing as well as full-time manual focusing
- Minimum focusing distance of 9.4” throughout the zoom range
- TIPA Best Consumer Lens – Europe 2006
That's a lot of great stuff in an ASP-C compatible, wide-angle zoom lens that you can get your hands on for less than $500! Check out the full list of specs and details and get yours here!
PIXMA Pro-100 Wireless Professional Inkjet Printer
Ready to step up to a large-format printer? Here's one that not only gives you 13” x 19” prints, it does it wirelessly and with professional quality! What's more, you can save $200 on it again this month with the mail-in rebate!
Check out these features:
- Up to 13" x 19" print size on various media
- Canon Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE) up to 4800 x 2400 dpi.
- True Monochrome Prints
- Optimum Image Generating (OIG) System
- Print Studio Pro, compatible with Digital Photo Professional (ver 2.1 or later), Adobe® Photoshop® CS, Adobe® Photoshop Elements®, and Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom®.
- Two-way paper feeding
- Built-in CD and DVD Printing
- Built-in Wi-F
- Built-in Ethernet port
- Computer-free Printing
- Hi-Speed USB AirPrint for Apple devices
You won't believe the quality and features, or the very affordable price, especially right now! Find out more and get yours here.
Sony A7RII Mirrorless 42.4-Megapixel Camera with 4k Video
Mirrorless. Full frame. HUGE 42.4 Megapixel resolution. 4K Video.
Do we have your attention yet? I thought so. Sony is taking the photography world by storm with their mirrorless digital cameras and products like this one make it pretty obvious why. This camera is as full-featured as it gets. Here's the short list:
- World's first Full-frame back-illuminated Exmor R® CMOS sensor – 42.4MP
- 5-axis in-body image stabilization optimized for 42.4MP full-frame
- 4K movie recording with full pixel readout and no pixel binning(5)
- Fast Hybrid AF with 399 focal plane phase-detection AF points
- 2.4-million dot XGA OLED Tru-Finder w/ ZEISS T* coating
- Simple connectivity to smartphones via Wi-Fi® and NFC? w/ camera apps
- Fast focal plane phase-detection AF realized with A-mount lenses10
- Shutter vibration suppression, first curtain shutter, and silent shutter
- Durable, reliable and ergonomically enhanced for professional use
If you've been dragging your feet when it comes to trying mirrorless, this one just might convert you permanently. There's so much to say about it that I'm not even going to try to fit it in here. Instead, I'm going to just tell you you really need to go take a look at it here!
Vanguard VEO 265CB Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod with Ball Head
If you don't think the travel tripod has evolved, let us be the first to demonstrate how wrong that line of thinking is. Here's a great example from Vanguard, with all the quality and durability of a full-size tripod, in a package that folds to a little over 15 inches in height! It also includes a precision ball head mount with a Arca-Swiss compatible mounting plate.
It's 5-section, quick-lock-equipped, carbon fiber legs adjust feature push-button locking for 3 angles and tips that convert quickly from rubber pads to spikes, to suit any surface. You get plenty of height range, with a maximum extended height of 59 inches and an included adapter for low-angle setup. A soft rubber grip makes handling easy in any kind of weather. With a load capacity of 17.6 pounds, it will handle almost any normal photo gear.
If you're looking for a travel tripod that does the work of its bigger counterparts, look no further. Come check out all the details and get it here.
MyStudio PS5 PortaStudio Portable Photo Studio with 5000K Continuous Lighting for Product Photography
Product photography has its challenges and one of those is being able to provide your services outside the studio. For many retailers, wholesalers and even eBay sellers, hiring a photographer to shoot their products means getting someone to come to them. For the photographer, that means having a portable setup that includes the backdrop and lighting you need to take consistently high-quality product shots almost anywhere.
Here's all the equipment you need to do the job, in a unit that's easily transported, and sets up and breaks down in minutes. It includes a 5000K continuous light source, to take the guesswork and calculation out of lighting your shots and give you true colors. There's a white background included and you can order kits with either 5 or 10 other colors as needed.
This portable studio may be exactly what you need to get yourself out there shooting products or other small-to medium sized objects on locations. Find out more and buy yours here.
Swarovski EL 10X42 Swarovision Binoculars
Swarovski boasts some of the world's finest optics and here's one of their products that any bird or wildlife photographer will appreciate. Get your hands on these and find out firsthand what a difference Austrian manufacturing makes.
With powerful, 10X magnification and 42mm objective lenses, you'll get in close with a big, bright picture. They're extremely comfortable, with long eye relief and a wide-range diopter that lets you customize them to suit your vision. The wraparound comfort grip gives you a solid hold in almost any conditions. Swarovision technology gives you maximum brightness and clarity across the full field of view.
If you're serious about wildlife glassing, you're going to love these binoculars. Go get yours here!