Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Neil's Gift List for the Digital Photographer
Posted by Neil Enns in "ARTICLE" @ 10:00 AM
It's hard to surf the web at this time of year and avoid a Christmas gift guide. However, most of the guides I've seen cover cool yet expensive products, and many are written by people with no hands-on experience with the products.
Here's something a little different :) I've put together a list of ten gadgets and gizmos that I personally own and use constantly as I take photographs with my Canon 10D. Most are under $100, and any one of them will bring joy to the analog or digital photographer in your household.
Curious about what's in my list? Read on to find out!
1GB CF Card
Chances are you’re still shooting with a modest 256MB or 512MB card. These days bigger cards are cheap, and there's nothing like the comfort of knowing you can shoot with no worries about running out of space. Better yet, get two or three so you don't have to lug a computer or portable storage drive with you on short trips. ($55 after rebate, amazon.com)
NEC ND-3500A BG CD/DVD burner
While hard drive space is super inexpensive these days even the best hard drives can fail. I burn all of my images to DVD every month or so, both to free up space and to ensure I have a back-up that's kept in a safe place. I used to use CDs, but since I shoot RAW it would often take four CDs to do the back-up. Now that DVD burners are so cheap there’s no excuse! The NEC DVD comes as a bare kit, which is perfect for the geek who already has IDE cables lying around. If you want a complete kit, consider the LG 12x DVD burner that Kevin just reviewed. ($65, newegg.com)
WhiBal Reference Cards
Most digital cameras come with a variety of white balance settings for things like fluorescent, daylight, and indoor lighting. But how do we remember to change the white balance setting before taking a shot, or have a camera that is always accurate on the “Auto” setting? The standard solution to this problem is to buy a grey card, take a photo of the grey card under the same lighting as your subject, and then use the photo as a white balance reference when converting from RAW in your favourite conversion program. I personally own the WhiBal cards, a lovely set of four hard plastic cards (two grey, one black, and one white) attached in the corner by a sturdy post. The small size fits easily in your pocket and is a cinch to carry around. I use mine almost every time I take photographs. ($40, rawworkflow.com)
External Flash
My favourite way to take indoor flash shots is to set the camera to ISO400, 1/200 sec, f/5.6 and bounce the flash off the ceiling. The pictures are nicely lit and you can't tell the flash was used, but this only works with an external flash that lets you adjust where the flash points! While high-end flashes with all sorts of settings can cost as much as $500, you can get entry-level flashes that are compatible with your camera system for under $200. I own the Canon 420EX, although similar models are available for Nikon SLRs and even digicams as well. ($164 after rebate, amazon.com)
Flash Cord
Once you've got an external flash the next step is to get it off the camera. Most manufacturers offer 2' extension cords that go between the flash and the hot shoe. Other options are complete wireless triggering systems, although obviously those cost more. I have the Canon 2-foot flash cord, and as with flashes Nikon offers something similar. Once you have this cord you can even go high-end and get a Stroboframe to get the flash completely off camera for beautifully lit portraits. ($40, B&H Photo)
Here's something a little different :) I've put together a list of ten gadgets and gizmos that I personally own and use constantly as I take photographs with my Canon 10D. Most are under $100, and any one of them will bring joy to the analog or digital photographer in your household.
Curious about what's in my list? Read on to find out!
1GB CF Card
Chances are you’re still shooting with a modest 256MB or 512MB card. These days bigger cards are cheap, and there's nothing like the comfort of knowing you can shoot with no worries about running out of space. Better yet, get two or three so you don't have to lug a computer or portable storage drive with you on short trips. ($55 after rebate, amazon.com)
NEC ND-3500A BG CD/DVD burner
While hard drive space is super inexpensive these days even the best hard drives can fail. I burn all of my images to DVD every month or so, both to free up space and to ensure I have a back-up that's kept in a safe place. I used to use CDs, but since I shoot RAW it would often take four CDs to do the back-up. Now that DVD burners are so cheap there’s no excuse! The NEC DVD comes as a bare kit, which is perfect for the geek who already has IDE cables lying around. If you want a complete kit, consider the LG 12x DVD burner that Kevin just reviewed. ($65, newegg.com)
WhiBal Reference Cards
Most digital cameras come with a variety of white balance settings for things like fluorescent, daylight, and indoor lighting. But how do we remember to change the white balance setting before taking a shot, or have a camera that is always accurate on the “Auto” setting? The standard solution to this problem is to buy a grey card, take a photo of the grey card under the same lighting as your subject, and then use the photo as a white balance reference when converting from RAW in your favourite conversion program. I personally own the WhiBal cards, a lovely set of four hard plastic cards (two grey, one black, and one white) attached in the corner by a sturdy post. The small size fits easily in your pocket and is a cinch to carry around. I use mine almost every time I take photographs. ($40, rawworkflow.com)
External Flash
My favourite way to take indoor flash shots is to set the camera to ISO400, 1/200 sec, f/5.6 and bounce the flash off the ceiling. The pictures are nicely lit and you can't tell the flash was used, but this only works with an external flash that lets you adjust where the flash points! While high-end flashes with all sorts of settings can cost as much as $500, you can get entry-level flashes that are compatible with your camera system for under $200. I own the Canon 420EX, although similar models are available for Nikon SLRs and even digicams as well. ($164 after rebate, amazon.com)
Flash Cord
Once you've got an external flash the next step is to get it off the camera. Most manufacturers offer 2' extension cords that go between the flash and the hot shoe. Other options are complete wireless triggering systems, although obviously those cost more. I have the Canon 2-foot flash cord, and as with flashes Nikon offers something similar. Once you have this cord you can even go high-end and get a Stroboframe to get the flash completely off camera for beautifully lit portraits. ($40, B&H Photo)
