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TELE ME SOMETHING GOOD
Expand your shooting options, without overexpanding your budget, with the Nikon TC-17E II AF-S, AF-I Teleconverter
. This accessory lens designed exclusively for use with Nikon AF-S and AF-I lenses can extend the focal length of your lens by a factor of 1.7 and supports the Nikon Vibration Reduction function. At only 2.6x1.2 inches and about eight ounces, it’s light and compact for your outdoor trips. List Price: $579. Contact: Nikon, (800) NIKON-US, www.nikonusa.com.
SHORT STACK
If pancakes and hay can be stacked, why should card readers be left out? Lexar’s latest stackable number, the Professional CompactFlash Reader, saves space and time by letting you read multiple cards at once .
An LED indicator illuminates when the data transfer is complete and doubles as an eject button. List Price: $80 (FireWire and USB); $70 (USB hub). Contact: Lexar Media, (800) 789-9418, www.lexar.com.
THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF MINE
Sometimes a little light goes a long way, like the Micro LED Lantern from Essential Gear. Standing only 2.5 inches tall, it comes with a keychain and carabiner to attach to your backpack or keys. A single battery provides 25 hours of continuous light and 50 hours in flashing-light mode. Attach it to your keys and switch it on as you load your car after night has fallen. List Price: $10. Contact: Essential Gear, (800) 582-3861, www.essentialgear.com.
TWICE THE CLEANING POWER
Leave your ceramic water purifier and metallic-tasting iodine tablets at home. Instead, purify water at the source with the Potable Aqua Traveller, a purification and filtration system in one. The sports bottle has a built-in filter and comes with tablets for additional protection against waterborne bacteria. The filter can be used for 350 refills, and the water doesn’t have unpleasant tastes or odors. You can even keep the Potable Aqua Traveller on hand for an emergency situation. List Price: $40. Contact: Potable Aqua, (800) 558-6614, www.potableaqua.com.
EVERYTHING BUT THE KITCHEN SINK
Pack all your photo gear in the Kata HB-207 Hiker backpack. This large on-the-go pack can fit up to three SLR bodies and eight lenses. It features Kata’s One-Pull zippered flap to quickly access your equipment. Two side compartments can hold a water bottle or even a small tripod. A fully adjustable harness system promises ergonomic comfort and can be tucked away when using the Insertrolley accessory to make the pack roll. Despite the amount the bag can hold, it’s still sleek and lightweight. List Price: $375. Contact: Kata (Bogen Imaging), (201) 818-9500, www.bogenimaging.us.
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO?
You can go mighty low with Kirk Enterprises’ Mighty Low-Boy tripod. Designed and built for sturdy macro photography, the tripod weighs 2.6 pounds and stands 28 inches at its maximum height and 1.75 inches at its minimum. It comes with two center posts that can be alternated depending on the height of the tripod. Folding to only 11.25 inches makes the tripod easy to pack. List Price: $170. Contact: Kirk Enterprises, (800) 626-5074, www.kirkphoto.com.
 CHARGE IT
Ah, nature, an escape from things like civilization, telephones and…oh, shoot, electrical outlets! Keep a Xantrex XPower Mobile Plug 75 in your vehicle to charge batteries for your camera, laptop or photo viewer. It plugs directly into your cigarette lighter and converts the energy from your car into energy for your electrical devices. List Price: $30. Contact: Xantrex, (604) 422-8595, www.xantrex.com.
FREEDOM FOR YOUR FEET
Put Chaco’s ZX/2 sandals to the test of your rugged lifestyle. The shoe’s midsole is constructed with polyurethane, and newly redesigned Chaco outsoles create a lightweight winning combo. If stepping stones in a river don’t look sturdy, forge the water because the ZX/2s are waterproof and virtually self-cleaning. The sandals offer great traction with a special Amphibia rubber and diamond lug pattern. A double-strap configuration ensures extra comfort. List Price: $105. Contact: Chaco, (970) 527-4990, www.chacousa.com.
SPOTS SHOTS FROM AFAR
Scope out mountain peaks with the new line of Minox’s Porro Prism binoculars. Porro prism binoculars used to be bulky and heavy, but Minox’s line is slim, elegant and modern. Porro prism binoculars allow for better viewing because they transmit more light, making the subject bright and crisp. The line includes an 8x44 and 10x44 model, both filled with argon gas to prevent the lenses from fogging. The binoculars use central focusing, weigh just over 24 ounces and have an aluminum housing. List Price: $399. Contact: Minox Sport Optics, (702) 614-4038, www.minox.com.
ZZZ...
Snuggle up to the sound of crickets in the Kelty Zephyr 0° sleeping bag . You’ll stay warm with the 650-fill down and mummy bag construction that forms to your body. Ideal for backpacking, it’s lightweight and easy to condense to fit in your pack. Estimated Street Price: $270. Contact: Kelty, (800) 423-2320, www.kelty.com.
PERFECTION IN THE DETAILS
Scan prints and film with the Epson Perfection V700 PHOTO. The scanner has two separate lenses to scan at different resolutions: 4800 dpi or 6400 dpi for film scanning. Depending on which resolution you set, the lens will automatically switch to adjust. Included with the scanner is a software bundle that has Epson Easy Photo Fix to restore color, remove dust and reduce grain. List Price: $549. Contact: Epson, (800) GO-EPSON, www.epson.com.
LIGHTEN UP
Invite additional light into your polarized images using Singh-Ray’s new LB (lighter and brighter) Warming Polarizer. This filter transmits 66% more light—equal to two-thirds of an ƒ-stop—than its predecessor. More light means you can shoot with a faster shutter speed to create a sharper image, or use a smaller lens opening for greater depth of field. Singh-Ray has two other LB filters, the LB Color Intensifier and the Combination LB Warming Polarizer & Color Intensifier. List Price: $210 (LB Warming Polarizer); $210 (LB Color Intensifier); $390 (Combination). Contact: Singh-Ray, (800) 486-5501, www.singh-ray.com.
Baby Birds by Jeffrey Rich (Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2005; ISBN: 978-1-887896-70-2). Photographer Jeffrey Rich captures images of baby birds hatching and feeding. In addition to pictures, there are anecdotes about obtaining the images and information on the birds, such as habitat, order and clutch size.
Magic Lantern Guides: Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, EOS 350D by Michael Guncheon (Lark Books, 2005; ISBN: 1-57990-761-X). The information in this book surpasses the manual that your camera came with and delves much deeper into topics the manual only skims. It provides instruction to help you get professional results and even includes tips on choosing camera accessories.
Cancer Is Like the Wind by Bruce A. Silver, MD, FACP (Bruce Alan Silver, 2005; ISBN: 0-615-12848-3). Oncologist, outdoorsman, photographer and now author Bruce Silver searches for solace in nature. His quest leads him to expound on philosophies on life, and he begins to comprehend an unpredictable disease and those whose lives it has claimed.
Photoshop for Nature Photographers: A Workshop in a Book by Ellen Anon and Tim Grey (Wiley, 2005; ISBN: 0-7821-4427-6). This book should be refreshing to nature photographers everywhere, a Photoshop guidebook in which the main focus is enhancing images, not altering them. It covers a vast amount of topics applicable to nature photographers of varying levels, some of which are cleaning and sharpening your images, creating montages and adding filters.
National Geographic Complete Birds of North America , edited by Jonathan Alderfer (National Geographic Society, 2005; ISBN: 0-7922-4175-4). A companion to the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, this desk reference guide will prove useful to both amateur and seasoned birders alike. With detailed illustrations and information compiled by bird experts, this book covers topics like identification, geographic variations, status and distribution.
Outhouses: Flushing Out America’s Hidden Treasures by Londie Garcia Padelsky (Stoecklein Publishing, 2005; ISBN: 1-933192-25-9). Londie Padelsky creates a witty history of outhouses in America. Although the subject matter may not be innately beautiful, the locations that are home to these outhouses are. It’s a fun book to own, read and flip through from time to time.
VIVA LA BATTERY
Saying goodbye has never been easy, and a dead battery in your camera or flash is no exception. Avoid such frequent misery by using Panasonic Oxyride Extreme Power batteries. They last twice as long as Panasonic’s former marathon battery, Alkaline Plus. Newly developed materials and an advanced manufacturing process deliver more juice, which means more photos. List Price: $3 (two-pack of AA batteries). Contact: Panasonic, (800) 211-PANA, www.panasonic.com.
BE LIKE ANSEL
The photographer-intuitive software Lightzone uses steps of black-and-white tonality, like Ansel Adams’ Zone System, that you adjust. One helpful tool remaps tonal values for color correction, setting optimal points for contrast and highlights. All changes made to a file are tracked and the original image is retained. The software uses a linear color space for more precise calculations, consistent color and predictable results. List Price: $250. Contact: Light Crafts, (650) 331-1989, www.lightcrafts.com.
ADVENTURE-READY MEDIA PLAYER
Listen to music, watch DVDs or view your digital photos with the Media Street eMOTION Multimedia Picture Frame . At 8.6x6x2 inches and only 2.2 pounds, it has a seven-inch, high-resolution video screen that displays a bright, colorful picture. The portable unit has recessed pegs on the back so you can prop it up, much like a picture frame. It supports SD, Memory Stick and MMC cards, and has a USB 2.0 port. List Price: $349. Contact: Media Street, (888) 633-4295, www.mediastreet.com.
PHOTO SHOW
Photodex ProShow Producer is fully integrated slideshow software that almost enters the realm of video production. Select the pictures for your slideshow easily by viewing them from a linear list or 2D lightbox. The software gives you freedom with sound, equipped with options like voice-overs, the ability to time your music with the slides, and total control of the volume for the entire show. Write your final product onto a single DVD including formats and menus for both TV and PC viewing. List Price: $400. Contact: Photodex, (800) 37-PHOTO, www.photodex.com.
SMALL WONDER
Get extraordinarily high-quality video of nature’s wonders by using Sanyo’s small, affordable Xacti VPC-HD1 . Weighing just 8.3 ounces and measuring 3.1x4.7x1.4 inches, the digital camcorder provides true high-definition video performance in a compact package. The HD1 captures 720p high-def video and 5.1-megapixel still images—both recorded to a standard SD flash memory card. The camera has a 2.2-inch OLED display, a 10x optical zoom lens with a maximum aperture of ƒ/3.5, and an ergonomic, one-handed grip. List Price: $799. Contact: Sanyo, (818) 998-7322, www.sanyodigital.com.
IS THAT A SLIDESHOW IN YOUR POCKET?
You love taking pictures, you even enjoy sharing pictures, but your giddiness for photography comes to an abrupt halt when it comes to creating slideshows. Lucky for you there’s Ulead Pocket Slideshow software that does the work for you and turns out a DVD slideshow with up to 800 slides with transitions, pan and zoom effects, music and a menu. To further simplify things, it has an interface with large icons to guide you through step-by-step instructions. List Price: $20. Contact: Ulead Systems, (800)
85-ULEAD, www.ulead.com.
PHOTO REPAIR
Digital Film Tools 55mm 6.0 lends a helping hand to Photoshop users with special filters that imitate the traditional photographic process . The latest version of the software includes 12 new filters and enhancements to old filters. The amazing new Strip Grad filter allows you to color or darken images in the form of a strip using photographic filters. There’s a graduated transition for a smooth color blend between the colored or darkened portion and the original image. Strip Grad is especially useful for enhancing a narrow portion of the sky. List Price: $195. Contact: Digital Film Tools, (323) 874-2330, www.digitalfilmtools.com.
BREAK A LEG
Turn your raw video into exciting home movies with Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0. This full video-editing software lets even beginners create quality videos and DVDs with customizable audio and video effects: transitions, presets and animated graphics. It will automatically transfer footage from your DV camcorder directly to the time line. The software uses high-quality Dolby Digital sound. List Price: $99. Contact: Adobe, (800) 833-6687, www.adobe.com.
 TOP SECURITY
Don’t take a chance with vacation photos on a laptop; back up images with Pexagon’s portable hard drive, Store-It. Store-It is a Hitachi Travelstar hard drive equipped with Retrospect backup software . Available in four different sizes, the device offers an EZ-Touch One Button Backup system that allows you to encrypt and password-protect your data. The drive is slender and sturdy in aluminum casing; the actual dimensions vary by the amount of storage space. List Price: $180 (20 GB and 60 GB); $200 (80 GB); $270 (100 GB). Contact: Pexagon Technology, (203) 453-7300, www.pexagontech.com.
DIGITAL IMAGING...SWEET!
Create calendars, slideshows, full-featured films and much more with Microsoft Digital Imaging Suite Plus . It includes Digital Imaging Suite 2006, Photo Story 3.1 and Pinnacle v.10. Digital Imaging Suite lets you organize your media and includes templates to help you create personalized photo products. With Photo Story 3.1, make and share slideshows complete with voice narration, music and pan and zooms. Quickly combine and enhance videos and photos using Pinnacle v.10. Easily add titles, transitions, music and special effects, then effortlessly preserve and share your memories on DVD and the Web. List Price: $130. Contact: Microsoft, (800) 642-7676, www.microsoft.com.
IT’S IN THE BAG
Adorama’s new Reporter and Daypack backpacks are made from Softex, a high-tech ballistic nylon material that can stand up to weather, abrasions and punctures. Both backpacks are padded and have nine dividers to accommodate different lens sizes, flash units and accessories. The Reporter backpack is larger with room for a 17-inch laptop and measures 18x13x9.8 inches. The Daypack is 14x12x6 inches with an outer pocket for memory cards or other small items. List Price: $74 (Reporter); $54 (Daypack). Contact: Adorama, (800) 223-2500, www.adorama.com.
LEARN TO ACE THE PRINT
Improve your photography with an online track from Epson Print Academy. Two separate tracks provide education from varying professionals. The first track for beginners has a step-by-step shoot-to-print tutorial, solutions for common digital file problems, and help with creating black-and-white prints. The more advanced track teaches about color management, custom profiling, creating and optimizing a professional workflow, expert-level fine-art printing techniques, using a RIP for contract proofing, and collaborating with graphic designers and commercial printers. List Price: $50 (Track One); $100 (Track Two). Contact: Epson, (800) GO-EPSON, www.epsonprintacademy.com.
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