2008 Holiday Buyer’s Guide

Our annual roundup of gadgets and gear to help the outdoor photographer in your life get better pictures

Labels: Cameras, Gear, More Gear, Buyer's Guide

X-Rite ColorMunki Photo
Color calibration is like flossing. It’s just something you have to do if you want best results. You can ensure that the image you saw through the lens maintains its color on screen and in the final print with X-Rite’s ColorMunki. The all-in-one spectrophotometer measures monitor, projector and printer profiles. Use the easy mode with presets, or if you’re looking for more control, an advanced mode lets you set white point, ambient light and other measurements. By taking advantage of new printer-profiling technology, ColorMunki optimizes specific colors, black-and-white and flesh tones based on your images. Estimated Street Price: $499. Contact: X-Rite, www.xrite.com.

Ansmann Digicharger Vario
Keep all of your devices powered up when you’re on the road using the Ansmann Digicharger Vario. The charger works with more than 100 battery types, including AA/AAA, NiMH or NiCd batteries, and lithium-ion and lithium-polymer battery packs, all without an adapter plate. Simply plug it into a power socket or car cigarette lighter. The Vario charges quickly and has an overcharge protection mechanism that protects batteries from damage. Estimated Street Price: $58. Contact: Ansmann (HP Marketing Corp.), www.hpmarketingcorp.com.

onOne Software FocalPoint 1.0
If you’re into the special, selective-focus look that a tilt-shift lens creates, but you prefer to shoot sharp and adjust later, check out onOne Software’s FocalPoint 1.0. With a special on-screen control called the FocusBug, you can tilt the sweet-spot aperture in 3-D, mimicking the effect of a view camera or tilt-shift lens. What’s cool about this application is that the FocusBug acts as a “virtual” lens, allowing you to alter the focus and depth of field in post. You also can add a vignette by lightening or darkening the edges of the image. Estimated Street Price: $159. Contact: onOne Software, www.ononesoftware.com.

Western Digital My Book
You just can’t have too much storage. Photographers, in particular, need as much capacity as possible for storing all those large image files. The Western Digital My Book Home Edition is available in capacities from 320 MB up to 1 TB. The external unit attaches to your computer via USB 2.0, FireWire or eSATA ports. Installation is simple because there’s no real installation. Plug in the drive, and you’re ready to go. The drive comes preloaded with software to get it running on your system as soon as you plug it in. An innovative capacity gauge on the unit lets you see how much space you have at your disposal with a quick glance at the case. Estimated Street Price: $129 (320 MB) to $259 (1 TB). Contact: Western Digital, www.westerndigital.com.

Gear

2008 Holiday Buyer’s Guide

Our annual roundup of gadgets and gear to help the outdoor photographer in your life get better pictures

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