Gifts for Wandering Shutterbugs
Does anyone vacation without a camera anymore? Especially during the holidays, opportunities abound for capturing images of family and friends celebrating the season on weekend visits or far-flung getaways. Following are nifty innovations for shutterbugs. Many items are available in area stores. Prices do not include shipping or handling.
Versatile telephoto lens: I’ve long been scouting for a zoom lens that would free me from having to carry around numerous lenses of varying focal lengths for wide angle and telephoto shots. The 28-200 millimeter autofocus zoom from Sigma pretty much meets my requirements. For such a range of focal lengths, from moderate wide-angle to a respectable telephoto, the lens is tiny. It measures just four inches long at wide-angle, rotates out to 5 1/2 inches for its telephoto duties, and weighs in at 18 ounces. There’s a trade-off for all this convenience. With a speed of 3:8-5:6, this is a slow lens, making low-light and action shots difficult. Nor were the images I shot with the lens as crisp as those from my less versatile but razor-sharp Nikon lenses. The results were, however, better than my test shots with 28-200 millimeter lenses sold by Sigma’s big-name competitors. Most amateur photographers are unlikely to be dissatisfied with their photos from this lens.
Sigma 28-200 millimeter zoom lens is $350 and less at camera stores.
Fanny pack/camera bag: Another way to ease the burden of camera equipment is to carry it on the hips instead of the shoulder. L.L. Bean’s new padded Modular Photo Fanny Pack has adjustable padded dividers that allow the inside of the pack to be customized for different size camera bodies, flashes and lenses. Or, remove the dividers--which attach via Velcro--and use the fanny pack for other gear. The pack has two zippered exterior pockets and cinch straps on top for securing a tripod. It also comes with two padded zippered lens holsters that slide onto each end of the belt and can be removed when not needed. Each holds a lens up to 6 1/2 inches long.
Modular Photo Fanny Pack with two removable lens holsters (WJ17434) is $85 from L.L. Bean; telephone (800) 809-7057.
Lightweight photo vest: For keeping lens, filters and other peripheral photo gear at the ready, nothing beats a many-pocketed photo vest. But most are heavy even before the equipment is added to the pockets. Portable Pockets is a lightweight mesh photo vest with loads of pockets for all sizes of accessories. The mesh keeps the material to a minimum--only the pockets are solid cotton, with Velcro-fastening flaps.
Portable Pockets Vest (No. 2207) is $42 from TravelSmith; tel. (800) 950-1600.
Getting the red out: Even with newfangled cameras that supposedly eliminate the red-eye effect from flash pictures, I still get plenty of shots that look like some demon has gotten into the retinas of my subjects. The Red-Eye pen from Black Cat dabs the red out of color prints and transparencies. Applied with a tiny point, the transparent dye covers the red, but allows the reflective sparkle in the eye to remain, so your subject doesn’t wind up looking like a hollow-eyed ghoul. The technique requires a bit of practice and a steady hand, so practice on some cast-off shots The pen comes with two tips for different-size images.
Black Cat Red-Eye Pen is $7.95 from PhoTak, a photographic supplier; tel. (800) 723-9876.
Mini film-shield: No matter how many times airport security guards insist that X-rays won’t harm film, I always worry. After all, it takes only one super-charged machine to fog pictures, and if you’re changing planes several times, the risk is multiplied, since radiation is cumulative. Protective lead pouches, which can hold 20 or more rolls of film, solve the problem but can be cumbersome when you have only a few rolls to shield. That’s a good time to have the Film-Safe lead-lined travel box on hand. No larger than a deck of cards, the little box protects four rolls of 35-millimeter film. Unlike flexible pouches, these hard containers won’t crack (which lets in damaging X-rays), and they snap easily open and shut--no folding and securing with plastic grips, as with most pouches.
Film-Safe X-Ray Foilers (P905) are $23.95 a pair from the Herrington Catalog; tel. (800) 622-5221.
Gear & Gadgets appears the first week of every month.