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Getta grip
Today’s digital cameras are stylish, tiny, and...slippery! Egrips has developed a line of silicon nonslip appliqués that stick onto cell phones, PDAs, and digital cameras. Look in the cell phone department of electronics stores, or online at www.egrips.com. The picture shows a Nikon D70 with an Egrips cut-out [indicated] that was designed to fit on a PDA. Just happens to fit the Nikon’s grip perfectly!
Jim Domke
Arlington, TX
DIY diffuse
Need a universal flash diffuser? This is just an empty plastic film can with an appropriately sized slot for the flash.
C. Lopezgallo
San Diego, CA
Carry a carabiner
Carabiners, clips with “wide-gate” openings which come in various sizes, shapes, and prices, are popular with mountain climbers and hikers. Photographers can use ’em too. I use two sizes on my camera bag: the smaller one to quickly attach my cell phone case; the larger one for a lens pouch. Walking my dog, I attach a carabiner to my belt and snap my dog’s leash to it. This frees my hands to snap a quick photo. You can find carabiners on the Internet and in camping supply stores for $6–$10, but I paid just $1 each for a bunch at Home Depot.
James Tallon
Phoenix, AZ
I rest my case
I wanted to get a lightweight carrying case for my tripod, but wasn’t about to pay an arm and a leg for one. Then, one afternoon, I bought a tripod-style folding chair from an outdoor supply store, and guess what? Its case fits my Manfrotto Pro 3021B perfectly. The total price for the case and chair? $8.
Carl R.L. Brow
Tampa, FL
A different kind of softbox
I was shooting some window-light still lifes of fruit, cheese, and wine, but didn’t have a reflector disc with me at the time. So I grabbed a cardboard box and taped some aluminum foil to one side, and it worked fine. Best part: since it’s a square box, it sat upright on a table and I didn’t need an assistant to hold it.
Martin Alston
Port Neches, TX
Dehumidifier
Having trouble finding a desiccant to keep the gear in your camera bag dry? I live in coastal Louisiana, where humidity presents photographers with a number of problems. A product I’ve found that keeps my gear dry is called “Zorb-It.” It’s a pad-like product that controls humidity in confined spaces (described further on the web site www.zorb-it.com). Zorb-It is cheap (about $6 for two 2x2-inch packets) and needs no regeneration. It keeps humidity low enough to prevent corrosion and fungus, but also keeps it high enough to hold static electricity in check.
David Ward
Baton Rouge, LA
Got a tip, trick, or technique? E-mail it to PopTips@hfmus.com. Readers whose tips we publish will receive a special-edition Popular Photography & Imaging Tamrac Photo-Video 1 Model 5201 camera bag. See this SLR-sized bag at PopPhoto.com.
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