accessories

Most Recent:

High 5: Laptops

Here are five photo-friendly laptops you'll definitely want to trick out.
- By Popphoto Staff on December 16, 2008
Alienware Area-51 M5790
This stylish notebook, with a 1920x1200-pixel, widescreen 17-inch monitor, costs $2,439, direct. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium is inside, along with a 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB of RAM, fast 7200 rpm 100GB hard drive, a 256MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1800 graphics card, and a Media Center remote control. Must-haves include a Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW burner, Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, and a Bluetooth USB adapter. (www.alienware.com)
Apple MacBook Pro
Related Topics:
Get a Grip

What's up with vertical grips? Our resident DSLR guru explains the pros and cons.
- By Jack Howard on December 16, 2008
If you've ever had a top-of-the-line DSLR in your hands, odds are that it included a built-in vertical grip and shutter button. But most cameras below the flagship level only offer a vertical grip option as either an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) or third-party accessory.
Several factors play a role in this design decision to not have the vertical grip integrated into the base build of the camera: weight, size, and price are the three most obvious, but there are a few more, which have to do with market demands.
Related Topics:
Speed Racers

Transfer speed claims of three top-of-the-line CompactFlash cards put to the test.
- By Jack Howard on December 16, 2008
With each new product cycle, CompactFlash cards get faster, tougher, and more powerful. It seems like only yesterday a 512MB 16x CF card was state of the art. But as camera processors get faster, file sizes increase, and a 512MB 16x card is, for a certain breed of photographer, the CF equivalent of the Yugo.
For the photographic power users -- professional photojournalists, advertising photographers, and wedding shooters -- bigger is better. And a large card must be fast. For these users, 45x is now considered slow.
Related Topics:
All-in-One Printer Shootout

The new Kodak inkjet takes on Canon, Epson, and HP. Several hundred prints and many lab tests later, the best all in one printer is...
- By Michael J. Mcnamara on December 16, 2008
When there's no room in the budget or space in the office for a separate photo printer, scanner, fax machine, or copier, an all-in-one (AIO) device might be your best choice. But do serious photographers give up image quality or performance by going this route? Or has premium printing and scanning technology finally trickled down into these jack-of-all-trades? That's what we set out to discover in our first AIO shootout.
Related Topics:
The Goods: April 2007 Gear

Amazing frames, souped-up scanners, camera bumpers, and other stuff you're really gonna want.
- On December 16, 2008
Moving Pictures
Related Topics:
Vivitar 285HV Review

Vivitar Updates a Classic for 2007.
- By Paul Lefevre on December 16, 2008
Solid. Sturdy. Hefty. Old school. Mention "Vivitar 285" to photographers who've been around a while and those are the words that come to mind. The 285 (and its cousin, the 283), were long considered "workhorse" strobe units by working pros and have been around in various incarnations since 1972. In those 35 years, they've probably found their way into more camera bags than any other portable flash units.
So what does this new-to-2007 285HV model have to offer? A lot. For very little money. Let's get right into the details.
Related Topics:
Adobe Photoshop CS3 Preview

Adobe's latest update, Photoshop CS3, brings together the best of three programs -- and improves on a classic.
- By Debbie Grossman on December 16, 2008
Despite competition from without (Apple's Aperture and Light-Craft's LightZone, for instance) and even from within (Adobe's own Lightroom), the grand dame of all imaging programs continues to evolve. And once again Adobe has made enough improvements in the latest incarnation of Photoshop to leave you wondering how you ever lived without them.
Related Topics:
Top 5 Slide Show Programs For PC

Your photos will razzle-dazzle 'em with the best new slide show software for the PC.
- On December 16, 2008
1. Ulead InterVideo WinDVD 8
Fully compatible with the new Windows Vista OS, InterVideo WinDVD 8 by Ulead (now owned by Corel) comes in two versions: Gold ($40, direct) and Platinum ($60). Both include dozens of special effects, transitions, text and graphics tools, and powerful video- and sound-editing functions. While both support a wide variety of file formats, the Platinum version adds highdefinition (HDTV) editing and playback for sharper shows. (intervideo.com)
2. CyberLink Power Director Premium 5
Related Topics:
Photomatix Pro releases v2.4 HDR Processing Program

New version has ghost fixes, strip processing and expanded camera RAW support.
- By Jack Howard on December 16, 2008
HDR Soft has released an updated version of Photomatix Pro. The most notable upgrade is the incorporation of settings to reduce ghosting artifacts in multiple-source HDR generation series. There are two types of ghosting settings: Moving objects/people and periodic movements, such as rippling water. Both ghosting options can be set to "Normal" or "High" to attempt to fix moving elements in the combined HDR image.
Related Topics:
How To Use A Second Flash

Take more sophisticated portraits and still-life shots by adding a second flash.
- By Peter Kolina on December 16, 2008
Have your lighting skills progressed so that now a single on-camera flash feels more limiting than liberating? You've got an inexpensive option: a second flash. Adding another light can open up creative floodgates, giving you professional effects at little cost. (The $136 flash, stand, and adapter rig described in the September 2006 Lighting column would be perfect.) Just choose -- and use -- your flash carefully.
Related Topics: