accessories

In no particular order, here are a handful of PMA's noteworthy product features, technologies, and trends for '07.
GPS
Samsung, Fuji, and JOBO have jumped onto the GPS bandwagon, each with different takes on how photographers can incorporate the technology into their lives.

Sometimes it really is the little things that can make a big difference. That's the case with the just-announced Tamrac Velocity 7x and 9x bags. From a distance, it's tough to tell the older Velocity series bags from the new, but it's a couple of little things that make these single-shoulder sling-type bags even more functional for the photographer on the go. The 9x is the biggest of the bunch, and the 7x is a bit smaller. There's even a couple that are smaller still, since, with camera bags, once size doesn't always fit all.

There's no disputing that an online portfolio is now a requirement for any photographer who wants to be taken seriously, whatever his or her genre. It's not just that people in all walks of the photo business expect it. It's that they often don't have the time, the inclination, or the means to look at a CD, let alone a physical portfolio.

How many times have you heard photographers complain about Adobe Photoshop's unwieldy toolsets and masses of menus? How many times have you complained yourself when Adobe introduced yet another, even more complex, $650 behemoth? Maybe it's time for the grumbling to stop, because this time the imaging übercompany has introduced a product thought up, vetted by, and made for, photographers -- Lightroom. The cost: $199, direct, through April; $299 thereafter (www.adobe.com).