I have tried many kinds of tabletop tripods and all have failed miserably for the average DSLR.  That is, until my brother got me the Ultra-Pod II.  For entry level and even prosumer DSLR’s, this three-legged wonder does exactly what you want it to do.

Its simple design allows a large base that is stable enough for all point and shoots and the majority of DSLR’s.  While extra tightening and some sagging may occur when using larger lenses,for less than $20 you can’t go wrong.  It’s ridiculously lightweight (.25 lbs or about 125 grams) and it folds down to next to nothing and can be put into your camera bag, pocket, or purse.  An extra feature that you will be sure to enjoy is a velcro strap that allows you to attach this trifecta ofawesomeness onto a pole or an irregular object.

This item is a staple in my camera bag but it does have some negatives: the plastic though light, is not the strongest out there and the head is a double ball clamp.  Which means, don’t throw this thing around or step on it and that getting it into the stable position you want will take a little bit of work and adjustment.  This type of attachment also makes it a little restrictive when it comes to taking portrait shots.

So if you are looking for a great tripod at a very reasonable price, I would definitely recommend it for any point and shoot and basic DSLR.  If you buy two of them, you can strap one to each forearm and pretend you are some sort of pixelated superhero.   Fight crime and get some spectacular point-of-view shots as you smash their evil plans and their noses!

To purchase, simply check out your local camera store, MEC, or online.

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So your Flickr pics are getting tons of hits and you are being asked to add your photos to every group out there.  Your friends ask you if you ever took any photography classes.  You have been drafted to shoot your cousin’s wedding. You decide that now is the time to take the leap, go for broke and try your luck by taking your hobby one step further and making it a side business.  You have a vague business plan, a catchy mission statement, and your trusty point and shoot!  What’s next?  SHOPPING for gear!  While it’s always fun to spend money on the gadgets you need, this can be a stress-inducing time as some of your choices can influence your photography future.

CHECK OUT THAT BODY

Let’s face it; your point and shoot will not cut it.  You may be a photography prodigy but if you show up to a paying job and pull a camera out of your back pocket, you will not be taken seriously.  You need a solid DSLR and you need one quick!  The good news is that now is the best time in photography history to get an advanced DSLR for an un-advanced price.  These new types of entry level cameras come loaded with all the features and then some; some of these even include the ability to record movies.  Do not be swayed by the number of megapixels, the sirens of digital camera world.  Unless you plan on making poster sized prints from the get-go, completely ignore this temptation.  You should be interested in things like RAW vs JPEG, frames per second, how quickly the autofocus works, the camera start up speed, noise levels at higher ISO levels, and the list goes on (it really does, I am not just saying that).  Most entry level DSLR’s nowadays have more than enough megapixels.  People write small books and/or really long articles on the subject of selecting a camera I won’t cover it all here.  I would recommend asking friends who already own DSLR’s and use them extensively.  They will have a better idea of what you need, what you are looking for, and will be a great resource when you have questions about your upcoming purchase! (www.fuelyourphotography.com will also continue to be a great source of inspiration and knowledge)  If you need a head-start look at Canon’s EOS series, T2i is a solid starter camera, and on the Nikon side, the D90 is a probably the best machine currently out there for your first DSLR but, will run you a couple hundred dollars more than its Canon counterpart.  All this being said, don’t throw out your point and shoot just yet.  It is still a great tool when you are going somewhere and a big SLR is not allowed or an option.

LENS ENVY

After the actual camera itself, your lens selection is the next important thing; many people will tell you that your lens selection is even more important than the camera itself.  The quality of your lens affects the quality of your pictures.  A good lens will be a blessing in poor conditions and will only enhance your natural eye and talent in ideal settings.  I can safely say that you will most likely sink more money into lenses than anything else; try not to be a scrooge when it comes to this purchase.  My first lens I bought was a 100-300mm telephoto because it was cheap.  In order to take the most basic of shots I had to stand at the back of a room or across the street; it was not ideal.   Normally when you buy a Canon or Nikon DSLR you will get a standard or “kit” lens as part of a package.  These are a good bet even though they are not the greatest lens.  Their resale value is higher than lesser-known brand are designed to work with the camera you are buying and you run less of a risk of complications in the future.  I recommend getting a wide-angled lens; 28mm – 70mm or 105mm.  This is not a dedicated wide angle lens and you will not get that fisheye effect, but you will be able to take some good shots in tight situations.  I love cranking my kit lens down to 18mm and shooting at crazy angles without even looking through the view finder.  I have gotten some great results and nice surprises!  Then you will want to get a telephoto lens to zoom in on the subjects just out of your reach.  Do not waste your time with a “telephoto” lens that only goes up to 200mm.  You just can’t get close enough to things in the distance and it will frustrate you; 300mm is the standard.  Once you have the basics covered, you can branch out to different lens for specific purposes based on your field of photography.  I highly recommend getting a fixed 50mm lens with an aperture of f1.8 or f1.4.  This is a life saver for portrait photography and is small, light, and easy to carry.

ACCESSORIZE

My wife tells me that it’s all about the accessories;  besides my yellow rubber  “LIVESTRONG” bracelet and my fondness for brightly colored footwear, I don’t accessorize.  However when it comes to extra for my camera, the sky is the limit (aka how much money is in my bank account).  Here is a quick list of what I consider to be the essentials for a good shot at success.

PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM

Photoshop is the standard, but there are a whole host of options.  If you don’t want to pay the big bucks for the latest version of Photoshop (drool), you have free online options.  Take a look, because after camera and lenses, your budget may be a bit short.

TRIPOD

I have owned some cheap tripods.  Imagine taking a picture in an old church during mass and then having a piece of metal slide out and clatter to the floor.  Purgatory, here I come!  Start with something simple, but you are looking to spend at least $75 for a cheap no-name brand at your local camera store.  There are some really fun table top models which are portable and practical.

EXTERNAL FLASH

This is a must.  You will come to curse that built in flash as it is not the friendliest feature on your camera; professional DSLR’s do not even offer it.  If it’s out of your budget, most camera stores will have some sort of flash diffuser which will dramatically increase you built-in flash flexibility until you can put aside some money.

CAMERA BAG

Your camera will spend quite a bit of time in here (hopefully not too much), so do not get a cheap bag.  Get one with comfortable and easily-adjustable straps and one that is waterproof or has a waterproof liner.

Other things you need to throw into your camera bag is extra memory cards, extra batteries, a bean bag (makes a great tripod you can use almost anywhere), a micro fiber lens cloth, and patch cords to link your camera to a tv or computer.

Once you have this taken care of, make sure you get involved in some sort of photo community.  Flickr is a good place to start as it is worldwide with countless numbers of groups where you can post and get critiqued and learn from some really inspiring artists.  Their price is reasonable, but make sure you check out a photo sharing site that works for you.

Happy shooting and make sure you remember me when you are shooting for National Geographic or Vogue; I’ll hold your light reflectors or something.

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Although it may not be technically a “gadget”, we think that this sweet little rain cover from Think Tank, might be the one item you want in your camera bag. As we enter spring time, we also enter a typical rain season. If you value your gear as much as we do, you might this an essential piece to your arsenal when that rain inevitably shows up to rain on your shoot. And according to Think Tank’s website, you can also use this for snow and sand use, which means that much more use out of it.

Think Tank has had offerings for their super telephoto lens for quite some time, but now with the 70-200 series, they make their covers a bit more mainstream, as most photographers are likely to have a lens in that range in their kit.

There are currently two versions of the 70-200, the standard, and a flash compatible version. With an eyepiece flap to keep rain out of the viewfinder, a clear window to make the LCD visible and usable, and the ability to use with a tripod with cover on make this our cool gadget (ok, gear!) of the week.

Of note, it is however not fully immersible in water, so don’t go throwing it under water, and if you should see a wall of water headed your way, run.

Directly from Think Tank the standard 70-200 will set you back $139 and the flash version $145.

All in all a good value if you think your gear is worth protecting.

Every week we highlight the hottest, and coolest gadgets in the photography scene. If you have something you would like us to check out for consideration, or something you use that blows your socks off in your daily photography use, contact us by email or Twitter.

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Upon clarification I understood what he meant, what are those things I use that maybe not everyone has in their tool box — you know, the light meter, the grey card, the variety of diffusers, etc. After we finished our conversation, it got me thinking about what “tools” we can use in our daily lives as photographers. Living in the smart-phone era, I can say that my tools have quite the variety these days. My personal tool of choice is my iPhone, whether you hate it or not, it is a useful tool to have on a shoot, or when you are out and about it can take some decent artsy pictures. And seriously, who goes out of the house without having their phone attached to them? It sure makes it handy having it available when you don’t have the trusty DSLR on hand. This week I wanted to highlight a few of the Apps that can be found for the iPhone, both Camera taking apps and Camera Tool apps, particularly the ones I have sitting on their own dedicated page that I use frequently.

Camera Tool Apps:

I’m going to highlight both of these apps, because they are great in their own right, and depending on my mood, I switch back and forth between them both because they are both useful. These apps take the meticulous calculations of exposure, DOF, Angle, distance, out of the equation so you can focus quickly on your photos before the sun goes down. Speaking of which, they also let you know when to expect the key times throughout the day. Out of the two of them, PhotoBuddy has more depth and interaction.

PhotoBuddy

PhotoCalc

Camera Taking Apps:

These apps below are great for all purpose or creative picture taking when you don’t have your big lens and camera on you.

Genius

A great application for taking general pictures to be worked on outside of the app. Useful features are Zoom, Anti shake, guides, timer and a big button for those self portraits. Below is a picture taken using the timer feature within Genius.

Forward by Carbon Prototype: A

Hipstamatic

An app I use more than any other photography app, simply because nearly every picture you take turns out to be pretty cool and unique. This app really gives you the feel of dealing with some old film, lenses, flashes, and treatments.

Windmills of your mind by Menno Ophelia

CameraBag

Another useful app that has some simple but effective treatments, like hipstamatic it but without the interchangeability of features. The treatments are more presets than anything else. The photographers picture below is one of many of theirs that have come out stunning using this app.

Three Views of a Rainy Day in NY through a Taxi's Window by Sion Fullana

Onboard Post Processing & Other Applications

FX PhotoStudio

A nice, albeit limited, post processor that lets you choose from many different styles of effects and treatments.

PS Mobile

Adobe’s very simple post processor of their Photoshop line of tools. Allows for cropping, a couple of style treatments, exposure, and also uploading.

myPantone

Nice to have on hand if you are adding graphics to your photos, its great to be able to browse and find the right colors if you need to match something within a photo.

Flickr

Aside from the ability of uploading your edited photos directly to Flickr, you can also view your online catalog and download pics straight to your phone. Useful if you are without a laptop and someone wants to see your work. You can also browse through Flickr and check out other amazing photographers.

A final word…

So now you know whats in my “bag”, what tools do you carry around to help you out? Feel free to drop us a line, we would love to highlight some more apps (especially ones that don’t reside on the iPhone) just let us know what it is and why you like it.

Lead Photo courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/rudolf_schuba/ / CC BY 2.0 and used within the Creatvie Commons Guidelines

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When it comes to buying a camera, there are two companies – Nikon and Canon – that are dominating the industry. What’s the difference? In my experience with using both of them, I have found that Nikon gives a sharper, more concentrated look, and Canon gives a softer, more delicate look.  Keep that in mind – but also the lens possibilities  before you decide which way you will swing. Once you have decided that, here are our suggestions for cameras:

For the beginners who want to graduate from the point and shoot to dSLR, but don’t want to spend a fortune. The people who will never change the dial off Auto. You just want better pictures w/o the extra work. You’re a casual photographer who never plans on going pro. You want to keep it well under $1,000. Simple. Affordable. Nice pictures. Here’s your camera:

Nikon:

Nikon D40.

Canon:

EOS Rebel XS (a.k.a. 1000D)

Now we take a step up to those who are taking photography to the next level. Not just casual, but a serious hobby and maybe hoping to go pro one day. Still don’t want to spend 3 months rent for your camera, but are willing to make a little more of  a sacrifice to reap the benefits of the outcome of picture quality. Your ranged of budget is somewhere between $1,000-$2,000. Committed. Determined. Passionate. Here’s your camera:

Nikon:

D90

Canon:

EOS 50D

And now for the bigwigs. I probably don’t even have to recommend anything, because if you are serious enough to drop this much money on camera equipment, then you probably already know what you are doing and have done the research yourself. But just for kicks, I’ll add my two cents. We’re talking full frame, complete and total camera package. Budget: $2,000+. Professional. Serious. Moneymaker.

Nikon:

D3

Canon:

EOS 5D Mark II

There you have it folks. Now get shopping.

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1. Digital Photography School

This site has it all. Tutorials and articles on everything photography you can imagine. Equipment, post-processing, tips/tricks, forums, assignments, etc. It is because of sites like this that people can buy a camera and make a career out of it with no formal education. If you haven’t seen it, well, you are missing out on a TON of really useful information.

2. Strobist

You may have your camera down pat, but what about your flash? This site has some fantastic tips for on and off camera lighting. Photography IS all about light, right?

3. Photographer’s Edit

If you find yourself pulling your hair out because you have taken on more jobs than you can handle, Photographer’s Edit might be your solution. The concept: you take the pictures, they do the editing. Tempting, isn’t it?

4. Behance

A collection of portfolios from some of the most talented creatives in the industry. A great source of inspiration for all genres. I would say this site is best for those photographers who are already established and need some new ideas. Just be careful, you could find yourself browsing the site for hours!

5. B&H Photo Video

Love this site. Mainly because it is where you will find the most reliable equipment for the best deal. For most products, you have the option of buying new or used equipment. I love it when people take your budget into consideration.

6. Photojojo

You wouldn’t believe some of the ideas these people come up with. Ways to use your photos, or even recycling your camera…this site is a MUST for all you photo fans!

7. I Heart Faces

This site has you smiling the second you see it with it’s clean, appealing design. A great resource for portrait photographers who are looking for both tips/tricks, and get to know other talented photographers. Check out the challenges and the guest judges they bring in.

Do you have other sites you frequently visit? Let us know about it!

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