Shutterbug: Editors Picks Our Top Photo Tools For 2002

Every year thousands of new products are introduced for photographers, ranging from new films to software to lenses and cameras. Sorting through all this and finding the top picks is our job, and we thoroughly enjoy being able to test and work with many of them. I often think that the reason many folks get into writing about photo and imaging products is that they get to play with so many fun toys. Rather than sit in the editor’s chair and pontificate about the Shutterbug top picks for 2002, I decided to delve into the collective consciousness of our able and pro staff of contributors and find out about those products they would choose to use for a myriad of tasks. We sent out a poll in July and tallied the responses in late August, thus any products introduced after the summer are not included in this survey. But we believe that this, our first Editors’ Picks offering, represents a good sampling of those products that have added to a photographer’s creative arsenal.

Of course, when you poll a group as diverse as we have as contributors here at Shutterbug you’re going to get a wide range of opinions. Each writer has their own pro specialty and their choices reflect their particular expertise in the craft. It was our job here to sort through all this and slim down the field. That was not an easy task, as each product nominated has its own particular charm and quality. In some surprising instances many of the contributors agreed. As you read through these choices you might see one or sometimes two products mentioned, indicating a fair split between votes.

Our aim here is not to make this a popularity contest, but to give you an indication of the state of the art in various fields. We have not chosen any products on the basis of who might advertise in the magazine or play favorites with one manufacturer over another. These are the tools that working photographers who happen to be Shutterbug contributors have chosen as what they have, or would like to have, in their camera bag or in their darkroom or digital desktop. We have not included every product nominated by our writers. Also note that we have kept the product descriptions to a minimum and rely on the real words of the reporters to tell the tale. For more information on any product please check out the appropriate web site. When available, we have listed the company web sites at the end of this article.
—George Schaub