Photo Accessory News

Gitzo turned the tripod world upside down—literally—when the company first introduced the Traveler, a true travel tripod. This lightweight carbon-fiber support was unusual for its inverted, contortionist-like design, where the legs fold back 180 degrees on themselves and the leg tips hug the ball head, making it more compact.

Manfrotto unveiled an intriguing new device at the NAB show in Las Vegas this week: Digital Director, which is the only Apple Certified interface that lets you operate, adjust and shoot photos via a live feed on a tethered iPad.

The Cooperative of Photography (COOPH) recently added a few new additions to their popular line of graphic shirts. Inspired by photography, COOPH tops are made from comfortable, soft 100 percent cotton fabric and feature a handy pocket for your lens cap. The new line of Leica inspired shirts features:

A few years back, while waiting for a beautiful but thoroughly flakey model in the parking lot of a restaurant near Liberty State Park, my boredom was interrupted by a black Lincoln Town Car that slipped suspiciously past me and parked a few spaces away. After several minutes, two men exited the sedan. They were wearing tuxedos and looked rather serious. The trunk lid popped open. Ignoring me completely, they rummaged through the trunk. One of the men removed his tux jacket and strapped on a large black holster. A moment later, the other did the same. I slid down in my seat, wondering if I was about to witness some weird reenactment of High Noon, right there in Jersey City.

A handy photo accessory for active outdoor photographers, Cotton Carrier’s new StrapShot EV1 is thinner than the original model, and includes a redesigned tether and a wrist strap (that can also be used as a safety leash against accidental drops). The StrapShot EV1 is compatible with any backpack, sling bag or belt.

Nik Software’s Snapseed is a photo application designed specifically for the iPad. It enables you to create amazing photos with a wide variety of filters and tools. Filter choices include Grunge, Vintage, and Drama. Snapseed features U Point technology in touch devices, bringing precise selective adjustments to change lighting, color, and more by simply touching and swiping the screen. Snapseed allows users to enhance, edit, and share their photos via social networks, e-mail, and even print via Apple’s AirPrint Wi-Fi printing standard. Snapseed for the iPad is available on the App Store (www.niksoftware.com/buysnapseedipad) for $4.99. Tutorial videos are available at: www.niksoftware.com/snapseed.

Nik Software Color Efex Pro 4 This is the latest version of Nik’s popular digital photographic filters for image retouching and enhancement. Color Efex Pro 4 is easy to use and offers a new generation of technologies and features that help you to create stunning effects. It has stackable filter combinations, visual presets, filter recipes, and new filters such as Detail Extractor, Vintage Film Efex, and Image Borders. The software also includes a History Browser, improvements to imaging algorithms, greater performance, and enhanced usability. The Color Efex Pro 4 Complete Edition contains 54 filters for a suggested retail price of $199.95. The Select Edition contains 25 filters for $99.95. You may also upgrade to the Complete Edition from any edition of Versions 2.0 or 3.0 for $99.95.