Buyer's Guides

Mother’s Day is just hours away. If you haven’t come up with a gift idea by now, we may very well be your last hope. Here’s a potpourri of products and services that covers a wide range of mommy-types and is respectful of Social Distancing. And don’t forget that all of these suggestions apply equally to Father’s Day, Graduation celebrations, birthdays and self-indulgence.

Many years ago, along with some fellow writers, I visited an Agfa—remember them?—facility in Brussels. During the tour one of the leaders asked, “What do you think of the idea of adding a phone to a digital camera?” We all laughed and thought it was the dumbest idea we’d ever heard. It turned out that he was asking the wrong question; it should have been, “What do you think of adding a camera to a phone?”

When a photographer leaves the studio to go on location, they need to start packing. It doesn’t matter whether you’re slinging gear into a Range Rover or a baggage handler is stuffing it inside an Airbus, you need tough, dependable bags and cases that are up to the job. How do you pick the bags and cases that hold your equipment? Like green bags? Prefer anonymous bags? Want a hard case? What about wheels? The answer to these questions and more are found in this month’s installment of “One Case to Schlep.”

If you recently purchased a Mac of any flavor, you no doubt discovered that your new computer has a ton a great features but darn few I/O ports. No USB-A, for instance. Yeah, it has a couple USB-C/Thunderbolt ports, but where do you plug in your USB-A memory card reader? Or maybe an HDMI display?

Tamron just announced the availability of a 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens for Sony E and Nikon Z full-frame and APS-C cameras. Shutterbug had the opportunity to shoot extensively with this new lens for a few weeks prior to its release. Here's our evaluation of the Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Di III Macro VXD (Model F072) and a gallery of sample images.

How much do I hate smartphones? Let me count the ways. But seriously, they aren’t going away anytime soon and many photographers, although not moi, have found clever ways to harness the power of these mobile devices. That said, I do own a smartphone albeit an older model and am on many social media platforms.

Spring has a way of inspiring artists, and photographers are no different. Many a shutterbug will be dusting off their camera gear right about now.