The Digital Photography Book, Part 4 – Gear Guide
Tiffen Neutral Density Filter
The neutral density filter enables shooters to adjust exposure to obtain blurry out-of-focus backgrounds in portrait photography or to capture elements like waterfalls in landscape photography.
Vello Wireless ShutterBoss Timer Remote
In addition to tripping your shutter wirelessly, this wireless timer remote can also work as a self-timer, interval timer, long exposure timer, and can control the number of continuous shutter releases. Works with many different cameras, using a camera-compatible camera release cable.
Nikon Speedlight SB-910
The most advanced in the Speedlight range, the SB-910 improves on Nikon’s lighting mastery by offering easy operation and menu navigation, with a new and simple graphic user interface. Automated zoom covers 17mm to 200mm lenses, and it has three light distribution patterns: Standard, Center-Weighted, and Even.
Nikon Speedlight SB-900
A replacement to the SB-800, the SB-900 was expanded to cover 17mm to 200mm lenses and has three light distribution patterns: Standard, Center-Weighted, and Even. It can be used as a stand-alone flash, or as part of a wireless group.
Canon Speedlite 580EX II
Features include improved dust and water resistance, body strength, and the ability to control flash functions and settings from the camera menu (EOS-1D Mark III only). Also includes improved communication reliability through its direct contacts, a metal hot shoe, and faster recycling time.
Westcott Magic Slipper
The Magic Slipper lets you use nearly any Westcott studio softbox with your hot shoe flash.
Kacey Speedlight Bracket
This bracket mounts on top of your light stand to hold either one or two Canon or Nikon flashes (depending on which model you order).
Kacey Eli Adapter
Used with the Kacey Speedlight bracket, this adapter is used to attach to your Elinchrom softbox.
Lastolite’s EzyBox Hotshoe Softbox
This softbox is designed to fit most manufacturers’ hot shoe, tilt-head flashes. Its depth is sufficient to provide real softening of the flash and it assembles easily in minutes.
Impact Umbrella Bracket with Adjustable Shoe
This lightweight metal bracket fits on almost any light stand and will accommodate a shoot-through umbrella, which can be tilted.
PocketWizard FlexTT5 Radio Slave Transceiver
The FlexTT5 slides directly into your camera’s hot shoe. Use the camera, on-camera flash, or flash commander controls for flash compensation, zone, and ratio control. Supports single or multiple dedicated flash units.
PocketWizard AC3 ZoneController
Add the AC3 ZoneController to your on-camera MiniTT1 Transmitter or FlexTT5 Transceiver to instantly have three zones of flash control. You’ll have control over all your flashes from your camera position, so you can put your flashes wherever you want, without having to access them during your shoot.
ExpoImaging Rogue 3-in-1 Honeycomb Grid
This grid is designed for hot shoe flashes and is very lightweight. It comes with three different size grids (25° and 45°, which can be combined to create a 16°), so you can choose precisely how tight of a beam you want.
Matthews Flag
Use these square of rectangular frames to control your light. They easily attach to your softbox with included mounting pins.
Westcott Spiderlite TD3 Strip and OctaBox Adapter
This adapter fastens to the TD3 fixture and allows mounting of a Westcott (or other brand) strip or octagonal softbox.
Elinchrom Profoto Adapter
This adapter allows you to use your Profoto strobes with your Elinchrom softboxes.
Elinchrom Rotalux 53″ Midi Octa Softbox
This 53″ softbox features a rotating speed ring mount for exact angle positioning, spring-loaded, self-locking struts for fast, easy setup, and durable snap fasteners to quickly attach the inner diffuser.
Elinchrom 74″ Octa Light Bank
This 74″ softbox features a rotating speed ring mount for exact angle positioning, spring-loaded, self-locking struts for fast, easy setup, and durable snap fasteners to quickly attach the inner diffuser.
Westcott 7′ Parabolic Umbrella
Provides a big, broad light source that wraps light around your subject yielding clean highlights and rich open shadows.
Westcott 54×72″ Shallow Softbox
This size softbox is good for full-length portraits or large product photography. It comes with a carrying case and requires a speed ring (not included) matched to your light.
Elinchrom BXRi 500 Compact Flash Unit
The BXRi500 has a built-in receiver, which gives you not only remote, but wireless triggering regardless of obstructions, at distances up to 394 feet.
ExpoImaging ExpoDisc Digital White Balance Filter
Use this filter to quickly and easily set an accurate custom white balance. Can be used in ambient, studio, or mixed light.
Paul C. Buff Vagabond Mini Lithium
This on-location battery has two 120v outlets, is small and lightweight, and recharges in about 3 hours.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Canon
This medium-telephoto standard lens is good for everything from portraits to sports. It’s great for capturing fast-moving images, allows you to use faster shutter speeds, and is what you want when shooting in low light.
Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 Lens for Nikon
A perfect focal length for distortion-free portraits. This high-performance f/1.4 mid-range telephoto lens offers a bright viewfinder image along with beautiful background blur.
Fog Eliminator Cloths
Fog eliminator cloths are individually wrapped and reusable. They’re saturated with an anti-fog compound that stops condensation from forming on lenses.
Canon 85mm f/1.8 Lens
A highly practical medium-telephoto lens with superb delineation and portability. Images are sharp and clear at all apertures.
Lastolite Collapsible Reflector – 30″ Circular
Use the gold side for a subtle mixture of silver and gold for adding just a hint of color, or use the white side for soft, pure light.
Nikon TC-14E II 1.4x Teleconverter
The TC-14E II has been updated to match with AF-S type lenses, and maintains full metering and focusing with compatible cameras and lenses. It will increase the focal length of your lens by 1.4x and reduce the lens aperture by one f-stop.
Hoya 9-Stop ND x400 ND Filter
Reduces light values by 9 stops to less than 1/500th of its original intensity. Can also be used to achieve super-slow shutter speeds in daylight to render moving subjects invisible or to record movement in subjects such as waterfalls, clouds, or cars.
LEE Filter Big Stopper 10-Stop ND Glass Filter
Use this filter when you need to reduce your exposure by 10 stops. This filter will let you easily blur images, such as moving water, cars, sports, etc. Its effect allows you to use slower shutter speeds, as well as wider lens apertures.
B+W 10-Stop #110 ND Filter
Use this filter to create unique and special effects, like movement and blurring.
LongTime Exposure Calculator App
Use this app with your neutral density filter to capture long exposures. Just tell it which kind of filter you’re using and it will tell you how long to keep the shutter open.
Alex Wise’s Neutral Density (ND Reference Chart)
You can download and print out (and keep in your camera bag) this free handy chart, which tells you how long to leave your shutter open for various ND filters.
Think Tank Photo’s Hydrophobia® Covers
The Hydrophobia covers have a built-in camera strap and lens mounting system (for certain lens models), provide easy access to your camera’s controls, your lens, and tripod, and come with a mesh storage bag.
OP/TECH Rainsleeve™
Use the Rainsleeve to protect your DSLR camera with a lens up 7″ in diameter and 18″ in length. It protects your gear from dust and inclement weather and is designed for shooting hand-held or when using a tripod. Your camera and lens controls are easily visible and operable through the sleeve and a drawstring lens opening offers easy access and a snug fit. Two Rainsleeves are included.
Think Tank Photo Urban Disguise Camera Bags
The Urban Disguise camera bags look professional and their design supports quick access to your gear. They’re perfect for travel and street photography.
Kelly Moore Camera Bags
These beautifully designed camera bags for women look nothing like camera bags-you’d swear they were purses or totes.
Lowepro Exchange Messenger Bag
This camera bag, which looks more like a messenger bag, can carry a DSLR body with lens attached, as well as an extra lens or flash, accessories, and personal items. Its adjustable shoulder strap lets you wear it on your shoulder or across your body.
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-f/5.6 Lens
This is a great travel lens for cropped sensor DSLRs. Its wide-angle-to-zoom focal range gives you a multipurpose lens to get nice shots without having to switch lenses.
Nikon 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
My “go-to” lens for travel, because it covers it all (from wide-angle to tight zoom). It works on both full frame and cropped sensor DSLRs, features a broad zoom range, and it focuses down to 18″ at every focal length.
Tamron 28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 Lens
This macro focus lens for Canon full-frame cameras is an ideal “all-in-one” lens for travel and can be used both indoors and outdoors.
GoBoda Lens Bag
If you only taking one extra lens when you travel, consider taking a lens bag. They’re smaller, they strap across your chest, and they’re just big enough to hold a lens, a cleaning cloth, and a filter or two.
Canon 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Lens
This is the lightest 4x telephoto zoom lens in its class and is ideal for sports, portraits, animals, etc.
