Almost every fashionista out there knows about the power and importance of accessories. Photographers, fashionistas, or not, also know that accessories are not only niceties, they are downright mandatory for all photographers in the digital age. Let us look at some innovative accessories that have hit B&H Photo over the past couple of years.
1. Gnarbox
There are portable backup devices for digital images, and then there is the Gnarbox. The biggest difference between the Gnarbox and a regular boring external hard drive is that the Gnarbox lets you organize and edit your images and videos with your mobile device—even raw files! Now you can leave your heavy laptop at home and use your phone as if it were your editing suite. Pretty cool! Check out our hands-on review here.
2. Canon SELPHY Printer
The proof of the picture is in the printing, but printers are not generally portable, so turning your digital images into prints is usually a process that happens well after capture. You can use instant film and an instant camera, but, if you are shooting digital images and you want to share 4 x 6 prints almost instantly, the Canon SELPHY CP1300 Compact Printer is your most innovative option. It’s perfect for events and parties. When was the last time you shared a print?
Check out our other mobile printers here.
3. Angler ParaSail Parabolic Umbrella
The photo umbrella has been ubiquitous in the light-shaping world since the early days of artificial lighting for photos. I remember dad using silver umbrellas to pose us for family portraits when I was a kid. Angler has changed the umbrella by changing the traditional shape, making it much more versatile, with the ParaSail Parabolic Umbrella. Not only can you adjust the reflective surface to meet your needs, but the shape of the ParaSail allows you to use it in places where a traditional umbrella would never fit.
4. Luxli Viola On-Camera LED Light
Artificial lighting for your camera allows unlimited creative illuminating possibilities. Unfortunately, most lighting systems are virtual one-trick-ponies unless you add accessories. The Luxli Viola On-Camera LED light is an accessory with creative accessories built in. Luxli produced a video demonstrating the versatility of the lighting system, using a handful of Violas, and we took a behind-the-scenes look at how the company did it. Check it out and imagine the creative images you can capture with the Viola.
5. Angler Collapsible LED Softbox
LED light panels are revolutionizing the photographic light market. Lightweight, powerful, cool to the touch—LEDs have been steadily gaining in popularity for years. But the light can be a bit harsh. Fret not—Angler has invented the Collapsible Softbox for your 12x12" LED or 6x12" LED panel lights. It comes with an optional grid for directing the light, does not require a speed ring or other attachment system, and collapses into a small storage bag so that your LED panel setup stays super portable.
6. miggo Splat
Tripods are essential for many types of photography. However, even with travel tripods and tabletop tripods, the single largest discourager for carrying them with you 24/7 is the size and bulk of the kit. Enter the miggo Splat SLR Flexible Mini Tripod. The largest Splat can support 2.6 pounds—plenty of support for many camera/lens combinations when you want to stabilize your rig for that impromptu night landscape shot. Two smaller versions are designed for lighter loads, and the flexible device allows you to wrap it around poles and other structures.
7. DxO ONE
The DxO ONE is not an accessory for your camera—it is a camera that is an accessory for your phone. You’ve heard it and read it before: “The best camera is the one you have with you.” As amazing as the smartphone camera has become, the DxO ONE is basically a “real camera” for your iPhone. The DxO ONE Pack, exclusively from B&H Photo, combines a memory card, outdoor shell, and DxO software. The outdoor shell lets you keep your iPhone safely in your pocket while taking photos in heavy rain or underwater, to 150' depths (please don’t dive with your iPhone in any depth of water!). Check out our DxO ONE field test.
8. Wacom Intuos
The Wacom Intuos Pro Pen Tablet may fall under the category of the accessory you did not know you needed. We all learned how to write before we learned to type. And most of us, I think, learned how to draw before we learned how to take photographs. The computer mouse is better than ever—ergonomic, precise, familiar. But, holding a pen is something even more natural and comfortable for most of us. Combine that with the flexibility and pressure-sensitive precision of the Wacom, and those who spend lots of time post-processing their images experience a game-changer.
9. Xcellon USB 3.0 Type-C Mini Docking Station
I am going to resist jumping on a soapbox about the banishment of USB ports, card readers, and headphone jacks from a certain company’s products. You are welcome. But, I feel your pain and you feel mine. Thankfully, we have accessories like the Xcellon USB 3.0 Type-C Mini Docking Station to let us plug our stuff into our new(er) things.
10. Lumu Power Color and Light Meter
Like tripods, light meters are very useful, but not always carried around, because many of us try to travel light whenever we can. Continuing a popular theme that owes itself to the power of the smartphone, the Lumu Power Color & Light Meter is a light meter that attaches to your Lightning-port-compatible iPhone or iPad. It also reads color temperature, a rare feature usually only found on high-end color and light meters.
What innovative accessories have changed the way you pursue your photographic passions? What can you not live without, and what do you wish you had? Let us know, below!