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Photographer’s Toolbox

Accessories every photographer should know and use

This Article Features Photo Zoom

Sensor Cleaning
Many cameras now include dust-removal technologies that literally shake the dust off of the camera’s sensors. While very convenient and effective, it’s a good idea to have the tools for manual dust removal, just in case.

If you shoot a lot outdoors or switch lenses frequently, the camera’s sensor is going to get dusty and dirty. The Zeeion blower by VisibleDust prevents dust particles from reattaching immediately after blowing them away by neutralizing static charges and ejecting cleaner air back to the sensor’s surface. Estimated Street Price: $37.

The Dust-Shield from Dust-Aid is an optic-quality disposable filter that prevents dust from entering the D-SLR chamber when changing lenses. The filter uses high light-transmittance optical film for unobstructed autofocusing and image capturing. It’s held in place with a removable, nonresidue adhesive. Estimated Street Price: $19.

The Digital Survival Kit from Photographic Solutions contains all the wet cleaning tools needed for camera sensors and lenses. The kit contains four Sensor Swabs, 10 PEC*PAD lint-free photo wipes, an e-wipe pad, 0.5 fluid ounces of Eclipse or E2 cleaning fluid and a nylon, zippered travel pouch. The Sensor Swabs are guaranteed not to do any damage to the sensor. Estimated Street Price: $22.

Multimedia Viewers
These handy devices are the ultimate travel companions. Not only do they let you view and share your images on a much larger LCD than that on your D-SLR, but they also serve as backup storage. Leave your laptop in the hotel safe and drop this in your camera bag instead. Your shoulders will thank you.

With its new tethering capability, the Epson P-7000 Multimedia Viewer now allows you to view and save images directly to it as you’re shooting. You also can control basic camera functions remotely. This new functionality is available via a firmware update. Other key features include a built-in memory-card reader for backing up images to the 160 GB hard drive, a four-inch LCD display and support for JPEG and RAW. Estimated Street Price: $799.

The JOBO GIGA Vu SONIC stores up to 250 GB, features a bright, high-resolution, 3.2-inch display and can transfer up to 1 GB in 30 seconds. Images can be viewed as thumbnails or as a slideshow, and they can be rotated by 90, 180 or 270 degrees. There’s a multilevel zoom function, histogram display and real RAW file decoding that’s compatible with more than 100 formats. All popular memory-card formats are supported. Estimated Street Price: $430 (250 GB).

The high-capacity Wolverine ESP lineup, which includes a 250 GB model, delivers a 3.6-inch LCD, an FM tuner and recorder and a 7-in-1 media-card reader. Additionally, video recording is possible via an optional cradle. There’s also a built-in speaker and a high-capacity, long-life battery that reportedly plays music continually for 13 hours before it needs to be recharged. Estimated Street Price: $439 (250 GB).

More Great Gear
If holding a pen and pad feels like a more natural way of working with images, Wacom pen tablets offer an ideal way of digitally replicating that method. The latest Wacom Intuos4 models feature 2,048 levels of pressure sensitivity—double the sensitivity of previous models. The customized ExpressKey displays are illuminated so you don’t have to remember the shortcuts you’ve assigned to them. The tablets come in four sizes. Estimated Street Price: $229 to $789.

Aqua Case protects your compact camera in harsh environments. It’s waterproof down to 100 feet and also comes in handy for using in dusty or windy conditions. The camera buttons are accessible through the clear, soft case, and the airtight seal makes it, and the camera within, buoyant. So if dropped in water, Aqua Case will float to the surface. It’s available in a range of sizes. Estimated Street Price: $35.

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