They help you make better pictures, solve multiple problems and put more fun in your photography. They are Photography’s Outstanding Products for 2011, and every one has been lba and/or field tested by Popular Photography’s thoroughly picky editors.
Six of PopPhotos’ 23 selections are on display here, and we have a strong feeling you will love them as we do. For the entire list, click here.
Best for the Studio:
Paul C. Buff Einstein
Monolight This studio strobe is unusually light (1.95kg) and compact for a 640Ws monolight, has an unusually bright (250W) modelling lamp, and can be dialled down to an unusually low power (2.5Ws) by way of-yes-an unusually short (1/13,000 sec) flash duration. This fan-cooled unit has a built-in optical slave, and can fire up to 10 times per second. ($US500, direct; Paulcbuff.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Best for the Fashionista:
Manfrotto Lino Pro Field Jacket
Ever seen a photo jacket that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to wear around town? We have: this insulated, waterproof, wind-resistant Lino model, in stylishly slimming matte black. The larger pockets include removable protective-padding inserts, can be expanded to hold lenses or flash units, and can be contracted via zippers to function as traditional coat pockets. ($US500, street; Manfrotto.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Best for the Tripod:
Manfrotto MH055M8-Q5 Tripod Head
Shooters who do both stills and video can have a head problem: The three-way pan/tilt head that’s right for video doesn’t allow the fast composition that a ballhead does, but there’s no way you’re going to get smooth video panning with a ballhead. This Manfrotto is two heads in one: A swich toggles between ballhead operation and fluid pan/tilt movement. Made of light magnesium, it has adjustable friction, a quick-release shoe, a panning lock, and a removable panning handle that reverses for right-handed or left-handed operation. ($US350, street; Manfrotto.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Best for the Hiker:
Lowepro Photo Sport 200 AW Backpack
We call this a solid hiking pack because it’s almost literally true: A rigid plastic back panel acts something like a hiking frame. Made of water-repellent ripstop fabric, this lightweight (1.3kg) pack has enough room for a DSLR with integrated vertical grip with lens attached, plus an additional lens. Side access to the well-padded camera compartment means you don’t have to take the bag off to get your camera or change a lens. It has tripod straps, pockets and compartments galore, and a built-in waterproof rain cover. ($US200, street, Lowepro.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Best for Fisheye Fun:
7.5mm f/3.5 Rokinon Fisheye MFT
The sole full-coverage fisheye lens in a Micro Four Thirds mount, this Rokinon takes in a breathtaking, wildly curved 180-degree angle of view. Like other Rokinons we’ve tried, it makes up for its no-frills operation (manual aperture and focus only) with a solid build and excellent finish. And it can make for wackedelic video. ($300, street; Rokinon.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Best for the Stylish:
Fujifilm FinePix X100
Quirks, it has a few, but then again, you need only pick up this jewel-like camera to overlook them. Designed like a classic rangefinder (and you know which one), the X100 has two viewfinders in one: a crystal-clear optical bright-frame finder that can switch in a wink to a fine-grain electronic viewfinder that provides 100 per cent framing accuracy at any distance. The fixed 23mm f/2 (35mm equivalent) lens, with an aspheric element plus high-refractive-index glass, showed virtually no light falloff and without a doubt contributed to the camera’s fine showing in our resolution tests. Overall, it earned an Extremely High image quality rating. About those quirks: Too many controls are lost in menus, and the camera will capture only JPEGS (not RAW) at ISO 100 and 12,800 (huh?). But it’s so pretty… ($US1200, street; Fujifilm.com)
For the entire list, click here.
Top Image: Korionov/Shutterstock