|
Page 4 of 4
 More Goodies
A good camera strap can really make a difference. The UPStrap is
extra-long, allowing it to serve as a shoulder strap instead of a neck
strap—this can keep the strap from pressing on your carotid arteries
and cutting off blood flow to the brain when you’re carting a pro D-SLR
with a long lens (so that’s why I forgot to zero the exposure comp
after taking that one shot at +2 EV). Another good strap choice is a
“stretchy” one like those from OpTech. These magically seem to lessen
the weight of your attached gear. I’ve more than once carted a pro SLR
with heavy telephoto zoom lens around for long hikes using the
aforementioned straps and experienced no fatigue. These things work!
Your memory cards are your images. Protect those images by keeping the
cards in the plastic cases that come with them. If you’ve lost the
cases or want to improve on them, an accessory card case is just what
you need. Gepe’s Card Safe Extreme provides waterproof, dustproof,
static-proof and shockproof protection for any combination of up to
four CF, SM, SD and MS cards, and it floats even when fully loaded.
It can be hard to see the image on the LCD monitor in bright conditions
like direct sunlight. A flip-up LCD hood fits over the camera’s
monitor, providing monitor-surface protection when flipped down and a
shaded view of the image when flipped up. Hoodman, Delkin and
Screen-Shade offer such devices.
Perhaps the major drawback of
D-SLRs is that dust can settle on the image sensor (or usually, the
filter just in front of it) each time you change lenses. When this
happens, the dust will appear in every shot until the sensor is
cleaned. Several companies offer sensor-cleaning kits, VisibleDust and
Copper Hill Images among them. Remember that image sensors are fragile.
Be careful, and follow the directions that come with the cleaning kits.
Power
Most D-SLRs (and some compact digital cameras) come with rechargeable
lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries and a charger, and that’s a definite
advantage—you can shoot many shots on a charge and won’t have to buy a
new battery until you’ve recharged the original 300 or more times. Some
entry-level D-SLRs come with four AA alkaline batteries, which won’t
last long in a digital camera. For cameras that accept AA batteries,
it’s best to acquire a set of rechargeable NiMH batteries (at least
2300mAh) and a charger or some AA lithium batteries. Both will provide
far more shots than standard alkaline AAs; the rechargeable type can be
used again and again, while the lithium cells have a very long shelf
life and good cold-weather performance.
Regardless of what
type of battery your camera uses, always have at least one spare (or
spare set, if the camera uses more than one battery) with you. It’s
annoying to run out of power just when you find something great to
photograph.
If your camera uses proprietary batteries, it’s
always safest to go with the camera manufacturer’s batteries for spares
(at least one manufacturer is introducing a D-SLR that won’t accept
other-brand batteries). But if you’re on a tight budget, you can save
some money by buying batteries from a reputable independent battery
supplier. If your camera uses common batteries, such as AAs, just stick
with a major brand of the proper spec, and you’ll be fine.
You
might consider a battery grip for your camera. This attaches to the
bottom of the camera via the tripod socket and provides more battery
power as well as a more comfortable grip for those with larger hands.
Many grips provide a second set of controls for convenient
vertical-format shooting. The battery grip generally holds two of the
standard camera batteries, or six AA batteries, which is handy should
you run out of power in a location where only AAs are available.
|
Buyer's Guides 
