Gear Update
Our round-up of the latest digital photography must-haves
More desirable swag for you to salivate at and stick on your wish lists
G-drive Mobile R-series SSD 01 Turbo boost your external storage £130/$179 (for 500GB model) www.g-technology.com
The G-drive Mobile SSD R-series for USB 3.1 Gen 2 offers the fast data transfer speeds we’d expect, but also a water- and dust-resistant case that can stand a 3m drop and a 1000lb crushing force. It comes in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB capacities and each uses a USB 3.1 Gen 2 connection with a max data transfer rate of 560MB/S. We tested the 500GB drive using the Black Magic Speed Test Utility and achieved impressive read/write speeds of 525MB/S and 326MB/S.
Joby Gorillapod 3K Pro 02 Bendy tripod gets a metal makeover £70/$80 www.joby.com
Joby’s bendy-legged tripod can wrap around branches, posts and other bits of scenery. The Gorillapod 3K Pro steps up to anodized aluminium construction, making the new model more durable, stronger and smoother. It also comes with a Ballhead 3K Pro head that offers a 90-degree tilt and a 360-degree pan, and it’s equipped with a small-scale Arca Swiss compatible quick release plate.
Manfrotto Noreg 03
Messenger-30 Versatile and portable – it’s a yes from us £130/$150 www.manfrotto.co.uk
The Noreg is a shoulder bag with a removable padded insert that has its own shoulder strap, so you’ve got a smaller photography bag for photo expeditions. There’s also a removable padded 15-inch laptop sleeve zipped to the back that you can detach and take into meetings or leave at home.
Røde Wireless GO 04 The smallest wireless microphone setup £179/$199 www.rode.com
Two mini units make up this compact mic – a receiver which fits onto the hotshoe of your Canon, and a transmitter that has a built-in lavalier-type mic. Both units have clips that can be attached to clothing or a gadget bag and both have rechargeable batteries with an operating time of up to seven hours. 3.5mm jack sockets connect the receiver to the audio input of your camera and can be used to add an external tie-clip mic to the transmitter.
Skylum Luminar Flex 05 Photo editor now available as a plug-in £54/$59 www.skylum.com
skylum’s latest Luminar 3 release marked a big change that made Luminar a complete all-in-one photo organizing and non-destructive editing tool. It’s now announced a companion version – Luminar Flex – for photographers who want to use Luminar’s extensive creative tools and filters as a plug-in. Flex will work with Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Photoshop Elements and even Photos for macos. It offers the same 50+ filter effects as the current Luminar 3 software, customizable workspaces and more than 70 one-click ‘looks’.
X-rite Colorchecker Passport 06
Photo 2 A must-have for consistent colour £112/$119 www.xpdistribution.com
IT’S been 10 years since the Colorchecker Passport was first introduced – and the anniversary is being marked with an update of this portable plastic colour chart. The second-gen version increases the number of targets from three to four – adding a traditional 18% grey card into the mix. This mid-grey target can be used to assess exposure, check lighting ratios and light distribution.
Zeiss Otus 1.4/100 07 A lens that costs more than any camera! £4000/$4500 www.zeiss.co.uk
The manual focussing Ef-mount Otus 1.4/100 is an ideal match for the 5DS and 5DS R. Its 100mm focal length is suited to producing flattering portraits, with bokeh ensuring a ‘3D pop effect’ that makes focused objects stand out against blurred backgrounds. Aspheric lenses and special glass control distortion and chromatic aberration, and Zeiss’s T* anti-reflective coating is designed to minimize stray light and maximize contrast.