Gear Update
Our round-up of the latest digital photography must-haves
A myriad of new Canon based kit to tempt you away from your money
Benro GD3WH Geared Head 01 More controllable tripod shooting £200/$279 www.benroeu.com
Benro’s new GD3WH offers +90/-30 degrees of horizontal and vertical tilt, and its gearing can be disengaged for a faster setup. A trio of bubble levels help ensure your Canon stays level, and these are positioned around an Arca-style quick release plate for maximum compatibility with other heads. Magnesium alloy construction keeps weight down to 870g, but is tough enough to support up to 6kg.
Billingham Hadley Small Pro 02 Good things can come in small packages £200/$279 www.billingham.co.uk
The hadley Small Pro shoulder bag fills the gap between the Hadley Small and Hadley Pro. Its interior dimensions of 260x 80x190mm are identical to the Hadley Small, but it packs additional features to better cater for pro users. A top-mounted, leather-clad carry handle improves ergonomics. As with other Hadley bags, you get a customizable padded interior.
Hähnel Pro Cube II 03 Hähnel refines its versatile battery charger £70/$99 www.hahnel.ie
Procube can charge two Canon DSLR batteries, or four AAS. This second iteration charges 17% faster thanks to a powerful AC/DC adaptor that’s also 20% lighter. It now includes a mah reading that tells you how much capacity has been added during charging. The Canon edition is compatible with LP-E6, LP-E8, and LP-E17 batteries, which plug into a swappable charging plate. This now attaches to the charger body with a more convenient cable-less design, making it easier to swap to the AA charging plate.
Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5-5X 04
Ultra Macro Mega magnification for full-frame Canons £287/ $399 www.venuslens.net
lawoa’s latest macro offering boasts up to 5x (or a 5:1) magnification ratio. This requires you to be a close 17.3cm from your subject, but Laowa promises outstanding sharpness and minimal fringing from the 8-element optical stack. Focussing is manual only, but this does suit precise macro control.
Loupedeck 05 An ergonomic boost for your photo editing £249, $259 www.loupedeck.com
even if you’re a Lightroom pro and have memorized its keyboard shortcuts, using a mouse to adjust settings and sliders can be fiddly and time consuming. Loupedeck is a console of shortcut buttons, wheels and dials that give you control of Lightroom’s most used settings. 12 dials let you adjust essential options like contrast, exposure and white balance, and these are flanked by buttons for other common tasks. Loupedeck is compatible with Lightroom 6 and newer, on Windows and Mac.
06 Manfrotto Lumimuse 8
Bluetooth These darling lights just got more loveable £130, $180 www.manfrotto.co.uk
lumimuse lights provide continuous lighting in a highly portable package. The Lumimuse 8 is a powerful model, with a max output of 550 Lux and four expansive dimming options, yet even with an aluminium body it weighs a featherlite 140g. This latest version of the Lumimuse 8 adds Bluetooth connectivity so you can remotely control its light output, along with 12 additional panels, from an Apple IOS smart device.
Think Tank Storyteller bags 07 Budget bags that don’t compromise From £60/$65 www.thinktankphoto.com
Think Tank’s new trio of Storyteller shoulder bags will keep your Canon protected without breaking the bank. Even the largest 30.5x26x16cm Storyteller 10 costs a reasonable £80/$85 and will hold a Canon EOS 5DS body, two to four standard telephoto lenses and a 10in tablet. The Storyteller 8 is 5cm shorter and is designed for a slightly smaller DSLR kit, while the smallest Storyteller 5 complements an EOS M CSC setup.