Photography News issue 26

Photography News Issue 26 absolutephoto.com

57 Accessories test

RAY FLASH ring flash modifier £99

PERMAJET FB Baryta papers A4 test pack £12

TENBA Cable Duo 8 £19 Tool Box 8 bags £30

BOUNCELITE Solo flash modifier £100

MANFROTTO Pixi Evo mini tripod £45

SAMSUNG SSD Portable SSD T1 1TB £300

Permajet FB Baryta papers A4 test pack £12

you want, either straight at the subject, or a surface. Due to the way it attaches to the head, it can be rotated, letting you use it in the same configuration whether vertical or horizontal. The Solo also comes with a case and slot-in filter cassettes. bouncelite.com Solid-state drives (SSDs) are the future of storage and there’s really no argument about that; in ten years they’ll make the spinning disks of regular hard-drives look as outdated as vinyl LPs (but not as cool, of course). The advantage of SSDs is that, as their name implies, they have no moving parts, so there’s less chance of them going wrong and they’re a lot less sensitive to impact or vibration. Essentially they work the same way as the RAM in your computer; so they’re faster and quieter than disk-drives, too. Many high-end computers already use them internally, but here’s a portable version – the Samsung T1. With a read/write speed of up to 450MB/s you’ll be able to backup your images ultra fast, or edit them from the disk without lag. Your data is encrypted for security and, at 9.2x71x53.2mm, the SSD T1 is not much bigger than a credit 11 Samsung SSD Portable SSD T1 1TB £300

card. With its black chrome finish, it also looks great – who wouldn’t want one for Christmas? samsung.com/uk

likely to be a curse than a benefit. The modifiers you use depend on the subject you’re shooting and how you want to portrait it, so it’s normal to have a range at your disposal. Here’s one which does a great job on a variety of subjects – the Ray Flash. It will fit onto most speedlights and two versions are available to cater for different camera bodies. The Ray Flash channels the light into a ring and produces the same effect as a traditional ringflash, making it great for macro photography, but also very useful on portraits, as it gives a wraparound look and distinctive catchlights. Light and portable, the Ray Flash has no flash tubes or electronics of its own, so it’ll last a lifetime with the right care, while you can use it with your camera’s TTL flash metering for quick and easy shooting. flaghead.co.uk Keeping your gear organised is important, especially if you’re shooting on location; onemisplacedsparebattery,trigger,cable, or Allen key could be game-over. So, to get your accessories in order and accessible try a dedicated bag like those in the Tenba Tools range. At 22x21x7cm and 113g, the Cable Duo 8 is a soft case that offers 9 Tenba Cable Duo 8 £19 Tool Box 8 bags £30

storage on both sides of a central divider; a clear plastic window means you can quickly seewhat’s insidewithout exposing it to the elements and the gear on side is held by elasticated loops, keeping cables and small tools secure. At 19x22x8cm and 300g, the Tool Box 8 has a rigid frame, and it’s also padded to give more protection making it ideal for sensitive gear like flash triggers, microphones or filters. Much like a regular camera bag, its inner has movable dividers allowing you to resize the spaces for a snug fit and, as with the Cable Duo, the front is clear. tenba.com Regular diffusers offer only one method of softening light, either channelling the flash through a panel, or reflecting it so it bounces and scatters. But with its unique design the Bouncelite does both, so you can cook up an endless range of effects. Fitting over the head of a speedlight, it attaches using a strong rubber belt, and spacers are included to take up slack for a secure fit. The central diffuser dominates the front, and the flash is concentrated by a reflective inner; this works well, but open the hinged door on top and you can set the flash to bounce wherever 10 Bouncelite Solo flash modifier £100

The beauty of home printing is the huge range of finishes available, and you can try out some great examples using this PermaJet test pack. Representing the new PermaJet fibre-base (FB) Baryta range for 2015 – refreshed with multi- layer technology, coating processes and enhanced alpha cellulose base materials – there are five papers to enjoy (three sheets of each) and together they offer a pleasing mix of weights and lustres from glossy to matte, each with a distinctive darkroom- printed feel. The pack includes FB Gold Silk 315, FB Royal Gloss 310, FB Distinction 320, FB Satin 310, and FB Matt 285 and each performs excellently. Choice is subjective and depends on the look you’re after, but our personal favourite is the FB Gold Silk with its deep blacks being great for mono work. There’s also an A7-sized swatch of each so you can identify themmore easily; so get this make some test prints, pick the one you like, and then go for a full pack. permajet.com Ray Flash ring flash modifier £99 A flash is only as good as how it’smodified; naked and uncontrolled the light is more 8

Manfrotto Pixi Evomini tripod £45

No photographer’s kit should be without a mini tripod; small enough to pocket, a tiny set of legs means that you can shoot locked-off low-light shots, long exposures or timelapse sequences in a huge variety of spaces where a regular tripod wouldn’t be suitable; you can also use one position a flash or LED panel. Manfrotto’s Pixi Evo is a great example. Building on the success of the original Pixi, the Evo’s legs now feature a sliding section allowing it to be positioned at a wider range of heights, up to 19.5cm. The sliding selector can be used in five different positions and the legs themselves can be placed at two angles, so you can shoot as low as 6cm, as well setting the legs independently to deal with uneven surfaces. The integrated head lets youmount a camera at 90º, and despite weighing only 267g, the Evo has a solid construction using aluminium and high-grade plastic, and supports weights of up to 2.5kg, so will easily take a DSLR and lens. manfrotto.co.uk