While the Canon EOS 5D Mark II has been getting all the hype since it’s release. However, the 50D which came out about the same time has been getting virtually zero publicity because of it’s bigger brothers full-frame sensor and video capabilities. So let’s take a good look at the EOS 50D and see if it is really worth an upgrade or if its just a minor refresh of the previous 40D.

We have all seen green screens used in special effects for films or by high-end professionals to composite images together. One of the problems with doing green screen work has always been the cost of a good green screen backdrop and affordable lighting kits. As we have seen in the past, PhotoBasics has brought the power of green screen production to the masses with an affordable new green screen kit.

Once in a while a product comes along that is so clever, so right, it is just a “must have” product. While at PMA, I stumbled on such a product. The SpyderCUBE by Datacolor is one of those products. Nothing it does is really new, but it does everything right, in a small package, with more features than most any competitive product on the market.

I am a huge fan of my Westcott Spiderlite TD-5 studio lights with their nice soft output, low energy use, and cool operation. While they have always been great for product photography I never really liked using them for portraits because they just didn’t put out enough light. Westcott has released some new high wattage bulbs for the TD-5’s to address the needs of these types of situations.

I am always looking for the next great camera bag, especially something that offers convenience, comfort, and functionality so I was very interested in the new Pampas sling-style backpack from Vanguard.

At first look, the sling style would allow you to rotate the back to your front to have access your gear and then fling it back over your shoulder where it acts like a normal backpack.

We have looked at different types and styles of camera bags but the Vanguard 53 isn’t your normal camera bag. The Supreme 53 is a hard-sided case more at home in the cargo compartment of an airplane than it is being used as a daily equipment hauler. While other companies selling hard cases have been around for many years, Vanguard has a lot to live up to. Let’s take a look at at the Supreme 53 and see if Vanguard has succeeded in building a better mouse trap.

I have seen grown men shiver and quake in the shoes at the thought of cleaning the sensor on their DSLR by themselves. The sheer anxiety of sticking something into your expensive camera body has left many people with the only option for dust removal being a stop at a camera shop or repair center for a cleaning. In this article we will look at how to clean your camera’s sensor the safe and easy way and dispel some myths around the black art of sensor cleaning.

Studio strobes are expensive and when you need lots of light but when you want to use them on location somewhere you have to find electrical outlets and possibly use long unwieldy extensions cords. But what happens when there is no power available at all? Using a generator is not recommended unless you can find one with a true sine wave inverter and even then, the peak times of the strobes when recycling can put an excessive strain on the generator. Innovatronix has a solution with their Explorer XT portable power source.

I have always been a proponent of keeping my cameras looking brand new. A big piece of keeping your camera new is protecting the screens. This has been an age-old issue that affects all modern, digital cameras from point and shoots to professional SLRs. With typical protectors seeming overprices at $10 to $15 for a piece of plastic film smaller than the palm of your hand, why would you spend quite a bit more than that for the Giottos Camera Screen Protectors? We needed to try these out and see if they were worth the extra cost.

In the beginning there was the original Lensbaby lens, a simple bellows system with push-pull focus and left/right and up/down sweet spot selection. Then came the Lensbaby 3G that allowed you to fine tune the sweet spot after locking it down so that you can easily repeat the same shot and settings.

Now, the Lensbaby Composer promises a lens that is easier to use, better control over focusing, and a selection of different optic inserts to give you a variety of different effects.