Accessories

Most people hear the phrase GPS and they thing navigation systems and turn-by-turn directions. Well, there is something called geotagging that I first read about in the book, Flickr Hacks. Geotagging is the practice of adding geographical information (usual latitude and longitute) to things such as websites, pages, videos, or in this case, photos.

Short story: In 2006, we went on a tour along the Road to Hana, which is a popular driving tour through the untouched eastern coast of Maui. We took all the great photos of bridges and waterfalls and the ocean, but when we got home, we couldn’t tell any of them apart.

The answer, was geotagging, and to make the process even easier, getting this GPS Travel Recorder did all the work for us. It is also relatively painless, too. The GPS recorder connects to satellites and logs your coordinates at certain intervals (say, 5 seconds) and saves them with the satellite’s time data. Then, as you’re taking photos, each photo obviously is saved with the date and time you took the picture. All you need is software (I use JetPhoto for this part) that matches up the time data from both the GPS logs and each photo you took and saves them as part of the photo.

Then what? Sites like Flickr can actually read that location data (referred to as EXIF) and automatically display your photos on a map. So, when we did the Road to Hana tour in 2008, we have a map to know where everything is.

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Not an obvious add-on for a camera, unless you’re doing portrait studio work, I picked up this AC adapter kit for my Canon EOS 20D. I was reading up on doing some astrophotography and in the process, realized that the Canon software that came with my camera allowed me to control my camera from my laptop. Very cool, and very geeky.

So, after trying out the software and doing a test time lapse series with it, I knew I was going to have more fun and needed to pick up the power cord for extended, automated shooting sessions that would otherwise drain the battery.

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This was also another item that I purchased to help shoot the stars. When pointing your camera on the tripod upwards at a 30 to 60 degree angle, it becomes harder to view what you’re focusing on. That is, of course, unless you’re really good at limbo. This guy helps you stay nice as cozy without laying on the ground (or in the sand when I was stargazing on the beach in Maui).

A few mixed reactions on this one. First, I don’t know what I was expecting, but the photo on Amazon makes this seem a lot bigger than it really is. Once you get this tiny small box, you’re like "huh?" The next thing that hits you is the price you paid for this tiny little thing. Sheesh.

Anyway, while it took a little getting used to (about an hour or so), it turned out to be rather helpful for those glimpses up into the sky. It is compatable with a wide range of Canons and other brands, but be sure to check for your model before you spend this much cash.

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I know what you’re thinking, he’s really listing a memory card here? Isn’t that common sense? Well, I decided to do it anyway.

I’ve started to become partial to SanDisk for my removable media cards, although everyone does have their favorites. The Ultra II series card that I have is pretty fast when shooting multiple frames per second as long as you’re not in RAW mode, which slows it down noticably. Speaking of RAW mode, if you do shoot a lot with RAW+JPG, be sure you have at least a 4GB card. With my 8MP Canon, the average RAW+JPG photo combo is about 9MB, so it fills up fast.

The last of my astrophotography goodies, the remote switch is a very simple piece of equipment that makes you feel like you could work in the Sears Portrait Studio if you wanted to. By having a remote switch for the shutter, it reduce noise caused by camera shake that occurs when you press down on the normal shutter button when the camera is on a tripod. That might not seem like much, but when you’re doing longer exposures of things like the stars or long motion shots like car tail lights or waterfalls, it makes a difference.

Next, my Canon 20D has a "bulb" exposure setting, which for the longest time, I didn’t know what to use it for. Turns out, a bulb exposure can be captured with a remote switch like this one by holding the button down until you’re done, giving you the ability to go past the 30 second exposure setting that was the max on my camera. This switch even has a shutter lock on it, so you can just set it and leave it be until you’re done. I tried that out with a few attempts at star trails in the sky, but didn’t stick around long enough.

Also, it’s helpful for that odd occasion where you’re taking that group photo at the family picnic and you have your tripod and everything set up all nicely. Then, you need to have someone else hit the switch and they’re looking at your DSLR like it was something from outer space. Just give them this remote switch and have them press the button without messing with the camera itself.

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I bought this one right around the time I bought the camera, after reading some notes to it online. I haven’t really shot much without it on the camera, as it makes using the viewfinder a lot more comfortable. I’m a bigger guy, so if you’re a little more petite, you might not necessarily need something like this. Reading some of the info, though, it seems to be helpful for people that where glasses, to the point where they can adjust the diopter in the eyepiece to shoot without them.

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Another common sense accessories, I realize. I will say, though, that I have really enjoyed the battery life for my Canon 20D over the last two and a half years. I always follow the "better safe than sorry" mantra and carry that extra battery with me, but I really need to change them out in the middle of shooting. This Canon has been very energy efficient and having a second battery has been more of a convienence when charging on while shooting with the other more than anything else.

As far as camera bags go, this backpack is really nice. It features a clever design with multiple zipper pockets and storage, as well as padded compartments inside for everything from lenses to filters to cables. Didn’t need it right away, however, once I started accumulating all the neat toys you see here, I won’t normally travel far without it.

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