By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

Finding the perfect camera strap is no easy feat. A number of elements go into this decision, including comfort, capability, and of course, style. Usually, you can find a strap with one or maybe two of these qualities, but it’s rare to find one that has all three. If you’re tired of sacrificing your fashion sense for comfort, or are ready for a camera strap that is comfortable to wear during long shoots, you may want to give Abie Camera Straps a chance.

Abie Camera Straps are both practical and fashionable. When you first hold one of these straps in your hand, you can feel the difference—I was impressed with the amount of padding in the strap, as well as the suppleness of the material. I fell in love with two designs in particular: subtle brown suede with an embossed motif, and a lighthearted yellow floral woven design.

By Betsy Finn, Cr.Photog., CPP

I recently had the chance to try out The Polester, created by Longshot Camera Systems. It’s a “camera-on-a-stick” device that allows you to photograph things from a drastically different angle than you could achieve with your own reach (unless, of course, you are Stretch Armstrong).

The rig consists of a camera mount, triggering device with a retractable string (like an extendable dog leash) that extends down to the base of the pole. As you extend the pole, the triggering string remains slightly taut. When I received my review unit, I got a crash course on assembly. In short, you want the vertical portion of the trigger to hug the camera body as closely as possible. The little arm at the top of the trigger is meant to hover over the shutter, and by pulling on the string lightly, you can focus before pulling harder to take the shot.

The camera mount portion of the setup attaches to a double-action locking telescoping pole, which is very nifty. The pole has a handle with a release button, and it allows you to swiftly and easily extend the pole to the height you need.

Components of the Polester assembly. 

Here’s what it looks like when you have everything assembled. I have to say, the trigger mechanism is a very clever invention. ©Betsy Finn

By Don Chick, M.Photog.Cr., CPP

The impressive Nissin Di866 flash is an economical flash option that deserves serious consideration from pro photographers. I tried it out at our annual NHPPA Conference in April and am excited to say that I was more than pleased with the results. I also found the backlit menu was easy to read in low-light conditions and, as a whole, the flash unit menu was easy to navigate while making any necessary changes on the fly.

©Don Chick

I spoke with photographer Steve Sedman about his experience with the Nissin flash on a recent job. Using fast lenses and the appropriate ISO settings, Steve was able to get several hundred flashes from the unit during the course of his event. He also found the ETTL wireless feature worked very smoothly. Comparing notes from our experiences, Steve and I agreed on many reasons photographers may want to purchase this flash. Our only notable negative comment was about the level of noise the flash makes as you adjust zoom settings.

On top of good performance, the reasonable $299 street price makes the Di866 a great buy. That’s nearly 40 percent less expensive than the street price of a Canon Speedlite 580EX II at $475.