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Accessory Roundup: Batteries, memory cards, printers, and more

Accessory Roundup: Batteries, memory cards, printers, and more

DPReview News
Images: Canon, Manfrotto, SmallHD

Another week has passed, and that means another crop of accessories and photography-related products from manufacturers. This time around, we've got a lot of color and some cheaper storage options. Before we get to that, though, let's look at...

This week's deal

It's Labor Day in the US, so there are plenty of sales around. You can nab the Sony a6100, one of our top budget picks, for $599 body only – that's around $150 off.

$691 with kit lens at Amazon

Also on sale is the Nikon Z8, a camera that won a gold reward when we reviewed it and still sits atop our best high-end cameras buying guide. You can grab the body for $200 off at several US retailers.

$4,696 with 24-120mm f/4 lens at Amazon

Red batteries...

Image: Manfrotto

Manfrotto has updated its lineup of third-party batteries, which come wrapped in a striking red shell versus the usual black casing. It's made Mark II versions of its Canon LP-E6Nh type and Nikon EN-EL15c type batteries, which offer 2400mAh capacities compared to the 2000mAh ratings for the previous versions. Canon's official version costs $79 and has a capacity of 2130mAh, while Nikon's $60 battery holds 2280mAh.

The company is also now offering batteries for other manufacturers as well, with versions of Fujifilm's NP-W235, Sony's NP-FZ100, and OM System's BLX-1 batteries, all of which cost $60 and have the same 2400mAh capacity as the Canon and Nikon versions. If you are considering picking one up, just be sure to check the compatibility lists; the one for the Nikon battery lists the Z6 and Z6 II but not the latest Z6 III and the Canon model similarly omits the EOS R5 II (which has had some issues with third-party batteries).


Buy now:

For select Canon cameras For select Nikon cameras
$60 at B&H
$60 at B&H
For select Fujifilm cameras For select Sony cameras
$60 at B&H
$60 at B&H
For OM System OM-1
$60 at B&H

... and a color monitor

A more elegant (and expensive) way to color-code gear than gaff tape.

Image: SmallHD

SmallHD is adding a splash of color to its Ultra 7 camera monitor, which is meant for video professionals. You can now get the 2300-nit touchscreen display with buttons, a joystick and bumpers that are colored red, blue, green, yellow, olive green, orange, teal, purple, pink or gray, instead of the standard black. It is, however, a $200 add-on.

If you buy one of SmallHD's monitor bundles with the Bolt 6 wireless transmitter, you'll get an extra splash of color on its antenna band. SmallHD says you'll be able to buy those colorful antenna bands on their own "soon," but says the colors on the monitor itself are "custom-made to order in our factory and are not user changeable." That custom-made aspect also means there's a 6 to 8-week lead time for the colorful options.


Buy now:

$3,199 at SmallHD

CFexpress Type A for less

If you're looking for a less expensive CFexpress Type A card, you're about to have more options. ProGrade and Angelbird have announced lower capacity entries in their memory card lineups. The former has released a 120GB card that retails for $159.99, and the latter has released 160GB and 330GB cards for $180 and $250, respectively.

If those prices seem unusually high, you may be thinking of the faster and physically larger CFexpress Type B cards, which you can usually pick up for quite a bit less. CFexpress Type A, meanwhile, is quite a bit rarer; at the time of writing, B&H carries around 50 Type A models versus almost 170 Type B ones.

It is worth noting that these cards have a speed trade-off as well as a capacity one; they're built using the CFexpress 2.0 standard rather than the newer 4.0 one that uses a twice-as-fast connection. Of course, 4.0 cards are even more expensive; ProGrade's 4.0 offerings start with a 480GB 'Iridium' card that retails for $390.

Still, if you have a camera like the Sony A9 III, FX30, or A7R V and you'd rather fill the slots with CFexpress cards than SD ones, you now have a less expensive option to do so.


Buy now:

Angelbird 160GB

Angelbird 330GB
$180 at B&H
$250 at B&H

A new large format printer

Image: Canon

Canon has announced the imagePROGRAF Pro-1100, a large format inkjet printer aimed at professional photographers. It's an update to the previous Pro-1000 model and uses a new ink system, which Canon says will improve image quality as well as scratch and light resistance. It can print bordered or borderless images up to 43cm x 56cm (17in x 22in) and retails at $1,300 – the same price its predecessor launched at in 2015.

The Return of the King

There's no way to justify this video's inclusion on an accessory list, even though one could argue that the greatest accessory is your knowledge. However, Every Frame a Painting's return feels like such a monumental internet event that it'd be a shame if you didn't hear about it.

Over a decade ago, Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou started creating some of the best video essays on filmmaking ever to grace the internet, and anyone who's into any kind of visual arts could likely learn a thing or two by watching them. (The one about tracking shots is a good place to start, though there are no wrong answers.) The bittersweet news is that it won't take very long because seven years ago, they stopped uploading entirely. Now, they're back with a new video on two-shots as part of a 'limited series' of essays.

It's so good to see two masters of their craft at work again.