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Accessory Roundup: outdoor camera bags, beautiful card readers, and more
DPReview NewsImages: Angelbird, 3 Legged Thing, Peak Design |
Happy weekend, everyone! It's been a busy week here at DPReview, covering the launch of the Sony a1 II, but we've still found some accessories worth taking a look at. But first, as always, let's check out the deals.
It's almost time
Next week, the US is celebrating Thanksgiving, which is shortly followed by the traditional shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Many brands have already started their sales, so there's plenty of discounts to be had. Next week we'll be putting out an article rounding up some of the best prices on our favorite gear, so stay tuned for that.
Photo: Richard Butler |
In the meantime, Nikon's at it with the sales again. The company's latest full-frame camera, the Z6III, can be had for $200 off. When we reviewed it earlier this year, we were impressed by its versatility and capability for shooting both stills and videos.
$2,296 at B&H $2,296 at Adorama $2,296 at AmazonPhoto: Dan Bracaglia |
What's that? You're not impressed by a mere $200 off? Fair enough. You can still get the Nikon Z8 for $500 off list, but the real jaw-dropper is the Nikon Z7 II, which is available for a full $1,000 off MSRP. It's a decidedly last-gen camera at this point and doesn't feature the company's latest autofocus tech that impressed us so much in the Z8 and Z6III, but if you're looking for a high-res full-frame camera to shoot landscapes with, it's hard to imagine that you'll find something better for $2,000.
$1,996 at B&H $1,996 at Amazon $1,996 at AdoramaGet outdoors
Image: Peak Design |
A few months ago, Peak Design announced a new lineup of outdoor-focused camera bags, made of durable, weather-resistant materials and designed to be comfortable to wear on long excursions through varied terrain while carrying the gear you need to get the perfect landscape shot.
Previously, the bags – two backpacks and two slings – were available to preorder on Kickstarter, but they're now available to buy via normal retail channels. If you want to learn more about the bags, be sure to check out our full article on them here.
Peak Design Outdoor Pack
25L $250 at Amazon 45L $330 at Amazon Buy at B&HPeak Design Outdoor Sling
2L $59 at Amazon 7L $89 at Amazon Buy at B&HBeautiful card readers
Red is CFexpress type A, blue is SD, and yellow is CFexpress type B. Image: Angelbird |
Angelbird, a company best known for its SSDs and memory cards, has released a new lineup of card readers called the PKT series. As the "pocket" name implies, they're meant to be carried around; the USB-C port on them is recessed to reduce wear and tear, the card slot has a cover to prevent dust or lint from building up in them and they have a write protection switch that can help prevent accidental data deletion or formating.
There are three models: one for SD cards, which can transfer data at 5 Gbps, and CFexpress type A and B models, which both run at 20Gbps through a USB-C 3.2 Gen 2x2 connection.
The PKT readers certainly aren't cheap – each one costs around $100 – but they sure do look nice. They're made out of aluminum, which you can get engraved with custom text for no extra cost, and each one features a distinctive splash of color so you can tell which reader you're grabbing at a glance. They also include a three-year warranty and a 32 cm (12.6") USB 4 cable.
SD reader | $99 at Amazon $99 at B&H |
CFexpress type A reader | $99 at Amazon $99 at B&H |
CFexpress type B reader | $99 at Amazon $99 at B&H |
Rig out your iPhone 16
PolarPro's iPhone case lets you add accessories without having to use an entire cage Image: PolarPro |
Filter and camera accessory company PolarPro has updated its 'LiteChaser' iPhone case lineup to support Apple's latest phones and add even more attachment options, including a set of effects lenses that can be used with your phone's main camera.
There are a few case options; the base one lets you attach filters and lenses and comes with a removable grip with two 1/4-20 threads and a cover that can flip down to protect your phone's cameras, while the 'ProCase' includes all that plus a cold-shoe mount that you can use to add even more mounting points to your phone. For those who like using their phone without a case, there's an easily removable 'EXO' backplate that attaches via MagSafe and gives you a slot to add filters and lenses.
The company sells a variety of specially made filters for the system, including a 2-5 variable ND, a black mist filter, and a circular polarizer, as well as an adapter that lets you use standard 67mm screw-on filters. The filters it made for the iPhone 15 version of the case are also forward-compatible, so you can still use them if you've upgraded your phone.
3 Legged Microphone
Image: 3 Legged Thing |
3 Legged Thing's latest product isn't a tripod or other apparatus to mount a camera; instead, it's a set of clip-on lavalier microphones that you can use to record – you guessed it – three people at once. The company pitches the system, called the 'Str3amcase' towards content creators and videographers doing interviews, livestreams, or vlogs.
The kit comes with two transmission modules and one receiver module, which can also pull double-duty as a microphone, though given the lack of onboard recording you'll have to find a way to discretely run a cable off it. If you don't need to record a third person, you can clip it to a camera's shoe mount instead of a collar and use its 3.5mm jack to output audio. You can also connect it to a phone via USB-C.
The transmission modules have their own clips, but can also be magnetically attached to things as well. If you'd rather not use the built-in microphones, you can also attach a lavalier to them via a 3.5mm jack.
The two transmitter modules and receiver module nestle into a charging case that's powered via USB-C.
$130 at 3 Legged Thing