Just Out – December 2003

Good-Bye to Computer Chaos
If your computer is cluttered with files and folders in disarray, organize it with iView Media ($30 download, Mac or PC), and iViewMediaPro ($160 street, Mac only). With these management programs, you can batch rename, add comments, and annotate your images, sounds, and movie files. And if you don’t feel like inputting the info yourself, the software will recognize and import metadata from your digital camera, including EXIF, IPTC, and QuickTime. Just drag and drop images into iView, or download them directly from your digital camera. iView also helps with printing and web-page generation. And once you’ve got your stuff organized, you can archive your catalogs onto CD. iView MediaPro 2 gives you the added features of automatic file synchronization and folder watching, color management, ability to create high-resolution PDF files, as well as customization of slide shows that include timing, transitions, and audio. (iView Multimedia; www.iview-multimedia.com)

Learn to Take Steno
Here’s a less-expensive alternative to portable hard drives that accept digital media: The new Disc Steno CP100 from Apacer ($300 street) portable CD burner features two card slots, one for CompactFlash Type I and II and a 4-in-1 slot for Secure Digital, MultiMedia, Memory Stick, and SmartMedia. No computer is required! The CP100 is battery or AC/DC powered; connect it to a computer for high-speed image transfer via USB port (USB 2.0 compatible). CD-R write and read speed is 24X. (Apacer Memory; www.apacer.com)

Camera and Lens Limo
The Rolls-Royce of camera bags may have just arrived, but don’t call it a bag! Tenba’s new ProDigital line is “shoulder carry gear.” Available in three sizes to accommodate the most common laptops (12, 15, and 17 inches), they’re priced between $160-$225 street, and are available with or without shock-resistant laptop compartments. Each has a patented new zipper that, with no fuss at all, will open the top cover in any direction. Also patented, the Tenba system for customizing interior compartments: it allows full flexibility because all inner surfaces are lined with female hook-and-loop fastening material. (Tenba Gear; 914-347-3300; www.tenbagear.com)

Shooting Starlet
It’s the same size and shape as a microcassette recorder, but the sleek Panasonic SV-AS10 ($300 street) does more than record 10 continuous hours of MP3 sound. It’s also a modest digital camera, with a rotating lens that records 2MP image files onto SD memory cards. The SV-AS10 offers a 1.5-inch LCD monitor, built-in flash, four-way toggle control, and the ability to record 320×240-pixel QuickTime movies. Other features: 2-1/2000-sec shutter speeds, close focusing to 1/2 inch, ISO 100-400 settings, exposure compensation to ±2 EV, and sepia and black-and-white modes. It’s available in three wardrobe-coordinated colors-orange, blue, and silver. And, at a svelte 4x2x0.5 inches, you can slip it in your shirt pocket and take it anywhere for casual snapshooting. (Panasonic; 800-211-7262; www.panasonic.com/d-snap).

A Lightstand Boom
Need support for your studio lights? SP Studio System’s four-section Combo Boom/Lightstand ($90 street) is more versatile than a conventional telescoping pole. The five-pound SP Boom/Lightstand will hold a monolight and umbrella assembly as high as 10.5 feet. Because one section can tilt 90 degrees, you can also position its uppermost piece horizontally to function as a boom arm (as shown). With a counterweight, the boom arm can even handle a heavier hair light. (BKA Group; 800-250-8394; www.bkaphoto.com)

The Finishing Touch
For some photographers, a photo isn’t finished until it’s framed and hung on a wall. If that sounds like you, check out Logan Graphic Products’ new Frame-It-Yourself system. Available in an inexpensive Hobby and sturdier Pro line, its tools include a miter saw for cutting molding to 45 degrees (F100-1, $75 street); a sanding wheel for smoothing joints (F200-1, $170); a joiner (shown) for stapling the frame together (F300-1, $100); and a fitting tool that fixes a matted photo within the frame (F400-1, $80). Did you flunk high-school woodshop? Logan provides free, step-by-step video tutorials. (Logan Graphic Products; 800-331-6232; www.logangraphic.com)