The most innovative photo product of 2012

<p>What do you consider the most innovative or important photographic product(s) you purchased in 2012. This doesn't have to be a high-tech item. It could be just a tripod or even a lens filter, but it must be an item where you said "wow where have you been all my life" or "this is just what I was looking for". Like I said, the product does not need to be expensive, but one with intrinsic value for your style of photography. Please list no more than 3 items.</p>

<p>For me I think the Vagabond Mini Portable Power pack was the most important product I purchased in 2012. It revolutionized the way I take photos, or at least made it more convenient.</p>

<p>I'ld have to say the Epson NX330 "All In One" printer that I paid $50 at Walmart. It prints gorgeous 8x10's on Epson Ultra Premium Glossy paper letting "Printer Manage Color" and get good enough color matching. Pigmented Inks are a bit cheaper as well compared to my earlier NX440.</p><div></div>

<p>No extensive or exotic purchases lat year, except possibly two that I needed in my partial vacation from digital imaging to do some B&W film photography: A second hand but very clean two lens Nikonos kit with extra o-rings for snowstorm and wet weather photography. Some fixer and multigrade developer to accompany a return after more than a year's absence to the pleasures of the darkroom and many selected but as yet unprinted negatives. Important, if not technically innovative.</p>

<p>Heck, all <em>my</em> "new" technology was introduced at least some years ago. Around 2020 ACE, I'll have caught up to 2012, if I'm still here.</p>

<p>Does a Canon FD 35-70mm f/4 AF of 1981 count?</p>

<p>A new laptop with all SSD storage. Fasty fast fast. Makes a big difference with large files, video, etc. in the field. </p>

<p>I have to agree with Tim on Epson printers. In addition to my "high end" Epson printers, this past year I picked up an Epson Workforce 845 for just home office use and this thing rocks! Scanner, Fax, auto page feeder, Wi-Fi enabled, <strong>superb</strong> print quality(with Durabrite pigment ink), dual paper tray, Two-sided printing, pop-up LCD panel with professional copy features and blazing fast. An impressive tool and surprisingly inexpensive. Bought new on eBay for $150. Neato!</p>

<p>Nothing innovative on my end, but 2012 was the first time in seven years I'd acquired any new equipment, all gifts from my dad:</p>

<ol>

<li>Windows 7 PCs</li>

<li>Lightroom 4</li>

<li>Nikon V1</li>

</ol>

<p>The PCs are a huge upgrade over the Pentium III era desktops I'd been running with Windows ME and XP.</p>

<p>Lightroom integrates all the tools previously split between several other editing and file organization programs.</p>

<p>The V1 offers the speed of my disused D2H in a much more compact package with only a few compromises that I consider acceptable.</p>

<p>I'm happy as a camper in a custom Airstream with travel money to last a decade.</p>

<p>A universal battery charger, a wide converter lens and the apps concept for me. They help me to travel light and forget about my heavy dslr and lenses...</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

<p>2</p><div></div>

<p>3</p><div></div>

<p>...and I should mentioned the RX100.</p>

<p>Triggertrap app + cables. This set makes it possible to use the sensors of a smartphone/iPad to trigger a camera. Not really high tech but simple and very usefull.</p>

<p>I traded my old clamshell LG for a Blackberry in February. I took a lot of spontaneous shots with it and then sent many of them by text immediately to my wife and kids. I took a 6 week run out to Canada's east coast in July/August to shoot fishing boats and ports and was able to send quick shots back home whenever I thought an update was in order. I've also shot video, something I haven't done since 8mm tape, and Facebook'd or texted it right away. I was able to video my family 150' off the ground jumping out of a tree zip-lining in the Quebec Laurentians. I would never have been able to carry my cumbersome Sony Camcorder with its big battery and bag on an outing like that. Plus it has GPS capabilities, Google, voice recording, email, etc., etc. It's been a lot of fun!</p><div></div>

<p>Caption was supposed to read: Guilty.</p>

<p>I am still waiting for that innovative photo product I was supposed to buy in 2012. When is it comming again?<br>

And all I want is grainfree, noicefree full frame photos with the most perfect dynamic range. And this innovative thing should preferably not weigh more than 500grams.</p>

<p>Mine was a 30 year old camera. Leica R4, with Tamron Adaptall 35-70. I had this setup a while ago, and foolishly sold it. Bringing it back into my gear is surely an AHA moment. FYI, I chose the R4 because they are the Rodney Dangerfield of the Leica line. Dirt cheap, but beautiful little gems.</p>

<p>I'm with Matt--replaced the conventional HD with an SSD in my laptop back in March and the speed has been ludicrous...</p>

<p>A sound card for the computer. Now I can listen to my pictures.</p>

<p>2012.... out of all things I bought, the new ballhead I got takes the win. Not innovative, but it makes using a tripod nice, and that enabled quite a lot of pictures that would fail before. Second place... I love the D700 I bought this year, but the near-flare-free-straight-in-the-sun shooting of a (80s/90s) Ais 20mm f/3.5 takes second place. And actually, despite being over 10 years old, that can count as innovative, as most modern wide angles don't manage quite as nice with the sun in the frame :-)</p>

The most innovative photo product that I PURCHASED in 2012 was my D800.

<p>Nothing new to 2012 except a Nikon V1 kit and new software in the form of Lightroom 4.<br>

Old tech for me was a sparkly new Leica M9-P in chrome ... retirement gift to myself. :-)</p>

<p>The Photographer's Ephemeris software for Ipad. Geeky program that tells you when and where the sun will rise or set over your particular sand dune. Great for planning your vacation landscapes, works well with Google maps, and is just fun to play with!</p>

<p>I just was just upgraded by my boss from their old fashioned simple cell phone to a smart phone. (Android RAZR MAXX synced to all the Outlook functions in the office) It has a camera in it so I don't have to carry my P&S when I visit construction sites. I realize I might be a few years behind the times. Well, my boss is cheap! Took them a while.</p>

<p>Camera connection kit for my iPad.</p>