Fed up with conventional gadget bags giving you a pain in the neck and sliding off your shoulder at the most inconvenient moments? Load your kit into a photo backpack and the weight is distributed much more evenly.

Both of your shoulders, your upper back and your pelvis all play a part in taking the strain. You get much more freedom of movement, with the pack staying firmly fixed in place.

For added stability, especially on tricky terrain, an adjustable waist strap is usually fitted, as well as a chest strap that helps to stop the shoulder straps from sliding around.

If you’ve got several lenses, a flashgun and other accessories, you’re best off with a ‘full photo’ backpack, where the whole of the main compartment is given over to photography kit.

The other option is a split photo/daypack but, as you’ll see from the likes of the Hama, Think Tank and Vanguard backpacks in our test group, some new designs go all-out for versatility.

Best photo backpacks: Hama Daytour 230

Price: £100, $150
Buy it: www.hama.com
Can’t decide between a full photo and split daypack? The innovative Hama Daytour offers both options in one bag.

It’s split into two sections but both are decked out with adjustable dividers for cosseting plenty of camera kit.

Alternatively, you can remove the dividers from either or both sections to use the bag as a split photo daypack, or even just as a regular backpack.

Full-length zips offer unrestricted access to the compartments, and both also feature quick-access openings for grabbing a camera with attached lens when you’re in a hurry to capture a scene.

Organiser sections are on hand for memory cards and batteries (separated between fresh and wasted) and filters.

Extra external pockets are plentiful but there’s no dedicated laptop compartment.

Our Verdict
Pros… Quick access to cameras, strong build, excellent value
Cons… Not suitable for really long, super-telephoto lenses
WE say… Well thought out, beautifully made, a top bargain

Score: 4/5

Best photo backpacks: Hama Daytour 230
Best photo backpacks: Manfrotto Veloce VII
Best photo backpacks: Lowepro Flipside 400 AW
Best photo backpacks: Tamrac Expedition 6x
Best photo backpacks: Think Tank Photo Glass Limo
Best photo backpacks: Vanguard Quovio 44
Five things to look for in a photo backpack

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The Sony A58 joins the SLT Alpha range as the Sony A57 replacement and sits just above the entry level 37. New to the Sony A58 are a host of features that should appeal to photographers who are starting to get more serious about their photography and want to take more control over their pictures.

Along with the Sony A58′s newly designed 201-megapixel Exmor APS-C HD CMOS sensor and Sony’s translucent mirror technology, the A58 adds an increased ISO range from 100 to 16,000, full HD video recording, an improved EVF and an enhanced Bionz image processing engine.

It’s an impressive spec list indeed. Here Amy Davies takes a look at what this new Sony Alpha camera has to offer in her Sony A58 review video.

Sony A58 Review Video Transcript

Sony has introduced a new camera at the bottom of its SLT line-up, the a58. It replaces not one,but two cameras – the a37 and a57, in an attempt to simplify the beginner range of Alpha cameras.

The a58 is a DSLT – the T standing for Translucent and referring to the fixed mirror inside the camera. Unlike normal DSLRs, light travels directly through the mirror, rather than it flipping out of the way. This means that the camera can offer faster frame rates and quicker autofocus speeds in live view – which the camera is effectively always shooting in – and video mode.

The a58 has a fairly hefty body, with this large grip and rubberised coating helping when shooting one handed.

On the top of the camera is a mode dial for switching between the various shooting modes on offer, including fully automatic, fully manual and semi-automatic options, such as aperture and shutter priority. There are quite a few other options also found here, including scene mode, sweep panorama and picture effects.

The buttons on the back of the camera are well laid out, with easy access to almost everything with your right thumb. Only the main menu button is more inaccessible, but with the quick function menu accessed with this button, you should find that you don’t need to delve into the full menu very often.

You can access all the most commonly used settings, including white balance, Drive Mode and Picture Effects, via this function button. It’s also here that you’ll find Auto Object Framing, a new feature for the Alpha series which automatically crops your images for what the camera considers to be a better composition.

We’d previously seen Auto Portrait Framing, but with the addition of Auto Object Framing, any kind of photo can be cropped, rather than just people shots.

At the top of the camera is a zoom button, this is used to activate Sony’s Clear Zoom function, which uses By Pixel Resolution Technology and doubles the effective focal length of whichever lens is attached. We’ve been impressed by how well this performs compared with other forms of digital zoom before, and a similar performance is put in by the a58.

Unfortunately, a lot of the most interesting features of the a58 can’t be used when shooting in raw format. These include Picture Styles, Clear Zoom and Auto Object/Portrait framing.

Annoyingly, this means that you need to delve into the full menu, switch off raw format shooting, then go back to whatever you’re trying to use. This can be a bit of a tedious process and we had hoped Sony would have come up with a better solution for this by now.

As there’s not a traditional mirror in the camera, the a58 uses an electronic, rather than optical, viewfinder. Sony has used an OLED in the a58, compared with the LCD in the a57. It’s a noticeable improvement, offering a clearer and brighter view. Some don’t like electronic viewfinders, but there are a couple of distinct advantages.

The ability to see any changes you make in live time via the viewfinder is useful, as is the captured image popping up to help you know whether you’ve nailed the shot or not. This sensor here automatically switches to the viewfinder, and switches off the LCD screen, when the camera is lifted to the eye.

The 460,000 dot screen isn’t fully articulated, but it does tilt up and down to make it easier when shooting from some awkward positions in landscape format. It’s not as much help when shooting in portrait format though.

It’s quite a low resolution screen, but it doesn’t suffer too badly from glare or reflection, with the ability to tilt the screen helping if the sun is very strong. Once again, Sony has chosen not to incorporate a touchscreen on its entry-level model.

One of the problems with a translucent mirror is that less light is able to get to the sensor, sometimes meaning that the lens hunts around to attain focus, especially in lower light conditions. The A58 kit lens has quite a noisy focus mechanism, so this can be a little distracting in certain situations.

Sony Alpha cameras have impressed us before with their excellent image quality, and the a58 is no different. Generally, it produces very detailed shots with good colour rendition and exposure.

It’s worth experimenting with different Picture Effects and Styles, as well as the Sweep Panorama when you want to get more creative, too.

READ MORE

Canon EOS 100D review
Canon T5i / EOS 700D review
Nikon D7100 review
16 new cameras we’d like to see in 2013
Canon EOS 6D review
Nikon D5200 review

Canon finally introduced its own CSC last year with the Canon EOS M, but now it has also released the Canon EOS 100D – also known as the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 in the United States – which is the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR.

The Canon EOS 100D / Rebel SL1 is an all new DSLR that joins the EOS camera line-up, sitting between the EOS 1100D and EOS 600D. But what else does it offer apart from its size?

Here Amy Davies of our testing team takes a look at what this camera has to offer in her Canon EOS 100D review video.

Canon SL1 / Canon EOS 100D Review Video Transcript

This is the Canon EOS 100D, which at the time of launch is the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR.

Canon has managed to shrink down all of the major components of this camera, but still retain an APS-C sized, 18 million pixel sensor at its heart.

This grip, although not as pronounced as on other DSLRs, still allows for good purchase, even when shooting with the camera one-handed. This dial here just next to the grip is used for altering aperture or shutter speed, depending on the mode you’re in.

Despite the camera’s small size, Canon has managed to keep a good button layout, with the majority being easily reached by the thumb on the right hand side. There’s also a mode dial, which is used to access fully automatic modes, semi-automatic modes, and full manual modes.

You’ll also notice here that the on/off switch can be pushed one step further to activate the movie mode on the camera. This makes it quicker to reach than having to spin the mode dial all the way around, and should make capturing those spur of the moment movies much easier.

We’ve seen “Creative Auto” mode before, and it helps new  photographers get the shots they want, without using complicated photographic terms. So for instance, using this setting to make the background more or less blurred is actually altering the aperture.

Creative Auto Mode also makes accessing the digital filters, such as Toy Camera effect easy. Although you can’t shoot in raw format with digital filters, you can access a Extra Effect Shot mode which shoots one standard JPEG, and one with the effect added – useful if you decide you don’t like the filter further down the line.

Bizarrely, although digital filters can be accessed when shooting in other modes, such as aperture priority, you can only reach them when shooting in Live View mode, and the option to use Extra Effect Shot is not available.

For better control, you could choose to use Picture Styles. A number of presets are already included, such as Landscape and Portrait, while there’s also space for up to three of your own, useful if you want to create a custom setting, such as high contrast monochrome. You can also shoot in raw format too, for added flexibility.

On the back of the camera is a 3-inch touch sensitive LCD panel. This can be used for a range of things, including quickly accessing the Quick Menu. Simply tap this Q button here, then touch the setting you want to change. You can then use the scroll dial at the front of the camera to quickly move through the different options.

One of the good things about the touchscreen is that if you don’t want to use it, you don’t have to. Exactly the same operation can be achieved by using this button in the centre of the four-way control pad and the arrow keys here.

There are a lot of similarities between the button layout on this camera and other Canon DSLRs. So for instance, here we have a button to control exposure compensation, and another here to play back images.

The autofocus point can be changed in one of two ways, depending on whether you’re shooting in Live View or not. Press this button here to choose from one of the nine AF points available. You can use the touchscreen, which is especially useful in Live View mode – in fact you can also touch the screen to fire the shutter. Tap the screen at the point you want to use and the camera will focus and take the picture. This is useful in a few different scenarios, such as when using a tripod.

Unlike the majority of compact system cameras on the market, the 100D has a traditional optical viewfinder. This sensor here automatically switches off the screen when the camera is lifted to the eye. It’s worth bearing in mind however that the viewfinder doesn’t offer a 100% field of view, something to consider when composing your images.

We had high hopes for the Canon EOS 100D at its launch, with its promise of similar image quality to other cameras we’ve been impressed by in the past. In reality, the 100D delivers excellent images which are bright, punchy and detailed from a range of different shooting conditions.

However, we can’t help but feel that having the world’s smallest and lightest DSLR doesn’t mean too much when the rest of the system remains comparatively large and heavy. It’ll be interesting to see how the sales figures of this camera compare with its CSC rivals.

PAGE 1: Canon Rebel SL1 / Canon EOS 100D Review
PAGE 2: Our original Canon Rebel SL1 / Canon EOS 100D announcement story

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Canon EOS 700D / Canon T5i Review
Nikon D7100 review
10 common camera mistakes every photographer makes
49 seriously good Canon DSLR tips, tricks, shortcuts and time savers

The Canon EOS 700D (Canon Rebel T5i) is the replacement for the Canon EOS 650D. It will sit alongside the Canon EOS 600D at the very top of Canon’s “consumer” lineup, just below the Canon EOS 60D that starts its “enthusiast” range.

Along with its 18-megapixel APS-C Hybrid CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 image processor, the Canon T5i / EOS 700D also boasts 5fps shooting and a native ISO range from ISO 100 to 12,800.

Find out in our testing team’s Canon T5i review video whether this new Canon camera is a worthy addition to your camera bag.

Canon T5i Review Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Angela Nicholson head of testing for Future Publishing’s photography portfolio and in this video I’m going to take a look at the Canon EOS Rebel T5i / EOS 700D

Anyone who owns a T4i/650D will spot that this camera looks very similar, in fact it’s almost identical and has the same 18-million-pixel APS-C format sensor, Digic 5 processor and 9-point autofocusing system.

As before, this camera has a touchscreen which is backed up by the usual array of button and dials so it’s up to you how you adjust the camera settings.

The screen is very responsive and once you start using it you start to rely on it more and more. It provides a really quick way of changing settings, scrolling through images and zooming in to check details.

The downside to this is that the screen quickly gets covered in fingerprints and these obscure the image in bright light, so it’s essential that you carry a cloth to wipe the screen regularly.

On the top of the camera we can see that the mode dial has been changed a little with the introduction of raised icons and a finer textured edge. It also rotates through 360 degrees making a little quicker to find the option that you want.

As in the camera it replaces the T5i, or 700D, has pixels on its imaging sensor that are used for the phase detection part of the hybrid focusing system that is available when using live view mode or shooting videos.

However, Canon has improved the live view focusing performance of the new camera and it focuses quicker with one of the STM lenses mounted.

I still wouldn’t use live view when shooting a moving subject though, you’re much better off composing the image in the viewfinder and using the faster phase detection AF system.

The STM lenses have stepper motor autofocus drive and this is designed to move subjects more smoothly into focus when shooting video.

It works well and is almost silent so you get very high-quality footage with the subject moving slowly, but smoothly into focus.

One of the biggest changes brought with this camera is that the impact of the JPEG-only Creative Filters can be previewed on the screen when shooting in live view mode.

Alternatively, you can apply these filters using the camera’s image processing controls.

The menu system will be familiar to Canon SLR users and as usual it’s divided into tabbed screens that allow quick navigation.

The My menu option is especially useful as you can register up to 6 features that you want to access from it. I find it useful to use it to reach features like mirror lock-up and the flash control options.

There’s also a Quick menu that can be reached by pressing this button or touching this icon on the screen. It gives a quick route to the most commonly used features and adjustments can be made using the physical buttons or the on-screen controls.

The T5i/700D produces high quality images with bags of detail, rich, pleasant colours and a good range of tones.

However, as we have found before with Canon’s iFCL Evaluative metering system, the exposure can vary significantly in high contrast situations depending upon the brightness of the subject under the active AF point. It responds more like a centreweighted metering system than you might want.

PAGE 1: Canon T5i review / Canon EOS 700D review
PAGE 2: Our original Canon T5i / Canon EOS 700D announcement story
PAGE 3: Our original Hands-on Canon Rebel T5i / Canon EOS 700D review

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So how do you choose the best tripod? If you want your tripod to be a trusty lifelong companion and not just an overpriced, overweight millstone, you need to read our top 10 tips for choosing the right one!

How to choose the best tripod: 1. Balls of fire

Tripod heads come in two types: ball heads and three-way heads. Ball heads have a single locking screw – when you loosen it you can move the camera in any direction.

Ball heads are (usually) cheaper, lighter and more compact. This makes them perfect for travel and most other types of photography, but they’re less effective for precise framing and small adjustments.

How to choose the best tripod: 2. Three way precision

Three-way heads have separate pan, tilt and swivel movements.

They take a little longer to set up, but they allow you to make small accurate adjustments, and to move the camera along one axis without disturbing the others.

They’re ideal for studio work or more demanding landscape photography.

But they’re bigger and heavier than ball heads, and the handles stick out so they’re less convenient to carry around.

PAGE 1: How to choose the best tripod 1-2
PAGE 2: How to choose the best tripod 3-4
PAGE 3: How to choose the best tripod 5-6
PAGE 4: How to choose the best tripod 7-8
PAGE 5: How to choose the best tripod 9-10

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Find out in our Paramo Halcon Traveller review why this photo jacket is a sophisticated garment for both photographers and travellers – and one of the best photo jackets we’ve had in for review.

Paramo’s lightweight photography jacket is a stylish but practical olive-green number that packs in lots of pockets without making you look like an insurgent.

It’s breathable, showerproof and quick drying, and includes no less than 12 pockets, with a further two compartments.

The look is quite military, but not so much so that it will deter women photographers, and it’s made to the company’s usual high standards.

The Halcon isn’t warm enough for winter, and it’s not waterproof, but it’s an ideal photography jacket for spring and summer.

The jacket is made from Nikwax Cotton and you can easily hand or machine-wash it, but it’s recommended that you use Nikwax Tech Wash.

The Paramo Halcon Traveller is not particularly cheap at £130, but it’s well made and all those pockets are really helpful for travel and nature photography.

Price: £130
Buy it: www.paramo.co.uk

Score: 5/5

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Best memory cards for cameras: Hama High Speed Gold 22MB/s Class 10 SDHC, 16GB

Street price £11
Buy it www.hama.co.uk
This regular Class 10 card lacks a UHS-1 bus, but proves pretty fast in most DSLRs, with a write speed of 16MB/s in both the 60D and 650D.

Backed up by a 10-year warranty, it’s very good value at less than 70p per GB. 4GB, 8GB and 32GB versions are also available.

Pros… Decent speed for an SDHC card; good value for money

Cons… Lacks UHS-1 future-proofing

Score: 80%

PAGE 1: Best memory cards for cameras – Hama High Speed Gold 22MB/s Class 10 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 2: Best memory cards for cameras – Lexar Professional 400x CF, 16GB
PAGE 3: Best memory cards for cameras – SanDisk Extreme Pro 300x UHS-1 SDHC, 8GB
PAGE 4: Best memory cards for cameras – Kingston Ultimate 266x CF, 16GB
PAGE 5: Best memory cards for cameras – Lexar Professional 600x UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 6: Best memory cards for cameras – Transcend Ultimate 600x CF, 64GB
PAGE 7: Best memory cards for cameras – Kingston UltimateXX 233X UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 8: Best memory cards for cameras – SanDisk Extreme Pro 600x CF, 16GB
PAGE 9: Best memory cards for cameras – Transcend Ultimate 566x UHS-1 SDHC, 16GB
PAGE 10: What to look for in a memory card for your camera

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Designed for avid online auction sellers, the ePhotomaker provides an optimal environment to shoot eBay photos or other items for sale, but it’s also useful for macro and still-life photography.

The tent works by diffusing the light from a desk lamp or spotlight through its translucent side panel.

The opposite side has a reflective coating to help fill shadows, while a one-piece white base and backing cloth gives a seamless backdrop.

Lastolite also includes a blue filter gel to help recreate daylight temperature light, plus a double-sided grey/white card for setting white balance and exposure.

Even a mini tripod is thrown in to avoid camera shake. End results really look the part with well-softened shadows and a crisp white background that closely resembles professional e-commerce product shots.

Much like a conventional light cube, the ePhotomaker packs flat for easy transportation, though the backdrop is prone to creasing. You can iron it smooth, but it’s a hassle.

The ePhotomaker is available in two sizes and offers an effortlessly easy means of showing off your products and macro subjects at their best.

Price: £95
Buy it: www.lastolite.com

Score: 4/5

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The Bessel WP6 portable lighting system has a 4500mAh Li-ion battery that can churn out up to 400 flashes per charge, while maintaining fast sub-2-second recycle times at full power.

At 3.5kg it’s light enough to sling over your shoulder on its carry strap, and it also comes with a hard case, a full-size flash head stand and a handle for mobile use.

It features a powerful 400Ws flash head complete with 35W modelling lamp and spill kill.

For outdoor use the modelling lamp isn’t really up to the job, but the flash itself has enough poke to overpower all but the brightest direct sunlight.

As it’s a budget kit, you don’t get a second output socket for splitting power over two heads, so if you want to create a key and fill light set-up, you’ll need to fork out for another kit.

Although Bessel’s offering can’t match the polished build quality of some prestige brands, it packs quite a punch for a very reasonable price.

Buy it: www.bessel.co.uk
Price: £399

Score: 5/5

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Flash diffusers are great for ensuring more natural lighting in photos. They remove the harsh white light from direct flash by spreading out and softening light from flashguns.

However, there are dozens of models available, each offering unique features. Which is the best flash diffuser for your needs?

We tested six of the best flash diffusers available using a still-life setup, shot in front of a neutral wall using a tripod-mounted DSLR.

The rigid camera position and single light source didn’t eradicate shadows but was ideal for showing how each product diffused and/or bounced the light.

The flash was operated manually and its output was adjusted for each shot, to measure the degree of light loss each diffuser added.

A series of portraits was also shot to assess the practicality of each model, and to gauge the positives and negatives of different diffuser types.

Best Flash Diffuser: 01 LumiQuest Softbox III

Price: £44, $36
Buy it: www.lumiquest.com
LumiQuest’s Softbox III is up against some stiff competition in the diffusers field, considering that the well-made Lastolite EzyBox is available for a similar price (see opposite).

By comparison, the LumiQuest’s simple four-panel construction forms well, although the method of adhering it to a flashgun with Velcro doesn’t feel sturdy enough. It also means you need to have Velcro on your flash head even when you’re not using the diffuser.

But that’s not to say that the Softbox III doesn’t work. Far from it. It’s a decent enough performer for diffusing directional light, and the collapsible structure makes it portable, too.

Shadows are softened and it’s great for outdoor fill-flash work. It’s just that there are better products out there.

Our verdict
Pros… Delivers softbox-style light diffusion, and is easy to carry around.
Cons… Provides less diffused light than similar competitors, and isn’t sturdy.

Score
2/5

Best Flash Diffuser: 01 LumiQuest Softbox III
Best Flash Diffuser: 02 Honl eight-inch Speed Snoot

Best Flash Diffuser: 03 Gary Fong Lightsphere
Best Flash Diffuser: 04 Rogue FlashBender Reflector
Best Flash Diffuser: 05 Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce
Best Flash Diffuser: 06 Lastolite EzyBox Speed-Lite
Five things you need to look out for when buying a flash diffuser

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The best photographers of all time. In the history of the world.