Hi photo lovers!
I’ve tried a couple of photo accessories recently that I’d like to share with you because they make my life easier.
1 — The S&F deluxe technical belt by Lowepro.
![Lowepro S&F deluxe technical belt](http://www.photography.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/SF_DLXTechBelt.jpg)
Lowepro S&F deluxe technical belt
My wife picked this up for me recently as a gift and I’m loving it. As mentioned in previous posts and podcasts, I’m a big fan of lens pouches and I use them almost exclusively (versus carrying a camera bag) on most personal photo shoots. Usually I have 3 lenses on me and 2 of them are carried in lens pouches. Until a few weeks ago I simply clipped the pouches onto an actual belt that goes through my jeans. It works well enough but getting into the jean pockets is difficult and my wife felt I looked all dishevelled especially if I needed to wear a jacket. She was right.
I have to say, the technical belt is WAY better than clipping the pouches to a regular pants belt. It is so much more comfortable and you can see the solid back support if offers, it’s a pure joy to wear. Especially when going from shooting to the car, the whole belt comes off in a flash with the pouches firmly secured onto them. If you do need to get into your pants pockets you just slide the belt around. In addition, it looks and feels great when you have to wear a jacket. It might well be my favourite accessory of 2013. It can be purchased immediately at B&H in the USA or at the The Camera Store within about 1 week.
2 - PhotoRepublik Twin Speedlite Holder — This accessory was loaned to me for review by our sponsor The Camera Store and I find it to be an extremely well built accessory. Some of the common gripes people have with flash holding accessories are their overall ‘dinkiness’ and that the actual point of contact between the flash and the holding shoe is flimsy (read risky) and difficult to control. Good new or used flashes are at least 100–600 dollars, why would you want to attach it to a bracket with a flimsy flash shoe holder that looks like it costs less than a nickel. One careless bump into the light stand can snag the bottom part of the flash right off.
This twin flash holder is crazy solid in all respects and operates smoothly. The point of attachment to the flash as well as the whole unit (except the knobs which are still very solid) is made of steel and operates very smoothly to attach to your flash. It feels safe and that will make you feel more secure about the setup. There’s place for an umbrella holder and it tilts from front to back for easier angling of light. It’s a perfect attachment for shooting with an umbrella when when you need more punch than one flash can offer.
![PhotoRepublik Twin Speedlite Holder](http://www.photography.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/MK18143.jpg)
PhotoRepublik Twin Speedlite Holder — Comes with a threaded mounting screw (shown in between the 2 flash holding units)