Fujifilm X-E2 An upgrade from Fujifilm’s XE-1, XE-2 features a high-powered 16.2MP X-Trans CMOS II sensor inside a reasonably affordable interchangeable-lens shooter. A split image focusing system, whip-fast autofocus, high speed 1080p video capability, wi-fi file transfer and a shiny new LCD screen round out the features.
There was a time when photographers didn’t carry nine different lenses with their camera, a time when one wide-angle lens was enough to get an adroit photographer through the day because he realized that sometimes the best way to zoom in was to damn well walk closer to his subject. While most of us like having a versatile zoom lens, there’s something to be said for having only one focal length: when you shoot with a fixed focal length camera, you don’t take pictures, you take photographs.
Trash Krusher A few basic truths: you cannot change the past; the sun will rise tomorrow; trash is icky. Instead of using your foot to mash down your garbage — or worse, your hand — this manual trash compactor, integrated into the lid of a waste bin, does the dirty work for you.
Autodromo Stringback Driving Gloves Vintage-inspired, these stringback driving gloves hearken to the days of wooden steering wheels and veddy British racing heritage. The short cuff is buttonless, which means your Autodromo watch can gleam in the sun as you motor à la drivers of yore.
Kit lenses have a bad reputation for being the cheap training wheels of the photography world, built solely to make the DSLR buying process more approachable for thrifty consumers in search of a one-stop upgrade. These knocks against the category aren’t completely unfounded, but you shouldn’t let the general snobbery of experienced photographers steer you away from a good deal or convenience.
Smartphones have made typical point-and-shoots about as useful as Ryan Lochte in a public speaking class. But until our favorite thigh weights gain a thicker skin, there will always be space for tougher rigs designed to take a licking and keep on clicking.
The point-and-shoot market may have hit a smartphone camera iceberg, but the ship hasn’t sunk yet. In fact, bitter competition has sped up the photography arms race, producing a wide field of top-tier compact cameras with big sensors — at a better price.
It’s easy to think that a bag full of lenses is a good thing — hell, there’s one for nearly every possible use. But what exactly is the perfect lens?
