Want perfectly color corrected photos? Stick a translucent white disc in front of your camera lens for one test photo and the rest of your pictures taken in odd lighting situations will have the same neutral color cast your eyes saw when you shot the picture. Correct color balance is the promise and delivery of the Expo Imaging ExpoDisc. It works this way: Set your camera for auto exposure, take one picture with the calibrated ExpoDisc filter in front of your lens, remove the ExpoDisc, then tell the camera to use that photo to set white balance. The photo above shows an image taken under incandescent light using auto white balance (left) and corrected with an ExpoDisc (right); the background in real life is off white, as the right picture captures. Of all the methods I've tried, ExpoDisc works best and is most idiot-proof. As well it should be, for the ExpoDiscs run $60 to $105 (direct) depending on lens diameter. Just buy whatever fits your largest lens and let it overlap the others. ExpoDisc isn't cheap if you're a casual photographer, but it does work in almost every lighting situation.

Tamrac Velocity sling bags let you carry a digital SLR camera with lens and a couple extra lenses. Choose the most useful model in the line, the Velocity 9x ($90 street), and you've also got the perfect insulated bag for carrying three bottles to that BYO restaurant. The Velocity 9x bag measures 13x11x7 inches (HWD). Others in the line range from camera-only plus a couple accessories bag (Velocity 6x) on up through two DSLR cameras with lenses (Velocity 10x, $100) that is the size of most backpacks. The Velocity 6x ($45) or Velocity 7x ($60) would be good for carrying a video camera even if that's not its intent. Both the Velocity 8x and Velocity 9x do the three lenses (plus one camera body) trick. All the Velocity bags ride on your back, then slide around front for easy access. All have three compartments formed by padded movable dividers and spacers so you can stack accessories or lenses; a hidden waist strap; and a bunch of front and top compartments for cellphones, MP3 players, memory cards, and keys.

The Lowepro Versapack 200 AW may be the most versatile combination yet of backpack and camera bag for photo enthusiasts who do other things with their lives. The removable divider flap between the bottom photo compartment and the open upper compartment comes out to allow this $100 (street) bag to be a full-depth backpack. Think of it like the folding rear seats on some sedans that merge the trunk and back seat into a single bigger storage area. Same idea here, but only two color choices: black or teal.

NYC-based freelance photographer Robert Caplin compiled over 5,000 images that he captured using three cameras in 25 locations around Yankee Stadium, all in one night—and (as also seen on the New York Times Web site) the result is clearly worth all the effort. Caplin posts on his blog that he arrived at 3 P.M. on game day to scout locations before beginning to set up his cameras, which included three Canon 5D, Mark II bodies with a variety of lenses that ranged from a Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM wide-angle zoom to a Canon TS-E 90mm f/2.8 Tilt-Shift. Caplin points out that he could have used any camera, however, considering that the Mark II's video functionality was not used; he compiled the video entirely from still images.

While some images were shot with the camera mounted on a standard tripod, Caplin also used a retrofitted motorized telescope mount to slowly pan as the camera fired, resulting in a very slick, unique time-lapse panorama of sorts. Check out the video above to see what I'm talking about, all set to Chopin's surprisingly fitting Waltz No. 5.

The rugged Disney Pix Jr. digital camera is a fun (and safe) way to introduce your children to digital photography. The model my son and I tested is based on the Pixar movie Cars, with Lightning McQueen splashed all over the front panel (a "Princess" version is available as well). My four-year-old had a terrific time learning and playing with this rugged 1.3-megapixel camera—particularly since I was there to help.

That new Flip Mino HD is pretty slim, sure, but it's no Trio PenCam HD, a skinny new hi-def camcorder its manufacturers have crowned "the world's smallest HD camcorder." The device measures 1.4 by 0.8 by inches and weighs 2.9 ounces. It can shoot video in 1280 by 720 at 30 frames per second. Also, unlike a handful of pocket camcorders (Pure Digital and Creative, I'm looking at you), this thing takes still pictures with a 5-MP camera.

The Trio PenCam features 3X digital zoom, 4GB of built-in memory, and HDMI out. It's also got a built-in MP3 player and a downright microscopic 1.1-inch OLED display. It'll run you $149.99 at Amazon.

Here's a news flash: Cell-phone cameras be damned, because a significant segment of the population is actually prioritizing sharp, well-exposed images over ultimate convenience. Since the introduction of the first Canon Digital Rebel in 2003, this quality-conscious segment has been turning to interchangeable-lens digital SLRs (DSLRs) to take the best possible photos.

Back in the 1970s and 1980s, we saw a similar movement, as more and more consumers purchased film SLRs. However, as small auto-everything 35mm point-and-shoot cameras began to be able to create SLR-like images, SLR sales dwindled. We're on the precipice of the same thing happening in the digital world. Consumer DSLRs are going down.

Monster Cable occupies its own specialized niche in the technology industry: some swear that the company tempts nervous, uneducated buyers into paying for expensive audio/visual cables that they really don't need. Beyond the hype, however, should be a realization that this is a company built on the need for bandwidth.

On Tuesday, Monster held what company executives billed as a "technology demo event" talking about the future of connectivity. A good deal of it was background on HDMI 1.4, and its bandwidth requirements, together with so-called "4K: resolutions that are coming down the pipe.

I found a couple of points noteworthy, however:  Brad Bramy, director of marketing for Silicon Image, predicted the 2010 and 2011 would be the year that the mobile and CE industries would begin to converge, offering the possibility that some of the 1.4 billion phones on the market would join some of the 160 million portable devices (such as camcorders) and offer HDMI out.

Attention photography junkies in the Tri-State area: head to the Javits Center immediately for "PhotoPlus," a gigantic expo today and Saturday featuring all things photography. To those who can't make it, you can live vicariously through our 70+ image slideshow over on PCMag.com.

No major product announcements were made at the show, but almost every big company was there to give hands-on time with their products, some of which have yet to hit the streets. Photo junkie or not, the following should definitely be on your gadget radar:

Canon EOS-1 Mark IV

Canon 7D

Leica X1

Leica M9

Spyder3 Studio SR

There are a plethora of free demonstrations and seminars to see. Visit the PhotoPlus Web site for more information on these events.

Nikon gave a handful of journalists a sneak peek at the Nikon D3S digital-SLR camera; it was announced last week and is expected to be released in late November with a $5,199.95 (body only) list price.

I was invited to join Nikon to shoot with a production-model D3S at the Big Apple Circus, which opens to the public tomorrow evening. I've spent time with other professional Nikon SLR cameras over the years, including the D3 and every other Nikon D-SLR, and the D3S's interface felt incredibly familiar and just as intuitive as that of the D3.

This latest Nikon offers new marquee features, however, such as 720p HD video capture and an incredible top ISO setting of 102,400 (see sample image above, captured at ISO 102,400 with a 1/30-second exposure, including a 100-percent pixel view), which enables photographers to capture (somewhat) usable images in near-total darkness. More sample images after the jump.

Look at what we just got in the mail. It's the just-announced newest version of the Flip Mino HD. I've only played around with it for a few minutes, but I think it's safe to say that Pure Digital (now owned by Cisco) really got the pocket camcorder's looks right this time out.

The first Flip looked fairly cheap--almost disposable. The first-generation Flip Mino and its aesthetically identical counterpart, the Flip Mino HD, was a marked improvement. But the device still looked a bit dated, like something that might be branded by Radio Shack back in the 90s.

This device, on the other hand, is quite slick, with its brushed metal finish. The HDMI port has made its way down to the bottom of the device--there are no additional video or audio out ports on the camera. The rear features a larger LCD and the same touch-sensitive buttons as the earlier version of the Mino.

The device also feels a lot more solid than its diminutive predecessor. You don't get the feeling that this camcorder is going to fall apart in your pocket.

We'll be bringing you a hands-on review of the device in the near future at PCMag.com. In the meantime, check out a slew of close-up shots, after the jump.

With the introduction of the latest version of iMovie comes a new video format from Apple. According to the company, "iFrame is designed to make importing and editing video fast and easy without taking up a lot of space on your hard drive." Sanyo has become the first company to embrace the new format, with its new Dual Cameras, the VPC-HD2000A and the VPC-FH1A.

Available now, the new cameras are "the world's first camcorders to offer compatibility with iFrame," according to Sanyo. The VPC-HD2000A and VPC-FH1A will run $599 and $499, respectively. Both cameras are programmed to default to the new format.

Cisco-owned Pure Digital today unveiled a refresh of the Flip Mino HD. The latest version of the ever-popular pocket camcorder features a larger screen, increased capacity, and a new brushed metal design. The camera also packs a new version of the company's proprietary FlipShare software.

The new Flip Mino HD now features 8GB of an-board memory, which should give users roughly two hours of recording time, according to the company (I imagine this is under the VGA setting). The screen size (one of our major complaints about the camera's predecessor), has been increased from 1.5- to 2-inches. The new Flip also features an HDMI jack (a feature now found on most other HD pocket camcorders). The new software lets user upload videos directly to Facebook.

The new camera still carries a relatively lofty sticker price at $229. It's predecessor has been priced at a more competitive $199.

JVC today entered the fast-paced pocket camcorder (see also, YouTube camcorders) space with the introduction of the Picsio GC-FM1, a palm-sized hi-def camera. Spec-wise the camera looks a lot like the Kodak zi8, which recently snagged our Editors' Choice.

The camera shoots in 1080p, 720p, VGA, and QVGA modes, and can snap still in up to 8MP. There's an on-board HDMI port, image stabilizer, SD card slot (expandable up to 32GB), a 2.0 LCD, image stabilizer, and direct upload to YouTube and, interestingly, iTunes (files are saved as .MOV).

Frankly, what really sets this camera apart is its looks. It comes in (brace yourself) Black Ice, Blue Steel, and Purple Passion, all of which have, to quote JVC, "a tone-on-tone geometric pattern and chrome accents for a jewel-like appearance." The company is targeting the camera's firmly toward the female demographic.