Accessory Roundup: NAB Edition!

Images: SmallRig, Stroppa, Mitchell Clark, CalDigit

This week was the National Association of Broadcasters' trade show in Las Vegas, where video companies flocked to show off their new tools and accessories. For this week's roundup we're going to go over some of the coolest things we saw, though if video isn't your thing, fear not – there's plenty here for you, too.

First, though, let's see what's on sale.

Sales of the week

Photo: Canon

Given that it's a big week for video, it only felt right to highlight that the EOS R5 C – which is essentially the EOS R5 but with more cooling and video features – is currently on sale for $700 off.

Photo: Richard Butler

For the more photo-focused, Sony's also running a sale on its a7 IV, knocking $500 off the retail price.

Straps on demand

Image: Stroppa

Stroppa is a company known for custom-making camera straps out of leather and rope, but the made-to-order nature of its products has always involved a bit of a wait between when you order your strap and when it arrives. The company is now selling a selection of its straps in what it calls "Drops," meaning that they're pre-made and will ship right after you place your order.

You'll only be able to get certain styles, lengths and colors, though the company does offer an approximately 20% discount for its pre-made straps compared to if you custom-ordered the same configuration.

Lightweight camera bags

Image: PolarPro

PolarPro has announced its RoadRunner lineup of camera bags, which aim to provide ample protection for your camera gear without being too heavy to carry.

The lineup includes 8 and 16L backpacks and three sizes of shoulder bag: a 1L sling for compact cameras like the Fujifilm X100 series, a 6L for a camera and a lens or two and a 12L for larger camera and lens combos, plus an iPad. The bags are padded, and the larger ones include dividers for arranging your gear. The backpacks also include rain covers and side-access hatches.

We took a closer look at the 6L shoulder bag, comparing it to the 7L Peak Design Outdoor Sling – you can read our thoughts on it here.

Shoulder Bags:

Backpacks:

A new player in the CFexpress Type A game

Photo: SanDisk

SanDisk has been making CFexpress Type B cards for a while now, but it just announced that it's going to start making the smaller CFexpress Type A cards often used in Sony cameras, too. They'll be part of its Pro-Cinema line, boasting a VPG-200 rating and write speeds of up to 1650 MBps, which should be sufficient for even the highest-end video modes on cameras like the Sony a7S III, a1 II or a9 III.

Even softer light

Image: ProFoto

Profoto has launched a new 'White' line of softboxes, which it says will provide "softer, natural-looking illumination with reduced contrast and shadows" than more traditional softboxes. They do this by swapping the reflective silver interior for a white fabric one, which the company says will give your images a "smooth, flattering glow."

The line includes softboxes in various shapes and sizes, which include built-in speed rings that should make them relatively easy to mount onto your light. They're also compatible with some of the company's other modifiers, like grids, diffusers and masks.

External Electronic variable ND

Electronic variable ND filters have been around in higher-end video-focused cameras for a while now, letting you easily adjust your exposure without having to reach to the front of the camera to twist a filter ring. However, while we've seen several concepts and prototypes of an external version, they haven't been readily available to buy.

It seems like that's about to change, though. According to Newsshooter, Tilta has said it'll be launching its matte-box ready 4 x 5.65″ electronic variable ND filter this summer. The filter can cut your light by 1.5 to 5EV and can be remotely controlled by the company's Nucleus system or by using a wheel built into the frame. According to a Tilta representative who spoke to Newsshooter, the company estimates it'll cost between $400-500.

An ultra-rugged battery

Image: SmallRig

SmallRig has announced its X-Touch Smart Triple-Proof V-Mount Battery X99. That's a lot of information in one product name, but the main takeaway is that it's a 99Wh V-mount battery that's drop-resistant up to a height of 1.5m (4.9') and has an IP54 dust and water resistance rating. Essentially, it's designed to keep your devices powered even in rough conditions... oh, and it has a touchscreen to show various status indicators.

The battery has a variety of inputs and outputs; there are two USB C ports that you can use to recharge it or to charge other devices, a BP port, two D-Tap outputs, a USB A output and 8V and 12V outputs, just for kicks. The company says you can recharge the battery in as little as two hours via USB-C PD.

The ultimate dock

Accessory makers are starting to release products that support the latest ThunderBolt 5 standard, which offers speeds up to 120Gbps, triple what its predecessor was capable of. That list now includes CalDigit, one of the most well-known companies for docks and hubs.

This week, CalDigit announced the TS5 and TS5+ – versions of its flagship dock that now use ThunderBolt 5. Both can charge your laptop at up to 140W and drive three displays. The regular TS5, which costs $369, features three ThunderBolt 5 ports, plus one for connecting to your computer, as well as a host of other ports, including 2.5Gb Ethernet. It can support external drives with read speeds up to 6200MBps, double what the TS4 could do.

The TS5 Plus takes things even further with 10Gb Ethernet, DisplayPort 2.1 output and a grand total of 20 ports. None of that comes cheap, though, as the company plans to sell it for $499. It's also worth noting that all the extra USB ports come at the cost of one ThunderBolt 5 one.

An updated tube light

Image: Nanlite

Nanlite announced the PavoTube II 6XR this week, a 25cm (10") RGB light tube. It's very similar to the PavoTube II 6C in that it has an internal battery and built-in magnets for mounting, but it adds the ability to individually program the tube's 10 LEDs to create various effects. It also supports CRMX and DMX control, which could be useful if you're on a professional set.

Compared to the 6C, the 6XR is slightly dimmer – it maxes out at 457 lumens versus 520 – and it costs $50 more, but if you need finer-grained control, it could be the way to go.

A pro grading monitor

Image: Asus

Asus was at NAB this week showing off its recently-announced PA32UCDM ProArt QD-OLED display, which it says is "designed for professional content creators." Its 32" 4K panel can display 99% of the DCI-P3 color gamut, while running at 240Hz for buttery-smooth responsiveness. It has a "true 10-bit" panel – not an 8-bit one with dithering – and a peak brightness of 1000 nits, which means it supports HDR standards like Dolby Vision, HLG and HDR10.

You can connect to it via ThunderBolt 4 or 5, as well as HDMI 2.1, and it has a built-in USB hub. While its $1899 MSRP may seem like a lot, depending on how serious you are about monitors, for the specs it provides it actually seems like quite a good value.

Read last week's roundup