I prefer to have hand straps on my cameras, and have never had a good solution for my 20D until this:
www.camdapter.com

I have tried the Canon battery grip + Canon E-1 hand strap, and don't like it at all. It doubles the size of the camera just so I can have a hand strap!

I've also tried a thing made by Hakuba, and it sucked. It was plastic, and too flexible, and blocked the battery door. (And it wasn't a tripod mount)

The guy who makes the Camdapters, Jim Garavuso, is a pleasure to deal with, and the adapter plates are exceptionally well-made. I would post pictures, but the shots on his website are better. You can roll over the pictures to see the other side.

I am using the double-ended Arca model, so I get a shoulder strap, a hand strap, and an arca plate all in one! It also keeps the bottom of my camera from getting dinged up when I set it down.

The hand straps he makes are also top-notch. They are a lot more comfortable than the Canon one. The E-1 from Canon stacks the nylon strap, so all the force is on a 1/2" strip on the back of your hand. The Camdapter strap has the nylon strap side-by-side, so the force is on a 1" wide strip.

I highly recommend the Camdapter + strap combo.

So, what was your favorite accessory of the year?

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with the company or Jim, I'm just a really happy customer.

>> I have tried the Canon battery grip + Canon E-1 hand strap, and don't like it at all.


I tried the E1 on several cameras and like it a lot. Different strokes for different folks.

I am using a HoodMan monitor cover on a D2X. It is sometimes a pain because I need to open the door to view the monitor. However it sure saves the viewing monitor from fogg/freeze up from my breath during winter

Probably a RRS PCL-1 pano clamp for my tripod ball head.

Cheers,
Bernard

Really Right Stuff BH-55.
The pano clamp will hopefully come in for Christmas...

Every RRS L Plate I ever bought was a winner.

The Camdapter you describe looks like a great idea, but then I couldn't use the L Plates.

This hot shoe mounted bubble level, which keeps my horizons from tilting (obviously bigger than life size ).

I've found that a piece of thin, strong cord works better than a wrist strap for me.

I use a ~2' piece of 3/32" to 1/8" cord, thread it through the right side strap eye and knot the end. I usually include a small plastic toggle which allows me to firmly attach the camera to my wrist in perilous conditions.

Those things can be useful indeed, but there might be a need to check their calibration. I bought a new one this year that was at least 2 degrees off along one axis...

Regards,
Bernard

I'd buy it if they were that big. That'd be neat

Considering how much they cost they should be that big.

Or consider how much they would cost if they were that big.
At least, if they were that big, we wouldn't lose them so easily.

For me its my Markins M-10 ballhead. After piddling around with a manfortto, benbo and even a linhof, I finally shelled out and got a decent ballhead - what a difference! Using a tripod is suddenly not a chore. Wonderful piece of kit highly reccommended.

Oh, and if i'm allowed a second one, it would be the Kirk L-plate that I bought at the same time. Once you use one you won't go back!

Julian

My Arca Cube. Unfortunately it is probably also the single most expensive accessory that I have ever bought -- excluding cameras and lenses of course

Jack - what exactly is an Arca Cube?

It's a - tripod - head.
You can get a review of Jack's Cube on his website.

I though the spirt level was also a great idea, just grossly expensive.. Then I managed to get a grid screen for my Eos5D and I'm in 7th heaven. Also a piece of plastic, also expensive, but it doesn't come off easily, and besides helping in keeping horizon's straight, helps in composition.

Other useful invention.. the RRS lever clamp. Forget about he ballhead. It is good, but not earth-shattering. What is really excellent is the lever design of the clamp which makes changing lenses much more intuitive, simple and quick and in my opinion safer as you KNOW you've locked it once the lever is in place. It is sold separately and can be added to most ball-heads out there.. My favourite combination has to be the Markins head with this clamp.

Cable release.. electronic or meccanical, these are great when you're working tripod mounted and want to keep camera shake to a minimum.

Ok, that's it from me.

Good grief! I have a couple of L lenses that cost less than that head! Must say it does look like a nice piece of engineering, though.

My score is two lost this year.

I lost 2, too..

None this year so far! I even found one that I thought was lost. On average it's also two/year.