Another Good Hoodman Idea

Hoodman do have some dandies - good ideas I mean. Their initial design of the Hoodloupe 3.0 was the definitive answer to seeing an LCD screen image in the bright Australian sun. We sold squillions of them and people hung them round their necks while outdoors shooting.

Then Hoodman invented a number of ways of attaching these loupes to the back of digital cameras - rubber loops, plastic scaffolding, and eventually dedicated metal frameworks. These latter solutions were made possible by the fact that new Loupes - the Hoodloupe 3.2 - have a 1/4" screw socket underneath them just like a camera and the whole thing can be screwed together tight.

However - there are still people who prefer to keep the Loupe separate from the camera - and Hoodman have now released an accessory to let these users do so without a lanyard dangling from the neck. It is called the Hoodman Link. It's the second cousin of the humble retractable key holder that some peole keep on their belts.

There's a three foot length of Kevlar cord in the Link and a quick release attachment on the outer end near the Loupe. It's spring loaded and has a catch to let it stay out without tension - press the central button and the whole thing reels in again.

Look, folks, let's face it. As we get to be older photographers we tend to accumulate lots of things dangling around our necks. Guilt, eyeglasses on chains, rings on chains, medals on chains, padlocks on chains ( special club ), and no end of ID badges, fake bullets, and other jewellery. Anything that gets one dangler off is a darned good idea.