Are you thinking what camera accessories to buy next? With so much equipment available, it might be tough to figure out what you need or where to start. In this post, you'll learn about 9 essential camera accessories that will help you produce higher-quality images, safeguard your equipment, and keep shooting even when calamity hits.
1. Fast Prime Lens
If you purchased your camera with the normal kit lens, you will most likely want to purchase additional lenses to expand your creative photographic capabilities.
There is a staggering assortment of camera lenses available, making selecting your first additional lens difficult. Many skilled photographers, however, recommend that your initial lens purchase be a fast prime lens.
A prime lens is one with a fixed focal length and no zoom function. Although this may appear to be a significant limitation, the image quality generated by a prime lens is superior to that of a zoom lens. This is primarily due to the fact that a prime lens has fewer glass elements, which results in clearer photos, less weight, less complexity, and less to go wrong.
"Fast" refers to the lens's large maximum aperture size. This lets you to collect more light in less time, so you can use faster shutter speeds even in low light and still obtain clear, well-exposed photos.
2. Tripod
A tripod is required for any type of photography where the camera must remain totally steady while the photo is taken. This encompasses low-light photography, long exposures, landscape photography, self-portraits, and macro photography. The SLIK Sprint Pro II GM Tripod shown below is an example of a common tripod.
In low light, your camera will need to use a slower shutter speed to collect enough light for a proper exposure. If the camera moves while taking the shot, the image will be fuzzy. A tripod solves this difficulty by holding the camera completely steady.
Product, landscape, and portrait photography sometimes include multiple images of the same scene. A tripod can serve as a "third-hand" in certain scenarios, freeing up your two hands to make modifications to your product or portrait subject.
A tripod is extremely handy for sequence composite photos, in which your subject moves across the scene and you want to record them multiple times to demonstrate the movement. To generate the image below, I used a tripod to keep the camera in the same position while taking many burst images.
3. Remote Shutter Release
How can you include oneself in a group shot without using your camera's timer? What's the best technique to picture birds on bird feeders with a close-up camera without scaring them? Can you take a long exposure without causing camera shake?
A remote shutter release can aid in all of these scenarios.
Some cameras allow official or third-party remote buttons to control the shutter via Infrared or Bluetooth.
Others require a physical cable-release system, which is either attached to a specialized socket on the camera or to the flash hot-shoe.
4. Polarising Filter
In some photographic scenarios, using filters while taking the photo is beneficial. A polarizing filter is a very valuable tool.
A polarizing filter can minimize or eliminate intense glare from reflections, increase color saturation, and darken blue skies. While some of these advantages can be replicated in post-production, it is ideal to have the camera capture them while taking the photo. This is especially true for reducing reflected glare, which is frequently impossible to achieve in post-production.
A lustrous large-leafed plant was taken without and with a polarizing filter (left and right, respectively). The second shot preserves all of the detail that was lost in the original photo's glossy parts.
There are two types of polarizing filters: linear and circular. They have nearly equal effects on your photographs, but circular polarizing filters are intended to make it easier for your camera's metering system to achieve proper exposure.
5. Spare Batteries
When purchasing a camera, the majority of the budget is usually spent on the body and lenses, thus it is uncommon for consumers to consider purchasing a replacement battery right away. However, it's an essential addition to your camera bag because it's so inconvenient to have to stop snapping images abruptly. With spare batteries, you can resume shooting while charging the other battery.
It is always ideal to use OE (original equipment) batteries, which are batteries made by the camera's manufacturer. These are guaranteed to perform as intended, have a longer lifespan, and will not void your manufacturer's warranty.
If you decide to buy third-party batteries, stick with well-known, reputable brands like Hahnel or Wasabi.
6. Memory Cards
New cameras frequently include a memory card, but it is often of limited capacity. As a result, you're almost certainly going to need another memory card.
Read Also: Sony A6600 Review
Which Card Format?
There are only a few fundamental card formats found on digital cameras. The most common type is SD (Secure Digital), although you can also find CFast and XQD cards. Some older cameras will use the less common CF or Compact Flash card, and manufacturers are clearly moving away from this format.
The main step is to consult your camera's user manual to see what format your camera requires.
Which card speed?
Cameras with high frame rates, huge sensors or pixel counts, or those capture video typically require a memory card that can handle enormous amounts of photo/video data at high speeds.
Using a sluggish memory card may cause the camera's buffer to fill up too soon. Before continuing to capture photographs or video, the camera must first pause and wait for the buffer to empty. As a result, you must have a memory card that can operate at the speeds required by your camera.
Again, your camera's user manual will specify the minimal required.
What is the card capacity?
As camera sensor sizes and pixel counts increase, so does the demand for larger memory cards. It's tempting to get the largest memory card you can afford, but what if you lose or damage it before you've downloaded all of your photos? It's best to spread the risk of losing images across several cards. So, instead of buying one 64GB card, get two 32GB cards. It will cost more, but the added piece of mind is worth it.
