If you’re thinking taking your photography hobby more seriously to become a professional photographer, then it’s important to know that not only do you need the right camera, but you need the right equipment. Just like finding the right camera, finding the perfect camera accessories requires a thoughtful look at what’s on the market and the ideal accessory for your budget. Investing in camera accessories will make your photos look more professional and have people taking you seriously.
While there’s so many camera accessories out there, let’s start with the fundamentals of the best accessories for your camera.
The Best Camera Accessories for New Photographers
- Tripods
- Lenses
- Lights
- Cases
- Remote Shutter Release
- Filters
- Batteries
- Memory Cards
- Battery Grip
- Strap
- Teleconverter
- Lens Cleaning Kit
- Camera Bags and Backpacks
- Lens Hood
- Photo Editing Software
Tripods
Whether you’re shooting video or a long-exposure shot, a tripod is a must-have for a new photographer, especially if you have shaky hands. It’s one of the first accessories every aspiring must have and you’ll immediately start seeing the difference in your shots.
Lenses
When starting out, you want to make sure that you can perfectly capture your subject and in order to do that, you should start with some basic lenses. Lenses often vary between SLR, DSLR, and mirrorless cameras, but there are some essential lenses that you should be on the lookout to buy.
One of the most important lenses to start off with are the telephoto lens, which will enable you to put your main subject in focus. The other lens that you must have is the wide-angle lens, which is often used for landscape photography because the wide-angle gives a more cinematic look to your photos. And don’t forget the nifty fifty lens — a must-have for photographers of all genres.
Lights
One of the most important parts of photography is getting the right lighting. Lighting can make or break your photo, so make sure to have some lights along with you to expertly capture your subject.
The pop-up or internal flash that comes with your camera will definitely illuminate your subject, but it would be in a very harsh and somewhat uncontrollable way. An external flash will always outperform your internal flash, although it would definitely make you look more conspicuous in certain settings. There are many circumstances where your flash will have no effect, such as lighting distant subjects like mountains, tall buildings, or the stage at a concert. There will also be other circumstances where they can be obnoxious, such as at a theater play or at a small family gathering.
You’ll find there are a multitude of benefits to using an external flash. One of the least known by beginners is that a flash is often more useful when there is too much light. A strong flash can balance the light between bright backgrounds, such as a sunset, and much darker foregrounds, such as a friend who is posing in front of said sunset. A flash can also highlight foreground objects and will allow you to use faster shutter speeds, which can be extremely useful with relatively close and fast moving objects in less than full light, such as a two-year-old child. An external flash can also be swiveled and the light can be bounced for a softer effect with a wider throw. It can also be diffused using a flash diffuser to achieve excellent effects.
Cases
While cases may not seem like a big deal, they are. If you want to start taking on clients for photoshoots, you want to make sure that all your equipment is well taken care of, making you look like a professional already.
Remote Shutter Release
A remote shutter release lets you trigger the camera from a distance. It helps avoid casting your shadow over the subject or shaking the camera while pressing the shutter release button.
Photographers use a remote shutter release when they photograph the same scene for a long time. It is more comfortable to place the camera on a tripod and trigger it using a remote than to look through the viewfinder for a long time. Especially when you have to react fast, having a remote at hand provides clarity and efficiency.
Filters
Camera lens filters are some of the most used camera accessories, and you can mount more than one at a time. UV protection, circular polarizer, and neutral density filters are the most popular. There are also filters for enhancing color, warming or cooling color tones, and decreasing the lens’s minimum focus distance (i.e., close-up filters). You can even achieve special effects by mounting a filter on the lens, such as the star effect.
For taking black and white photographs, you can use colored filters that block all colors except their own, thus, enhancing contrast in color-matched scenes.
Circular Polarizing Filters
The effect of a polarizing filter cannot be reproduced with software. Polarizing filters are an essential component in your kit and can work wonders under certain circumstances. They can reduce reflections and glare, as well as make colors truly pop. When your camera is pointed at a reflective window or body of water and the light is reflecting into the camera at certain angles near 90 degrees from the sun, you can greatly reduce the glare and see much more clearly through reflections. If the sensor captures the reflection, there is no way to remove it later in post-processing.
Polarizing filters also make certain colors more saturated, such as the blue of a sky or the green leaves of a tree. With a little trial and error, hopefully in combination with a little research, you will see the great effects that you can achieve with this filter in your camera kit. As a word of caution though, when using wide angle lenses, you may see inconsistencies in your pictures, especially in the sky, as the light from the sun will be hitting the sky at different angles. You can either use a telephoto lens, try to reframe the shot, or rotate the filter until the light looks natural.
Neutral Density Filters
A good neutral density (ND) filter reduces the amount of light hitting your sensor without changing the colors. ND filters are useful for cutting the light on a very bright day when you don’t want to lose your shallow depth of field and are pushing up against your fastest shutter speed even with your ISO as low as possible. Working in conjunction with a tripod, ND filters will help you get longer exposure times that blur the moving parts of the image, such as a waterfall.
ND filters are rated differently across manufacturers, but a common system is based on their density rating or how many stops of light the filter can block. Some common numbers you may see are ND 0.3 = ND2 = 1 Stop, ND 0.6 = ND4 = 2 Stops, etc.
Different situations call for different strengths, which is why it’s good to have a few options. Make sure to have a few different ND filters in your camera kit so you can be prepared for any scenario.
Variable Neutral Density Filters
Variable ND filters cover a range of densities in one filter. These filters are very convenient, but they also come with pitfalls that need to be accounted for. They work by using two polarizing filters which, when rotated, can vary the amount of light that reaches the sensor. It is important to note that there can be a color cast when using these filters, and you also need to watch out for a dark X pattern across your image when the two layers of glass are in a very specific configuration. This is a very useful tool for DSLR videographers who want to keep their depth of field shallow and have control over the amount of light getting to the sensor.
Graduated Neutral Density Filters
Graduated neutral density filters are used to balance exposure differences within your frame. If you’ve ever taken photos at a beach during sunset, the sky will usually end up so much brighter than the beach. In that scenario, you must choose between the two in regards to correct exposure. A graduated ND filter will reduce the intensity of the brighter part of your image but won’t affect the darker part. They also reduce the dynamic range of the image.
There are hard and soft grads. Hard grads change from lighter to darker over a small area of the filter, which is useful with horizons where there are clearly delineated dark and bright parts of your image. A soft grad transitions more subtly and is better when there isn’t such a clearly defined edge.
I generally use a soft grad. This effect can be done without a filter by using multiple exposures and then merging them in Photoshop or another program, but this can be very time-consuming.
Graduated ND filters are not well suited for screw-in filters. They are more effective as square filters you drop into a filter attachment. This gives you more options on which areas to affect, as well as allowing you to stack filters more effectively. The downside is that it takes more time to get the filter accessories set up.
Batteries
Batteries are more than camera accessories; they are the life energy of the camera, and you should always have a couple of spare ones.
Especially when you mount other accessories on the camera (e.g., flash or LED lights, a display, a microphone, etc.), the batteries may run out fast. In addition, shooting in cold weather may discharge the batteries even when you don’t use them. So, take care of your batteries if you want a long and productive photo session.
Memory Cards
Memory cards allow you to take as many photographs as you need. The largest ones can store 256B of data, which means around 100,000 10MB photos or a little over 20,000 50MB photos. Of course, the bigger the memory card capacity is, the more expensive the card is.
However, consider your workflow before deciding how many memory cards you add to your bag of camera accessories. If you don’t have time to change the cards, go for one with plenty of storage space. If you have time and want to organize your photos, use several small cards.
Battery Grip
Battery grips are essential camera accessories, especially when shooting all day. Nothing is worse than your camera dying on you as soon as you’re about to capture a beautiful, fleeting moment. This is true for almost any type or photography, whether you’re capturing landscapes, wildlife, weddings, street photography, or even portrait photography.
Investing in a battery grip for your camera gives you peace of mind. It also provides over triple the battery power for those long, full days of shooting. This way, you never run out of juice and miss a moment you should have captured.
Another plus of a battery grip? Not surprisingly, it’s the extra grip it provides on the bottom of the camera. It gives you more control and stability when shooting horizontally to vertically. This especially important for wedding, event, and portrait photographers who are always switching.
Strap
If a strap is not among your first choices for camera accessories, think again. It is the easiest way to secure your gear. And considering how expensive and heavy the camera-lens ensemble may be, you should take every precaution.
You can use the strap to hang the camera by your neck or shoulder or tie it on your wrist. It is an easy way to carry the camera around while still having it at hand. It is also a way of protecting it in busy places.
Teleconverter
If you are a photographer who loves to shoot with a telephoto lens, but also wants the flexibility to go farther and shoot at a greater focal length, a teleconverter is one of the the perfect camera accessories for you.
A teleconverter (sometimes called a Tele Extender), is a secondary lens. It sits between your camera body and primary lens, and is made of glass elements that magnify your focal length. Teleconverters are typically made in 1.4x, 1.7x, 2x, and even 3x variants. And the best part? They can be small and portable enough to fit in your pocket.
However, having that extra reach does have a few caveats worth mentioning. Shooting with a teleconverter slightly lowers your camera’s speed. Depending on the size of the teleconverter, will let less light in, which lowers your overall maximum aperture. Also, shooting with a teleconverter will reduce your image resolution. This can be a problem if your camera doesn’t have a super high megapixel sensor.
But with that said, the size, portability, and price factor can make a teleconverter a worthy investment. It allows you to have the extra reach when you need it and didn’t plan for it.
Lens Cleaning Kit
Any photographer should clean their camera lenses from time to time. Dust, grease, or insects may stay in the way of high-quality images. A lens cleaning kit is easy to use and efficient. You don’t have to take your lens to a repair shop every time it gets dirty. Furthermore, it is safer to use a dedicated cleaning kit than improvise with paper tissues and cloths.
Lens cleaning kits are lightweight. You can take them everywhere with you and have professional cleaning products at hand.
Camera Bags and Backpacks
Since you’re likely going to amass an assortment of gear and accessories, you will need some way to carry them around and keep them safe. A good bag will give you peace of mind and keep you comfortable.
There are many different sizes, styles, and uses for the various bags that are specifically made for carrying and protecting camera equipment. A big backpack will be designed differently from a small sling style bag made for a limited amount of gear.
Lens Hood
Lens hoods are camera accessories that usually come with the lens. They help you avoid flares when the sun shines bright, making them very useful for outdoor photography. In addition, they increase the quality of your images by providing better contrast. Overall, they improve your performance with backlit scenes and there are many ways lens hoods can improve your shots.
Lens hoods also protect the lens from scratches, dust, fingerprints, and other accidents. So if you often find yourself in a bush tracking an insect or lying on the ground looking for the perfect angle, a hood may save you a lot of trouble.
Photo Editing Software
Software isn’t quite an accessory, but it is a must-have. Photo editing software can fix the slightest imperfections of your photographs or transform them into fine art. It helps you develop a consistent style and visual identity. You can even use photo editing phone apps for on-the-go editing.
Furthermore, you’ll use it whenever you need to resize or crop your images for social media and online portfolios. Finally, it will be crucial for preparing images for print. Most photo editing software includes photo management features and provides smart tools for previewing, culling, and browsing your photographs.
What accessories should I have for my camera?
Once you’ve purchased your camera, it’s time to elevate what it can do using accessories. If you don’t have the right photography accessories, you are limiting your camera’s true potential to help you create amazing photographs. Some accessories are essential in helping you solve common photography issues like insufficient lighting or too much glare, while others—such as camera backpacks, slings, camera clips, filter holders and pouches—are designed to make your life as a photographer easier and more efficient.
Very likely, you don’t need all of them. There are only a few essential accessories that you truly need in your camera kit. Tripods, lenses, lights, and batteries are usually at the top of a photographer’s list of must-have camera accessories.
