Now that you’ve purchased your first DSLR camera and lens, you’d have to choose from a bewildering array of camera accessories to adequately arm yourself for that picture perfect shot.
As with all aspects of photography, the easiest thing in the world is to spend a small fortune by going to a camera store and purchasing a variety of camera accessories. How with the help of this list, you’d know which ones you cannot possibly live without, and which ones you can avoid.
The Camera Bag: It never fails to amaze professional cameramen, when they see amateurs who have spent thousands of dollars on a top of the line DSLR, only to stuff it into a rucksack while travelling. Digital cameras and their lenses can be quite fragile and thus need all the protection and padding you can afford. It thus makes sense to purchase a high quality camera bag to ensure that the money you’ve invested in your camera doesn’t go down the drain.
Speedlight Flash: Most quality DSLR cameras have their small in-built pop-up flash. They are great focussing light on tiny areas, but offer limited options for creative photography. So if you intend to take some really fancy shots, you would need to invest in speedlight flash. Also known as a flashgun, the device really comes in handy when you attempt to take picture perfect shots in poor light conditions.
Sto-fen: While this is the cheapest DSLR accessory you can buy, it can do wonders to the quality of your pictures, especially if you’ve purchased a quality speedlight flash. Priced between $15 to $25, the Sto-fen slots on top of the flashgun to dramatically diffuse and soften the light and can help you eliminate virtually all shadows and making the flash light look perfectly natural.
UV Filter: If you plan to shoot award winning landscape shots, you’d need to remove all possibilities of that unsightly bluish haze that UV radiation can cast over your pictures. More importantly, it offers an additional layer of protection to your lens and can be left on all your lenses as a permanent feature. Not only will a UV filter prevent dirt and dust from getting into your lens, but in case of an accidental drop, protect it from damage. It would be far cheaper to replace a $25 UV filter than to purchase a professional grade lens.
Memory Card Reader: Most DSLR cameras sold at a camera store come with a USB cable to help you transfer your shots from your memory card to your PC. This however, can be a slow and time taking process. Additionally, there is also the possibility of infecting your camera with computer viruses.
So in order to speed up things and protect your camera from infection, you should purchase a memory card reader. These nifty devices can be plugged into the USB jack and accept variety of memory devises like SD, compact flash and memory stick. Compared to a USB cable, they can transfer shots at a much faster rate and being small and compact, they can be easily be carried around.
(Photo Credit: tracer.ca / Creative Commons)
