Every photographer has their own idea of what accessories are important to bring when they go out to shoot.  In this page, I’ll be listing (in no particular order) what I consider as important camera accessories when I leave home for a shoot.

Essentials:

1.  Lens Hood for all my lenses.  They’re a permanent fixture in front of my lenses and they do keep stray light away from the front element of the lens.  If budget permits, try to buy a hood designed by the manufacturer of your lens.  Generic ones tend to create a vignette on your pics.

 

2.  UV or clear filters for your lens.  This will protect the front element of the lens from dust, moisture, spray from seawater if in the beach, accidental bumbs which may scratch it, fingerprints, etc.  Remember, it’ll be cheaper to replace a damaged filter than the front glass element of your lens.

I recommend that you get a UV filter that is multi-coated.  This actually reduces/minimizes reflection on the filter itself thus improving image quality.  Please note that if you’re using a cheap filter (equals a low quality glass), you’ll get poor image quality even if you’re using pro-spec lenses.

 

 

3.  Flash unit.  Very useful when you’re in need of fill-in light or shooting in low light conditions.  Use off-camera for creative effects.

 

4.  Flash diffuser.  Like it says, it diffuses the light from the flash to give a more flattering light.  Very helpful when shooting portraits or events.

 

5.  Spare batteries for your flash.  Flashes are power-hungry devices.  The darker the conditions or the further your subjects, the more light is needed to illuminate it.  This equates to increase in battery juice that’s being sucked out.  So we dont want to run out of power at a time when we need it the most.

 

6.  Flashlight or torch.  Important piece of equipment especially when shooting at night.  I had a problem with my flashlight before because the battery would drain out being unused for a long period.  But I recently bought a self-recharging flashlight for P30.00 and so far so good.  I dont have to worry about running out of battery power.

 

7.  Lens cleaners.  You dont want to leave home without this.  Smudges, dirt, dust, fingerprints, saltwater spray, etc. are normal occurences when shooting.  So I have the following cleaners:

• Lenspen – This cleans smudges and fingerprints on the glass.  It has a built in brush that comes in handy for dusting off dirt & dust.
• Blower – Blowing off dirt & dust without having to get in contact with the glass.  Also useful for blowing off dirt from the image sensor, camera body and other equipment.
• Lens Cleaning Solution & Lens Cleaning Paper – There are smudges, dirt and grime that only a cleaning solution can remove.  I bought an atomizer or sprayer from the department store and loaded it with the cleaning solution.

 

8.  Spare camera battery and media device (CF, SD, xD, etc.). Same as in #5, digital cameras are power-hungry equipment so its a must you have extra batteries.

Likewise, you must have at least one extra media device.  If you’re shooting RAW, this will eat up your storage space in no time.  Try to buy a more known and tested brand (Sandisk, Kingston).  They’re a little expensive compared to generic brands but you take comfort in knowing you’ll get your pics at the end of the day.

 

9.  White Balance Filter.  This filter takes away the guess work in post-processing of white balance.  The white balance settings in the camera covers a certain range of color temperature so most of the time the color correction is not that accurate.  By using this filter (set it to manual/user setting white balance), the color temperature of the scene is corrected accurately real time.

 

10.  Photo Bank.  When you’re a heavy shooter and shoot RAW most the time (except events, parties, etc), you might want to consider investing in a photo storage device or photo bank.  Since I didnt have the budget to purchase an Epson costing between P15k-P20k, I bought a photo bank casing at CD-R King & an 80gb harddisk to go with it.  Total cost for this device is P3,500 only but so far it does the job with no problems.

 

11.  Battery Chargers.  Dont leave home without this!  Its ok if you’re using rechargeable AAs for your flash unit.  If you run out of juice, you can purchase one off the shelf (hopefully there’s a store nearby).  But you must bring the charger of your camera battery.  Remember, camera batteries (SLRs) are specific to each model so there’s no universal charger for this.  So if you run out of juice, its sayonara to picture-taking activity for the day.

 

12.  Camera Instruction Manual.  Digital SLRs have a lot of features that we cant memorize all of them.  That is why I always have the manual in my camera bag.  Its also useful when something goes wrong with your unit because the manual has a section on trouble shooting.

 

13.  Camera Strap.  We should’nt expect more from the strap that came with your unit.  Its a wide strap and has a non-slip inner surface.  But it doesn’t help alleviate the weight if you have a battery grip, flash and big lens attached to the camera.  Try to replace them with a third party strap like Op-Tech or Lowepro.

 

14.  Tripod and Remote Switch.  This is a must have equipment if you are really into serious photography.  Correctly using a tripod will give shake-free images 100% of the time.  You will also need a remote switch to trigger the shutter.  The hand must not touch the tripod or the camera when shooting.  If you dont have a  remote switch, use the self-timer to avoid shaking the camera.

My advice, try to buy the most sturdy tripod you can afford.

• Make sure they dont shake or wobble when the legs are fully extended.
• Make sure that the tripod can carry the weight of your unit.

Although this is listed as an essential accessory, i dont bring this when I’m shooting events & parties (for obvious reasons haha!).

 

 

15.  Camera Bag.  Now we need a bag big enough to load in all the gears/accessories I just listed.  Buy a bag that is comfortable for you & big enough to load your gear.  If you have the extra cash, try to get one that’s made of waterproof material and can withstand heavy rain (considering we have a rainy season here).  I love a bag with lots of compartments so I’m very happy with the one I have (Lowepro Stealth Reporter 400).

 

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