Must have accessories for Christmas

javierplumey

Hey folks, I'm moving up in the ranks of digital photography (Graduated from point and shoot recently) and I'm wondering what are some of the "must haves" in your camera bags in terms of accessories. With Christmas coming up and everyone asking me for my wish list, I wanted to see what you all thought would be the most important accessories to have.

Right now I have a Nikon D40 (just starting out) and I have the two kit lenses (18-55mm and 55-200mm) and an SB-400 Speedlight flash. I have two UV filters and a little cleaning kit.

Thanks for the invaluable feedback!

claudermilk

As usual the answer is "it depends." What sort of photography do you do? An essential accessory for one thing might be completely useless for another. You seem to have the generic one covered.

For me, with landscapes at some times & difficult theater/indoor lighting at others two items I would no be without is my CPL filter and WhiBal card.

One large accessory we all ought to have & most either don't or have gone too cheap on: a good tripod setup. The good ones that make the hassle worthwhile are not cheap though.

swintonphoto

How about a great bag? That would be high on my list if I didn't have one.

javierplumey

claudermilk wrote:

As usual the answer is "it depends." What sort of photography do you do? An essential accessory for one thing might be completely useless for another. You seem to have the generic one covered.

For me, with landscapes at some times & difficult theater/indoor lighting at others two items I would no be without is my CPL filter and WhiBal card.

One large accessory we all ought to have & most either don't or have gone too cheap on: a good tripod setup. The good ones that make the hassle worthwhile are not cheap though.

I'm mostly a digital sniper. I take shots of people during every day stuff, sometimes from afar, sometimes up close. I like capturing random images. I do some landscape photography (at least I plan on it) and very little portraits.

I guess I'm hoping to see what people have in their bags. Maybe ya'll could open up your bags and show us what's in them?

firststring74

You beat me to it! I was just going to post this to ask about what I should get my father for christmas. He photographs homes for real estate agents as a side job and has a Nikon D70. He has a flash and a couple lens, I give him a gift card for a monopod but he never bought it, so I actually wanted to purchase something for him this year. Any ideas? I think he is buying the monopod since I reminded him about the gift card. Thanks everyone!

Oh, and javierplumey I apologize if you feel I hijacked your thread.

Christina

Ann McRae

Gifts the photographer would appreciate:

Grey Card, for setting custom white balance, unless you are adept at shooting RAW.

Graduated ND filter for shooting beautiful landscapes

monopod if you shoot sports or lightweight, compact tripod - especially if you travel.

A really great camera bag

Memory (can never have too much memory)

Spare batteries

portable storage device - I have an Epson P2000 - lots of choices out there

photoshop, lightroom, PSP, a Huey calibrator, printer - the digital darkroom necessities

smugmug subscription

Books:
Pricing Photography
books for inspiration
enrollment in a photography class


(My own list this year is lightroom and a Huey, maybe more filters)

ann

Glenn NK

Yes, it's a difficult question to answer as our interests and needs vary widely.

Personally, my most used pieces of equipment are:

1. PP Software - there are many options (I use Lightroom).

2. For me, a good tripod is essential for landscapes and closeup/macro - although there is an expert here (Lord V) that often doesn't use one.

3. Gear Bag - the problem here is that if you are still acquiring equipment, it's hard to know how big it should be or what features you will need in the future (I'm on my second one in less than one year). However, I would strongly suggest something that is dust proof and has a rain cover. The "Crumpler" bags are sexy, but the ones I've seen are not dustproof. The "Lowepro" bags with a "AW" suffix have a rain cover (All Weather).

4. White Balance card or target. Mine is a small disc that folds up into my shirt pocket. IMO, it's absolutely essential for the serious photog.

5. As for lenses, this is the perennial problem that no one seems to have completely mastered.

6. Good quality polarizing filter/lens.

rpcrowe

Your back and neck will thank...
Your back and neck will thank anyone who gets you a good aftermarket camera strap. Even with lighter camera and lens combinations a strap such as the Tamrac Boomerang (or equivalent OPTECH model) will make carrying the combination a lot more enjoyable and will mean the difference, when carrying a heavier combination, between neck/back fatigue and a comfortable shooting day.

Best of all, they run in the area of $20-$25 and are well worth the expenditure.

Raphy

Hey I have the same setup as you..D40, 18-55 and 55-200VR... still working on the speedlight.

I would recommend:

- grey card
- good / comfy camera bag
- comfy strap (see the camera strap thread here to get yours free !!)
- CPL filter
- 2gb or more memory card
- tripod !

Icebear

Gotta have
BEEFY tripod. You'll eventually get more and heavier cameras. Get a tripod that won't blow over in a mild zephyr.

Scott_Quier

Here are some ideas:

• Gray card - I have the WhiBal card (link)
• ExpoDisc is also nice (link)
• Good tripod
• Memory - more is better, never too much, especially if you shoot or start to shoot RAW format.
• A good bag is always in order. It would probably be a good idea to specify one or two that will provide you growing room so you can accomodate new lenses as you get them.
• Filters - a good circular polorizer (CPL), one or more graduated neutral density filters (Cokin might be an option) of various densities, one or more neutral density filters (10 stop) for getting nice creamy smooth water.
• Camera strap
• Demb Flash Diffuser (link)
• If you are or will be shooting RAW, a good PP software would be a good idea. My poison of choice is Photoshop CS3, but there are others. Lightroom, and Bibble Pro are two that come to mind.
• Monitor calibration system. I use the ColorVision Spyder2Pro Color Calibration System (link) and have been completely happy with it.

Manfr3d

Get yourself a polfilter for your wide angle lens and a 50mm/1.8 lens.
That should be alot of fun!

gryphonslair99

Canon 400mm f2.8L IS. Comes with it's own bag, well case really.