Best Camera Accessories Every Photographer Needs

Best Camera Accessories Every Photographer Needs

I’ve been taking photos for a long time, and over the years, I’ve added more and more handy accessories to my gear collection.

Some of them have become absolute essentials, like my trusted tripod (as a self portrait photographer, I can’t hold the camera myself, so a tripod is incredibly helpful).

Others are nice-to-have accessories that simply make life easier, like a spare battery.

Finally, I have invested in a few accessories that give me more creative options, like special effect filters.

For today’s post, I thought it would be helpful to create a comprehensive list of the best camera accessories, based on my own experience as a photographer.

Let’s get into it!

(Just so you know: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases).

Best Camera Accessories for Photographers

1. Waterproof Camera Bag

My first accessory tip is a waterproof camera bag made from sturdy material.

 I would recommend getting a slightly bigger one than your camera, so you have additional space for a spare battery, an extra lens and some filters. A lot of bags come with handy dividers on the inside which enable you to keep the contents tidy.

Ideally, get a waterproof bag, especially if you often take photos outside – it will give your camera extra protection.

2. Tripod

If you’re serious about your photography, I would 100% add a tripod to your gear collection.

Tripods are not a big investment, yet they offer so many advantages for photographers.

Tripods:

• reduce camera shake – especially important when shooting in low light conditions 
• enable you to take photos using longer shutter speeds
• enable precise manual focusing
• give you more flexibility when taking self portraits

..and loads more!

When you buy a tripod, make sure it’s high enough for your needs – some of them only have a maximum height of 1,5m or so, which may be too low if you want to take photos from a higher angle.

Here’s a great tripod option:

VICTIV 74 Camera Tripod, Tripod for Camera and Phone

3. High Capacity Memory Card

A collection of best camera accessories wouldn’t be complete without a good memory card.

Now, this is not essential, but it will make your life so much easier!

If you have a low capacity memory card, you will have to constantly archive your photos and delete what’s on your card.

In contrast, with a high capacity card, it will take a long time to fill up, and you can shoot in RAW format without running out of space too quickly.

Memory cards are way cheaper than they used to be, so I think it’s worth buying one with the largest capacity you can afford.

Click the link below to buy a memory card now:

SanDisk 128GB Ultra SDXC Card

4. Remote Control

If you take self portraits like me or love long exposure photography, I highly recommend you get a remote control for your camera. 

They are very cheap, but super handy as they allow you to take a photo remotely, without having to be behind the camera. 

When buying a remote, make sure it’s compatible with your camera model. 

The one below is available for different camera brands (simply select the correct one when purchasing):

AODELAN Camera Wireless Shutter Release Remote Control

5. Spare Batteries

If you take a lot of photos, I highly recommend you get a spare battery for your camera, especially if you:

use studio flashes, a speed gun, etc  – this uses up the battery fairly quickly

often take photos on the go, e.g. for travel or street photography – you don’t want to run out of battery while you’re out and about

There’s nothing more annoying than missing that perfect shot because your camera battery is dying – something you can easily avoid by always carrying a spare with you.

Just a little interruption to say…if you like taking portraits, check out my free ebook below:

…but now, back to the blog post!

6. External Harddrive

This next item might not be included in many “best camera accessories” lists, but I think it’s an absolute essential.

Why? Because it allows you to back up your images in one secure place. Sure, you could copy and paste all your images to your computer, but that will fill up the computer’s storage quickly and eventually affect its performance. Plus, if your computer suddenly breaks, you may lose your images.

Instead, get into the habit of backing up all your images onto your external harddrive. If you’re the paranoid type like me, you can even copy the contents from your harddrive onto a second harddrive to prevent file loss.

Here’s a great hard drive option:

Maxone 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive

7. Camera Strap

Life is too short for boring camera straps! If you like to personalise your accessories, try buying a fun, colourful camera strap to replace the branded one that most likely came with your camera. 

An added plus is that this will make it harder for camera thieves to spot your pricey camera (rather than walking around with a huge NIKON or CANON logo on your camera strap).

Try this fun option:

Beige Pink Stripe Camera Strap -Double Layer

8. Additional Lenses

Next, my list of best camera accessories includes a few popular lenses that will come in handy for many different types of photography.

I recommend the following lenses for your starter kit:

50mm prime lens – I love this lens, and I use it all the time. You can achieve a beautiful shallow depth of field (blurry background) thanks to the large aperture, so it’s amazing for portraits. I also really love using it for street photography.

35mm prime lens: I like these lenses a lot for landscape photography, as they provide a wide field of view. Also great for tight interior shots or street photography.

Macro lens: If you like to shoot close-ups or still lifes, it may be worth investing in a macro lens for beautiful close up photography.

9. Lens Filters

Another great camera accessory is lens filters.

Here are some of the best ones:

Protective filter: This is a super handy filter that will protect your lens from scratches and dust. You simply screw it onto the top of your lens and leave it there.

Polarising filter: this comes in handy when photographing outdoors as it saturates colours and increases contrast. It also helps to eliminate glares and reflections when photographing glass, water and other reflective surfaces.

Creative filters: you can also get special effect filters that allow you to create certain effects in your photographs, for example starburst or kaleidoscope filters. My favourite creative filters are soft focus filters that give portraits a beautiful dreamy glow.

Neutral density filters (ND filters): these filters reduce the amount of light reaching the camera sensor and are often used in landscape photography.

Here are some filters to try:

WalkingWay White Mist Diffusion Filter

KOGJAERS Camera Filter Kaleidoscope Prism

NEEWER Polarising Filter, CPL Filter

10. Flashgun

I’ve actually been dreaming about owning a flashgun for years as they have so many creative uses, so this is actually on my own shopping list!

Flashguns are basically small devices that sync with your camera and produce a flash when you press the shutter button.

You can either go hands free by attaching the flashgun to the hot shoe on top of the camera or hold it in one hand, separately from the camera.

Flashguns are super handy because you can direct the flash in several directions, either forward like a normal camera flash or up to the ceiling in order to bounce light back onto your subject. 

Some flashguns come with light diffusing attachments that allow you to make the light less harsh. 

You will see flashguns used by wedding photographers, event photographers and other photographers who often have to make do with low light conditions inside.

When purchasing, just make sure to buy a flashgun that’s compatible with your camera model.

And that’s it! What’s a handy accessory you don’t want to miss in your camera gear collection? Let me know in the comments!