Eight Excellent Accessories for Your New DSLR Camera

In just a few days, paper will be ripped and packages will be opened. Thousands of those packages will contain new DSLR cameras. Having used a DSLR since Canon’s first Digital Rebel back in 2003, I know that the accessories that go along with a DSLR can help make the photographic experience better. Here are some recommendations for accessories for DSLRs.

• Spare memory cards. You’ll want to have a couple spare memory cards (either SDHC or Compact Flash depending on your camera model). If you’re shooting video, I recommend 16gb cards; if you’re only capturing still images you can do plenty with 8gb or even 4gb cards.

• Microfiber Cloths. In a pinch you can clean your lens with your t-shirt, but you really don’t want to risk damaging that expensive glass. Grab a few microfiber cloths to carry in your pocket or camera bag and you’ll easily be able to clean your camera and lens.

• Lens Pen. Another cleaning item, a lens pen easily allows for a quick cleaning of a fingerprint, water droplet, or other blemish on a lens.

• Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black). When it comes to cleaning the cracks, inside the back of lenses, or even inside the lens mount you’ll want to avoid propellants or foreign objects and simply use a puff of air. The Giottos Rocket Blaster is a popular blower that makes a great addition to any camera bag.

• Speaking of camera bags, you’ll want to protect your gear investment with proper carrying equipment. Without getting into too many details, for a camera-only backpack I recommend the Lowepro Primus AW. If you want to carry a laptop along with your DSLR and lens(es), I use and love the Kata DR-467i. Looking for a shoulder-style bag? The Think Tank Retrospective 30 is awesome.

• Good photo editing software. There’s a couple different options here – if you think you’re going to get seriously into photography as a hobby or maybe even a part-time profession, you’ll want Adobe Photoshop Lightroom which features some great editing tools as well as a powerful image cataloging system. For basic photo editing without the pro cataloging and workflow tools, Adobe Photoshop Elements is an awesome value. Both programs will run on either Windows or a Mac.

• Some good reading material to learn about photography. Here are some recommendations:
  • The Photographer’s Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos by Michael Freeman
  • Photography and the Art of Seeing: A Visual Perception Workshop for Film and Digital Photography by Freeman Patterson
  • The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Book for Digital Photographers by Scott Kelby

• A fast card reader. While you can use the USB cable that connects your camera to your computer, you’ll quickly find that it’s pretty slow to move the gigabytes of photos and video that you’ll create. I recommend the Lexar Dual-Slot Reader which handles both CF and SD cards.

What have I forgotten? What other items might new camera owners want to check out?

Tagged as: accessories, camera, cleaning, compact flash, dslr, equipment, lightroom, photoshop elements, rocket blaster, scott kelby, sdhc