5 digital camera accessories for beginners

THE LIST:  WHAT ARE the TOP 5 DSLR CAMERA ACCESSORIES for BEGINNERS 

This is the best camera gear to start with. These accessories not necessarily exciting, but they're essential. Okay, I know what you're thinking. But Bruce, I want to have fun and improve my photographs. I get it. I feel the same way. No worries!

Good news: start with the essentials and then you can stroll down and check out all the other amazingly fun and creative digital camera accessories that are on the market today.

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Whether you're looking to make a list of digital camera accessories you want to get or just have a general curiosity on what's available, you're in luck. If you're lucky to have a camera store close by, you can just stop in. Or, if you like convenience like me, you can do all your research and buying from the comfort of your chair.

Below are 6 different lists of photography equipment articles for you on this site. A little further on are the 4 categories of digital camera equipment you should consider. They include fun camera accessories, must have equipment, accessories for protection, and photography accessories that help you take much better photos.

resource Articles on Specific Digital camera accessories

I've been busy posting articles on specific digital camera accessories you want to know about. Go ahead, dig a little deeper:

The explosion of digital photography combined with the free resources on the internet put you in the driver seat for choosing. You have a tremendous selection of choices for accessories, and so many places to buy and read reviews.

If you've ever done a search of "camera accessories stores near me," and been disappointed with the results, it's because online shopping is taken over our country.  The days where you could just drive to your town center and walk into your  photography accessory store over almost over.

4 categories of digital photography accessories

Your list of digital camera accessories has to start with the add-ons you really shouldn't consider doing without. There are a lot of other accessories you don't "need," but having them would improve your photography or just be fun to have. We start with the two digital camera accessories  that every photographer must have.

1.  The "must have" accessories to begin with

Begin with the two necessary accessories first, a spare battery and a 2nd memory card. If your battery goes dead, or if you've filled up your only memory card, then your prized camera becomes an expensive paperweight. 

Batteries and memory cards are really cheap too, for several reasons. There's a lot of competition among memory card and battery sellers and there are a lot of companies involved because it's such a big market.

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2.  accessories that protect and Transport Your Gear

You've got the necessities; your camera, your memory card, and a spare battery. Now what?

Have you thought about getting a simple camera bag or maybe a camera backpack? If you have a few accessories, maybe just an extra lens, perhaps a filter, or even a small tripod, you need a way to carry these things on your next photo shoot.

Once again there's huge array of options in terms of size, features, and prices. If you have a point and shoot camera a simple padded pouch or camera case will suffice. If you have a DSLR, you need a filter to protect your lens and a case to carry and protect your equipment.

3. Best camera accessories that improve your photography

These gadgets are the ones that you can be more excited about getting. We all enjoy digital photography a lot more when are pictures make our friends say WOW!

Tripods are certainly number one. There are many reasons why you should have a tripod on your accessory list. Yes, you will get sharper photos, shoot smoother video, and can include yourself in the family portrait by using the self-timer setting.

You also can turbocharge your creativity when you use a tripod. Tripods get you to slow down, think things through a bit better, and take more time getting just the right composition. Tripods are great for shooting landscapes, timelapse, and night time photos, Of course, they help you cut down on photography mistakes too.

Monopods. Monopods are not in demand as much now with high ISO abilities having become so good. These accessories are still great for shooting wildlife and birds. When your space is too small for a tripod. or you're using a big lens, monopods can be your best option.

How about you try some super close macro photography, photos, play with multiple exposures, or experiment with long exposures. A tripod can support a big heavy lens to get in close and personal with your subject?

An extra Lens. Do you like to photograph birds and other forms of wildlife? Consider getting a specialty lens that's great for a specific type of photography? Ultra wide lenses are great for landscapes, architecture, and group photography.

How about a macro lens for super close-ups? Super telephoto lenses are needed for sports, wildlife and bird photography.

There is an entirely world of picture-taking opportunities that opens up to you when you go close-up. Everywhere you go you have the chance to shoot some cool macro photos.

I shot close ups as a young boy. It was fun, but I hadn't done any macro after that. It wasn't until I started this blog that I played around with macro. Now I'm having a blast again shooting flowers, textures, food, fruit, vegetables, all kinds of fun stuff.

Other fun camera accessories include extension tubes, shutter cords, clamps, flash guns, and other light modifiers. 

4. Fun camera accessories

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There are several advantages of adding an external flash mounted to the hot shoe on the top of your camera. You get more power and a much farther reach than the dinky little built-in flash that come with your camera.

Any decent flashgun will let you tilt or swivel its direction and give you completely different looks with your flash photography. Aiming at and bouncing your flash at large nearby surfaces will dramatically diminish those unattractive harsh shadows.

You'll get professional looking light with softer, more pleasing shadows.

High powered speedlights are also great for freezing motion because of their very short flash duration. Once again, another avenue of creative exploration to travel.

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You can have a blast playing around with flashgun accessories. A softbox like this easily mounts to your speedlight and creates a much softer light for portraits and macro photography.

These accessories sell for less than $20 and will last forever if you treat them with a little respect. They're very light and fold up compactly, so these lighting accessories are easy to take with you anywhere you go.

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Let's face it. Photography is all about lighting and one of these types of camera accessories can turn your lighting from amateur to pro instantly. I use a large foldable reflector panel more than any other single lighting accessory I own.

With gear like this you can learn how to modify the existing light on your subject better than any normal beginner. You can experiment with both bouncing light onto your subject or blocking  the harsh shadow producing sunlight from striking your subject.

You can use them when you're shooting indoor or outdoor portraits. A set of the round type of folding reflector panels sell for less than $20.

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where to buy digital camera accessories

Once you have a camera accessories list, it's time to go shopping. You've likely asked yourself the question: "Where's the best camera accessories store near me?" There's so many places to buy digital camera accessories that someone could probably build an entire website on just the topic of where the best place is to buy digital camera accessories.

Just like me, you want good service, quality products, cheap prices, and fast ownership. For now, you can consider these 5 categories of digital camera accessory retailers.

1 - box stores

If you open a new browser tab on your computer or pull up a search window on your smartphone, and do a search of digital camera accessories store near me, here's what you get.

Depending on your area, you're going to get Best Buy - Target - Walmart - Kmart - Staples - OfficeMax, Walmart as possible results. This is just a small percentage. There are plenty more, depending on where you live in the country and most of these camera equipment retailers now sell on-line too.

If you have the desire see a product in person or physically touch it before you buy, box stores usually have a good selection of the most popular accessories. Box stores won't be able to carry the same very specialized gadgets that the giant online retailers do.

2 - digital camera specialty stores 

B+HPhoto Video -   Adorama - Toms of Maine -  Hunt's  - Ritz Camera - Beach Camera - Samys.

Local small-town camera stores are pretty much an extinct species. These camera retailers have been forced to add online ordering to stay competitive in the marketplace.

Going to one of these big camera stores in person is like being a kid in a candy shop. I recommend you give it a try if it's not too far of a trip. The first time I visited B&h Photo Video in New York City, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

3 - auction and used gear sites

Ebay - Craigslist - KEH Photo

You can save money, but you have to proceed with caution and  be well informed on the quality of the used gear as well as the integrity of the seller.

Ebay is the granddaddy of auction sites, Craigslist has grown so big that you have a real good chance of finding a specific item locally and perhaps looking at it live, before you buy.

Craigslist sellers Sometimes don't know what a piece of photography equipment is really worth and that means a bargain opportunity for you. KEH has been around a long time and was a big player in buying and selling used camera equipment, particularly in the days of film photography.

4 - ONLINE only retailers

Amazon is king for camera equipment when it comes to the depth and the number of reviews by consumers who have already purchased and used cameras and accessories.

That makes it the number one place to read reviews on digital camera accessories. You can find more reviews per specific camera gadget than anywhere else on the planet.

Best selling digital camera accessories

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Best Selling Accessories on Amazon

5. manufacturers that sell their own products

ThinkTankPhoto - Manfrotto - Photoflex - MindShift Gear are just a few examples of companies that sell their own. Some want to protect the price of their digital camera gadgets and sell their own to control that process.

These are usually digital camera accessories with superior design and materials and come along with higher price tags. Professional photographers demand the utmost in quality and performance-It's their job.

You know that your skill as a photographer is still really the most important element of getting great photos. Certainly, the right camera, lens, and accompanying gadgets makes it easier and more fun to get those great photos.

ThinkTank Photo and MindShift Gear specialize in high end camera bags and related accessories for the adventurous outdoor photographers. I have a ThinkTank Photo airport travel bag that is perfect for me in certain situations when I embark on distant photo excursions.

digital camera accessories list

The best thing to do is to come up with a digital camera accessories list. Make it a long one at first, then it will be a simple matter to prioritize. Make sure it is written. We are all visual creatures, especially those of us interested in photography.

You can look for kits that are full of accessories, but that can lead to confusion. If you do a Google image search for "digital camera accessories kits" will only set you up for overwhelm.

For any other topics on this website you wish to explore, you can use the search box below. Cheers!

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camera ACCESSORIES to consider

The photo above was taken without any fancy macro photography equipment, just my normal zoom lens with an extension tube attached between my camera and the lens.

You can save money by buying a set of affordable extension tubes instead of an expensive macro lens for doing some cool close-up photography.

The single most valuable camera accessory to bolster your lighting is a flash that will mount to your camera's hot shoe. The best ones can rotate and swivel, so that you can aim you flash at a large surface, like a wall or ceiling, and get professional looking lighting.