Today I want to talk about some of my top accessories;
Battery Grip
If you’re going to be shooting a lot – such as at a wedding or a sports event, the last thing you’ll want is to run out of battery, and a batter-grip for your camera is a way of adding additional power storage for those long days.
Another reason for adding one is if you shoot a lot of hand-held portraits, as the grips often have additional buttons that allow easier operation of the camera when held in portrait rather than landscape.
Grips are available both Branded and from 3rd Party suppliers depending on what you want to pay, although the cheaper versions are not as well made and may not fit quite so snuggly.
Spare Batteries
If you’re got yourself a battery grip (or even if you haven’t), you should consider getting at least one spare battery so that you can be shooting with one while the other is charging.
As with grips, you can buy both Branded and 3rd Party supplied batteries. I find that Branded ones last longer but are more expensive. I decided to add two 3rd Party batteries for my Canon set up.
Comfort while shooting is very important. By default, most cameras come with a neck strap so you can dangle the camera round your neck when it’s not being used. Personally I find this a right pain – in the neck, and back. For many years now, I’ve gone with a hand grip instead. These attach via the neck strap connection and tripod mount (with an additional hole so you can still add a tripod with the strap attached) and keep the camera securely tethered to your hand – as long as you make it tight enough of course.
The added advantage is that the camera is ready for you to shoot as soon as you see something. There are plenty available to choose from depending on budget.
Following on from the above, my other means of carry my DSLR is via a shoulder strap. Once you get the length set correctly it’s really comfortable and still provides fast access to the camera when you see a shot. Again, several makers are out there I have a Black Rapid and a Caden.
eBay wrist straps
For smaller cameras, I love these home-made straps from eBay stockist Cordweaver, I have one on my Lumix TZ-60 and another on my Lomo Russia Day which I asked to be specifically made two-colour red and black to match the camera. They are really strong and look great.