Pacific Northwest Images

Now that you’ve got that shiny new digital camera you want to start capturing those precious moments, landscapes, flowers, animals, or whatever. Generally, when you purchase a new camera, you either already have some of the accessories you’ll need, or you received a “kit” that included them. I’m going to offer up my list of the top 10 digital camera accessories that you should have.

1. Camera Bag

You have to have something to carry all of your gear in! Things to look for include:

• Will it hold everything you need?
• Is it easy to access the gear without removing setting the bag down?
• Will it protect the gear?
• Does it close securely?

I like messenger style bags for their accessibility and comfort while carrying them. You’ll want to make sure that it’s water resistant if you will be carrying it outdoors.

2. Memory Cards

Lot’s and lot’s of memory! You can never have too much! I prefer to go no larger than about 2-gigabyte cards in case I lose one or it is corrupted. I would rather lose 200 images on a 2-gig card than 400 on a 4-gig card.

3. Tripod

Get a tripod! If you’ll be taking landscape shots, group photos (with you in them), or shots in less than ideal lighting conditions, use a tripod. You’ll be surprised at the improvement in sharpness once you start using one.

4. Computer Storage
By an external backup hard drive. Better yet, buy an enclosure, a good quality hard drive, and put one together yourself. This way, you’ll know you are getting a quality drive. Make sure it’s at least Firewire or USB2.0. You really don’t want a computer crash to cause you to lose years worth of precious images.

5. Photo Printer

At some point you’ll want to view your photos somewhere besides your computer. You can always send them out to be printed at a lab (I think Costco does a great job!) but there may be times when you want to print your own at home. Printer technology changes pretty fast but at the moment, I like the HP B9180. It will print up to a 13×19 inch print, it’s fast, has excellent print quality, and is economical on ink consumption. There are a ton of review sites out there so do some homework to make sure you choose the best printer for you.

6. Rechargeable Batteries

You will soon spend more on batteries than you spent on your camera if you are a heavy shooter and you don’t have rechargeable batteries. Get a bunch of them so you can make sure you always have a set of charged batteries handy. Get Nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) of the highest capacity you can find (1850 mAh or greater) and you will be pleasantly surprised at how long you can shoot!

7. Flash

Built in flashes are okay for quick shots that are close in and don’t need a lot of flash coverage (1 or 2 people). If your camera is equipped to accept an external flash, get it. You’ll have much better flash coverage and since the flash will use it’s own power supply, longer batter life in your camera.

8. Waterproof Cover

If you shoot outdoors, on the river, in the rain, near swimming pools, or anywhere there is water, you should look into getting a waterproof cover for your camera. These covers range from basic plastic bag type covers to O-ring sealed hard shell underwater cases. Get one now, save your camera latter!

9. Image Editing Software

Red eye removal and other basic image editing can be accomplished very nicely with free software. I highly recommend Google’s Picasa software. In addition to the basic image editing capabilities, Picasa is also a full featured image management application. Download it now!!

10. Digital Photo Frame

These things are cool! Digitally load your favorite images in them, hang them on a wall and you have a nice framed presentation of your photos!

11. Book
Okay, I know I said top 10 but here’s a bonus, buy or borrow a copy of Bryan Peterson’s Understanding Exposure. This book WILL improve your ability to take great images more consistently. Go to Amazon’s website and read the review. Trust me, it’s well worth the read.

I hope this list of camera accessories has helped you. Please let me know if you think there are items that should be added.