[Idan]

Searching to buy photo accessories for your Digital SLR camera? - There are plenty of them out there. Some are useful and can help you shoot better images (or even must), and others are pretty cool to have, but not that useful. Whatever the reason, photographers sometimes like to spoil themselves with some a new accessory from now and than. Let's looks at some cool accessories that many photographers have bought, those ones that are one of the most popular camera accessories on Amazon, B&H and Adorama camera. I will add more accessories to this thread and I hope you can contribute from your own experience too.

Let me start by recommending two very useful accessories that I found useful for my needs..


Joby Gorillapod Flexible Tripod for DSLR

Many of you are probably familiar with Joby Gorillapod and some are probably not. For those of you who haven't see this cool tripod, this is a very strong and flexible 3-leg tripod for your camera. It's flexible legs allows it to curl around various objects and secure your camera as the camera takes the shot. It has a standard universal 1/4-20 screw mount that you can attach your Digital SLR camera to it and it also comes with a 1/4-to-3/8-inch adapter as well. There are several models of this camera accessory, including the GP1-E1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (designed for smaller cameras), Joby GP2-D1EN for DSLR cameras with Bubble level), GP3 for SLR-Zoom, and others.




So why so many photographers love the Joby Gorillapod?

First of all it is very durable with a strong grip. That means that you can trust it to secure your camera when attached to different objects. It's that kind of accessory that will won't wear out quickly and it's cheap (but not in quality). Second but not least, it allows enthusiast and pro photographers get those kinds of shots that impossible without it. It solves the problem when you need someone to capture a photo of your and your girlfriend, or take some shots where you are not allowed or it's dangerous to get close to your subject (racing car track). There are tons of uses for this one, and I'm sure you'll find a reason to use it too.

Note: There are several models that have different properties. Some gorillapods will fit smaller and light cameras, others are for more pro use and for DSLR cameras. Because we are talking about DSLR accessories in this article, I recommend getting either the Joby GP2-D1EN with Bubble Level or the highly recommended GP3 Gorillapod SLR-Zoom with BH1 Ball Head and Bubble Level for Digital SLR cameras.

Just grab this useful accessory and put in in your bag, you don't know when you need it.


Advanced AA Battery Chargers

A battery charger was designed to recharge batteries and power them up again in a reasonable amount of time. There are some very important differences between those charges and I'm pretty sure that some of you are having a tough time deciding between them.

Photographers needs those chargers for charging the batteries of their camera Flash, others needs those batteries as a backup or extra power when attached to their vertical camera grip. Most of the vertical battery grips comes with a AA battery magazine that let you use AA batteries to power up your digital SLR camera.

The leading battery charger vendors are: La Crosse Technology and Maha, Those are two companies that many pro photographers trust. The advanced battery chargers not only charge your batteries, but doing a full cycle of Charge, Discharge, Test and Refresh which conditioned your batteries for better operation and extend battery life.

The Top Battery Chargers for Photographers:

• La Crosse Technology BC-9009 AlphaPower Battery Charger
• Maha PowerEx MH-C801D Eight Cell Battery charger (8x AA/AAA)
• Maha Powerex MH-C9000 WizardOne Charger-Analyzer (My choice!)

MAHA Powerex MH-C9000:




I have the Maha Powerex MH-C9000 WizardOne and I just can't recommended enough. The La Crosse Technology BC-900 is one of the most popular ones, but after some heating issues has been reported, I put my recommendation on hold here. Although you should note that some people are reported that apparently the heating issue with the BC-900 has been solves with the firmware version 37. Also note that the C9000 is much larger than the compact BC-900, so it less portable. When it comes to portability, the BC-900 is probably the best way to go.

Dual Battery Charger

Talking about batteries chargers, I also recommend checking out Polaroid DUAL -ion+ ReVIVE Series camera battery charger. They have various models that can charge your Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, Samsung and Canon batteries, TWO OF THEM!

On Amazon you can find different models for different cameras, for example: chargers for LP-E6 (Canon 60D / 7D / 5D Mark II), LP-E8 (Canon Rebel T2i, T3i, 550D, 600D), MH-18A (Nikon D300s, D90, D7000 and others). The great thing is that you can buy battery rechargeable plates for recharging other type of batteries.

If you are in a hurry or don't have time to charge one battery at at time, the DUAL -ion+ ReVIVE is probably the best solution right now (unless you won't to purchase two charges separately?).


Have you found some cool accessories for enthusiast photographers, why don't you spend a few minutes sharing them with us here.

[Idan]

Giottos Rocket Air Blaster

The next camera accessory that I highly recommend buying is the a Air blower for removing dust and debris from your digital SLR camera sensor. Their are plenty out there, but enthusiast and pro photographers will get the Giottos one. The most popular one is the Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large (Black). You should note that their are two kind of sensor dust removal accessories, ones that blows air (dry) and others that use a combination of a brush and a liquid (wet). I personally not a favor of using the web solution. although ins some cases where the dust is sticky, they suppose to do a better job. For most of us, the Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster will be more than enough.

If you want a more portable version, you can buy the Giottos AA1920 Rocket Air Blaster Small, which is much smaller than the "larger" version. Many photographers recommend getting the large one because it's much more effective in removing dust and debris. Every digital SLR photographer must have one of this dust removal tools in his bag. Some people buy both, while keeping the AA1920 (smaller version) in their camera bag, and the AA1900 (large) at home for some complete sensor cleaning before they get out shooting.


Another think important to know is that the Giottos Rocket Air Blaster blows air in only one way, so it doesn't suck the dust inside. Their are many other replicas that don't have this feature, that means that when you release your hand after squeezing it, the blower will breath in dust and might spread it back into the camera compartment and back onto the sensor. So buy only the original Giottos model. It's cheap so it doesn't make sense paying less and get a product that wasn't designed to be as a effective as the Giottos.. You can use the dust removal tool to also remove dust form your lens front and back elements and even on the lens cap and other parts of your SLR camera.

Here is a view review about the Giottos AA1900 Rocket Air Blaster Large. You can get a perception how large it is.



Highly recommended accessory, I can even say a Must-have one.

If you want to go with the swabs (Web solution), I recommend getting the Digital Survival PRO KIT - Sensor Swab Type 2 (w/Eclipse).

[Idan]

Radio Wireless Remote Shutter Release

The next recommended camera accessory is a Wireless Remote shutter release. With a remote shutter release you can control the shutter of your digital SLR camera without physically clicking the shutter button on your camera. Their is also the wired remote shutter release, but it seems that many people prefer buying a Wireless one because it give them more flexibility. For example: if you position your camera near a car race track, you won't to be able to control your camera without getting close to the track itself. With a wireless remote shutter release it's possible. It's also very usable and highly recommended for close-up shots (macro), group shots, time lapse, long exposures (prevents camera shake), studio, etc.

You should note that their are two versions, ones that works on Infrared and others that works with a Radio signal. The disadvantage of infrared is that you can't use it from behind the camera, the remote needs to face the front of the camera. Second, it doesn't allow you to trigger the shutter from a long distance, like your TV remote control. With a radio signal -based solution, you can control the shutter even from a max. distance of 320ft. (although varies depends on the model, environment and usage).

Most of the Wireless radio remote triggers come comes with two components: A transmitter and a receiver. The receiver is attached to the camera's shutter release input jack and can be attached to the camera's hot-shoe. The receiver can also be used as a wired remote trigger by itself. The transmitter is the component that you hold in your hands and it will trigger the shutter release on your you DSLR Camera, whether it's Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Pentax, Sony, etc.

So which one to buy?

Many photographers recommend buying "Aputure" Pro Coworker Wireless remote RF Radio shutter release. After searching Amazon for all the popular ones, I've found that Aputure Pro Coworker is the most popular one when it comes to high quality Wireless remote RF radio shutter release for digital SLR cameras.

Aputure Pro Coworker For Canon entry level cameras - Canon EOS Digital Rebel t2i, t3, t3i, 550D, 600D, 1100D, 60D (click the link for the whole supported models)

Aputure Pro Coworker for Canon enthusiast level cameras - Canon EOS 50D, 7D, 5D, 5D Mark II, 1Ds Mark IV.

Aputure Pro Coworker for Sony alpha cameras - (including some Minolta cameras) Sony Alpha DSLR-A300, A700, A900, A380, A550, A850, A580, SLT-A33, A55, Minolta Maxxum (click the link for the whole supported models)

Aputure Pro Coworker for Nikon pro cameras - Nikon D1x, D2x, D3x, D300s, D700 (click the link for the whole supported models)



How it works?

[Idan]

Water Resistant SD and CF Memory card Cases

When it comes to memory card protective cases, Pelican is number one in this field. It's SD and Flash memory card cases (the one that I'll show you in a minute) are Water Resistant, ultra durable with shocks absorbers and the case is made by of touch Polycarbonate resin. If you are searching for a well constructed and secure way to store your cards, Pelican memory card storage case are The best you can get. Pro photographers choose Pelican because they need a way to secure their card, especially if they are shooting outdoors in bad weather conditions. Because Pelican SD and CF protective cases are water resistant, no dust, water or humidity will enter the case. It's the ultimate protection for your SD and CF cards.

Which are the most popular Pelican cases among photographers?

Pelican 0940 for CF (Stores 4 Compact Flash Cards) and Pelican 0910 for SD (Stores 8 Secure Digital Cards and 16 Mini Secure Digital Cards).


At the 2nd part of the video review you can see how the case goes under water and stays dry inside.



You can even buy it as a gift to your friend who is a photographer.

[Idan]

Blackrapid RS-7 Strap

Maybe it's time that you will replace your genuine Canon or Nikon branded strap with something much more comfortable, the Black Rapid Strap RS7. The RS-7 is probably the most functional and the most comfortable camera strap you'll ever wear. Compared to conventional straps. It's was designed with both ergonomics and functionality in mind. Instead of sitting on your neck, it shaped to perfectly fit around your shoulder. You attach the hook to the camera's socket. Now you can carry your heavy DSLR + Lens without breaking your back. Furthermore, it's very easy to take a shot, as demonstrated in the next video:



If you are still not convinced whether to purchase this strap or not, here is a link to a nice review about the Blackrapid RS-7 strap.

You can buy the black rapid strap rs7 black fabric via Amazon here. Their is also a Blackrapid strap that was specially designed for women, here.

[Idan]

High Quality External Microphone for your HDSLR

If you are shooting Full HD videos with your digital SLR camera, you probably figured out that the sound quality of the built-in mic is not that great. This is where I recommend buying an external stereo microphone. Not all digital SLR cameras support it though (My Nikon D3100 doesn't have an input jack for connecting external mic). For in depth comparison I recommend reading my article about DSLR microphones.

There is a large variety of external stereo microphones for HDSLR cameras, every one with its own unique sound characteristics. For enthusiast videographers that learned to appreciate a good sound quality. One problem with the and internal mic is that it records the lens AF sound. Many HDSLR owners found it quite frustrating and this is one reason why they've chosen to buy an external Microphone. High quality mics with filter wind and motor noise and other distractions. If you are serious about shooting videos with your HDSLR, you ought yourself to get the following mic.

Rode VideoMic Pro compact Shotgun Microphone (B&H) - the more professional model of the original VideoMic. This is probably the most popular camera microphone for HDSLR cameras today. It's ultra compact and lightweight. It features integrated shock mount and windscreen. It connected to the camera's 3.5mm input jack and works with a single 9V battery for 70 hours audio recording. Highly Recommended and a great value overall!

[fblanton]

I think that getting a tripod that is sturdy enough and one that would be available even on weird angles would be a good investment.

And when you come to think of it, you would not want to cutback on a cheap tripod which will mount probably one of your most prized possessions. So it would be great to be able to invest on a good one as well.

To go with it, an all in one type of carry bag will be nice.

[patrickwilson86]

Before you make the plunge, read some reviews and take suggestions from the forum. Don't aim too low when choosing a camera. I've never heard anyone complaining that the camera they bought is too good.
Don't rule out used and refurbished cameras from dealers and manufacturers.