How to Buy Camera Accessories

Camera accessories include lenses, a tripod, and a camera bag to assist you in carrying all of your equipment.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Camera Accessories

Lenses

1. Evaluate what kind of photographs you like to take. Do you like to take photographs of people, sporting events, landscapes, boats under sail, events or objects indoors, people or objects on city streets, or insects on flowers?
2. Know that lenses of 120 to 300 mm and above are considered long lenses. The longer the lens, the farther away you will stand from your subject when you take the picture.
3. Select a 300 to 400 mm long lens if you intend to photograph things like sporting events or boats from the shore.
4. Choose a 90mm long lens for good candid shots of people. This lens allows you to stand several yards from your subject.
5. Choose a 120mm long lens for portraits.
6. Choose a short lens if you intend to photograph street scenes of a city, landscapes, or objects or subjects from a small space and you need to include an entire scene. The short lenses have a wider angle so you can get more into the picture. Typical short wide lenses are 24mm and 28mm.
7. Select a zoom lens if you want to be able to change the focal length without having to change the lens. These lenses are convenient to use. You may find that you can use just one zoom lens for all of your photos.

Tripods

8. Choose a tripod that's tall enough so that you can use it comfortably without extending the center column. If the center column has to be raised above the three legs of the tripod, your camera may be flapping around in the breeze, supported only by one tube.
9. Make certain there are no small parts to lose or wear out and that the tripod is lightweight. It will also help if it has spring-loaded flip locks.
10. Choose a three-way panhead if you take architecture or landscape shots. With a three-way pan head, each axis is separately controlled. Otherwise, a ball head will prove sufficient.
11. Select a tripod with a quick-release head.

Camera Bags

12. Evaluate your lifestyle and how photography fits in. Do you travel a lot and take your camera equipment with you? Do you want to carry all of your equipment with you as you seek out things to photograph? How much equipment do you have and how big is it?
13. Take all of your equipment to the camera store where you'll be buying the bag so that you can determine whether the bag is large enough to hold everything you have.
14. Ask to see a range of bags, including small, big, vest, backpack and belt types. You may find that you wish to carry just a few items and that a small bag will suffice. On the other hand, you may have a lot of equipment and find that you'll need to use a big bag. If you like to carry your equipment with you as you shoot, you may find that a vest is most comfortable to use. If you believe you'll be too hot in summer wearing a vest or that your lenses are too big for a vest, you can select the belt or backpack type of bag.
15. Choose a bag that's waterproof, insulated and padded with foam. This ensures that your equipment will be protected from bumps as well as the heat or cold. If you want a vest, try to select one that has Velcro fasteners or a seam of cloth that covers metal fasteners. Try not to select a vest with exposed studs or hard plastic that could scratch your equipment.
16. Test the ease of access to the inside of the bag. Is the zipper, fastener or flap in an awkward location for you? Does it inhibit you from quickly reaching the items you want?