Stuff that beginner photographers REALLY need!

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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. In this video I'll share with you the top 6 accessories that photographers should actually buy, but don't.

I use Topaz Labs software for noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling:

Music in intro: "Nicer", by Houses on the Hill. Find that, and other sound effects at Epidemic Sounds

My equipment:

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[simon_dentremont]

What’s your favorite inexpensive photo accessory? Let me know! Always looking to produce more relevant content. I could maybe do some equipment reviews on them.

[saifaldin_]

I’d like to add that if you have cameras with exposed sensors, one more way to reduce the chance of getting dust on the sensor is to make sure you wait a few extra seconds after you switch off the power, before detaching the lens. This is to make sure the camera has time to discharge static electricity from the sensor.

If you detach the lens immediately (or didn’t turn off the power at all) the sensor will become a dust magnet.

I went from having to clean my sensor 3-4 times a year, to once in 3 years after I adopted this habit.

[matthieuzglurg]

about the intervalometer : before going out and searching the one that is compatible with your camera, go look in the menus of your camera first, most of modern cameras nowadays have this function built in, even some have the video timelapse encoder right in as well (Lumix and Nikon cameras for example).

[annoholics]

A tip I have is a rubber sun cap for your lens. It is used for taking pictures trough glass. Ideal if you are taking pictures in a zoo of animals that are behind glass. The rubber sun cap prevents light making reflections on the glass that can ruin your picture. Of course it can also be used in other situations where you want to take a picture trough glass but you can't open a window. Think about taking pictures from high buildings or from a train.

[RJ-nkqz]

My free accessory to always have with you = a plastic grocery bag. If you don't bring your camera case with you, having a plastic bag handy can save you not only from unexpected rain or snow, but unexpected sprays (like I encountered at Old Faithful), wind on a sandy beach or any other unexpected airborne danger to your camera. The bag stores easily almost anywhere (back pocket, purse, etc) and is ready quick.

[Walt.]

A wrist strap is one item I can't/won't do without. My hands are not as steady or strong as they used to be and the security I get from using my wrist strap means I can focus more attention on my compositions!
Thanks again for another great video, Simon!

[The-Secret-Dragon]

Just a word of warning regarding ssd drives. Never use them for long term storage. They degrade faster than mechanical hard drives. Yes mechanical hard drives are prone to mechanical failure, but data decays faster on ssds and once that data is lost, unlike mechanical hard drives, they cannot be recovered. It is gone forever. So use mechanical drives for stationary backup that you're not going to access often, and the less fragile ssds are best used while on the go travelling to quickly back up directly from your camera cards. It's also a good idea to replace it with a brand new back up drive every 5 years or so.

[jmg]

One of my go to needs in my bag is a polarizing filter. I’m primarily a landscape photographer though but I think those are really important. Rare that I’m taking photos in direct mid afternoon sun but it does happen from time to time

[petesime]

A set of step up rings. If you're going to start using lens filters - like an ND filter to get those beautiful long exposures - get the filter that fits your largest lens thread and the step up rings will adapt it to fit smaller lens threads on your other lenses. Much cheaper than buying multiple filters.

[Simon_PieMan]

Another useful tip is to have more than one tripod quick release plate, e.g. one on the camera and one on the telephoto lens foot - makes swapping from wide to telephoto lenses much simpler.

[dw.in.michigan]

Great advice! I agree with all those things you said. There are a few things that I would add. 1) A USB powered dummy battery, if your camera won't charge directly. But your camera may require higher power output for the dummy battery to work, so invest in a power bank with high power output - costs a little more, but still less than a $100. 2) Lens warmer - indispensable for nighttime photography, but also useful in any conditions where dew can collect on the lens and ruin the shot. 3) Neodymium magnets and plates for gear, to attach to your tripod, that you may want instant visual access to, but keep your hands free to make adjustments to your camera (or hold coffee) - external monitor, phone, power bank, intervalometer. Those magnets are strong, so if you have to move your setup, you can fold the legs of your tripod and move it all securely and not have to worry about loose gear dropping. I've made custom magnet mounts that I can strap to my tripod legs with velcro straps, and I've bought bicycle mount magnets. Either works great. 4) Tripod stone bag. They can be used for weight, but they're also useful gear that you don't want to have carry around or constantly transfer from bag to camera - lens caps, power bank, extra lenses, intervalometer. A variation on this is the Black Rapid tripod jacket - $50. It wraps around your tripod (some tripods better than most). It has the same amount of space as a camera bag (not backpack), so you can have protected and mobile storage of all your gear.

[LukeWatch]

For most photographers backing up to an SSD, this won’t be an issue, but definitely worth mentioning that due to the way charges are stored in SSDs, they should be plugged into power every so often to prevent the SSD equivalent of “bit rot”.

[tomderr]

Practical and straightforward content clearly presented (as usual) - keep up the great work!

[bradperry]

Great list, Simon. Beyond a remote shutter/intervalometer, the inexpensive accessory that has given me the biggest quality of life improvement has been an arca-swiss L bracket. Being able to switch from landscape to portrait orientation with ease and without having things slip out of place because of heavier lenses, etc. has relieved so much frustration.

[ccurrivan]

For the side sling, RRS plates have QD attachment points which makes them compatible with rifle slings. You can also attach a QD point to a hand strap so it can be quickly removed when switching to a tripod.

[skakdosmer]

My favourite accessories include:
1) Remote. I use three different types: 
A) a cabled one, the Canon RS-60E3. It's a bit more expensive than a generic one, but also smaller and better; the resistance in the button is perfect, and it has a couple of slots for cable management.
B) an infrared one, the Canon RC6 (or rather a $1 copy). I used to own the RC1 wich had a holder to attach it to the camera strap. It was very secure and never fell off, and I miss that. But after only 20 years of use, the unit died. A sad day.
C) a Bluetooth one, the Canon BR-E1. Only works with certain cameras like the Eos 90D, but allows me to remotely zoom the 18-135 USM with the PZ-E1 attached. 
D) You could also use an intervalometer as a remote, I own one, but rarely use it. My cameras all have inbuilt intervalometers - even my old Eos 550D (Rebel T2i), because I've the Black Magic firmware installed. But if you do use the external intervalometer as a remote trigger, it's probably not even necessary to insert batteries. If you wish to use the intervalometer function, you will need the batteries, of course.
2) ... sorry, ran out of time. Will update later.

[kennethcaird]

Simon: Your best tip is getting rid of the cheap vendor camera strap. I used to get severe neck pains when being out on a long shoot. I got a decent strap, now no problems no matter how long I am out.

[richaneesh]

The automatic CC says your name is Simon Donald Trump 😅😂

[csc-photo]

I have the same BlackRapid strap, the RS-4 Retro. I chose this one because it's the ONLY model (aside from the little backpack strap) that has a FRONT adjustment. This is game-changing because I can instantly cinch it up when I'm on the move, so it sits above my waist / against the front of my torso / stomach area. Zero flopping around and it allows me to be 95% hands-free when walking.

[FlyBoyEnterprises]

Flash Drives also work for backing up photos. That's what I've invested in as it's what I currently can afford is ideall for anyone starting & on a budget. Tip for maximized storage, send the files to Zip Folder (One folder being original copies) By compression, you make more room.

I definitely recommend having extra batteries & fully charged before going out to shoot. Also external battery chargers as they charge faster. I picked up 4 more with a dual charger, bringing me to 18 batteries and 3 chargers.

As for cards, invest in the largest capacity your camera takes as well as a backup card as you never know when it will fail.

Also investing in a microfiber cloth as well as cleaning pen with a brush.