All The Accessories You Need For A New Camera

If you're planning to take up photography as a hobby, then apart from the obvious need of a camera, there are some pretty essential accessories that you should look at purchasing* to keep your new camera safe, and make your overall experience a better one. 

*By clicking on our green Amazon buttons and buying anything, you are helping to support the site at no extra cost to you - thank you.

Photography is often seen as an expensive hobby but it doesn't have to be - a few basic accessories to compliment your main camera and lens purchase will go a long way to making your experience well-rounded and enjoyable. Taking your camera out with you will soon become second nature and with these essential accessories, you'll be able to shoot a wider range of subjects whilst knowing that your kit is safe and protected. 

Photography accessories you shouldn't be without

Camera bag

Camera bags are available in many forms, from shoulder bags to rucksacks and sling bags. Take a look at your kit and have a think about where you intend to go and what you intend to shoot. How many lenses you may want to carry should be considered as well as location - for example going hiking for great views will most likely merit a rucksack, while an urban environment with photo opportunities around every corner might require a shoulder bag with quick access.

We have several guides to camera bags on site, from our complete buyers guide, to best everyday camera bags and even a premium bag roundup for those with expensive tastes. 

Buy a camera bag on Amazon UK    Buy a camera bag on Amazon USA

Spare batteries

When you're out and about and especially if it's cold, batteries can deplete quicker than they normally would. If you're planning on shooting for more than a couple of hours, it's definitely a good idea to have some spare batteries in your pocket to keep you shooting. 

Adding your camera make and model to the search bar should bring up some useful results.

Buy spare batteries on Amazon UK    Buy spare batteries on Amazon USA

Memory card 

You can never have enough memory cards and it's a good idea to have a few which you can rotate through for trips out - giving you time to transfer existing images onto a computer without needing the card again straight away. With the sizes of images these days' it's a good idea to pot for cards of at least 32-64GB capacity. More memory is good, but it can also increase your chances of losing large chunks of images if the card fails. 

Make sure you regularly transfer your images from the card and back them up!

Buy memory cards on Amazon UK    Buy memory cards on Amazon USA    

Lens cloth

No matter what kind of camera you have, dirt and moisture on the lens is never a good thing. It's always advisable to carry a lens cloth with you, to give a scratch-free way to rid the lens of any unexpected splashes and marks. 

You could also invest in a lens cleaning kit which includes a blower, if you plan on shooting at the beach these are especially handy as they can rid your lens of sand particles. 

Buy lens cloths on Amazon UK    Buy lens cloths on Amazon USA  

Screen protector

Screen protectors are a cheap and easy way to avoid getting your screen scratched, by accident or otherwise. They can easily be replaced in the future as well. 

Make sure you purchase one that will fit your camera model - adding the make and model into the search bar should yield the results you're after.

Buy a screen protector on Amazon UK     Buy a screen protector on Amazon USA

Memory card reader

To be able to get your images from the memory card to your computer quickly and easily, the best thing to do is invest in a memory card reader. Your computer might already have one built in for SD cards, but any other format will probably require the purchase of a card reader which will plug into a USB port on your device. 

Buy a memory card reader on Amazon UK    Buy a card reader on Amazon USA

Camera strap

Camera straps can help avoid accidental drops and having one is pretty essential. There are different kinds, and which one is best will be down to personal preference and maybe what kind of shooting you want to do as well. You could go for a traditional around the neck offering - neck straps are available with varying amounts of padding. Other options include across the body straps, wrist/hand straps and you can even get ones which attach to rucksacks or systems which allow your camera to be attached to your belt. 

 ePHOTOzine has put together a camera strap guide full of trendy and innovative straps to help you decide. 

Buy a camera strap on Amazon UK    Buy a camera strap on Amazon USA 

Books about photography

If you're interested in learning the craft and bettering your photos, think about investing in a book or two to help you along the way. Whether you want a general guide to using a camera effectively or you want to focus on a specific genre, there's a lot of brilliant literature that can help. 

ePHOTOzine has guides to some of the best books for exploring the UK, portraiture, and Adobe lightroom - take a look.

Buy photography books on Amazon UK    Buy photography books on Amazon USA

Tripod

Depending on what you want to shoot, you may find a tripod a really handy piece of kit. It'll give you the stability to shoot longer exposures without blurring the image. There are different types available including tabletop versions, travel ones which are lighter and more compact, and standard ones which can generally take more weight. 

ePHOTOzine has reviewed a lot of tripods over the years - let our best tripod and best travel tripod guides help you choose. 

Buy tripods on Amazon UK    Buy tripods on Amazon USA 

Filters

If you own a DSLR or mirrorless camera then you could consider filters, which will enable you to capture things like sunset and sunrise with a more balanced exposure (ND grad filters) or expanses of water without blinding reflections (polarising filter). 

Sets of filters are available at a reasonable price, allowing you to experiment with what's possible.

Buy filters on Amazon UK    Buy filters on Amazon USA