Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Digital Camera Accessories: Quick Guide For Choosing And Buying

By Sylvia Howard

A digital camera has almost become the only way to take good pictures these days, but after having acquired the basic camera you will need to ask yourself if you need picture-improving accessories to go with it, and if yes, how to select them.

And if you are a beginner with a strong interest in photography, you should look even more into the various extras, accessories and tools that are available. Using them will improve your technique, maybe to the point where you will be able to turn your hobby into a new occupation.

Regardless of whether photography is a profession or a pastime for you, you will find that digital camera accessories are not only for the experts, but that there are extras available even for the most basic compact camera. Even some cell phones with cameras have dedicated accessory lines!

There are various types of digital camera accessories available that will be of use right from the start, or that you may need in the future to improve the quality and flexibility of your photography. Some of the digital camera accessories that should be part of your arsenal include the following:

A camera bag is one of the most ubiquitous camera accessories, and few people will walk out of an electronics shop with their new digital camera without also having purchased a corresponding bag. The bag allows you to carry your equipment around as well as to store any extras that you may need on your photo-taking adventures.

Camera bags come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. While you may also carry your camera in a normal bag it makes sense to invest in a specialized bag as it's purpose-made and often padded.

Of all the digital camera accessories, perhaps the camera tripod of the most useful - it reduces camera shake and therefore the likelihood of a blurred picture, especially in low light conditions, and allows you to take pics from unusual angles. Tripods may seem bulky at first, but bear in mind that a great majority of tripods are either foldable or retractable and should be able to fit in most of the medium size to larger camera bags.

When you buy a tripod, you should definitely make sure that the camera attachment fits your brand, as that's not always the case. Steadier shots and a better result make the camera tripod the most important digital camera accessory for many photographers.

The next most useful kind of digital camera accessories are probably those who prolong your picture-taking. Both extra batteries and storage cards fall into these categories. Batteries allow you to take pictures for longer without recharging the camera and are fundamental in faraway locales, while extra storage cards are great for sports photography, when you will need to take a whole lot of pictures. - 16747

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