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BITS AND PIXELS Odd accessories that really work
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Everyone begins with the holy trinity of a camera, a lens and a tripod. But as time rolls on, your kitbag starts to collect stranger, sillier-looking objects that at first glance make little sense. Yet, when you’re out in the field, these oddities suddenly become lifesavers. Here are ten accessories that you’ll scoff at – until you try them out. 1 The viewfinder loupe Imagine sticking a miniature rubber telescope onto the back of your LCD screen, and you’ve got the loupe. It looks absurd, but when you’re out in One minute you’re laughing at it, and the next you’re desperately finding one to order online at 2am
harsh midday sun trying to nail focus, it’s a revelation. No more squinting, no more shade-cloaks over your head. Just pure, magnified, glare-free viewing from fixing a snorkel to your camera.
hazard is someone mistaking it for a travel pillow and nodding off on it.
4 The bulb-style shutter release No, it’s not a blood pressure pump from a seventies hospital. It’s a cable release with a squeezy rubber bulb that lets you fire the shutter without touching the camera. When you’re shooting 30-second exposures of waterfalls or city light trails, this accessory stops you from shaking the camera. That’s if it fits! 5 The hotshoe bubble level Cameras have had electronic levels for years, yet many photographers still love the humble spirit level that sits in your hotshoe. It’s a tiny plastic cube filled with liquid and an air bubble. Nothing screams ‘I take horizons seriously’ like one of these wobbling around on top of your camera. They work, but they also make your set-up look a little like Lego. 6 The furry dead rodent Sticking a fluffy wind muff on your mic makes it look like it has sprouted its own guinea pig. Yes, you’ll get weird looks filming with what appears to be a roadkill hamster, but you’ll also get clean audio. Every filmmaker ends up with one, stroking it like a Bond villain and pretending not to be embarrassed when passers-by whisper: “Is that guy filming with a ferret?” 7 The hipster lens Why settle for sharp, modern glass when you can screw on a replica of a 100-year-old brass contraption to your camera? It weighs as much as a small anvil and focuses with all the grace of a rusty ship’s wheel, and suddenly you’re a Victorian portraitist. But that vintage bokeh is to die for and worth every slipped disc.
2 The white-balance cap Stick it on the front of your lens,
point at the light, shoot and boom – perfect white-balance. It feels absurd, like photographing your own camera. But once you’ve used one and seen your colour accuracy improve tenfold, you’ll never trust auto white-balance again. Looks silly. Works brilliantly. 3 The beanbag Forget high-tech carbon-fibre tripods. A squishy beanbag is one of the most effective stabilisers you can buy. Plonk it on a car window, fence post or rock, nestle your camera into the beans and you’ve got rock-solid support. Wildlife shooters swear by them. The only
8 Frankenflash rig One flashgun. That’s all it starts with. Then, suddenly, you’re in too deep, strapping on softboxes the size of kites, bendy brackets, weird plastic domes, umbrellas, honeycomb grids, gels, snoots, clamps, diffusers and bounce cards until your speedlight set-up resembles something just shy of a steampunk science project. 9 The rain sleeve It’s basically a plastic bag with a drawstring. Camera shops sell them, but a sandwich bag with a hole in the bottom works too. Either way, you’ll feel silly using one until a downpour arrives – then you’ll smugly keep shooting while everyone else runs off to hide under trees. Dignity slightly damp, but camera totally dry. 10 The reflector clamp An arm with a clamp on the end. That’s it. But this simple tool will save you from having to hire a human assistant whose only job is to hold a reflector at the right angle for four hours. It clamps onto light stands, then bites your reflector into place. Strong enough to remove fingertips, mind.
BOLT-ON WONDERERS A loupe and
dead cat set-up (top) is a double whammy, while brass lenses bring full-on hipster vibes (left)
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