Cheap Photo Accessories That Are Just as Good as Expensive Ones
photo by jacoblund via iStock
One of my least favorite things about the photography industry is the fact that beginners, and oftentimes professionals who are well into their money-making photography careers, are looked down upon because they buy cheap photo accessories.
Don’t get me wrong, expensive photography gear has its time and place, but I’d much rather buy a cheap tripod and spend more money on my lenses.
So, what cheap photo accessories are worth the purchase?
Speedlights
NOM Creative, LLC takes this “cheap photo accessories” trend to a new high, or low depending upon how you look at it. He uses Amazon’s speedlight and puts it against a speedlight that costs ten times as much.
There are no better budget-friendly photography accessories than speedlights.
While I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Amazon’s basic speedlight, Yongnuo has a $65 speedlight that contends with any of the pros.
There used to be a stark difference between speedlights in different price ranges, but that’s a long gone era.
Plus, you have the added bonus of purchasing multiple speedlights when you save money on the first. It’s a win-win!
Reflectors
Jessica Whitaker so easily creates DIY reflectors for portrait photography because expensive reflectors are a sham, so much so that she makes one out of a posterboard.
While the movement against reflectors is building, I still think they can add something special to particular shoots, especially when the client is asking for a shoot to be completed by a specific day, no matter the weather.
If you, like me, need to deal with pesky clients who don’t understand the beauty natural lighting brings to a shoot, and is instead concerned about a marketing deadline, then a cheap reflector is the budget photography gear for you.
This 5-in-1 reflector pack is a great option if you want to forego making a DIY reflector and don’t want to bust your budget, either.
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Camera Bodies
Blue Pacific Media’s video from 2014 still rings true today, many older (and cheaper) camera bodies are just as relevant as their newer (and more expensive) counterparts.
We feature plenty of cheap camera bodies on our site, and our reasoning is simple: camera manufacturers want you to think that a slighter larger ISO range or a camera battery that lasts for an additional 50 shots is truly going to make a difference for your day-to-day photography experience, and it’s not true.
photo by ARTYuSTUDIO via iStock
Camera technology is so advanced now that cheap camera bodies, and cheap photo accessories, do the trick for all but the highest-performing photographers.
The holidays just finished and if you can save $200-700 on a cheaper camera body, I give you permission to do so, but spend that money you saved on our next item.
Don’t Skimp on Lens Quality
photo by Mehaniq via iStock
Lenses are the one photo accessory you should never spend less on.
Well, that’s not entirely true, because I spend less on all my lenses. I buy them used.
Lenses are in many ways the most important photo accessory in a photographer’s bag. In fact, an old camera body with a great lens will get you vastly better results than a new camera body with a cheap lens.
Furthermore, better lenses often have larger apertures, higher maximum shutter speeds, better build quality, and weather sealing, just to name a few options. In other words, the better the lens, the more capable it is of helping you achieve your creative vision.
Since really incredible lenses cost thousands of dollars, I buy all of my lenses used on Lensfinder.
Lensfinder is a used lens marketplace, and they go through hundreds of products every day, so you can find the best, new lenses, as well as antique, vintage or rare lenses depending upon the day.
I’ve definitely spent some hours at work perusing the site. I think you might too.
Now that the long holiday season is coming to a close, think about buying yourself something for a change at Lensfinder.
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