Bang for your buck? - Value accessories

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Fulhair

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Andy
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After spending too much time on the internet drooling over full frame camera bodies and glass with red rings on it I was wondering what this month's pocket money could stretch to?

What could have the greatest improvements on my photos or open up a new field of photography for relatively little cash?

So as an open question; assuming a decent DSLR and lens what would anyone recommend an amateur like me buy (say for less than £50 - £75 at a push) that in their experience has had the biggest improvement on their photos.
 
A tripod
 
Post processing software for improvement of photos and a raynox macro attachment with a macro ring light to open up a new field.
 
10 stop ND filter?
Circular Polariser (I LOVE mine)
A yongnuo flash of some kind, don't worry about TTL, buy manual (cheaper) and head over to Strobist.com
Subscription to Kelbytraining.com (a wealth of information).
 
You could cobble together a very cheap 10 stop ND filter with the change in your pocket.
A Lee Big Stopper could set you back 90 quid, some welders glass, a threaded ring and some epoxy...done, I put mine together for less than a fiver.
Though a tripod would be needed to use it...lol...
 
Black Rapid RS7
 
Fulhair said:
After spending too much time on the internet drooling over full frame camera bodies and glass with red rings on it I was wondering what this month's pocket money could stretch to?

What could have the greatest improvements on my photos or open up a new field of photography for relatively little cash?

So as an open question; assuming a decent DSLR and lens what would anyone recommend an amateur like me buy (say for less than £50 - £75 at a push) that in their experience has had the biggest improvement on their photos.
Click to expand...

tell us what kind of photography interests you, eg landscape, sports or portrait, and we will be able to give you a better answer
 
Fulhair said:
Swhat would anyone recommend an amateur like me buy (say for less than £50 - £75 at a push) that in their experience has had the biggest improvement on their photos.
Click to expand...
Practice, and lots of it - and the best part is that it won't cost you a penny.

The other upside is that you get to hang on to your 50-70 quid so that you can put it towards a new lens or something decent insted of blowing it on something you don't really need, but think you do because you/ve seen someone else use one..
How do I know this...?
Been there, done that.
 
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Thanks all for your comments and great suggestions!

You've given me quite a bit to think about and avenues to explore! As for the types of photography, I've tried so little that I wouldn't know what I really like or would be good at.

The macro adaptor and ND filter ideas really interest me and I'll investigate more.

Should have mentioned that I do have a tripod which was a gift but to date it's hardly been used as most of my photos are of my 2 young children and they don't stay still long enought for me to set it up. For the same reason my free time to practice tend to be as scarce as the pocket money.

I am think of putting together a studio set up for some high key photos of the kids but thought this would be more than pocket money would allow. May start with a off camera flash and work up!

As far as software goes I have GIMP on my PC but eyes water at the cost of Photoshop. I've read mixed reviews about Elements so not sure where to go on that front.

I have saved up for things in the past however I am more likely to sneak the occasional purchase of this size past the wife without much notice/justification. It normally requires a 'big sell' to pursude her of the benefit of top quality glass vs a kit lens.... best analogy I used is likening it to buying a pair of 'Jimmy choos' vs a pair of hush puppies... though didn't know if that made things better or worse!!!
 
Well, if I'm using a tripod, I always like to use a remote release cable, so I'll nominate that.

No point in having a stable shooting platform and then making it shake because you're pressing the shutter button. You could use a countdown timer, but then you're waiting for that, and mirror lock up is pointless without.
 
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Fulhair said:
So as an open question; assuming a decent DSLR and lens what would anyone recommend an amateur like me buy (say for less than £50 - £75 at a push) that in their experience has had the biggest improvement on their photos.
Click to expand...

A trip somewhere interesting to take pics.....
 
Musicman said:
Well, if I'm using a tripod, I always like to use a remote release cable, so I'll nominate that.

No point in having a stable shooting platform and then making it shake because you're pressing the shutter button. You could use a countdown timer, but then you're waiting for that, and mirror lock up is pointless without.
Click to expand...

not really? you can use mirror lock up and timer at the same time (or you can on my 5dII) so that the mirror locks up and then there's a countdown before the shutter is released.
 
Practice and Patience.

Seriously, wait until you perfect your technique, and when you take shots that could only be improved with other equipment. That's what you need to buy;).
 
A TTL flashgun that can swivel and bounce. Even the Jessops 360 used from ebay (inside your price range) would be good. Being able to swivel and bounce flash makes even a cheap kit lens pretty usable a lot of the time. Since you're mentioning people and portrait type work, get a flashgun.

Thanks
Rick
 
I'm going to be really boring here and say that the best money I've spent on photography has nearly always been on books on the subject. Yes, lots of info is available on the net these days but I've always found I'm more likely to read and re-read something thoroughly if I've forked out a tenner for it. I've bought books on exposure, composition, landscapes, portraits, low light blah blah. Obviously, putting what you're reading into practice as you go along is equally important.

Once I had a vague clue about what I was doing, I knew exactly the sort of things I wanted to buy and what I would use them for, though I admitted I wasted a lot of money on other bits before I reached that stage.

The only physical thing that I would also say helped a huge amount was a camera rucksack which meant that I started carrying my camera nearly everywhere. Practice makes perfect and all that.
 
Cheers for more great suggestion! - I've bought some books on photography and specific to my camera but can't seem to keep the details in my head... what iso with what f stop? Think I need to take the photos to cement the details.

Think I have a remote shutter release at the bottom of my bag somewhere. Came as a freebie with the battery grip from ebay. Will be dusting that and the tripod off soon.

As for the trip somewhere I would jump at the chance but with 2 very young kids it's like the logistics for the army every time we leave the house!

And will take to heart the message to practice.. have my 3 year old niece's birthday tomorrow and I'll be the 'official' photographer.
 
For me, it would have to be my Q strap. Having young children, it allows me to have the camera away from my chest area, so always ready to lift the kids, hugs, etc. :)
 
Phil V said:
Practice and Patience.

Seriously, wait until you perfect your technique, and when you take shots that could only be improved with other equipment. That's what you need to buy;).
Click to expand...

:plusone:
I think everything that I've bought has been with a specific purpose in mind and to make up for some limitation I've found with my existing kit.
Enjoy what you've got, push it to its limits (seriously, you'll learn far more that way), then when you hit a brick wall buy whatever you need to get you over it. Lots of good value for money options out there for when you need them.

FWIW the two low cost things that opened new worlds of photography for me were :

> A yungnuo flash gun and wireless triggers
and
> A raynox DCR-250 macro adaptor
 
Buy the giga t pro ll
Its around your budget and good for self shooting as well
Took some with my little boy today he loves looking at the camera so was a good self portrait in my eyes
Also good for all types of photography with the great range times and stuff on it
 
Sarah, sorry newbie question.

Does the Raynox DCR-250 macro adaptor lens just clip on to
the front of the kit lens, I have a Nikon 18-55 and a 55-200.

Do you think the Raynox will be ok with them ?

Thanks
Mike
 
Hi Mike, the raynox clips onto the front of the lens up to a max of about 67mm but yours are well within the range, you can also buy an adapter to step down to 43mm and screw it on as i do, there is a thread with raynox dcr 250 shots in here:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=232617
Be warned, its an art to get focus as the DOF is limited but once you have started the journey to achieve good macro shots there will be no turning back, its highly addictive,

Atb
Cliff
 
SarahLee said:
:raynox DCR-250 macro adaptor
Click to expand...

Like this idea but my main lens is the Sigma 17-50mm and has a 77mm diameter which would seem to be too big for this.

Thinking of selling my 1-55mm kit lens to finance some of these ideas
Could I use it on my 50mm 1.8 Cannon or is the zoom useful for Macro work?
 
*gold* said:
Hi Mike, the raynox clips onto the front of the lens up to a max of about 67mm but yours are well within the range, you can also buy an adapter to step down to 43mm and screw it on as i do, there is a thread with raynox dcr 250 shots in here:
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=232617
Be warned, its an art to get focus as the DOF is limited but once you have started the journey to achieve good macro shots there will be no turning back, its highly addictive,

Atb
Cliff
Click to expand...



Thank you for the info Cliff, had a look at the link you posted, some stunning pics there, guess that's some more money reading this forum has cost me :lol:
 
I feel chuffed with the Kood ND/ND Grad kit that I bought for about £50. I almost get smug when I banish the blinking black & white space above the horizon from the preview screen just by pulling a small square of resin from its wallet and holding it in front of the lens and re-shooting :)

To make it really cheap, you could buy one 'P size' ND Grad and no holder - just hold it in front of the lens as you shoot.
 
weybourne said:
I feel chuffed with the Kood ND/ND Grad kit that I bought for about £50. I almost get smug when I banish the blinking black & white space above the horizon from the preview screen just by pulling a small square of resin from its wallet and holding it in front of the lens and re-shooting :)

To make it really cheap, you could buy one 'P size' ND Grad and no holder - just hold it in front of the lens as you shoot.
Click to expand...

Do you have a link to the kit please?
 
*gold* said:
Be warned, its an art to get focus as the DOF is limited but once you have started the journey to achieve good macro shots there will be no turning back, its highly addictive,

Atb
Cliff
Click to expand...

Yep - it definitely takes a while to get the hang of it.
The other thing that I'd add is the need for good lighting. You'll find yourself working with small apertures to manage the DoF. Flash is ideal for this, but you can work around it by using LED torches etc clamped in place for stationary subjects.

Fulhair said:
Could I use it on my 50mm 1.8 Cannon or is the zoom useful for Macro work?
Click to expand...

Primes work perfectly for macro work :thumbs:
Clearly the longer the lens that you start with, the more magnification you can get with the Raynox, but you can still get good results on a 50mm.
 
SarahLee said:
Primes work perfectly for macro work :thumbs:
Clearly the longer the lens that you start with, the more magnification you can get with the Raynox, but you can still get good results on a 50mm.
Click to expand...

Followed the link and see that I can use my 55-250mm lens instead. Defininatley putting that on my 'to buy' list!
 
Spend the money on trips out.
There is no greater method of improving your photos than practise and more practice so spend the money on trips to places that you wouldn't normally think of going to and have fun with your gear in new scenarios.
 
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