Canon beginner accessory advice / bundle deals?

WinLoseOrDrew · Jan 30, 2014

Hey all, obviously I'm a new face here (first post!), and that's mostly because I'm about to jump on purchasing a Canon t5i (18 - 135mm lens) and want to get myself back into learning photography.

Along with the camera, I would like to get some of the baseline but essential accessories to go with it (i.e. tripod, maybe a lens hood, polarizing filter, etc).

I know there are literally hundreds of accessories I COULD get, so I'm looking for advice on a list of must-have 'starter' accessories I SHOULD get (if there are accessories that aren't as essential to buy when starting out, that'd be good to know too). Then, I'm hoping too get a bunch of these together to save some money.

I realize some of this depends on which type of photography I want to get into. Since I will be learning and not sure which area of photography might entice me, I want to pick up several of the basic accessories that are simply nice to have for any type of shoot. I do know I like abstract photography however, but that can fit almost any mold.

So, please feel free to share any beginner accessory advice you have or links to any nice Canon accessory package deals that might be worth looking into. Any help appreciated, thank you!

runnah · Jan 30, 2014

A nice flash is a must. A tripod is great for landscapes. I like to have a LCD protector.

lambertpix · Jan 30, 2014

Ditto on the tripod. You'll want a flash soon enough, but it might make sense to shoot for a little bit without, and get a sense for exposure using ambient light before you start making your own light. As far as accessory deals, I'm not sure I've ever seen any besides the bundles that come with cameras, and you have to be really wary of those because an awful lot of them have great big piles of junky accessories. Figure out what you want / need, and if you can get a deal on decent stuff, then that's great, but be careful jumping on bundle deals that aren't really deals.

lennon33x · Jan 31, 2014

What are you shooting (i.e. what kind of photography are you going to be doing?)

krbimaging · Jan 31, 2014

Get the Canon wireless shutter remote. Very inexpensive a great tool to have esspecially when using a Tripod.
A good Neckstrap and even a grip strap.
Batteries and Memory cards with larger capacity than 4gb LOL.
USB 3 Card reader and make sure you have a USB 3 port in your PC. If you have a Mac.I have no idea what you need.
Photoshop Lightroom 5
Filters: A Polorizer of GOOD quality, not some cheap $20-30 dollar one; a Neutral dencity filter - 3 Fstop. If you already have several lenses buy your filters to fit the largest diameter lens you could own (82mm) then get adapters to allow you to use them on smaller lenses. The Canon 24-70 2.8f is 82mm
Tripod: Get a good one out the gate, don't waste money on a cheap one you will replace after your first outing.
Flash of could power and adjustability.

Some books to help you perfect your craft.
ALWAYS plan and spend for the future. never be cheap on a single purchase. Good quality isn't going to be cheap and you will never regret buying quality.

grafxman · Feb 2, 2014

I would not recommend anything other than this:

Tamrac N-5059 Leather Padded Strap (Black) N-505901 B&H Photo

The strap can be easily removed from the camera and it can carry two memory cards. It's often convenient to remove the straps. They can get in the way. FWIW I bought a tripod, remote release, circular polarizer, etc. when I first started out. I used them, didn't like them and now they collect dust. Learn how to hand hold the camera for your shots. It isn't difficult. Once you practice some you'll develop muscle memory and holding steady will come automatic. Your camera comes with a flash like my 7D does. Learn to use that flash. Learn to take shots in low light by slowing the shutter speed a little and holding things steady. The only time I ever use an accessory flash is on my 6D. It didn't come with a built in flash. I discovered the circular polarizer wouldn't do anything for reflections off Plexiglas, it degraded the image and was very hard to remove. The only filter I use is a B+W UV filter on the lenses to protect the front lens element. A spare battery in your pocket would be handy for an all day shoot. The only software I use for photo editing is Canon's DPP software that came with the camera. I use Corel VideoStudio Pro for video editing. I try to fill the viewscreen with the object of interest. I don't crop images. I would think the lens should come with a hood. If not then you will need that. The main thing is to take photos under a variety of conditions indoors and outside, near and far, bright light and dim light. Develop your skills so you can photograph just about anything your eye can see unless it's too close or too far away. If you really want to spend money for camera gear then use it for an excellent superzoom such as the Sigma 50-500mm and/or an excellent wide angle lens such as the Tokina 11-16mm.