Digital Photography Equipment
Digital photography equipment is one of the reasons my bank account takes periodic beatings. There's a lot of equipment you can get to make photography easier, better, quicker.
I'll separate it into "essential", "worth having" and "covet your neighbour's assets".
Essential digital photography equipment
Bags
A good, dedicated digital camera bag will protect your expensive and delicate equipment and make it easier to carry around.
They come in various shapes and sizes, but remember that you're likely to expand your collection so it may be wise to get a bag that has some room to spare.
You should have space for:
- 1 camera body
- A second lens, because you'll get one before long
- Data transfer cable and battery charger (and extra batteries)
As time progresses and your equipment grows, you'll want a bigger bag (read: space for more lenses). Pro bags tend to have space for 2 camera bodies as well as several lenses.
Ultraviolet lens
The UV lens absorbs UV light which, to be honest, has no real effect on a digital sensor (as it would with film). It barely even affects the final image.
What it does do is protect the front of the lens element from damage - it's a lot easier and cheaper to replace a filter than a lens if something happens. Essentially it keeps the glass at the front of the lens pristine.
Digital photography equipment worth having
Tripod
A tripod stops the camera from moving, and is an absolute must if you want to leave the shutter open for more than, realistically, and 1/8th of a second, and so is a must for long shutter photos.
Extra memory cards
Just in case - you don't want to have to start deleting pictures just to cram a few more in. Either make sure your memory card is large enough for a session or have some spares.
Digital photography equipment wish list
This list could go on and on...
Expensive photo editing software like Photoshop CS4, Adobe Lightroom 2, screen calibration hardware, high end computers, more lenses, another camera body...
Beware: it is tempting to get all the equipment right at the start. Take your time and become comfortable with what you have. When you need something, you'll be able to use what you have well enough so that your purchase is worth it.