In The Bag - £25 and Under
Last month I wrote about the “big” ticket items in my bag, namely cameras and lenses, the things that if you asked someone they would likely say a Wildlife Photographer would need to do their job. This month, we look at the other end of the spectrum, namely 5 pieces of kit under £25 that I find invaluable, and would suggest any outdoor Photographer considers carrying. I list them here in no particular order, and I should make it clear that I have not been sponsored to mention any of these products, nor will I benefit if you click any of the links below. All have been purchased with my own hard earned cash and if you hunt around, you will find all of them for £25 or less, albeit you may need to wait for a sale on one.
First on the list is perhaps one of the most boring (but totally necessary) items that you should have with you in the field and that is a well stocked cleaning kit. The one I use is the Zacro Profressional Cleaning Kit which is currently on Amazon at £12.99.
We all spend thousands on cameras and lenses and pride ourselves on capturing sharp images, yet it is amazing how many photographers don’t have the means to clean an optic if disaster strikes (I found out the hard way whilst on safari in Africa and getting caught in a sandstorm!) For the sake of the price of a couple of coffees and two sticky buns at Starbucks, you’re covered, and once you have the kit its relatively easy to keep it topped up. GO AND ORDER ONE NOW!
Talking of practicalities, lets face it things get broken when your out and about, or at very least you often need to quickly find a way to hold something out the way, stick 2 things together, or mend a broken plastic hinge or case. I always carry Gorilla Matt Tape, which comes in various sized rolls in Mossy Oak camouflage (currently £6.99 on Amazon).
Any good tape is incredibly useful in the field, however the Gorilla Camo Tape sticks to pretty much any surface, doesn’t leave a nasty sticky residue, is resistant to moisture, UV and temperature changes, and best of all is very strong. Great when you need to quickly “cam up” a flash gun or lens hood, stop a zip pull from rattling, or cover anything that’s reflecting light!
Sticking with the theme of camouflage, the Double Bean Bag from Wildlife Watching Supplies is a great support to carry around with you if having a tripod or monopod is not practical. Although the larger versions (and ones with straps) are a little more than £25, they always have specials and end of line sales and currently you can pick up the standard unfilled double bean bag in All Terrain Pattern for just £15. As you can see they are great when shooting from a car window, but equally work well on a hide sill or when you’re lying in the mud on your belly :-)
One tip I do have is to fill the bean bag with 4 x Hoomee 500g Silica Gel Dehumidifier Bags (available from Amazon). This will push the overall cost well above the £25 , however it’s good investment. They are a great solution for easily filling the bean bag, that also doubles as a means of helping to keep your camera kit moisture free (if you store them in your camera rucksack). They can also be used to help dry out your boots (or other kit) overnight if you get caught in the rain. When you need to refresh them, you just pop them in the microwave and they become super absorbent again.
Number 4 is really only for the iPhone and iPad users out there, but it is a crucial part of my work flow! A 3 in 1 Lightning to USB adapter not only means I can hook up a simple card reader (like in the picture) and watch any videos my trigger cameras have captured on a larger screen when in the field, it also means I can plug my Canon R6 directly into my phone and quickly download any images or movies, whilst keeping power to my phone. No more messing around trying to pair cameras with phones or tablets over bluetooth or WiFi………one cable, and relatively quick downloads :-) There are several different configurations available on the market depending on your specific needs (for example some also have HDMI ports) and I use the Azuxreza USB 3.0 Camera Adapter, 3 in 1 Lightning to USB OTG from Amazon, priced at £9.90.
Lastly the Kilponene USB C Quick Charge High Capacity PowerBank (currently available on Amazon for £21.85) is a great little unit for keeping everything from your phone to lights units topped up with power whilst out and about. This incredible little unit can charge my iPhone 4 or 5 times thanks to its 26,800mAh Litium battery capacity. It’s also ideal to pair with a simple USB Battery Charger (the one in the picture was from eBay priced at £10.04) to keep your camera batteries topped up whilst on the go. Its got a very simple RGB LED light on the Powerbank that tells you by way of coloured lights how much charge the unit has, and has 2 standard USB outputs, a micro USB output and a shared type C input/output port, meaning you can charge multiple items simultaneously. It also supports PD3, so is incredibly quick and efficient.
So, for under £70 you could buy all 5 of these accessories, and still have a couple of pounds change! I find my life as a Photographer is much easier with them in my bag, and a little like last months “In the Bag” article, they are all items I would have to replace tomorrow if I lost them, which to me is a good indicator that they are worth carrying with me whenever I put my photo rucksack on.
Next month, we look at the Camtraptions Digital SLR Camera Trigger, Housing and flash units……..until then “Keep Clicking”!