A camera is only limited by the imagination of its user. Here we show you some cool accessories that help you get a new perspective or just improve your photography skills.
More importantly, many of these will work with any camera, be it a DSLR, point-and-shoot, smartphone or GoPro.
Stabiliser rig
Price: $20
If you shoot a lot of video, it makes sense to get one of these inexpensive stabiliser rigs. Unlike the more expensive gyro stabilisers or professional Steadicams that can cost as much as $800, this one simply steadies the camera by providing a different, gravity-assisted grip.
In other words, instead of holding the camera up and working against its weight, you use the weight itself to stabilise. There are various versions available, with some made of plastic. We tested a version made of black, powder coated aluminium which is a lot sturdier.
It comes with a screw that secures the camera using the conventional tripod mount. It also has a padded grip and a hotshoe where you can mount a flash or video light.
Holga lenses for DSLRs
Price: Rs 2,099
The low-fidelity results obtained with a Holga camera are interesting. With a Holga lens attachment for your digital SLR, you can instantly start capturing images that have the same characteristic vignetting, blurriness, muted colour, light leaks and distortion.
It fits on the DSLR body just like a regular lens but has a fixed focal length of 60mm and an approximate focusing ability. It is a bit tricky to use because it has a really tiny aperture and you have to use the camera in manual mode.
For that reason, you'll probably get better results outdoors in bright sunlight. Needless to say, it's only a fun accessory that should not be used when clarity or sharpness is needed.
Camera dolly
Price: $90
Whether you're using a smartphone or a DSLR, it's hard to keep your hands perfectly steady while shooting a video. If you want to give your videos a professional look, consider getting a camera dolly.
Photojojo's Camera Table Dolly has an articulating arm and a sturdy aluminium base that can hold any camera. The rubber wheels help the dolly glide smoothly across a flat surface (they're mounted using ball bearings) and it comes with a clamp for phones that do not have a tripod mount.
What's more, the wheels can be rotated so that you can shoot a video in a curve. Apart from video, it can also come in handy if you want to shoot time lapse.
Digital intervalometer (For time lapse videos)
Price: Rs 4,000 onwards
Many digital SLRs have a port to connect a remote shutter. Taking advantage of this interface, third party manufacturers have launched intervalometers - small battery powered devices that send a signal to the camera to release the shutter.
You can set the intervalometer to take photographs at certain intervals - once set, it operates automatically. All you need to do is place the camera on a tripod and use an intervalometer to capture a time lapse.
With a time lapse, you can capture photographs over the course of several hours and stitch them together into a short video. The video will show the effects of that extended amount of time in just a few seconds.
Ring light
Price: Rs 3,000 onwards
While shooting macro images, there's not a lot of room for light to get to the subject since you're so close to it. But if you put a light source right at the edge of the camera lens, this issue can be resolved.
This device has 48, bright white LEDs arranged in a circle. It's compatible with most DSLR lenses and it comes with a control/battery unit that plugs into the hot shoe of the camera. Using it, you can get enough light on your subject in a macro shot.
It also comes with different colour adapters for light effects. You can either use AA batteries or a wall adapter for power.
iPole
Price: Rs 4,000 onwards
The iPole is nothing but a solid, extendable pole with a tripod mount at one end. You can use it with most compact cameras. It comes with a smartphone grip as well, that attaches to the tripod screw.
Once you attach your device, you can extend the pole up to roughly 3 feet (a smaller, 'stealth' version is also available) and use it to capture video and photographs with an interesting perspective.
It also works great for group selfies or when you want to shoot a very high/low angle. As a bonus, the iPole also acts as a stabiliser to minimise hand shake.
GorillaPod
Price: Rs 1,299 onwards
The GorillaPod is a small tripod with flexible legs that can be wrapped around any object like a branch, bench or pole. The anti-slip surfaces secure it in place even if its on an uneven surface.
The camera gets attached on top using the standard tripod screw head. Different sizes are available depending on the type of camera you have. As you experiment with the GorillaPod, you'll discover more and more uses for it.
Dimmable LED panel
Price: $30
Powered by six AA batteries or certain types of camera lithium batteries, this LED light panel has 160 dimmable LEDs that you can use as a light source for photos or videos.
It has a regular hotshoe design & a simple dial on the side adjusts brightness. At full brightness, the light is almost blinding and enough to fill a large room with light.
It also comes with three plastic filters that slot into the front: a white diffuser (softens the light), a warm filter (reduces colour temperature and introduces warmth) and a light pink filter that you can use outdoors as fill light.
Add-on phone lenses
Price: $20 onwards
A smartphone typically has to be thin and light, which means that the capability of the tiny lens inside it is automatically limited. With these lenses, you can expand the capabilities of a smartphone, much like a DSLR.
Some of the options are a fish-eye, wide angle, macro, polariser, telephoto & super fisheye. All of them use optical quality glass and aluminium construction and offer excellent results.
You can choose to buy a single lens or as a set, either way, you get several metal rings that you need to stick onto the phone, each lens then magnetically attaches to this ring.