There is absolutely no doubt that photography can an expensive hobby, but at the same time, it can only be expensive if you want it too, and as a beginner or even professional you’d want to save as much money as you can – who doesn’t?

So what sort of thing can you save money on?

One of the beautiful things about photography is that it consists of loads and loads of accessories. There is only one camera, but there area hundreds of add-ons to go with it, such as the lenses, protective materials, flashes, tripods, other stands, bags, memory cards etc.

Now, when your first starting off, you probably prefer to buy your first SLR from a proper dealer, like Jessops or another well-known camera retailer. Why? Because you have that pieces of mind, if something goes wrong, you can sort it out using the 1 year guarantee. Buy it from someone in a long jacket hanging around street corners, and you stuck if it breaks down. as it’s going to be your first SLR, you probably won’t know how long you’d expect it to last, or what type of problems may go wrong with it. So always get some form of guarantee on the product if possible.

Now, as mentioned above, there are many other things you don’t need to spend a fortune. Why? Because the lens protector on eBay for about £5 ($10) and the one they are selling at Jessops for £15 ($30) are more or less the same thing. As someone starting out, you certainly shouldn’t be fussed about buying the best equipment. Accessories like this is your opportunity to save money. But of course, I haven’t forgotten about the quality factor either, then again, you’re just starting out, you’re getting to know the camera more, you’re getting to learn about photography – so who cares! All you need is a decent camera, an eager brain and you can forget about the UV filter!

Where can I get these cheaper accessories from?

The best place for second hand goods are, as your most probably aware, eBay. There are many smaller business out there who are willing to cut the prices of camera accessories massively, and their quality isn’t at all rubbish – I only wish I could save the same 50% on new SLR cameras from there too! So before you intend to buy that new camera bag, or lens filter, check out the kind of prices on eBay, and then checkout your local camera retailer.

Depending on where you live, there may also be other websites out there selling cheaper photography stuff, it’s really just a question of searching for them. But you should also be able to find goods in your photography magazines, newspapers and other forms of media.

Now, although on most accessories things you are safe getting second hand, there are a few things you need be careful about. Such as:

• Camera Lenses – Most lenses are in contact with the camera and consume electrical power, especially the high-end ones.
  
• Memory Cards - I strongly suggest you buy a well-known memory card brand – even if you think it’s over priced a little. And most memory cards for SLR’s usually aren’t in the same prices range as the memory you’d expect to pay for your mobile phone. You pictures will be stored on this, you wouldn’t want it to get corrupt and lose them all, would you?
• Flashes – Again, this is in contact with the camera, the camera knows when a flash is sitting on it. Just make sure you buy one that doesn’t lose it’s conductivity after a year. Buying well-known brands second hand isn’t always a problem, just make sure they are relatively new and have been looked after well as this often determines their lifetime.

So think carefully when you purchasing your next camera related product – could you find a better price? So you reall need it to have Jessops written on it?

Happy Snapping!

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