Photography

Photography – Nikon D50 Camera Accessories ML-L3 Remote Control and HB-33 Lens Hood

The one thing about having an SLR camera (either digital or not), is that you then have the desire for lots of accessories to get the best of of it.

There are some things that come under the category of essentials and some that are just nice to have, but many of these can greatly improve the quality of the photographs.

The difficulty I’ve found is know what to buy. Whilst you could go in a local photography store and ask them, I like to be able to at least browse online first and/or shop around for the best deals.

I have a Nikon D50 D-SLR camera, and I’ve started getting hold of some accessories to improve my photos.

Probably one of the most essential things for any camera is a spare battery. Whilst I’ve not had the battery run flat on me yet, I’ve been charging it up before I’ve been expecting to use it. A spare will allow me to drain the camera battery before charging it, and will also be useful when on holiday etc.
Whilst I’ve ordered a spare battery, I’ve been having a couple of issues with getting hold of it, although I’ve used the supplier before without any problems. I’ve only just flagged it up with the supplier, so it’s not fair to release their name just yet, but I’ll create a follow-up blog entry, either with the good news, or the bad.

The next thing I’ve bought is a Lens Hood. When I bought the camera it came as a package with the AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5~5.6G ED Lens. It took a bit of tracking down which Lens Hood was required, but found out it’s the HB-33. Although any lens hood designed for a 55mm lens should fit (I think).

I’ve also bought a remote control for the camera. I used to have an Olympus compact digital camera which came with a remote control, so I already know that it can be useful for including yourself in photos. Although it’s worth using the remote control to trigger the self-timer (perhaps with only a 10second delay), so that the photograph doesn’t have you with the remote control pointing at the camera. It’s a shame it is infra-red, as if it used wireless technology similar to that used in car remote controls it could be used with the button behind your back.
Another use of the remote control is so that when mounted on a tripod you don’t have to physically press the camera and so risk camera shake. This is similar to using a remote shutter press, but without the wire. The remote control for the D50 is ML-L3. In many places is says that the remote control is for the D70 camera and doesn’t mention the D50, but it does work with either camera.