5 of the BEST photography items (UNDER £200)
Today I’m sharing 5 of my favourite photography items and accessories that all come in at under £200 each. These are perfect for those that might have a smaller budget, but that’s not to say they’re specifically aimed at beginners, I believe they’re top tier items for anybody’s kit.
As always feel free to watch the video version below, or read along in true old school style!
Just a quick note all of the items are a permanent part of my kit that I consistently use for photo and video, I wouldn't talk about or recommend a product I have not tried and tested - The prices are from the time of filming/writing today, so may vary over time, I’ll also leave links to everything I can below.
Lowepro Protactic 350 AW II
The Protactic 350 AW II has been my camera bag for over 5 years and I’ve never needed anything more. Given there are 100s of options out there when it comes to bags I personally think this is one of the best you can invest in. Putting it up against the price of similar camera bags that will offer you the same features quickly shows the bang for your buck when it comes to this item.
Listed at £190 on Amazon, there is a ‘’new’’ and ‘’old’’ version of this camera bag sold, and for some reason the new version is cheaper, so make sure you check that if you're looking into this bag, I believe mine is the old version and differs ever so slightly in design.
At first it may sound a little steep for a camera bag but considering the durability and everything you get with it, it more than pays for itself after a while of use.
Like most camera bags you get a bunch of removable dividers so you can re arrange and configure the storage layout on the inside to your needs. Although it doesn’t technically have a dedicated slot for clothes or food, you can fashion one of those with the dividers if you want.
I currently have mine set up with a big empty space at the top for chucking an extra jacket, lunch box, or water bottle in, but on heavy carry days that section doubles for drone storage. On my ‘light carry’ days I’m normally carrying two camera body’s, 2-3 lenses, a mic, a pouch full of batteries and other accessories, and theres still room to add more if I need too, so it definitely doesn’t lack space.
It’s got your laptop sleeve, your zippy pockets for wires and accessories on the inside and two small pockets on the external edges of the bag. A waterproof cover is also stuffed into the bottom of the bag if you get caught in a downpour, however I don’t think I’ve ever used mine as the bag is so durable the rain never worries me.
My favourite thing is probably the straps running down the front of the bag allowing you to attach stuff to them wherever you want, on long walks ill normally attach my tripod to one of the straps until I need to set up. Lowepro sell loads of add ons and extra storage solutions you can use with this bag and It does ship with a few attachments like a belt and water bottle holder.
Unless you’re travelling for days at a time with only one bag, I don’t think you’d need much more than this bag has to offer. People tend to spend a lot on bags, or own multiple for different types of occasions, but I prefer to have one and chop and change the way it functions, and its never fallen short for me.
K&F Concept M1 Tripod + Ball Head
The second item is my tripod, this is the K&F Concept Mutate series M1 with Ball head. I’ve used 3/4 tripods over the years, some really expensive, some really cheap, and for a few reasons this is by far my favourite.
When it comes to camera gear my number one priority it how convenient an item is and wether or not it causes any friction when it comes to setting up and getting the job done. The lever locking system on this tripod allows me to have it up and down super fast, sand and dirt isn't going to get inside the levers causing them to lock up over time when it comes to extending the legs.
That has been a major problem with tripods I’ve used in the past, especially the ones designed with the twist to release fixtures on the legs. Over time depending on where you are using your tripod the ones designed that way tend to get slower and slower, and sometimes even immobile. Nobody wants to be fighting their tripod in the middle of a forest, or smacking it against the floor to get the legs back down.
I’m a huge fan of the feet that can tilt backwards and forwards on the M1 from K&F, depending on wether you’re on uneven ground, the feet will counteract that slightly which is a great little quality of life addition which I haven’t seen often on other tripods.
The ball head does ship with this tripod by default and again gives me no pain points what so ever. 360 degrees of swivel, you can swap from landscape to portrait without any of the components getting in the way of the camera body, which again has been so annoying on previous tripods I’ve owned.
It also ships with a nice carry case, a carrying strap and a quick release plate, you can under sling it for low shooting, theres a hook for weights, and it packs down with the legs really close and intact. Considering the insane price of a lot of tripods out there, most of the time it gets to a point where you’re paying a heap more money for a brand name or a very tiny difference, and thats where I think this item excels at both quality and price point.
Sony FE 50mm 1.8 / or any of the budget 50mm’s
Next we've got the Sony FE 50mm 1.8 - But as I talk about this item I’m actually referring to all of the cheap 50s across the different camera brands. I’ve used canons, nikons and sigmas equivalent, and to be honest they're all pretty much the same lens with a few minor differences, and as far as my ability to google search prices goes, all come in at under £200.
Sony’s in particular comes in at £159 brand new, and if you pick one of the 50 mills up across any brand second hand, were talking about an absolute bargain. The reason this is one of my favourite items of all time, and it has been in my bag since 2017, is because if I made £1 for every photo shoot I’ve used this lens on, and gone on to get incredible results, It would have paid for itself multiple times.
Yes its technically a ‘’budget beginner lens’’ and it does have a couple of flaws like some chromatic aberration and focus hunting in low light, but considering this is under £200, a full frame prime lens at f1.8, thats beautifully sharp, the depth is fantastic and the all important bokeh looks great. It’s probably the biggest no brainer in the photography world.
I spend a lot of time now days going out with just one camera and one lens, and its very often the 50, not only is it tiny for days when you don’t want to carry much, but its never failed me. Do bare in mind given the low price of the lens, its not weather sealed and is mostly made out of plastic, but having said that If I was getting my first camera, or had to pick a low cost lens to be the only one in my kit, it would be this one every time.
Kodak Ektar H35
Dropping down in price considerably now, we’ve got the Kodak Ektar H35, if you’ve not heard of this, it’s a reusable half frame film camera meaning for every role of film you use, you’re going to get double the amount of images. The H35 works by cutting each frame into two, giving you a great cost efficient way to shoot film given the inflated price of film stocks across the board now days.
Coming in at about £50 and with the ability to find it cheaper or in the sale if you shop around, if you’re looking to step into film photography for the first time or just have something fun to carry around with you on trips, maybe to capture a few holiday memories on film, this is what you want.
Don’t get me wrong It’s not going to get you the same world renowned professional film results that you would get on the higher end film cameras out there, and It is built pretty much the same as a disposable camera, but it weighs absolutely nothing and it will fit in your pocket with ease, and requires no maintenance or partiuclar knowledge of film to get shooting with it. You simply stick the film in and snap away.
Being a pure point and shoot camera there’s no settings to change other than the option to turn the flash on and off
I do have a full video on YouTube dedicated to this awesome little item, so if you wish to dive deeper or have a better look at the type of results you can expect, you can check it out here: Budget £50 film camera
Peak Design Cuff
This has to be my current all time favourite camera accessory which might sound silly considering its just a wrist strap for your camera. But as I state a lot, convenience is key when it comes to camera accessories for me. Being able to release my camera from the strap, put my camera back in my bag, on the seat of my car or attach it to my tripod, without having to take the strap off my wrist makes all the difference while out in the field.
Setting you back only £29.99 and again sometimes lower depending on sales (I think I paid about £24 in the sale for mine) the auto cinching to maximum tightness on the Peak Design Cuff keeps your expensive camera and lenses safe from drops, even if you like to have a wrist strap fit loosely.
I see camera gear and accessories that hold or support your other pieces of expensive gear a lot like desk chairs. They’re worth spending more money on because if you opt for a cheap or poorly designed one, it will only hinder you over time. Sure you could grab a wrist strap for a few quid, but id rather spend a bit more for something that I know I can trust, and again means I never have to mess about taking the strap on and off while out.
The cuff does ship with two quick release anchors, so if you've got more than one camera you can have one on each, or use both anchors on the same camera and interchange the wrist strap with a neck strap that uses the same attachments.
Either way it’s durable, flexible, and I think it’s one of the best camera straps on the market.
Bonus Items
If you liked the sound of the Kodak Ektar H35, I have a fantastic film stock recommendation that works perfectly along side it. Kodak Ultramax 400 is one of the cheaper stocks on the market at the moment, as mentioned film seems to have sky rocketed recently leaving the popular ones out of reach for casual film enthusiast’s.
Not only do I think the colours are beautiful coming from Ultramax 400, but the ISO is perfect for the Kodak Ektar. 400 will serve you in most normal outdoor lighting conditions, and when it does get a little darker you can make use of the flash on the Ektar H35.
For this one I’m not recommending any particular item or brand, but more so that every photographer should own one. I used to store my memory cards ready to go inside my cameras, but as I have progressed as a photographer and found myself needing more and more storage, a cheap memory card case is a no brainer.
I have fallen victim to damaged cards in the past and you can’t put a price on keeping your cards safe, especially when travelling. So spending a few quid on what may be as simple as a plastic box is definitely worth waiting in for that annoying delivery time slot.
THANK YOU.
I hope you found some value in this post, if you enjoyed it be sure you check out my Youtube @DISTANTMEDIA where I create content just like this blog post. If you have any topics you’d like me to cover be sure to reach out via the contact page here on my website, see you in the next one.
