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How Camera Accessories Can Improve Your Production

• Posted by Camera Warehouse December 2, 2022 Filed in Other #accessories  #camera  36 views
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  They say that a poor artist blames their tools. While this saying definitely holds some truth, it does start to become a bit shaky when applied to camera work. Although it is possible to capture some extraordinary footage with little to no additional camera accessories, the camera operator first needs to learn how to work within their limits and excel.

  This can take a lot of time and effort, but the results often speak for themselves. However, there is no doubt in any professional’s mind that some shots are just simply not possible without certain pieces of equipment. How often have you been on a film set, attempting a very specific yet seemingly simple technique such as a smooth, slow push into the subject of the shot? How many times did you then have to retake that shot in order to be as smooth as possible without the use of a dolly track or gimbal? For countless, the answer may be far too high to describe.

  This is why many camera operators, no matter how far into their careers they have already gotten, are always looking to upgrade their camera accessories with the latest and greatest technologies that they can find. Some of these accessories may be more widely known than others, but all aim to provide your productions with the best shots that one can imagine. Below we have left a few critical camera accessories that can each prove to be immensely useful in their own ways.

  Follow Focus

  This is a complex but highly favourable piece of equipment that allows you (or your camera assistant) to pull focus when it would be impossible to do so without the follow focus on hand. For instance, you may have attached your camera to a gimbal and require both hands to maintain balance. In this scenario, having a follow focus attached to your camera lens will allow you to pull focus in a manner that is far more comfortable and easier to pull off.

  External Monitor

  Another crucial camera accessory would have to be an external monitor, which is often designed to be bigger than most cameras’ onboard monitors. This is, however, not only meant to provide you with a bigger screen on which you can view your footage. In fact, it allows you to make use of additional frame marker tools and exposure tools, as well as important outputs and inputs that allow you to connect with even more useful equipment. Furthermore, on sets that require a lot of camera movement that prevents the director from seeing the footage in real-time, an external monitor can provide the director and other crew to see the footage from the other side of the set.

  Variable ND Filter

  This is an invaluable tool that can save anyone’s shoot on the right day. Such a filter is used to cut out light in environments that are too bright to shoot in, such as outdoors at midday just as an example. This tool will allow you to change your camera settings however you’d like them, and then allow you to physically brighten or darken your image via your lens, allowing for more efficient shooting in environments with rapid weather changes.