Keeping up with all the latest camera models and lenses can be hard on the brain and hard on the wallet. But these $30 or less items are things you should absolutely have in your kit, and will make your life easier for years to come.

Please note this page contains “affiliate links” which means 52Frames may receive a small commission from Amazon at NO extra cost to you! (all prices approximate)

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Must Haves | Studio Stuff | Fun toys | “Nice to have” | Misc | Above $30

Part 1: “Must haves”

No fluff or crystal balls in this section.

If you don’t have these items,

you may wanna consider grabbing them asap.

SD card holder – $10

Because this is actually the most important gear in your kit. At the end of the day we are all at the whim of the humble SD card. Let’s keep them safe.

And shockproof. And waterproof. Just in case.

Wireless Remote Control (Canon) – $8

I’ve had this little guy for years, and it’s my secret weapon for long shutters and self portraits. Just a great little piece that does a whole lot.

Get one for Sony. Get one for Nikon.

5-in-1 Collapsible Reflector – $28

Possibly the most versatile accessory you will own when first starting. You can bounce light for an outdoor shoot, you can use the black side as a flag in a studio setting shooting, you can use it without any cover as a scrim/diffuser in harsh daylight; its possibilities are well beyond its humble price tag!

Clamp Reflector Holder – $20

You’ll wanna pick up this clamp reflector holder to seal the deal. I recommend this 2-pack because you can use it to clamp all sorts of stuff in your studio, like cloth for backdrops and foam core for flags.

Large Rocket Air Blaster – $16

Clean yo dust! This is the easiest and most effective tool to keep your gear clean. I’ve had this rocket for years, and I keep all my sensors and lenses dust free with just a few strong blows.

A bit expensive for what it is, in my opinion, but it’s just SO important for your even more expensive gear, and this one packs more punch than some of the cheaper counterparts.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 88 – “How to Clean your Sensor”

Pec Pads – $12 for 100

Forget the dust-collecting cloths, these professional single-use, lint-free wipes are sensitive enough for all your camera needs, from your lenses to your sensor!

Best paired with this cleaning fluid if you are using it on your sensor.

Watch: How to Clean your Image Sensor

Extra Large Microfiber Cleaning Cloths – $13

If you’re gonna go with a microfiber cloth, up your game and get this high-grade extra large pack. Great for overall use, including the outside of your camera, the LCD screen, and your lenses.

Really great for your computer monitors, too.

Just note that they will collect dust over time.

Simple swivel bulb fixture – $10 for 2

This probably belongs down below in the “studio stuff” section but even everyday photo situation require some LIGHT.

For 10 dollars, this is an amazingly powerful tool to introduce light into your photographs.

Pick up some quality (90+ CRI) LED bulbs as well.

Flash Diffuser Kit – $14

If you are taking ANY kind of event photography, but you’re not quite at the level of setting up umbrella strobes around the room, OR it’s a run-and-gun situation where you’re moving fast, you NEED to have this on your flash, it’s an absolute game-changer in terms of light quality.

Camera Neck Strap – $18

Sure, there are more expensive (much more) camera straps out there, but for around 20 bucks you are vastly improving the out of the box setup your camera came with.

Do your back a favor. 2,700 people can’t be wrong here, right?

Quality USB 3.0 Card Reader – $22

This is the one I’ve had for years and the quality and speeds have never let me down.

Part 2: “Studio Stuff”

Looking to build your first flash studio?

These items will get you started right quick without breaking the bank.

QUALITY Gaffer’s Tape – $18

Your most important purchase! The “glue” that holds it altogether..

This is seriously the best gaffer’s tape I’ve ever used. This is NOT duct tape that will gunk up your gear and leave a gooey residue on everything.

This professional gaffers tape sticks STRONG, is easy to work with, leaves no residue, and looks so good you can even use it permanently for things.

I use this for so, so many things, including holding up my cinefoil (see below) in precarious positions, affixing cables to the floor for safety on shoots, holding gels onto lights, and on and on.. Get a roll of white If you want to conceal cables on a white wall or surface.

I was amused by some of the uses I saw in the feedback section of this Amazon listing, but hey, I’m not surprised, multi-purposes indeed!

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 66 – “How to RIG Anything.”

Flash Tripod Stands – $30 for 2

The essential of every studio starts with some simple flash stands. These guys are the CLEAR best bang for the buck. You should get at least 3 of these to start with.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 29 – Setting up your first flash studio!

4 in 1 socket – 2 for $30

A great starter kit for LED bulbs (continuous light) are these 4-1 gizmos that will 4x your lighting game. Throw this in a softbox, or behind a white curtain, and you will have the same lighting conditions as the pros use. (just be sure to set a custom white balance first – see gray card item below)

For more power and consistency you will want to upgrade to strobes/flashes at some point, but continuous lighting is a great way to start as you see how the light interacts with your subject in real time.

LED Bulbs – 2 for $20

As I mentioned in the ‘must have’ section, light should be your first kit upgrade, and LED bulbs are a great and inexpensive way to get started. Look for high CRI rating (90+) which will give you better color rendering. Generally the brighter you go the less accurate the colors, but 17W should be enough to get you started.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 87 – “How to Create a “Seamless” Background”

Cinefoil 10 foot roll – $30

My secret weapon in how to achieve MASTER LEVEL light direction: “Flag your lights!”

You can use it as background in macro shots, a lens covering for making bokeh shapes, makeshift snoots and other flash modifiers, flagging light, and cooking your fries in the oven. (Thanks James for the great tips!)

You can even re-use the sheets if you are careful enough, even when it’s crinkled it will still function fine in flagging off light.

I’d recommend getting the 50-foot roll, as its sometimes priced for only about $6 more.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 85 – “How to Shape Light?”

Black foam core – 20″ x 30″, 10 Sheets – $30

Foam core is like the utility knife of studio setups!

I wouldn’t go smaller than this size if you are directing and flagging light. Regarding some of the feedback from this item: This quality is FINE for what we need it for. We don’t care if it’s dented. We don’t care that it’s white on the INSIDE.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 87 – “How to Create a “Seamless” Background”

White Foam core – 20″ x 30″, 2 Pack – $8

I wouldn’t go smaller than this size if you are directing and flagging light. You may want to buy 2 of these 2-packs so you have more options to work with.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 87 – “How to Create a “Seamless” Background”

Gray card – $13

Save yourself chasing down those skin tones in your edits!
Looking for real accurate color in a studio setting? You need to use custom white balance using an 18% gray card. Your studio should not be without this $13 item!
If you want a more expensive option for on-the-go, look into the $50 “Expo-disc” I have this one in my bag and it works great when you can’t hold up a gray card, but it’s not cheap.

Magic Arm With Clamp – $30

I literally have like 20 of these, they serve so many purposes. I use them to hold up lights, boards, cameras, reflectors, whatever! Other companies sell these and they can be flimsy but this one has solid reviews. You may want to buy some more clamps to go with it.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 66 – “How to RIG Anything.”

Pergear tripod ball head – $30

This is a surprisingly good tripod head, and I’m honestly shocked by the price. I picked 2 of these up so I can have different “plug and play” studio options.

You may not want to mount a 70-200 f/2.8 lens on it….but you totally could!

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 66 – “How to RIG Anything.”

Shoot-thru White Umbrellas – 2 for $14

Shoot-through umbrellas is a great starter lighting modifier, and by far the best bang for the buck, but understand that you’ll have more control using modifiers with black flag components like this guy.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 29 – Setting up your first flash studio!

Quality Umbrella Adapter – $10

Once you got your lighting rigs set up, you’ll realize the components that you need to rely on the most, and this is one of them! Don’t go plastic here, you’ll thank me later.

Octagon Softbox – $29

An Octagon softbox for less than $30! When I first started, these items were a real premium.

Up your studio game with larger light sources that help you direct soft light onto your subjects.

You may want to add even more diffusion by buying some additional white fabric.

⅛” and ¾” adapters – $5

Pick these up at any hardware store and/or amazon.

Once you understand that most things in photography share the same thread sizes, you can start to really build out your own custom rigs, and create the studio of your dreams without emptying your pockets on things you could build yourself.

Watch: Off the Rails ep. 66 – “How to RIG Anything.”

Eneloops rechargeable batteries – $20

The eneloops introduced a game-changing technology for rechargeable batteries! I use these for everything, from my flashes to my kids’ annoying ambulance toy.

Sandbags – $18

It’s quite important (or at least responsible) to hold down your light stands in a studio setting, especially if you are setting up around clients that could knock stuff over or get injured.

PRO TIP: Put your sand in a ziplock bag first and put THAT bag into your sandbag!

Part 3: “Fun Toys / Props”

I mean, I wouldn’t say these aren’t useful, but I’d put them in a fun “toy/prop” category 🙂

Clip-on lenses for your phone – $30

I can’t imagine these are ACTUALLY a quality product but it’s got really great reviews on Amazon, so hey if you’re a mobile shooter looking to up your game, this may be where you wanna start!

Shutter huggers – $20

Are you doing any kind of baby photography? You probably gonna want a “shutter hugger” in your kit!

Crystal Ball with Stand – $18

I mean, who doesn’t need a crystal ball in their lives? Framers love using these, and you could see some unique shots taken by Framers in our project here, here, here, and here.

macro extension tubes – $18

You can achieve macro results very close to higher end lenses, for less than $20. Not the same as a macro lens, in my opinion, but this would be a fun place to start.

Part 4: “Nice to Have”

Ya know, not a “must have” but “nice to have” 🙂

Mini Lightbox Tent – $20

A light tent is a GREAT way to get high-end looking product photography shots. This lightbox has excellent reviews, but understand that its mostly relevant for smaller items. You could also find resources to build your own lightboxes at larger sizes.

Rabbit Key Screwdriver – $9

Do you struggle looking for a coin whenever you want to remove your tripod plate? Pop this on your keychain and never struggle again!

Flashlight – Red – $11

The red light won’t affect your night vision, but the light MAY affect your survival!

Headlamp – $13

I mean, a headlamp is a good thing to have in general, but if you are doing any kind of proper night photography, you’re really gonna wanna, umm.. not die.

Phone Tripod Wrap – $14

This also keeps my 3-year old occupied in the back seat of the car… just sayin.

Part 5: “Miscellaneous”

Rain Cover for your camera – $7

$3 to save your $1,000 camera and/or your $1,000 lens. I used these when I shot in the crazy desert conditions of Burning Man, and another time at a city-wide water fight. It worked like a charm.

Step-up Rings – $14

This is a set of rings, that you can use in tandem to reach your filter size, but I’d price out singular step-up rings that specifically match your lens-filter size as I feel that would be less clunky. Go with metal, not plastic!

Filter Wrench – $14

But gosh, do yourself a favor and have these in your bag. I’m not saying you’ll 100% need them, but if you DO need them, you will 100% thank me.

Part 6: “Above $30”

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention these important items. They are of various prices, and will eventually make their way to a different buying guide, but in the meantime, I’ll share a short bullet list here, so you can check them out.

White/Black acrylic boards – $46

Polarizer filter I recommend – $99

Yongnuo Flash Options – $80

Yongnuo YN560-III w receiver – $70

Receiver for your camera’s model – $40

Manfrotto bendy arm – $37

Gorillapod – $50

Manfrotto magic arm – $134

Soft-charging charger – $40