The Five Most Important Film Camera Accessories

Film cameras, whilst generally robust, benefit from a little additional care and protection when they are taken out and about and used. This article lists the most important accessories for any film camera user.

1. Cleaning Equipment

A clean camera will perform far better than a dirty one.

Many parts of a camera can be cleaned with materials that are readily to hand. The only criteria are generally that cleaning cloths should be clean, soft, and not shed fibres. Many household-cleaning products can also be used extremely sparingly. For example a tiny spot of wax furniture polish can be used to clean and rejuvenate leather camera covers. But when it comes to cleaning lenses and interior parts, some dedicated accessories are required.

It's a good idea to invest in a blower, as this gently removes tiny specks of dust, fibres, and other debris without the need for physical contact with delicate surfaces. It's also great for getting into hard to reach places, like the corners of SLR's mirrors. Blowing on something using your breath is not a good alternative, since our breath is usually moist (and cameras hate moisture). More stubborn fragments can be removed with a soft haired brush, made for the purpose. Finger marks take a little more effort to shift, and a made-for-purpose optical lens cleaning cloth, or disposable micro-fibre tissues are ideal.

These can be supplemented with specialist lens cleaning fluids. There is a wide choice, but these should be used economically and only when necessary. Beware; some fluids are little more than ionised water, while others may contain alcohol or glycerine, which can coat lenses instead of removing pollutants from the surface. I personally use ROR Residual Oil Remover lens cleaning fluid.

2. Lens Caps

Lens caps are almost a joint number one item, since having got a lens clean, effort should be made to keep it that way. A lens cap offers the additional benefit of protecting the lens from physical contact with anything else (like sticky fingers, dust, moisture particles in the air, and everyday sharp objects), and no lens should be without one. They come in three types: screw fit (an older, usually metal and very safe style, but tricky to get on an off), snap-on (where retractable lugs grip the filter ring), and push-fit (which can easily fall off, depending on the tightness of their fit). Which type you choose doesn't matter, so long as you use one.

If you use more than one lens, both front and rear caps are necessary. If your camera spends any time with no lens fitted, then a dedicated body cap is also a must have.

Many people use a UV filter (of something similar) in lieu of, or in addition to a lens cap. That's fine, but consider the counter argument. A glass filter isn't actually made to take knocks. It still needs something to keep it clean. If you use a good quality coated lens then you need a filter of equal quality... and they are expensive.

3. Carrying Case or Bag

This is a really important item, since it helps to keep cameras (and any related equipment) clean when that equipment is sitting in the home unused, plus it can offer greater safety when out and about.

Camera bags come in all shapes and sizes. Cases are usually small and specific to particular makes and models, and cover no more than the camera itself (plus the fitted lens). Bags accommodate a few, or a lot of additional accessories, depending on their size. Some bags are all about style, others are ugly but practical, and yet more are somewhere in between. The choice is yours, but what's important is they should offer some shock/knock protection, and a degree of weather resistance. A shoulder strap option is very useful, since it allows you to go hands free.

My personal preference is a medium to small "messenger" style bag, with a removable card and foam lined insert. Mine has removable Velcro dividers, enabling items to be closeted, and the remaining space used for other, non-photographic things we usually need to carry around (keys, wallet, mobile phone, snacks, etc).

4. Camera Strap

If you don't want to put you camera back in its case after every use, and prefer to be in a general state of readiness, then a camera strap is a good investment. While it enables a photographer to be hands free, its real benefit is that it safeguards against dropping a camera accidentally. It's a bonus if a lens strap is comfortable, so generally soft and wide is better than hard and thin.

I'm not a big fan of neck straps, since they can provide a false sense of security. Cameras on neck straps sometimes have a habit of swinging like pendulums, and finding other objects to bump against. Once when shooting in a kneeling position, I shuffled forward, caught the dangling camera neck strap on my knee, and yanked my precious Leica out on my hands. Eek!

My personal preference is a short wrist strap. Whilst straps can provide a safety net against accidents, they do not compensate for carelessness. A strap is therefore quite low on my list, since it's not as good as a shoulder bag.

5. Lens Hood

Not all lenses need a lens hoods. A lot depends on their focal length, and construction. Some have a recessed front element: a sort of built-in hood. Aside from their photographic merits, lens hoods perform a further function; they provide additional physical protection to the front element of a lens. As with lens caps and camera bags, they come in all shapes and sizes, all of which adequately perform their secondary role: to provide a sort-of crumple zone. I would prefer to spend my spare cash on a lens hood than a crunchy glass UV filter.

Conclusion

These are my top five recommendations. None are particularly exciting. None are brand specific. They are not particularly expensive, and none will add a new dimension to your photography. However, all will contribute to a basic camera performing at optimum condition, and help to keep it that way.

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