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Misc. Accessories & Gear Cleaning Supplies
TOOLS + PRODUCTS I LOVE
My Favorite Brands
My Misc. Accessory & Gear Cleaning Picks
COLOR ManagemenT Accesories
White Balance and 18% Gray Cards
I keep a set of these cards in my bag and use them on location in situations with challenging light. If you do commercial work, and need to get your colors exact in post production, I suggest also purchasing the Calibrite ColorChecker Passport Photo 2, which I have listed below.
Misc. Accessories
In addition to kitchen trash bags and rubber bands or hair ties, which I use in combination as an inexpensive rain cover in a pinch, here are some other things I keep in my bag, or at least close by.
If you want something a little more refined than the trash bag and rubber band solution 😉
You know those desiccant packets that arrive in shipping boxes and admonish you not to eat them? Well, hang on to those and feed a couple of them to your camera bag to help protect your gear from moisture. These are also great if you shoot in cold weather to avoid condensation forming on your gear. This can happen when you bring your gear from colder temperatures (outside) to warmer temperatures (inside.) Before you move your gear to a warmer space, put a couple of these desiccant packs in a plastic trash bag or zip-lock bag, place your gear in the bag, and seal the bag. If you don’t have any desiccant packs currently on hand, you can grab a few via this link, but just know that any brand will do.
Just go ahead and put one of these in your bag. Great for finding your dropped keys at night, light painting, and adding a little bump of light to macro photography.
Another camera bag staple. Great for finding your dropped keys at night (are you seeing a pattern here?), and light painting.
Camera and Lens Cleaning
Giottos Medium Rocket Air Blaster
A must have! This blower removes most debris from lenses, and it is the first thing I use to clean my lenses. Most of the time, this is all that is needed.
Another blower similar to the Rocket Blaster listed above, but this one includes a HEPA filter.
Step two if the rocket blower didn’t get the job done. I cut larger microfiber cloths into smaller pieces and then store the pieces in a well-sealed plastic bag. I use the smaller pieces once or twice, and then discard them to avoid recontaminating my lenses.
ROR Residual Oil Remover Lens Solution
This is my go-to for anything oily (finger prints) that the rocket blower and the microfiber lens cloth didn’t remove. I use this cleaning fluid in conjunction with the Kimwipes listed below.
Great for absorbing rain or water droplets from a lens. I also use these wipes in conjunction with ROR optical lens cleaner. The box is rather large, so I put several wipes in a well-sealed plastic bag and put that in my bag rather than carrying the whole box.
Eclipse Optic Cleaning Solution
This optic cleaning solution and photo wipe combo is great for cleaning a lens and for cleaning the contacts on the lens and on the camera lens mount.
Zeiss Pre-Moistened Lens Cleaning Wipes
I keep a few of these individually-wrapped wipes in my bag as well for quick lens (and glasses!) cleaning.
I use, wash, and reuse these for cleaning the outside of my camera body and lens barrels. Any brand will do.
Camera Body and Lens Barrel Cleaning Gel
Also great for cleaning the “ick” out of car cup holders!
Sensor Cleaning
**Cleaning a camera sensor is not difficult, but please don’t do so unless you are certain you understand how to properly clean a sensor!**
As I do with my lenses, when cleaning a camera sensor, I start with a rocket blower. I only use a brush when rocket blower doesn’t do the job. Just be sure to keep this brush very clean and sealed in a dust-proof bag or container.
Sensor Cleaning Swabs + Cleaner
Full Frame Sensor Cleaning Kit
I use these products to clean my camera sensor only when the rocket blower and sensor cleaning brush don’t get the job done. Make sure you select the appropriate kit according to whether you have a full-frame (FX) camera or an APS-C (DX) camera.