Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links including Amazon Associate Program affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission. This commission comes at no cost to you. I am not paid up front to recommend a product or service, and I do not accept free products or services in exchange for my recommendation. I only provide links to products that I own and use myself, or that I have thoroughly researched and feel comfortable sharing. However, please do your own product research too before making any purchases. ~Kari
Camera Brackets & Accessories
TOOLS + PRODUCTS I LOVE
My Favorite Brands
My Camera Bracket & Accessory Picks
L-Brackets + Lens Foots
L-Brackets and an Arca-Swiss-compatible lens foot were on my “nice-to-have” list… until I purchased one of them. Now I can’t live without them. Really Right Stuff (RRS) brackets and foots feature QD (Quick Detach) mounting sockets that I use with my Magpul QD camera strap. RRS makes very high quality products that hold their value. When I moved to the Sony system, both my RRS L-Bracket and RRS Lens Foot sold within a couple of days on Ebay at about 70% of retail price.
Really Right Stuff MC-LS Multi-Camera L-Plate
Really Right Stuff recently came out with a universal L-bracket. I prefer brackets that are made specifically for a given camera brand and model, but this may be a good option of you are having difficulty finding a bracket (older model, stockout, etc.), or simply want to use the same L-bracket on different cameras.
Really Right Stuff Modular L-Bracket for Sony Alpha a1, a7RIV, a9II, and a7SIII
I prefer the modular RRS L-Brackets on Sony cameras, as the bracket improves ergonomics and makes the camera feel a bit “beefier.” However, RRS also has a one-piece Ultralight L-Bracket that fits Sony Alpha a1, a7RIV, a9II, and a7SIII cameras if that is something you prefer.
Really Right Stuff Really Right Stuff L-Plate Set for Sony Alpha a9, a7 III, & a7R III
A lot has been mentioned online about the RRS Sony a7RIII L-Bracket and how you need to move the battery compartment door from the camera to the L-Bracket. I had no difficulty moving the door, and doing so doesn’t seem to affect the weather sealing either, as the bracket has a built-in rubber battery compartment gasket.
I highly recommend replacing your factory lens foot with an Arca-Swiss compatible lens foot. The convenience is worth every penny. This lens foot includes a QD socket as well.
Spare Batteries + Portable Charger
At least one spare battery is a must-have, and a portable charger is a definite nice-to-have as an alternative to carrying a truckload of spare batteries. I highly advise using only manufacturer-approved power accessories.
Sony NP-FZ100 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (2280mAh)
Compatible with Alpha a9 II, Alpha a9, Alpha a7R IV, Alpha a7R III, Alpha a7 III, Alpha a6600, a7S III, a7R IIIA, a7R IVA and a1 Cameras
Anker Powercore+ 26800 mAh Portable Charger
This charger can be used to power your Sony Alpha a7RIII and a1 cameras while you shoot. It is PD rated, air-travel friendly, and you can also charge your phone and computer with it. Be sure to check your camera’s manual, or website support pages for compatibility before purchasing.
Tethering
Tether Tools TetherPro USB-C to USB-C 15′ Tethering Cable
A tethering cable is another one of my “nice-to-haves” turned must-haves. This particular cable is a USB-C to USB-C bright orange (visibility) cable, but Tether Tools carries the same cable with other connector options too. Be sure to read your camera manual and check your computer ports to see which connectors are appropriate for your setup.
Helps prevent USB-C port damage while shooting tethered. Purchasing this product is money well spent.
Memory Cards + Card REader
**Be sure to consult your camera’s manual before purchasing a CFexpress card, as there are two types: Type A and Type B. Sony series cameras require Type A cards.
The Sony Alpha a1 camera takes CFexpress Type A memory cards and UHS-I/UHS-II SD cards in both card slots. Both card slots will read UHS-II cards at speed. CFexpress cards are expensive but faster. UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards are not as fast, but they are far more affordable (UHS-II cards are faster than UHS-I cards.) The Sony Alpha a7RIIIA camera only takes UHS-I and UHS-II SD cards. However, one card slot has a UHS-I card bus and the other has a UHS-II card bus. You can use UHS-II cards in both a7RIIIA card slots, but the second card slot won’t be able to take advantage of UHS-II speed capabilities. When it comes to UHS-I/UHS-II SD cards, I prefer to carry several cards with a lower storage capacity, rather than a few high-capacity cards, as even the best memory cards fail on occasion. A 128 GB card failure is painful, but not as painful as a 512 GB (or larger) card failure when it comes to lost files.
Lexar, Sony, or ProGrade Digital SDXC UHS-II Memory Cards
Lexar, Sony, or ProGrade CFexpress Type A Memory Cards
The Lexar memory cards are slightly faster than the ProGrade and Sony cards, but all three are excellent. See what is on sale! 😉
ProGrade Digital CFexpress Type A and SDXC/SDHC UHS-II Dual-Slot Card Reader – USB 3.2 Gen 2
If you are only using UHS-I/UHS-II memory cards, you may not need this card reader since most computers have a built-in card reader. But if you are using CFexpress Type A memory cards, you must have an external card reader such as this one.
Protective Filter
Sony Zeiss T* Multicoated Clear Protective Filters
Ask a group of photographers how they feel about using protective lens filters, and you will hear differing opinions. I come down on the side of using them, especially in wet or dusty conditions, or during goober-laden pet and equine shoots. My main reason for using them is that over time, cleaning the front of a lens with any type of lens cloth or lens wipe, no matter how gentle, will lead to micro abrasions. I’d rather this happen to my filters than my lenses, and I have decided to stick with native Sony clear filters. The main thing is, if you are going to use a UV or Clear filter to protect your expensive lenses, I suggest purchasing high-quality filters – cheap filters can negatively impact image quality.
Circular Polarizing + Neutral Density Filters
**It can be challenging to find a high-quality filter system that works across an entire lens collection, especially if you own more than one non-threaded ultra-wide-angle lens. I hope this information helps!
Kase, NiSi, and Maven Filters all make very high-quality filter systems. If you have non-threaded lenses, I prefer the Kase Armour magnetic filter system as filters are quick and convenient to install and use. However, if you own the Sony FE 12-24 f/2.8 GM lens, I suggest considering the NiSi S6 150mm filter system.
If you prefer to the simplicity and space-saving convenience of magnetic circular filters for your lenses with filter threads, the filter system that I recommend is Maven Filters. The trick to purchasing a Maven magnetic circular filter system, is to buy filters that fit your widest diameter (filter thread size) lens, and then purchase magnetic step-up rings to adapt your smaller lenses to the larger filters. For instance, if you own a Sony lens with 95mm filter threads, such as the Sony FE 200-600 f/5.6-6.3 G OSS lens, or think you might purchase one in the future, I suggest purchasing at least a 95mm set of Maven Filters. At the time of this writing, the largest lens filter thread size in the Sony lens lineup is 95mm. Lastly, Maven Filters makes several unique and affordable magnetic lens hoods.
Maven Filters 95mm Magnetic Filter Kit
The Kase Armour 100mm Magnetic Filter System, which is compatible with all of the lenses listed on our Camera Bodies and Lenses page except the Sony FE 12-24 f/2.8 GM lens, provides the best of both worlds. Photographers can still use 100×100 mm or 100×150 mm filters while taking advantage of the convenience a magnetic filter system provides. The Kase Amour filter system starts out with a “base” adapter ring that attaches to your lens on one side, and has a magnetic surface on the other. Next, a magnetic 100mm filter holder snaps to the outside of the magnetic adapter ring on the lens. The magnetic filter holder accepts one magnetic circular polarizing filter (or magnetic circular ND filter) on the back of the holder, and a second magnetic circular ND filter on the front. Finally, up to two 100x100mm or 100x150mm filters snap to the filter holder via magnetic frames. The filter holder has a gear on the side that turns the CPL independently of the 100mm filters. In addition to the standard thread size adapter rings included in the kit I have listed below, if you own the Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 lens and/or the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens lenses, you will also need to purchase the specialty adapter rings** also listed below, since neither of these lenses have filter threads. If you already own a set of 2mm-thick 100x150mm or 100x100mm filters, you can simply purchase a couple of Kase Armour Magnetic Filter Frames and continue using your existing filters.
**Important information from Kase about the Armour Sony 14mm adapter ring: “Due to the lens design there are some compromises involved, this being the rear magnetic CPL slot is not usable as the lenses hood sits inside the holder.“
**Kase Wolverine Magnetic Circular filters are not compatible with the Kase Armour System – these are two separate systems.
Kase Armour Entry-Level Filter Kit with Threaded Adapter Rings
Kase Armour Adapter Ring for Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 Lens
Kase Armour Adapter Ring for Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D Lens
I recommend purchasing the entry-level filter kit and then purchasing only the circular and/or 100mm filters you need. Keep in mind that if you purchase or already have a 100mm filter, you will need to purchase a magnetic filter frame, or swap out the frame that comes with the kit.
Kase Armour 100mm Magnetic Filter Frames
Standard (non-magnetic) Step-Up Rings
At of the time of this writing, the Nisi S6 system can be adapted to all of the lenses I have listed on our Cameras Bodies and Lenses page, with the exception of the Laowa 12mm f/2.8 Zero-D lens (see the Kase Armour 100mm Magnetic Filter System above.) The NiSi S6 Filter System starts with a “base” kit consisting of three pieces: a lens adapter ring, a filter holder, and a circular polarizing filter (CPL.) I recommend purchasing the kit that includes the NiSi S6 True Color Nano Coated Circular Polarizing Filter listed below. You only need one each of the filter holder and CPL, so this kit will serve as the base of your filter system. Then, if you would like to use the NiSi S6 Filter system on a Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 lens, and any of the other threaded lenses listed on our Camera Bodies and Lenses page, you will need to purchase the two additional filter holder adapter rings: a Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 lens adapter ring, and a universal adapter ring for lenses with standard filter threads (purchase includes 82mm, 95mm, and 105mm step-up rings.) From there you can purchase any additional step-up rings you need, and of course the filters themselves if you don’t already own a set of 150mm filters. The Nisi S6 filter holder accommodates two 2mm-thick 150mm filters.
NiSi S6 150mm Filter Holder Kit with True Color NC CPL for Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM
NiSi S6 150mm Filter Holder Adapter Ring for Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM
NiSi S6 150mm Filter Holder Adapter Ring for Standard Filter Threads