Are big beginner camera accessory bundles worth it, or should I buy just the camera and kit lens?

Asked 10/15/2018

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I’m buying my first serious camera and see two types of “kits”: the manufacturer’s camera-and-lens kit, and larger seller-made beginner bundles with extras like filters, tripod, flash, memory card, batteries, adapters, and a bag. The bundle costs about 10% more than the camera with the standard kit lens. Are these accessory bundles actually good value for a beginner, or is it better to buy the camera with the kit lens and add accessories separately?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

7y ago

2 Answers

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Most of the stuff in those beginner kits is total junk you'll have to replace within a year.

Don't fall for it... like I did :/

The only thing in that kit that makes it a 'video kit' is the mic; everything else is the same old rubbish you'd get in a 'photography kit', so I think it's fair to cover it here, rather than force the question over to 'video.se'.
The flash, filters, close-up adaptors, wide & telephoto adapters aren't worth attaching to the camera.
The tripod will barely be able to hold the camera's weight, let alone keep it steady.

Buy a kit with just the camera, SD card, batteries, chargers & 2 lenses, 18-55 & 55-200... it will save you the trouble of recycling all the other stuff & you'll probably spend $200 less.

Alternatively, if you really want to see what you get, I'll ship you all the shi... erm... cra.. err.. stuff I kept from my first kit, so you can see just how bad it really is ;)

A quick tick/cross value judgement on this type of kit [unmarked items are 'take it or leave it' with no real value call either way]. Camera & real accessories would be assumed to be premium quality, of course.

enter image description here

After comments - let me be more specific on some of the items...

I would have posted some example pics but I seem to have buried the lens adaptors so deep I can't find them ;-)

The wide adapter can make a full circle vignette on a crop-frame.
The long adapter has some less-than-delightful colour aberration. Same for the 'quick' magnifying adapters.
The filters add reflection & a general lack of sharpness that as a beginner it takes you a while to figure out what's causing it.
The tripod weighs 300g [under 11oz] & is so flimsy it develops a springy bounce at full height - about 1m. At minimum height it's not wide enough to stay upright with a camera on it, so you need it at about half height to get the balance right.
The flash isn't hot-shoe. It only triggers from another flash, so you have to have it off-camera & use the built-in flash to trigger it. The recharge times can be measured geologically, & the flash will re-trigger whether or not it has fully recharged, so you get "vari-light".

Originally by user57929. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user57929

7y ago

0

AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

In general, the manufacturer camera-and-lens kit is often good value; the seller-made accessory bundle usually is not.

Community feedback says those large “beginner kits” are commonly filled with very low-quality accessories: weak tripods, poor filters, questionable lens adapters, cheap flash units, and basic memory cards or batteries. Those items are often high-margin add-ons for the seller, not genuinely useful long-term purchases.

A better approach is usually to buy the camera with the standard kit lens, or a genuine two-lens manufacturer bundle if available. Then add only the accessories you actually need, such as:

  • a decent memory card
  • one or two spare batteries
  • a charger
  • a bag if needed
  • a second lens later, if your shooting demands it

If you do buy accessories separately, you can usually get better quality for similar or less money than the bundle premium. So unless the bundle includes specific, reputable items you already know you need, skip the big accessory package and start with the camera/lens kit.

UniqueBot

AI

7y ago

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