Sony A7 III – Part 5 – Reaccessorising

Not sure if there’s such a word as ‘reaccessorising’. But basically, whenever one moves to a different camera system, you’re not just changing the most obvious pieces – i.e. body, lenses, flash units – across formats. Depending on proprietary the item is, a bunch of other accessories typically also need to be reacquired. Thankfully, most of these tend to be very low cost items that can be picked up from eBay, or Lazada if you don’t mind paying slightly more and getting a local reseller to send the item.

Still, my list of new items to complement the new Sony A7 III.

Godox Thinklite TT685S TTL Camera Flash

Putting aside that the flash weighs like a 500pound gorilla, this is an incredible flash unit and the large rear-screen LCD really help in recognizing settings at a glance. Flash output is judged correctly when mounted on the A73’s hotshoe, but less so when connected to the Godox XPro. Already blogged about here.

Flash accessories

Unlike the Nissin i40, the Godox TT685s did not come with its own Stofen-style diffuser. So, one that cost SGD2.50 is coming along the way courtesy of eBay, alongside also a similarly priced portable soft box for the flash head.

Body and Lens Front/Rear Caps

Only the front caps are interchangeable across lenses. There is very little reason to buy OEM caps that can cost SGD10 and more when the eBay equivalents typically cost just a dollar for each, and fulfill exactly the same function. I typically buy several of them and enjoy bulk discounts even. It also makes possible safekeeping the original caps supplied with the equipment, as these items are easily misplaced. That said, the third party caps can be quite fragile. I’ve had several break after a drop from height.

Newmowa Dual USB Charger for Sony NP-FZ100

The A7 III doesn’t come with its own separate battery charger, though that the A73 supports in-camera charging and can be powered directly via Powerbank, I can’t complain too much!. The Sony OEM charger costs a bomb, but there are plenty of third party chargers sold on eBay and priced very cheaply. A number of them seem to be of one common model, if just slapped with different brand stickers but apparently only charges up to 90% of the FZ100 battery capacity. This Newmowa model sold by Amazon is reported to be able to fully charge the FZ100 to 100%, and a quick test charge of the two batteries that came with the A73 do indeed affirm that.

Tempered Glass LCD Screen Protector

It is currently fashionable for smartphone screens to curve along the edges, but such screens are also causing havoc for manufacturers of tempered glass screen protectors on account that it’s a real design challenge to make protectors that can similarly curve along its edges with minimal gaps when installed on smartphone screens. Thankfully, camera rear LCD screens are still as flat as they come. And such are real necessities – unless you find microscopic scratches on them caused by normal handling appealing!

UV/clear Filters

I know there are many both enthusiast and pro photographers who scoff at clear filters in front of their lens. And truth to tell, you do lose a bit of that optical clarity when you put additional glass elements in front of that new shiny and very expensive lens. But I’ve lost count of the number of times when my palm/food/grease/mud have nearly kissed the unprotected front element of a lens.

Filter wrench

And related to that, a pair of filter wrenches that cost just over a dollar. I reckon any users of filters would have encounter filters that are so tightly screwed onto the lens thread ring that they’re impossible to unscrew without relying on tools.

Neoprene lens pouches

A set of four soft protector lens pouches of varying sizes to provide protection when lenses go into backpacks.

Samsung 128GB (U3) MicroSD EVO Select SD Card

Almost all of my working cards are from Sandisk, and none have failed – even the older ones of > 6 years old. The company’s reputation for making reliable memory cards is well-deserved! The EVO Select will be my first Samsung MicroSD Card, and the EVO Select is apparently a rebranded for Amazon and sold by the giant at an attractive price. Online resellers on Lazada are pricing this at two times what I paid. Quick benchmark below:

BlackRapid Breathe Curve Camera Strap

Another new acquisition that I’ll write about separately too.

IR Wireless Shutter Remote Control

The smartphone control I’ve been using on the E-M1/M5 for the family CNY pictures has always been fiddly. The A73 has an infrared port, and this Remote Control costs just a dollar. So why not LOL.

The series of Sony A7 III posts:

Sony A7 III – Part 1 – Journey to Alpha-verse

Sony A7 III – Part 2 – Lens Sense Making

Sony A7 III – Part 3 – Early Impressions

Sony A7 III – Part 4 – Eye AF

Sony A7 III – Part 5 – Reaccessorising

Sony A7 III – Part 6 – Early Impressions (Continued)