Expensive DSLR Accessories & Cheaper Alternatives

Before I begin I must state that in most of the cases below, the more expensive options are better quality however the cheaper options I have listed are great alternatives for filmmakers on a budget and do the job more than adequately for a large percentage of people out there.


VIEWFINDERS

These are a must have for shooting in bright sunlight and also help to keep your camera steady whilst shooting handheld. I have been looking for an alternative to the Zacuto (which is amazing yet super expensive) for quite a while and I certainly want going to shell out $79.95 for the Hoodman H-LPP3 HoodLoupe which looks like it was made in someones basement. A couple of weeks ago I found the NEEWER Hoodeye HD viewfinder on Amazon and have been really happy with it.

Zacuto Z- Finder Jr.
$236.95



ALTERNATIVE: NEEWER Hoodeye HD
$52.45


RIGS

Most camera rigs are expensive even for the most basic, entry level models. If you're looking for something to give you a bit of stability and ability to hold the camera at low angle for shooting something like skateboarding, then the Opteka X-Grip is great value for money. Compared to something like the Can Caddie you cant go wrong.

Cam Caddie Starter Kit
$109.95


Opteka X-Grip 
$34.95


MEMORY CARDS

I've been using the Transcend cards ever since I started shooting video with DSLRs and they have been great and usually get good reviews. The class 10 is way cheaper than the Sandisk Class 6 too. Can't beat the price!

SanDisk Extreme 16GB SD Card - Class 6
$43.50



Transcend 16GB SD Card - Class 10
$24.14




LED LIGHTS
Here is one that has a massive difefrence in price... LED lights. LightPanels makes the model below which retails for over $400 but you can pick up a very similar light from ebay or Amazon for under $50. When I first used the LightPanel model I thought it felt very cheap for something so expensive.

Pros of the cheaper models: Price and the fact that you can use various camera batteries as well as AA batteries.

Cons of the cheaper models: The mount is usually plastic and breaks easily (but I use mine hand held or on a stand i made in 5 minutes for 90% of shots)

LightPanels MicroPro
$404.90



Opteka VL-126 LED
$59.00



DOLLY/SLIDERS
One more piece of equipment that I have recently started using that is a much cheaper alternative to what else is currently on the market. The Motion Slider is a bare bones camera slider. it can be mounted on a tripod and can have a tripod head attached or have the camera directly mounted onto it.

Pocket Dolly v-2.0 Basic 
$499.95

Motion Slider 36 Camera Slider
$159.00