The best camera case holds a camera securely, organizes any accessories, and is easy to open and close. A large bag-type camera case with a large lid and soft cushioning is generally the best kind. Some extra pockets on the outside are useful for things that you may want to grab quickly, such as batteries. Avoid black cases as these can be hard to find, especially in the dark. Also avoid expensive-looking cases; these stand a good chance of being stolen — along with your camera.

Rechargeable batteries can cost as much as $50. If the charger for these batteries plugs into the camera, you may want an auxiliary charger that charges a battery while you are using the camera. Also after a while, perhaps a year or so, some rechargeable batteries will no longer hold their charge and you will be forced to buy another battery.

If you do a lot of work in low light or at night or in available light, you may want a more powerful and flexible flash than the one that comes with the camera.

There are dozens of accessories that you can buy for just about any camera, such as add-on lenses for a fixed zoom lens, filters, slave units for flash photography, extra memory cards, memory card readers that read cards directly into your computer without using your camera, and printers that print directly from the camera. You will need to decide what you must have and what you can live without.