Odd...But Useful Gear

[Colin McDonald]

Let's not forget the humble rubber band for removing stuck filters etc.

[Panagiotis Raris]

carabiners. LOTS of carabiners.
a small bag of misc adapters of all sorts and sizes (audio, video, etc) lives in my car
also a small bag of misc/emergency cables/power adapters lives there too
roll of twist ties for cheap, disposable cable management
hockey/electrical/gaffers tape

probably best thing i ever did was cover everything in color coded hockey or electrical tape (not totally), usually right over the logos/model info, carry straps, legs etc. yellow is all nikon gear (cams/lenses), red is power (used to be color for canon gear), blue is video, green is audio, white is lighting.

if you have someone new/unfamiliar helping its much easier, and if you have others with similar gear, you can easily identify who's is who's, and keeps scuffs/scratches at bay.

i do the same with gear bags or pelican cases so i know whats in there. its also helped tremendously in travelling; everyone has the same generic looking black luggage; mine have colored hockey tape.

[Donald McPherson]

Don' t forget the condom for the mic on a rainy day.

[Dave Blackhurst]

Originally Posted by Todd Mizomi

+1 for carabiners from REI, (I prefer the Black Diamond brand) more variety and way stronger than the cheapo ones you find at Home Depot or Lowes.

A while back I wrote a blogpost about a shoulder strap alternative I found at Home Depot for my Canon XA10. This also works with the Sony PXW-X70 or any other small camera that has a top handle.

Mizomi Photography: DIY Spider Holster alternative for the Canon XA-10 camcorder

Funny that someone else found that same "holster" (used to be sold as the "bigg lugg" or something like that!). I've used the belt/pants clip as a support for a monopod, a handy configuration when a tripod is not an option - similar to some other "support rigs", but super cheap. Stick the camera on the monopod, extend the thing to fit into that little "cup" on the belt clip, gives you an extra support so your arm doesn't get so tired, and a bit more stable "shooting platform".

[Alec Moreno]

Have you ever had a hard time getting a ring shot where you wanted to roll the groom's ring into the shot, but you couldn't aim the ring just right?

Try ripping the white plastic compartment out from a Pez candy dispenser. Cut off one end and you have a little chute to aim that ring perfectly. Or you could fold one up real fast if you have an index card or something similar.

[Steven Digges]

Bicycle locks. Two of them with 10 foot steel cables and a master lock built on to the ends. If I have to walk away from a live set the cables get woven through every case or piece of gear with a hole in it. Cameras, tripods, pelicans, etc, etc. With twenty feet of cable everything becomes chained together so nothing grows legs.

Bought them used on e-bay for cheap.

Steve

[Darren Levine]

paracord. type 1 & type 3. tie things up! make safety lines, shoelaces, belt, hang gear off your bag/belt/etc...make a pulley...

i like cord, cord is great stuff :)

[Steven Digges]

Wooden clothes pins. Known as C47s on set.

Steve

[Adrian Tan]

I recently bought a roll of Velcro for cable management. Don't know why I didn't do it years ago.

In the car, we carry a "bridal repair kit" -- a little plastic box with safety pins, and a small pair of scissors and other odds and ends. Haven't actually used it yet, at least not on brides, but put it together after a few weddings where brides asked if we happened to have this sort of stuff.

Handkerchiefs for quickly drying wet camera bodies. Plastic supermarket bags to use as camera rain jackets.