Complements for cameras

Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W1

Though it wasn't very popular with us, consumers flocked to this model when Sony released it more than a year ago. Since then, it has been updated once, with the DSC-W5, and spawned a higher-resolution sibling, the DSC-W7. Many of the accessories available for the W1 remain compatible with its product line mates.
The W1's 38mm-to-114mm (35mm equivalent) lens is fine for most shooting situations, but it isn't quite wide-angle enough to handle landscapes or interiors and doesn't get you quite close enough when you can't get near your subject. In order to use the add-on lenses that help in these situations, you have to buy this lens adapter, which converts the camera's supported filter size to 30mm.
If you're shooting from afar, you'll need this teleconverter lens, which attaches via the VAD-WA lens adapter; its 1.7X conversion will provide you with a 35mm-equivalent maximum focal length of about 193mm.
It takes a fairly wide angle of view to capture landscapes with any real depth. This conversion lens increases the W1's minimum focal length to about 27mm (35mm equivalent)--not incredibly wide but enough to get good scene depth without too much distortion.
The lens on the W series lets you focus only as close as 20 inches at its longest focal length (114mm in 35mm terms); with this add-on, plus the required Sony lens adapter, you can fool the camera into thinking it's at 38mm (35mm equivalent) and focus as close as 4 inches but with the distortion-free angle of view of the longer focal length.
The ability to run on AA batteries is one of the W1's major attractions. But despite the convenience of alkaline or lithium batteries, disposables are a bad idea for the environment. You'll hang onto rechargeables longer, and with high-capacity cells such as these, your photo sessions will stretch as well.
This small, padded camera pouch is made of water-resistant nylon and has a zippered pocket for your spare batteries and Memory Sticks. Most notably, however, it comes in three different colors, and its style won't embarrass your Sony camera. Plus, it costs less than 10 bucks.
You could hang the camera around your neck, but the W1 is just a little too big to comfortably dangle from its single loop. This adjustable wrist strap lets you grip the camera more firmly, as well as hold it in your hand without fear of dropping as you roam the countryside.
Unless you're a pro or a serious hobbyist, who wants to schlep around a heavy tripod for those instances when you need a bit more stability? And those lightweight carbon-fiber tripods cost several times more than you paid for the camera! This small, relatively inexpensive model doubles as a monopod and a tabletop tripod, a perfect combo to go with the W1.