Equipment doesn't make the photographer, but it certainly helps. If you fancy yourself a photographer or videographer, you know that being behind the controls of a Mavic Air 2 will get you better shots than working with a cheap toy drone. Likewise, outfitting yourself with the best photography accessories for Mac will give your workflow and photos the upper hand. If you're looking for cable, external hard drive, or card reader recommendations, you've come to the right place. These are our top picks this year.
A portable backup drive
It's been drilled into our heads that we should always back up our work, including photos and videos. The palm-sized SanDisk 1TB Extreme is a silicone-covered SSD drive that reads and writes at up to 1050MB/s. It plugs into your USB-C port, can survive a two-meter drop, has IP55 water and dust resistance, and comes with a handy carabiner loop to attach to your gear bag, belt, or backpack.
Fix compatability issues
Modern Macs come sans a USB-A port, and that can be a problem if your camera, drone, card reader, or other hardware hasn't caught up to current standards. With the official USB-C to USB adapter from Apple, you can connect your camera, an external hard drive, or other essentials to your Mac via the USB-C or Thunderbolt 3 port. It's a must-have if you have an older camera or accessories that still rely on USB.
Copy photos to your Mac
If you need a frictionless way to get your photos and videos from your SD card to your Mac, you want the Apple USB-C to SD card reader. Sure, you can connect most cameras to your Mac, but that requires an empty port, maybe a bulky hub, and a few extra steps. Apple's pocketable SD card reader transfers photos and videos at UHS-II speeds while still remaining backward compatible with older cards. This original Apple accessory works with your Mac and your iPad and takes up no room in your bag or a desk drawer.
Livestream with this cable
Run a cable directly from your digital camera, mirrorless camera, or action camera to your Mac with UGREEN. This three-foot-long cable has a mini USB on one end and USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 on the other. With it, you can live stream directly from your cam. How easy is that?
Take power with you
It's a fact of life: batteries lose power with time. You can guarantee you'll always have juice with this 26800mAh power bank from Anker. A 45W USB-C port charges your MacBook at full speed, and two 15W USB ports keep your iPhones, iPads, and AirPods going. Whether you work on the road or need a portable power source at home, this is one of the best USB-C power banks you can buy today.
Plug it all in
StayGo from Twelve South, the makers of the versatile HoverBar Duo and countless other Mac accessories, is a portable hub that gifts you ports galore. This workstation has a 4K HDMI port, two USB-A 3.0 ports, one USB port for charging, an ethernet port, an SD card reader, a Micro SD reader, and a USB-C 3.1 port with PD. In other words, the StayGo will help you connect to any tool in your gig bag.
Double the ports
If you've upgraded your camera system to Nikon's new mirrorless Z line, you need an XQD card reader. This dual-port reader from Rocketek is fast, easy to use, and won't put a dent in your wallet. It slides in your USB-C/Thunderbolt port and reads both SD cards and XQD cards. Files transfer at up to 5GB/s with Rocketek. When you need a card reader that supports SD cards and XQD, the Rocketek is a no-brainer.
Edit like a pro
If you work with Adobe Lightroom, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Skylum software, or Camera Raw, you'll speed up your workflow with the Loupedeck+. This ergonomically friendly console with intuitive buttons, dials, and a slider gives you on-target control and accuracy during editing work. Loupedeck+ plugs into your Mac's USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port, lets you customize input buttons, and will save you countless hours.
Photo editing companion
Specialized tablets used to be the go-to for photographers. They allowed for precise editing with digital pencils, a combo not found in other tech until recently. Today, the iPad Pro bests those tablets. We gave it high marks in our iPad Pro review, giving a thumbs up to its display and versatility. With a new M1 chip, the iPad Pro is more powerful than ever, pairs with a pencil, and is compatible with most photo editing software. Best of all, your work syncs automatically with Apple Photos.
Scan docs anywhere
If you're a professional photographer or videographer, you need a document scanner for release forms and contracts. The Doxie Go SE Wi-Fi is one of the best portable scanners out there. It scans up to 400 pages per battery charge, works over Wi-Fi, and has an SD card port. Bonus: it's small enough to fit in your bag when you're on the road or live on your desk when you're at home.
Mother of all snapshot printers
One of the best photography accessories for Mac is a high-quality printer. From Canon's popular PIXMA lineup, the PRO-200 can work with photo paper up to 13 x 19-inches, so you can print your photos on a big or small canvas. With a simplistic design and eight-color print system, this model from Canon works over AirPrint and is iCloud compatible. Colors are bright and accurate and will shine the best light on your work.
Bottom line
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Today's best photography accessories for Mac save time and stretch your skills as an artist. The one tool I cherish most is the SanDisk 1TB Extreme SSD. It's tough enough to survive drops, moisture, and dust and gives you a ton of space to backup photos and videos.
Apple's USB-C to SD card reader is another must-have if you save your videos and stills to a memory card. It's fast, small enough to tuck in a pocket, and works with UHS-II and UHS-I SD cards.
And when you're ready to print your photos, grab the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 wireless printer. With Apple-like craftsmanship, this PIXMA printer outputs accurate, vibrant colors and prints big.
