That is a question I hear a lot. What photography equipment do I need? I will tell you all the photography equipment you need because when I was starting out, I did not have any direction and I was buying everything. The photography equipment you need is a digital camera, a lens, and a memory card. As you get better, invest in great photography equipment. Depending on what niche you will be focused on, these tools will be crucial for the vast majority reading this.
First and most importantly, you need a digital camera. What camera should I buy?
The Cameras
The Nikon D3500 and the Nikon D5600 are great Nikon beginner cameras.
The Canon Rebel T7 and the Canon Rebel T7i are great Canon beginner cameras
The best answer I can give you is to go to the store and play with either Nikon or Canon cameras. If you know somebody who already uses a brand, you can stick with that brand so you can share camera equipment and make things much less inexpensive together. I use Nikon personally and do not have any issues with Canon. I just personally like Nikon. Once you commit to photography and want a more professional photography equipment, look at full frame Nikon or Canon digital cameras.
The next thing you will need is a lens. Many times when you buy a digital camera, it comes with whats called a “kit lens”. A kit lens is great for beginners because you have the same features and functionalities of other lenses but much less inexpensive and you can learn how to be a great photographer using a kit lens. The most common kit lens is the 18-55mm.
The Lenses
Along with that lens, I would then look at getting a prime lens. The best prime lens for the money is the 50mm f/1.8. A prime lens has a fixed focal length meaning you cannot zoom in and out. These lenses can be most desirable because of the fast aperture. This lens goes to a f/1.8 which most zoom lenses don’t get under f/2.8. The closer the lens is to the subject, the softer the foreground/background will become.
The Memory Card
The last thing you will need is some memory cards. Many of the digital cameras you will use take an SD card. The card I use is the:
You do not need a lot of photography equipment to start out. Now you can go out and start shooting. These are the best tools to use to get started in photography. As you get better and get more confident, you can add more and upgrade your equipment as needed. After this setup, I would recommend investing in a good flash. You do not need a flash to start but it is definitely something you want to have in your bag. The pop up flash on your camera is no good and professionals do not use the pop up flash. I will write another blog on the best flash to get and ones to avoid and explain why.
