Photography has never been a cheap hobby. And the more prices grow every year, the less you want to make a mistake when choosing a camera, lens and necessary accessories. In this material, we will try to help novice photographers decide on the purchase of the first set of photographic equipment.
Table of Contents
The camera is the main tool
Choosing a camera for beginners is the most difficult and crucial moment. Even professionals spend a lot of time on forums looking at tests before buying.
Using the example of common misconceptions, let’s try to figure out how to choose the first camera, lenses and accessories.
Brands
Beginners usually choose between Canon and Nikon brands. But the world of photographic equipment is multipolar, so Sony, Fujifilm, Panasonic cannot be ignored. Manufacturers are constantly updating their lineups, and each has succeeded in something more than others. By the way, if you like more extreme entertainment, then we advise you to try nz online casino.
Canon is famous for its professional L-series of lenses. They can be recognized by the branded red ring. Photographers around the world shoot with them, and competitors focus on this line when producing their own. But such models and prices, to put it mildly, are above average.
Nikon is valued for its unsurpassed sharpness, which is also characteristic of younger models. The manufacturer abandoned the low-pass filter on the matrix. Its task is to increase the accuracy of color reproduction, eliminate the effect of aliasing (the appearance of patterns in the form of waves or rings on small textures when photographing and recording video). At the same time, this filter steals up to 15% of the sharpness of the image.
Sony is known for its innovative approach. They were the first to bet on mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses. Now the company feels confident in the market, constantly showing new models. It is impossible not to mention their professional series of optics G-Master.
Panasonic is chosen for its excellent video recording quality. Models DC-GH5S and DC-GH5 have long been the absolute leaders in this indicator. They are now 3 and 4 years old respectively. Competitors pulled themselves up, and Panasonic themselves showed new cameras. However, the GH5 is still popular.
Fujifilm is the only manufacturer that does not and officially will not have full-frame cameras. But this does not prevent us from producing interesting models. For example, the Fujifilm X-T3 has been surprisingly successful for shooting video. And the stabilization in the X-T4 is capable of compensating for up to 6.5 exposure stops. This allows you to avoid blurry photos in low light conditions.
Price
The second criterion by which “young” photographers choose a camera. They determine for themselves the maximum amount that they are willing to spend, and choose from options near the limit.
The price of a camera with an interchangeable lens consists of the camera itself and the lens. The cost of ready-made kits (kit) is lower than the cost of the body (body) and lens purchased
separately. There are kits where, with one model of the “carcass”, there are several options for lenses with different focal lengths (or a double kit – an option with two lenses), but of the same, basic, quality.
Such kits seem to be very profitable, but you should not pay even a small amount for a second complete lens. The real value of such lenses can be concluded from ad sites – dozens of offers for next to nothing.
Characteristics
Another misconception is choosing a camera based on the number of megapixels. Partly to blame are marketers who inspired this idea back in the 2000s. Now the level of literacy of the buyer has increased. But, with a controversial choice of two equivalent options, many still choose the one with better resolution.
High resolution in the camera gives more opportunities for framing and better detail, but only if the capabilities of the sensor correspond to its resolution and high-quality optics are used. If the manufacturer “overestimated” the matrix, high resolution will do more harm: noise and detail drop in the shadows, low working iso, poor dynamic range.
Lens selection
Choosing a lens should be treated no less responsibly than choosing a camera. Usually, beginners buy a camera complete with a lens (kit). This option is acceptable for the first time, but be prepared that the result will not impress – as a rule, complete lenses are made of cheap materials, have low aperture ratio and do not match the resolution of modern matrices.
When choosing equipment, you can go in two directions. Buy a set of an expensive camera and a “whale lens”, with the expectation of buying more worthwhile glass in the future. Or spend most of the budget on the lens, and look for the camera (body) for the remaining funds with the prospect of replacing it with a more serious model a little later. Professional photographers often choose the second option: they form a set of necessary optics, and chambers are changed every few years.
The second approach has a number of advantages:
- cameras become obsolete much faster than lenses;
- unlike cameras, optics hardly depreciate over time.
If there is no desire to understand focal lengths, aperture and other parameters, it is better to take a premium compact camera. For not very big money, you get a good matrix, optics and many automatic modes in a compact package.
Necessary accessories
A memory card is a necessary element, without which it will not be possible to use the camera for its intended purpose. For modern ones, it is better to choose a high-speed version of the drive not lower than UHS-I (U1).
Case or photo bag. An important element that will allow you to save the “marketable” appearance of the equipment. Here is an example of the gear a wedding photographer uses.
Accessories for cleaning optics. With active use of the camera, the outer lens of the lens becomes covered with dust particles over time. Therefore, it is important to clean the optics in a timely manner. Using improvised materials, you can damage the outer coating of the lens. For cleaning, it is recommended to use special tools that can be purchased individually or as a set. These include: a brush, a dust blower, a cleaning spray, optics cleaning cloths, a cleaning pen.
Tripod. You will need to master many photography techniques. For example, when shooting a freezelight, creating an HDR photo, shooting a night city or a starry sky.
Optional battery or battery grip. They will help out in long photo shoots when a charged camera is needed throughout the day.
