When you’re just getting started in photography, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of cameras and accessories available. Choosing your camera gear is clearly one of the most important topics to think about if you want to take better pictures. On this page, I’ll talk about choosing photography equipment and accessories. If you want to know which camera to choose, how to choose a lens, which tripod to start with, or how to use a polarizing filter, you’re in the right place: everything will be explained in detail here!
Choosing your camera gear
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Before you start photographing everything around you, it helps to know how to choose your camera equipment. You’ll need to ask yourself the right questions. Of course, I agree that photography gear isn’t the be-all and end-all. However, the more you progress in photography, the more you’ll understand, in my opinion, how important it is to make the right choices or find the best compromises.
Making the right choice will depend on several things: your budget, your needs, the type of photography you want to shoot, whether you want a larger sensor (full-frame) or an APS-C camera, and so on. In short, you’ll need to ask yourself quite a few questions.
In this section, I will mainly talk about DSLR cameras, as they are the ones I know best. Depending on the article and the topic, I may also talk about mirrorless cameras, compact cameras, or bridge cameras. This section of the photo blog is divided into two distinct parts: first, how to choose your photography equipment, and second, everything you need to know about camera accessories.
This section focuses on giving advice about choosing camera equipment, mainly around two specific points: the digital camera itself and its lens, or lenses. Even when you only look at the camera body, plenty of questions come up: which camera should I choose? How do I choose the right camera? Where should I buy it? Should I choose a mirrorless camera or a DSLR? What are the best digital cameras for my needs? Do I really need a 30-megapixel DSLR to learn photography? How do I choose the camera that suits me best? Would a compact camera be enough for me after all? What should I choose as a first camera: a Nikon DSLR or a Canon DSLR? Do I need a large viewfinder? A touchscreen? A tilting screen? And I haven’t even mentioned the difference between full-frame and APS-C sensors yet… In short, you see what I mean, don’t you?
When it comes to choosing lenses, it’s almost the same story: how do I choose a camera lens? Do I need a prime lens? A versatile zoom? What is focal length, and how do I choose between 35mm, 50mm, 100mm, 200mm, or 300mm? Does my budget allow me to choose a stabilized lens? Is a large aperture necessary? Which wide-angle lens should I choose for landscape photography? And for macro, what do I need? Which focal length should I choose for wildlife photography? Do I need a telephoto lens for travel photography? The questions are endless…
The second category on this page focuses on choosing camera accessories. If you decide to buy a digital DSLR camera, keep in mind that adding a few accessories to your camera bag will quickly become very useful. You can’t buy everything, of course, but there are some important accessories you really shouldn’t overlook. To mention just a few: tripod, polarizing filter, grip, camera bag,
In the end, we quickly realize that choosing a camera or lens is not as simple as it first seemed, don’t you agree? When you’re just starting out, there is probably no point investing in very expensive equipment. I started with an entry-level DSLR (500D) and an 18-55mm kit lens. A few years later, I was using a 6D.
Enjoy exploring,
Sylvain
