by Chris Knowles
Getting started with photography can appear to be a daunting task. You might wonder what gear do you need, how do I work my camera, how do edit my photos. Here we’ll give a basic understanding of what you need to get started as a photographer. We’ll start with everyone’s favorite subject – gear.
The Camera
This can be any camera, even your phone camera. Cameras have changed a lot over the years. Starting out as basic imprints and slides, moving to film and finally digital photography has allowed more people than ever to take photos. Phone cameras have advanced to a point that they can keep up with modern digital cameras as well. So the real question is what camera do you want to use and how important are different features.
My suggestion is to begin with your phone and learn more about compositions to start. This will allow you to begin to envision what photos you want to take. This is great for the beginning photographer to start thinking about new perspectives in the world. Once you do this for a while, you’ll likely find it somewhat cumbersome to use a phone camera as everything must be selected in menus and the features are limited. This is when you’ll find it’s a great time to consider investing in a camera body. Skip the old point and shoots, and do straight in for a DSLR camera and lens.
What’s a DSLR?
A DSLR is merely a digital camera that allows you to interchange different lenses. There are a few different camera types within this category that you’ll quickly encounter – the classic DSLR and mirrorless. Each of these have some benefits and drawbacks depending on what your looking for. The classic DSLR is what’s been used by professional photographers since the early 2000s and offers great versatility. This type of camera uses a sensor and mirror to capture the image. The mirror is reflected back to the viewfinder eyepiece where you can see the image. Most also allow a “live view” mode where it gives you a digital view on a rear small LCD monitor.
These digital SLR cameras are becoming somewhat the old-school camera for modern photographers with new advances but have some huge benefits still. Cost is significantly less on many of these cameras and additional lenses are widely available. Additionally, DSLR cameras are very efficient and have great battery life that can allow you to shoot a large number of images on a single battery. The downside of these types of cameras is that the digital image may be different than what you see on an analog viewfinder. You can see image previews with the live view modes but when in bright light you’ll need to understand the settings well in order to ensure a properly exposed image.
The newest version of cameras are mirrorless cameras. These too are DSLRs but with the difference as you guessed of having no mirrors. These cameras only work in “live view” and project a digital view to the viewfinder eyepiece. This allows you to see exactly what your image will look like before you take it. As you can imagine for a beginning photographer, this can be very useful. This is also very similar to how modern camera phones work showing what the exposure will look like before capture. The downside of mirrorless cameras are that they are very new and can be expensive.
Mirrorless cameras are a somewhat new addition and have really become popular in the last five years. Many manufacturers are beginning to move much of their new products to mirrorless but due to how new they are, there are a more limited amount of lenses and less of a used market available as well. This is quickly changing and it’s likely mirrorless will take over the market eventually. Another downside is battery life compared to a standard DSLR. They have improved, but still you can expect to need more batteries and have a less shots per battery. Still even so, there are some great options in both DSLR cameras and mirrorless.
Gear Suggestions
A more affordable crop-sensor mirrorless cameras such as Canon M50, Sony a6000, or Nikon Z50 are all fantastic options for starter photographers. They all provide a very easy transition and easy to use camera systems. There are also other brands such as Fujifilm & Panasonic that do also offer great cameras as well but may be slightly less mainstream. You can also save a huge amount by purchasing used on these cameras and picking up used additional lenses as well.
On the classic DSRL side you can save some money and get a little more bang for your buck but I would suggest you start with the mirrorless and then consider getting an additional DSLR to learn more on once you have a little more experience. The learning curve can be a little more difficult with a standard DSLR but they also help you dive into things deeper. There are many “starter” DSLR packages available everywhere including the Canon Rebel T7 and Nikon D5600. These are definitely decent cameras but they tend to be heavy and require more time investment to get the images you are after.
Given these are also consumer grade cameras, they will likely have somewhat cheaper lenses and are designed for lighter use. With the recent transition to mirrorless, these will likely be some of the first to go. So this may be something to keep in mind for longevity as they tend to be outdated very quickly. One better option would be to opt for an older more professional DSLR that tend to still produce incredible images. They are also often great to use and can be found more and more at affordable prices. You can also easily find lenses and accessories for these often older but great cameras.
What else do I need?
Other suggested beginner accessories to have – one extra battery, a case for your camera, and a cheap tripod are all you really need to get some great experience. You really only need one lens to begin with as well and often the standard kit lens works great for this. A telephoto lens such as a 70-200mm and a prime lens such as a 50mm or 35mm are fantastic additions.
The biggest thing once you are ready to get started is to get out and use this gear. Just like any other skill, practice is a key step to becoming comfortable. Luckily it’s easy to get started once you make that first leap to getting that first camera and lens.
Take a look at our next blog on getting started in photography – “How to Use Your Camera”.
