Imagining your dream photography kit is always great fun. You’ll probably have aspirations to buy a top of the range camera, several additional lenses and countless accessories all in one go. Realistically, however, you will probably have to begin with the essentials and work your way up from there.
So where should you start?
Listed below are 10 essential pieces of kit every photographer should seek to own along with the considerations you should take into account for each item.
1. Body
The body of the camera is what’s left when you take off all accessories, including the lens. It’s essentially the control centre of your camera; processing the image, saving it to the memory card, and enabling you to change the settings. Many DSLR’s are sold as ‘body only’ which is a good option if you already have a lens. If you’re a beginner photographer, however, it’s better to go with a starter kit with a basic lens included.
Concerning the body on its own there are a couple of things you should look for:
Megapixels
There is a prevalent myth that more megapixels means better image quality. This is not strictly true as there are a lot of factors that go into image quality apart from megapixels. They do, however, come into play with cropping and zooming but most modern cameras offer 10 megapixels or over which is absolutely fine for most photographer’s needs. If you are planning on blowing your images up for a billboard, you may need to go a bit higher, but if not, 10 megapixels is more than enough.
Sensor
The sensor is the most important part of a camera’s body. The sensor turns the photons from the light entering through the lens into the image. In simple terms, you can think of the sensor as the digital equivalent to film. Sensors are of varying quality and as a general rule, the bigger the sensor, the better the quality the final image will be. Bigger sensors house more light-sensitive spots (called photosites) and are able to extract more information from the light that meets them.
Most recently made sensors will also clean themselves by briefly vibrating at a frequency that displaces particles of dust. Anti-static coatings are also designed to repel dust in the first place.
If you are comparing a few different bodies, you should pay close attention to the size of the sensor. The science behind sensors is very technical and different sizes are expressed in complicated ways. You should do your research or ask advice from an expert before making up your mind.
Preset modes
Most DSLR’s, and certainly all at the low to mid price range will have all the preset shooting modes shown in the bottom half of the circle above. Starting at the ‘AUTO’ setting and working anticlockwise around the wheel the settings are:
Auto
In this mode the camera will make all adjustments to shutter speed, aperture, ISO and flash for you and produce an image accordingly. All you need to do is get the image composition right.
Sports
Sports mode will adjust to allow a quick shutter speed, allowing you to capture movement without blurring. If your camera has a consecutive shooting mode, holding down the shutter release button on this mode will give you a number of images capturing the movement stage by stage. Sports mode works best in brightly lit situations.
Portrait
In portrait mode the camera will assume there is an image in the foreground and attempt to focus on that. This will give you a short depth of field, blurring out the background. The flash will come on in dark situations and also if the camera senses harsh shadows on the feature.
Night Portrait
In night portrait mode the camera will attempt to strike a balance between the light needed to expose both the background and foreground. A wide aperture is usually necessary to capture the background while keeping the subject in focus in the foreground and the flash will often pop up to illuminate the person and limit blur.
Landscape
Landscape mode will aim for a small aperture to keep the image in focus from the foreground to the background. Some cameras will also aim to boost the green tones in the shot. A wide angle lens is usually the weapon of choice for professional landscape photographers.
Macro
Macro mode allows the camera to focus on small subjects in extreme close up. How close you can get to the subject depends on the lens. As the name suggests, a macro lens is the best for this (see below).
Manual Modes
All DSLRs will come with the following manual modes which give you varying degrees of control over how the camera will expose the shot. You should strive to learn how to use them all to your advantage for different shooting situations.
P
Program mode is similar to Auto mode. The camera will choose all the shutter speed and aperture settings for you, just like in full automatic mode, but you can adjust the shooting and image recording functions.
A
Aperture priority mode allows you to adjust the aperture (how wide the hole opens to let in light during the shot) but the shutter speed and ISO setting will remain automatic.
S (or TV)
Shutter speed priority (or Time Value priority) allows you to adjust the length of time the shutter remains open for but the aperture will be adjusted automatically.
M
In Full Manual mode it’s up to you to set everything – Shutter Speed, Aperture, and ISO – in order to expose the perfect image. You should only attempt to use this setting after you have become comfortable with the automatic and semi-automatic modes listed above.
Make sure a DSLR you are buying has at least these settings if you are planning to keep it for a long time.
2. Lens
As you will see from the majority of pro photographers suggestions in this post, the lens is the most cherished piece of kit a photographer will own. The beauty of a DSLR is that, as the lenses are interchangeable, you can build up a collection. You can get a clue about the value of lenses by looking at the price tag of some of the high-end models. However, if you’re just starting out you will usually be able to find good quality lenses within a reasonable price range. There are a few different categories of lenses which you should be aware of as each different lens performs a specific task and is generally intended for a particular type of photography or shooting style.
Zoom or Prime
A prime lens has a fixed focal length and a zoom lens allows you to move, or ‘zoom’, between a variety of focal lengths within a scale. A prime lens will be displayed as a single focal length, for example: 35mm, whereas a zoom lens will show you the top and bottom of the scale, for example: 20mm to 55mm. With a zoom lens like this you will be able to adjust to all the focal lengths between 20mm and 55mm.
Standard
A standard lens is a good all-rounder and is usually the lens that will come with your camera when you buy it as a starter kit. It will usually offer a focal length from around 20mm to 50mm and is perfect for portraiture at the high end and wide angle landscape photography at the lower end. With a decent range of zoom and the opportunity for wide angled shots, the standard zoom lens is a great all-rounder and a must have for beginner photographers who have not yet chosen their specialism. A standard prime lens is usually thought of as around 35mm to 5omm.
Wideangle
A wide-angle lens will offer around 16mm to 35mm focal length, allowing you to fit a lot into the frame. This type of lens is perfect for architectural photography and landscape photography. Wide-angle lenses are also perfect for cramming people into the frame in a small room for example so many wedding photographers cherish them as part of their lens collection.
Telephoto
A telephoto is like a telescope with the ability to make far off subjects appear very close. Beginner telephoto lenses usually start at around 70mm and go up to 200mm and beyond, however, some professional photographers consider true telephoto lenses to be of around 135mm and above. Top of the range telephoto lenses incorporate a lot of technology and can be absolutely enormous making them quite expensive. A sturdy base is essential for telephoto lenses as the slightest movement on the camera is amplified at larger focal lengths.
Macro
Macro lenses are used for taking extreme close-up pictures of subjects like insects and flowers. Macro lenses are usually of around 50mm in focal length, however, it’s ratio that’s important to macro lenses. The ratio is how the subject appears in reality to how it will reproduce on the sensor plate. Macro lenses will usually have a ratio of 1:1 (life size) whereas many other lenses have a ratio of around 1:2 (half life size). The greater ratio allows macro lenses to incorporate more detail at close ranges.
Fisheye
A Fish lens is a wideangle lens which magnifies the centre of the image and diminishes their size as they move to the outside of the frame. The result is a warped, distorted image.
Most photographers aim to build up a collection of different lenses, some of which, as you can see from the photographers comments, become cherished pieces of equipment. There are many different lenses available in all the different groups at a range of qualities.
3. Tripod
If you have started experimenting with a new camera and have not yet considered the benefit of having a tripod, you will soon discover how crucial they are to achieving crisp images. The slightest movement of the camera when the shutter is open will produce some blur. At wide apertures or slow shutter speeds, blurring is unavoidable without a tripod, no matter how steady you think your hands are.
With some disciplines that involve quick shutter speeds, such as sports photography, or where image blur might give an artistic effect, such as street photography, you will be able to get away with handheld shooting. However, where long exposures are required and detailed sharpness is key, such as in night photography or landscape photography, a solid, steady base is of vital importance. Invest in a sturdy tripod and you will instantly witness your photographs becoming crisper.
Remember that pressing the shutter release button still slightly moves the camera even when it is placed on a tripod. Use your camera’s built in timer to counteract this.
Monopod
A tripod is on three legs, a monopod is on just one. Tripods are big, bulky and heavy whereas a monopod is a lot lighter and can be moved around a lot more easily. Many photographers who need to move around at a moments notice, such as sports photographers and wildlife photographers, sacrifice a little stability for mobility by opting for a monopod.
4. Case
With all this essential photography kit you’re going to need somewhere to put it. The trick with a case is to buy something you can grow into. If all you have is a camera body and lens, assume that you will be buying a new lens soon and make sure it has room for that too.
A comfortable strap for the case is important too as you’ll probably end up carrying your camera everywhere. Good padding is important to make sure that your equipment can survive a slight fall and compartments should hold everything together tightly so they don’t bash off each other and cause damage as they jiggle around inside.
There are thousands of different cases out there for all different types of photographer so make sure you look around before committing.
5. Filters
There are a number of different filters you can attach to your lens and each has a different purpose.
UV filter
A UV filter removes some of the haze from your image as a result of the sun’s ultraviolet rays. They’re good for reducing glare on sunny days too, however, most photographers use UV filters simply to protect their precious lens.
Polarising filter
A polarising filter increases saturation and reduces reflections in objects (except, for some reason, metallic objects). Most polarising filters come on a rotating mount which allows you to enhance or reduce the effect. These filters are great for getting a really blue sky and boosting contrast between the sky and clouds.
Neutral density filter
A neutral density filter darkens the image going into the camera. It’s like a pair of sunglasses for your lens. Just like sunglasses, a good neutral density filter should not affect the colours, just their brightness, and can be used for longer exposures in bright conditions where a long exposure would lead to an overexposed image. Variable neutral density filters allow you to adjust the strength of the darkening effect by turning a dial.
Graduated neutral density filter
A graduated neutral density filter has the dark, sunglasses-like filter only at the top of the frame. Landscape photographers use this to cast over a sky that’s much brighter than the scenery below to give a balanced exposure. Just like neutral density filters, these come at a number of different strengths.
Coloured filters
Coloured filters are rarely used by digital photographers as their effects can easily be applied in post processing. They were originally used to enhance certain colours, block out colours, or change the set white balance. Coloured filters are occasionally used in abstract photography for bizarre effects.
Special effects filters
Some filters are used for the purposes of obtaining a special effect, such as softening the image which is popular in portrait photography. Other effects include cut out shapes, which give a ‘bokeh’ effect making bright parts of the image take on the form of the shape; infrared filters, which block out infrared light; and multivision filters, which create multiple copies of a subject within the same exposure.
6. Strap
A basic camera strap is nothing special, just a length of material and this will do the job just fine. However, after a few long shoots resulting in an aching shoulder you might soon want to upgrade to something a little bit more comfortable.
A wide strap with sponge padding will provide you with a greater degree of comfort. Some straps have single rotating attachment points which give you slightly more mobility and others include pockets for extra SD cards. If your going for something more stylish you might have to sacrifice comfort, but have a look around at the options to ensure you pick the strap that’s right for you.
7. Remote Shutter Control
A remote shutter release is the best way to keep your camera steady while mounted on a tripod. Using the timer means you have to wait for an image to be taken and if your subjects are human it can become farcical trying to get them at the right moment. A remote release will put control back in your hands.
Cheaper remote shutter releases will plug into the camera and allow you only to release the shutter whereas more expensive models will be wireless and enable continuous shooting, timer delay, and even time-lapse modes.
8. Cleaning Kit
This could range from a rag to wipe condensation off of the lens to a high-spec cleaning and polishing kit. Most photographers will carry a microfibre cloth to wipe down their lens but more complete kits will include blowers, swaps and wet and dry wipes.
As your sensor will probably clean itself, cleaning should be confined to your lens and outer parts of the camera. Cleaning will depend on how and where you use your camera but one thing to remember is that you should always point the opening of a lens or body towards the ground when cleaning to reduce the chance of dust entering into the inner parts. And don’t go overboard: you’re probably more likely to cause damage by over-cleaning than by not cleaning at all.
9. Flash
A flash will allow you not only to shoot in the dark, but reduces shadows and produces more balanced exposures during daylight shooting. Your DSLR body will come with a basic flash attached, however, you will eventually want to invest in a more powerful external flash if you want your images to be better exposed in difficult lighting situations.
External flash
An external flash will dramatically improve the standard of your flash photography. All external on-camera flashes can be attached to the top of the basic flash on the hot shoe and more expensive models can also be attached to the camera via a cable or wireless unit to open up many different lighting options from different angles. Different units are also of varying power.
Strobe units
Studio strobes are a step up from external flashes and are used in most photography studios to provide the perfect lighting scenario for every shoot. These are heavy units which are separate from the camera but are still triggered, either wirelessly or by cable, by your camera’s shutter release. You should only consider strobe lighting if you are looking to build a professional studio.
Flash modifiers
There are a number of flash modifiers that attach to the flash and manipulate the effect of the light they produce. A few of the most commonly used in the industry are:
Reflectors
A reflector takes in the original, intense beam of light from the flash and reflects it back towards the subject or scene. They consist of a surface covered in shiny, reflective material. A common reflector is in the shape of an umbrella.
Diffusers
A diffuser attaches directly onto the flash and scatters the light as it passes through. The diffuser reduces the harshness of the light on the subject or scene and gives a more subtle, softer lighting effect.
Snoots
A snoot is a small tunnel that attaches to the flash, changing it from a floodlight to a spotlight. It’s used by photographers to direct light to a particular part of the scene while leaving the rest of the scene in relative darkness.
10. Batteries
Cameras have needed batteries to work for a long time. Whereas a typical AA battery may be fine for powering an older point and click film camera, digital cameras are power heavy and require a little more. There’s nothing worse than running out of power in the middle of a shoot and most professional photographers will make sure they have a fully charged spare battery standing by to take over if the inevitable occurs.
Lithium Ion batteries (sometimes referred to as Li-ion or Lion batteries) are the most common for DSLRs as they can store a lot of power and are lightweight. Most makes and models have their own shape of battery and power chargers so you should make sure that you buy a battery that will fit your camera. It’s a common mistake to believe that all DSLR batteries are the same.
Some third party companies produce batteries which will fit different brands of camera and at a fraction of the price it can be very tempting to opt for these. If you are choosing to do this you should read reviews thoroughly as some third-party batteries have been known to leak or even explode. Using a battery that is not recommended by your camera’s maker might also void the warranty.
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