Photography Gear For Beginners

This article includes the best photography equipment for beginners who are looking to start shooting some awesome photos on a camera setup for under $1000.

I began taking photos on Oahu, Hawaii during the summer of 2015.  I was inspired by a lot of talented people around me and of course, it is hard not to be amazed by the beautiful nature of an island paradise. Now I travel the world, taking photos and writing stories as a blogger and Instagrammer. I get asked quite often by friends, family and my audience about what camera they should get if they wanted to get started in photography. 

In this guide, I’ve created a photography equipment list for beginners which includes the best products on the market today and a link to each item on Amazon. Which almost always has the cheapest options and is where I get most of my gear.I’ve sorted them by category to make it easy to navigate to tripods, bags, camera bodies and lenses.

TIP: check the ‘used’ section while browsing a product on Amazon as they often list refurbished or demo models, which are often brand new in a damaged box for example. I’ve bought all of my three lenses with this technique, saving me over 30% on each lens.

I will also list all of my camera gear at the bottom of the article if you are wondering about the gear I use.

Photography Equipment List for Beginners

• Mirrorless Camera
• Lens
• Tripod/Gorillapod
• SD Card
• Batteries
• Camera Backpack
• Polarizer/Filters
• Photography lighting equipment for beginners
• Portrait photography equipment for beginners

I am a huge fan of mirrorless cameras. They are small, lightweight have lot’s of built in features, often come with finder view and monitor view and are on par with their bulkier more expensive DSLR competitors. I have used a Sony Alpha a6000 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Power Zoom Lens while I was beginning photography in Hawaii but have now upgraded to the Sony Alpha A7II Mirrorless Digital Camera with FE 28-70mm Lens. 

These are the most popular entry-level and best value mirrorless cameras on Amazon right now. All of the cameras on this list are priced at UNDER $1000 INCLUDING A LENS!

Best Cameras for Beginner Photographers

Camera	Megapixels	Weight	Frames Per Second	Check Amazon
Sony a6000	24.3 Megapixels	344g	11fps	Check Price
Sony a6300	24 Megapixels	404g	11fps	Check Price
Panasonic Lumix G85	16 Megapixels	434g	10fps	Check Price
Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II	16 Megapixels	390g	10fps	Check Price
Fujifilm X-T20	24Megapixels	383g	11 fps	Check Price

Sony a6000

Key Features:

• 24.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor
• Bionz X image processor
• Hybrid AF system with 25 contrast-detect and 179 phase-detect points
• Built-in flash + Multi-Interface Shoe
• 11 fps continuous shooting with Subject-tracking
• 3-inch tilting LCD with 921,600 dots
• OLED electronic viewfinder with 1.44M dots
• Diffraction correction, area-specific noise reduction, and detail reproduction technology
• Full HD video recording at 1080/60p and 24p; clean HDMI output
• Wi-Fi with NFC capability and downloadable apps

Perfect for: sports photography and action photography. The Sony a6000 has one of the fastest autofocus systems ever! 11 frames per second continuous shooting with subject tracking means it is literally impossible to miss the perfect moment in sports, action or travel photography. I remember when I began using this camera thinking it really was a mirrorless camera for dummies. It would pop up with suggestions on the LCD telling me how to shoot the stars at night or how to shoot action photography. The beauty is it is used by serious photographers because it has all the features they need. HD video recording in 1080p makes it perfect for YouTube videos and travel videos. Free time-lapse application means you can shoot a time-lapse without annoying cords. The built-in apps are really great because they limit the need for extra equipment for beginner photographers.

Click here to check the price of the Sony A600o with kit lens

Key Features:

• 24MP Exmor CMOS sensor
• 425 phase detection points to give ‘4D Focus’ Hybrid AF
• 4K (UHD) video – 25/24p from full width, 30p from smaller crop
• 2.36M-dot OLED finder with 120 fps mode
• Dust and moisture resistant magnesium-alloy body
• Built-in Wi-Fi with NFC connection option
• Built-in microphone socket

Apart from a few changes to the buttons and dials most of the upgrades to the Sony a6300 compared to the Sony a6000 are internal. The Sony a6300 still comes in under $1000 with a kit lens even with all of the upgrades. This lens and body combo is one of the best photography kits for beginners on the market for under $1000.

The A6000 had 198 phase detection points and 25 contrast detection points while the new A6300 has 425 phase detection points and 169 contrast detection points making a huge difference to the ability to track subjects.

The A6300 has a High-Density track AF system with more than 7 times as many AF focus points that the A6000 has. It also captures 4k video which is a huge plus for the photographers/videographers who need an all-in-one camera.

Click here to check the price of the Sony a6300 with kit lens

Panasonic Lumix G85 FK

Key Features:

• 16MP Four Thirds MOS sensor w/o optical low pass filter
• 5-axis image stabilization with Dual I.S. 2
• Splash/dust-proof body
• Depth from Defocus AF
• 2.36M-dot OLED EVF
• 3-inch 1.04M-dot fully-articulating touchscreen LCD
• 4K video / photo
• Focus stacking and post focus

Apart from looking super cool, the Panasonic Lumix G85 camera is awesome for videographers and photographers. It has 4k video capture, 2nd-generation 5-axis stabilization similar to the expensive Sony A7ii and also boasts a 16MP four thirds sensors.

It’s great for adventures because it is weather sealed with a magnesium alloy front plate. This doesn’t mean it can swim but it can handle some dust, rain or snow while you are out exploring the world.

Click here to check the price of the Panasonic Lumix G85 with kit lens

Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Key Features:

• 16MP Four Thirds Live MOS sensor
• TruePic VII processor
• 5-axis image stabilization
• 2.36M-dot OLED EVF
• Tilting 3″ touchscreen LCD
• 1080/60p video
• 4K time-lapse mode
• Wi-Fi
• Optional grip

The Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II is a four thirds mirrorless camera with a 16mp CMOS sensor and 5-axis stabilization. Like most mirrorless cameras it has built-in Wi-Fi and a nice viewfinder. The feature that stands out to me the most is the 4K time-lapse feature that you won’t find on many of its competitors. The camera also has a vintage look to it, which isn’t important to the photo quality but it is one of the coolest looking camera bodies on the market.

Click here to check the price of the Olympus OM-D E-M10 Mark II

Fujifilm X-T20

Key Features:

• 24MP X-Trans CMOS III sensor
• Up to 325 selectable AF points (169 of which offer phase detection)
• 2.36M-dot OLED electronic viewfinder
• 3″ 1.04M-dot tilting touchscreen LCD
• 4K UHD video at up to 30 fps, with clean output over HDMI
• 8 fps continuous shooting with AF, 5 fps with live view
• 2.5mm jack for external microphone or wired remote control
• Dials for exposure compensation, shutter speed, and drive mode

The Fujifilm X-T20 shoots in 4K and boasts a 24MP sensor, attractive to both video and photo enthusiasts and is the perfect beginner’s photography kit. It is competitive across the board and has no standout features but consistently competes with the top-range mirrorless cameras on the market. It keeps a vintage DSLR design which I really love. Probably one of the most consistent all-around performers on this list.

Click here to check the price of the Fujifilm X-T20 with kit lens

 

Best Camera Lenses for Beginner Photographers

The best lens for you will depend on which camera you choose. Each brand comes with its own range of lenses. The cameras listed above all come with a kit lens, which is great for capturing all types of travel, streets and portrait photography as you begin learning the skills. However, once you are comfortable with the controls you might want to purchase a specialty lens such as a wide angle lens for landscape or a prime lens for a narrow depth of field so you can blur the background. A prime lens instantly improves your photographs and gives them a much more professional look. Below I have listed the links to the prime lens range of each brand to use with the cameras listed above.

Click to view the Sony Prime Lens Range

Click to view the Olympus Prime Lens Range

Click to view the Fujifilm Prime Lens Range

Click to view the Panasonic Prime Lens Range

ws the narrow depth of field you can achieve with a prime lens. This particular lens allows me to shoot with an aperture of f1.8 and it is a look you just can’t achieve on most kit lens setups.

Article By:- Journeyera.com