Basic Equipment

AlannaM

AlannaM

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Alanna
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I'm only just starting out with my camera and my photography, and at the moment I only have my Canon 450D and the basic lens that came with it (18-55mm).

I want to expand my equipment, but I don't have much of a budget to do it with at the moment. I'm hoping that you lovely people on here will be able to help me put together a list of basic equipment that an amateur photographer would need to get started creatively. Also, once I've got an idea of what I would need, it would also be great to get people's opinions on the order in which to buy these things - which are the most important to have first and which can wait for a while.

Thanks in advance.

Alanna
 
I would say a tripod is probably the most underrated bit of kit, so that might be a good next buy:shrug:
 
A tripod, a telephoto lens maybe to be able to get those shots from a distance tat you wouldnt be able to get with your kit lens, maybe able to help you out there if was interested in one. It really depends on the type of photography you do.
 
Chris Primadona said:
I will echo what others have said, a tripod (Redsnapper), nifty fifty (Canon 50mm 1.8) and a longer range zoom (Canon EF 70-300mm or if you can afford it, the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L) will be a good start!
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Dont forget the 55-250, a very highly rated lens and delivers some outstanding picture when you look at flickr, the 70-200 f4.0 L is a great lens just bought one myself but very expensive at £400 second hand or £500.
 
You already have a very good camera and the lens is also quite adequate.

I would say learn to walk before you try to run - get completely used to using your camera so you don't have to think about it at all when it comes to taking a shot.

The kit lens is very good and I would say stick to that until you decide what kind of pics you want to take.

Buying lenses can be quite expensive if you get ones that aren't really suitable for what you want to do.

I would also say go for IS USM lenses because they enable you to get staedy pictures at lower shutter speeds than you might be able to achieve otherwise.

Having said that my advice would be the 50mm f1.8 ("Nifty Fifty") and the 28-135mm IS USM which is an excellent "walkabout lens."

The 50mm is VERY sharp from f2.8 and quite usable from f1.8. - it is also very light and very cheap - in fact the cheapest lens Canon make.

As for a tripod well I must say the only time I use mine is either indoors for macro or outdoors for multiple exposures for HDR so it's not something I would put high on any list until you know better what type of pics you want to take.

And of course if you buy IS lenses the need for a tripod becomes even less.

Hope this helps you a bit.

.
 
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What is the fascination with the so called "nifty fifty"?
 
fracster said:
What is the fascination with the so called "nifty fifty"?
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An inexpensive lens that offers cracking IQ for it's price, wide aperture and can provoke you into thinking more about composure when you have be reliant on a zoom lens :)
 
I think a good weatherproof camera bag and more memory cards should be the next purchase but mostly time using and getting to know your camera, learning about photography and what you enjoy shooting. I think you will descover what your equipment needs are when you begin feeling limited in what you are doing.
 
TBH, if you have to ask this question without saying why, or what you want to do, it's because you have not yet exhausted the potential of what you already have. And there's nothing wrong with that - I use the equivalent of you kit zoom for 75% of everything.

And if you take on board all the advice above, you will spend hundreds of pounds and quite possibly not get the right thing. Nifty-50, telezoom, tripod... Fine, but what if you want to shoot landscapes, or macro, or really need a flash gun? So, first question, what do you want to do? Edit: and budget?

PS You're holding the camera wrong in your avatar pic. Your left hand should be cupped underneath, taking all the weight. Left forearm almost vertical, elbow held against the side of your chest to form a supporting triangle. You'll get much more stability that way ;)
 
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Get a cable remote, about £3 on ebay and a ND graduated filter, both cheap enough and will help get better pics from the lenses you have.
 
It really depends what you're planning to take pictures of. If like me you have no idea at the start and just think 'general stuff' and 'I'll give that a go' I'll second the external flash option. They can give much better light than the built in flash with far more controll over direction so they can be bounced off the walls/ceiling for a much softer effect. They don't need to be expensive. I have a flash from Yongnuo, through Amazon, the build quality's not as good as my Canon flash but it was 1/3 the price and works prerfectly. Also a wireless remote flash trigger (from ~£20) will give a lot more options and effects to play with. At a party last weekend I left my flash on a shelf bouncing off the wall then ceiling, it lit the room without having to worry about harsh shadows from the on camera flash.
If you want to get into doing portraits also look at getting an umbrella with light stand.
For landscapes and HDR a tripod would be more use.
The 50mm f1.8 lens is highly reccomended but I find the view from a 50mm too narrow for general use.
I've not seen it mentioned above but try downloading the trial of Lightroom. Not particulally cheap but it is worth it.
 
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fracster said:
What is the fascination with the so called "nifty fifty"?
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I think, in part*, it's a throw-back to film days when zooms weren't all that great and the 50mm was the standard lens supplied with nearly all cameras. Fast aperture, easy handling, very affordable and on a 35mm camera (or full-frame digital), it roughly approximates to what you can see so it makes composing a shot that much more natural when you're learning.

Of course, on a crop camera, you're getting something like a 75mm short telephoto which to my mind doesn't work as well so my money would be going on a 35mm lens instead.




* The other part being that the name is a pleasant rhyme. I mean, what would you call a 35mm? A jive 35? Just doesn't work, does it.
 
I'll give another vote for the 55-250mm. Not expensive at all and you will love the IS.
 
petersmart said:
Definitely have to disagree with that - the "Nifty Fifty" has IQ easily the equivalent of an "L" glass lens even though the build quality is basic.

But at the price it's a truly amazing lens and with a set of extension tubes you can get some great flower macros etc and some insect ones too:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20926615@N05/sets/72157625975281497/

.
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Definitely good IQ but not L quality. Tell me an L lens with 5 blade aperture
 
petersmart said:
Definitely have to disagree with that - the "Nifty Fifty" has IQ easily the equivalent of an "L" glass lens even though the build quality is basic.

But at the price it's a truly amazing lens and with a set of extension tubes you can get some great flower macros etc and some insect ones too:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/20926615@N05/sets/72157625975281497/

.
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Yep, IQ is good but its not the kind of lens I'd point people to as a essential buy for beginners as many in TP do. Plus, you're talking about additional extension tubes, which means you're not seeing the lens on it's own merits.....

Each to their own though :)

BTW, that's seriously bonkers magnification in those images ... The louse thingy looks scary!!!!:)
 
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the nifty fifty is a nice affordable lens for shooting portraits with natural lighting and shallow depth of field so if the original poster was thinking about venturing into more 'people' photos then it would be a good purchase especially on a budget.
I think my list of purchases beginning in priority would be something like,
1. camera bag 2. memory cards 3. lens wipes 4. a good image editor 5. lots of time taking photos 6. literature 7. then depending where my photography was heading, additional lenses, tripod, flash, filters etc
 
DaveKing said:
Definitely good IQ but not L quality. Tell me an L lens with 5 blade aperture
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Well here's a comparison of 2 lenses - the "Nifty Fifty" Available at about £75.00 and the Canon 50mm L f1.2 lens available from about £1100 upwards:

The surprising thing is that the "Nifty Fifty" is MUCH better in the corners than the f1.2L at virtually all apertures from f2.0 to above f8 with much better sharpness and better CA and certainly holds it own everywhere else from f2 to f16!

Of course if you're willing to spend over £1000 more for the "L" glass that's up to you.

Personally unless I desperately needed the wider aperture I definitely wouldn't!

.
 
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specialman said:
Yep, IQ is good but its not the kind of lens I'd point people to as a essential buy for beginners as many in TP do. Plus, you're talking about additional extension tubes, which means you're not seeing the lens on it's own merits.....

Each to their own though :)

BTW, that's seriously bonkers magnification in those images ... The louse thingy looks scary!!!!:)
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Well the magnification with the 3 kenko tubes would have been slightly more than 1:1 and that's what an ordinary woodlouse looks like when it's up really close!

As to seeing the lens on its own merits see the answer already given to DaveKing.

.
 
petersmart said:
Well here's a comparison of 2 lenses - the "Nifty Fifty" Available at about £75.00 and the Canon 50mm L f1.2 lens available from about £1100 upwards:

The surprising thing is that the "Nifty Fifty" is MUCH better in the corners than the f1.2L at virtually all apertures from f2.0 to above f8 with much better sharpness and better CA and certainly holds it own everywhere else from f2 to f16!

Of course if you're willing to spend over £1000 more for the "L" glass that's up to you.

Personally unless I desperately needed the wider aperture I definitely wouldn't!

.
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The 50mm f1.2 is a specialist lens I've never used. But if I was stopping a lens down I'd rather be using the 50 f1.2 (or more realistically the f1.4) as the bokeh from the f1.8 is harsh.
 
Thanks for all of your advice everyone - its been really helpful. I think additional storage and more photo taking is my first stop. I think I'm leaning more towards a telephoto lens as my first BIG purchase, but I'll do a bit more shooting just to make sure.

HoppyUK - thanks for the tip on holding the camera. That was one of the first images I took - I've done a lot more reading up since then ;)
 
The main thing to do is get out there and take loads of pictures. The first things i seemed to but was a cheap £10 tripod from Asda, that soon gor replaced with a Manfrotto.

Next up was a cheap bag to carry the kit, then came the Lowepro bag.

Its an expensive hobby but very fun. A good lens i thought on my 550D was the 55-250 image stabilised lens, it gave me a good reach and the IS really helps.

I also purchased a 70-300mm tamron lens from jessops for £100, its relatively cheap and fun to use.

A must i think is reading the camera manual, its made a big difference to my shooting when you understand what dials your turning and such, a good book also is Understanding Exposure by Bryan Peterson.


Derek
 
I can attest to the natural framing of a 35mm on a crop sensor camera.

Also the ability to throw the aperture wide open to f/1.8 compared to the f/3.5 - 5.6 on my kit lens makes for some creative shooting oppurtunities.
 
Nifty fifty 1.8 it's only about £70 and contains years of development from canon. Best for portraits...
 
The 50mm f1.8 (Nifty Fifty) is extremely good value for money - a fast prime for around £75 - and is well worth buying if you want/need this type of lens. I don't. I'm not interested in portraiture, and it's either too short or too long on a crop camera for anything I do. Build quality is, sort of, toy like; but it's cheap and it punches well above its weight optically.
 
AlannaM said:
I'm only just starting out with my camera and my photography, and at the moment I only have my Canon 450D and the basic lens that came with it (18-55mm).

I want to expand my equipment, but I don't have much of a budget to do it with at the moment. I'm hoping that you lovely people on here will be able to help me put together a list of basic equipment that an amateur photographer would need to get started creatively. Also, once I've got an idea of what I would need, it would also be great to get people's opinions on the order in which to buy these things - which are the most important to have first and which can wait for a while.

Thanks in advance.

Alanna
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Hi Alanna

I started out with exactly the same equipment as you about two years ago now.

As someone who had never owned a slr before, I simply played with my camera and got used to the various modes. What i found to my frustration (quite quickly) that i couldnt get most of the shots i really wanted as I didnt have a zoom lens... and that was pretty much my first buy (and not regretted it!).

To be honest, it depends a lot on what you want to do and I would buy equipment according to your needs...I could advise you and say buy a zoom or a tripod or something similar but I dont know what you want to shoot...whatever you need to buy to allow you to get the shot you want then i wuld buy it...trouble is if you are like me you will want everything at once :bang:
 
I agree with that. Don't buy "stuff" just for the sake of it, or because someone else tells you it's great. It may be, but possibly not for what you want to do, and it's easy to spend a lot of money and regret it.

You have a good camera and a reasonable lens, and that's all you really need to take photographs. Maybe buy some extra memory cards, if you need them. Use it, take lots of photographs - don't worry about wearing the camera out, you won't - read books, magazines and forum threads, and start to get an idea where you want to go next. Spend a bit of time learning post processing with the Canon software that came with the camera, it's fine for now, anyway. You might decide that you need a tripod, or an external flash, or another lens; but work out what you want to do, and what's holding you back with the gear you've got, then get what you need.
 
Other than lenses, tripods etc... My bits and bobs list would be:

A decent bag - I like a rucksack as I like to get out and about on foot
Spare batteries - Nothing worse than running out mid-shoot, Amazon do cheap ones
Spare Memory card - Same argument as batteries
Rocket Blower - Get rid of nuisance dust
A headtorch - If you like night shots
Welding Glass - The cheapest ND filter you'll ever buy. Some very cool effects at your fingertips
Books - Don't underestimate these as a means of improving your photos. I have a few, a guide specific to my camera, Understanding Exposure, A composition book, etc.... All invaluable.
 
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