Top 10: Gear for (Beginner) Photographers
Why is Having Quality Gear Important?
Lots of people say that it’s the photographic eye, and not the equipment that makes the shot. But let’s face it, having good gear helps tremendously. That being said, there’s a monetary limit past which you don’t necessarily get much better results for your investment. So let’s explore what the essentials to becoming a professional quality photo taker looks like!
Should I Be Investing in More Gear?
No, skill matters too so once you have the basic gear, it’s our opinion that you should invest mostly in skills.
The Top 10 Pieces of Gear for Beginner Photographers:
An Affordable Decent Quality Camera
You can buy these used, I bought my first one from Henry’s Camera and it was a used XTi I got for like $300 with insurance for a year in case it broke! Why is it important to have a camera that didn’t cost a lot of money? Well, if it breaks you won’t be crying about it for too long, and you can always buy another one! Though, I’d invested my entire savings into my set of gear when I first started (I was only finishing high school), so I started to charge for my photo shoots as soon as I got a few practice shoots in, so I could recoup my investment! For you, may we suggest the Canon T8i or if you have a bit higher of a budet, Sony has fantastic dynamic range and works wonderfully in low light so check out the Sony A7III.
An Affordable But Versatile Lens
As a Toronto photographer, since I already had a used camera so I decided to also buy a used lens. This was one that my uncle actually recommended to me. It was the Sigma 17-70mm, which was super versatile, even though it was only F2.8 - 4, it was totally awesome! Versatile lenses are good for all situations. They’re not ideal, nor the first choice, for many situations, but do you know the expression “A Jack of All Trades, Master of None”? The one line most people don’t know follows that expression is “Still better than a master of only one!” and this applies to versatile zoom lenses like the Sigma 17-70 we just discussed!
High Capacity Storage
Back when I first started photography as a beginner, the XTi wrote on CF (compact flash) cards so I got myself a set of Sandisk 32gb CF cards. Today CF is pretty much gone and people are only using SD. So I suggest checking out the SanDisk 64gb Pro SD Cards! Why is it important to get a lot of storage? Because if you are ever in the middle of a photoshoot you would probably rather not run out of storage on your memory card, because you just do not have enough time to delete some photos you took through your camera roll in order to make space for new photos and it would be such a bummer if you were rushing to delete more photos in order to make room for new ones and you accidentally delete a photo that was actually really nice and would be planning to use in whatever project you were working on, considering there would be a time limit to your photoshoot you just would not have the time to reshoot all the deleted good photos. So at the end of the story it would be much better to own a bigger storage memory card than a smaller storage memory card.
A Memory Card Reader
People use USB cords to transfer their photos to their computers, which isn’t wrong, but would highly suggest on switching into a memory card reader like the Transcend info; because a memory card downloads all your photos much faster than a USB cord does and is not as much as a hassle to put away or store, because of the lack of wires to wrap, and as a bonus you can keep shooting for more photos, while still being able to download photos at the same time by using your memory card reader with your other memory card that has jus been used, because unlike every USB cord a memory card reader is wireless so it would not need to be attached to your camera to be able to download your photos.
A Good Camera Bag
A camera bag really comes in handy when you’re a beginner photographer, since they hold all essentials of a camera in just a small bag, like the MCHENG camera bag; and as a bonus the MCHENG camera bag is also waterproof camera bag so it is safe to keep it out in the rain if you are ever having a photoshoot out in the rain or you might be having a photoshoot out at the beach, yet doing all that near water will not have an effect, because you can still keep all your camera gear nice and dry in the MCHENG waterproof camera bag while they are not in use.
A Tripod
Tripods don’t come off as an essential item, since beginner photographers see it as more of an extra and not as needed unlike camera lenses, until you find yourself taking a very still photo that a normal human hand can handle or you’re on a solo photography session with no one to help you hold the camera, that’s why tripods like the K & F concept tripods are much more important than you think, and unlike most tripods the K & F concept tripods already come with a ball head for easier camera movement and still be affordable, unlike other tripods that are well over $100 and almost $200 and not include a ball head. And lastly the K & F concept tripod also allows your camera to be flipped upside down for a lower and/ or closer shot of the person and/ or object and the tripod itself is quite lightweight, and easy to carry for travelling photographers.
Rechargeable Batteries
Using rechargeable batteries instead of regular batteries can come in handy especially when you’re on a budget, and instead of buying a new battery for every time your camera battery dies, you can just reuse the battery you already have just by recharging it, and why not buy two while you’re at it! or just buy the TEKCAM rechargeable battery that already comes with two rechargeable batteries; Because why not have two rechargeable batteries! One of the rechargeable batteries can be in use while the other serves as a backup and if in any case your battery suddenly dies in the middle of a photoshoot you’ll always have another one as a backup.
External Hard Drives
If in any case your memory card, computer or laptop were to randomly break down, get lost or stolen it is useful to have an external hard drive as a backup so you would not have to end up losing all your photos that you have taken previously; the portable external hard drive from Seagate is a great example for an affordable and good quality external hard drive, it has a lot of space for all your photos to be stored in for a fairly cheap price; and external hard drives are also quite convenient because of their smaller size easy to store away and with great storage.
Reflectors
Sometimes during photography the lighting won’t always be cooperative and work your way, but by using a reflector like the ones from NEEWER , they also come in different sizes and different reflector shades. You can use the reflectors to redirect the light in your own way to fit your desired lighting preference for your photoshoot.
Cleaning Supplies
At the end of the day cleaning supplies would have to be one of the most essential equipment when it comes to photography, because you can’t necessarily take a good and clear picture with blurry and/or dirty lenses, and that is why you should buy a camera cleaning kit like The cleaning kit from Camkix. The cleaning kit from Camkix will have all your basic camera cleaning supplies, to make sure your camera will always be clean and ready for your next photoshoot.
In Conclusion
You’ll want to get just enough gear to be able to create quality photographs, but don’t over-invest. You don’t need a ton of gear nor expensive stuff!
BTW if ever you need to rent a photography studio in Toronto That Toronto Studio, has two rooms:
Check availability or book either of these two rooms below:
That Toronto Studio’s List of Gear for Photographers!
Here’s a list of gear that can help make your shoot a success. We have tried to list products from several price points / tiers so that no matter your budget, you can have an awesome and successful shoot!
Portable Lighting
Neewer 300W Battery Powered Flash w. Softbox | Neewer RGB Camera Mounted LED | Heavy Duty, Tripod-base Light Stand
Drones & Cameras
DJI Mini - highest-end drone manufacturer, great for exploring new areas
Off Brand Drone - affordable drone for low cost urban aerial exploration
GoPro 360 Camera - great for documenting your shoot. Shoot BTS & time-lapse!
Sony A7IV Camera - excellent low light camera. Professional grade.
Canon R6 Mirrorless Camera - high quality pro-grade mirrorless camera.
Canon M200 Vlogging Camera - excellent vlogging camera. Low price point.
Portable Computing, Storage, & Power
13” M1 Macbook Air | Waterproof Hard Drive | Sandisk Extreme Pro 128gb SD Card | 20,000maH Power Bank | 10,000maH Power Bank | AirPods | AirPods Pro | AirPods Max | SD Card Dongle for iPhone
Gimbals, Screens, Tripods & Tools
DJI Ronin SC | Screen for Ronin | Best Low-Priced Tripod | Joby Gorillapod for DSLRs | Joby Gorillapod for Light Cameras/Phones | Tripod for Vloggers | Gerber Multi-Tool
Rainproofing
Rainproof Camera Cover or this Waterproof Cover | Large Umbrella for 2 people
And don’t forget to take care of yourself too!
Protein Bars | Filtered Water Bottle | Mentos Fresh Gum (6 x 50 pack) | SPF 50 Sunscreen
