“What camera should I buy?”

Believe it or not most of the time the answer I have is:   “Use your phone! Really, you can get some amazing results with modern smart phones.

For someone who knows they want a DSLR or ‘Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera’ (sounds impressive right?) my next response is:

“Don’t worry so much about the camera, spend your money on the lens!”

 I’m going to guess that you don’t have thousands of dollars just sitting around for all kinds of expensive equipment. One camera alone in our gear bag is over $3,000 and it’s useless without a lens. On the other hand would you believe one of my favorite go-to cameras we still use at weddings was released in 2008 and only has 12 Megapixels?!

So to you oh aspiring pro, or the one who wants to get some great shots on the next vacation here are a few tips when putting together a great photography rig on a budget:

 

1. Buy Used

I’ll tell you a secret. Half of our cameras and lenses we use professionally we bought used. Amazon, Adorama, or the local photography shop all have deals on used gear. These retailers have great descriptions of the gear they sell and you can contact the sellers directly to find out specifics on just how “used” that item is. Most of them back up their used products as well, so if you get an item and it’s no good, you can send it right back.

2. Buy a good overall camera and be happy. Don’t spend too much here.

Don’t worry about all the latest gadgets and features and REALLY don’t worry about megapixels (they basically don’t matter). If you are not familiar with a ‘full-frame’ vs a ‘cropped’ sensor just know that full-frame cameras see more image area and generally are considered the more professional grade camera, and as such are more expensive. The “professional” distinction has narrowed as of late as more companies are bringing affordable full-frame cameras to market, plus there are many cropped sensor cameras that will take incredible images. A cropped sensor camera is about a 1.5x crop. So a 50mm lens will look like it is zoomed to 75mm or so. Also keep in mind purchasing a certain brand of camera may stick you with that brand for lenses as well without buying additional adaptors. Plenty of photographers vary the lens brand, but without knowledge of how to deal with the adjustment it can be a major headache. For the record we use Nikon, but there are other reputable brands as well that make fine equipment.

3. Don’t worry about ‘Zoom’

This should probably be number one on the list. Don’t spend your money on a cheaper, less quality lens just to have almighty zoom. Use your feet to zoom. It will give you better perspectives as a shooter, and you can spend your money on a really nice ‘Prime’ (fixed lens, no zoom ability). THIS WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE.

4. Look for a lower f/# on your lens

Without getting too technical, a lower f-stop number (for example f/2.8) usually means a nicer lens. The f-stop number refers to an internal part of the lens that works a lot like the iris/pupil in your eye. The lower the f/# the more light the lens allows in because the aperture is opened wider, and it contributes to the blurry background people usually like. If you see a lens with a set of numbers (ex. f/2.8 – f/4) that means it lets in less light as you zoom (what did we say about zooms??) which isn’t so great.

5. Having only one lens is OK

I’ve already said don’t buy a zoom lens. One prime lens could cost you a lot, but if tomorrow all my gear were up in smoke and I had limited funds I would start out with an older camera and a single 50mm 1.4 lens. That’s it. You can take better images with that one lens than any gear junkie who has a bag filled with lower grade zoom lenses.

 

So to recap:

Buy used from a reputable source.

Older models are good!

Ignore ‘Zoom’ lenses for now.

Look for prime lenses (recommend 50mm to start)

Go light, shoot like crazy and build from there!

 

Please feel free to comment or message us about any gear questions! Cheers!

-Kyle