Hello again, I'm glad to see you back!
Let's talk a bit about gear. If you're new to the photography world, you're probably wondering: Where should I start? What do I buy?
And those are completely normal questions. Everyone had to start from there.
However, I cannot start telling you what to buy, if first I do not show you what I personally have. Let me share what equipment I decided to buy and why!
I will keep this list updated as I try and buy new gear.
Camera body: Sony A7III
This full frame mirrorless camera was perfect for me. I would not recommend it as a first time body, but if you're looking into leveling up your photography without exchanging a kidney, this might be the choice for you. I love the A7 line, and if you have the budget to buy the newer A7IV, you should go for it. However, this was just a match made in heaven for me. Because of its price and quality ratio, I believe that, even if it came out in 2018, it's one of the best affordable cameras out there. Its 24MP resolution is enough for most photographers, its 10fps shooting is very impressive for the price, and its AF system is powerful and quick. The color redemption is phenomenal, it has touch screen focusing, it can shoot 4k, and the low-light performance is quite impressive for the price. It has its limits, of course, but overall, it's a well-rounded camera.
If you're interested, you can buy it here!
My go-to lenses
Sony FE 85 mm F1.8 Lens
In my opinion, this is the best for portraits. It's extremely useful and has an incredible quality. It tackles the big three expected from a portrait lens: good low light performance, sharp in focus, and pleasing fall off and bokeh. If you don't have it, you should get one.
These are some of my favorite photos I took with this lens:
Sony FE 50 mm F1.8 Standard Lens
A 50 mm is such a staple, and it should be in every photographer's bag. It's one of the closest to the human eye, it's extremely well-rounded, it's very light weight, and it can be used for a myriad of things. Also, its price is incredibly cheap. I would always recommend, if you do not have any lenses, to start from this.
These are some photos I took with it:
Sony FE 16-35 mm F2.8 Wide Angle Zoom Lens
Ah yes, my personal favorite. I love wide angle lenses. Even if this one is more expensive than the others I have listed, it does not disappoint. Color redemption is fantastic, it has fast, quiet autofocus, and it's honestly such a useful lens. Its bokeh effect is just magical, and it lets in an incredible amount of light for a wide angle. I use it for portraits, travel, and landscape photography. If your budget allows you, you must get it. You'll never go back.
Some of my favorite photos I took with it:
Sony E 55-210mm F4.5-6.3 Zoom Lens
This lens focuses fast and takes good quality pictures for a bargain price. As a zoom lens, it gives impressing results for its cost. I actually started with this! It has its limitations, but as long as you do not need to use it for sport photography, it will do plenty for you. I use it mostly for travel and street photography. You can get it here!
Here's some of my favorite shots with this lens:
Other gear
Alright, we are almost done with the expensive part. Let me show you what else I've got! While this list does not include everything I have ever bought related to camera, it's an awesome place to start. You don't have to buy exactly what I have, but if you're interested, you can click on the images of the products you're interested in purchasing, and it will take you to their Amazon page.
A Sturdy Tripod
Honestly, whichever one works, just make sure it's good quality. This one is mine:
A Waterproof Camera Backpack
Why not a normal camera bag? This backpack can keep all of my equipment in a travel-ready and handy way. Also, it has many customizable compartments that are just *chefs kiss*, and a big rigid pocket for my laptop. One of my favorite things I own.
A GOOD Laptop
Since I brought up laptops, remember that a professional photographer needs a high quality laptop because of the many softwares we need. I chose the MacBook Pro, but there so many good choices in the market. If you're a student, do not forget to use the Apple discount if you go with this choice. I saved about $500.
Extra Batteries!
Never forget about these. You never want to show up at a shoot with an uncharged battery. I can tell you that it's not fun... because it happened to me.
Extra SD cards!
On the same page, please do not forget to buy some extra sd cards to keep with you at all times. 128 Gigabytes sounds like a lot, until it's not. You do not want to be forced to delete some of the previous pictures you took because you're out of storage.
An External Hard Drive
Even if you purchased an awesome computer with a lo of storage, it cannot have infinite space, and it does not mean that it cannot have bugs. I'd recommend getting an external hard drive to back up everything and have extra storage. Mine is a bit cheap, I need to upgrade it soon.
A Lens Cleaner Kit
I hate to break it to you, but if you use your camera... your lens and sensor will get dirty. You do not want to shoot with dust grains on your lens. Lenses are extremely delicate and expensive, so you will need a cleaning kit made specifically for cameras.
Lens Filters
These are not necessary, but it's nice to have them! I have a UV filter and a polarizer to attach to my lenses if I need them.
LED lights
These are also not necessary, but if you're a DIY home shooter, and don't have a studio, these are really ergonomic and pretty cheap. They're really fun to use! Of course, there's much more expensive and better quality options on the web.
If you're into cinematography, invest in a mic!
While I do it mostly for fun, and so my mic is not the best around, there's many options you can choose from. This specific mic is pretty cheap, and it gets the job done!
And that's a wrap! There's so much more I am planning to buy, and I will keep you updated with my new shopping sprees.
If you're a photographer, what's in your camera bag? And, if you're interested in photography, what are you planning to buy?
Let me know in the comments!