How to find the best and affordable photography essentials for beginners

We all started with the same thought:

“I want to start taking great photos. What camera do I need?”

And we all concentrate with the wrong question. You need to ask what type of photo do you want to achieve. Which you should have an answer for very shortly, and what essential features you’re looking for which each of the following categories to achieve the best photography gear for you.

The best camera for photography for beginners

Whether you’re just starting out on your mobile, entry level DSLR or going pro. Your priorities will vary depending on your goal, and what type of photography you are doing? For kids, I recommend a durable camera that they can learn on before moving to an entry level DSLR. Check out, Easily the greatest family cameras you’ll want now. First off don’t dismiss the power of learning photography on your phone, and learn why your phone is awesome. However, if you’re determined to start on a DSLR, I personally recommend the Canon 200D| SL2 or Canon Rebel 250D | SL3 for any beginner photographer, you get all the main features as the professional photographers cameras, just less range. Professional level cameras, will include faster shutter speeds, wider apertures, more focal points and occasionally a bigger sensor size like in full frame cameras.

Which lens are must have camera lenses and which are none essential?

All lenses are not equal and therefore you need to know what type of photography you want to start with so you can truly know which lens are the best for you. For instance macro lenses are great for food photography, product photography and nature photography if you want to really capture the essence of your subject, however it would not be good for a traditional landscape.

When shopping around for a new lens (Kit lenses vs zoom lenses vs prime lenses) you need to consider both the aperture (the wide aperture lens cost more, but do you need it?) and focal length of the lens. Learn which lens you’ll need here.

What are the must have accessories?

Yes, there are a few more things you need to think about:

Having the right memory cards to cope with the fps you need, are they big enough to take the whole day or will you need a spare memory card as well?
At least one spare battery because you don’t want to run out of power.
A stabilisation of some kind (Tripod vs gimbal), being able to steady your shot gives you more scope with your shutter speeds.
Filters to both enhance and protect your lenses, such as a UV filter or polarising filter.
At least 2 x Memory card and a hard drive or cloud storage for all those extra
Editing software
A camera bag
Cleaning supplies

Extras you might need

Depending on the type of photography you’re doing you might need:

– A speed-lite if you know you’re working in low light situations.

What’s the best photography lighting kits for beginners?

Before you go running off to buy a soft box or ring light, you need to learn how to find the light you already have and how to control natural light.
That being said, I’ll always recommend a 5 in 1 reflector , a grey card, and some white and black card for beginners.

Best photography essentials for beginners camera and phone on a wooden table

Are you willing to learn?

Many people who want to better photos, don’t always have the persistence to work through the failures that lead to the best learning. So if you want better image quality and avoid blurry images, you need to learn the photography skills to with it. (FYI, if you’re feeling daunted by the process of “having to learn manual mode” I’m here to tell you don’t need to.)

Are you willing to commit to a photo challenge?

How will you learn photography?

Whether you choose to throw yourself in the deep end with a photography challenges for beginners, devour a photography book, buy a beginners guide to photography or take a class from a photography mentor. Just remember not to bite off more than you can do.