Photography and Technology

The Best Photography Equipment List for Beginners

Are you just getting started in photography? But you’re confused as to what equipment to buy first? If so, we’re here to help you with what those essentials are!

Things may get a little overwhelming at first, considering there are lots of photography equipment. There are several great camera brands to choose from, and all brands offer excellent cameras. And that’s not even counting lenses, accessories, and gears.

So, to help you jumpstart your new hobby, here are the must-have photography equipment for beginners.

Fixed Prime Lenses

These lenses have a single focal length and are great, especially if you’re starting. They are often brighter, sharper, and sometimes cheaper. But here’s the catch – there’s no zoom, which is exactly why it is the best lens to start working with. Why? Because the inability to zoom can teach you a lot about proper composition techniques.

photography beginner prime lenses

With a fixed camera like this, it makes you think of your shots more. And will stretch your skills further and help you improve faster. 

You can purchase good prime lenses out there for under $500, and there are also around $5000 prime lenses for more professional works.

Memory Cards

A tiny accessory, but definitely one of the essentials. Without a memory card, digital photographs won’t have anywhere to go and cannot be recorded. Therefore, a decent set of memory cards is a must. When buying memory cards, always remember the three biggest factors – compatibility, space, and speed. 

best memory card for your camera

First, look at cards that are compatible with your camera. Some take SD cards, some CF cards, and some XQD cards. Then, for the size of your memory card. It determines how many photos can fit in one single card. You may buy one big card or several smaller ones. Finally, look at the speed rating of the memory card. You would want at least a class 10 for an entry-level DSLR with HD video since lower classes will most likely affect the rate on how you take your photos.

How much do they usually cost? You can get high-end memory cards for around $200, and if you’re on a budget, there are also memory cards available in the market for as low as $20.

Camera Cleaning Kit

Dirt, dust, and moisture can easily buildup in your camera bodies, lenses, and accessories. In the worst-case scenario, your expensive camera and lenses may suffer permanent damages. To avoid these, you need to do camera maintenance once in a while. It would be best to learn how to properly clean the camera gear yourself with a camera cleaning kit.

professional dslr cleaning kit

You would need at least a lens cloth, natural cleaning spray, dry sensor cleaning swabs, air blower, and a lens brush in your kit. Never use any cleaner not designed specifically for cameras or lenses. 

Your images will not be ruined with spots on the lenses and get distorted details on them with the right cleaning kit. So, having cleaning materials at hand, you ensure that any issues your camera has will be taken care of immediately.

You may get the whole cleaning kit for as low as $10!

Editing Software

Since we’re basically consuming technology more frequently now, an editing software or program for a photographer like you is also essential. Post-processing is also important. Editing your images will allow you to correct minor exposure errors, perfect the colors in your image, straighten a crooked horizon, and more.

If you still want to learn more about such software, you can try out GIMP first – totally free! And there are also other paid photo editors like Skylum Luminar and Corel Paintshop.

The most popular in the market right now, though, are Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. Lightroom offers on organizing and doing several types of photo edits. At the same time, Photoshop is there for more elaborate editing tasks. You can get both with a $10-month subscription.

Conclusion

We hope this list has helped you decide on what to prioritize first. After some time of honing your skills, you may upgrade your equipment or buy more gears. The biggest thing to remember when buying camera gear is that different styles of photography require different things. Buy what works best for you most!