When it comes to photography gear, I have used a lot of it overtime. This post is a fairly basic beginners photography gear guide. Overtime I will update it as well as create an advanced guide with my lighting recommendations.
If you are looking for gear to start your photography journey, I got you! In this post I have laid out the gear I currently use – as a professional photographer. There is also basic, starter level gear here, including cameras, tripod + additional gear that you may not know you needed.
While I was in school getting my degree in photography, I had the opportunity to use all kinds of photo gear, cameras, lighting equipment, you name it! After graduation I have had the pleasure of working with other photographers and expanding my gear knowledge even further.
beginners photography gear guide: camera’s
To be totally honest, I prefer canon cameras over nikon. That is a battle that will forever be up for debate and its ultimately decided by your use and practice with each brand. For me, I’ve used both brands. Overtime I found myself more drawn to canon, I found it was really user friendly and I loved the quality of the images that I got. When I started my photography journey way back in highschool, I used Nikon. When I got my first camera, it was a canon rebel. Since then I have upgrade to a Canon 5d mark iv, which is what I currently use.
If you just want a starter camera that can also shoot video, the canon rebel listed above is a great place to start.
Here are my canon camera recommendations:
Canon 5D Mark IV + EF 24-105mm Lens Kit
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Camera Body
Canon EOS Rebel T7 18-55mm IS II
tripods
Tripods are your best friend, I promise you this! Especially if you are doing still life, food, product or interior photography! Trust me, it will change your life + the quality of you photo. For the longest time, I hated tripods, I just found them annoying to use and it felt so inconvenient to carry one around – and my work suffered from that. My tripod recommendations all come with a removable center piece that allows you to photograph overhead. I currently use a Vanguard ABEO Pro 283AT tripod – the model I have is no longer available, so I included the one closest to mine! Manfrotto and Vanguard are both top in quality. Manfrotto is typically more expensive, because you are paying for the name. Vanguard is of the same quality but a little cheaper in price!
Benefits of using a tripod include getting to photograph hands free. What this does is give you a cleaner, clearer image. If you shoot without a tripod, you are limiting the settings that you can use on your camera. In which case may cause you more work later on in editing.
Here are my tripod recommendations:
Vanguard Alta Pro 263AB Aluminum Tripod – a version of my tripod
Manfrotto MT190X3 Aluminum 3-Section Tripod
Manfrotto 3 Section Aluminum Tripod
camera lenses:
Picking a camera lens can sometimes depend a lot on what kind of photography you shoot. In this case I will mainly be focusing on still life, food + product. Although these are the main focuses in this post, I also use these specific lens to photograph travel, lifestyle + interiors. Please note that these specific lenses are all made for mirrored cameras and are not meant for mirrorless camera bodies.
When photographing food, I typically stick with a 50mm or the 24-105mm lens. My favorite is a 50mm and I take it with me everywhere I go!
Here are my camera lens recommendations:
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM – my go to lens
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS USM Macro Lens
additional – things you didn’t know you need
lens filter
A lens filter…what’s that you may ask? And why do you need it? A lens filter is a clear piece of glass that simply protects your lens. If you scratch you actual lens, you are going to pay a lot of money to have it fixed. By covering your lens with a filter, you protect the lens itself. It is a whole lot cheaper to have a lens filter get a scratch then your actual lens. Not to mention, they do not change the quality of your photo. This lens filter is for a 50mm lens. If you have a different size lens, you will need to get one to fit according to that.
49mm Multi-Coated UV Protective Filter for Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 STM Lens
reflectors
Reflectors are a great tool to have handy. There are loads of things in your house you can use as a reflector if you do not want to purchase an actual reflector. I like to use white foam boards from walmart as well as my actual reflector. The cool thing about reflectors is that they come with different reversible sides. Each side is a different colour/coating and will give you fill light different looks. Silver, gold, white, black + a diffusion screen! It’s nice to have one handy because you never know when you are going to need one.
Neewer 5-in-1 Collapsible Multi-Disc Light Reflector 43 inches
Neewer 5-in-1 Portable Round 32 in – this is the one I use
scrims
Scrims are small costs that can save you a lot of work in the long run. If you are working in a space with too much light, you can use a scrim to diffuse it. There are loads of scrims out there and they all come with different thickness and size that will determine the amount of diffusion you get. I have a large sheet size scrim that I can use as is or cut into small pieces for smaller spaces. Your reflector also has a scrim or diffusion screen in the center of it. If you are shooting in a really small set, you can use that!
Neewer® 2 Yard x 60 Inch/1.8M x 1.5M Scrim
Neewer 20×5 feet Scrim – this is the one I have, that I can cut into smaller pieces
Neewer 5×7 feet Foldable Scrim/Reflector w/ Carrying Case
Neewer 23×35″ Reflector / Scrim Foldable w/ Carrying Case
tether cables
Tether Cables, okay I cannot stress this enough…shoot tethered!!! If you do nothing else and buy nothing else, buy this. Seriously. Shooting tethered will change your photography game, more than I can put into words. Honestly. If I can give any advice to a beginner, its to shoot tethered. Shooting this way gives you so much freedom. You shoot straight to your computer so you can see everything you are doing as you’re doing it! If something’s not right you can fix it right then and there, instead of missing it and only noticing in post production. Tether cables can be on the more expensive side, but I promise you they are worth every penny. Pinky swear.
When buying a tether cable, you will need to pick one according to your ports on your computer + on your camera. They will always vary. They also come in different lengths, longer is always better. If you’re unsure of what ports you need, you can google your camera + tether cable and you can find which you need!
TetherPro USB 2.0 to Mini-B 5-Pin Cable, 15′
TetherPro USB 3.0 to Micro-B Right Angle Cable, 15′ – this is what I use for my canon 5d mark iv
jerk stopper
No this is not going to repel the jerks in your life, but it will stop you from ripping your tether cable out of your camera or computer! Which will save you money. It’s so easy to trip over your tether cable and accidently rip it out of your camera. Doing this will not only break your tether cable but it can cause internal problems in your camera port. Trust me, I am dealing with it as we speak. A jerk stopper kit can be pricey and you can certainly get no name brands for much cheaper. I like tether tools because you can buy the jerk stopper and tether cable together as a kit!
Tether Tools JerkStopper – USB Mount
If you are looking for more photography gear recommendations, do not hesitate to email me or send me a dm! I would be more than happy to help you find or figure out what you need.
