Hello friends. In my previous posts, I blabbered a lot about camera settings,and even a camera buying guide (sort of). So today, I am going to discuss in detail about various gears you need for shooting. Now, one important thing. Whenever you hear the word gears, the question of cost comes first, and quite rightfully. Camera equipment cost a lot of money, and being an amateur, its really tough for some to shell out loads of money for something which doesn't give back anything in strict monetary terms (although, if you are only shooting for money, then you are a pro). So in this post, I am going to discuss camera equipment for amateurs that doesn't burn a hole in your pocket.
3. Neutral Density (ND) Filters and Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filters- A ND filter is a dark filter that cuts the amount of light reaching the sensor, effectively reducing the brightness". Its just like a sun-glass for the lens. Now one may ask, why one would do that when light can be reduced by merely increasing the shutter speed or reducing the aperture. Valid argument, but a ND filter comes handy when you want to take long exposure shots in bright daylight. Taking long exposure photos in broad daylight is impossible without ND filters. A GND filter is useful in certain conditions, mainly for landscape photographer. For more info about GND filters head to http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/graduated-neutral-density-filters.htm
Camera-
I don't think, I need to discuss regarding this. If you are truly serious about your photography, get a DSLR or a mirrorless ILCE. There is nothing like it. It may seem intimidating, but once you get the kick out of it, you won't want to go back to a Point & Shoot camera. My advice is get a crop sensor basic DSLR. This will be enough for learning things and also to take good photos. And later, you can always upgrade if you want to. Some good basic DSLRs include the D3200, D5300 , D3300 from Nikon and EOS 1200D, EOS 700D, EOS 750D from Canon. (You can read my earlier post regarding which camera to buy here.).
Lenses-
This part is important. When you buy a basic DSLR, chances are high that it has come with a basic 18-55 mm f 4-5.6 kit lens. While this lens is good for learning things at first, you will quickly outgrow it. It has various shortcomings like lack of critical sharpness, small aperture (you can't get good bokeh with it, bad bad), poor low light performance etc. So you need something else for better performance. I would suggest getting a 35mm f 1.8 prime lens. They are generally cheap, are extremely sharp and good in low light situations. They also produce good bokeh due to the low f number and they are very compact. Although this lens doesn't have the zooming capability, but you will hardly feel it.
One things I would like to clarify. You may think why the 35mm and not the 50mm. The 50 mm is also a great lens, but a 50mm lens on a crop sensor is actually not 50mm. To get the correct equivalent, multiply 50 by the crop factor of your camera. For example a 50mm lens on a Nikon D3300 will be actually 75mm (50*1.5, 1.5 is the crop factor of Nikon D3300). Now that will be a little narrow angle and while it may be very good for portraits, it may not be that good for everyday shooting. Thats why I think 35mm will be a better option. One little tip here. Shoot a few photos from your 18-55 mm kit lens by taking both 35mm focal length and 50 mm focal length and compare them. You will know which one will suite you.
I think these two lenses are more than enough for any amateur photographer. However if you want to take photo of that sparrow perched on top of the tree in front of your window, you must have a decent zoom lens. Now getting even a half decent zoom lens within a short budget is very very tough. Good zoom lenses cost a fortune and the cheaper ones suffer a lot from various problems like vignetting, color fringing, chromatic aberrations etc . Hence I would suggest putting your purchase of zoom lens on hold for the time being. Save money and buy a proper lens at a future date. However, if you must, then you can go for the Tamron or Sigma 70-300 lenses. Nikon has an AF variation of 70-300 zoom lens at Rs 6000/- but that doesn't do auto-focus on basic camera bodies like the ones I mentioned above. So do a good research online before buying any lens.
Flash Gun-
Now this part will surprise many. Why do you need an extra flash when you already have the pop-up flash on your camera. Actually you do need one. Honestly speaking, the pop up flash is actually good for nothing. That is why the high end DSLRs don't have the pop-up flash (well, mostly the Canon ones). It gives a very harsh light and the area is very small too. Besides shooting at someone with the pop-up flash will render the person very pale with lots of shining spots on the face and a ugly prominent shadow in the back side. You definitely won't want that. Besides, you can't bounce the flash using a pop up flash. (I shall write a post about bouncing flash at a later date ). So you need a flash gun.
But again, flash guns are damn expensive. They can cost more than the camera itself. Nikon SB-910 is a great, professional quality flash, but it costs Rs 31000/-. Thats pretty steep and being an amateur, you wont want to shell out so much money for a flash gun. Fortunately there are cheaper options available. However before buying any flash gun, check the following factors first-
a) Metal Mount- Its the contact point of the flash to the camera. So it should definitely be made of metal. Reject any flash unit with plastic mount straight way.
b) Zoom- It is always better to buy a flash unit that can zoom a bit. This feature will be very handy later on.
c) Both horizontal and Vertical Swivel Head- The Zoom head should have the ability to swivel both horizontally and vertically.
d) Built-in Slave flash function- This enables a flash to work as a 'dumb' slave whenever it senses another flash. This is a very useful feature which will come handy in different shooting conditions.
a) Metal Mount- Its the contact point of the flash to the camera. So it should definitely be made of metal. Reject any flash unit with plastic mount straight way.
b) Zoom- It is always better to buy a flash unit that can zoom a bit. This feature will be very handy later on.
c) Both horizontal and Vertical Swivel Head- The Zoom head should have the ability to swivel both horizontally and vertically.
d) Built-in Slave flash function- This enables a flash to work as a 'dumb' slave whenever it senses another flash. This is a very useful feature which will come handy in different shooting conditions.
Filters-
Another important part of a camera bag is the filters. Now discussing in detail about the filters here is not a very good idea as there are simply too many different types of filters. So, lets narrow down to the very basic filters that an amateur like us can use.
1. UV Filter- Though the UV filters claim to block the UV rays from reaching the sensor, they are practically of no value at all. At best a good quality one can be screwed on the lens for protecting the front element. Don't buy the cheap filters. They definitely affect the output.
2. Polarising Filter- This is a very interesting filter. All of us have come across landscape photos where the sky looks very deep blue or the water looks crystal clear. Ever imagined how such a shoot was taken? Probability is high that the photos were taken using Polarizing filter. A polarizing filter removes reflection off a surface by manipulating light. Generally a polarizing filter consists of a rotating front element, which needs to be rotated to obtain the desired result. For more detailed info about them and tips on using them, visit http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-and-buy-polarizing-filters/
1. UV Filter- Though the UV filters claim to block the UV rays from reaching the sensor, they are practically of no value at all. At best a good quality one can be screwed on the lens for protecting the front element. Don't buy the cheap filters. They definitely affect the output.
2. Polarising Filter- This is a very interesting filter. All of us have come across landscape photos where the sky looks very deep blue or the water looks crystal clear. Ever imagined how such a shoot was taken? Probability is high that the photos were taken using Polarizing filter. A polarizing filter removes reflection off a surface by manipulating light. Generally a polarizing filter consists of a rotating front element, which needs to be rotated to obtain the desired result. For more detailed info about them and tips on using them, visit http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-use-and-buy-polarizing-filters/
3. Neutral Density (ND) Filters and Graduated Neutral Density (GND) filters- A ND filter is a dark filter that cuts the amount of light reaching the sensor, effectively reducing the brightness". Its just like a sun-glass for the lens. Now one may ask, why one would do that when light can be reduced by merely increasing the shutter speed or reducing the aperture. Valid argument, but a ND filter comes handy when you want to take long exposure shots in bright daylight. Taking long exposure photos in broad daylight is impossible without ND filters. A GND filter is useful in certain conditions, mainly for landscape photographer. For more info about GND filters head to http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/graduated-neutral-density-filters.htm
Tripod-
This is important. May be more important than the flash. A tripod is absolutely mandatory for doing any kind of serious photography. And the bad part of tripods is they are quite costly. A semi-decent tripod will cost more than Rs 10,000 and that too, without the mount head. So reserve a substantial amount of your budget for tripod.
Don't get lured by the cheap tripods. They are simply rubbish. At best they can be used as flash holders if you are doing off camera flash, but don't expect them to hold your camera properly. Also its a good idea to buy tripods from your local camera shops after thoroughly checking them.Shopping tripods online may not be a very good idea. Before buying tripods, keep the following things in mind-
1. Sturdiness- The main job of a tripod is to keep your camera steady and if it fails to do so, its worthless. Mount your camera on top of a tripod and check. If it shakes just by touching, then go for a costlier one. There is a very good method of checking this. First weigh your camera with your heaviest lens. The maximum load capacity of the tripod should be around 3 times of the weight of your camera and lens. At least, it should be twice. Below that the tripod will be pretty useless.
2. Height- Check the highest and lowest points of a tripod. Its always better to have wide range isn't it?
3. Locks- Inspect the locks properly. A twist to lock mechanism is always better than the snap-lock found on most of the entry level tripods.
4. Panhead- Check the pan head. A good ball head is way better than a three way pan head. But it boils down to your budget after all.
As for brands, Gitzo is THE BEST, unfortunately price -wise also. After that Manfrotto, Van-Guard, Giotto, Benro, Slik all are good. Just check properly before buying.
Camera Bags-
Finally a bag to hold everything in place. But any ordinary bag wont do. You need a camera bag which will provide ease of access, security, protect from weather, shield from accidental drops etc. It should also have enough space for holding accessories like filters, cables, chargers, extra batteries etc. Choice of bag depends largely upon your gears. So checking them physically before buying is advisable. Again, visit your nearest camera shop. As for brands, National Geographic, Lowepro, Van-guard, Case logic are good brands.
One important point to remember. Do not go for cheaply made local bags. You may save a few bucks, but in that process you are putting your entire camera gear at risk. The most risky parts are the joints and stitches. The local bags are not manufactured at the same level of quality and at the end, what you pay is what you get.
One important point to remember. Do not go for cheaply made local bags. You may save a few bucks, but in that process you are putting your entire camera gear at risk. The most risky parts are the joints and stitches. The local bags are not manufactured at the same level of quality and at the end, what you pay is what you get.
So there you go. After purchase of all these things, your starting gear is ready!!! Just joking. Actually your starting gear is ready as soon as you buy the camera with the kit lens. But having these gears are the next step of your photography when you get tired of shooting your cousin Vicky's mischief and your cats Minnie's antics. Just buying what I mentioned above will set you back by at least Rs 80000/-!!!! But then again,photography is never cheap. Nothing associated with it comes cheap. But when you see the results, you will realize that the investment was worth it. So go ahead, and start shooting.
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