Thoughts on Equipment

yahumpphotography

Feb 7, 20224 min read

Updated: Feb 19, 2022

It seems that every day a new camera, lens or gadget comes out for photographers to buy. The real question is will these items help you take better photos? Some photographers love to buy the latest, best, and most expensive toys.

Being a minimalist in life and photography, I look at all the new cameras, lens, and gadgets as wants and needs. Keep in mind that the latest and greats items are also very expensive.

Top end professional DSR or Mirrorless cameras can cost between $4,000 & $6,000. A top end professional Medium Format camera can cost between $10,000 and $20,000. Add the cost of high-quality lens and you are into photography for a bundle. Not to mention bags, tripods, and other gadgets.

The question is will spending a fortune when you are starting out make a difference in your photos? I started out using my parents old Brownie Camera and the first camera I bought was a Kodak 110 camera. When I got a bit older my uncle gave me a used Pentax SLR. These cameras were a way for me to discover photography and start to develop a style.

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When I was working I bought a Ricoh SLR with a Flash, 50mm, 24 to 70mm and 70 to 200mm lens. I used this system to take thousands of photos on film. Made lots of mistakes and learned what I liked in certain films and how I wanted to develop my work to get the style I was looking for. My go to colour film was Fuji and black & white was Ilford. Slide film was Kodak. I realized that I enjoyed taking pictures of peoples faces, water, clouds, and street photography.

I used this camera system as I started to make money in photography and while working in the retail photography business. Any other equipment I needed I rented for photo shoots. I do colleagues who have spent a fortune on specialty lenses or lighting systems that they have only use 1 or 2 times.

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Today, I am shooting with a medium price DSLR my go to lenses 50mm prime lens, 24 to 70mm and 70 to 300mm. for some photography I use the built-in flash and for other photography I use a portable flash. Don’t forget your memory cards. I use 64GB and 128GB cards. Keep in mind that if you are doing video then a faster memory card with more space is needed.

I have a light weight tripod, compact backpack, and the required filters. Sure, I would love to have more prime lenses and a camera body with more buttons than a space ship. But the reality is, that for the type of photography I specialize in a light weight mobile system is required

These are stock images and are not owned by yahumpphotography

The next system I will invest in will be a Mirrorless Camera and lenses. I have been doing research to find the one that meets my needs both artistically and financially. Would I like the latest and greatest? Sure, but it may not be the best camera for my street photography or entertainment work. As a minimalist, I am always thinking about how I can get that great photo with the least amount of equipment to carry around.

Each photographer is different, and each has their own budget. Not to mention that every photographer is taking unique photos that may require completely different equipment.

When I am asked about buying camera equipment, I suggest spending some time researching the items online and then go to your local camera store and look at the actual camera and lenses. Hold them and see how they feel in your hands.

Buying camera equipment is a lot like buying a car. You may like the look and colour of the car, but when you get in the fit might be wrong. Until you actually see the camera and lenses you want to buy and try them you will not know if they are right for you.

For myself, I am older with smaller hands, so I have trouble handling a large bulky camera bodies with heavy lenses. As I do much of my photography off site, I do not want to carry heavy equipment around. Like many people, I also set a budget that I could spend on my equipment.

Tips:

The camera does not take the picture, the photographer takes the picture.
Do your research on what camera and lenses are best for you.
Set a budget!!!
Don’t buy everything at once. You do not need every lens and gadget today.
Buy a camera system that works for you now and you can grow as a photographer with.