The Basics:Lesson 2

Now that we know the types of cameras out there, let's figure out which camera to buy.  Before stepping into a camera store or one of the big box electronics store, the first thing you need to figure out is a budget and make a list.  Start by looking at some different options based on your price range including used or refurbished products.  Since buying new isn't necessarily required, I'll include some options where you can save some cash and still acquire the equipment you need.  Things can get expensive rather fast, so it's helpful to really plan this stuff out.  I will be referring to mostly Nikon gear to make things a bit easier, but you can easily translate these to Canon or Sony equivalents.  We'll stick to digital crop sensor and full frame sensors for now.

I suggest including the following on your list:

• Digital SLR Camera body of your choice
• Medium range zoom lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Extra battery
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)

Optional:

• 35mm f/1.8 lens (fixed lens/ great for all around use)
• 50mm f/1.8 lens (fixed lens/ great for portraits)
• Speedlight Flash
• Professional grade sturdy tripod with a ball-head 
• Photo editing software

Now let's look at what kind of gear your budget will buy you.  Prepare for some bargains and sticker shock.  Some prices will vary depending on where you buy it.  The best places I've found are Adorama, B&H and Cameta Camera.  There's always Ebay or Craigslist, but those places are hit or miss when it comes to maintaining a warranty.  If you can fit it within your budget, an extended warranty is great to have, especially with more expensive gear.  Most factory refurbished cameras come with some type of warranty so I highly suggest buying one over a used camera if you can swing the extra cost.  Some stores warranty used gear too, but for the often small differences in price, you're better of with refurbished gear or buying new.  Lenses on the other hand are a bit easier to buy used.  Broken lenses are easy to spot and inspect.  They're also made to outlast the camera bodies.  We'll discuss how to spot a good used lens in future post.  

Example #1: Approx. $600 (entry level)

• (New) Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm kit lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)

Example #2: Approx. $600 (entry level)

• (Refurbished) Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm kit lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery

Example #3: Approx. $800 (entry level)

• (Refurbished) Nikon D3200 with 18-55mm kit lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• 55-200mm or 35mm lens

Example #4: Approx. $1,200 (prosumer level)

• (Refurbished) Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm kit lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens

Example #5: Approx. $1,500 (prosumer level)

• (Refurbished) Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm kit lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens
• SB-700 Speedlight Flash

Example #6: Approx. $3,800 (prosumer level)

• (New) Nikon D7100
• Nikon 18-200mm lens
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• Nikon 35mm f/1.8 lens
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens
• SB-910 Speedlight Flash
• High Quality Tripod

Example #7: Approx. $5,000 (working pro level)

• (New) Nikon D600
• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens
• SB-910 Speedlight Flash
• High Quality Tripod

Example #8: Approx. +$8,000 (pro level)

• (New) Nikon D800E
• Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8
• Lens cleaning kit (Nikon kit or Lens Pen)
• High speed memory card(s) and a card reader
• Camera case (preferably with lots of padding and room for accessories)
• Remote trigger (wired or wireless)
• Extra Battery
• Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens
• Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro Lens
• Nikon 85mm 1.8G
• SB-910 Speedlight Flash
• High Quality Tripod

Higher end professional gear will be more specific and often require multiple camera bodies, lenses and strobes that will be beyond what anyone shooting for fun will ever need or use.   It's up to you at that point to decide what gear you'll need to get the shot.  Just remember, the gear is only a small part of the equation.  Buying pro level gear will not make you a pro.  If you were to compare the same 8X10 shot (comparable focal length and crop), one taken with a D800E set to "auto" and one with a D3200 set to "auto" for example, your result will be more or less look the same to most people.  The key to great photography is learning the exactly what all those buttons do and why some cameras are priced more than others.  Other in-between models fill in some areas that include a bit more extras, but to be honest they tend to be more of what you don't need and less of what you do.  It's better to spend the least amount to get started and eventually upgrade to pro level gear as you learn more about your needs.  The pro lenses will work on entry level cameras, so it's pretty much a no-brainer if you plan to upgrade your camera body later on.  Just look out for lenses design for crop sensor cameras since they will create vignetting on full frame sensor cameras.  Lenses also hold their value pretty well if you stick to the name brand lenses, especially with the professional ones that can sometimes go up in value in rare cases.  

Up next, lenses.