Photography 101 – Everything You Wanted to Know!

Basic Equipment

So you are looking to get into photography and/or videography? Can’t seem to figure out what you need to get going? Can’t decide which setup would be best for you? Is the image quality good or not?

I’m fairly sure that prior to going out to buy your first gear you’ll feel stuck and troubled with a whole lot of questions troubling you. I plan on making things easier for you. First and foremost, the basic question every single person out there asks first is “How good is the quality of said camera, do I need a very expensive model to get top notch image quality, etc”. Allow me to settle this matter for you with a rather short answer.

With decent available light no camera made from 2012 and onwards has image quality issues.

Talking about modern models, take for example the entry level and “mid-entry” level Nikon cameras nowadays, the D3300 and the D5300 both feature a 24.2MP APS-C sensor.

Their low light/High ISO performance is totally indiscernible, the image quality at the same scene and settings is also indiscernible, the D5300 has a very slightly wider Dynamic Range (~0.7 stops) which is practically useless, it doesn’t prevent you from nailing any shot with either camera.

So Image Quality-wise, everything’s on par, you wouldn’t be able to tell which of the two cameras took the photo you are looking at/inspecting.

The differences are mostly ergonomic-wise, for example the D5300 has a tilting LCD screen which is useful when you are shooting using angles that do not allow you to use the viewfinder or the non-tilting LCD screen of the D3300, the D5300 has a built-in HDR and Panorama mode which is practically useless for any semi-serious photographer, and nothing that you can’t do with the D3300 with just a few clicks on your computer/tablet/smartphone.

The first real difference between the two is the number of focus points that they have and the count of cross type focus points (the cross type focus points are more accurate, consistent, more sensitive [i.e. can focus better and quicker with less available light than the non-cross type focus points] and faster in finding focus).

The D3300 has just 11 focus points, with just 1 cross type focus point, while the D5300 has 39 focus points with 9 cross type focus points.

None of this matter if you are not shooting moving subjects using the viewfinder.

If you like to photograph static scenes such as landscapes, cityscapes, architecture & building, objects/products, etc focusing is done (preferably) using Contrast Detect AutoFocus using the “LiveView” mode of your camera which offers a much more accurate focusing performance.

With the image quality concerns now cleared hopefully, let’s talk about the very basic equipment that every type & kind of photographer needs to get started:

• A camera with at least 1 suitable lens (duh!)
• A memory card that is compatible with the camera (some cameras accept CF cards, other SD cards, other XQD cards, other Memory Stick/Duo)
• A microfiber lint-free cloth for cleaning your lens if it gets dirty
• *A cabled or wireless (I advise against going wireless) shutter release if you plan on doing long exposures (unless you hook up your camera with a computer and use a remote control application or connect a remote shutter to your camera, you will not be able to do any exposures longer than 30s)
• ** If you plan on doing long exposures or shoot static subjects under low light without a flash, then you also need to purchase a sturdy tripod

Not a lot as you can see, especially if you won’t be doing any long exposures, you’ll just need a camera, a lens, a memory card and a cleaning cloth for your lens.

If you plan on doing all kinds of photography, your first lens should be a zoom lens with a decent amount of range, starting from pretty wide to telephoto on the other end.

If you don’t like shooting portraits and/or wildlife, you can get the basic kit lens (usually a 18-55mm with most APS-C sensor cameras, or a 24-85/24-120mm with most full frame sensor cameras) and be done with it.

If you like shooting wildlife and/or portraits, you will have to add a second lens to your kit, one with longer focal length, try to steer clear from the cheap 55-200 lenses, if you have a severely limited budget go for a 55-300, if you can afford to spend some more money, go for a 70-300.

If you’ll be shooting landscapes/cityscapes/architecture/nature/night-scenes/stars-and-sky-objects you definitely need and should get a tripod.

For a cheap and worth buying tripod take a look at the entry-level tripods from Benro, Cullman, MeFoto and maybe Cullmann.

Don’t go dirt cheap because you will regret it (in the best case scenario it will be very unstable and give you problems getting sharp photos, shooting with any kind of wind over 4 Beaufort will be impossible, and it will eventually [could be too soon!] break).

Look for a tripod with a “payload capacity” that is at least twice the weight of your equipment.

For a beginner’s kit, e.g. an entry-level APS-C camera from any manufacturer and a 18-55 kit lens a tripod from the brands I mentioned above with a payload capacity of 4-5kg will do fine.

Choose something with LESS THAN 4 ideally, less than 3, leg sections (the more leg sections, the thinner the legs get and the more unstable the tripod becomes).

If you plan on shooting portraits of people, you should include at least 1 speedlight (flash) with your order, ideally you should be looking at two speedlights accompanied by a set of wireless triggers.

You can start with just one flash and have it on your camera’s hotshoe or a little off-set to the side using an extension cable and a L bracket off eBay.

The “deeper” you get into portraiture the more profound the need for more lighting units and capabilities will become.

You’ll start looking at softboxes to soften your light, reflectors, diffusers, and maybe a beauty dish or a ring flash.

As you can see the “necessary” and the optimal equipment changes according to the kind of photography that you are looking to do. If you are unsure about your “passion”, start with the “all kinds” basic kit described in the first paragraph of this section, and once you realize which photography kinds attract you the most, then build your knowledge first & equipment appropriately.

Education and practice is absolutely necessary, no camera, lens or any accessory will ever allow you to take a great photograph. Our imagination, technical and theoretical knowledge on photography, composition and lighting is what allows us to take great photos, not the gear.

A bad photographer with fantastic, crazy expensive equipment, remains a bad photographer.

In the near future we’ll publish another article to help you pick the best gear for your budget depending on the kind of photography you’d like to do.