Last week, I talked about how I make the most of lighting, and now we’re on to the equipment. I’ve seen so many posts about photography over the last few years, but most of the time I couldn’t take the advice because I didn’t have over $2,000 to spend. For blogging purposes, I prefer (and so does my wallet) to keep my equipment stash fairly small, and as efficient as possible! So, here’s what I use, if you care to know! CAUTION: This post is LONG.
^ When I don’t have my camera or phone = grainy photos.
The Camera
I recently bought a Nikon D5300. Before, I used a Nikon D40 for about 6 years (which I’d still have if I had taken care of it). It was the BEST deal on a good camera. Though I’ve used Canons a couple times, I’m comfortable with Nikon and it’s almost always more affordable. In my opinion they’re also easier to use. Jennifer uses a Canon and loves it, but she had to invest a lot more initially, so keep that in mind if you’re on the lookout for dSLRs!
My suggestion for an affordable camera? Buy the body only. It’s cheaper and if you want a really good lens, skip right past the kit. I didn’t do this the first time and ended up never using the kit lens. Instead, I purchased the Nikon body for $650, and invested in two nicer, different lenses right away (notes below), that I actually use. There are also bundles that can save you $, but after researching, I learned that this was the best route to get the right lenses.
If you’re on the lookout for a camera, take other opinions (like mine) into consideration, but make sure not to just go with what one person says. Photographers don’t all use one brand, so don’t feel like you have to go with anything specific, just what will work for you.
The Lenses
Nikkor 55-200mm zoom lens: $150 The first lens I ever got aside from the kit lens. Perfect for both portraits + nature, that’s what I took photos of most of the time, so it was ideal. Since upgrading to the D5300, I’ve got two new ones, but I still love this one overall. If you blog about travels or adventure, I definitely suggest it, but this lens is also an option:
Sigma 18-250mm lens: $290-$400 You can grab this for Nikon or Canon. I purchased it because it has great reviews as a walkabout lens, which literally is what I do all the time (haha). I wanted to walk around, zoom in on something I saw, snap photos, etc. But I also wanted to zoom out to photograph Etsy stuff or DIY, so it had to be a wide range. While this is a good go-to, I actually use the 50mm below more for blogging because the lens creep on this one is REAL, making it somewhat annoying to take flaylays and such. Plus it’s heavy. Still, if you want a huge range all in one lens, this is an option.
A 50mm f/1.8 lens: $100-$200 Perfect for portraits, the 50mm lens is my go to most of the time. I’m obsessed with the lighting and clarity the Nikon version provides every damn time, on automatic, and Jenn loves her Canon equivalent. Even though I always have to stand on a chair when I use it for blog photos (like the one featured here), the result is so amazing I don’t even mind. If you style blog or have people in your shots a lot, this one is a must too.
I was able to get the perfect camera kit for me by buying the body + two lenses for a total of $1350. For blogging, I’d be totally satisfied with just the 50mm, in which case I’d have my tools for under $1,000. If you’re on a budget but won’t compromise quality, I do suggest this! But, there’s one other FAB budget friendly option for blogging cameras… The iPhone 6!
The Phone
iPhone 6: I can’t speak for the 5, as I owned the 4 before this, but I’d have never taken blog photos with a phone before I got the 6. I bought it last fall because a new camera wasn’t in the budget and I needed one for work. I was submitting articles and not getting good photos to go along with them. This saved me! Plus, I went on a road trip to Big Sur right after purchasing and am beyond happy because I got wonderful photos from it. The only thing I took my SLR out for (which at the time was falling apart) was to use the 200mm to whale watch. I don’t exactly understand why, but iPhone 6 is amazing at landscapes. I always take it out at the beach. As far as blogging, this is pretty much all you need, though you will have to sacrifice zoom for the most part. Having all the above is better, but there are a ton of bloggers that use iPhone only and if you’ve got a good eye for composition, know how to work with lighting, and work to get that amazing shot, the iPhone 6 is a perfect investment to have all your tech in one place.
Going on 900 words here, so I’m going to stop! What’s been your biggest photography investment? For those of you on the fence about equipment, I hope this helps!
Carly says
Buying a 50mm lens is one of the best investments I’ve ever made! I love it.
http://www.theclydescope.com
Angela says
Agreed! Your blog is super cute, btw.
Leticia (Thee Limited Edition) says
I bought a decent camera but sometimes I still find that reach for my iPhone 6+ when I’m not really in the mood for messing with the camera settings!
Kathryn J says
I enjoy in depth features like this, and I appreciated the detail you’ve included here. I’m just starting to get to grips with the manual mode on my camera, and I’m starting to look longingly at DSLR models but I’m still working out my shopping priorities so your suggestions are super helpful, thank you! :)
Elena says
Hello, I’m wondering how do bloggers tend to have such bright and white pictures. There always seems to be much clarity and brightness in any pictures. Can you help please. I have a Nikon d5000 and an iPhone 6. Which would be the better option?
Angela says
Hey Elena!
It’s generally a combination of two things. Natural lighting, and photo editing software. I find that both my Nikon and iPhone 6 are great with natural light. So always try to photograph near a window. You can put white paper down or a board and lay all your things out on it. Most likely, you’ll still have to brighten the photo once you upload it. There’s actually a free Photoshop Express app for iPhone you can use for phone pics. For my camera, I always, always upload it to Adobe Lightroom. I have the Photoshop + Lightroom subscription and it’s so worth it. Makes it really easy to get that white look! Hope that helps :).
Polly says
This is such a timely article for me as I’m trying to upgrade my camera situation. Many thanks!
Joe says
Hi I started a food blog a few month ago. What camera and lens do you suggest me to buy?
girl C says
You should check out ‘Sally’s Baking Addiction’. She is a baking blogger and her picture quality is amazing! She has talked about which camera and lens she uses. She also has a blog for her photography.
xo girl C
https://fromgirlc.wordpress.com/
Kelly says
This was extremely helpful since I have recently started blogging and am still getting the hang of the photography part. Thank you for the posts of taking photos!
Jennifer Taylor says
This was so helpful. I came across your blog by chance today, and am loving every bit of information you provide. Thanks!!
Myra Kay Hammon says
I use a Canon T4i. I find it will do everything I need it to do. I also have a Canon T3i. There are a few minor differences between these cameras, but they are the same cameras. I either use a stock lens or a 50mm, nothing fancy.
Angela says
Thanks for sharing! Hopefully people looking for Canons will take note :)
Mindy Davis says
Where did you purchase your camera (body only) and lens(s) from? I’ve never had a professional camera, and I’ve always had a passion for taking pictures, and to be honest I know little to nothing about how to use one but I’m ready to purchase one soon as long as it’s in my budget, lol! I will watch YouTube videos if I have too, just to be able to use it properly.
Angela says
Hi Mindy! I bought both on Amazon (linked above in pink). If you’re just starting out I’d recommend that body (the Nikon) as well as a 50mm lens we talk about in the post. I don’t use my other lenses nearly as much so you could always start there and branch out when you learn more about the camera. Hope that helps :)
Canon Shooter says
A true eyes opener, it cleared a lot of foggy ideas I had about setting a decent scenario for shooting photos at home!!! Thanks for sharing it with us!!!
elburroviajero says
Hi, just a question: if you have a 18-250, why buy a 55-200? Buy a 18-105 like a kit lens and a 70-300 like a zoom, no? And, if you have a d5300 for portraits is better a 35, on a dx camera it is like a 52; a 50 on your d5300 is like a 75… not good for portraits, is a middle zoom. And 18 on a dx is not a wide angle, is a 27, if you need a wide angle you need a sigma 10-20 or a tokina 11-16. And for travellers the 5200 is better than the 5300: the 5200 have a better chromatic response and a gps!!!
Angela says
As mentioned I bought the Sigma lens after the 55-200. I had the 55-200 which served my purposes well when I originally had a D40 but when I upgraded to the D5300, that lens was pretty old and I wanted to try a new one that still had a good range. I still liked the 55-200 which is cheaper so I put it on my list for those on a budget.
Felicia Yvette says
Thanks for the tips. I’ve been using my phone only for 2016 – started fresh! I think it’s working for me, for now!
Rebecca Bryant says
I am on a tight budget and don’t have $100’s to spend. that said I want to upgrade from my old point and shoot digital camera. What do you suggest and do you feel buying refurbished is okay?
Angela says
I don’t have a personal recommendation but when I was doing research I made sure to read lots of reviews and best of lists from tech publications and such – there are a lot of photography bloggers who will go over which cameras have the biggest rewards for your investment, and which are really only necessary for those looking for a professional upgrade. I think buying refurbished or even used is totally okay, but I haven’t personally! dSLRs tend to have a pretty long lifespan too, so if you bought from a reputable source you’d probably still get a great quality photo and only have to invest in lenses down the road.
Deen says
I am significantly more inspired by photograph quality instead of does it have WI-FI or GPS and so on. For whatever length of time that I can exchange my photographs to my PC, once transferred I can then do whatever I need with them or send them to where I need. I think there are the individuals who are occupied with photography as a diversion and there are the individuals who simply need a great camera to take depictions to send by WI-FI to awe companions. I for the most part utilize Nikon DSLR’s yet to purchase a lens that’s around 1440 mm for a DSLR then you should be talking in the a large number of pounds. So having an extensive camera that zooms in 60 times for those times that you require a solid zoom is an exceptionally shoddy and great option for under$ 500. I have had a decent practice with my Nikon this previous week and I think its value the cash only for the zoom alone. I have had other scaffold cameras with zooms yet the zooms were no place close in the same class as this camera.
Mark W says
Wow, this is a great list!
Used Photo Pro has a wide variety of cameras and lenses in stock at any time, and we can fit any price point! Often an older camera and a great lens are the perfect combination for a beginner blogger looking to take great shots.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about what to purchase!
Pam says
Awesome post!! Thank you for taking the time to share your experience. The Nikon D5300 is sounding pretty good to me right now. :)
Thank you!!
Angela says
I love it!
Krissy says
Thanks for the awesome tips!
I’ve always had a knack for photography – it’s definitely one of my passions. All of the photos on my blog are “iPhone Only” and I’m quite happy with how they turn out. The base is definitely good lighting, composition and then of course, editing. I honestly find sometimes if you catch perfect light with the iPhone 6, no editing is required! Such a wonderful little device! One day I hope to get a dslr, but for now I’ll continue to master the iPhone 6 way!
Love your blog! And the photos ;)
krissy
Gordon says
Thanks for all the useful information.
Felicia says
I absolutely love Nikon. I have the Nikon point & shoot coolpix camera, so it is a bigger digital camera and it works great with outdoor photography. I also use my iPhone 6Splus. I love both of them, but I also want to invest in an even bigger camera that has interchangeable lenses.
Amit Kumar says
Awesome post!! This was so helpful. Thanks for all the useful information.
maria says
I’m new to the blog scene but have always enjoyed photography. Those prices were making me sweat – until I got down to the bottom of your article where you mentioned the iPhone 6. Hallelujah! I have one of those and can totally make it work :) Also, the comments on this post were super helpful…thanks!
Love the site!
http://www.educationchic.com
farnaz says
I am a frequent visitor of your blog. Thanks for sharing information about photography its very helpful for me.
Eva Sanders says
Please could you stop using our floral heart image on Pinterest to direct traffic to your site?
Angela says
Hi Eva,
I have no idea how our URL got placed behind that image. We’ve never used your image or uploaded that photo with our URL behind it as a pin. I noticed I had your image pinned to my floral design on my personal Pinterest so I’ve deleted it. I’m sorry about pinning it, but I’m not sure why our URL got behind it. We would never do that. So, to answer your question–sure, I’ve deleted the post, but we’ve never ever used your photo to direct traffic to our site and we will continue not to!
Judging by pins from The Blog Market on Pinterest, it was recently pinned with our link to Ashley Brooke’s Pinterest board:
https://www.pinterest.com/source/theblogmarket.co/
She has about 10x as many followers as us, so you may want to ask her to remove the link to keep it from circulating further.
Thanks for letting us know!
Eva says
Thanks for letting us know. This image has been used loads of times now without a link to our site. Its hard to track down where it was originally pinned from. So thanks for letting us know! :)
DSLR Cameras says
Love this! Superb. I have been into the photography world since years ago and it’s been satisfying. Thanks for all the useful info you got there!
Dan S says
Great info. Thanks for sharing.
Lynda says
Great comments! Here’s my question for you. A few years ago I got tired of caring two lenses for my Nikon, so invested in the 18-300mm. Now I wish I had a better lens for landscapes, portraits, shots needing flash. I suppose the easiest, cheapest solution would be a flash! I travel internationally and love nature photography (birds!) and people. Any advice?
Angela says
Hmm, I’m not quite sure! I’m still using the two lenses, so if I’m going on a nature trip I end up lugging them both around! But then at least when I just want to take portraits I can bring the 50 and it’s so much lighter. I love taking nature photos too so I should look into the best solution!
Robf says
I’ve never had a professional camera, and I’ve always had a passion for taking pictures, and to be honest I know little to nothing about how to use one but I’m ready to purchase one in the near future, I’m currently renting a Canon mk 111 from Fat Lama, as an almost test run. However, I need a more permanent solution.