DSLR equipment that is a must/needed. Newbies in here.

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john182rs

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John
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I know im not in to DSLR's as much as some but im getting there.
I have had a few people ask me what is actually needed to start off within the DSLR world.

So far the bits needed so far is in my opinion of importance.

A DSLR of your choice, body only or lens kit.
A Lens that will suit to your requirment or just to start off with.
A memory card that will hold enough of your images but also fit your camera.
Caps to cover your camera body and lens.
Filters to help protect your lens.

After this i have been told that a good quality bag to hold your equipment.
Possibly a tripod or monopod.
Could choose a rainjacket for the camera and lens.

is there anything else that i should be looking for or telling people that keep asking me.
 
john182rs said:
So far the bits needed so far is in my opinion of importance.

A DSLR of your choice, body only or lens kit.
A Lens that will suit to your requirment or just to start off with.
A memory card that will hold enough of your images but also fit your camera.
Caps to cover your camera body and lens.
Filters to help protect your lens.

After this i have been told that a good quality bag to hold your equipment.
Possibly a tripod or monopod.
Could choose a rainjacket for the camera and lens.
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I'm going to purchase my first DSLR soon and had planned to get memory card and filter - but I thought the lens cap and camera body cap would come with the lens and camera? And what about a camera strap - does that come with the camera or will I need to buy one?
 
ShoeQueen said:
I'm going to purchase my first DSLR soon and had planned to get memory card and filter - but I thought the lens cap and camera body cap would come with the lens and camera? And what about a camera strap - does that come with the camera or will I need to buy one?
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All DSLR's will come with a body cap, all lenses will come with a lens cap and as far as I know all DSLRs also come with a camera strap.
 
You've pretty much got in summed up there :thumbs:

However, just a minor crit....

Don't bother with filters for protection.
Unless they are very high quality (and EXPENSIVE :D ) they will degrade the quality of your shots.
Use a lens hood, which not only does what a hood should do, it also acts (to a degree) as protection.

The caps will come with the body, if you buy a body only option, and lens caps will come with the lens.
If you buy a body/kit lens package, you'd probably only get a lens caps I'd have thought :shrug:

Also worth investing in a decent micro-fibre cloth for cleaning the glass elements of your lenses (and LCD screen!)
 
ShoeQueen said:
I'm going to purchase my first DSLR soon and had planned to get memory card and filter - but I thought the lens cap and camera body cap would come with the lens and camera? And what about a camera strap - does that come with the camera or will I need to buy one?
Click to expand...

yes the caps come with the kit (second hand however can be a different story) and yes the kit will normally come with a camera strap.
 
I'd suggest that rather than buying one large memory card you buy two or three smaller ones. There's nothing worse than being out on a days shooting, only to find your memory card has died. I always carry at least two with me now.

As for bags, try one out with all your kit in to check for comfort. From someone who's had several bags there's nothing worse than walking around with an uncomfortable bag that cuts in your shoulder or pulls on your back. And try to get one that has enough room for if you begin to expand your kit. Nothing worse than buying a new lens and having to buy a new bag as well. :)
 
me15 said:
I'd suggest that rather than buying one large memory card you buy two or three smaller ones. There's nothing worse than being out on a days shooting, only to find your memory card has died. I always carry at least two with me now.

As for bags, try one out with all your kit in to check for comfort. From someone who's had several bags there's nothing worse than walking around with an uncomfortable bag that cuts in your shoulder or pulls on your back. And try to get one that has enough room for if you begin to expand your kit. Nothing worse than buying a new lens and having to buy a new bag as well. :)
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Totally agree with both points :clap:
 
Something worth considering is buying a bag thats bigger than what you need from the start as ive found that my 1st bag was outgrown within 2 months once i got my second lens and a few filters. Ive went from a Lowepro Altus 120 (£25) to a Lowepro Nova 180 AW (£60) and now the Altus is sitting gathering dust.
Phil
 
I've been meaning to get a hood

my kit (reburbished 1000d) cam with all the covers for the body and lens. I'm guessing the cloth for my glasses will be ok on a camera (unless it's an issue for the lens coatings)
 
me15 said:
I'd suggest that rather than buying one large memory card you buy two or three smaller ones. There's nothing worse than being out on a days shooting, only to find your memory card has died. I always carry at least two with me now.
Click to expand...

I've been using CF cards for 15 years and that's never happened to me. The only time I've lost images is when I've lost the card. Now I have a card alrge enough for a whole day's shooting. The only way I can lose it is to lose the camera.

I'd rather have all my eggs in one basket than try to juggle four baskets of eggs.
 
Lightroom

Decent PC

A willingness to learn and do - rather than thinking that buying things will make things easier
 
A tripod is definitely a must because without a tripod you're missing out on maybe 50% of the uses of your DSLR. Slow shutter speeds can't really be dabbled in so that negates light trails and decent images in low light. I'd recommend spending very little to start with and then, if you really are getting into photography, upgrading properly. Before a trip to venice I did a lot of research into tripods and it's something you will keep for the rest of your life, therefore it's worth splashing the cash. If you're interested on the buyer decision making process I took I did a thorough explanation here http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47930 which includes links that helped me.

In terms of lenses, that's probably a whole extra thread but I'd recommend getting a 50mm prime. Lets you appreciate why people rave about large Apertures (low f numbers), helps you compose without distractions of zooming and they're uber cheap.

In terms of bags, I love my Lowepro Fastpacks (had 250 and 350). They're pretty cheap on amazon and let you carry a lot of camera gear and room for a jumper/sandwich/weekend things too.
 
Nawty said:
A lenspen or two would be on my list.
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Good shout! And I'd add a Giottos air rocket - best £10 you'll spend.

DON'T use an aerosol can of compressed air, this will leave residue on your lenses/sensor!!!
 
if you're starting off with just a camera and one lens you can probably skip the blower as there won't be any need to take the lens off and get muck inside.

a cheap remote release - probably i/r type - might be worth getting.
 
For a newcomer, I would say just the body and kit zoom. Nothing else at first.

Learn to use that, get to know it, explore what you can do.

Only then build your outfit in whatever direction you want to go first. Long lens, super-wide, strobist, macro, whatever. Stick with it, and you'll soon end up with more clobber than you can carry, but will save a few expensive mistakes along the way.
 
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