After raking your brains on what photography equipment you must buy first, you’ll be faced with another question: “What camera bag should I buy?”. Like the previous questions of what camera to buy and what accessories to buy next and in what sequence, answering the question of what bag to buy is a headache.
Don’t worry, most of us will face this problem. When I faced this problem, here’s what I did:
Now that you’ve got your nice, new and shiny DSLR camera, it’s time for the additions. If you started with the basic kit of camera body and kit lens, good for you. Before long, you’ll start contemplating on what to buy next. Most of the time it will be these three: Flash, Tripod and Lens. So what do you buy first? As always, my automatic answer is “what do you need?”
Establishing the need for any equipment/tool/accessory is the first thing you should do when contemplating on a new acquisition.
Note: Gear Acquisition Sickness (or Syndrome in some part of the online photography community), or GAS is an affliction that hits you when you start mingling with other photographers and beginners. I’ll discuss GAS in another post, but as a brief, GAS makes you need something that you really just want. It’s like saying I WANT to have this lens because I think it’s cool, then rationalizing that you NEED that lens because it will make you a better photographer. In the end you just end up with a lens that doesn’t make you a better photographer and just takes up space in your bag or dry cabinet.
So on with the tips.
During the time I was writing this article, I noticed that it was fairly long. So to save you from reading till the end, I’m giving you a summary:
If you’re budget conscious yet you need to satisfy that urge to buy more, follow this sequence of purchases:
cheap TRIPOD, good FLASH, better LENS.
Still interested to know my rationale for that sequence? Read on.
Jan 042009
I often get the question, “Why get a DSLR?” from beginners who have been told by other photographers to get DSLRs. My first reaction is, “You don’t, unless you really need to.” and “Google it.” And if you do search for it, you’ll find tons of useful articles, especially one from Digital Photography School.
But since I’m writing about budget photography and how to cut down on spending in this hobby, i’m going to give you some points to consider before buying a DSLR.
As part of my new year resolution to write regularly, I’m creating a series of blogs on tips and suggestions for the photographer on a tight budget. I’ll be dishing out practical advice on cutting cost in this “expensive hobby” of ours.
The initial topic list includes:
- Why get a DSLR?
- Flash, Tripod, Lens – which comes first?
- Buying tips for your camera bags
- The benefits of downsizing – - – your gear.
- Does size matter?
- Etiquette for the newbie photographer
This will get me busy for a while.
You may ask why I’m giving these tips. Well, I’ve been asked about these topics so many times I thought it best to just write about it and point the person to my blogs. Feel free to try them out.
A disclaimer: These are my suggestions and opinions based on my experience. These are not rules you always follow, but they are more of guidelines, like the rule of thirds (sounds better than calling it the guideline of thirds). I’m in no way forcing you to adapt them or implement them; and in no way am I responsible if your gear lust dies after following these blogs.
Let the cheap times roll. 
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