practicalphoto.com

This is probably the most important criteria for most folks when dabbling in photography - equipment, also called Big Boy’s Toys, along with cars, hifi and some cases, women. To some lesser hands, photography IS all about equipment. Whenever I join a photography group, there’s always one or two guys who will brag about having most number of Cokin filters…

Camera
Of course it goes without saying this has to be the most critical equipment as no camera means no photos right? This is where most beginners get confused. If you are new to photography and you intend to learn from books, the usual advice will be to get a fully manual system.

Of which I whole-heartedly agree, however having taken this long and winding road before, and bearing in mind those books were written quite some years ago, a much better approach TODAY would be to get a digital camera AND learn basics like composition first. Yup, sharpen your skills first, then pick the right camera to go along your strengths and photography style.

May be of interest to you… My current digital camera is this Kodak C360 which I bought couple months ago. It’s really good at what it does and haven’t failed me so far.

Instant gratification! That’s the best part of digital. No more heartbreaks when receiving prints from the darkroom. Most times, you could even reshoot and learn from there, thus improving your photography.

Features wise, my minimum criteria used to be 3.2 megapixel but nowadays 5 megapixel seems like the minimum you could buy now. (Couple of months later maybe 6 megapixel.) So buy whatever is the most popular right now! I definitely won’t recommend going for a 13 mega pixel when the market is only at 5 mega pixel. Unless you are the extremely generous sort…

Definitely do not need those mega mega zooms. Zoom lens have more moving parts and thus have a higher tendency to fail. Also, at the furthest zoom end, quality is usually compromised. There is a better way though. Since we are in digital world now, try this simpple tip. Shoot at maximum quality, then crop later. See this? I ran out of zoom.

No problem. Shoot first, crop later.

Tripod
I like tripods a lot but hate lugging them around. I own a 6′ Tilltall, a standard Bogen but rarely use them these days. When I started photography, I could be seen lugging my Bogen (and many camera bodies + lens) even during casual shooting. Boy, I sure look like a lunatic! Definitely not practical at all! When I travel, it’s no fun lugging such big tripods around. If you are travelling with a tour group, not only you slow everyone down, you dont have the luxury of time either. So whenever I travel, my favourite and practical tripod, is this Bogen (Manfrotto in some countries) Tabletop Tripod.

Serious amateurs will baulk at the idea of using this tripodo instead of a standard true blue Bogen or Gizmo but digital cameras are small and light, thus the requirements is different now. Besides, there’s no jerky mechanical movement inside the camera like 35mm SLR cameras. It could support a TLR as well but no more than that.

Please note that the plastic tripod that came free with your digital camera is NOT a tripod. It’s a toy. It’s so flimsy I bet it’ll even shake in the wind. The tabletop, I have been using for years and will still use it for many more to come.