Once you start, you just can’t stop! The following is some information on the photography equipment my hard-earned readies have eaten through, as well as some books that have taught me a great deal…
My Camera
Canon 500 D / T1i
Wow, did I do a lot of research before buying my first SLR…! Luckily, I love to do all that researching, and it definitely paid off – the 500 D is a beauty, enabling me to take photos a billion times better than any of my old compacts.
I bought mine with the 18 – 55 mm IS kit lens, which, although a budget lens, still takes great images.
Available to buy from Amazon UK here or Amazon US here (where it’s known as the T1i)
My Lenses
Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS Telephoto Zoom
This compliments the 18-55mm lens that I got with the camera perfectly, and enables me to take really close-up photos, with great ‘bokeh’ (background blur). The overall sharpness seems to be better than the kit lens, too, and the price of around £190 makes this lens, in my opinion, quite the bargain.
I did a full review of the EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 here.
You can buy this telephoto lens from Amazon UK or Amazon US
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens
After a while, I found myself looking for a lens that would enable me to take more low-light photos (i.e. indoor shots) without using flash. This seemed the perfect answer, as it had great reviews all around the ‘net, was under £100, and – the ‘prime’ selling point (pun intended) – a maximum aperture of 1.8, which means a lot of light entering at once, thus meaning higher shutter speeds to freeze that low-light action.
It is also much sharper than the kit lens, and you can play around with an incredibly shallow depth-of-field at the max aperture of 1.8 – nice! I bought mine at Amazon UK (also available at Amazon US).
My Flash
Canon Speedlite 430 EX II
My camera, like so many, came with an in-built flash – but, like so many, this produces pretty awful results! The problem is, because it’s so direct, it creates a totally unflattering ‘blast’ of light – and creates those horrible looking shadows behind the subject. The answer, my friend, is to get an external flash – like this one – so you can bounce the flash off the ceiling or walls. This works to diffuse the light, creating much softer and natural looking photos. I absolutely love this 430 EX II and, although not cheap, it has been worth every penny – I now take flash photos that don’t look like I’ve used flash at all!
You can get it at Amazon UK or Amazon US.
Miscellaneous Extras
Canon EH19-L Semi Hard Case
When you’ve bought a camera that’s, well, not cheap, you want to get some protection for it! This semi-hard case from Canon fits the bill perfectly, fitting my 500D (knowns as the T1i in the US) perfectly. As well as protecting it from any knocks and scrapes, a clip attaches to the camera strap so you can quickly release the case to take a photo, rather than having to take the camera fully out of the case.
Where can you get one of these from, I hear you ask? From Amazon US or Amazon UK!
Canon ET-60 Lens Hood
This fits on to my EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS telephoto zoom lens. Not only does it protect the lens from any knocks, it also stops any sun glare from spoiling you photos, and also helps to achieve saturated, colourful shots – as without a lens hood your photos can look a little grey and washed out. Definitely a recommended purchase if you have the same lens as me (it also fits the EF 75-300mm lens).
You can buy this from Amazon US, or Amazon UK, where I got mine.
Photography Books
‘Understanding Exposure’ by Bryan Peterson
This is one of the first photography books I ever read, and it’s one that I keep coming back to. Dealing with the very core of photography – the ‘triangle’ of Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO – it gives you the technical knowledge that you really need to become confident with your photography.
Read my full, in depth Understanding Exposure review, which includes information on what I learnt, and examples of how it’s helped my own photos.
You can get your very own copy from Amazon US, or Amazon UK.
