by Julia Catherine Lee

Created on: January 07, 2009

You Have a Limited Budget and Want to Take Better Photos, Where Do You Start?

This article is about what to buy and what to do when you decide you want to embark on this fabulous journey of photography. When I first started dabbling in photography, I went through the same agonizing few months trying to figure out what I should buy. I had no clue then and very little knowledge on

photography equipment. Buying just the right amount of camera equipment to start is the biggest challenge for someone starting out especially if you do not have an unlimited budget, or you are sensible enough that you don't want to splurge on a hobby right now.

For a start, you need to get a camera. Here I am going to assume you want to go digital and so this will be a DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera) (You want to stay away from a Point and Shoot because you want a camera that has advanced features and allows you some setting control). You will need a lens or two, depending on what kind of photography you like to do, plus protective lens filters to go with the lens. You should also get a good tripod, a camera bag or backpack and a lens cleaning kit. This completes the basic equipment to get you started.

How much do you think you should spend on your new hobby? In today's prices, $600-1500 would be a good range. On the lower end, $600 would get you a basic 6+ mega-pixel digital camera and a kit lens plus a basic tripod, camera bag and a filter set. On the far end hand, $1500 would probably get you a 10+ mega-pixel digital camera, and medium telephoto lens, a medium quality tripod and camera backpack and filter kit. Now, there is constant debate over whether Nikon or Canon is better, there is really no hard and fast rule here. They are both excellent camera brands more than adequate to do the job. Shop around, compare, try out your friend's camera and lenses. Don't jump on the first good deal that comes along. A good place to look is Craigslist where you can get good condition used digital SLR camera and lenses at very attractive prices and that o me is the best place to start. Make sure you bring a friend who knows about camera with you to test them out before you spend the money especially if this is your first major purchase.

The next most important step you should consider is to take a weekend photography classes at a community college in your area. Often these classes are very inexpensive and it will help explain the basic and clarify your understanding on f/stop, shutter speed,

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