Camera Labs

Haha, best of luck there m8! I know my bank account will remain empty till the day that I have all the photographic equipment I (think I) need .

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

And once that happens you will discover that you find you "need" just one more thing.

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

The kit you mentioned is definitely great to start out with. After some experience, you'll know what's missing for you, and where it would be more important putting in some extra money.

A tripod would open up some extra possibilities: astro photography, fireworks, light painting, etc. A good tripod is worth it's weight in gold, but a cheap one (30-50$) is definitely enough to get started.

The 50mm f/1.8 is great if using available light in low-light situations. Less important for you since you already have a f/2.8, but you'll see with time how often you wish you could go with an even bigger aperture.

An external flash is something you will probably want down the road. Then an other one and another one, then light stands, umbrellas, soft boxes, etc.

A cleaning kit is definitely a great idea to invest in. Even if you're careful, I find lenses need a good cleaning every 2-6 months at the very least. If you're less careful, then even more often.

Battery grips are cool, but for 95% of people they are as practical as having a painted fire stripe on your car. They don't make your car go faster, but it makes it way cooler.

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Cameras: Canon EOS Rebel T2i, Canon S90
Lenses: Tamron: SP70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di VC USD, Canon: EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens, 75-300mm f/4.0-5.6 III, and EF 50mm f/1.8 II
Retired camera: Fujifilm Finepix s700

Don't forget how much easier it is to shoot vertical pictures then. I still really miss my grip (had one on my old 350D and not on my current 40D) sometimes. And with 2 batteries you can just keep going and going . And then I am not even talking about being able to use AA batteries in case of an emergency!

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

Not all of the things mentioned here need to be bought straight away. Most can be bought further down the line when you know why exactly you need it. When I was a beginner I found it good not to have all the accessories. Then when I experienced why I needed it I would buy it. However there are a few things that would definitely help from the beginning. A cleaning kit of some sort is definitely recommended as dust/dirt building up on the lens and sensor can show up in pictures. A lenspen, rocket blower and micro fibre cloth should be enough and would not cost a lot. A tripod (doesn't have to be an expensive one) should be bought if you plan on doing landscape/astro ect photography. A UV filter for each lens is recommended to protect the lenses and also reduce flare. Buy decent ones or it could end up compromising image quality. Something by B+W or Hoya would be good.

In terms of a flash I would see how much you end up using your built in one. If it is a lot you could consider buying one. It will also allow you to become a lot more creative with artificial light. If you find yourself doing a lot of landscape photography then you might want to consider a polarising filter and an ND filter set. However I would not buy these from the beginning in case you end up not wanting to do much landscape photography. Some other stuff like battery grips are great to have but they are expensive and they aren't a necessity!

If you get the first three items you should be good to go in pretty much all areas of photography. The rest can be bought later when you find a definite need for it.

Good luck with your new kit,

James

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

Personally...

Tripod: Nice to have and I'm using it about once a month.
Cleaning cloth: (Cheapest solution are the kind of cloth for cleaning glasses) Not so expensive and very nice to get finger prints and water drops from the front element.
Battery grip: A camera without one doesn't really feel right in my hands. I'm used to using it for portraits; it helps keeping the camera straight, offer twice the battery life without changing... but it is expensive and big, so with a Nova 190 / 200 bag I don't think it would fit.
Flash: I'm using mine very often, an indirect flash is pretty handy and can't be done with internal flashes.
50mm 1.8: I used it very often but it's getting less since I have the 100mm 2.8L. Mainly product photography is what I still do with this lens (and two flash guns)
UV filters: Only used for protection of the front lens element and the good ones that don't reduce the image quality are expensive. I have some for a few of my lenses.
Polarizers and ND filters: It's the easiest and in the end cheapest (although looking expensive in the beginning) way to get the biggest ones there are and hold them in front of your camera instead of attaching a fitting one on every lens. The only negative thing about it is that you need your left hand for that and so it's easier if the camera is sitting on a tripod.
Monopod: Don't have one. Not expensive, small, light, could be handy sometimes but I didn't *really* miss one. Does the job of an IS if used with non-stabilized lenses.

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Canon EOS 500D + Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-105mm 4L IS USM + EF 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS USM + EF 100mm 2.8L Macro IS USM + Sigma 12-24mm 4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM + Canon Speedlite 580 EX II + Nissin Speedlite Di 466

Does anyone know a decent one for that pricepoint? I saw some Hama ones in store, but only heard negative things about this brand. Maybe there are other brands worth considering? I know nothing about tripod brands.



I am choosing the Nova because the brand seems pretty good, and it's a decent sized bag with an affordable pricetag (+/- 90 euro's). Is there any other bag that you would suggest for beginners? I doubt I need the big rucksacks in the beginning, do I?

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein

Marco the Fastpacks are really great backpacks with lots of space. Lowepro has way more affordable bags than just the Nova. The Fastpacks are 99,00 at the most, and then you have the 350 (the biggest). There also is a Video Fastpack. This one is newer and has an All Weather Cover. Pretty neat, but I like the old ones better because they have more space.

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

Any specific one you would recommend based on the setup i'm getting (and keeping in mind some of the accesoiries mentioned above that most beginners will get soon).

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein

Before you end up spending too much money on stuff, I would recommend just keeping things simple at first.
Yes, a lot of these things are great.
Yes, if you get into photography, you will probably end up getting these things at some point.
However, I would recommend not go too far into purchasing stuff right now for a few reasons.
1) This is your first time going into this.
A) Do not spend a lot of money on this until after you get into it a bit. (Ensure that you are enjoying it first)
B) Set a budget then stick with it. Find out how much you are comfortable spending, then only spend that much. If you have to sacrifice some items, you can always buy them at some other point after you confirm it is worth it by enjoying what you get now.
2) You do not need to get everything now.
A) By staggering when you buy some things, you can usually ensure you get a better quality equipment or that what you are getting is better for you. Take your time to make sure you are making the correct decision.
B) If you get too many items at once, you will probably not spend enough time learning each item and how best to use it. By buying one at a time, you can ensure you "master" what you have before you add the next thing to master. This will help pace yourself.
C) If you are operating on a budget, then the more quantity you buy, the less quality you get. Sometimes it is better to focus on some quality stuff now, and stagger your purchases. Nothing is more expensive then buying a bunch of cheap things now, only to replace it in a few months. (Unless you end up just walking away from it.)

So here are some questions:
What is your budget?
Is there any type of photos you want to take? (Portraits, Landscapes, Birds, nothing in particular but want to just take pictures)

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Canon Rebel XTi, BG-E3 Grip
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II, 24-105mm f/4L, 50mm f/1.4, 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DO, 85mm f/1.8
Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Canon 430EX II
Opteka 13mm, 21mm, and 31mm extension tubes

Well the 200 served me well many years. At this point I have my 70-200/2.8 (tight fit), my 17-40/4 and my EF-S 60mm Macro in there, and got two slots to spare then. My lenses are really big, so I need more space now, but for the stuff you described the 200 should be fine. The 350 is just a bit more expensive though (around 10-15 euro) and you will have room for growth then. Maybe something to consider.

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Cameras: Canon EOS 7D, Canon EOS 40D
Lenses: Canon EF 17-40/4 L USM, Canon EF-S 60/2.8 Macro USM, Canon EF 70-200/2.8 L USM, Canon EF 100-400/4.5-5.6 L IS USM
Want list: Canon EF 24-105/4 L IS USM, Canon EF 100/2.8 Macro L IS USM

Great advice here. I agree with it all but mainly the fact that if you buy your items one at a time you will be able to get better quality items and spend more on the individual items.

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Camera: Canon 550D with battery grip
Lenses: Canon 24-105mm f/4L, Canon 50mm f1.4, Canon 18-55mm, Tamron 70-300mm,
Accessories: Manfrotto 055XPROB with 808RC4 head, Canon 430ex II speedlite, Lowepro Nova 180AW and Lowepro Pro Runner 450AW

Oh that is so lame, every hot girl who can aim a camera thinks she’s a photographer -Stewie Griffin

Are you referring to this bag --> http://www.knalpunt.nl/lowepro-fastpack-350-black.html



I would like to take wildlife pictures. I'll start with the local safaripark and some birds around my house. When I get the hang of it, I am interested in some macro photography as well. The budget is 1500 euro's for the camera and the lenses. Besides that, I have 250 euro's set aside for extra's. The memory cards are 50, so is the battery. This leaves 150 euro's for a decent bag and/or other stuff.

I have set my budget, and sticked with it thusfar. All the extra's, including flash and tripod will have to wait for now. But I don't expect to be taking pictures in low-light situations in the beginning, so that won't be a problem.

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein

I don't Hama's a bad brand in itself. I've had one of their tripods (Gamma 71) for nearly five years and it's served me really well and it's still in pretty good condition. It bought it for less than £25 so I think it was an absolute bargain.

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Bodies: Canon EOS 550D w/ Magic Lantern
Lenses: Tokina AT-X 116 Pro DX f/2.8, Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM, Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS, Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Accessories: YongNuo Speedlite YN-468 Flash, Neewer Macro LED Ring Light, Meike Battery Grip, YongNuo RF-602 Wireless Flash Trigger & Receiver YongNuo WR-128 Wireless Remote Control

I found this amazing tripod, the Vanguard Alta Pro 263AT with Vanguard Grip GH100. Though it's outside the budget for now. But it will be first on the list of accesoiries to get.

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"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources." Albert Einstein