Starting on a Budget, THIS is What I'd Buy.

In this video I discuss what camera and lens I would buy if I was just starting out in photography or in video work. Let me know what your ideal (budget) first camera and lens would be down in the comments below!

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Gear That I Use & Recommend:
CAMERAS:
For Photo & Video

For Video

APS-C LENSES:

FULL FRAME LENSES:

AUDIO:

LIGHTING:

NICE-TO-HAVE ACCESSORIES:

Complete Gear List:

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Disclosure:
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Supporting The Channel:

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Professional & Sponsorship Inquiries:

[rd]

For anyone who does not know, this guy LOVEs wide angle. I would actually recommend a 30mm to start with. It’s even cheaper.

[cebedojames]

Im a pro. I recommend getting whatever cheap dslr you can find. Learn how to do manual exposure and also manual focus. Get better at compositions. Also learn how to edit photos on whatever editor you can get your hands on. Its your creativity that matters in the end. Some people are naturally just not creative, and some are very creative. Expensive gear will not make you better. Just like an ultra expensive piano will not make you a concert pianist.

[kmcdonaldjr]

I LOVE how you got straight to the camera and lens, I appreciate that you didn't drag us along. I watched the whole video anyway, because I respect that you did that.

[danielbogos]

Little advice. For most people 30 mm 1.4 sigma is way better because its not that wide. Anyway, both lens are crazy good and ridiculously sharp for their price. As a combo, both are a must for a beginner. After these two, you can add something like 80 mm or a zoom 55 to 140 or something similar.

[ItzSlushie]

It doesn’t matter if your camera cost $300 or $3000. If you enjoy the photos you’re taking with it, that’s really all that matters.

[Akinto]

I've had old bulky full frame Canon DSLRs with huge lenses for 10 years now, I rarely every bring it anywhere because I have to haul a full backpack. Definitely not on vacation. Decided to get a "extra" small Sony, but ended up selling all my DSLR stuff.

Got a A6300 with a Sony 18-105mm for $400, sold the lens for $300 and bought a Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 for $350.

$450 for a A6300 and Sigma 18-50mm, extreme value for money. I got rid of $5000 of DSLR stuff, and now started from "scratch" again with this. No regrets at all so far.

[leolaw]

I have bought the a6400 and sigma 16mm four years ago because of your recommendation. Now, I have upgraded to a7iv. I agree with you. APS-C is the best for beginners. You may get better blurry background from full-frame. However, the sharpness of the sigma APSC trio is absolutely the best.

[Kevodabomb_Media]

One of the best photographers I know still uses his 12mp Nikon D90 from 2008 and a kit lens, he has had it since new. He refuses to upgrade, and his photos are better than mine with my X-T4, and much better lenses.

My camera definitely produced much better images technically, but the one thing I don’t have is the 30+ years of photography experience he has. So I agree with your sentiment. It I could go back I would’ve gone more entry level and stuck with it for years.

My only thing though is that I feel that primes may not always be the best way to start, especially one as wide as the 16. Also it’s fairly large which might deter some users from bringing their camera out.

Honestly for most people I’d recommend just starting with the kit lens, shooting with it for about a year then looking at all your EXIF data to see what focal length you gravitate to. Once you know that, buy a prime lens in that focal length. From there, you can start truly honing in with that focal length. I think a prime can feel very limiting for a beginner, which can make someone a better photographer, but it can also make them give up.

[christianboddum]

Man I'd just like to say; you are so lucky that you have a wife that likes to be in front of you and your camera, you can see she enjoys it in a very natural way, and you get great shots at the same time! Respect to her!

[tom.allez]

This was probably the most honest video and most humble video on photography I’ve seen. Thank you.

[G.with.camera]

2 years ago I started with a6100 and 50mm f/1.8. Now I'm shooting weddings, concerts, portraits and anything i want by a6100 and a6500 with Sigma 16mm 1.4, Sony 35 1.8, Sony 50 1.8 and Sony FE 85 1.8. I don't feel I need to upgrade to full frame. I'm happy from quality of RAWs and my clients happy from results. In low light situation I use flash anyway so...
Arthur - very good video! I totally agree and highly recommend a6100 as a first camera.
About Sigma 16mm lens - Sony 35mm 1.8 could be better option for begin in my opinion.

[thinh_pham]

I would recommend a zoom lens for new people because it’s more flexible, and if they want, they can use it as multiple fixed lens until finding out which fixed focal length works best for them. I know you love the 16mm and it definitely works for you proven by a lot of previous videos, but for me, it’s too wide.

[KEHA]

As a professional, the difference with FF to APSC is both performance quality and professional function and redundancies like dual slot. I'm glad Sony has finally started adding dual slots to bodies like the fx30. Great review and great advice!

[midlifeadventures]

You're the reason I bought the A6000 and 16mm. Ive shot so many music videos and photos with that lens! I then got the A6600 and completed the Sigma 3 pack. Now I'm about to get the Sony FX30. Thanks for all the insight and reviews. I do appreciate it.

[-grey]

I agree with you on the aps-c needs. I switched a few years ago, because I don't really need more, but also because I don't really want to haul more. Now my primary camera is a Ricoh GRIII, purely because I know I'm lazy — I'm not changing my life for a camera, so anything bigger will be left at home.

[Bald_Zeus]

Now, I haven't seen this video until now but coincidentally, a Sony a6000 with a Sigma 16mm 1.4 is what I have been rocking for 3 years now and that combo is great. Amazing landscape photos, really nice portrait (however you need to get quite close to the object), and really good night photo. Where I felt it lacked was when taking photos of objects that were a bit further away, they'd turn out quite small. I just recently got myself another lens, a Sony 50mm 1.8 to complement on that.

[marcbeebe]

Well thought-out and explained. As a photographer who has been taking pictures longer than most people have been alive (over 50 years) I'd say you've given some very good advice here. I recently suffered a significant vision loss and have had to rework my methods, starting with putting the EVF cameras on the shelf because I can't make out their tiny, dim displays. So now my kit is a couple of old Canon DSLRs (one full frame, one APS-C), an old Canon G11 for walk-around shooting, and the surprise element of an Olympus E-410 four-thirds (not micro 4/3) DSLR which I can adapt the classic lenses I already have to (a job formerly held by an a6000). I like gear too, and used to have a collection of hundreds of film cameras. But life forces us to make changes sometimes. Keep up the great work and videos! May your family always be happy and healthy.

[catherinegrimes]

I would recommend a used Fujifilm X-S10. It is a very good all rounder, takes very good photographs and produces very good jpgs straight out of the camera.

[YamRaj]

I absuluty agree with you, I purchased my camera for $300 and shot photos with it for 5 years which went to even showcase on Time Square and even published in some of the biggest magazines.

[keithspillett]

Great video, and very informative/honest. I'm English, living in London, and, until I retired five years ago, I had been a working professional photographer for over forty years. Although I would have LIKED to always have the 'latest and greatest' gear, it often wasn't financially viable, and the equipment I used had to earn its place in my bag, AND be built to stand up to daily use for 5-10 years! The last system I used prior to retirement included a pair of Sony A6000s and an A7, plus a variety of lenses. In retirement, I've shrunk my system to a pair of Olympus bodies, plus a mixture of Olympus, Lumix and Sigma M43 lenses. This works fine for me, because I use a lot of lighting when I'm in low light situations. Keep up the good work 👏