Hello! Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions about what cameras I use so I decided to make a blog post with the information all in one place. I started taking the photos you see on my Instagram with an Iphone 7 Plus, then moved on to the Nikon D3400 and 3500. I am not going to recommend any of these, but I figured it was worth noting that not all of my photos, even some of the recent ones, were taken with the gear I have now. I am not a major gear enthusiast, but here is what works for me to date. I have included links to the Amazon product listings so you can see the full description, examples of photos taken with each specific item and other customer reviews.
Camera Body: Sony Alpha A6000
Compared to a standard DSLR, this mirror-less camera is small, compact and light-weight. You still have complete DSLR control without the bulky size and weight, which is great for hiking and travel. I actually came across a macro shot of a mushroom taken with this camera that I loved so much that I went and bought the camera and lens that took the photo. Although it’s an older camera, it’s still a popular option for beginners. The camera also easily connects to my phone through WIFI signal for easy uploading and editing. It’s easily an upgrade from my Nikon D3400 and D3500 when it comes to image quality and my next camera will likely also be from the Sony A series.
Camera Lenses:
The everyday lens: Sony SEL35F18 35mm f/1.8 Prime Fixed Lens
I bought the kit linked above with the 16-55 mm lens, but misplaced it and purchased this one based off of reviews. This lens is great for motion, night photography and portraits. I find it’s a good everyday lens for now.
The macro lens: Sony SEL50M28 FE 50mm F2.8 Full Frame E-mount Lens (Black)
As I stated earlier, I saw a macro shot of a mushroom that I loved taken with this lens which inspired the purchase. It’s pretty good, but I feel I will eventually upgrade to a different focal length that allows me to zoom in even further just because I love super small clear details in my flower and butterfly photography.
The action/waterproof camera: GoPro Hero 8 Black
I have the GoPro Hero 7 Silver and Hero 8 Black. With the upgrade there is a noticeable difference in image quality and stabilization. What I like about the GoPro is the durability, the fact that it’s waterproof, is small enough to fit in my pocket and the flexibility afforded with the multiple accessorie options. You can strap a Gopro to nearly anything. I have several underwater attachements as well as a motorclycle helmet attachment. If you’re really on the go or in and out of the water a lot, it’s really nice to be able to reach for this camera. The footage is easily uploaded to my phone straight from the camera and the video editing software and free music within the GoPro app itself is my preferred way to edit my videos. The on caveat is the battery only lasts about an hour so I would recommend grabbing some extra batteries.
The drone: DJI Mavic Mini
My boyfriend surprised me with this recently and we have just started using it. I love everything about it so far. We purchased the kit above since it came with extra batteries at a better value then purchasing them separately. Since each battery lasts about 25 minutes, the more the merrier. The one thing this drone doesn’t have is the feature for it to follow you so you might want to look into another DJI model if that is something you are looking for, however the compact size makes it ideal for travel.
The mobile phone: IPhone 11 Pro
I knew I wanted this phone for the upgraded camera features the moment I saw it was being released. The IPhone 11 Pro is waterproof up to 4 meters for up to 30 minutes, and the camera upgrades include a a triple-camera system with 12MP ultra wide, wide, and telephoto camera options, night mode, portrait mode and 4K video up to 60fps and a 12MP TrueDepth front camera with Portrait mode, 4K video, and Slo-Mo. The photo and video quality may not be as great as an actual camera, but it’s still the best quality for a mobile phone. I love being able to grab my phone to create content quickly and easily, especially for Instagram stories.
My gear is simple enough for a beginner hobbyist. You don’t need to spend a lot of money to start experimenting with cameras, lenses and photography. As you can see, I started with an IPhone, then moved on to a DSLR and now a mirror-less camera. I’d love to know if you’ve used any of these, specifically the Sony Alpha A6000 and what you upgraded to from there.
Have a w0nderful day!