It was about time to create a camera guide for new bloggers or anyone interested in photography, right? I have been receiving weekly messages and comments regarding my photography gear, editing etc, so today I’ve decided to answer all your questions through this blog post. So, first things first, what camera am I currently using?

Shot with a 35mm Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX on Nikon D5300 [cropped frame]

Camera guide for new bloggers: photography gear breakdown

1. Camera

• Q: What camera am I using?
• A: Nikon D750

I’ve been shooting with a cropped sensor camera for quite a while, but a few months ago I’ve decided to finally switch to a full frame camera and I absolutely love it. Whether you’re a full time blogger, content creator or an individual that’s interested in photography, then keep in mind that full frame cameras are true game changers. They’re quite pricey compared to crop sensor cameras, but they’re worth every single penny. Below I’ll list a few full frame cameras that you might want to check out.

• Nikon D850 – FX professional (one of the best Nikon cameras on the market)
  • FX Format
  • 45.7 Megapixels
  • 7 FPS Continuous Shooting
  • 64-25,600 ISO Expandable to 102,400
  • 4K UHD 3840 x 2160 at 30/25/24p
  • Live View mode
  • Built in Wi-FI & Bluetooth
  • Perfect for:
    • Professionals
• Nikon D750 – FX advanced-entry
  • FX Format
  • 24.3 Megapixels
  • 6.5 FPS Continuous Shooting
  • 100 -12,800 ISO Expandable to 51,200
  • Full HD 1080p at 60/50/30/25/24p
  • Live View mode
  • Built in Wi-Fi – perfect for self portraits and transferring your photos to the phone when you’re on the go
  • Perfect for:
    • Enthusiasts that would like to upgrade from a DX-format to FX-format
    • Pros seeking a primary or secondary camera for fast-paced shoots
    • Filmmakers that are looking for a compact DSLR to bring a production to life or to capture B-Roll

• Nikon D610 – FX entry level
  • 24.3MP
  • Full-frame CMOS sensor (10.5MP DX-format crop mode)
  • ISO 100-6400 (expandable to ISO 50-25,600 equivalent)
  • Maximum 6 fps continuous shooting
  • New quiet continuous mode shoots at 3 fps
  • 1080p30 full HD video Uncompressed video recording via HDMI

• Canon 6D -Affordable and just as good as the Canon 6d Mark II
• Sony A7 II -A good affordable full-frame mirrorless camera to start with, but keep in mind, the image quality might not be the best
• Canon 5d Mark IV

Since I’ve always been a Nikon user, I can’t really recommend cameras from other brands because I haven’t tried them. 

Shot with Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G on Nikon D750 [full frame]

2. What’s the difference between a full frame and a crop sensor camera?

The most visible difference between full frame and crop sensor is their field of view. In fact the term “crop” implies just exactly that. The smaller sensor’s field of view is a crop of the full frame. This means that if a full frame DSLR like a Nikon D800 and a crop-sensor DSLR like a Nikon D7100 take the same photo from the same distance, with the same lens and point of view, the D7100 will capture a tighter field of view than the D800. – Source: SLR Lounge

3. Lens

• Q: What lens are you using?
• A: Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G

I currently own 3 lenses (35mm Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX[works on crop sensor] – which I can no longer use on the full frame camera, Nikon 18-135mm & Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G), but I’m also planning on adding Nikon AF Nikkor 28mm f/2.8D to my collection. The 28mm one is a wide lens which would be handy for my travel & indoor shots.

However, if you’re just starting out and wish to take your photos to the next level, then the Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G is the perfect lens for you. It’s affordable, it gets a beautiful depth of field and it’s also perfect to learn on. You can start with this one and once you master it can move on to a wide lens or whatever lens fits your needs best. Got mine 3 years ago and I still use every single day. It’s truly a great inexpensive lens to start your journey with, so it had to be included in the camera guide for new bloggers.

Shot with Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G on Nikon D750

4. RAW OR JPEG?

• Q: RAW or JPEG?
• A: RAW, always and forever.

5. What is a RAW image file?

• A camera raw image file contains minimally processed data from the image sensor of either a digital camera, a motion picture film scanner, or other image scanner. Raw files are named so because they are not yet processed and therefore are not ready to be printed or edited with a bitmap graphics editor.

6. What is a JPEG file?

• JPEG is a commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography. The degree of compression can be adjusted, allowing a selectable tradeoff between storage size and image quality.

7. RAW vs JPEG comparison

• JPEG files are smaller in size but they are not as good as RAW in terms of quality.
• With the help of RAW files you can increase the dynamic range and process the RAW file in such a way that it looks better.
• Editing JPEG is also possible but RAW files will give you better quality.
• You have a lot more control when you’re editing RAW files.

8. I can’t afford a full frame, what else would you recommend?

My previous camera was a Nikon D5300 and I was quite happy with it. The image quality was good and I loved the flippable screen, which made self portraits, low angle shots and photos from above so much easier to take.

Shot with a 35mm Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX on Nikon D5300 [cropped frame]

• Nikon D5300 + 35mm Nikon 35mm f/1.8G DX – this combo will help you shoot indoors as well.
  • 24.1MP DX format CMOS sensor, without OLPF.
  • EXPEED 4 processing. ISO 100-12,800 standard, up to 25,600 expanded.
  • 5 fps continuous shooting. 39-point AF system, 9 sensors cross-type.
  • 2016-pixel RGB metering sensor. 1080p60 video recording, built-in stereo mic.
  • 1.04M dot 3.2″ vari-angle LCD monitor.
  • Built in Wi-Fi
• Canon EOS Rebel SL2 / EOS 200D – great beginners camera right now
  • Sensor: APS-C
  • Megapixels: 24.2MP
  • Lens mount: Canon EF-S
  • Max burst speed: 5fps
  • Max video resolution: 1080p (Full HD)
  • User level: Beginner
• Nikon D3500 – a beginner DSLR that shows you how to take photos, and at a great price
  • Sensor: APS-C
  • Megapixels: 24.2MP
  • Lens mount: Nikon F (DX)
  • Max burst speed: 5fps
  • Max video resolution: 1080p (Full HD)
  • User level: Beginner
• Sony A6000 – great for enthusiasts
  • Type: Mirrorless
  • Sensor: APS-C
  • Megapixels: 24.3MP
  • Lens mount: Sony E
  • Screen: 3in tilting screen, 921k dots
  • Viewfinder: EVF, 1,440k dots
  • Continuous shooting speed: 11fps
  • Max video resolution: Full HD
  • User level: Beginner/enthusiast
• Fujifilm X-A3 – great buy for beginners on a budget
  • Type: Mirrorless
  • Sensor: APS-C
  • Megapixels: 24.2MP
  • Lens mount: Fujifilm X
  • Screen: 3in tilting, 1,040,000 dots
  • Max burst speed: 6fps
  • Max video resolution: 1080p (Full HD)
  • User level: Beginner

That’s it! I’m not an expert myself, just sharing a few things I’ve learnt over the years, so I truly hope this guide will help you :). xx

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