Camera Guide 101

Hey guys! It’s Amy from The Blissful Bee and I’m so excited to be back again guest posting on Remodelaholic. You might remember a few of my recent photography tips about Photographing Your Space Like A Pro, and Using Backdrops in Photography. Today I wanted to talk a bit about what kind of camera you might want to use when photographing spaces and items for your blog.

Personally I use a Canon, but from what I’ve heard, Nikons are just as good of a camera. Today’s camera guide is based off of Canon’s models, but the same basic rules apply. Pretty much all brands of cameras will have a basic “starter” kit available and then more expensive models above that.

Camera Guide 101

Canon EOS Rebel T5 DSLR Camera & Kit

Great starter kit for beginners. This package includes not only the camera base, but the lens is also included along with many other items needed for beginners. It’s not the best camera on the market, but it’s pretty dang good. Especially if you’re comparing it to a point and shoot or even your iPhone! I used this camera all through college and even up through my first year of blogging. You can find package deals at places like Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon etc.

Canon Mark 5D

The Canon Mark 5D is an extremely nice camera. I bought mine used (because lets be honest) even used, this thing is pricey! The camera I purchased was found on B&H Photo, a very well known website that professional photographers buy new and used equipment from. I purchased a used Canon Mark 5D ii which is the older model. They now have a iii, but I didn’t want to pay the higher price for a very similar model. This camera (compared to the basic starter model listed above) has better technology and will give you an amazing picture. Unlike the starter kit, this camera doesn’t necessarily come with a lens. Depending on what lens you currently use, you will need to read up on the different lenses that will fit this model because not all lenses will fit. Which leads me into my lens recommendations…

50 MM lens

A 50 MM lens is good for your standard Rebel T5 and ALSO your fancy Mark 5D. This lens has no zoom and is great for shots that you want to accomplish a high depth of field. What is depth of field you ask? Depth of field is when a certain part of the photo is in focus and the rest of the photo is really blurry. Kind of like this photo here:

If you own a 50 MM lens, you might have noticed you cannot shoot small interior spaces very easily. Since there is no zoom, you have to have a ton of space behind you to step back to take your photo; you can’t just zoom in and out like a normal lens. Basically, a 50 MM lens has a tighter aspect ratio, which means when you look through the lens, you will see what the human eye sees. So if you want to photograph an interior space, you need to physically take many steps back in order to fit the entire room into the frame – whereas a normal lens would simply give you the option to zoom out.

Wide Angle Lens

Although the 50 MM lens is amazing (and can sometimes be cheaper in comparison to other lenses) if you’re shooting a lot of interior shots, you might want to look into purchasing a wide angle lens. This lens will allow more of your room to fit into the frame of your camera. So for example, if I’m shooting a small bathroom, I would use a wide angle lens since it’s such a small space. But if I’m doing a close up detail shot of the faucet and want the background out of focus, I would most likely switch to my 50 MM. Make sense?

Well I hope you all enjoyed my camera guide today! If you’re new to photography, I hope this helps you kick start your research process. Before I purchased my new Canon Mark 5D, I did a TON of research and learned so much! Camera equipment is so expensive and extensive research before purchasing is the only way to go. I’m so glad I was able guest post today and would love for you to stop by The Blissful Bee sometime! I just recently photographed and posted some of my favorite rooms in my home, so make sure to check it out here and here.