What’s in My Bag!?
A question I’ve been asked on a few occasions from people in regards to photography is… “What camera do you shoot with?” or the classic follow up (if it happens to be a decent shot!) “That must be an amazing camera you have to take a photo like that”… lol.
But it’s a very understandable curiosity to be fair, more so from people just starting out in photography or from non photographers just showing an interest in someone’s work. By knowing what camera model the Pro photographers are using means they can then go out and buy that camera and get the same amazing photos for themselves… Right!? Well that’s not always the case! Because to be fair, sometimes a beginner can buy the same camera as a seasoned professional photographer and go out and take an even better photograph than they did. Because photography is all about the light (and the opportunities we create for ourselves to capture that light), and secondary to that is the equipment. So if you’re willing to put in the miles and put in the effort to get out and capture something that’s never been seen before then you have the same chance as anyone to take an amazing photograph… (In many cases), regardless of the equipment you use.
That being said, the camera or lens you get will have it’s own capabilities and limitations and those capabilities will determine the limits of what you can actually capture in crisp clean detail. thankfully these days camera equipment is getting more and more capable with every design iteration of each camera body that comes along. Lots of new design releases can be great if you have a small budget when starting out as this opens up the market for amazing bargains on second hand camera equipment that’s only a year or two old.
I’m not even going to pretend that photography is an easy hobby to get into if you’re on a budget, because it can be expensive for some… I do struggle myself! Although I’m not one to get hung up on the latest gear or newest and “best” functionality of the latest models on offer… (maybe because my budget doesn’t stretch far enough for me to care about it as much. So, I’d only be torturing myself if I did worry about the dreaded (GAS) - ‘Gear Acquisition Syndrome’) so most of my equipment in my bag is second hand, and/or many years old with just a few exceptions along the way.
But buying second hand can be a bit of a minefield and that’s one of the reasons I chose to write this blog. I wanted to show that buying second hand really doesn’t need to be a gamble, I mostly buy my equipment on-line and mostly as second hand, so thought it would be helpful to highlight the two websites I’ve used in the past and would highly recommend. As I mentioned above, buying second hand can be a bit of a minefield when it comes to condition, functionality or wither the item in question is a “grey import” or “copy” that may not be built to spec in the first place. However, 100% of the time when I’m looking for a new piece of equipment I’ll check these two websites mpb.com and wexphotovideo.com first before I start looking for items brand new, as in most cases any new equipment on the market will make it’s way onto one or both of these sites before too long anyway. FYI, on that subject, you can sell your used gear to both of these companies too, so before long even the newest equipment can be found in both of these stores at a great price reduction. Also, they both offer a very competitive rate if you’re thinking to sell any of your own equipment too.
So, just to show some of the bargains that are available at the moment on the second hand market I’ve added below a list of my own current gear alongside the prices of the items if bought new at the time of release, as well as the cost (at the time of writing this blog) for the items if bought pre-owned from either MPB.com or WexPhotoVideo.com
As you can see from the price difference on some of the items from what they cost new at the time of their release to what you can pick them up for now is quite a significant difference. so if you’re looking to upgrade on a budget, take the guesswork out of the minefield that the second hand market can be and use a company you can trust. both of these companies have been my absolute go-to and I’ve never been disappointed with the quality of any items I’ve received from them. I would highly recommend both to anyone.
Camera Bag - Lowpro Powder BP 500 AW
Nikon D700 (new) £2,600 - MPB Used Price - £80 - £394 - Wex Used Price - £263
Nikon D3200 (new) £550 - MPB Used Price - £84 - £147 - Wex Used Price - None
Nikon D750 (new) £2,500 - MPB Used Price - £424 - £729 - Wex Used Price - £544 - £709
Benro Mach 3 + G3 (new) £455 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - None
Benro Ifoto FIF28C + IB2 (new) £179 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - £95
Manfroto 290 dual (new) £276 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - £90
Sky-Watcher Star Adventurer (new) £350 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - None
Syrp Magic Carpet (new) £1,200 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex New Price - £336
Syrp Genie (new) £600 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex New Price - £438
Mavic 2 Pro Drone (new) £2,600 - MPB Used Price - £414 - £524 - Wex Used Price - None
Tamron 70-200 G2 (new) £1,300 - MPB Used Price - £449 - £724 - Wex New Price - £1299
Sigma 150-600 © + 1.4 tele (new) £1,000 - MPB Used Price - £499 - £569 - Wex New Price - £949
Samyang 24mm f/1.4 (new) £570 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - £482
Irix 15mm f/2.5 (Firefly) (new) £500 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - None
Nikkor 28 - 300mm f/5.6 (new) £1,000 - MPB Used Price - £369 - £594 - Wex Used Price - £389
Nikkor 24 - 85mm f3.5-4.5 (new) £600 - MPB Used Price - £67 - £194 - Wex Used Price - £168
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 AF (new) £250 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - £79-£230
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 MF (new) £150 - MPB Used Price - £71 - Wex Used Price - None
Samyang 14mm f/2.8 (new) £330 - MBP Used Price - £147 - Wex Used Price - None
Filter Kit (various) £350 Calibration Kit (new) £360 - MPB Used Price - £16 - £159 - Wex Used Price - £15+
Canon Pixma Pro 100s Printer (new) £350 - MPB Used Price - None - Wex Used Price - None
Anyway, that’s the equipment I currently have and much of it gets used on a regular basis.
But! if asked what’s in my bag, I generally carry in my bag, which is a (Lowpro Powder BP 500 AW), my current camera body the Nikon D750, either my Tamron 70-200 f/2.8 or Sigma 150-600 f/5-6.3 tight telephoto lenses, my Samyang 24mm f/1.4, Samyang 14mm f/2.8 and Nikkor 50mm f/1.8 wide to mid prime lenses, and my Mavic 2 Pro Drone (Swapped out for the Star Adventurer Pro star tracker for night shoots), a filter kit consisting of the Kase K9 100mm filter holder with landscape circular polariser, Miops smart trigger, head torch, hat and gloves, water bottle and Benro Tripod, . for the most part that’s what’s in my bag when out shooting on a day shoot.
I hope this is of some help to anyone thinking about getting into photography on a budget who wasn’t quite sure where best to source pre-owned photography equipment.
There’s nothing wrong with traditional pre-loved platforms when buying on-line, as long as you do some research into the seller, see what their ratings are and what sort of reviews customers have given them, and in a lot of cases you can find a proper bargain. Me personally! I just feel more comfortable taking the risk out of the process by buying from companies I’ve used before and can trust, especially when talking about handing over hundreds of pounds to someone I don’t know for a product I have little to no solid assurance of. Above is just two of the companies I have used and have often recommend to others when asked.
If you have any recommendations of your own, then please leave a comment in the comment section below, as I am always on the lookout for a nice bargain myself.
Many Thanks.
Sylvan