Beginner, advanced, and pro outdoor gear



We have all made mistakes in buying cameras and lenses that didn't really work for us. No one can tell you what equipment you should purchase. I receive e-mails from people asking me what cameras and lenses they should buy. I only know what works for me and can only give some suggestions to others, but eventually you have to decide what works for you depending on the type of photography you do, your budget, and how much weight you are willing to carry. The brand or model of cameras and lenses don't really matter as long as they are made by one of the well known manufacturers. Good equipment are required to take good pictures. You want a camera with essential features and sharp lenses. I have discussed this in several other articles and will not repeat myself here. I'm going to give some suggestions on how to build a working nature and wildlife outfit. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily need to buy all the equipment mentioned here. Use this as a guide and compare features and prices from different manufacturers. I'm not going to give suggestions on brands. I'll leave that up to you.

Beginners outfit:
Outfit one: One beginner 35mm or digital SLR, 28-80mm f-3.5-4.5 and 70-210mm f-4.5- 5.6 zooms. Small flash. Tripod, polarizing filter, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 20mm f-2.8 or 24mm f-2.8 wide-angle, 300mm f-4 lens, 1.4X teleconverter (used only with the 300mm f-4 lens), set of extension tubes or 50mm macro lens for close-up photography.
Outfit two: One beginner 35mm or digital SLR, 28-80mm f-3.5-5.6 and 75-300mm f-5.6 lens. Small flash, tripod, polarizing filter, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 400mm f-5.6 telephoto, set of extension tubes or 50mm macro lens for close-up photography.
Outfit three: One beginner 35mm or digital SLR, 28-80mm and 100-400mm f-5.6 zooms. Small flash, tripod, polarizing filter, set of extension tubes or 50mm macro lens for close-up photography, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue.
Outfit four: One beginner 35mm or digital SLR, 28-300mm f-5.6 all-in-one zoom. Small flash, tripod, polarizing filter, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: Set of extension tubes or 50mm macro lens for close-up photography, 24mm f-2.8 and 400mm f-5.6.

You can add shorter or longer lenses to any of the above outfits if needed.

Advanced outfit:
Outfit one: Midrange 35mm or digital SLR, 24-80mm f-3.5-5.6 and 75-300mm f-5.6 lens. Flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, Set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 400mm f-5.6 telephoto, 100mm macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second camera body.
Outfit two: Mid-range 35mm or digital SLR, 28-80mm f-3.5-5.6 and 100-400mm f-5.6 lens. Flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, Set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 20mm f-2.8 or 24mm f-2.8 wide-angle, 100mm macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second camera body.
Outfit three: Mid-range 35mm or digital SLR, 20-35mm f-3.5-4.5, 35-70mm f-3.5-4.5, 100-400mm f-5.6 zooms. Flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, Set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second camera body.
Outfit four: 24mm f-2.8, 35-70mm f-3.5-4.5, 70-210mm f-4.5-5.6, 300mm f-4, 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 300mm f-4 lens), Flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, Set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second camera body.

You can add shorter or longer lenses to any of the above outfits if needed. You can also substitute any of the lenses with faster models if your budget allows. At this stage of photography you should look into a medium format system to complement your 35mm outfit.

Professional outfit:
Outfit one: Two advanced or pro model 35mm or digital SLR cameras, 20-35mm f-2.8, 28-70mm f-2.8, 80-200mm f-2.8, 300mm f-2.8. 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 300mm f-2.8 lens), flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, set of extension tubes, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm f-2.8 or 200mm f-4 macro lens for close-up photography, 500mm f-4 or 600mm f-4 telephoto, monopod, second tripod, flash bracket, third camera body.
Outfit two: Two advanced or pro model 35mm or digital SLR cameras, 20mm f-2.8, 24mm f-2 or f-2.8, 28-70mm f-2.8, 80-200mm f-2.8, 400mm f-2.8. 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 400mm f-2.8 lens), flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, set of extension tubes, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm f-2.8 or 200mm f-4 macro lens for close-up photography, 600mm f-4 telephoto, monopod, flash bracket, second tripod, third camera body.
Outfit three: Two advanced or pro model 35mm or digital SLR cameras, 17-35mm f-3.5, 28-70mm f-2.8, 80-200mm f-2.8, 300mm f-2.8, 400mm f-2.8, 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 300mm and 400mm f-2.8 lenses), flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, set of extension tubes, cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm f-2.8 or 200mm f-4 macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second tripod, third camera body.
Outfit four: Two advanced or pro model 35mm or digital SLR cameras, 20mm f-2.8, 24mm f-2 or f-2.8, 50mm f-1.4, 80-200mm f-2.8, 300mm f-2.8, 400mm f-2.8, 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 300mm and 400mm f-2.8 lenses), flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm f-2.8 or 200mm f-4 macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second tripod, third camera body.
Outfit five: Two advanced or pro model 35mm or digital SLR cameras, 20mm f-2.8, 24mm f-2 or f-2.8, 50mm f-1.4, 100mm f-2.8 macro, 200mm f-2.8, 300mm f-2.8, 400mm f-2.8, 1.4X and 2X teleconverter (used only with the 200mm, 300mm and 400mm f-2.8 lenses), flash, tripod, polarizing filter, graduated ND filter, 81B filter, set of extension tubes cable release, lens hoods, lens cleaner and tissue. To be added later: 100mm f-2.8 or 200mm f-4 macro lens for close-up photography, monopod, flash bracket, second tripod, third camera body.

A medium format system should be added to your system. Format of your choice with one wide-angle, standard, and short telephoto lens with shorter and longer lenses to be added later.

NIKON D50 Digital SLR Camera Features: 2.0-inch LCD display; 7 scene modes, including new Child mode Stores images on SD cards; powered by Lithium-ion battery (battery and Quick Charger supplied) 6.1-megapixel sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints Body only; compatible with AF and DX Nikkor lenses Continuous shooting at 2.5 frames per second for bursts of up to 137 pictures

Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera Features: 8.2 Megapixel APS-C size CMOS sensor 5 fps and 30 large JPEG frame burst 2.5”, 230K pixel, 170º wide viewing angle LCD screen Picture Style image processing parameters Spot metering and High Precision 9-point AF system DIGIC II image processor with 0.15 sec start-up time Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software 100,000 cycle shutter durability and rugged magnesium alloy body Simultaneous RAW and JPEG recording Wide 100-3200 ISO range E-TTL II Flash PictBridge compatibility Complete compatibility with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites USB 2.0 Hi-Speed and Video Out connectivity