I've decided to get into photography, and I just impulse bought my first camera, a Pentax Q10:
Yes that's Evangelion themed. No I don't want to talk about how much I paid.
I'm really excited for it to arrive. What kind of kit should I get to take care of it? I'm assuming some kind of carry case, but I've no idea if I need something specialised or generic. Have you got any other tips for taking care of it?
Many thanks!
EDIT: Thanks so much for everyone's advice! It sounds like I shouldn't get anything too prematurely, but there's also a lot stuff I should consider early on once I've got a feel for the camera.
Looks good! Have fun with it and don't forget to share your shots!
Invest in a good camera bag. I prefer a shoulderbag for quick acces, or a backpack with extra pouches if i want to take all my gear.
Buy or make a cleaning kit. K&F Concept sells affordable products that work very well IMO.
It is nice to keep your kit small. I can share the contents of my kit if you'd like that, but i'll have to make a decent list for that.
Tripod, and this is also worth investing in. I prefer the ones with a strong ballhead that folds as compact as possible. There are so many out there, so maybe people here are willing to share their recommendations too? Mine is from K&F Concept (yes, i'm a big fan of them overall).
Extra sd cards (and a good case for them), spare battery and powerbank should be standard in your kit. Get an UV filter as someone else suggested, mostly for protection.
I would wait with buying lenses if i were you. Once you made some adventures with your camera, you'll come to know what kind of photos you like to take. Then do some research for lenses and gear that would get you further as you go.
Good advice. I would suggest when looking for a carrying bag, that you think of it as a backpack that happens to have room for camera equipment. When you're out taking photos you'll appreciate having room for that water bottle.
For tripods, I recommend spending a little more on carbon fiber. The weight difference is worth it. However, tripod is not the first thing you should get. Protect your gear and get extra memory cards before that.
I also recommend checking out Simon De Entremont (sp?) on YouTube. He has great advice for photographers on gear and techniques.
I have a Savotta bag, plenty of room for pouches/attachments. Not exactly a camera bag but being able to hang pretty much anything on it makes up for it. Love that thing.
Yeah that's excellent. I have a sling bag that works great for photography and urban hiking, but I wish it had a way to attach my tripod. I may be looking for a mid size backpack soon. I'll keep that brand in mind.
What kind of slingbag do you have/recommend? I often go without tripod too, would like to try out something like that.
It's an older model Lowepro. The closest thing I see on their website is the Slingshot Edge.
What's nice about it is that it fits my camera and some accessories while being small enough to fling around to the front so I can get my camera out without taking the bag off my back. If I'm careful I can even change my lens without setting things down.
Depending on how I pack it I can cram my camera with a 400mm mounted + a smaller lens in the top compartment with a spare battery.
There's really no room for a bottle, but I've strapped one to the outside before with Velcro straps. It has built in straps for a tripod but it would be a very small one.
I also just use it as a regular backpack sometimes when I want my hands free, like on a bike ride, but I don't need a big backpack.
Looks good, but perhaps a little bigger than i was looking for. Going to explore other options Lowepro has to offer. Thanks for sharing :)