supplies needed for classes what camera to buy, where to shop & what printing labs
Student photographing other student
s u p p l i e s
1.digital camera • A SLR digital camera with a manual mode setting (this means you can remove the lens ideally). * If you need to purchase a digital camera, scroll to the bottom of this page. Point and shoot cameras are OK to have, especially for the teen classes, but it should ideally have modes, like (A/AV & S/TV) Aperture or Shutter Priority.
2. A notebook to hold handouts and paper for taking notes.
Please note that IF YOU ARE A PHOTO II or an ADVANCED STUDENT WHO IS TAKING PRIVATE LESSONS - Please bring in approximately 10-20 samples of photographs on the first day of class. You may bring in actual photographs, a photo album, a CD containing your images, ipad, or your own laptop with your photo images on it. This will help me to design a curriculum.
if you are a film user:
• You will need to pay for processing your film, plus the cost of 4x6 prints which is about $12-$25 per roll - it varies by store. You could also get a CD made of your negatives to view on my computer or yours.
• Approximately 4 - 8 rolls of film for a 4 week class - the types of film you will purchase will be discussed in class.
w h i c h c a m e r a ?
I highly recommend that you consider a SLR camera or rather this means that you can remove the lens. I also recommend that you go shopping at a store...This will allow you to try out a camera and mainly be able to tell how it feels in your hand. See ‘where to shop’ below for camera store recommendations.
Nikon and Canon are both considered top of the line cameras and at the end of the day it really comes down to, how you like how it feels in your hand, ease of use, price, and if it the weight feels good as well. Personally, I have always used Nikon cameras and have loved each and every one.
Try to purchase the highest mega pixel camera you can afford. I would recommend a minimum of a 10 mega pixel camera or higher - it will allow you to make enlargements with no problems or with any loss of detail.
Cameras I recommend: Each one varies in price and weight.
Nikon: D90, D7000, D300s
Canon: Canon Digital Rebel XTi, Elan II, XTi
The price varies a lot between different camera manufacturers. I would go to the web site, http://www.dpreview.com/ to compare side by side different cameras and what you would be getting for the price. More expensive cameras are of course better camera’s, but they don’t make you a better photographer, learning about your camera does.
Whichever camera you decide to purchase, pay close attention to the warranty, is it a 1 yr. or 6 months? Also, seriously think about the extended warranty. Since digital camera repairs can be much more frequent and costly than film cameras. Most importantly, take the time to learn about your camera. Expensive cameras don’t give you great photos the person behind the camera does!
w h i c h l e n s ?
Try to get the lowest f-stop number you can afford. This means a f 2.8 lens is a whole lot better than a f. 5.6. It's a faster lens, meaning it will work better in low light giving you sharper photos. However, the f2.8 will be a lot more expensive than the f5.6 lens.
Try to get a lens by the same manufacturer as your camera's body. Meaning, if you get a Nikon camera body don't purchase a cheap lens. Instead get a Nikon body AND a Nikon lens.
Finally, if you can only afford one lens, I would consider a zoom lens. Approximately 18-200 mm range should be good for most photo subjects, landscapes, portraits, and travel photographs. Each manufacturer has its own “mm” number range, but a 18-200 mm zoom lens will allow for the most creative options when composing and one lens means that you don’t miss the shot when you are switching lenses.
UV filters
After you purchase a camera, I would highly recommend that you purchase a UV filter or otherwise known as a skylight or protectant filter for your lens. I would recommend a manufacturer like, Hoya, Tiffen, or B+W.
The bottom line is it really is the best way to protect your camera lens. Meaning it will keep your lens free of scratches, glass breakage etc..if you scratch your lens you will have to replace that entire and very costly lens. If you scratch your filter, you will just have to replace that inexpensive filter. Filters generally cost about $25-$50.
w h e r e t o s h o p?
The following photography stores and labs are recommended because we have been sending our students, as well as, going there ourselves for almost twenty years. That is why we can ONLY recommend the following with great confidence:
c a m e r a s t o r e s
E.P. Levines, 219 BEAR HILL ROAD WALTHAM, MA 02451 www.eplevine.com
Calumet, 65 Bent St. Cambridge, MA 617/576-2600
*At Levines and Calumet you can rent camera equipment for a day or weekend etc. Try it out before purchasing.
B & H Photo and Video 420 9TH Ave. NEW YORK, NY 10001 800.606.6969 (an amazing selection of everything a photographer could ever want at great prices, but you have to pay for shipping. Check out their web site to see for yourself, www.bhphotovideo.com
Hunts Photo and Video, 101 Main St. Melrose, MA 02176 781-662-8822 (the largest camera store in New England) You can get all the supplies needed for class, good prices, but (sorry) it’s not recommended for film processing and sometimes some of the staff is not very knowledgeable about the equipment they sell. *Just go there knowing what you want!
Andover Photo, 27 Barnard St. Andover, MA 978-475-1663 http://www.andoverphoto.com/
You can get a Pentax, Casio, Fuji, Kodak and Sanyo digital cameras and tripods, film etc. and is an excellent place to get film processed & prints made too.
Best Buy, Sometimes they have the best prices and a good selection.
Ebay - They have some great deals on used camera equipment and are reliable for warranty coverage if something is wrong with your purchase.
OPTECH, 19 Lupine Rd. Andover, MA 978-475-4831
Excellent for used film cameras and camera repair - they know how to fix some camera problems, but their web site doesn’t say that!
***Sanford Camera Repair - They can clean a Canon or Nikon's digital camera sensor in just ONE day! Unlike if you mail your camera directly to your camera manufacturer, it can take a minimum of 4-6 weeks!
1056 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA 02476
781 648 2505 http://www.sanfordcamerarepair.com/index.html
Amazon.com - They have great prices and every product imaginable!
p r i n t i n g l a b s
The Finer Image, 20 Park St. Danvers, MA 978-777-4686 http://tfiphoto.com/
A great lab & one of the only custom lab north of Boston left.
On-line companies that my students and myself have had great success with printing:
Shutterfly
M-Pix
Adorama
2. A notebook to hold handouts and paper for taking notes.
Please note that IF YOU ARE A PHOTO II or an ADVANCED STUDENT WHO IS TAKING PRIVATE LESSONS - Please bring in approximately 10-20 samples of photographs on the first day of class. You may bring in actual photographs, a photo album, a CD containing your images, ipad, or your own laptop with your photo images on it. This will help me to design a curriculum.
if you are a film user:
• You will need to pay for processing your film, plus the cost of 4x6 prints which is about $12-$25 per roll - it varies by store. You could also get a CD made of your negatives to view on my computer or yours.
• Approximately 4 - 8 rolls of film for a 4 week class - the types of film you will purchase will be discussed in class.
w h i c h c a m e r a ?
I highly recommend that you consider a SLR camera or rather this means that you can remove the lens. I also recommend that you go shopping at a store...This will allow you to try out a camera and mainly be able to tell how it feels in your hand. See ‘where to shop’ below for camera store recommendations.
Nikon and Canon are both considered top of the line cameras and at the end of the day it really comes down to, how you like how it feels in your hand, ease of use, price, and if it the weight feels good as well. Personally, I have always used Nikon cameras and have loved each and every one.
Try to purchase the highest mega pixel camera you can afford. I would recommend a minimum of a 10 mega pixel camera or higher - it will allow you to make enlargements with no problems or with any loss of detail.
Cameras I recommend: Each one varies in price and weight.
Nikon: D90, D7000, D300s
Canon: Canon Digital Rebel XTi, Elan II, XTi
The price varies a lot between different camera manufacturers. I would go to the web site, http://www.dpreview.com/ to compare side by side different cameras and what you would be getting for the price. More expensive cameras are of course better camera’s, but they don’t make you a better photographer, learning about your camera does.
Whichever camera you decide to purchase, pay close attention to the warranty, is it a 1 yr. or 6 months? Also, seriously think about the extended warranty. Since digital camera repairs can be much more frequent and costly than film cameras. Most importantly, take the time to learn about your camera. Expensive cameras don’t give you great photos the person behind the camera does!
w h i c h l e n s ?
Try to get the lowest f-stop number you can afford. This means a f 2.8 lens is a whole lot better than a f. 5.6. It's a faster lens, meaning it will work better in low light giving you sharper photos. However, the f2.8 will be a lot more expensive than the f5.6 lens.
Try to get a lens by the same manufacturer as your camera's body. Meaning, if you get a Nikon camera body don't purchase a cheap lens. Instead get a Nikon body AND a Nikon lens.
Finally, if you can only afford one lens, I would consider a zoom lens. Approximately 18-200 mm range should be good for most photo subjects, landscapes, portraits, and travel photographs. Each manufacturer has its own “mm” number range, but a 18-200 mm zoom lens will allow for the most creative options when composing and one lens means that you don’t miss the shot when you are switching lenses.
UV filters
After you purchase a camera, I would highly recommend that you purchase a UV filter or otherwise known as a skylight or protectant filter for your lens. I would recommend a manufacturer like, Hoya, Tiffen, or B+W.
The bottom line is it really is the best way to protect your camera lens. Meaning it will keep your lens free of scratches, glass breakage etc..if you scratch your lens you will have to replace that entire and very costly lens. If you scratch your filter, you will just have to replace that inexpensive filter. Filters generally cost about $25-$50.
w h e r e t o s h o p?
The following photography stores and labs are recommended because we have been sending our students, as well as, going there ourselves for almost twenty years. That is why we can ONLY recommend the following with great confidence:
c a m e r a s t o r e s
E.P. Levines, 219 BEAR HILL ROAD WALTHAM, MA 02451 www.eplevine.com
Calumet, 65 Bent St. Cambridge, MA 617/576-2600
*At Levines and Calumet you can rent camera equipment for a day or weekend etc. Try it out before purchasing.
B & H Photo and Video 420 9TH Ave. NEW YORK, NY 10001 800.606.6969 (an amazing selection of everything a photographer could ever want at great prices, but you have to pay for shipping. Check out their web site to see for yourself, www.bhphotovideo.com
Hunts Photo and Video, 101 Main St. Melrose, MA 02176 781-662-8822 (the largest camera store in New England) You can get all the supplies needed for class, good prices, but (sorry) it’s not recommended for film processing and sometimes some of the staff is not very knowledgeable about the equipment they sell. *Just go there knowing what you want!
Andover Photo, 27 Barnard St. Andover, MA 978-475-1663 http://www.andoverphoto.com/
You can get a Pentax, Casio, Fuji, Kodak and Sanyo digital cameras and tripods, film etc. and is an excellent place to get film processed & prints made too.
Best Buy, Sometimes they have the best prices and a good selection.
Ebay - They have some great deals on used camera equipment and are reliable for warranty coverage if something is wrong with your purchase.
OPTECH, 19 Lupine Rd. Andover, MA 978-475-4831
Excellent for used film cameras and camera repair - they know how to fix some camera problems, but their web site doesn’t say that!
***Sanford Camera Repair - They can clean a Canon or Nikon's digital camera sensor in just ONE day! Unlike if you mail your camera directly to your camera manufacturer, it can take a minimum of 4-6 weeks!
1056 Massachusetts Ave. Arlington, MA 02476
781 648 2505 http://www.sanfordcamerarepair.com/index.html
Amazon.com - They have great prices and every product imaginable!
p r i n t i n g l a b s
The Finer Image, 20 Park St. Danvers, MA 978-777-4686 http://tfiphoto.com/
A great lab & one of the only custom lab north of Boston left.
On-line companies that my students and myself have had great success with printing:
Shutterfly
M-Pix
Adorama
