The BIGGEST Beginner Photography Mistake

Looking at 'upgrading' my old 'bridge' camera and will choose either a Canon 200D or 800D due to budget. Other than the AF, I cannot see any real (effective) differences between them. Am I missing something(s)? FYI: I will use the new camera on very close-up shots of insects, flowers, etc. Is there another camera in this price range I should consider given the subject matter? My old Sony H9 was fantastic at ultra close-ups for the price.

A beginner can buy an entry level camera to learn on and get great photos. Adding better lenses as you're able can make a difference.

a camera it just a tool like any other. average skills = average results and great skills = great results. if you buy a high end camera as a beginner its nothing wrong. the only thing is you are not able to use the full potential.

Great points about the feel of the camera. That goes for other equipment like lenses and tripods too. I was all set to buy a $700 zoom lens a couple weeks ago until I went to the store and tried it out. It was so heavy it through off the balance of the camera, not to mention it being exhausting to carry around. Since I was looking for an all purpose travel lens it wouldn't have been a good option for me.

…is to waste time on rambling attention-seekers in YouTube.

So firstly, invest is second hand gears, you can resale them with very little loss when you will upgrade or change the brand…
And the investment will be considerably lower for the same quality

true in some regards but you could have the most expensive camera and gear in the world but if you dont have a knack for composition then your photos will still be shit.

it is very reasonable…
Nevertheless there are cameras to point out to the begginers… APS-C entry Level it is a nice spot. Cameras Like (in early 2019) Canon T7 or Nikon D3500 are truly a sweetspot for the begginer. Moreon since they can capture pretty nice Photos (pretty nice ones even with kit lens), but are really limited for video.
Begginers can also have the chance of getting a used T3i to T5i instead of a brand new T7 (and the same can be translated with Nikon 5×00 Models) for about the same money. so might be a better purchase to get an older mid tier APS-C camera instead of an entry Level APS-C new camera, it is up to the costumer to decide which road to take… exchanging pros and cons on both paths.
But furthermore, begginers on extreme budget can aim for used entry level cameras like Canon T3 or Nikon 3100 and still those cameras are going to serve them pretty well for the first stages of their learning curve.

Higher than that, it is plain stupid (except for rich people of course) The learning curve proves that any DSLR from last decade it is too much for any begginer, the bad quality on the pictures will be most likely related to the human factor (both taking the photo and post-processing it).

Next there are lenses, extra batterys, Flashes (a couple of them) with their remote shooters, Light difusors, memory cards, tripod, etc etc… all shorts of gear that could be used.
And once this is all purchased, upscaling in the brand ain't that hard, most of the gear (specially lenses) can be used in older tier entry level APS-C and new high tier APS-C (like lenses or remote shooters that can be exchanged from Canon T3 to Canon 7D mk2)

I like how you articulate the concerns of people over investing in the camera, and forget about the other aspects like the knowledge investment. Really refreshing, thanks!

On a popular personal financial rule of thumb, we have the 50-30-20 rule. Do you have any take on the similar rule of thumb, of how to properly (or atleast a suggestion to) invest money on photography for people who are just beginning to explore photography (to be specific) as a hobby?

Suppose we assume that the 100 portion is how much money those people are willing to invest in this hobby. I think it would be interesting for people who started to enjoy spending time taking pictures to hear these kinds of takes from you. Is it something like 50 for camera and its accessories, then 40 for knowledge gathering, and 10 for hunting/trip budget. Or maybe you might have totally different categorisation on this?

Really appreciate your work man!

I like the video and agree with you. However, I would appreciate some advice on the Canon PowerShot SX530, even though it's not a $500.00 camera. Thank you

just go with this: if you do not have a very good plan to make money off your photography that legitimates spending tons of cash without you being a rich person anyway, just go for the cheapest you can get and consider used. like a 600D, 200D, 1300D, 5D MK ll, D3500. those will cost far less than 500 bucks including a kit lense and those will provide you with professional level results once you master the craft. i picked it up as a hobby and i'm happy to not have spent over 500 bucks on my completely second hand gear yet and i already have 3 different lenses and pretty much all the stuff one needs basically. yeah quality of the stuff could be better, but who cares… i'm not making money off of it anyway. i'm not a pro but i'm having lots of fun with the cheapo gear 🙂

I got ahold of an old D40 about 4 years ago for $110 AUD. What a beast, years later still taking sick shots.

Outstanding Sir, simply outstanding

Excellent advice.

I remember, when I started learning photography in the prehistoric film camera days, an experienced photographer once told me to forget about zooms at first and to only buy a single 50mm prime lens (35mm on DX). He then told me to learn basic composition skills and to start "seeing the light" using only that lens.

I did that for a year and it really helped me in getting a better understanding of what photography is all about … a trained eye (and brain) is the best equipment you'll ever have.
The gear (camera, lenses) is just a tool to accomplish your vision … you could buy the most expensive hammer ever made but that still wouldn't make you a master carpenter … same with photography.

The reason we buy expensive things is because of emotion. Everyone want to FEEL they are part of something. How many 50 year old men have Road bikes worth 5000€ while they are totally out of shape, fat..

How many people bought the TESLA because of Elon musk. A man that pushes a revolution within Electric cars and privatived rocket industry.

Very few people need an A7iii. (I dont, but I have it). I like to feel great using it.
And I bet if most people were honest with themselves, they are in the same category.