Upgrading Your Photography Gear - Your 2013 Shopping List

Whether you are an experienced photographer or you have just bought your first DSLR, upgrading your photography gear is never out of place. Remember, photography is not a cheap hobby, but if you choose your gear carefully, it will serve you for years. So what is there on the market this year? Here are a few things worth investing in.

Lenses, Lenses, Lenses 

 First of all, if you haven’t found a lens you’re the most comfortable with, it’s time to upgrade it. Camera body is not as important as the glass you are shooting through. It’s highly recommended to get the best possible lens you can afford, even if you have to sacrifice the rest of your photography gear list. A clean crispy image can’t be captured without a great lens, so there is a direct connection between the quality of your lenses and the quality of your images.

But even if you buy the most expensive lens around, it doesn’t mean you’ll start creating masterpieces automatically. Keep crafting your skills, no matter how sophisticated your gear is, a lens is just a tool, but your vision and talent is everything. If you prefer Canon, here is what they have to offer this year: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II, Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Standard & Medium Telephoto Lens  and Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM Lens. They promise to release EF 35 f/1.4L II and EF 14-24 f/2.8L by the end of march this year. Nikon has a couple of things to offer as well, so perhaps you should check out Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G ED AF-S Nikkor wide angle zoom lens or Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G AF-S ED VR II Nikkor telephoto zoom lens.

Accessories - Filters, Tripods etc

Next come the lens filters. Spare one or two hundred dollars on this detail, and it will make a lot of difference.

Another ‘must have’ piece of equipment is a good tripod. If you didn’t get one when purchasing your camera, it’s high time to get it. Firstly, with a nice tripod you can reduce significantly the number of blurry images. It’s tripod that adds a good amount of quality to your photography when it comes to sharpness. Besides, holding a heavy camera can be rather tiring if you have a lengthy photo session, so a tripod will the burden off you. In 2013 you can check out Ravelli APGL4 New Professional 70" Tripod, Vista Explorer 60-Inch Lightweight Tripod or Joby GorillaPod Hybrid Gray Camera Tripod.

What About Camera Bags?

A lot of photographers tend to ignore camera bags, thinking they are unnecessary expense. Why bother buying a special bag when you can just carry your gear in any sort of bag or a backpack? But is that so? Just remember for a moment how much you’ve invested into your photography gear and think whether you are ready to let your expensive lenses go just because of improper packing.  A professional camera bag will have a lot of departments inside to hold your camera body, lenses, filters, batteries and what not. There is no chance of rubbing sensitive textures against rough surfaces.  Perhaps you’ll be interested in one of the top camera bags 2013: AmazonBasics Backpack for SLR Cameras and Accessories, Canon 2400 SLR Gadget Bag for EOS SLR Cameras, Case Logic DCB-304 High/Fixed Zoom Camera Case or Case Logic DCB-302 Compact Case for Camera.

Of course, there is much more to purchase when it comes to upgrading your photography gear,  and you should keep abreast of the latest developments – they can simplify your life a lot and bring a lot of extra value to your shots.