Hi, I'm Alice, and I really like cameras.
Photography is seriously expensive - whether you consider it a hobby, or a career. I'm lucky enough to already have most of the equipment I could possibly need thanks to my student loans, help from family, and various jobs; but when you're using a camera that's a few years old it's easy to start eyeing up the newer models. Sometimes it's fun to pretend I've won the lottery and scroll through all the things I could get, if only I had the funds. If I was able to upgrade all my equipment right now, here's what I would get:
Canon 6D Mark II, RRP £1,779.99
I've been waiting for a full-frame DSLR with wi-fi and a flip-out screen forever. If you're wondering what the heck full-frame is, I'm talking about the sensor inside the camera. Full-frame is the largest sensor you can get; and the bigger the sensor, the better the image quality.
It also has a few other qualities that would be an improvement over my current DSLR: it's weather sealed (which would have really come in handy on that photoshoot in the Lake District last summer), has more focus points, and the ability to shoot slow-motion 1080p video as well as time lapses.
Canon 35mm f/1.4L II USM Lens, RRP £1,799.99
I currently own the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens and I absolutely love it, but there's no point in (hypothetically) buying a full-frame camera if you're not going to get an L lens to go with it. The glass on an L lens is superb, plus these lenses are weather sealed, I'm a fan of prime lenses, so the 35mm looks like a solid choice for me. However, seeing as we're creating a fantasy wishlist, I might as well mention one more lens that's I've got my eye on...
Canon EF 50mm f/1.2L USM Lens, RRP £1,559.99
In my opinion, 50mm is a very flattering focal length for portraiture - which is where most of my paid assignments come from. I think this lens would be perfect for portraits and headshots with it's super wide aperture. I remember another student having this lens when I was at university and she was always singing it's praises.
Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II, RRP £549.99
Every vlogger on the planet owns this camera, and even though me and YouTube are on a break right now I still want one for myself. A couple of my friends have it so I've held it in my hands and tried it out a few times, and I can tell you that the auto-focus is lightening fast. We've all been there when we're waiting for a camera to focus and it just won't see what's in front of it, but this one is a game changer. Plus, it has a flip-up screen, so you can check you're in frame before you take a selfie.
Billingham Hadley One Camera Bag, RRP £265.00
Ask any photographer what the best camera bag out there is, and most of them will point you to Billingham - which is unfortunate as their camera bags are some of the most expensive I've ever seen. But they are very practical, and nice to look at, which is surprisingly rare in camera bags. I've had my eye on a Hadley bag for years now but could never bring myself to commit due to the cost. However, if I were able to, I've have to get the new Hadley One, which can also fit in a 13 inch laptop along with all your camera equipment. It's weather sealed with lots of compartments to protect your expensive gear. I just can't decide whether I prefer the black or the sage colour...
Fujifilm Instax Mini 90 NEO Classic Camera, RRP £124.99
In an age of airbrushing and hastags, there's something very refreshing about instant photography. The Mini 90 produces credit-card sized photos, perfect for scrapbooking or carrying in your purse. Plus - let's be honest - this one is very pretty to look at. Maybe this isn't something that I really need... but I certainly want one.
Canon SELPHY CP1300, RRP £129.99
I'm definitely guilty of having a few hard-drives worth of photographs, but then forgetting to print them. With this little gadget I could print 6x4 or credit-card sized lab-quality photos whenever and wherever I wanted. I think this would be lovely for my own photo albums, or scrapbooking, or if I wanted to print out pictures for friends and family.
I could probably keep going and list a whole catalogue of photography equipment I'd love to pick up if I could, but I feel like this post is already long enough so I'll wrap things up here.
