How to become a concert photographer - The gear.

Marielle Groot Obbink
2 days ago
3 min read

So let's talk gear. What do you need in a camera to become a concert photographer? Which lenses do you need? How much does it cost? Do you really need that bag? and so much more.

The camera you need:

Camera's are expensive. There is no way around it but you don't need to buy the most expensive one to get good results. If you are just starting out with photography it is useless to start off with a very expensive camera.

However, don't go buy the cheapest one you can find either. You'll grow out of that very quickly and will want to buy a new camera within months. My general advice is to set a budget and buy the best within that budget. Look for a full frame midclass camera, maybe second hand.

As for which is the best. That is and will always be a topic of discussion between photographers. Most brands produce equal quality camera's so which brand you choose will be depending more on budget, availability and the prices of the lenses.

Sony have been producing amazing mirrorless camera's for ages, canon mirrorless is also pretty good, nikon is catching up quickly. Tamron and Sigma are quickly producing good lenses for all mirrorless camera's. So pick that what fits in your budget and speaks to you.

Look for a camera that can handle a high ISO, has a very solid auto-focus, is sturdy build and has two slots for your SD cards (just for safety).

Which lenses do you need for concert photography?

Now this is where you are going to make the difference between normal photography and concert photography.

Concerts are often dark with massive highlights and fast moving subjects. Your camera will make a difference when it comes to auto-focus and ISO it is your lens who will actually determine the quality and the light sensitivity.

For many concert photographers the golden set up is the 24-70mm 2.8F and the 70-200mm 2.8F. However these lenses are expensive. If you are just beginning you might want to start with the 50mm 1.8F. This little niffty lens is lovingly called the plastic fantastic and will teach you tonnes about concert photography.

Other lenses that might work greatly are the 15-30mm 2.8F or when you are often outside at festivals, a 18-300mm or 18-200 will do great.

Pro-tip: buy your lenses secondhand from a certified reseller. It will save you a lot of money.

How much does it costs to start?

This depends on how goed you are in saying 'no' to yourself.

I am sorry to announce but photography is the most costly and addictive hobby/job you can get yourself into and there is always another gadget or lens you would love to have.

In general you can expect a good quality camera to go for around €1750 to €2200 if you buy it new. Secondhand they go as low as €800.

Lenses will vary even more. You can buy a good lens secondhand from €700 but a new one by nikon can kost you up to €3000.

Therefore most photgraphers will buy secondhand unless they can really afford to buy new.

Do I really need all that extra stuff?

What you really need on top of your camera and a lens are:

A good camera bag - something that is easy to carry and keeps your gear dry.
a safety strap - it is up to you if you want a neck strap, a good belt with holsters, or a wrist strap but at concerts, a strap is important.
extra batteries! - this is a big yes! As many as you can afford.
SD-cards - Same as with batteries, absolute yes but look for the ones with high processing capacity.
cleaning kit - while I write this I realise that I don't have one, never had. However, unless you want to pay a professional to clean your gear get a cleaning kit
Insurance - only if you buy new.

Anything else is not necessary and you don't need to buy the most expensive things.