How I would build up my kit from 0 (in 2026)

Building your photography kit can be very intimidating, especially as a beginner, just due to the sheer amount of possibilities that you have! As someone who has been a professional photographer for the past 6 years, I have gone through quite a few gear changes and experimentations over the years until I found my ideal setup. 

Today I wanted to put together a list of items that you can buy new and that will last you, even if you might dip your toes from being a hobbyist into the professional world. I still use some of this gear, which I bought when I was still a beginner, so enough talk; let's dive into it! (I will also add some of my pictures as placeholders, as the goal is to create images in the end, right?)

First off…the Camera

Let's start with the camera, as one of the main pillars of your kit and your workhorse. I would probably pick this Canon R100, as it is mirrorless (therefore much lighter than DSLRs), has 24,1 megapixels, which is just pleeenty even for bigger prints, and has a kit lens which covers all the way from 18-45 mm. The R100 also shoots 4k video, so you don't have to be limited to stills! And the best thing? This kit comes with a 64 GB SD card + a small bag! The value is also very good, so definitely a strong pick!

Credit: Canon

Up next…the device you edit on + Storage!

A camera is not much of a use when you don't have a device to edit your pictures on! If you already have a laptop, you can skip this point! If you don't, I've collected 2(+1) options for you.

Option one would be an iPad, due to its portable size, amazing display, and great chips.

The next option would be this Asus i5 with a whopping 512 GBs of storage and a chip that can handle all the Photoshop and editing tasks you might throw at it! It is still portable due to the 15,6” display! A bonus tip would be the new Apple MacBook Neo, which is even smaller and has a gorgeous display, but also has less storage than the Asus; the choice really depends on your needs!

Whichever option you pick, you will also need storage for your pictures; in that case, I would go for the SanDisk 1 TB SSD as well as this Ugreen adapter (both of which I currently use). 

Credit: Unsplash

Let’s get that bag (I mean literally)

Of course, you need to carry all of your new gear, so I picked this backpack, which also fits your laptop or iPad. You might ask…why not a photography backpack? In my opinion, if you don't have many big lenses and multiple camera bodies, a regular backpack + some dividers is perfectly fine for the job; that's also my setup at the moment for all my gigs! 

Some Bonus items!

Some optional items that might be useful: A speedlight! I shot all of these following pictures with this exact Godox flash, which fits in every bag and has pretty good power for its size. Whether on camera or on a tripod (in that case, you need the transmitter as well), you can shoot anything from fashion, events, portraits, or weddings with it! 

This kit, even though basic, can work for commercial work or private client jobs to an extent, but it definitely is a great starting point for every photography enthusiast and will guaranteed last you many happy years! Wish you great lights and take some banger pictures!