To participate effectively in second-year photojournalism major courses at SAIT, you will need to outfit yourself with an emerging pro photographer’s kit comprised of camera, lenses, lighting, video and workflow gear.
The following camera equipment, at minimum, is recommended for the photojournalism major and as you build your career upon graduation.
All courses One midrange or pro digital body, either mirrorless or digital SLR, with a frame rate of at least 5.5 frames per second and superior autofocus tracking, decent high-ISO image quality and 1080p video-recording capabilityAll courses One wide-angle lens with a maximum aperture of f/4 or larger (a zoom lens is preferred, as is an f/2.8 or larger maximum aperture)All courses One telephoto zoom with a maximum aperture of f/4 or larger (an f/2.8 or larger maximum aperture is recommended)All courses One or more extra camera batteries (for a total of at least two batteries)All courses One photo backpack or other gear carrier large enough to comfortably hold your camera system and Mac laptopAll courses Four (minimum) or six (preferred) camera memory cards, with a capacity of least 32GB each, and a card wallet to hold them (plus, in most cases, an external memory card reader)<aside> 👉 Specific Canon, Nikon and Sony gear suggestions are within sections for each brand. Those sections are linked at the end of this page.
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The course-specific accessories that follow are mandatory for participation in the courses listed:
PHOT 320 Week 1 Two portable flashes for use in a location lighting setup and on cameraPHOT 320 Week 1 Wireless radio gear to control and trigger two (or more) off-camera flashesPHOT 320 Week 1 Rechargeable AA batteries for any flashes and related items that require themPHOT 320 Week 2 A starter light stand + light modifier kit comprised of two stands, umbrellas and umbrella swivels in a carrying bagPHOT 320 Approx. Week 9 One collapsible-type grey card for setting a custom white balancePHOT 320 Approx. Week 9 One set of professional-quality colour correction gels for flashPHOT 320 Approx. Week 13 One small focusable flashlight for light painting (plus AAA batteries, usually)PHOT 334 Week 1 One portable USB external SSD or hard drive with a capacity of at least 2TB, for day-to-day storage of photos and video (clips and projects)PHOT 334 Week 2 One desktop USB external hard drive with a minimum capacity of 6TB (8TB preferred), for archive storage of photos and video (clips and projects) at home