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Higher Photography

Procurement

You shouldn’t need to buy anything to ace your Higher Photography. Your school hopefully has all the required equipment. However, if you are not part of a school or you’re a teacher looking to kit out a new Photography Class, this may help. We’re going to deliberately avoid photos and videos here, because shiny new kit is always tempting:

Cameras

Section titled “Cameras”

If the camera you have is 12 megapixels or above, offers aperture control (ideally with a range of lenses) then you’re fine for Higher Photography. The maximum size you can print your project is A4. A4 at 300 dpi is 8.7 megapixels, so as long as you avoid heavy cropping, 12 megapixels is enough. Beyond this, lenses, post processing and printing will make much more impact on your final project prints.

If you’re a teacher looking to get cameras for your class, or you’re not at a school and need to buy a camera. I’d recommend getting a full frame mirrorless camera if you can afford one, failing that APS-C or micro four thirds (MFT). If you already own a Sony E-mount, Canon EOS R, Nikon Z-mount or a Panasonic/Leica/Sigma L mount camera system, I’d recommend sticking with that system. DSLR bodies aren’t sufficiently future-proof to recommend buying new today, just because you have lenses. Medium format digital bodies, or film, is too expensive for most schools. You can, however, get adapters to convert most DSLR or manual focus medium format lenses to fit most mirrorless cameras.

I should disclose that I currently shoot with Sony cameras. My recommendations tend to follow the systems I use, but currently I recommend Sony to schools because of their pricing, broader third-party lens support and availability of affordable second-hand lenses. As of 2025, the Sony A7 III1 would be my recommendation for schools offering Higher Photography - as long as you set up its ‘My Menu’ well. Better still the A7 IV2, if budget permits.

While they are more than sufficient for A4 prints, I don’t have sufficient positive experience with APS-C or MFT to make a personal recommendation. I would suggest that a school camera needs to be at least as robust as a rental camera, so I’d advise against buying anything for a school that a rental house isn’t willing to rent out. With that in mind, as of August 2025 the cheapest rentable camera + kit zoom lens + fast prime lens still available to buy new that I could find from each brand was the Sony ZV-E103, then the Nikon Z fc4, the Canon R105, the Panasonic Lumix G9 II6, then the Fujifilm X-E57. Fujifilms with dedicated shutter speed and ISO dials and aperture rings, and the Nikon Z fc, have an advantage when teaching exposure.

Lenses

Section titled “Lenses”

This is where investment is likely most worthwhile.

For Higher Photography the kit zoom lens that comes with your camera is likely the best value for money. If it is by a reputable brand, it should be all you need to attain full marks.

The next lens to buy would be a nifty-50. An affordable f/1.8 or brighter 50mm lens that can demonstrate the impact of aperture on depth of field.

Beyond that, choices are largely genre dependent, and I would recommend weekend rental for individuals, or possibly buying one of each for schools with sufficient camera bodies and budget:

  1. A true 1:1 reproduction macro - I would suggest ~100mm Full Frame, ~60mm APS-C, ~50mm MFT.
  2. A telephoto zoom for wildlife and sports.
  3. A wide angle zoom or prime for landscape and architecture.
  4. A fast prime in the 80-150mm Full Frame range (this is covered by the nifty 50 for APS-C and MFT)

I am personally not a fan of fisheye lenses, but would love to know how their images fare with SQA examiners.
I absolutely love the creative control of tilt-shift lenses, but acknowledge their relatively steep learning curve & price point.

Support

Section titled “Support”

Aluminium tripods with ball heads and arca-swiss compatible plates are likely best value for money. Cheaper plastic tripods are unlikely to last or be as stable.

Lighting

Section titled “Lighting”

Natural lighting with reflectors is by far the best value in terms of image quality / £ - especially when using silver/white foam board.

If budget suffices, Godox flash or continuous-light LED panel kits are hard to beat in terms of build quality / £.

Light Metering

Section titled “Light Metering”

This is an area I would appreciate input on, are schools required by SQA to stock handheld light meters? If so what specifications are required?

Footnotes

Section titled “Footnotes”

  1. Sony A7 III + Sony FE 28–70mm f/3.5–5.6 OSS + Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 = ~£1,500 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  2. Sony A7 IV + Sony FE 28–70mm f/3.5–5.6 OSS + Sony FE 50mm f/1.8 = ~£2,500 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  3. Sony ZV-E10 + Sony 16–50mm f/3.5–5.6 OSS kit zoom + Sony E 50mm f/1.8 OSS = ~£1,100 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  4. Nikon Z fc + Nikon Z DX 16–50mm f/3.5–6.3 VR + Nikon Z 50mm f/1.8 S = ~£1,200 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  5. Canon EOS R10 + Canon RF-S 18–45mm f/4.5–6.3 IS STM + Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 STM = ~£1,300 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  6. Panasonic Lumix G9 II + Panasonic Lumix G Vario 12–60mm f/3.5–5.6 + OM System M.Zuiko 45mm f/1.8 = ~£1,600 on 30/08/2025 ↩

  7. Fujifilm X-E5 + Fujifilm XC 15–45mm f/3.5–5.6 OIS PZ + Viltrox AF 56mm f/1.4 XF = ~£1,800 on 30/08/2025 ↩