Advanced Amateur Adam – Your work is widely recognized by friends and family and you are starting to book regular events outside of your immediate circle. Some cash flow from photography gigs opens up the door to take your gear to the next level.

Intro: To give an accurate comparison, I'm going to compare my favorite camera in this category (Pentax 20D) with another that a close friend of mine uses (Canon 40D). The Canon 40D is not the latest model in this category by Canon, but it is in the same price range as my 20D and provides a good comparison. (the newest Canon is many hundreds more)

My Pick: Pentax k20D - $833  (body only)

My friend's Pick: Canon 40D - $800 on ebay

Discussion: If I were buying in this range it would be one of these 2 cameras. The choice between the two would be completely based on how I would plan on using the camera. Both are wonderful camera's built well and sport a basic weather sealed body and lots of manual buttons for easy access to everything.

For Landscapes, Portraiture, Macro (close up), or Studio work, I'd pick the Pentax K20D for it's wonderful 14MP sensor (over the Canon's 10MP)

For Photo Journalism or Sports and Action Photography, I'd pick the Canon 40D for it's blazingly fast 6.5 frames per second shooting speed (double what my K20d can do).

For weddings, it's a toss up. The K20D has a cleaner image at higher ISO and shoots up to 6400 (means you can shoot same shutter speed in lower light). The Canon however isn't far behind and clearly bests the Pentax in the speed department.

As an Advanced Amateur you can seek paying gigs, but you need to have the quality to back it up. The "kit lens" that came with your camera doesn't cut it anymore. Assuming you already picked up a 50mm lens (as explained under Serious Student), this is the set of glass I'd buy and the order in which I'd buy it. Based on your priorities, you will likely have a different order or different lens preferences.

1 Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 – this replaces your kit lens and is probably what you use for like 80% of your shots. A really wonderful lens, it has a very close focus distance (so you can get really close…better than canon or pentax versions of this lens) and it's super sharp. ~$430

2 Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 – this is perfect for most portraiture outside or if you have enough room inside (zooming in is better for faces…I'll explain later). It's also a must if you are shooting sports, weddings, animals or even landscapes. ~$800

NOTE: if you are shooting Canon or Nikon, consider your brand version of this lens as image stabilization is quite important with long lenses. Pentax has it in the body, so you don't need it in the lens.

3 Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 – this is a super wide angle lens, perfect for dramatic action shots and creative angles. You might opt for a fisheye instead. Go to a camera store and try them out.

4 Sigma 70mm f/2.8 Macro – this lens is made for close up work. I can get just an inch from a bee and have it's body fill the entire frame. Also, this is one of the sharpest lenses produced by any manufacturer right now and I like using it for portraits.

If you are serious about being in this Advanced Amateur category, you are probably serious about your accessories as well. I discussed accessories in the Serious Student page so now I'll focus on studio lighting.

In my opinion there is one place to go for your studio lights setup. Alienbees.com. I have their B800 and some of their umbrellas.

I LOVE it all. I especially love the light. It's built pretty well, has really fast recycle times and has good power for a great price. Just check out their packages and buy whatever you can afford and start working. (you will need to pick up a lightmeter as well) I personally use the shoot-through umbrellas, but that discussion is for another day.