Would a new camera or lens solve the problem, or could you change the setup? Before buying, test one scene you can photograph regularly. Use a cup and notebook on your desk to separate a feature you want from a limit you have actually found.
1. Choose one scene you can photograph again
Place a plain cup and notebook with blank pages on a desk near a window. Take one horizontal photograph showing both with the equipment you have. A repeatable scene makes positions and lenses easier to compare than somewhere you can visit only on a trip. These are fictional examples for investigating equipment, not measurements of a particular model.
Open the photograph and name one difficulty. Instead of only “the room is dark,” write “the cup fits, but a slow shutter produces blur,” or “I want the whole desk, but the wall stops me stepping back.” That gives you a next experiment. If the picture already works, you can keep photographing without buying anything.
This does not mean a smartphone or APS-C camera cannot produce saleable work. If your equipment can photograph the intended scene and meet the destination's image and file requirements, you can start. Keep my preferences separate from what a particular setup can actually do.
2. Test framing and low-light blur separately
If the desk will not fit, first see whether you can safely step back. Try moving the cup if that creates the scene. When there is no room to retreat, a lens that shows a narrower view will not solve that problem. A lens's focal length—35mm or 50mm, for example—relates to the view it records. With the same sensor size, a smaller number generally gives a wider view.
Zooming from the same position and moving closer are different operations. Moving changes the size relationship between the cup in front and the notebook behind. First choose a position that shows the shape and background you want, then consider a lens that includes the needed area from there.
For blur in dim light, first try moving nearer the window or supporting the camera on a tripod. A tripod alone will not freeze a moving person. You need light and settings that let you keep an appropriate shutter speed. If aperture and shutter speed are unfamiliar, return to the desk composition and exposure exercise.
3. My starting preference is a fast prime lens
A prime has a fixed focal length. You cannot turn a zoom ring to change its view; instead, change your position or the objects' arrangement when needed. A “fast” lens can use a small f-number, admitting more light under the same conditions. That can also narrow the depth that appears sharp. To show both cup and notebook clearly, you may need to stop down—use a larger f-number.
I do not recommend a kit lens as the starting choice. Even when considering a high-end zoom, I would prioritize a fast prime first. Along with brightness and detail, I value learning composition by moving, photographing movement in dim light, and manageable weight for video. This is not a claim that all kit lenses have poor image quality or all zooms are slow.
For a first lens covering photographs and video, I would consider 35mm. That is my starting point on full frame. The same focal length gives a different angle of view on a different sensor size; do not assume the same composition on another format.
Angle of view describes how much of a scene appears in the frame. Full frame and APS-C describe sensor-size categories. Rather than choosing by “35mm” alone, try the lens with your camera at the desk. Check the body's specifications and the lens compatibility information for its sensor format and supported lenses.
A fast lens does not require you to shoot at its smallest f-number all the time. Raising ISO is also different from admitting more light through the lens. To retain the cup's rim and notebook's lettering, enlarge the photograph and inspect the aperture and focus you used. Neither price nor f-number alone establishes the detail you will obtain.
4. Try the body with the lens attached
My preference is to start with full frame if possible. Combined with a fast prime, it gives me options in dim scenes and with movement. But a full-frame label does not determine focus performance, video stability or ease of operation. Try the intended lens and actual recording settings.
SONY is the first brand I would suggest. That does not mean someone who prefers another maker's color or controls must use one brand. A camera you like can be a candidate if it supports the lenses and production work you need.
Find the specific lens and body on the manufacturer's product pages. The mount is the connection standard between them. A matching brand name alone does not establish attachment or full functionality. Sony's official lens/body compatibility information is one example; use the corresponding maker's chart or manual for another brand.
If a shop or borrowed setup allows a test, hold the camera with the intended lens, not the body alone. Can you reach the shutter comfortably, focus on the cup's rim and support it vertically? For video, try the Record button and operation with the needed tripod and cables attached. Judge the working weight, not just how small the body looks.
If test recording and taking the files home are permitted, open them on your own computer. A brief look at a shop's attractive monitor does not tell you whether your computer can play and finish them. Use the short-video playback steps. If you cannot take files home, retain that as an untested point.
5. Choose the first setup, then check how to buy it
You do not have to restrict your search to the newest camera. Used equipment with the required functions can be a candidate. Buying a higher-grade used setup and selling it when you need to change is one approach, but neither resale price nor a small loss is guaranteed. Once you have a candidate, read the used-purchase, computer, card and power guide for condition, warranty, returns and arrival checks. This article does not establish a seller's current terms.
Try one lens before adding another focal length to solve a specific limit, such as a wall behind you or a distant subject you cannot approach. A second body is not automatically necessary. It may reduce lens changes while adding weight, batteries, cards and repeated filenames.
If today's desk photograph works, move on to choosing and finishing that picture rather than expanding a shopping list. If replacement is needed, “include the whole desk” or “freeze moving hands” makes a more useful test than following specification numbers alone.