What are /r/Photography101's favorite Products & Services?

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Many people suggest this book… I picked it up and it has been extremely helpful. I will be reading it multiple times for sure.

Understanding Exposure, Fourth Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera https://www.amazon.com/dp/1607748509/ref=cm_sw_r_awdo_B4MKQKES301DM0QXA3ZJ

Please don't spend your money on that. Tossing it out will be a pain. The filters are worthless pieces of plastic rubbish, the "lenses" (the macro label makes me giggle) have about the optical quality of a mason jar, the SD card reader looks dodgy, the flash is bound to be worthless (and you likely won't ever use one), the tripod is a joke, and the bag is not very good.

If you were happy with the D3200, then the D3400 is probably good enough for you. No need to spend more money on the D3500. All you need is a cheap SD card (the one is the bundle is good enough), (this bundle)[https://www.nikonusa.com/en/nikon-products/product/dslr-cameras/1574/d3400.html] (please don't get the red colour), and a simple (lens cleaning kit)[https://www.amazon.com/Professional-Camera-Cleaning-Kit-Cameras/dp/B00CHHJQ0O/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=lens+cleaning+kit&qid=1551589274&s=gateway&sr=8-6] off Amazon. Everything else, like flashes, tripods, and filters, you can pick up later if you decide you need it, and get some proper ones.

A normal backpack allows all your equipment to jostle around and potentially get damaged. Why? It simply isn't purpose built for the task of carrying sensitive photography equipment. The same way you wouldn't carry eggs loose on a backpack- they can very easily break if not properly protected. To OP's point, I recently picked up the backpack style style camera bag linked below. Just under $100 and keeps everything nice and protected while I'm out on a hike or bike.

https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00U3TQR6O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_VNsIFbV9DTJBG

You should look at a studio home kit and get a couple of lightboxes, we love this one:https://www.amazon.com/YICOE-Photography-Equipment-Continuous-Advertising/dp/B082XPZPS9/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1ORSSAW9SYE5A&dchild=1&keywords=studio+home+lighting&qid=1595876193&sprefix=studio+home+%2Caps%2C221&sr=8-5

This one is what I’m curious about: giant bundle

p.s. BTW, I already have Canon PowerShot SX130IS (https://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SX130IS-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNG8/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=), which I was going to return precisely because its f/3.5-5.6 does not quite satisfy me. Could I, instead, use YONGNUO with it?

Thanks a lot! Did I get you right that to have the aperture opening larger than 3.5, which Canon EOS 4000D has (https://www.amazon.com/Canon-4000D-Camera-3-5-5-6-International/dp/B07JKG22X1/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1545646331&sr=8-3&keywords=canon+eos+4000d+with+18-55mm+lens), I'd have to replace its lens with YONGNUO (https://www.amazon.com/YONGNUO-yn35mm-F2-0-Lens-F2N/dp/B01LZ7R9J8/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1545646694&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=%22yongnuo+35mm+f%2F2.0%22)? Or is YONGNUO (BTW, Amazon says it is for Nikon, not Canon) to be placed on top of Canon's lens? My apologies for these probably silly questions; I'm really new to all this.

p.p.s.And what would you say of EOS 20D (https://www.amazon.com/Canon-DSLR-Camera-Body-MODEL/dp/B0002XQI2E/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1545722542&sr=1-3)? "EF mount compatible with all Canon lenses in EF and EF-S lineup"--Do the lenses that you mentioned belong to this category?

Thanks a lot! I've done more research meanwhile, and am now looking at a used Canon PowerShot Pro Series S5 IS 8.0MP with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (https://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B000Q3043Y/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=). It seems to not have the downsides of the zoom that you indicated. Also, it has a viewfinder, to which I am used from the days I was shooting with my old mirrorless FED. Thanks in advance for any thoughts about this.