What kind of photography equipment should I use?
[Updated May 2021]
I am blessed to have been able to save up chunks of money at a time to afford some of the nicest lenses on the planet. But they are no joke. I’ve spent over $15,000 sum total on lenses alone. And trust me, that number could get a LOT higher!
What if you’re a budding photographer and you don’t know where to start? What gives you the best bang for your buck? Obviously, it would be nice to get the “Holy Trinity Force” of lenses:
14-24mm 2.8/f
24-70mm 2.8/f
70-200mm 2.8/f
Nikon’s Holy Trinity of Lenses (Image by Marcin Moka)
These give you the professional 2.8 aperture across a huge range from 14mm wide angle to 200mm super-telephoto. But at what cost? Usually each piece costs between $1600 - $2500.
Cheap Option for Professional Shooters: Fixed Lens
Go PRIME. Don’t get huge heavy zoom lenses. In today’s industry, a lot of quick-easy-money photographers are opting for cheap fixed-zoom lenses. They’re cheap, sharp, light, and make incredible photos! And with the obsession over “background blur” these really make your photos pop.
I’m a traditional photographer, I value sharpness. So technically, I think the Holy Trinity is always better, but the current generation of Instagrammers and bloggers would disagree with me. Flashy is more eye-catching now!
I recommend getting the following:
Nikon’s 24mm or 28mm 1.8/f ($676 new, $350 used)
Nikon 50mm 1.8G or 50mm 1.8D ($195 or $131 NEW, $125 or $99 USED)
Nikon 85mm 1.8G ($475 NEW, $315 USED)
Wedding photographers use this for ultra-low light shots.
What if you’re starting out on a DX cropped camera? YOU CAN STILL USE THE LENSES ABOVE! They will be zoomed though.
24mm FX lens will feel like 36mm on a DX/cropped camera
50mm FX lens will feel like 75mm on a DX/cropped camera
85mm FX lens will feel like 127.5mm ZOOM on a DX/cropped camera
So, if you want to stay within the DX/cropped lens family, I highly recommend the Nikon 35mm 1.8 DX.
I used this lens for 5 years straight. It is AMAZING. I sadly had to let it go when I upgraded my camera to a full professional FX Nikon. It’s only $150!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
