I’ve been doing photography for 10 years now. Over that time, I’ve been through 4 different camera bodies and 8 lenses. Every time I go to upgrade, I struggle to figure out what camera is the next best step. You’re not going to go from a basic DSLR to top of the line in one upgrade. You also need a step big enough that the difference in your photography is apparent. Here’s the upgrades I did through the years in hopes that it will guide your decisions on your camera upgrades. Camera Bodies:
Camera Lenses: Now lenses are different from camera bodies. First off, they’re just specially arranged glass. They don’t outdate as quickly as camera bodies do. Camera bodies are good but lenses make even more of the difference. Lenses are also more specific to the kind of photography you’re capturing. Camera bodies are more general and can work well for more situations. My camera body section is in order of lowest to highest quality. This lens section is more going to explain why each lens is great and then you pick from those strengths according to what you need out of a lens. Canon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6: This is the basic lens that almost every basic camera setup starts with. This lens is nice because it has a lot of range. It can go wide angle or it can zoom in for farther objects. It has a higher f/stop so it’s not great in low light. It’s a good lens if you just want basic photos. Canon 75-300mm and 55-250mm f/4.5-5.6: These are two different lenses and really the only difference is 50mm of additional zoom. This is usually one of the kit lenses that come with a basic camera setup. This is a good one for wildlife photography or sports photography when it’s something like football. The one issue with zoom lenses is that it narrows how much light can enter the camera. These lenses also have higher f/stops so that’s another way they let less light in. They work great in sunny or cloudy situations but fall short if you’re trying to take photos in a darker place. Canon 50mm f/1.8: This lens is a fun one. It’s only $100 and does really well in low light. It has a low f/stop so it lets in lots of light. The low depth of field also gives you a beautiful blurred background. If you like close-up or portrait photography, this is a great lens. It’s not so good for wide angle or nature type photography. This is usually the first lens I recommend for people who only have the lenses above. It’s a small investment that allows you to see what different features can do to a lens and the photos it produces. It's my cheapest lens, I've had it for 7 years, and I still use it frequently. Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8: This is the first fancier lens I bought for my camera. At the time, I was taking lots of sports photography and wildlife photography. Since it has a f/2.8, it does well in low light and blurs the background nicely. As I’ve moved away from wildlife and sports photography, I now use this lens a lot at weddings. It’s a nice way to stay out of the way. I hate when photographers stand at the altar during the ceremony and become distracting. First and foremost is the wedding and then the photography second. It’s also nice for candids because you’re not standing right next to the person you’re photographing. I also bought the Sigma version of this lens because it was almost $1000 cheaper. Sigma makes some great lenses that are significantly cheaper than Canon brand. Just make sure you do your research before buying an off brand. Canon 24-70mm f/2.8: This was my most used lens for a long time. This is the first lens on my camera for every portrait session. It has nice range in terms of zoom. You can get 8 different perspectives on one pose without moving. It has nice blur in the background and takes low light well. This is a pricey lens but it’s my jack-of-all-trades lens. I can make it work in just about any situation. Canon 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5: This is one of my favorite lenses. Since I love scenery and travel photos, this lens is perfect. It captures so much of the scene. This is a prime example of something a DSLR can do that a cell phone just can’t handle. You don’t want to use this lens at 10mm for a portrait though. The face will look slightly distorted. You won’t have those same issues with it for scenery. The only reason I don’t use this lens anymore is because it doesn’t fit on my full frame. This lens is made for crop sensors (like the Rebels or 7D). Canon 17-40mm f/4 L: This was my replacement for my 10-22mm when I got my full frame. This lens is just like the one above. Remember that crop sensors make the lenses act like they have more zoom than they actually have. On my full frame, the photos look the same at 17mm as they do on my crop sensor at 10mm. This one is also a nicer lens than the one above since it’s an L series. With my wide angles though, I’m usually dealing with nice conditions since these are for fun photos. Both lenses have worked great for me.
This is usually the only lens I bring when I'm traveling. All these other lenses are used for portrait and wedding photography (what actually makes money). Since I'm usually taking landscape type photos (see my travel photos), I just really don't need anything else. If your style is different though, you may be bringing a different range of lenses.
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Miki & BobWe're an adventurous couple that travel internationally and travel nationally in our RV. We have a corgi named Sophie that comes along on our adventures. Our goal is to encourage others to travel and show genuine travel over Instagrammable travel. CategoriesArchives
April 2020
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