Here are the four previous installments: Basics I | Basics II | Basics – III | Basics – IV

Uh – it was about time, that I continue my Photography Basics Series – and I will do so with
looking at the equipment.

I received countless emails (almost 3!!!) with questions – and of course the age old question
of what is better to buy – Canon or Nikon in the DSLR section is one of the most often asked.

So now – what is it? Frankly – given the technology today it really isn’t so much anymore about
brand. You simply can not buy a bad DSLR anymore. And the playing field of the competitors
in their respective price range is pretty much level.

The only area where brands stand out is the professional sector – and they stand out, because
they are the only ones catering to it – Nikon and Canon. And there – guess what – is a level
playing field, too.

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Now let’s have a look at lenses, which concerns the DSLR camera world.

First off – two kinds of lenses are out there: The Zoom lens and the Prime lens.
Zooms offer a variable focal length, while Prime lenses work off a fixed focal length.
To dive right in into the most commonly asked question, which is better, it will get
a mixed answer.
Without a doubt – technically speaking a prime lens is superior to  the zoom lens.
But – not only has that gap been considerably narrowed in recent years, but if you’re
not a top of the line professional, you will be hardpressed to find noticeable differences.
Nowadays the quality level is so high, that obvious faults are basically non existent.
Problems encountered in tests, that results in lower ratings do occur, but show them-
selves more or less only in extreme situations. Extreme light dynamic and contrast
situations for example reveal Chromatic Aberrations, Lensflare etc.
But for the most part todays lenses deliver an astonishing quality overall.

A distinguishing factor however is the speed of those lenses, the built quality,
speed and precision of autofocus and usability are important issues, that a
lens buyer has to take into consideration.

While entry level lenses deliver good image quality along with sufficient speed, they
can not compete in built quality and detail with their expensive competition.

As an independent blogger I will not give recommendations on brand, and that
I personally arrived at using Nikon and Sigma is a result of a procedure that I
recommend for every potential buyer.

1. Sit down and think of what you would like to do with the new camera.
   This will determine camera and lenses you will need to buy.
2. Determine honestly how engaged you are to photography and ask
   yourself if you are in it for the long haul. Create a budget.

How to choose your camera:

1. Very occasional Shooter: Zoom capable Point and shoot. Lightweight and
   easy to use is your best bet.
2. Occasional to Hobbyshooter: Medium to top of the line Point and shoot
   with extended Zoom range 10x +, some manual settings options
3. Ambitious and engaged Hobbyshooter & birder:  Top Point and shoot or Entry
   Level DSLR
4. Addicted Photographer: Mid Level DSLR
5. Pro: High End

Once you’re clear on what you are opting for – read up! Read tests and learn about
strengths and weaknesses and sort these results according to your priorities.
(Example – if you want to go birding, it will have little effect on you, if the Point and shoot
or the lens chosen is weak in wide angle areas)
Next step is to definitely not buy, because a camera is a test winner. Go to different
shops and handle the cameras. It is important how comfy you feel with it. Is the
usage intuitive, can you shoot right away? Can you handle and reach buttons easily?
If you have large hands, it probably not a good choice to work with a device with tiny
buttons…
 

Now – you have your camera, and if you are just starting out (This goes for DSLR’s)
you will be ok with kit lenses – only if you want to go birding, you might want to watch out.
 

So what should you have for what?

Great universal Zooms are those in the range of 18-200, 28-300, 18-250, 55-200mm
and aside from the last are lenses you probably never have to take off.

If you’re a bit more specific – and do specialize in landscapes a good wide angle zoom
(18-50, 18-70, 10-20 mm) will be great.
Portraits, Weddings will profit from those lenses as well, but you’ll be needing a
good and fast portrait lens, too. (90, 105, 150, 180, 200mm Prime Lenses with
a f2.8 or f4 aperture are recommended.) If you choosing a lens with less than
100mm for that, you should compliment it with a fast zoom – e.g. 70-200mm)
Macro Photography enthusiasts should have a dedicated Macro Lens in their bag
with a 1:1 magnification. The portrait lenses I mentioned above often time do
have macro features. There is the rule of thumb, that the longer the focal length,
the less close you have to come to the subject – which is a good thing, since
some animals (butterflies) will take a hike, if you get too close.

For general wildlife and birding you want to have at least 300mm focal length.
In that regard you will soon learn that you never can have too much focal length.
A doable solution is working with a teleconverter, which can extend the focal
length by a factor of 1.4x to 3x, but at the same time reduce the lens speed by the
same factor they magnify. (Example: a f2, 200 mm lens will become a f3.4 280mm
lens with 1.4 x converter or to the other max side a f6, 600mm lens with a 3x converter.)

There are good long range zooms out there, by Sigma, Tamron, Tokina as alternative
to the usually more expensive manufacturers lenses. A good choice are 80-400mm,
50-500mm, 170-500mm options.
And then there are the top dogs.
Ultrafast, ultraheavy and ultraexpensive prime and zoom lenses, that will set you back
$5,000.00 and way more without twitching an eye.
They currently reach up to 1000mm with astonishing speeds of f5.6!

From my experience I can say that it’s a good idea to start out moderately and set
up pretty unspecialized. You will gather experience in time and not only start figuring
out, what suites you best (Birding, landscapes etc.) but also what you might be
needing later on. So try covering the focal range from 18 – 300 mm with a set of lenses
and you’re good to go.

A word of advice though. If you’re out in the field a lot and encounter extreme weather
like hunidity, rain, rough terrain and you know you’re in it for the long haul, skip
everything entry level and go to semi or professional equipment, which offers weather
seals to prevent water and dust coming into your camera, weather sealed lenses, that
sport a rugged metal body. But that again is needed only if your out in the field as
often as you’re in the office…
 

Uuuh – that was a longer article than I planned so I leave it at that for now – Part VI
will deal with other equipment, Tripod, Flash, etc.