Which Lens Which Lens? | Photography Tips

So how is everyone’s summer going? Photographing a lot? GREAT! My wife, brother, and brother’s girlfriend recently went up to Lake Tahoe for a short vacation. It was so nice to get out of town. But not long enough! There are so many Lake Tahoe photography opportunities to capture that it was a shame we had to head back home for work.

This week, I thought that we would dive into a little camera lens selection. You will hear a lot of critics that say your equipment is only as good as your glass. This is true… sort of. Let me explain. If you have done any research on camera bodies, you might have thought at some point, wow, this Canon T2i looks like it has the same sensor and processor as the Canon 7D! And its half the price! While that is true, from a camera body perspective, you are forgoing the custom features when you go with a consumer level camera. What that statement really means though is that if you were to have the settings the same on both cameras, and you put the same lens on both, you will get the same image. However, the lens that you put on the camera plays a huge part.

If you have ever shopped for a Canon L series lens, you can be assured that your jaw will drop at some of the prices. Canon’s lenses are top of the line. They don’t get much better, but you can be assured that you are going to pay for it! That being said, there are several awesome options for 3rd party manufacturers that make some awesome lenses for a fraction of the cost. Sigma is definitely one of the leaders in my opinion for 3rd party manufacturers.

So what’s in your wallet? Or in this case your camera bag? I am a huge fan of fast lenses, that is, lenses with wide open apertures. I also get annoyed when my aperture auto adjusts itself when I zoom. So I am definitely an advocate of fixed aperture lenses. For what to buy, you need to look at what you shoot. As a Santa Clarita wedding photographer, you really need a wide variety of lenses. You definitely want to get a long zoom lens such as a 70-200mm lens for those intimate close-ups. I would also have a short zoom, such as a 24-70mm. And no matter what you shoot, EVERYONE can benefit from a trust ‘ol 50mm lens. It is a great all around lens for your kit.

If you have lens questions, don’t hesitate to ask!