My favorite low-light lens: 28mm, F1.4,
More times than you might imagine, students ask me which new lens they should buy. The wacky part of this is that without more information, I never know. To help me help you, look for trends in the images on your computer. Sooner than you might imagine, you will find trends which will cause you to say (or at least think) “didn’t realize I had to many pictures of _________. That’s a good indicator of what you really enjoy photographing so you can send a note to me that answers the “what do you like to take pictures of?” question. All new equipment purchases need to be disappointment-based. If your current gear doesn’t meet your requirements (i.e. not wide enough, close enough or macro enough) it’s a good time to add a lens to your camera bag that will be wide, close or macro enough to make you smile.
While more people than you can imaging like to get into some type of macro (micro) photography, I can proudly state that I’ve never been bitten by the macro bug. I have, however, been bitten buy its cousin the very rare “available light” bug which is why I have a low-light lens in my bag more often than not.
The big-name camera companies are dropping DSLR lenses from their product lines faster than you can imagine. These focal lengths are being replaced by lenses for mirrorless cameras so it’s a good time to check out the used department at your favorite retailer or KEH that specializes in used gear since prices are dropping. Do you need a mirrorless camera? That’s a topic for another blog so check back often.
