People often wonder about the best camera to buy. While it is an important decision, that glass attached to it may be more important. A top quality camera with a mediocre lens becomes a mediocre camera.
Lenses that typically come with a camera, called kit lenses, (because the camera and lens come as a “kit”) are often mediocre, They are usually medium zoom lenses (18-55mm+/-) with slow apertures (f3.5/4.0). Not to say you can’t take a great photo with a kit lens but you need to stop down to f8 or less which requires plenty of light or a slow shutter. At lower apertures your photos just won’t be as satisfying. They will feel fuzzy.
Good lenses last, too. They are better built, more rugged and can take being knocked about. They may be heavier but that’s because they are made with more glass and metal and less plastic. Feather light lens are great for carrying around but are much less durable.
High quality lenses outlasts cameras. They are like precious heirlooms that are handed down from body to body. After 3-5 years of shooting you’ll probably be thinking about a camera upgrade. If you shoot with a camera for 10 years or more you’ll wear it out and it may just stop working. Your lenses will keep going. If you’ve invested in a top quality lens it will fit right in (even after tens years) and you’ll hit the ground running with your new camera.
Good lenses are not cheap, running about $1000-2000 which hurts, so we compromise, getting a nice, average telephoto or wide angle lens just so we have it. It is a reasonable choice. It is better to shoot than not shoot.
Another compromise might be to buy a used lens. Well made lenses are durable making used models worth buying. A used f2.8 70-200mm is a better value than a new f4.0 70-200.
Just be a smart buyer. Look for scratches and dents. Look carefully through the lens to see if any there are any spidery filaments inside that are indicative of mold. And give it a good shaking listening for loose elements.
Cherish your lenses and get the best you can afford.
I love gear as much as the next guy, but to paraphrase many others, if the only thing people say about your photos is that they aren’t sharp, or that the ‘bokeh’ isn’t very good, then you probably aren’t making very interesting photos.
Well said. What I love about good glass is it lasts.