I have this problem. You see, I often want what I don’t have. I know that I am probably the only person who has that problem sometimes. Well, lucky for me I have been working on gratitude lately and it is amazing! I love it! It has helped release some of those wants. But one of the big wants in photography is new gear. From my first consumer camera and kit lens to wanting to get something better, the want was there.
So what I wanted to talk about is what to upgrade first… the chicken or the egg? In this post the chicken is really a camera body and the egg is a new lens.
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I first upgraded my lens collection. It all started with a 28-300 Tamron lens that I saw at the local camera store used. It was $300. I thought it was the best thing I had ever used. (This was a long time ago now)
I thought I had spent SOOOO much money for this new lens. I was overwhelmed.
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I grew my collection with the next step lens, the nifty fifty (50mm 1.8). I think this is the absolute best lens that is one step up from the kit lens (18-55). Honestly if I were to recommend a lens to anyone it would be this one first.
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My collection grew big when I got the lens that I wanted. I had saved for it for almost 6 months. The 24-70L has been my favorite lens to date. It is awesome. It can do so much. I love it!
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Now I have a collection (albeit a small collection) of lenses I decided it might be time to get a new camera. I had used my rebel to the point that I knew everything about it and was ready. Again, great advice from a photo friend was not to upgrade until you really know why you are upgrading. I knew what I couldn’t do with my camera and what I needed to do with it. I pushed that little camera to the limits. It still is a great machine (I still have it!).
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I knew I couldn’t handle (or afford) the biggie camera at that time, the 5dmarkii so I upgrade to the 7d. It is an awesome camera!! I loved it! Still the best camera for sports photography hands down.
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Since then I have added a few more lenses, like the 70-200 and the 50mm and my favorite little guy the 40mm.
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And then a few months ago I upgraded to the beautiful 5dmkiii!
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So what is the point of this post??
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There really isn’t one. This is me telling my story. Everyone has a different story and it is yours. Own it. Don’t worry about what other people do or say.
I know photographers who are adamant that upgrading the camera first is the way to go. I think you need something to put on the camera before you upgrade. Eh. Do what is best for you. I actually don’t think either of us are wrong. 😉
I promise it won’t be the wrong choice if you know it is the right choice for you and your family!
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(p.s. I still have that ole tamron lens…yea it sits in a box and only gets used at certain times. So even though it was the best thing ever at the time, just remember things in photography always change!)
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