Nikon and Canon each have dozens of prime lenses for sale. Sarah and I currently own seven prime lenses ? But for beginning photographers who are trying to grow their arsenal without breaking the bank, we recommend purchasing one of the following lenses as your first prime lens:
But what lens should you add to your bag, once you are ready to go beyond that basic kit lens? The best lenses for beginning photographers often fall into one of four basic categories. The best choice for you depends on what type of photography you want to be able to shoot.
What Lenses Are in Your Bag
Chances are, the kit lens that came with your camera has a maximum aperture of somewhere around f/3.5, and it gets even smaller as you zoom in. An f/1.8 lens is 2 stops brighter, meaning it lets in 4 times the amount of light. That not only allows you to take better photos indoors and in any low light scenario, but gives you more power to create blurry backgrounds. The wider the aperture, the shallower the depth of field.
Most 50mm prime lenses are also compact and lightweight (except for the very high-end ones), and will be barely noticeably in your camera bag. But the real selling point is the cost. While prices vary from one manufacturer to the next, the 50mm is always among the cheapest lenses available for any given system.
Wider lenses capture more of the scene, which can help add more context to the story in your photograph or just provide a unique perspective. Ultra-wide angle lenses are ideal for landscapes, travel, or interiors when you want to make a space feel even larger than it is. A wide-angle lens with a bright aperture is great for astrophotography.
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Out of all my lenses, a standard zoom sits on my camera the most. It lets me shoot fairly wide while also offering decent zoom for objects off in the distance. You can shoot landscapes at 18mm, environmental portraits at 24mm, street shots at 50mm, and tighter portraits in the 60mm+ range.
Having a macro lens opens up a whole new world of tiny objects to photograph. Also, if you do any type of product photography (jewelry, food, etc.), this lens will allow you to capture a much greater level of detail than is possible with non-macro lenses.
Regarding the maximum aperture: f/4 is acceptable and will get you decent low-light capabilities plus a shallow depth of field (especially when shooting at 200mm). But an f/2.8 maximum aperture is the holy grail of 70-200mm lenses; the depth of field is gorgeous at f/2.8, plus you can shoot indoors for basketball games, wedding ceremonies, graduations, etc.
The wider aperture will also let you shoot at faster shutter speeds so you can capture moving subjects such as birds and other wildlife. And a 70-200mm lens is a handy portrait lens; the focal length minimizes distortion and narrows the field of view to fill the frame with your subject.
Perfect for most DSLR and Mirrorless camera lenses, Cine-lenses, Medium Format Lenses, Super Telephoto Lenses commonly used for sports and wildlife and also stretches and nicely covers Lens Hoods and ND Filters.
ELEMENT PROOFGet dirty, your lens won't. With a tight seal around your lens MICRO & MAGNUM prevent water, mud, and the finest dust and sand from scratching & mucking up your lens. They also work as both a front & rear lens cap, never falling off and ensuring that your glass is always protected.
Oh you bet your bottom it does! Although from an initial glance it might not seem to work, the Universal Lens Cap does function with a lens hoods! If the lens hood is first mounted either in normal fashion or in reverse, the ULC can be stretched over it, covering it no problem! In fact, the ULC is more versatile than you might think!
99.99% chance it does! The Universal Lens Cap has a stretch range of 60mm to 150mm! In a nutshell, every lens has a diameter that is in between that range of 60mm and 150mm minus a few extremes on both ends. And if you're still apprehensive about it, click on the link below to view the comprehensive list of lenses that the ULC will cover! Chances are, your lens is on that list! :)
Nope! In fact, photographers have used the ULC as ways to better insulate their lenses, substitute the velcro walls for ULCs, and layer on multiple ULCs creating bumpers from other camera gear! If anything, it creates more room in your bag while increasing padding and protection for your gear.
One of the most useful things I have is a screwdriver and set of hex keys (a.k.a Allen keys). Lots of bits on tripods require hex keys to tighten them, and the attachment screws for your tripod plate will need some kind of screwdriver to properly tighten. These things often come loose, especially if you are using heavy equipment like a telephoto lens. Not being able to tighten things fully leaves them at risk of falling apart, off of things, or just introducing camera shake.
To mark a collaboration between Magnum and Belstaff on a field bag, Magnum photographers turn their lenses to their equipment, offering an insight into the key items they take with them on assignment, and what they pick up along the way.
What do you bring back from your travels?I always bring back artifacts, whether they are t-shirts or hats, medallions, sculptures, anything I can find during the travels. I often end up carting them back in the camera bag.
The bag you need to use has a specific niche functionality and purpose for a particular activity. For example, when using a backcountry skiing pack that holds your skis and safety equipment or a fully waterproof bag for a kayaking trip.
You only need to carry a minimal amount of camera gear, such as a single camera and lens, amongst a larger amount of non-photographic equipment. For example, when backpacking for multiple days, and most of your bag is filled with camping gear, or when flying away for a quick city break with carry-on luggage only, your bag is primarily filled with clothes and toiletries.
These ICUs are thickly padded, made from durable heavy-denier nylon and come with plenty of dividers to organize your gear. Metal D-Rings are stitched into the top handle to give you a shoulder strap attachment point. The strap attachment helps make an ad-hoc camera shoulder bag once you reach your destination and pull the ICU from within a larger backpack or duffle bag.
Depending on how you plan to pack, this added rigidity can be good or bad. If you want to place heavy objects on the camera gear, rigidity is good. However, if you plan to cram many oddly shaped items in your bag around the padded cube, the F-Stop ICUs will conform better to those other items.
Due to the relatively thin padded offered by this bag, it works best when wedging it into your bag amongst softer items such as clothing or a sleeping bag. It also comes with carabiners to clip it to the outside of your bag if you prefer easy access.
Sometimes, all you want to do is drop some camera gear into a bag amongst other equipment without scratching up your lens or camera. For this, the LensCoat BodyBag range and TravelCoat range is often the perfect solution. The neoprene BodyBag sleeves are available in sizes to suit DSLRs, mirrorless cameras and pro-sized bodies, either with or without a lens. The TravelCoats are lens-specific. As you can see from the photos, I have amassed quite a collection of them over the years, and regularly find uses for them when packing my bags.
For the ultimate camera protection, look no further than a Pelican case. If you are taking your camera somewhere with the possibility of a complete soaking, a small Pelican case, like the Pelican 1120, can be the way to go. The downside of these cases is the bulk and weight, which quickly becomes a problem for larger amounts of camera gear. Still, if you want to guarantee the safety of your equipment, these are a fantastic option.
This is a useful summary of the various inserts. One other option: The Tenba BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) inserts. They come with a strap and can function as a camera bag when you are not using your backpack. My BYOB 9 insert works well with a Leica M2 film camera and several lenses (a bit tight but compact).
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As you can see, the Brevite Jumper camera bag can accommodate multiple camera bodies, as well as lenses, batteries, water bottles, and whatever else you can get to fit into it. It also has loops on the bottom to secure a tripod so you can capture images hands-free if the moment strikes you.
Additional storage compartments in this camera bag include a hybrid camera compartment divider, an organizational pocket, an expandable water bottle pocket, a phone pocket, and a hidden internal pocket. With so many compartments for your gear and accessories, it would be hard to run out of space in this camera bag!
Durable and rugged but soft enough to be stuffed into tight spaces when necessary (I store mine under my scooter saddle!), the Retrospective 30 allows me to carry 2 pro DSLR bodies with lenses attached, 4 lenses, 2 flashes and numerous other small accessories.
As the best camera bag you can invest in for the biggest return in regards to capacity, the PGYTECH OneMo includes 11 dividers you can use to customize the interior of this backpack. No matter what you plan on carrying in terms of camera gear, this bag will swallow it all.
Plus, the seams are also reinforced to ensure your camera gear stays contained. Really, this camera bag from PGYTECH is built for carrying as much as you can possibly fit into a backpack without it busting at the seams!
Speaking of shoulder straps, you can also carry it across your back or over your shoulder, depending on how much gear you have packed into it. You can also attach it to your belt and carry it that way. 2ff7e9595c
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