Digital Advent Calendar 2010 - Day 17

Spend money on glass

I’m a big believer in spending money on lenses rather than camera bodies.  You can get a beautifully sharp picture with a low-end digital camera body with a high end lens.  You can’t, however, get a good photo with a top of the range digital SLR with poor optics.

Digital SLR camera manufacturers are pretty shrewd as they lock you in with them once you decide to invest in equipment.  Canon equipment, for example, will only work with Canon cameras so if you decide to switch to, say, Nikon down the road then it’s a major decision to source a whole load of like-for-like gear.

Purchasing lenses from manufacturers such as Canon and Nikon ensure you get the the sharpest possible images available but come at a higher price compared to third party equivalents from Sigma and Tokina, for example.  Third party equivalent lenses are a great alternative and could save you about a third off compared to the main brands.

-Ben