PShizzy: The Blog

Ok, so we already talked about the commitment to a budget. We talked about the differences between needs and wants. We even talked about where to get the stuff you need or want. But what do you need or want? And how can you tell the difference?

In this article, we’re going to look at some questions you can ask of yourself to really get the appropriate equipment for your needs. key word: Needs. Sure anyone can rationalize a purchase, but those rationalizations are just lies we tell ourselves so we can feel better about the buy. The sad truth is that we often have more money than we think we do. We just spend it wrong. Ever seen someone with a nice car and expensive rims, but is broke and lives with their parents? We all do it, to different degrees.

So, read on to find out more about what you can do to really assess your needs

First, you need to know what you shoot, and how much of it. If you’re a portrait shooter who does natural light and outdoor work, you will have very different needs from that of a youth sports photographer. I won’t go into fine detail with this article, because everyone has specific needs. But if you like, email me, and I’ll gladly consult with you on the best bang for your buck equipment. I will make some “general” reccomendation, but only to serve as an example.

Rather than go by equipment categories, I’ll touch on a few photographer categories. This is because they each share the same type of equipment, but the emphasis on needs will differ by each photographers primary work. Onto the categories:

Sports photographers: if you shoot youth sports, or even professional sports, most times you don’t really get to control the lighting by using strobes. So why invest heavily in lights? If you shoot a lot of night games, and it’s permissible, get a flash, and consider a battery pack for it.

You might think you need the best camera, but the difference between the pro series camera and a semi-pro is easily 3,000 dollars. That’s more than the combined cost of two very popular lenses, the 70-200 2.8 and 24-70 2.8 (in Canon or Nikon mounts). Remember, camera prices go down FAST. get the best lenses now, and buy that big camera in a year, when it’s gone down in price. Always think lens first.

Lenses are where you want to spend. Indoors, you need the fastest lenses (lowest apertures) to get more light. Outdoors, you may want the bigger lenses to get more focal length (think 300/400 etc mm) because you’re limited in movement and access. If you shoot both, you need it all. Again, look at the lenses in common for the sports you shoot. Those are the most versatile, and the ones you should aim for. I can shoot most any sports with a 24-70, 70-200 and a 300, all 2.8 lenses. But that’s for what I shoot. If you need more light, consider primes, such as the 85 1.8 and the 135 2.0. If you were outdoors, you may opt for a 300 4, 400 5.6, or if you got the money, 300 2.8 or 400 2.8

Portrait photographers: If you’re an outdoor photographer, you may want to look at those nicer lenses I mentioned for sports photography, but not the longer ones. Anything from the 24-70, the 85, the 135. You don’t need a lot of range, because you can move around freely. The nicer lenses are needed because you may not always control your lighting. If you use natural light, you will want the better lenses to have more leeway with your exposure.

Indoors, you don’t need the best lenses, because you control the lighting. I know portrait photographers that shoot with a 28-135 midgrade lens. You can certainly get the best lenses, but if you’re budget is tight, spend that money on lights. Don’t get the cheapest grade lenses, but midrange lenses, like a 70-200 4, or a 28-135, can really go a long way. Even the 85 1.8 is considered midrange in cost, but it’s an excellent lens.

Cameras: You can get away with an XSi, or a D80 or similar hobbyist level camera. Why? Well, the sensors in those cameras are nearly as good as the semi pro or even the pro cameras. It’s the feature set that’s usually lacking. Do you care if you can only shoot to ISO 1600? Not if you have good lights. If you’re outdoors, step it up a notch to a 40D or D300, for better performance in low/natural lighting.

Lights, that’s where the money goes. You want a healthy set of lights, to allow for various 2,3,4 or even more light setups, even a ringlight. You also want some nice modifiers. Umbrellas, softboxes, octabox, beauty dish, etc. This will give you versatility in your setups, from standard lighting, high key, low key, rim etc. If you shoot outdoors, you may have spend that budget on lenses, but you can always try to work with a few less lights, and get some reflectors, to use both outdoors and indoors. In fact, a lot of simple indoor lighting setups are one or two lights with a reflector on a stand. You could also consider a battery pack, to make your lights portable for interesting outdoor setups.

As you can see, the emphasis on the equipment depends on what you shoot. It’s important to look at what you do for your specific needs, because noone fits perfectly into these categories.

For example, I shoot sports, but I also shoot weddings. For me, I need the best low light camera, lenses with image stabilzation or very fast apertures, and perhaps one on camera flash with an off camera cord. I would not need studio lights, but a small reflector and perhaps a scrim may come in handy.

Hopefully, this article will give you insight on how you can allocate your budget to what’s most important. Email me if you like, and we can talk in depth.

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