Investing in photography equipment

     For as long as I have been interested in professional photography, I have always had a hard time deciding what equipment to buy and when to purchase what. And in talking with aspiring photographers it seems that I am in no way alone in this dilemma. With photography being such a saturated market and with DSLR's becoming so popular, photography has never before been so competitive. So we who are serious about starting up and making a name for ourselves need to look for ways to set ourselves apart from the casual users who call themselves photographers and are really just camera owners or hobbyists. Other than the obvious skill and talent, I feel as though there is another way to help separate yourself from the field of casual camera owners. This is investing financially in your work as a photographer and the equipment you use everyday. Of course you need to know the basics of what you are doing before investing thousands of dollars in equipment. As it is important to understand the advantages and benefits of having higher quality gear, especially for those of us starting out who are on a budget and don't have a steady income from the photography at this point. Major companies like Canon and Nikon realize this and make products for all different price points. Take the below example of the Canon 50mm prime. 

The Canon 50mm prime lens options  (f1.8, f1.4, and f1.2)

     As you can see in the above image taken from B&H photo there are 3 different price points resulting in 3 different lens qualities. The most obvious  difference is the aperture settings. With the lowest priced lens at $119 only being able to open up to a f1.8, it still gives beginners and those who are just getting started or are on a strict budget the option to shoot at a rather wide aperture. But this lens is also something that isn't going to last forever. In keeping the price low and the optics as high quality as possible it seems that the actual body of the lens took the biggest hit at this price point. It is a made with a plastic body and has no real weight at only 4.6 ounces. In my opinion it is a clean lens but not anything a serious or even enthusiast would want to spend money on.



     Then there comes the more attractive f1.4, 50mm. With this lens the aperture can obviously open wider, giving you a bit shallower depth of field and letting more light in as a result. This lens body is also a bit more well made at more than double the weight of the f1.8, as it weighs 10.23 ounces. Another advantage of this lens over the 1.8 is that it has 3 more diaphragm blades in the optics which results in more pleasing bokeh (the quality of the blur in the out of focus areas)

example  from neilvn.com

     In the image on the left you can see the more circular patterns you will get with a higher quality lenses that produces this "better" bokeh. As for the image on the right you can see more of a hexagon shape in the out of focus areas. This results in a distracting and busy background. As I mentioned before this is one of those small things that will eventually separate you from the pack when trying to establish yourself as a photographer, and chances are you will not get great looking bokeh with lower quality lenses. 

     The final and most pricey 50mm prime lens Canon makes is their f1.2. This enables the photographer to obtain an extremely shallow depth of field. Also, the lens is known for slightly better bokeh than the 1.4, but it is important to understand that although the apertures of these lenses can open wider as you go up the price points, they are only connected to the amount of in focus area. Depth of field is not connected to bokeh. More so the diaphragm blades, groups, elements and the overall quality of the optics are more closely related to to bokeh. The f1.2 is the most solid built 50mm Canon makes. This can be observed as soon as you pick this lens up, as it weighs 1.3 pounds, almost a full pound over the f1.8. With proper care I could see this lens lasting a lifetime and at around $1500, if you aren't receiving income from your photography this can be a hard purchase over other lenses. So I recommend looking at and learning what works best for your type of work and your budget. If you still have the need to go big and buy the f1.2, try calling a local lens rental house to see if you can rent it for the weekend to help you make your decision. Don't get me wrong I love this lens and most portrait and boudoir photographers use it as a default. So the long term investment could be one to think about when debating an investment in yourself and your equipment.