The Next Step: How to equip your new camera. Part I

As our current culture seems obsessed with the creation of cheap mass-produced gadgets. They all seem to be "buy one today and throw it away tomorrow" because we will sell you one that is just a bit or a byte better. It is hard to find what to buy.

For the conscious buyer (you and me), that is not rich and works hard for his money. We do not want to go to the bank to beg for some money that is non-existent except in hard drives, we want "bang for our buck" as they say in the U.S.A.

So we bought ourselves a Nikon D800. (read more why)


Now what?

You have a great camera but:
Do you have good glass?

Nikon glass is great and cheap. Specialy the AI prime lenses are easy to find in good shape. You can get a used 50mm T1.4 for less than 150€ if you dedicate a little time in the internet. That lens is a jewel, take my word for it.

Now you might be thinking:
"But it's not VR or auto focus!"

Answer: Use the tripod. That is why God put it there, it will become your best friend or foe, depending on how you relate to it. Practice manual focus and you will become more confident in yourself. If you have some money for a zoom, then go for the VR and auto focus. I recommend the Nikkor Zoom 28-300 VRII G T3.5-5.6 as you can see in my equipment list. It is an all round work horse and it will make your "run and gun" projects faster and smoother.

The Lensbaby 3G is a great and fun lens, to be used wisely and it's also cheap in the second hand market. You could even use Leica R mount lenses on your camera if you dedicate the time and money to it.

Now you have glass.
Good glass, unlike Canon, that has great electronics but not so good definition.
(I am sorry Canonists, I feel so and I know I might get some comments on this. I don't take anything professional as personal).

On the next post, we will continue with our tripod and rigs.