p.3 #1 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
Camera body, flash, ultra-wide zoom, tele zoom, fast prime in between the two.
In terms of actual lenses, I'd go with:
16-28mm f/2.8 tokina (maybe 11-16mm f/2.8 tokina for dx)
50mm f/1.8G nikon (maybe 35mm f/1.8G nikon for dx)
70-200mm f/4 nikon
Body-wise, I'd say D300s or D700, if external controls are important to your experience (they are for me). D7000 or D600 if you don't care so much about that. Minimum reqs would probably be a top LCD panel and a screw drive. SB800 flash would be ideal, but SB600 would easily suffice.
Jan 30, 2013 at 10:15 PM
mshi Offline • • • • [X]
p.3 #2 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
Gear only matter to the extent that your clients are willing to pay for the quality. If your financial means allows you to procure the best possible equipment to fulfill your passion, then go for it because ultimately you're your own client in that case.
p.3 #3 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
mshi wrote:
ultimately you're your own client in that case.
Excellent way to put this. And the "deliverable" to the client is not just the final photo, but whatever enjoyment you got out of the creative process.
p.3 #4 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
mshi wrote:
Gear only matter to the extent that your clients are willing to pay for the quality. If your financial means allows you to procure the best possible equipment to fulfill your passion, then go for it because ultimately you're your own client in that case.
As a guitar player, I think I play better when I am inspired by my instrument so gear definitely applies to me. Great point.
p.3 #6 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
popinvasion wrote:
As a guitar player, I think I play better when I am inspired by my instrument so gear definitely applies to me. Great point.
Luckily, I am inspired by my D7000 and understand a FX camera will not improve the pics I look at on my PC laptop.
That said, I almost have to go to AA to control my fits of NAS.
My best way to control NAS is to read Ken R. If I look up a 24-70 f2.8, Ken reminds me I will never get a better pic with it than a 50mm f1.8, that I already have.
Now, I do not do weddings, I do not sell my skill as a product photographer. I do have enough $ to buy most any Nikon gear I would want. So, I got the say, Thank you Ken R, for helping me control NAS!!
No new gear for me this year that is over $300, unless Ren R posts a new article!!
p.3 #8 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
SweetMk wrote:
Luckily, I am inspired by my D7000 and understand a FX camera will not improve the pics I look at on my PC laptop.
That said, I almost have to go to AA to control my fits of NAS.
My best way to control NAS is to read Ken R. If I look up a 24-70 f2.8, Ken reminds me I will never get a better pic with it than a 50mm f1.8, that I already have.
Now, I do not do weddings, I do not sell my skill as a product photographer. I do have enough $ to buy most any Nikon gear I would want. So, I got the say, Thank you Ken R, for helping me control NAS!!
No new gear for me this year that is over $300, unless Ren R posts a new article!! ...Show more →
Ken sure does poo poo quite a bit of the expensive stuff in favor of the lower end stuff. I too was lured by this for a while.... I am no longer sure if he is serious now
p.3 #11 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
popinvasion wrote:
Lets say you were ambivalent about gear. You did not read the forums, visits the rumor sites or hang out at the camera shop. Fun was not the gear. Fun was the shooting. You really just wanted your tools for the job. Your hammer, your nails. You did not covet special coatings, special stabilization, special builds, special anything. You just saw a lens as a lens and a camera as a camera.
What modern day camera or cameras, lens or lenses and why? How simple could you go?
Shouldn't this be the camera and lenses that you are currently using?
In my own case;
Two bodies, one as a backup.
Three or four primes.
p.3 #12 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
I haven't really run into anything I can't do with a D300, 17-55, 80-200, 300f/4, 50f/1.8 and 12-24f/4... all older generational stuff, but very capable for a wide variety of stuff. Oh, and a few strobes, don't have to be fancy, with radio triggers and reflectors or softboxes, if you want to get into off-camera lighting. I don't do much "lighting" since I shoot more photojournalism style, but it can be done fairly cheaply to get started.
Full frame is where everyone is heading, but it's not required for doing jobs by any means. It's always the brain behind the camera that matters most.
p.3 #13 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
pdxflint wrote:
I haven't really run into anything I can't do with a D300, 17-55, 80-200, 300f/4, 50f/1.8 and 12-24f/4... all older generational stuff, but very capable for a wide variety of stuff. Oh, and a few strobes, don't have to be fancy, with radio triggers and reflectors or softboxes, if you want to get into off-camera lighting. I don't do much "lighting" since I shoot more photojournalism style, but it can be done fairly cheaply to get started.
Full frame is where everyone is heading, but it's not required for doing jobs by any means. It's always the brain behind the camera that matters most....Show more →
I feel the same about the D7000, 50mm f1.8 AF and 4 manual focus lens.
In MY opinion, the only way crop body goes away is purchasers with GAS being convinced they need it. I prefer crop, I love the magnification,
I will be crop until the last used crop body is gone!
p.3 #14 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
SweetMk wrote:
Luckily, I am inspired by my D7000 and understand a FX camera will not improve the pics I look at on my PC laptop.
That said, I almost have to go to AA to control my fits of NAS.
My best way to control NAS is to read Ken R. If I look up a 24-70 f2.8, Ken reminds me I will never get a better pic with it than a 50mm f1.8, that I already have.
Now, I do not do weddings, I do not sell my skill as a product photographer. I do have enough $ to buy most any Nikon gear I would want. So, I got the say, Thank you Ken R, for helping me control NAS!!
No new gear for me this year that is over $300, unless Ren R posts a new article!! ...Show more →
p.3 #17 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
• A great eye.
• Master of any lighting scenario.
• Ability to surpass your clients expectations each and every time.
• Knowledge of psychology.
• Efficiency with your entire workflow.
p.3 #19 · Honest discussion:What gear do you really need for any job?
For what I do (travel photography), I need strong lenses (not plastic).
I sold all my Dx lenses and now I´m using my old lenses.
20-35 2.8
35-70 2.8
80-200 2.8
Great lenses, strong cheap and old but more than enough for almost everything.
I have some primes that I use when I don´t want to carry too much weight.
24 2.8 50 1.8 28
