When I ventured into photography ten years ago, I had a Canon Rebel 2000 film camera with a basic 28-80mm lens. Gradually, I started purchasing other lenses, such as a 75-300mm and a 19-35mm. So while I had a good focal range covered from 19-300mm, the lens quality was not very good. Since I had recently graduated from college and just entering the workforce, I didn’t have much money for pro-level lenses. My equipment allowed me to learn the basics of photography and it gave me a good start to a fulfilling hobby.
Unfortunately, there came a time where I grew frustrated with my camera equipment. Frequently I’d be the perfect sunset or come across a bear or buck in the wild, and my camera gear would fail to capture the moment. I know what you’re thinking, it was probably the photographer, not the equipment. But it was in fact my equipment since the lenses were slow and never had sharp focus. In the end, I realized I’d outgrown my gear, but buying new equipment wasn’t a financial priority.
My wife understood my passion for photography, but didn’t understand why I wouldn’t go out and take more photographs. When I explained the camera gear issue, she bought me a new Canon EOS 5D for my birthday. What a great wife! So while I now had a fantastic camera, my lenses weren’t up to par. So my family bought me a pretty good 24-70mm lens and it’s been great. I’ve used the new lens mostly for my botanical shots and for the food photography I do for CookingShorts.com.
Just recently I was at a local estate sale and I happened to come across a couple of Canon L lenses, specifically the 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM and the 28-70mm f/2.8 L USM. Both lenses were in great condition and the price was fantastic. These lenses retailed for thousands of dollars new and I negotiated them down to $900 for the pair! Even as I write this, I can’t believe I got such a great deal. Now that I have a great camera and a couple of fantastic lenses, I’m looking forward to getting out there and photographing spring.
