The Evolution of My Camera and Lens Gear

Ok, so this took a little longer to get written than I expected, however, here it is. This is about what camera and lenses I shoot now, and how I progressed from my first gear, the Nikon D3100 with kit 18-55mm lens, to my current gear.  I’ll also include my thoughts on each piece of gear, and what may be next for me.  

As I mentioned in my last post, I started with a Nikon point and shoot before progressing to the Nikon D3100 and 18-55mm lens.  From there, I went to Solvang, California which is a little Danish village town with Yaron where he taught me more about aperture and using “fast” lenses to create bokeh which is that creamy blurry background that makes the subject of the photograph stand out.  At that time, Yaron was shooting an older Nikon D2x.  He also had a Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.  I put the Sigma 70-200mm onto my D3100, and practiced shooting wide open.  

As this was my first time shooting with such a fast lens, I was (needless to say) super excited with the creative opportunities at my disposal.  I also liked the idea that this would allow me to shoot sports and other fast activities.  We walked around Solvang all day shooting just about everything until we found this little office over retail building that had a little courtyard. That courtyard had Cala Lillies growing in a planter.  With this awesome fast lens I was able to shoot the Cala Lillies and totally blur out the background such that what was a car parked on the street behind the planter completely disappeared.  Amazing!!! 

After shooting in Solvang with Yaron, he let me keep the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 for a little while.  So, on the ride back home, I stopped at the beach near sunset and got a couple of pretty good shots of the California sunset with the lens.  

A short while later, Yaron needed his lens back so I returned it.  In the summer I was taking my son to New Orleans for vacation and was advised by another friend that I should get the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 for that trip.  My friend Tony said that it is the perfect focal length for a “walk around” lens in town and also, because of the f/2.8 aperture, fast enough to shoot in low light like the Sigma.  I bought the lens new for about $500.00 and took it with us to New Orleans.  I got some pretty good shots around New Orleans with the lens and used it as my main lens for years to follow.  

Yaron then sold the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 (without telling me or I would have bought it from him).  So I bought one of my own.  That situation led to an interesting lesson about buying lenses that I will save for another blog post.  Nevertheless, I now had a D3100, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, and the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 for my photography.  I used this combination of gear for years.  Basically, it was my gear from 2012 until 2016.  

In 2016, we planned a cruise to Alaska.  I used the Alaska cruise trip as a justification to upgrade my camera body. I purchased a Nikon D750 for the trip. To Alaska, I took the Nikon D750, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, and the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8.  I also brought the D3100 as a back-up body along with the 55-300mm kit zoom for my son to borrow on the few occasions when the mood struck him. The D750 with the Tamron and Sigma lenses made some really beautiful photographs.  

After I returned from Alaska, I decided that I would “upgrade” the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 to the Nikon version as it had VR.  So I purchased the Nikon version of the lens.  Recently, in anticipation of another trip to New Orleans and one to San Francisco, I decided to “upgrade” the Tamron and purchased the Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8.  Both Nikon lenses were purchased used as will be discussed in another blog post about gear buying tips I have learned over the years.  The Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 was really purchased for two reasons, 1) it is super durable and built from metal so it is more study and substantial than the Tamron version, and 2) it has the same filter size as the 70-200mm f/2.8 so that I can purchase one set of filters and use them on both lenses.  The Tamron only has a 67mm filter size whereas the Nikon version takes the same 77mm filter as the 70-200mm lenses.  

I’ve been using the “new” Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 as my “walk around” lens for a couple of weeks now, and I love it.  It is heavier than the Tamron, but it is really great.  In the pre-dawn hours the other day, I used it to document my morning Diet Coke and, even in super low light, it made the bottle look almost as good as it tastes!  

I’ve also used the Nikon 28-70mm for some light trail shots at night in Los Angeles!

I still have all of these cameras and lenses, however, I have lent the 18-55mm kit lens to Yaron so that he can photograph products for his eBay sales.  He says the lens is the perfect lens for the job due to the focal length.  He doesn’t need anything “faster” because he has control over the light and shoots from a tripod for his product shots.  His product shots look great too!  

So that is the history of my camera and lens gear.  Come back soon for another post about accessories (bags, batteries, memory cards, etc.).  I’ll also be doing a post about buying lenses and gear with some tips I have learned that should be able to save you some money on your purchases.  

Jeff