Online retailers are now a major presence in nearly every industry. Photography equipment is no exception. Major players in the online photo gear space include B&H Photo/Video, Adorama, and even Amazon.com. The big advantage to ordering gear online is that in general it’s going to be anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars cheaper than the same item in a brick-and-mortar retail shop.
The strong case for buying local is one of supporting local businesses, which have the opportunity to offer better in-person service than an online shop. I say opportunity, because there are many notable cases where photographers have had horrendous customer service from local shops.
Which is better? It depends, and a lot of it is personal preference. Some folks would rather simply make an online order, save a few dollars, and have the convenience of the item being delivered to their door. Others prefer to walk into a store, get their hands on the equipment, make a purchase and take it home on the same day.
My purchases are split probably 50/50 between my favorite local shop (Pro Photo Supply) and my favorite online retailer (B&H Photo). I like the idea of supporting local, but sometimes the price difference and convenience of delivery to my door sends me in the direction of B&H. There doesn’t seem to be one correct solution for everyone, but rather it’s a matter of personal preference. What’s yours?
The Gorillapod by Joby is a creative take on a compact tripod. It’s made of a series of ball-and-socket joints which allows each tripod leg to flex in any number of positions. It can be set on a tabletop and used like a typical tabletop tripod, or the legs can be flexed, which brings out the real draw to this item: a lightweight Gorillapod can be secured to a handrail, light post, tree branch, or other such item that allows one to leave their heavy tripod at home and instead secure the Gorillapod to any available sturdy post.
I took my Gorillapod on our Disneyland trip last fall, and it worked great, allowing me to use a handrail as a base for a shot like this one:
The Gorillapod is an excellent lightweight tripod for times when carrying a full-size one would be cumbersome. Purchase the Gorillapod SLR-Zoom via B&H Photo.
This is part of my Gear series, in which I take a look at photo equipment I’ve used.
Today’s gear item is a bit of a specialty; depending on one’s subjects and shooting styles it might be of use. We’re going to look at the Canon 300mm f4L IS super telephoto lens.
My original uses for a telephoto lens of this length were in railroad photography, where the subjects are often a long distance away or they’re approaching directly and a telephoto lens can compress the scene. Environments such as the Columbia River Gorge or Mojave Desert are a great playground for a long telephoto lens. Many bird and wildlife photographer shoot exclusively with long lenses. I started off with a cheaper 75-300mm zoom lens but became disappointed by the softness of the lens at either end of the range; it was time to move up to higher quality glass.
Amongst Canon’s professional “L” series glass are a number of long telephoto lenses, the f2.8 ones start around $3,000. The f4 variety of the 300mm is available for around $1200, which puts it within easier reach of more people. The image quality is excellent, performing well even at f4 but sharpest when stopped down a bit. Canon’s two-mode Image Stabilization (IS) system allows for better results when hand-holding; even though the lens is fairly heavy I’ve found it workable without a tripod.
If you do a lot of work requiring a long telephoto, the image quality and features on this lens are excellent for the price. Purchase the Canon 300mm f4L IS lens via B&H Photo.
This is part of my Gear series, in which I take a look at photo equipment I’ve used
Whether you call it the nifty fifty or the plastic fantastic, the 50mm f/1.8 lens is quite popular amongst the DSLR crowd. Some say it’s because 50mm is the “normal” focal length for full-frame bodies, while others* note that the lens is cheap and fast (Canon’s f/1.8 is under $100, Nikon’s isn’t much over that).
The cheap f/1.8 fifties offered by Canon and Nikon are all right, although they’re all plastic and don’t feature the superior optical quality glass found in more expensive offerings. That said, the 50mm f/1.8 lenses are awesome learning tools.
Plusses:
- For many, the 50 might be their first exposure to a fixed focal length lens. Much like when shooting with a tripod, I find that a fixed focal length forces me to think more about composition.
- The wide aperture (f/1.8) means that the lens performs well in low light situations, as well as allowing one to play around with shots with a lot of bokeh.
- It’s small and lightweight. On the camera, it won’t protrude very far or weigh you down. Off the camera, it fits easily into a jacket pocket.
If you don’t have a 50mm lens, I’d highly recommend it. Put one on your camera, wander around the city, and enjoy. Purchase a Canon or Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens via B&H Photo.
This is part of my Gear series, in which I take a look at photo equipment I’ve used
* DPreview editorialized, asking where are the portrait lenses?.
Later today I’ll be kicking off a new series of weekly blog posts that will run on Tuesdays, featuring photography gear or equipment. I’m hoping to offer some real-world thoughts on the gear rather than just restating the specs or such.
Too many reviews and photo gear blogs simply spit out the manufacturer’s specs or hypothesize about how something might perform. I’m going to look only at gear I’ve used, and offer an honest look at the good and bad points of said gear. Discussion will probably move beyond the gear itself and more into how the gear is used and fits into an overall photography system.
In the interest of disclosure: because of many positive purchasing experiences through B&H Photo I’ve formed an affiliate relationship with their website and will be linking directly to product pages on their site. If you purchase through B&H via one of my links, I’ll receive a small commission.
