My Photography Gear and Buying Guide

Ever since I started this blog I’ve been receiving emails, comments and twitter messages about what kind of camera I have and which lens I use. Most of the time I would only answer the question and never explain why I’m using gear specifically. That’s why I decided to create an information page about what i use which also includes buying advice since many people have been asking me for shopping tips.

The Camera – Nikon D90

I use a Nikon D90, far from being a “professional” camera but also far from being a cheap one either. If you go to your local electronic store and ask why this camera is good, they will probably tell you that it has a video mode, live view and a 12.5 megapixel sensor. But those are really the features the marketing department likes to put on the box. The main reason I like this camera is because it can autofocus on all of my lens, it can also do bracketing ( essential for HDR ) and most buttons and dials are customizable. It also has a very solid frame and as well as a large screen that makes it very useful when it comes to reviewing photos. Other goodies include a 4.5 frames per second while shooting and the lovely illuminated control panel on top. The 12.5 megapixel camera is nice, but since I publish mostly on the web, it only becomes useful when I want to crop.

My Photography Gear and Buying Guide

Lens – Tokina 11-16mm f2.8

I love this lens, I love it as much as one can love 13 pieces of glass stuck in a metal barrel. 80% of the photos you see on Tokyoluv were taken with this lens hooked onto my camera. It the best super wide angle you can get for a DX camera, end of discussion. At 11mm it barely has any barrel distortion ( ok some, but it’s 11m for god’sake ) it performs well in low light conditions at f2.8 and it’s super sharp when you move down one stop. It feels really solid with it’s metal frame, and the zoom ring is super smooth. This lens is real treat to use! If you think the 18mm on your lens kit is wide, think again!

over pass DSC 0017 My Photography Gear and Buying Guide

Lens – Nikkor AF 50mm f1.4D

This is the other lens that I always have with me. It’s light, it’s fast and it’s one of the best lens you can get for low light situations that Nikon still produces ( the all time best being the f1.2 manual focus ) This is the perfect lens to take portraits or photos of objects. At f1.4 it gives you a very soft image, but when you stop down to f3.5 you get very sharp images that you can in turn crop a lot. You can crop to the equivalent of a 200mm, so instead of carrying a 55-200mm you might as well have this neat little lens with you. Of course if you crop your photo too much and try to print it afterwards you might have some disapointing results, but if all you do with your photos is share them on the internet and watch them on your computer screen you shouldn’t be afraid to do it. I’ve put an example below, it’s the same photo but one is cropped down a lot. As you can see, the image quality is still pretty good. Plus, I shot this photo at f2.5 that lets me use a shutter speed of 1/640. It almost completely stops the moving subject, something you can’t do at f5.6 on those useless lens kits.

Sharpness demonstration My Photography Gear and Buying Guide

I have a few more lens, but I decided to write about those two first because they are the ones that I use the most. I will post more mini reviews like these in the near future.

Buying Guide for your first DSLR

The first question that you will have to ask yourself when buying your first camera is this one; Nikon or Canon. If you ask a pro they might start to list you the pro and cons of both companies, but they are so similar that it’s a bit of a waste of time. Worst is that you might encouter a fan boy that will only recommend the ‘maker’ they love. I think the best advice I can give you on this subject is the following; do you have a friend that is into photography and already has a few lens? If yes just go for the same company as him. He will help you understand your camera’s functions and if he’s a really good friend he’ll probably lend you his lens for free, which can be a real money saver. I’ve spent way too much money on lens during my first year as a photographer. I bought some lens that had super good reviews which turned out to be huge disappointments. It not because a lot of people think that a lens is good, that it will suit your needs.

So if you have a friend that shoots with Canon and you decide to follow my advice, maybe you should ask him which camera to get exactly, because I don’t know much about Canon gear. But if you decide to go with Nikon, I still have some advice for you. First, don’t buy one of these cameras: D40 D40x D60 D3000 and D5000. You’re probably telling yourself, ” but these are all entry level cameras, I don’t have money to spend on a fancy one! ” Valid point, but first let me explain why I do not recommend these cameras. Well, simply because they won’t auto-focus on lens that aren’t AF-S. It might sound like a minor downside, but it’s actually a flaw that will cost you a lot of money on the long run. Even if most AF lens have their AF-S equivalent, those “S” lens are much more expensive. Ex: the AF 50mm f1.4d 289$ , the AF-S is 439$. None of the 85mm will autofocus, nor the Tokina 11-16. So if you are on a budget and want an alternative I would recommend a second-hand D50 or D70. Not only does this camera autofocus with any lens, but they can do bracketing and they have a top view display for quick access to your current camera settings. Those “newer” cameras that I mentioned earlier ( D40 D60 D5000 etc etc.. ) don’t have the top display and use the LCD screen instead, which will eat up your battery MUCH faster than other cameras with the info on the top display. And if there is one thing that really prevents you of taking good photos, it’s dead batteries…

So if I had to build the perfect budget starter kit, I would say a D50 with a AF 50mm f1.8. I have absolutely no problem recommending something that you have to purchase second hand. In photography most people take care of their stuff. If you don’t want to have to deal with someone from the classified ads you can probably find a store that sells used gear with guarantee, or you can always go on eBay. If you live in Tokyo you should definitely go check out Fujiya Camera in Nakano ( no they didn’t give me money or free stuff to plug their name in here… ) If you absolutely want to buy your camera brand new but want to stay on a limited budget, then the only thing I can say is get a D3000 with the 35mm f1.8.

As you can see I mostly recommend fix prime lens ( 50mm 35mm  etc ) and never the zoom lens kit, like the very popular 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 . I hate those lens kit, they only exist because people are used to have zoom on their point and shoot and they want the same thing when they switch to DSLR. But those lens wont give you as good a picture quality as the prime lens, and their bad aperture certainly won’t give you nice background or let you take photo in low light condition ( without flash at least ). It’s an average lens that gives you average-looking photos, with a zoom range that lets you take group photos or regular looking portraits. If you don’t want to bother with aperture and camera settings, then save yourself some money and get a point and shoot camera. If you want to produce some original photos, then it’s a good idea to invest in some decent lens.

I know this buying guide is very different that what you might be used to seeing on the internet, but that’s the reason I wrote it. I wanted to give my honest opinion about the subject and provide a totally different point view on the matter for future DSLR buyers. Also, keep in mind that most reviewers on the internet have some affiliate programs of some sort so they make commissions on every merchandise that they sell trough their website. I have nothing against it, but that’s the main reason you rarely see someone recommending to buy stuff second hand.

If you don’t agree with something, or think I completely miss a point please leave a comment or email me. It will be my pleasure to bring the necessary corrections. Also I am aware that this page doesn’t cover everything, and barely has any information about Canon. If you would like to collaborate, please don’t hesitate to communicate with me.