Comments on Profile Post by joch

Looking to get back into photography after a long absence, and found that the prices are nuts for a decent prime lens. I'm just wondering if it's just better to stick with my phone.

I used to think photography was an expensive hobby as well. But after seeing $2k USB/power/speaker cables, I feel Leica pricing wasn't that unreasonable.

Don’t obsess over getting all the newest and the best and it gets a lot cheaper, but yeah.. some of it is insanse.

Do you ever shoot analog? Getting a cheap flatbed scanner isn't bad, or using a DSLR for scanning works, too. Can really cut down on dev costs. Canon AE-1 and a bunch of lenses are cheap as chips compared to a fast digital prime lens, not to even mention a mirrorless body.

Love film, but it's a chore dealing with solutions, let alone finding sources for chemicals let alone film. (Yeah, I know, digital editing is also a lot of work.) I'll go MF/LF when time is not an issue. Good thing I still have manual lens. I'd love a Leica, but I guess for now I'll go with a Sony with kit lens for practical and an adapter for my artsy inclinations.

Note that the kit lenses tend to be extremely good for the price, there’s some competition there. They’re not built very ruggedly, but their optical performance is insanely good for the price. At least those from Nikon and Canon, but I guess Sony won’t be different in that regard. They’re not fast, but as long as you don’t want to do available light photography or need small DOF, you’ll be fine.

Also, there are incredibly cheap and fast 50mm prime lenses from Nikon and Canon (a bit more than €100,- each) that are also very good. I’m not sure if something similar is available from Sony as Sony wasn’t in the business yet when those were developed.
EDIT: Ok, it’s more around €150 nowadays, and depending on the camera, you might not have autofocus or electronic aperture control, but still.

don’t look at the cinematography side of the fence! Man, I was lusting for the Zeiss primes shortly after Vincent Laforet did Reverie on 5DMk2 back in 2009.

Even Sony has bargain-price 50s (APS-C and FF). It isn't all GM!

I love my FE85/1.8 (on an APC-C camera). And I have a Samyang 135 that is something like 1/3rd of the price of the fancy Sony.

Tamron and Sigma (to name but two) also make lenses for Sony E-mount.

Film? Thanks, but no, my once-loved OM1n is staying in its museum cupboard corner

If you can find a good deal on a Nikon D700 with some old Nikkor/Nikon manual focus lenses, jump on that. Otherwise Pentax tends to slip through the radar because Pentax was never good at marketing...