Hello everybody. I’m planning to get my first camera body and lenses but I’m not quite sure on what lensens to get. I think I’ll get a LUMIX DMC-GF1 which I can find for fairly cheap prices so I can spend most of the money for some good lenses.
What lenses would you recommend me buying? Is there some kind of “general lenses” I can use without having to switch them according to situations? I’m very new and confused by all the technical terms and stuff
Depends on your budget and what you’re up to, to be honest, but here’s my general purpose advice:
In general, start with something like a kit lens (one of my Nikon cameras shipped with an 18x55mm inexpensive kit lens, I still use it a ton) with zoom capacity, and either get a fixed focal length lens (i.e., 35mm only or something) or use the zoom lens like a kit lens when you’re ready. In other words- set the focal length to something with the macro focus, and leave it there- avoid the temptation to zoom in and out for at least some shoots. I often set the kit lens I have to 18mm and just leave it there at it’s widest zoom length while strolling down forest trails. Either way, you learn to focus with your feet instead of the zoom capacity (that’s what you do with a prime lens anyway) which to me is very important- eventually you just instinctively know where to stand to frame your shot. Do that and practice on subject matter that doesn’t move around a lot at first- landscapes, streetscapes, flowers, whatever- at first and try to learn artistic composition technique as soon as possible, the way a painter would.
Once you’ve got the hang of using that sort of setup, figure out what subject matter you’re interested in and then go grab other lenses like long lenses or a wide angle ones. They’re often pricier than the above setup, but necessary for certain types of work.
There ARE general use lenses that go from wide angle to far zoom but they can really be pricey. What are you planning on shooting in terms of subject matter?
I want to do street photography and protraits mainly but If something inspires me I go for it. I first have to understand all the technical terms you all are using ahahah
So like you want then probably what I and others have suggested for street shooting; for portraits, get a 55-200mm (or similar focal length range) telephoto (long zoom) lens. With street shooting 18x55 or some similar zoom is probably what you want at first (some places have laws against telephoto lenses on the streets, so be wary of that- telephoto being more powerful zoom) unless you want to bite the bullet and try a prime/fixed focal length lens that won’t zoom in or out. I’ve found on the streets prime can be problematic for wide angle/normal shots at times but it’s still very doable. You can’t like stroll into the middle of a busy street when you’re focusing by moving your body.
The tech jargon is really counterintuitive at first but it’s not that hard to figure out eventually. Just hit the books (google the exposure triangle, someone’s bound to have written something explaining that somewhere online for free) and experiment with setup. With the camera you probably want to learn aperture priority mode first for what you’re doing if my hunch is correct, but don’t be ashamed of using automated modes to start.