So sometimes people ask about what camera and lenses they should use. Here is a description of the gear I’m currently using for both concert photography and nature photography.
One important thing to be able to get high quality pictures is your gear. However, definitely when you start as a photographer, this can be very expensive. I’d say that you shouldn’t go for the cheapest gear, but also don’t go for the most expensive gear. It’s hard to earn a living with photography and it will (normally) take quite some time to build a portfolio and get paid for your work. So make a realistic assessment: how much time do you spend taking photographs? Under what conditions (e.g. low light) do you photograph? What is your budget?
Body
At the moment, I use a Canon 70D body for both concerts and nature. I have an older Canon 550D body, but that one has become way too slow.
Lenses
- I usually use the Canon 18-135mm lens when I have no specific requirements and have no real plan to photograph a certain object.
- For concerts I use mostly a Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 as this gives me some range to zoom in and out, which isn’t possible with my Canon 50mm f1.8 lens. Now I’m considering also a 70-200mm lens for bigger stages, as now I can’t get almost no sharp pictures of drummers. Any suggestions?
- For nature I have a few lenses that I use, depending on what I want to shoot and the distance. My other lenses, besides the Canon 18-135mm are: Canon 75-300mm and the Tamron 150-600mm.
Other gear
I also like to use the Blackrapid Sport Breathe strap, especially when I use the Tamron 150-600mm which is quite heavy and the strap is very usefull to be able to carry the lens without too much effort.
Really important is some kind of hearing protection! Even if you don’t attend concerts that frequently, you always should protect your ears! I use custom-made earplugs from Variphone. I’ve tried some cheaper ones, but I wouldn’t trade my custom-made earplugs for cheaper versions. I simply love these! As I attend plenty of concerts every year, I believe they are really worth the extra money.
I also have a tripod.
What are your favourite lenses, bodies and other equipment?