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How much do you spend on lenses vs camera body? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by [email protected] to c/photography

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Hey everyone, I'm new to photography and wondering how much people spend on lenses compared to the camera body they're mounted on? Does it make sense to buy a higher end lens for a mid range camera, or would you be better off getting a slightly cheaper lens and spending some of the money on a nicer camera? Mainly wondering about used gear...

Currently shooting with my SO's D3500 when she isn't using it, and thinking of buying my own. Considering a used Pentax since weather resistant lenses seem easier to find for them than other brands...

Edit: how practical is it to use a Pentax lens on a Nikon with an adapter, and vice versa? I assume the electronics like AF and VR won't work?

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I guess it depends what you want to do with it. I do lots of product photography, so I know exactly what lens I need for my studio and the type of product I am shooting. So, I spent about as much on a lens as I did a body. Getting a better sensor with more accurate colors saves me time in the post-processing step.

When I was starting out, I just used a kit zoom lens, but realized that most of my shots were around the same focal length. So that is when I invested in a faster, nicer prime lens at that focal length.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

Both me and my SO like shooting wildlife and nature, so her 70-300 zoom lens is getting a lot more use than the 18-55. I'm thinking about getting a Pentax with either a similar zoom lens or a prime telephoto, hopefully that would complement the D3500 and not overlap too much. The Nikon seems too fragile for a kayak trip, for example.