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

submitted 21 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours 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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[–] ZkhqrD5o 2 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

My, my, you are asking a big question herehere are some to start out.

Carl Zeiss Jena Tessar 50/2.8 (Soap bubble bokeh and three element goodness.)
Auto Chinon 55/1.7 (beautiful, smooth and perfect bokeh You have never seen anything like it. They are quite rare, however.)
Meyer Optik Görlitz Primoplan 50/1.9 (Beautiful micro contrast and very smooth gradations. Brilliant black and white lens.)
Meyer Optik Görlitz Primotar 50/3.5 ( four element goodness. So, essentially, most of the organic qualities of the Jena Tessar, but with the more organic components toned down. Microcontrast suffers a wee bit under the additional element, but not too much.)
Meyer Optik Görlitz Telemegor 180/5.5 (The long telephoto portrait lens. Enough said.)
Super-Takumar 135/3.5 ( If you check online and find this lens for maybe 30 to 50 quid, you'll think you're insane and you made a mistake and you accidentally bought a way more expensive lens. The micro contrast and resolution of this lens is unreal, especially considering the price.)
Nikkor 28-85 mm f/3.5-4.5 AF ( You can buy them dirt cheap for less than 100 quid online, and it is a good competent zoom. It even has a macro switch, so if you're just starting out and want to spend little money, this lens is your go-to.)

All of these lenses should be readily available on eBay. I excluded the rare stuff.

Edit: And there's much more. I still have a very limited experience with that. I have some more than I outlined. But believe me, there's some great stuff out there waiting to be discovered. I also fixed a spelling mistake

[–] itstoowet 2 points 4 hours ago (1 children)

The Helios 44 58/f2 should be on here as well, but that's one of the more obvious options.

I actually just bought a speed booster to get rid of the crop factor on my aps-c Sony a6000, really excited to try it out and get more of that swirly bokeh.

[–] ZkhqrD5o 1 points 4 hours ago

I like the crop factor because it essentially makes your optics better for free. Since it will only use the center of the lens, which is its best part. From your experience, does a speed booster actually have a large impact on optical quality, since you are adding an additional glass element?