One mistake I made was selling gear and buying new before I got the most from the old. Buying new gear will not improve your skill. Go out and shoot every day and get better with the gear you have. That's the enjoyable part of photography. Reading reviews and forums is important but know when to turn everything off and get outside!

"Grey Market" is a name made up by 'official' sellers in their respective countries in order to force people to buy expensive, overpriced gear from them. All my camera gear since my Nikon D5200 was "Grey Market" and I never had any issues with them all, I currently own a D850 and D780 complete with scary "Grey Market" lenses. I have saved thousands of pounds in avoiding over priced camera gear.

This is yet another prime example of why right to repair is so damn important!

I find it amazing that in 2021 manufacturers still get away with refusing to repair things because they were bought in a different country. As if people don't move around a lot nowadays. And it's one thing to say the warranty isn't valid in another country, but it's another to refuse to even sell the parts to a repair shop so you can't even pay to get it repaired.

I am a big believer in buying used, especially if you are a professional who takes advantage of professional service programs.

I use a crop camera (Nikon D500) with a full frame lens (Nikkor 200-500mm), combination you recommended , with no problems and excellent results.

0:23 Tony: "Hopefully this will save you thousands of dollars." Me, looking at my sickly bank account. "That will definitely not be a problem."

I started off on film with a Pentax 35mm film camera & went to college with it. Learned printing, developing film etc. Had it for years. It hit the biscuit. I went through a bunch of point and shoot pocket digital cameras and these were early. I was never satisfied and gave up photography for a while. A few years ago I received a Nikon D3400 entry level camera as a gift from family to encourage me to get back into things. It has no wifi and no mic jack and has other limitations. However.. it has been great. I’m on a budget. I saved up to purchase two third party speedlites & controller, a 50mm 1.8 and two of my children started hockey so I picked up a 70-300 ( which is variable aperture). I watched your video on shooting in snow, spot metering, exposure compensation etc which helped with the ice surface and bad images I started to get. That fixed that issue really fast. The camera battery beats anything on the market. Most cameras get 300 shots or 500 shots, I’m doubling that. And I have more than one battery. I can go through six hockey games in a tournament and not run out of power ( that’s if the team reaches the finals). Over the last several years I’ve added soft boxes, umbrellas, continuous lighting and an external audio recorder to have better sound. Regardless of what people think of Entry level and 11 focus points, & 5 frames a second, I’m getting amazing images 24 megapixels . If I had a choice to upgrade, I’d be looking at a D7500 so I can use my lenses I own and other features I don’t have. These features have nothing to do with the image. It’s my eye and my composition and how I use the exposure triangle. I’ve watched KZfaq videos .. get this, get that, oh this softbox is the best etc. Oh click the link and “ I get a commission or buy my presets “ I’m not buying the sales pitch. I could use an f:/2.8 lens fixed aperture zoom. But I’m on a budget. So I use the equipment I have and adapt. That better lens might give me an extra stop or two of light and bokeh. I’m doing just fine and I’m here to challenge that because there’s nothing wrong with my images as far as exposure goes. I look at things to either improve, motivated, or looking at something I haven’t considered photographing & how to do it. I photograph a lot of different things. Lots of fun. Love the challenge. Like to challenge myself. I like to push the limits of my equipment to get the best results I can. I’m always learning something new. I have a diploma in archives. I consider myself a documentary photographer because I am recording a moment in time, an event, people or place. There’s a story to capture. Can I do that with what the subject is projecting to me? OR do I have to use my skills to interpret that for the viewer when I press the shutter? Thanks for the video.

Still harping on about not using full frame lenses on APS-C bodies eh. Funny, my Nikon D500 doesn't seem to mind - it is a joy to use with my 300mm f/2.8 + 1.4 TC. I know many people also use the D500 with the Nikon 200 - 500mm f/5.6, both of these lenses are full frame and these combos produce the goods. Even my old AF-S 300mm f/4 D is an amazing match with the D500.

I enjoy shooting 35mm color film. Being 21 years old and native to digital photography, I find film much more satisfying and rewarding to me. I have been doing this for about a year and one of the mistakes I made was wanting a camera that did everything. I would buy and sell over and over, looking for a camera I was truly satisfied with. It finally dawned on me that there was no camera that was going to be great at everything I wanted to shoot. So, I bought a Nikon N90 for fast moving objects with its sharp autofocus, a Canon AE-1 Program for amazing still life and macro photos, and an Olympus OM-1 for its small and lightweight body and to take more casual photos with. I also enjoy the fact that the shutter doesn't require a battery. Just realize sometimes that perfect all in one camera you may seek doesn't exist. And while, each of these cameras can do it all, they may not do it as well as others will.

Tony and Chelsea, I just wanna say that I love your videos. You guys put so much work into them and you passion really shines right through. I'm a new photographer and still have much to learn, but I have gained so much from your videos and podcasts. Keep up the good work!!

Go to squarespace.com/Chelsea & save 10% off your first website or domain with code “Chelsea” UPDATE: Nikon gear, regardless whether its a body or lens, with a serial number that begins with the number 3 indicates that it will not be serviced in the US (thanks Rob!)

I have bought a lot of gear used online and I can knock on wood say I have never had an issue with a single item. The one thing I have done on every occasion is get to know the user of the gear who is selling it. most of the gear has been expensive bodies and lenses so its my expectation that the user is a practicing photographer. Red flags are people selling expensive gear who wouldn't know a F stop if it hit them in the face. I have asked to see their Instagram page to see if they have work they produced with the gear. I think this has saved me from buying something that is questionable or even worse could be a fraud.

The greatest mistake I have seen is buying an expensive camera and lenses to make up for poor technique.

Good discussion. With due respect, two big issues I had with professional reviewers when I was upgrading from my D750: 1 - Pro reviewers don’t give nearly enough weight to the cost of changing brand systems. The Sony xxxx might be superior to the Nikon yyyy is some areas, but most people with a big investment in lenses won’t see that improvement as worth a wholesale change. 2 - For my work as a non-vlogger, I really don’t care if the Sony/Fuji has a flip screen and the Nikon does not. I’ll almost never need it even if a vlogger thinks it’s indispensable.

Tamron service is great! I have a 15-30mm f/2.8 (old model) and they updated the firmware so it would work with the Nikon Z-mount adapter (FTZ). All it cost was shipping and I am very happy with it.

My strategy for looking through reviews is to look for similar negative reviews. If one person says the lens has slow AF then maybe that was user error or they got a malfunctioning lens or something. If a dozen people say the lens has slow AF, maybe it has slow AF. Almost every product has positive reviews if it has enough reviews, and positive reviews don't often get specific.

I run a D800e and a senior friend of mine says - I have some wonderful old lenses in the upstairs in a box - so I went up and got them - Olympus OM , broke my heart - then she said - look in the bottom and there is an "F" mount adapter . Have to do everything Manual - and manual focus but I shoot that way anyhow - they are sharp as a tack - made in the late 60's , early 70's I'm told . Great video ! Enjoyed it !!!

I always buy used gear and if I don't get on with it I'll sell it on, usually for about the same money. That way I get my gear fix on the cheap. By the way, my favourite combo is the D500 with the 200-500mm so mixing fx and dx isn't a problem for me. Good vid though guys

The Canon EOS R and RP is my backup camera. This duo has worked so well for me in my business. When the R5 & R6 came out, I felt like there was no need for me to upgrade to those cameras when my current two were completely fine. I won’t make anymore money using those cameras. I invested in the RF glass instead.

My experience which shocked and annoyed me. I'm a duffer who had been away from photography for years. Had a Canon AE-1 whihc was not a pro-body but, drop down a flight of stairs, take pictures in a hurricane, drop in the toilet (kidding on the last one, but you get the point) and it worked! When I got back into photography, the loose definition of "weather-proof" shocked me. Bought a crop sensor Rebel, worked for about a year, and then there was a slight mist... got it fixed, got it fixed again - figured it was a lemon and bought a newer "low" price Rebel T6i - same thing in a matter of months! Not a knock on Canon, just a knock on me for not knowing what the current definition of "weather-proof" is. An expensive lesson in the "death by 1000 cuts" type of way; bodies and repairs at reasonable prices added up to the cost of a pro-level full frame.

There is a lot of muddy thinking about value. The concepts I am exploring are not specific to photography: they are used by fortune 500 companies to buy everything from paper clips to new buildings. A FEATURE: is a characteristic specific to a product or service, but has no inherent relationship to any specific user It can be be expressed by the phrase: "this is what we have, is it any use to you?" A BENEFIT: is specific to the potential purchaser and represents something that will either improve their performance, or mitigate a limit to their performance. This could be expressed by the line by the Spice Girls: "Tell me what you want, what you REALLY, REALLY want!" VALUE: is only achieved when you can map a feature to a benefit. So, to give an example. A camera has an ability to shoot 4k video - that's a FEATURE. However, since I don't shoot video it does not map to a benefit I need, so it has no value in my buying evaluation. The following process works: 1. Establish Your Criteria: Define BENEFITS you want, rank them in priority: MUST HAVE, Want, would be nice... 2. Research for Products: Find products that have FEATURES the match your benefits list 3. Compare and Filter: Remove any that don’t match your “must have” criteria 4. Reduce the list to 2-3. 5. Evaluate: Try out the gear with a hands-on evaluation 6. Make your purchase: Shop around for good deals from reliable vendors that support local warranties. As regards advice for camera buyers: I contribute to a couple of fora ( yes, I admit it!!! I was a professional but am now retired), and see frequent inquiries on the theme of 'what camera should I buy?' As mentioned, I inevitably see these requests with the absolute minimum of information provided (which tells you something), yet members (some very senior) respond (without further clarification) with a recommendation based on THEIR shooting situation. I resist this, and instead suggest the following questions for the potential purchaser to consider, and hopefully answer, if they want a valid response. 1. If you have camera gear, what specifically are its limitations that hold you back from taking the images you want? If they don't know, it might well serve them better to invest in education, via on-line on local courses and workshops, camera societies or for those just starting, question #5 becomes relevant... 2. What is the budget? So many people over-invest in gear that offers them no benefit (as per the above) and blow their budget, or are tempted to keeping upping the investment. They are encouraged by the GAS community, who believe that the latest iteration of gear will unleash the hitherto latent talent that lies within them. I was working with an educational facility that was conducting a series of courses on photography. Despite clear guidelines that the right camera should have controls for aperture and shutter priority, and manual and that the maximum size was 1500 pixels on the long dimension of an image, students were being persuaded to put themselves into debt to get the latest and most expensive gear. GAS is different from those who engage with the gear from a purely technical perspective as they are not necessarily seeking to leverage a photographic performance benefit. 3. What Subjects will you take: This helps to identify the types of equipment - e.g. video or not, general-purpose, travel, wildlife, portraits - all of these will give clues to the consultant about Fields of View, sensor dynamic range etc. (impacting lenses and sensors). For specific purposes, or to evaluation gear, renting equipment may be a much better solution. For that once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Masai Mara to shoot the great migration, not having to invest in a suitable super tele lens, transport it to Africa, use it and return it may not be the best solution: especially if one is not likely to need that type of gear again. Many such travel companies can arrange renting of gear at the location of the shoot, thus reducing investment and risk. 4. What Will you PRODUCE: I rarely see this question asked, yet it is arguably the MOST significant question! It takes a lot greater investment to provide the gear for high end Art (with a capital A), large, hi-res prints, than for social media sites that are likely to downsize images or digital displays. In the end, the final output is what it is all about. For those looking at part-time professional work, the challenge is balancing an often limited budget with a need to be able to provide images in the event of unexpected situations or gear failure. 5. What are your intentions: People take photos for a huge range of reasons: from purely social and casual photography: where the priority is not the taking of images, but the engagement. Parents with kids, school events, social events. Then there are students in photography who likely have limited budgets and are yet to confirm their specific career and gear choices. Enthusiasts who may be engaged in competition for example, and finally professionals for whom the camera is a tool to produce products or services (although they are unlikely to be engaging in this process). Each of these perspectives will have a different value-set and priority, and establishing those can make a huge difference. When looking at a long-term engagement, the gear as a system is worth considering, as changing brands can be an expensive process... 6. What are you prepared to carry: Depending upon the activity, large and heavy gear may not be appropriate. For example: for travel, one may want more compact and lighter gear to reduce risks during transit and offer more convenience. Multi-day hikers may well choose a similar type of gear as it has to compete with hiking equipment in the pack but may also have to be more rugged. As we age, or have injuries, less is often more. In the end the best camera is the one you are prepared to carry with you. 7. Ergonomics and Interface: Simply looking at specs and reviews does not offer the experience of manipulating the controls and menus of a camera. I have seen people pay out significant sums for gear and then hate how it feels and operates in the hands. They either have to sell it and get something else (at a cost), or suck it up and get used to the limitations.

Well. It really depends. I mean you can get parts from grey market as well. And if one is a DIY guy, it's not that difficult to just do the repair by yourself. I bought a a6000 which ended up being broken when it arrived. No worry, I just tore it apart and found out that it was the sensor and shutter both which were not working since someone had let salty water in from the bayonet. I ordered new parts from ebay, washed the existing parts in bathroom sink from the salt residue, put it together and I have had it for 4 years now and it's still kickin'. And not only I have a functioning camera, I also have a fun story to tell. And the knowhow to fix it again.

I have the opposite of 'confirmation bias' - I spend hours researching something until I'm sure it will be good, AND then when I get it, complain endlessly about how disappointed I am because it didn't hold up to my high expectations. LOL. A frustrating bad habit to have. I agree with buying just what you need and maybe buying two cameras for different tasks - especially if you can get one cheap-ish. However, I really struggle to do this, as I keep mentally spending incrementally more for slight gains, until I eventually buy that expensive version that is more than I need...

Grey market lenses and cameras are not usually a couple hundred dollars less expensive, the difference in price can be upwards of $1000+ depending on what you're buying. Now, a good example on this, is the Canon dealership in my country. Their EF glass and body prices are terrible and well above MSRP anywhere else in the world (don't let me even start talking about RF glass and bodies)! So when I used to shoot with Canon, all my gear (L lenses, accessories, and pro bodies) were 100% grey market and I saved easily more than $10,000 in the gear acquisition process. The gear remained fantastic until the day I sold it after about 10 years and I didn't lose much in terms of resale value because I didn't buy it for crazy money either. The only mistake I think I made purchasing a camera was before my DSLR days, it was actually a point and shoot Nikon Coolpix P50. I only bought it because of the wide angle lens it had, but the picture quality, the high ISO performance, the processor, the optical zoom, and even the shutter button (at a later stage) where a terrible experience compared to a Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W150 that I had around the same time. I ended up giving it to my 8 years old niece so she can learn how to compose shots with it. Thankfully, I did my home work well before all serious gear purchases that I made and didn't have a single regret.

That "don't put ff lenses on crop bodies" is just for pixelpeepers. Sorry, but gradually switching to FF works for sooo many people, and the quality difference might be completely irrelevant for most people. "Image" comes from imagination, not from pixel-perfection.

Great vid and some really excellent advice. The only point I’d debate is FF lenses on APS bodies. Certainly I’ve found the D500 with a 300PF with a 1.4TC or a 200-500mm Nikon lens works brilliantly. Maybe these are the exceptions rather than the rul?

I was taken in by the beautiful Fuji bodies and lenses. I was a Canon user with EOS Pro bodies and L glass. Canon was not in the mirrorless market. I bought an pair of XT-3 bodies, a holy trinity set of glass plus a couple of primes and the 100-400 as well as some Fuji flashes. I just didn’t love it. The images could be amazing but I never felt the Fuji was a seamless extension of myself. I was always fussing with the controls and the wonky menu system. I continued to use my Canon gear too and almost always used it for paid event photography. On a whim, I picked up Canon RP with the RF 24-105 f4L. I knew in an instant I was going to remain a Canon shooter and more specifically, a Canon Mirrorless shooter. Right after the R6 and R5 were released, I did a complete swap of the Fuji gear, Canon DSLRs and almost all of the Canon EF glass keeping just the 200 f2 and the 400 f4 DO II. I couldn’t be happier. However my bank account took a bit of a hit with my sidestep to Fuji.

i have bought 4 items of grey equipment. The first was a Nikon 70-200 f2.8. it was defective on arrival. I had a hell of a job trying to get a refund Ebay 8 yrs ago. The next was a Tokina zoom lens, that was defective on arrival the quality of the photos were appaling. It was as thougn it was a cheap copy not a proper Tokina. That went back to Digital Rev for a full refund. Last try was a Nikon D500 from Panamoz, the viewfinder was defective, it had hundreds of tine little silver speckless all over(in the glass pentaprism) and would not show the image in foucus properly. That went back for a full refund. I think people get conned with this grey import thing by thinking that VAT or exices duties are not being paid on these items. I think that is untrue and that all the duties are paid but the cameras have failed the quality tests and are passed off through the grey market cheap(the fools think duty is being avoided when it's not). Ask any of these grey importers how they can sell cameras cheaper than the genuine market and none of them will tell you. And don't think they would not tell you they avoid the duty because the tax man might find out. The tax man is fully aware of all the grey's being imported and knows all the taxes are paid. If you use genuine dealers which I do now, you don't get battery problems, front/back focusing issues, lens coupling issues and more. Just go on some of the forums and read were people are complaining about these sort of problems and when you ask were they got the camera from it's nearly always a grey. If you are a proper photographer who wants to just go and take photos with reliable gear DON'T but greys, they are cheap for a reason. Some amatures will not even realise their grey is defective.

Just my 2c on grey market. There are reputable grey market sellers who have a long history of honouring "seller warranty" repairs. The prices are often cheaper than used as well, which given you have a usable warranty, is new and is cheaper, it almost makes no sense to not go grey market.

I just today had a good experience from eBay. A seller had two Canon 580EX flashes up for sale saying each needed some repair (yeah, I know but I wanted another flash I was already familiar with.) We've got a guy nearby who is a whiz with Canon products so I made an offer of $20.00 for both. They arrived today and one was a corrosion mess in the battery compartment. No wonder it wouldn't power up! A few minutes with some white vinegar and silicone grease and it powered up just fine. The other had a problem with the flash head. It would "tilt" but not "pan." Huh? He apparently hadn't bothered to read the manual. On the 550EX there are two separate buttons for those head movements. On the 580EX just one. Push that button and it tilts and pans just fine. I'm sure there's a lesson here but I'm not going to tell him. 😇

One more idea relates to the Theory of Dust Collection: essentially what that means is, if you purchase photo equipment but it sits idle for very long periods of time (gathering dust), then you have purchased 'bad gear'. In other words, any gear is a bad buy unless it is actually going to be used. THAT is where the value is measured. Rest assured, there is a lot of equipment that gets purchased with a lot of emotion, and that emotion drains away quickly. Not unlike the associated wallet.

Not sure I agree on the Mix and Match so much. For professional photographers, sure, but as an amateur, you are working within a tight budget and there is no "return on investment". This is a hobby and you buy the best you can, when you can. Frankenstein it if you have to. I got my first DSLR in 2004 (Nikon D70) then upgraded in 2011 (D7000) and 2021 (D850). I wanted to move to full frame in 2011, but at the time, the D7000 had video, whilst the Full frame of the time (D700) did not. Yes ... as Tony said, I always said that I would move to full frame, but years later .... 17 years....I finally did. My first few lenses were the Kit lens (18-70) the "Nifty Fifty" 50/1.8 and a trashy 70-300 - why? Because they were cheap and it's all I could afford at the time. As I took photography more seriously, I started to invest, slowly, one lens at a time, in only FX glass. If I had bought DX only glass, then that eventual step up to an FX camera would have been prohibitive. Now I have my D850 along with a 50/1.8, a 24/1.8, a 105/2.8 micro and an 80-200/2.8. It all matches now, but I was playing the long game, and I do not need to throw away or replace any old DX glass. 1 - Could I have sold the old gear? Not really. My wife uses a D5200 and my 12yo daughter borrows the D7000. They have a few DX lenses and I've given them the 18-70. I miss the upgrade funds, but the lenses are not wasted. 2 - Why not go mirrorless in in 2021? I did not even consider it. Tried it a few years ago, and the poor EVF and low battery life were a no go. The new Nikon Mark II line up looks awesome, and maybe I should have waited a year .... but then again, compared to a D850, the Z7MkII + an FTZ adapter would have been cost prohibitive. The D850 and all my glass will still be good for another 10 years :)

thanks for this. All my DSLR bodies are used: Canon 40D, 5D (orig) 7D (orig) and 70D. I have lenses that span 10mm to 400mm, most are secondhand. Have rarely been disappointed buying gear via ebay.

Know what you mean about 3rd party lenses, many many years ago I had a Rollie SL35E with a Tamron 17mm full frame fisheye that delivered stunning results on ilfochrome 200 (later used Fuji as I couldn't get the ilfochrome) so when I purchased my Nikon D7200 a while ago I bought a Tamron 10-24mm lens as I had good results from a previous Tamron lens. The results though were ok, not great, lacking in saturation so, I bought a Nikkor 10-24mm lens and the difference was marked, better colours, better saturation, all told a much better lens so even with previous good experience you cannot always rely on consistent results from the same manufacturer.

Most folks that buy a low end body don’t buy high end glass . Usually FF glass is phenomenal on apsc bodies because you get the best part of the lens quality within the apsc circle of light but not always. And I now realize on the Micro four thirds with the metabones adapter why we are getting flaring . Thanks for that tip .

Totally agree regarding forums. I bought a pair of Leica Ultravid binoculars off eBay which turned out to be faulty. Thanks to wrong advice about Leica offering lifetime guarantees, I ended up sending them to Leica. Leica refused to repair them FOC, wanted to charge me 60.00 GBP for a refused estimate then the seller refused to take them back. I would have been out-of pocket had I refused the estimate to the tune of 75.00 GBP (inc postage to Leica in Portugal) ...the repair and service cost me 315.00 GBP. They came back upgraded to new spec and effectively 'as new' condition. So it wasn't quite so bad, they are amazing quality and used often. But if you get wrong advice off forums? Tough !

I bought a used Hasselblad X1D a couple of years ago. I started with the 45P as it is in my "affordable" price range. I've added an HC 50-110, CF 500, and as of today a CF 140-280 all used off of EBay. We live next to a park and I have wanted to be able to blow up wildlife pics and see the details of animals that walk by our house. I had doubts about using 34 year old lenses designed for 6x6 film cameras or a 20 year old lens designed for 6x4.5 film cameras with a modern 44x33 mm medium format digital sensor and its electronic shutter. Happily it works and many of the pics have turned out great! Should we call this "Hasselblad on a Budget"? Hey, that may make a good video!

On my first lens purchase, I bought a 5-pin Tamron lens for a D3300, had no idea I needed the 8-pin model in order to have autofocus, nothing I read made that clear, even Tamron's lens compatibility guide. Also, the lens I did get, works 100% fine, but I cringe when I look at the elements and there is dust inside the lens, but doesn't effect image quality, but that's just me. Another thing, I bought my Nikon from a individual, not a company that can repair it with some type of warranty. I did get my moneys worth with an included $200 35mm 1.8 lens, thrown in the deal. But.

Actually disagreeing with you, for once, and strongly, on 3rd party batteries. I too used to hate, for instance, Wasabi batteries for Sony mirrorless. After a couple years of swearing by only Sony batteries, decided to try Rav Power batteries. They’ve outperformed Sony, even after 20x the charge cycles of the OEM.

I only buy manual focus lens, usually Nikon, with this pattern: When buying lens on Ebay, make sure the buyer commits to clean aperture, smooth focus (and Zoom), no scratches, haze, fungus or balsam separation. Send the seller a message if it's not clear in the ad and make sure you get a message in Ebay, not email. The main sellers from Japan will always state this. Never rely on photos for optics quality. If the lens you receive does not match what the seller stated, you can return it, and do so at the sellers expense, regardless of what their ad says. You may have to file a buyers complaint with Ebay, but if you are reasonable, you will win. What I often do when I receive a problem lens is take the high value of the lens if it had been freshly CLA'd, subtract what I suspect a CLA will cost, and then offer to buy at that price. If the seller offers an appropriate refund, I'll then have the lens CLA'd and end up with a lens that should last a long time. If there was a problem with a modern Fujifilm lens, for instance, I would just send it back. See Tony's grey market warning.

This video would be very useful for me a year ago, I bought a full frame sony camera and didn't know about the meaning of APS-C lens thought is was just about the field of view and later I understood that the resolution of my images was divided by 2! 🙄

I use third-party batterys for a long time with my Sony A6600. Of course they have only around 80% of the capacity. But they work for a long time and 2 batterys costs a third of one original battery. And they put a charger on top of the package which works very reliable.

Generally adapters have no extra lens (no lens included at all) included they just (and only) increase the distance between some lenses and some camera so that the lens can work with the camera,... so flare is never a problem with a "real" adapter. The issue is communication between camera and lens. Most (and simple) adapters do not include electrical communication between lens and camera. They are simple and work (but you have to expect manual focusing). There are different brands and obviously different qualities. Now it is true that top brand lenses are specifically designed for their specific brand of camera, they work better together and bring peace of mind, but there are also other situations... and adapters help people use the same lens with different cameras.

Oh Chelsea and Tony! , this was so relevant to me and I just don’t know what to do! As you may remember, I’ve been following all your FB, Books, Reviews and been a Stunner forever! Here’s my situation… 1. I am not a techie. 2. I used Canon since I began serious photography. 3. I liked my Canon 6D MK 2, the fourth Canon I owned. Then a Lumix Ambassador suggested an S5, with a 24-70 pro lens. I got excited and bought it. Cdn.$5,000 approx. Well after 9 months I’m still struggling. It’s so complicated. Half of me says “persevere”, you’ve spent the money. The other half says “cut your losses and buy a Canon R6”. I don’t make videos. And the voice on my shoulder says try a new hobby you’ll never be a photographer. (My main interest is macro). Any advice for someone whose budget is limited and who is on the point of quitting! Thanks!

Here is a kit comparison issue. The Sony Alpha A6000 sells as a kit with the standard kit lens and also a telephoto zoom. If you look closely, you can get the body with just the kit lens, then purchase the telephoto as a separate item, and it is $50 less!

my main problem is lack of budget due to inability to earn one, because of living in authoritarian hole and having numerous health issues

In the old days, the lens was "independent" from the body. Now, it is an integrated system, with Auto Focus, and Stabilization. Especially in body and lens stabilization working together.

Informative video. If there is one thing I kind of disagree with is buying full frame lenses for APS-C body. Some good quality, decently priced full frame lenses (especially primes) are quite good on APS-C body because of the maximum corner sharpness and less amount of vignetting.

I've had pretty good luck with after market batteries. I was able to buy 8 batteries for the price of 1 Canon. Though I did notice different brands are better than others. I've had good luck with Wasabi batteries. You can't recharge them as many times as the Canon ones and they show a noticeable decrease before they fail, but cost to benefit for a hobbiest is worth it to me. Especially because I left a Canon battery in my pants when I put them in the wash. I'd rather destroy a $10 battery than an $80 one. I'm just a hobbyist though, I don't have the pro experience to know if the little extra reliability of an OEM battery makes that big of a difference on a paid shoot.

My problem is that I don't know which used camera's are best for what purposes. There are so many different Nikon and Canon models. I would like some sort of map on what model lines are good for what.

7-2022 I upgraded to a Canon 5D Mark iii from a Mark II. The auto focus is way better on the Mark iii compared to the Mark II. I mainly shoot still life flowers and foliage. I love the Mark iii uses SD cards. So I can insert the SD card right in my iMac and not need a CF card reader as I needed for my Mark II. I already had a bunch of EF Mount Canon glass I used with my Mark II, so the upgrade switch to the Mark iii was all compatible with my EF Mount glass. I buy 99% of my camera lenses used. And my Mark II and Mark iii bodies I bought used.

spend a little extra for good tripod. cheap ones will make 5 mph breeze can make you camera feel its in a hurricane

Something similar happened to me when I purchased my Tamron 150-600mm G2 lens. I went through Amazon, The vendor I picked had the same price as others and said the lens came with Tamron's warranty. Except when I went to register the lens, Tamron would not accept the registration, saying I bought it from a camera shop that was not a licensed Tamron dealer. They wanted to keep 20 percent of my payment as a restocking fee, so I decided to keep the lens -- without the warranty. I also complained to Amazon, which did remove that vendor's Tamron lens listings. I hope I don't ever need the warranty.

I've had some buyers remorse over lenses I've bought. In particular buying a Nikon 55-300mm because it was cheap rather than buying a 80-400mm or 200-500mm or even a Sigma 60-600mm.

When I decided to go mirrorless to replace my old 5DII I was looking at the available lenses first for FF mirrorless systems. For travel and generic shooting I like the 24-105 range, so to be able to get such a lens was crucial. Thus, Nikon was out. Taking photos should be fun, I borrowed a Sony and I couldn't get around the ergonomics (maybe I'm too much used to Canon). Sony was out.

Got a used X100F off eBay for a recent trip, camera died 2 weeks into it. Used my phone for the rest of the trip and didn't miss the camera at all - will probably never take a camera with me on non-photography trips again.

Grey market.....for the most part....giving the manufacture the serial number, can tell you if it grey or not. One exception I’ve seen is some Nikon lenses even the manufacturers can’t tell you without sending in the lense.....because according to nikon those particular lenses have a identifier inside the lense, this is true likely because the lense outsold the allotment for the country (this case, North America, where the serial numbers usually start with 3), and Nikon supplies what would be out of market serial numbers to Nikon USA dealers, and put a marking into the inside of the lens stating its usa authorized. I do know that Tamron can tell you if it’s usa or grey through serial number via Tamron’s usa’s phone number.

This is a great video! Part of the problem however is reviewers don’t review cameras based on how good they are for the total package value. Reviewers don’t say for example, for four thousand dollars this is the best new camera lense combo you can have, for this purpose. The real problem is the way reviews are done.

There are specs for viewfinder latency... Also when shooting BIF turn off the IBIS and lens stabilization - This can cause significant shift of the image and it's not helpful in anycase with a moving subject. When shooting my G9 with a red dot sight and Dual-IBIS on, the captured frame of a moving bird or plane lags the boresight by half the width of the frame.

Just got a new Canon D90 to replace my Canon 450D (which still looks and works as good as new), I’ll never use most of its features. Mirrorless was a big no for me, spend enough time at work looking at computer screens, my hobby is about getting out and not looking at computer screens. Looked around and bought Canon macro, wide angle and telephoto lens 2nd hand, and heavily reduced(damaged box!). With my limited skills I couldn’t see the point of going full frame, if I do my some miracle of god start taking decent photos and feel the need to upgrade, I think medium format will be the way to go. I really wanted a camera with a split focusing screen to have the option to manually focus, but its auto focusing all the way down now.

Good video! Now I have been buying quite some used gear, but always from sellers around where I live so that I can test before buying. Recently bought a new camera. Spent hours in a store discussing with store employees and customers + handling the gear. I very nice experience

I've found its really hard to know what gear to get until you try it. I started out thinking "get a lot of cheaper gear so you have more options," but began to find that I constantly gravitated to a few lenses I really enjoyed and the others would just collect dust. I've drastically reduced the amount of gear I use, but what I have now is better quality. Part me feels like I wasted a lot of money early on with the cheaper gear, but then I realize I needed to go through that stage to really figure out what I enjoy shooting. That's where I miss camera stores. It was so nice pre-covid when I had a local camera store that would let me test things out. Now that my only options are online, it really hinders my ability to experiment. Thankfully, the experimenting I do now is trying to master the gear I have, which is a nice place to be at!

for me i will never use adapters again, if it is not a dumb adatper without electronics i will not buy it ever again. We adapted a Irix lens so the adapter only controlled the Iris. We tested it a couple of times then we had to do a timelapse and in the middle of the night the camera bugged and opened the iris, a day of work completely gone and we had so much stress to keep up... the other thing is incompatible lenses. We had MANY adapters, sigma mc, metabones etc. and the sigma internals simply shorted out because we used a incomatible lens. Metabones speedbooster Sony A to Sony E... it does not get easier. the Lenses stuttered, missed focus, it was horrible... now i will only use native or fully manual lenses... that is a reason why i completely dith canon ... the bigger cinema bodies still have ef mount, but ef mount is dead, the smaller have rf mount but are apsc and rf apsc do not exist and using typical fullframe lenses means you have the strangest focal lenghts on the body. etc. ... Fun fact, many are upgrading to fx9 andfx6 right now because they are full frame and have amazing AF and i so often read about using apsc lenses or adapting ef lenses... they are destroying everything they just upgraded to ... :D strange

5:22 I think this can go both ways. I went this route and it worked great for me but I stayed in the Nikon system. I purchased old used fx glass to put on my D90. I didn't buy any bundled kits... Bodies only and lenses only. Ebay was my go-to when I couldn't afford new. When I eventually got a D700 I didn't stop using the D90 (or the D200, D7000, etc) I'd take both. Having the FX glass meant I didn't have to also buy new lenses which I didn't have the budget for. As I sold more jobs, I made enough to buy better gear and recover faster. At some point I started buying pro bodies so the dx cameras were rotated out but it allowed me to ease into fx with the hassle of selling gear. Being able to get a 80-200mm f2.8 used for the price of a kit lens made me images that would get clients. Maybe this is good for the hobbyist, but I went in it to make money. I started with nothing, so making very specific choices in gear allowed me to take on more business and grow to the point where my income could afford better gear (which in turn sped up my workflow).

That is true. I have had on two occasions err message and camera shut down with my EOS R using Sigma A35mm f1.4 and lost a video file for a wedding shoot. Sad!!!

If you’re a Nikon nps member just ask for the serial number and add it to your gear list. It will either give the green checkmark indicating that’s it’s a USA model or it will give an error.

Have to disagree regarding mismatching APC CAMERA with FULL FRAME lenses. I am eternally grateful that the salesman recommended full frame lenses when I bought my 80D in 2016. They worked fabulously on that body and I would argue better than my friend with apc lenses. Best part is I am still shooting them on my A7R4 (with sigma mc-11)and my R5 (with the ef-rf adapter). If I took your advice in this video I would have had to rebuy all my best lenses.

The modern crop of Sigma and Tamron lenses leave very little to be desired and there are many unique lenses that the first party camera companies don’t make themselves.

I have bought grey Nikon everything. Saved ££££ Here in the UK it is a right rip-off how much extra is charged, not just on cameras, but everything. The retailers I purchased from did not disclose they were grey (naughty but I knew they were buy the price difference). They did offer their own UK warranty. I have never had to use it, so don't know how good it would be. Maybe other peeps have? I managed to damage as SD card slot on one camera, I dropped it off at Nikon service in SW London (alas they have moved and drop-off is no longer possible, only post) and collected it a while later, no issues with repair, only a large bill for a complete new board. (It was out of warranty by that time anyway and my fault for using a cheap micro USB adaptor) I requested the old board back and it looks a simple repair as the SD card slot is just a standard surface mount component.

Tell me if I am wrong, but I am looking for a first DSLR strictly for landscape, streetscape and nightscape photography. That's it. I will NEVER use it now, or in the future, for video. Ever. What I am finding that really drives the prices on DSLRs is video capabilities. That's how they're marketed. That's what you pay for. I don't want a digital camera for that, I want to make art. So... what do you recommend for my specific needs? Right now I am leaning towards just going back to film because I don't want to pay $$$$$ for a camera made for vlogging that also shoots pictures.

About the 3rd party battery talk: I've found PowerExtra to make great replacement batteries. I have 8 of their LP-E6 ones and 2 of them are now 4 years old and still going just a strong as the Canon ones.

Canon lenses have a USA Warranty card with a serial number that matches the lens. Gray market lenses don’t have this card.

I'm glad the Nikon lens has been repaired. I'd love to assist you if you ever have to have something repaired in the Philippines. LOL!

I live in Sweden, and retail prices are horrible here. I order all my products from Greymarket websites that are based in the UK, which ship without any extra taxes due to European trade zone. I have saved thousands of dollars with buying greymarket products, so even if several lenses completely arrive broken, and I receive no service at all for them (would never happen) I am still in profit for using it.

The one thing you cannot protect yourself from is the “big lie”. I bought a Tamron lens that was grey market. The price on Amazon was very good, and I was suspicious. I contacted the seller and they assured me that it was a USA market lens. Luckily, it was an email and I had proof of the lie. Amazon backed me up and I returned it, but it still cost me postage, insurance and other costs amounting to about $60.00. The price was $960.00 plus tax, so it was still worth it.

I bought a great D800e camera and a bargin used 28-105mm f3.5-5.5. It turned out the lens probably had been dropped on the floor and was only sharp in the middel and right side, left side is very blurry. The seller would not take it back, and it was too expensive to have it repaired so now I have to stop it down to f8 to get sharp photos over the entire photo. I feel that I dont get full value of my camera even though it works ok, but sometimes my photos from the Iphone seems sharper than from the dslr. It was a bad experience and the conversation with the seller of the lens went all wrong as he claimed that I had damaged the lens, and I should had reacted asap, The lens also has a strange mechancal clicking sound when zooming in.

I bought a Canon 5DsR. Don't get me wrong the camera is insane, but I just didn't need any of the features and I ended up selling it and sticking with my 6D. I mostly shoot handheld macro and it was really difficult to avoid motion blur on the 50mp. The shots I nailed had detail down to the pixel but being a pixel peeper I couldn't help but look at every shot closely, even if I didn't need to crop and reject what would probably be an otherwise good photo when scaled. Also, when shooting on 50mp I tend to get lazy and not thing about framing, step back a bit and think "I'll come up with a crop in post". On the 6D's 20mp it only has about 30% max crop before 4K so the shots matter a little more.

I used to own a sigma 24-105 which exhibited consistently unreliable autofocus in 'standard' mode. However, it NEVER missed focus in live view.

I often wonder how well my 24-105 Sony G Master lens works with a first generation Sony First generation A7 camera. I suspect it doesn’t pair well (pricy mistake) the A7 doesn’t seem have the processing power. Sony later models seem to be paired with the later G- Master lens. Before the G-master lens came out the Kit lens and my favorite F28mm prime seem to be better then that big heavy G-Master lens. The auto focus seems to be sluggish on the G-Master A7 combination and that big lens wants to use a tri-pod which is an issue on fast moving in travel tours and street photography. I believe this goes to your main point about gear. “You get better results with a proper pairing of camera and lens” Take into consideration how you use your gear before purchasing. Cheers Richard.

I have Canon R5. I have had good luck with EF L glass adapted. I still have 5D IV as a backup body.The RF28-70 is so expensive but I love it for events. I also use the RF 600 and 800. I was so surprised at how good it is for perched Birds.

I hear you talking about repair and warranty and here I am with a Nikon camera and 7 Nikon lenses in Brazil, Nikon left Brazil 3 years ago

I was a landscape photographer until Covid I used a Pentax K70 for photography. I started walking the beach and started doing bird photography. I upgraded my kit by buying a used a used Pentax K3-11 from KEH camera it has double the focus points of the K70 I also upgraded my lens by buying a new Pentax 55-300 PLM WR lens which has a fast autofocus system. In a few years I may upgrade with the new Pentax K3-3 with a much faster autofocus system when the prices become more reasonable

I switched to full frame after few years of shooting APS-C (Sony), but kept all the lenses and bodies I had. It's always nice to have a second camera. And it also gives more flexibility. In some scenarios lighter camera or higher reach is preferable, in other - wider angle, better bokeh, or better low light capabilities. I mean, switching to full frame not always requires selling the old stuff.

I came from two big plastic bags with Nikon D700, 14-24mm and 24-70mm and 70-200mm f.2.8 some years ago to Olympus and Panasonic, and my all time fav is an well used Oly OM-D E-M1 around 150000 so knock on the table hope it works for a while more. 12-40mm PRO f.2.8 most used, second 75mm f.1.8. Selling the rest, almost not used at all... Concerts, portraits, the town I live most popular motives...

interesting note about the third party batteries. i have not had an issue with third party, i have 8 nikon enel3 and 17 watson gh5 batteries going on 2 years of service no issues yet. sometimes you might get a dud but that happens with name brand too.

Welp, a third party battery killed my d4. Im 16 so i didn't wanna spend 240 bucks i didn't have on a battery. I had my d4 in rain and sadly the bl6 didn't close properly. Rain got in and now i have to fix it. No one will touch it with water damage, luckily i build cameras though...

On using third party - I use third-party batteries produced by RavPower and ArtMan for my Canon mirrorless. To be honest they work great. Never had an issue. Third party flashes? Flashpoint are really great. Third party lenses? Depending on the specific lens, third party can be better. Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 is one of the best 35mm primes on the market. And Sigma’s 135mm f/1.8 is the best there is at that focal length.

14:00 - 100% agree that not every consumer needs the latest and greatest. I'm trying to buy a Nikon from 2013 or another from 4+ years ago.

Something you guys sort of missed and it’s who you are as a photographer. If you shoot to make money then you are 100%. If photography is a hobby then 75% is correct. As an example, third party lenses off of Amazon are great for the hobbyists. Of course they have problems but minor ones. Third party flashes are great as an example. But one thing needs repeating, if money isn’t an option then great, buy the latest and greatest. However, if you are the rest of us, look at eBay for your camera. I can’t say enough good about the Canon 70D, which sells for a few hundred dollars. There are a ton of APS-C lenses out there which are affordable. Honestly, I would leave the full frame cameras to the professionals because of the aftermarket cost of the lenses. And, if you are just a hobbyist remember that the best camera is the one you have to shoot with at the moment. So pull out that iPhone and practice with it as much as you can. Don’t be afraid to carry that large camera around to shoot with either. Both can be lots of fun in their own way. Lastly, keep you gear together to make quick changes and don’t forget about battery power, storage space, a grounding cord before taking out you storage card, be aware of your surroundings in Oder not to get robbed while shooting, and most of all, enjoy yourself. If it’s not fun, what’s the point?

I have a fujifilm xt-4, I just added a 27mm pancake for travel.. It kinda seams perfect for all things 😍

I liked the tip: know the type of photography you want to do before buying any camera systems beyond an entry-level camera

So, I purchased a D500 Nikon and a 200-500 mm lens for bird photography. APS-C camera to FX lens. You say that doesn't t work well. Yet, you have said in other posts, that it is a good setup. Sounds a little double talk to me.

I bought my most expensive lens from the place with the best price on the Internet. I'd never heard of them before or bought anything from them. They charged me extra for the lens hood, even though that was supposed to come with it, but they threw in an extended warranty for free. The lens was almost half-price at over $1000, and then I dropped it within a month, and it couldn't really focus right after that. Of course, I couldn't get it serviced by the manufacturer, or the warranty company, or anyone else. The company I bought it from disappeared from the Internet, as well. Expensive lesson. Since then, I buy almost all my equipment from a single NYC camera shop that has never let me down.

I agree with your points. I've been struggling for the last months trying to decide which camera to buy. I used a Nikon D3200 for some years, and now I'm using a Sony RX100 M4, and wanted my next camera to be a Full Frame. But why would I need one? The cheapest FF cameras are somehow limited in terms of specs, and the kit lenses they come with are not what I want. But yet again, why am I struggling trying to pick a FF, when I know I am perfectly comfortable with a APS-C. I know I don't care that much about FPS, I barely shoot sports, I even prefer taking long exposures; I want the camera to have 2 memory slots, but I've had no problems with any camera regarding memory cards. The same applies for the rest of the specs I've read over and over, I want something better, but the camera becomes more expensive, and I may not even need it or use it.

Yes Chelsea at last someone who understands, I don't need or want video, so I decided to keep my Canon 50d I don't need any more than 15mp, I don't want flip screens either, I don't want magic lantern software either, so I kept my 50d, it's serviced by a private camera restorer, & I had a New shutter movement fitted. so I'm a happy in my photography, with no need for change.

I bought a second hand Sony A7II that I hated for years just to hear that the camera was broken from the start and I should have got it fixed in the first place and now I regret having sold it

i had a sony a7ii but the eye AF never really worked fast enough for action photos, eg competitive ballroom dancing. so i changed to the A6400 as it uses the latest eye AF used on the A9. my images went up to 95% in focus. i wanted an 85mm lens or 105mm 1.8 lens which are not available for APSC so i bought a full frame 85mm Zeiss Batis which gave me awesome results. i know it gives 127mm f2.7 but this works as i dont have any other prime options for APSC Sony

I am exclusively using old EF or vintage Helios or sigma lenses on my Canon RP and it works perfectly. Actually going from 1100D to RP with adapter has actually made my EF lenses even better so seriously adapters can be a good thing.

Service options for the "big three" (Canon, Sigma, Tamron) are absolutely identical here in germany for hoby users. Actually the Canon and Tamron service centers are within 80km along the A57 highway