Ft Worth Newborn Photographer | Snap Happy Workshop Gear Suggestions

A list of gear discussed during the Snap Happy workshop.

Please note than any time you purchase a lens you will want to make sure the mount is correct for your camera. Canon folks must buy Canon lenses (or, if you go with a third party lens then it must support the Canon mount). The same applies for Nikon shooters. There is also a different between crop frame camera mounts and full frame camera mounts. In many instances, a lens is compatible with both a crop and full frame mount. However, this is not ALWAYS the case, so be sure to look into that. I would advise only purchasing lenses that are usable with both crop and full frame cameras, because if you decide to upgrade your camera body in the future you won’t have to sell your lenses. In many cases if you view a lens on Amazon there will be a comparability chart to help out. A special note on Nikon compatibility: FX and DX lenses can be mounted on all Nikon DSLR cameras. However, using a DX lens on an FX camera or an FX lens on a DX camera will result in a 1.5x crop factor. Also, a note on used gear–a lot of professional photographers will caution you against purchasing used. I am a bit of cheapskate so I’m not going to tell you that. I will say that there is a risk with purchasing something used. You will not have a warranty to fall back on if there is a defect. Used lenses can be scratched or have other glass imperfections. If you decide to go used, please try before you buy. If you buy a used camera body, ask the seller for a shutter count. The seller will need to go online or download an ap to be able to obtain their shutter count, but that is vital information before you buy anything used. Think of this as the “mileage” on a used car. Full frame bodies can withstand up to 300,000 clicks before their shutter wears out. Crop frames can often go between 100-300,000. This is not an exact science and is highly dependent on how well the camera was cared for by the original owner. Bodies For a crop frame, starter body I highly suggest anything in the Canon Rebel line or the Nikon Dx Line:

If you would like to move from a crop body to a full frame, some options include:

Lenses Most camera bodies also come with a kit lens, but you may want to invest in another lens with wider aperture possibilities. The “nifty fifty” is always my first recommendation–it’s affordable and a real workhorse. Both Nikon and Canon offer 50mm lenses in the $100-200 range.

Both manufacturers and several third party companies also offer 50mms which go to apertures of f/1.2, thus increasing the cost. Most of these lenses are also built hardier and for professional use:

Other Prime Lenses

If you decide to go with a zoom lens, there are really A LOT of options and it would be impossible for me to post them all here. However, here is the zoom I use most often:

Specialty Lenses If you are interested in some of the specialty lenses discussed during class, you can learn more here:

Heather of H. Parker Photography is a Ft. Worth Newborn Photographer also specializing in baby photography in Fort Worth, Texas and surrounding areas including but not limited to Dallas, Trophy Club and Roanoke.

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