The Best Places to buy Cameras, Lenses and Photography Equipment

Are you suffering from Lens Buying Addiction (L.B.A.)? Do you yearn for that 50mm f/1.4 prime lens? Do you lust of for that 50-300mm or 70-300mm telephoto zoom? Do you ache for the supernal sharpness of the 70-200 f2.8 (or brand equivalent as in the 50-135mm for Pentax)? Or are you simply wanting to explore photographic possibilities beyond your 18-55mm kit lens that came with the camera you bought. If so, you are experiencing L.B.A.. Do not be alarmed. It is a normal part of your new found passion. Also know that you are not alone.If not, also do not worry. Someday you will be.

While we cannot heal your L.B.A. for you, we can help you mitigate some of the real world difficulties that are associated with it. Namely the cost of that new equipment you dream about.

The answers lies in where and when an item is purchased.

The where is easy. Anywhere but at the local camera store or the electronics department of your favorite retailer! This applies to lenses, batteries, memory cards, camera bodies, bags...everything camera related. While we highly recommend going to a camera store to play with and test out camera equipment, they are rarely the cheapest place to buy them regardless of the promotional sale going on.

Some personal favorite places to buy camera equipment are Amazon's SLR store, Adorama.com and B&H Photo. They have the best prices on camera equipment and are all reputable dealers. If you are willing to buy used equipment, KEH.com is also be a good place to check. Ebay may be worth a look but we must recommend caution, make sure you know what you are buying.

Why does camera equipment cost so much and is it worth the cost? Addressing lenses specifically, the answers are simple. Firstly, the honing, coating and polishing processes associated with producing high quality lens materials is time consuming and expensive. Most modern lenses actually have mini-computers within the lens to increase auto-focus speed and accuracy. If the lens is a Canon or a Nikon, and it has on-board image stabilization, this also adds to the cost of production. The added cost is a significant reason to consider Pentax, Olympus or Sony cameras instead of Canon and Nikon due to the shake reduction system being housed in the camera body for these brands, effectively making ALL lenses shake reduction lenses.

Secondly, is it worth it to spend the extra money for the lens? Generally speaking, yes. An $800 17-50mm f/2.8 will perform much better than the $75 18-55mm kit lens that came with the camera. That extra money can get you a fixed (meaning larger possible) aperture (for creamy smooth backgrounds and better low-light shooting capability), less color fringing when shooting highly contrasting scenes and faster auto-focus. Most importantly the lens will produce noticeably sharper images. Know that “Good quality” lenses actually start in the $400-$500 range. Anything below that is considered entry level. Some lenses can cost as much as $10,000 or more! Luckily most good lenses can be had for less than $1200.

Before you buy your lens check out Pbase.com. They have extensive galleries displaying images taken by various lenses and cameras. To do this, click on the search tab at the top of the page and then click search by camera. Click on the brand of equipment you are buying and then scroll down the list to the item you wish to see. They often display other useful data such as the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings used to make that particular image.

The old adage “You get what you pay for” holds especially true for lenses. If you feel like you've hit a wall with your photography a new lens may be what you are looking for to jump start your drive. If you are looking for a new lens take a look at our article on lenses every photographer should have.