Posted: 9/3/2026 11:24:02 PM EDT
[Last Edit: MarkNH][Edited]
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My daughter wants to take photography class next year in high school and asked about the cameras I used to use before I got lazy and switched to point and click zoom cameras and iPhone, so I dug out the Canon 50D from 2008 and realized we should probably get something more modern and mirrorless. My wife has a Sony a6400 with a FE 24-105mm F4 G OSS that a former employer gave her for teams calls at home, I tried using that but the camera body is dying and takes 30 seconds to turn on, so I just splurged on an a7R VI to use for family photos, landscapes around WA state, vacations, animal photography etc.  I know the lens I have is a good all rounder but was wondering about other lenses: 1) a great (fixed?) lens for posed family shots (Christmas, birthday etc) where lighting isn’t perfect 2) a great zoom lens for distant landscapes (glaciers, mountains) or wildlife in daytime I like quality but not mortgage the house for a 3lb white lens that needs its own tripod quality. Doesn’t have to be Sony. Hopefully there’s something around $1k that is better at one of those specific tasks than the good all rounder. Suggestions appreciated, thanks! |
“The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” - Margaret Thatcher
| Honestly... a modest lens is fine for the class. Have her focus on composition, posing, and lighting, which is where the money is made in photography. Despite the gear-obsession, some amazing art has been made on relatively modest equipment, and mountains of astoundingly average art is made on phenomenal gear. |
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Originally Posted By Urimaginaryfrnd: Yashikamat 124 G Thanks for the advice but this isn’t GD. Her photography class is based around learning to use modern mirrorless full frame cameras. |
“The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” - Margaret Thatcher
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Originally Posted By GlutealCleft: Honestly... a modest lens is fine for the class. Have her focus on composition, posing, and lighting, which is where the money is made in photography. Despite the gear-obsession, some amazing art has been made on relatively modest equipment, and mountains of astoundingly average art is made on phenomenal gear. I agree with regards to the class. I am looking more for lens suggestions so I can piggyback off buying the camera “for her class” to make better memories for myself and my family instead of always using the iPhone on vacation and at Christmas. ETA: I just spent 3 days going through my wife’s iCloud storage of 30,000 photos over the last 7 years to try and isolate and save quality photos for my kids and future grandkids, it made me realize how much I missed good photography and how a quality camera and lens makes a big difference over point and click or cellphone when it comes to saving experiences and memories for future generations. |
“The trouble with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money.” - Margaret Thatcher