Christmas Gift Ideas [1 of 3] | A great lens is more affordable than you think.

It’s November, which means it is time to start thinking about Christmas gifts! Crazy, I know. I may be a little biased since I am a photographer, but I can’t think of better gifts then those that allow people to take and display spectacular photos of their family & friends. So this month I will be doing a 3 part blog series of some gift ideas in the realm of photography.

Gift 1: An affordable lens

Myth: You need to spend thousands of dollars to get a top quality lens.

There are 2 kinds of lenses, fixed length (prime) and variable length (zoom). Most people think they want a zoom lens so they can zoom in on action when necessary. But the truth is, making a lens that zooms is a difficult thing to do, so making one that is top quality takes a lot of engineering & money, which is why the price point is in the thousands of dollars. On the other hand, making a lens that is fixed at one length, that doesn’t have to change or zoom, is much easier & cheaper to make.

What does this translate to in real world results? Well, I have a lens $300 fixed length lens that matches if not exceeds the quality of my $1500 zoom (24-70mm) lens. In the professional world, I need the ability to quickly zoom in and out…but in most real life situations, your feet do the same. And to be honest, that zoom lens you got with the camera is about as bad as it gets in terms of quality in a lens.

So need a Christmas gift idea for the avid photographer in your family? Try one of these (these are Canon, but Nikon has equivalent price point).

$100 | Canon 50mm 1.8
$270 | Canon 35mm 2.0

Happy shopping!