Camera Gear for New Dads
My dirty and beat up Sony 35mm f/2.8 lens. (Photo by Sean Rayford )
It’s about the camera lens!
New dads don’t need the best cameras to make gallery level photos of their family. What’s important, is the lens. The good news, new dads don’t need a bunch of different lenses. Especially the first few years.
A new dad doesn’t need a zoom or a telephoto lens. He’s going to be up close and personal with his family. The solution is a 35mm prime lens. Whether you’re capturing scenes in the living room at Christmas or some portraits of mom, the 35mm has you covered and a zoom lens of near equal quality will be more expensive and less sharp.
Drilling down on this, I’d be looking for a 35mm f/2.8 lens with a 35mm f/2 lens as an upgrade. The f/2.0 lens will be better for indoor and low light scenarios but it will be more expensive than the f/2.8.
Cameras are important, but pairing them with the right lens for each type of photography is more important.
Matching cameras and lenses
Below you’ll find links with good options for 35mm lenses from Sony, Canon and Nikon systems. The Fuji line is known for its smaller sensor and smaller footprint, but has limited upgrade versatility, especially if you’re raising a kid playing sports.
There are two primary types of modern cameras with interchangeable lens systems. The Fuji brand only offers the smaller sensor size on the APSC cameras. These cameras and lenses are less expensive, smaller and lighter and great for travel.
The other ecosystems can better follow y’all’s journey to the NBA. Also, you can save good money by purchasing used lenses from shops like KEH or your local camera store. If you have a local camera store, go see them.
A few things to remember about modern cameras with interchangeable lens. The latest technology is the mirrorless camera. The previous technology which is still very good, is the DSLR camera. The DSLR tech is bigger because it has a mirror allowing you see through the lens. The mirrorless tech uses a digital screen inside the viewfinder and there is no mirror flipping up and down every time a photo is made. Each of these technologies also uses different sensor sizes. They are commonly referred to as full frame and crop sensors. When purchasing a lens, these systems need to match.
I’m not a big proponent of third party lens on modern camera technology. There’s so much communication now taking place that using native lenses harnesses the technology.
Recommended 35mm lenses for mirrorless Full frame cameras
or…
I shoot on the Sony platform and I’m not finding a Nikon Z series 35mm f/2.8 available. If you know about a 35mm f/2.8, holler in the comments. I receive commission on the gear links above.