I bought a new lens and I’m totally in love!

I bought a new lens and I am totally in love. This was not just a happy coincidence. I had read reviews and spoken to other photographers. But more importantly, I tried it out, before I bought it. I tried it out several times in fact. So much so, that every time I tried this lens and saw the end results I really WANTED this lens.

But did I really NEED it? I have bought lenses before because others raved about them. I then suffered buyers remorse and frankly ended up selling the lens.

Mindful that I have a bit of a G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome) problem as it is, I really did take a fair bit of time before I actually purchased this new bit of kit. That is something new for me, but then this was not a cheap lens. This was some fairly serious kit. I had tried to buy it second hand. Not many of them around, not very surprising. The ones I found were not much cheaper than brand new ones. I waited till there was a special discounted offer and snatched it up.

Patience was my reward when I finally had my own lens and could play with it all I wanted to. It did take a little bit of adjusting as I had previously been a 50mm prime shooter, but I could not deny the adoration I had for this 85mm. You’re probably wondering what I bought? Well, it was the Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM.

But that really isn’t the point of this post. The point is to prevent heartache before buying equipment! It’s important to not only do your research, but also to try before you buy. I cannot say that enough. I attended Sony Days (other brands have them too). Join the local group for your camera brand and talk to other photographers. KNOW what you are buying before you jump in with both feet.

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The other thing I did was use it, a LOT, made sure I was very familiar with it, very comfortable with it. So before you buy any new piece of kit, give it a test drive.

Model — Emily Reinhard | HMUA — Teighan Felton | Headpiece — Verdessa Fairy