I have noticed that something rather interesting has been happening with DLSR lens prices.

They have dropped for both Canon and Nikon as photographers rush to move to mirrorless cameras and they trade in lens as they move. This has lead to a huge glut of available second hand lens for both Nikon F-mount and Canon EF mount lens. That glut is depressing prices on these lens. So if you are planning on sticking with a DLSR camera now would be a good time to get the lens that you have always wanted while these lens are easily available on the second hand market. I am not sure how long this will last. For example, I was looking at a number of websites and I could pick up the latest Canon 24-70F2.8 lens for about £900 and that lens would have been a lot more just a few years ago. The same thing has happened with the Nikon 24-70 f2.8 lens the one I brought four years ago for £1900 is now less than £900 second hand. And the savings are even more significant if you buy a DLSR lens that is a generation older.

If I was starting out as a photographer now, I would have to chose between an expensive an Mirrorless camera system or a second hand quality DLSR system. Future proofing my purchases, I would probably pick a Mirrorless camera. However, if I was wanting to also shoot film occasionally I would be thinking about my lens selection a bit more and maybe consider picking up a near new Nikon D850 which is still the best all round DSLR you can get. And still four years after it was released still a great camera. I was on the MPB.com website the other day and they had 56 of them for sale at great prices. The Nikon D850 is still a fantastic camera and one I personally still use seriously when I want autofocus on my camera. I do not see the point yet to change cameras. The current mirrorless cameras do not out preform the D850 by any margin worth considering for me at this stage. The biggest difference is that the lens for mirrorless are better that is the real difference. Both Nikon, Canon and Sony (G-Master range) are innovating with their new lens and making great lens. However, for me the cameras have not moved far enough ahead since Nikon released the D850 for me to want to change for a mirrorless camera.

The other aspect that gets rarely talked about by photographers is the cameras viewfinder. It is important in how you see the world and remember that when I was a Sony Global Imaging Ambassador I eventually started to miss the direct connection with my subject that I feel I get with an optical viewfinder and that is what you lose when you go mirrorless. The biggest advantage of electronic viewfinders is the realtime live histogram that an optical viewfinder does not have. And one day I might end up getting another mirrorless autofocus electronic viewfinder camera (that is a mouthful). In the mean time I am planning on using my Nikon D850 for as long as I can and with that I have now a collection of lens that work for the type of images that I make. And a couple that work seamlessly on my old FM2 so I can make images with film, whenever I want or need to.

So my question for you is what lens have you always wanted that was out of reach previously?

**Added Sunday 12Feb 2023, I was looking at 70-200 f2.8 VR II lens for Nikon, Don’t ask, I really don’t use this often these days. However, when I used to make fashion images and use a Nikon F4 the early version of this lens was my standard lens as it covered all the focal lengths that I needed for making my fashion images. I never used wide angle lens as they distorted the models in ways I did not like. I tended to work between 100-200 mm depending on the distance I could get from the model and background in the studio or on location. Anyway back to the lens in question, USED Nikon 70-200mm AF-S Nikkor f2.8G ED VR II Lens can be had for around £530-00 and of you remember a few years ago a second hand lens of this type would have been between £900 -£1200 and new it was over £1850. So as I say there are some great lens going for really knock down prices at this time.