Help, what backup equipment should I have

[dan_yorkshire]

Hi All,

I am into portrait photography and starting to get a little paid work which I enjoy doing.

Have been slowly building my camera bag so I have the relevant backups and have just bought a D7000 as my main camera and my D90 will be my second camera.

I will soon be buying a Nikon 17-55 but already have the cheaper Tamron 17-50 version.

Would you keep the Tamron as backup or is it a waste having matching focal lengths?

I am thinking of selling the Tamron and replacing it with a 50mm 1.4 which will mean the 17-55 glued to the D7000 and then my 35 1.8, 50mm 1.4 and 85mm 1.8 primes and the wide angle 10-20mm for interchanging on the D90.

Just worried that should the 17-55 ever fail (unlikely I know) that all I will have to fall back on is primes.

Any help appreciated,

Cheers, Dan

 

[simonblue]

Tough old lens,the Nikon 17-55mm,never have had backup lens the same,a few cross focal ranges,but i wouldnt worrie to much

 

[PsiFox]

With a prime you just have to use a few muscles and foot zoom.

Cracking lens the 17-55

With regard to the 50 1.4 I looked at both the Nikon and Sigma versions. Both are good but centrally the Sigma is sharper than the Nikon wide open.

The Nikon edges out the sigma at the edges wide open, so for portraits I would recommend the Siggy. It's the one I bought.

 

[dan_yorkshire]

Tough old lens,the Nikon 17-55mm,never have had backup lens the same,a few cross focal ranges,but i wouldnt worrie to much

Yeah think I'll be ok on that front, just have to make sure I dont drop it :bonk:

 

[dan_yorkshire]

With a prime you just have to use a few muscles and foot zoom.

Cracking lens the 17-55

With regard to the 50 1.4 I looked at both the Nikon and Sigma versions. Both are good but centrally the Sigma is sharper than the Nikon wide open.

The Nikon edges out the sigma at the edges wide open, so for portraits I would recommend the Siggy. It's the one I bought.

Cheers Mark, gonna have to make that same 50mm deicision too.

Dont suppose therei smuch sense in similar lenses in the bag.

Surely all wedding photographers wont have a mid range zoon as backup for their 24-70 2.8 for instance?