I’ll be the first to remind you that owning the latest and greatest photography equipment is not necessarily going to make your photography business better. It’s the person behind the lens, along with an optimized business, that is truly going to make the biggest difference.

However, there comes a point in every photographer’s career when it’s time to upgrade your photography equipment. When that time comes, I always try to purchase certified refurbished equipment from KEH— a field-tested and expert-graded re-commerce company. Their inventory is full of thousands of gently used film and digital camera gear at up to 40% off retail price.

In today’s blog post, I’m going to be sharing my favorite photography gear of 2022 as well as my wish list for 2023. I hope this list inspires you, from a practical perspective, to experiment with different lenses this year and perhaps even add them to your own kit.

My 2022 Best Photography Gear

The Canon 50mm 1.2 lens.

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and last year, I found myself using the Canon 50mm 1.2 lens most frequently. Before falling in love with this lens, I would have called the Sigma 35mm Art Lens my favorite, but it hasn’t remained in the best shape, and I’m actually on the hunt for a replacement.

The Contax T3 35mm Film Camera.

Two film cameras made it to my 2022 favorites list. The first is the Contax T3, a point-and-shoot I bought back in October 2019. This past summer, I rediscovered my love for this type of film camera.

Now, this one, in particular, is over $1,000 and can be hard to find due to its high demand. However, you don’t have to spend $1,000 on a point-and-shoot— you could easily opt for something in the $30-$100 price range instead. There are many great options on KEH, my favorite place for buying and trading in photography gear.

The Contax G2 35mm Film Camera.

My other favorite film camera of 2022 has been the Contax G2 and I bought it at the same time and place as my T3. This camera is so smooth and nails the focus every time, even in tricky lighting. While I do think it’s worth the price tag, if you’re looking to get into film photography in the new year as a beginner, I wouldn't recommend this to you.

The Contax G2 35mm Film Camera makes it almost too easy to set it to auto and let it do its thing, which is also the advantage of a point-and-shoot camera— it’s ideal for when you want a little bit more quality control over the images but you don't want to have to set up the shot every single time.

For beginners who are still trying to learn manual, this would not be the best choice as you’re going to want something that is more fitting toward learning those settings.

Instead, I would consider something like the Minolta X 370 (the one I use) or Canon AE-1. These cheaper alternatives will enable you to get comfortable with all of the manual settings.

My 2023 Wishlist

The Canon 24-70mm f/2.0.

First up is the Canon 24-70mm f/2.0. This lens has become all the rage in my photography Facebook group, Build & Bloom.

To a lot of photographers, the Canon 24-70mm lens is the equivalent to my Canon 50 mm 1.2 lens in the way that it is glued to their camera body. I’m adding this to my 2023 wishlist because I believe that this zoom lens would act as a two-in-one for me.

As I mentioned in the beginning, my Sigma 35mm Art Lens lens broke and I don't have any intention of replacing it, at least with another Sigma Art.

Although I use the 24mm-70mm f/2.0 Sigma Art lens all the time, I wouldn't recommend a 24mm prime lens to a beginner because it's as good of a bang for your buck when first starting out. However, for me personally, a 24-70mm zoom lens could be exactly what I need. What do I love about it? The fact that it has an aperture of 2.8 and that it's gonna save more room in my camera bag.

The Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens.

The next lens would be somewhat of a frivolous purchase, but it’s one that’s been on my secret wish list. It’s the Canon 8-15mm f/4 fisheye lens. I have seen so many photographers, especially in my Facebook group, using this lens and creating gorgeous art with it.

The reason behind my desire for this lens is twofold, I love wide angles and already use my 24mm all the time on photoshoots and I also know that I could create some really stellar images with it. However, it would be a frivolous purchase because I have two other lenses on my wish list I need to prioritize before purchasing this.

The Canon 85 f/1.2.

The next lens on my list is one I’ve kindly been able to borrow from KEH to use for video tutorials. After playing around with this lens, I’ve decided I need to add it to my collection.

It's the Canon 85 f/1.2, which you can get for under $1,000 on KEH. This lens takes the most gorgeous portraits, and one of my most recent YouTube videos goes into a deep review of this lens.

If you’re interested in this lens but it’s a bit out of your price range, consider the 85mm f/1.4 or even the 85mm f/1.8. If you’re curious about any of the technical specs or how I use this lens in my own business, don’t forget to check out my Canon EF II 85mm F/1.2 Lens Review.

And that concludes my 2023 photography gear wishlist. My setup is fairly simple— and I don’t think you need dozens of lenses to run a successful photography business or create beautiful images. As consumers, it's really important to remember that all of the latest and greatest lenses are often a marketing scheme to make you buy more when in reality, you do not need to for a successful photography business.

Of course, there will come a time when you’re ready to upgrade your gear. In that case, I encourage you to be a conscious consumer by buying certified refurbished equipment from a company like KEH.

Disclaimer: This blog contains affiliate links but they don't alter what you are paying.

Resources:

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