So I have this dilemma. As most of you know, I run my own photography business. I prefer children’s photography, but with the newborn, I haven’t had the amount of time I need to put into advertising the way I need to in order to garner some business. I have a shoot this weekend, but it’s a friend and her kids so it’s not like it really counts (although I am getting paid). Mostly, however, I shoot weddings.

Here’s the rub. I hate my telephoto lens. Hate it. It’s a Sigma 70–300mm lens. The optics are fuzzy, the focus painfully slow, and with a variable aperture of  4-5.6, indoor shooting is a joke. So far, I can only use it outside in super bright, sunlit conditions. Usually during weddings the clergy request there be no flash usage. Without a flash, the telephoto is useless indoors and really, who wants the photographer standing in front of everyone trying to get a close shot?

Anyway, I need a new telephoto lens. Now that my equipment is paid off, any $ from my business is money in my pocket. So I’m a bit hesitant to start purchasing even more equipment, which then sucks up my profit, which then starts the whole cycle over. However, I actually have a true need for a better lens. What is bothering me is that I’m trying to decide if the lens I want is really the lens I need.

At $1650, it’s an expensive lens. It’s the Nikon Zoom Telephoto AF VR Zoom Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8D G-AFS ED-IF Autofocus Lens What does all that mean? Well the VR means Vibration Reduction which is a series of motors in the lens that compensate for minor motion of the lens, keeping your images tack sharp, even when their hand held in low light conditions. Speaking of low light, the f/2.8 aperture is fixed meaning it doesn’t change as you zoom out and 2.8 is a LARGE opening which allows more light through. The more light, the less time the shutter remains open which means less time for the camera to move, creating blur. Combined with the VR feature, I could shoot from across a dimly lit cathedral and still get great results. Plus, the autofocus is blazingly fast, especially when used on a beast of a camera like my Nikon D2H.

So what am I waiting for? Well, my schedule is pretty light over the next few months. There’s 2 months this year so far with no scheduled jobs. I still am working on some photo albums that bring in a little of the coinage, but I’m not sure it’s enough to cover the payments. I could also make do with a lesser lens and save a few hundred dollars, but I’ve been burned before with ‘cheaper’ lenses. Remember, the camera body is just a light tight box. The clarity of your pictures comes from the lens.

So, it’s a hard sell to myself. I hate to get into a pattern where I never do much more than break even, but my current lens sucks ass.

Update
Moot point. I just bought it. I’ve got a very important wedding in 3 weeks and I just found out the church is dark, the bride is Greek, and I risk being sprayed with Windex if I venture too close to the front.