Their widest aperture is usually f/3.5… which isn’t bad BUT you can only shoot at this aperture when you’re zoomed out to the lenses wider focal lengths (18mm if you’re using a typical 18-55mm kit lens). As you zoom in, your aperture changes incrementally. Once you’re zoomed all the way in, you can only open up to f/5.6, which doesn’t let in a great deal of light!

This type of speed bump is very similar to a round top hump the only difference is the incline towards the hump isn’t as steep. This hump was originally developed so that cyclists can travel over them more comfortably.

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These are a longer and flatter version of a speed bump. When travelling over this type of speed bump, it elevates the whole vehicle at once. This type of traffic calming measure is usually used on crossings. A speed table helps slow traffic down but doesn’t impact the flow of traffic.

This means you can shoot at their widest aperture regardless of your focal length. This is amazing if you love to photograph portraits indoors but struggle with low light.

Traffic calming

An upgraded camera body may have functions such as a faster burst rate (allowing you to take more shots in high speed continuous mode). It might have more focus points to choose from or video capability. But these functions don’t have a big impact on the artistic aspect of your images.

Having a lens that allows you to open your aperture up wide (small f stop numbers) allows you to let in a LOT more light to create a perfect exposure, and this is where kit lenses don’t perform well.

Great light will ensure beautiful photos, whether you’re shooting with a phone or a DSLR.  But when taking images in limited light, your kit lens can really hold you back.

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An average camera body with a great lens will take a far better shot than a pro level camera body with a kit lens attached.

Use these question prompts to follow our guide to help you decide what your next lens choice should be!  Pop in your details below to download the guide! Xx

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Speed bump

BUT… here’s the good news. As you improve your skills and feel that yearning to take better photos, often times investing in a new lens is the answer, rather than buying a new camera… and here’s why:

Bokeh is created when light in our background is rendered into small pinpoints, and it works as a beautiful and artful background for our subjects. And such is its beauty, often bokeh can be the subject itself.

If you’re currently using kit lenses, it’s possible they won’t fit your upgraded camera body and you’ll find yourself needing to invest in a new lens anyway.

Now don’t get me wrong, I will say that if you continue to pursue photography, it’s highly likely you will outgrow your entry level camera.

You’ll naturally raise the bar of what you expect of your own photos, and as a result you’ll decide that it can’t perform to the standard you’re now aiming for.  Perhaps it’s not great in really low light, or you want specific features that are only available on newer or higher end models.

Whereas if you upgrade your lens, then later on down the track you find you truly have outgrown your camera, you can upgrade the body only, which is cheaper!

Bokeh and general blurry backgrounds are best achieved through the use of a very wide aperture, and is further helped when we shoot with our longest focal length because it creates compression which adds to the blur effect. However, as we just discussed when a kit lens is zoomed to it’s longest focal length, we lose the wide aperture setting and it reverts to f/5.6.

So if bokeh and blurry backgrounds is something you want to enhance, and achieve in all different scenarios… a lens upgrade to something that opens to a wider aperture and/or has a longer focal length will allow you to achieve this! It’s important to note that whilst we recommend a long focal length because it helps accentuate background blur, it’s not essential, whereas a wide aperture is essential.

Speed table

As the name suggests one is shaped like an S and one is shaped like an H. They are used to make it easy to manoeuvre for both cars and bigger vehicles like buses or Lorries.

If you’re already familiar with the concept of that creamy deliciousness, and one of the reasons you’re wanting to upgrade is for better background blur, then read on!

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These humps are square and you’ll often see them in 2’s or 3’s across the width of the road. The positioning and size of these bumps, allows larger vehicles to straddle them without slowing down. This also means this speed control measure doesn’t harm emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines, who will be able to travel at normal speed over these.

These are small plastic or rubber bumps that stretch across the whole length of the road. This type of traffic control device is usually found in car parks and areas with a 5mph-15mph speed limit. Due to the height and shorter travel distance, they are quite an aggressive bump which forces drivers to significantly reduce their speed to around 2-5 mph.

Your lens choice when setting your aperture to allow in more light, is a key step in improving your photos, and in this scenario it’s all the lens.  Your camera body itself has no role in this specific issue.

We photographers love the B word! Bokeh is a very desired effect in photography, and aperture is key to creating it. Aperture as we know, is wholly the job of… you guessed it, your lens!

As you discover more about photography, the greater detail you begin to see in your images, and areas you could improve. With that comes an awareness of the limitations of your entry level equipment.  From that point on, it can be oh-so-tempting to consider upgrading your entry level DSLR and buying a new camera body.

Sometimes referred to as “sleeping policemen”. These humps are made up of concrete and are the full width of the road. You will often find this type of hump, in built-up residential areas with a speed limit of around 15-30mph. With a speed hump, you will often find a couple after each other, this is to prevent road users from speeding before and after going over a single hump.

Have you ever had that niggling feeling when you take a disappointing shot, that if you bought a new camera you could take better photos? The thing is, your lens has more affect on your photos, so we’re giving you 4 solid reasons why you should upgrade your lens before you splash out on a new camera body.