Men and technology… what is it that makes us so attracted to those shiny technical gadgets?

For me, I get drawn into gadget shops just so that I don’t need to go into the girly fashion shops when I’m out shopping with the Mrs.

When I’m online though, I just find it a perfect match using a Mac computer to surf the net and read about gadgets. It’s Man Heaven right?

Photography, for me, started out as a love for the gadget itself and I get the feeling there are many more men out there smitten with the technology.

So now I have my Nikon D70 (yes I know it’s an OLD DSLR now, but it is a classic) I spend my shopping/research time looking at lenses.

Though the camera body is revered as the pinnacle of digital camera technology, it is the lens that has the largest effect on image quality. Not only that, the good ones look really cool and make you look like you know what you are doing .

So what do I drool over?

Here is my wish list for Nikon and, just so I don’t upset all the Canon guys out there, I have included the Canon equivalents.

1: Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 VR

Need I explain? OK I’ll explain:  This beauty is a workhorse. It is one lens found in most commercial photographers’ bags. Why? Because it is SHARP. Really sharp. And because it is f2.8 all the way through. This means the biggest aperture available at 70mm is f2.8 and the biggest aperture available at 200mm is also f2.8. You can shoot with fast shutter speeds, making it great for sport. You can also shoot great portraiture with nice blurred (bokeh is the correct name for the blur) background. Fast single aperture lenses (fast relates to the aperture) also give you the flexibility to extend the focal length. By adding a 1.5 times or 2 times extender, you can extend the lens’s focal range to 300mm and 400mm respectively. You cannot do this with lenses that have a slower aperture. VR (Vibration Reduction) helps steady the camera when taking shots, particularly at longer focal lengths. The VR can help keep the centre part of the image SHARP. In low light situations, VR will help you focus shots at slower shutter speeds that otherwise would record camera shake. NOTE: VR does not help you if the subject is moving.

• Canon alternative: Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS

2: Nikkor AF-S 50mm f1.4

Prime Lenses are built to one focal length really well. Unlike zoom lenses, a prime lens is fixed at one focal length… in this case, it’s 50mm. Why 50mm? Because its perspective is close to what our eyes see. Why is that good? Because it will give you an image that makes you feel like you are there. For this reason, the 50mm is also known as a photo journalist’s lens. The f1.4 aperture is really fast, so low light shooting is no problem at all. The f1.4 also gives you a fantastic shallow depth of field which, in itself, can give an image a three-dimensional feel. Note: Despite the lens being listed as having a f1.4 aperture, you can still use the complete aperture range, usually right up to f22.

• Canon alternative: Canon 50mm f1.4 USM

My wife now knows what I want for Christmas.

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