Newbie getting into portrait photography - needs help on gear

[sovietdoc]

Give them a dirt cheap zoom that can at least do f/2.8 and most people won't even care about primes.

I would care about primes. Zooms are boring to me.

That's okay, in the end it always up to you. Some people still decide to use horses instead of cars.

 

[o hey tyler]

Give them a dirt cheap zoom that can at least do f/2.8 and most people won't even care about primes.

I would care about primes. Zooms are boring to me.

That's okay, in the end it always up to you. Some people still decide to use horses instead of cars.

Yeah, I prefer my cars to go fast (f/1.4), rather than be slow like a horse (f/2.8).

ZING!

 

[Dao]

I would care about primes. Zooms are boring to me.

That's okay, in the end it always up to you. Some people still decide to use horses instead of cars.

Yeah, I prefer my cars to go fast (f/1.4), rather than be slow like a horse (f/2.8).

ZING!

Not this horse

Watch from 00:50 till end: One super fast horse. [VIDEO]

 

[curveshooter]

If your main intention is to get a various quality picture of your undress girlfriend, then upgrade your camera lens. The flash is not a factor here, so refrain from using it on this stage.

What lens would you suggest?

And do you think a better lens is more helpful for my stated goal than the stock 18-55 with an external flash?

 

[Tee]

Honestly, I think you're putting the cart before the horse. Get yourself a camera w/ kit lens in your price range and a third party flash. Utilize the web, YouTube, etc for learning and see if a local camera store offers beginner classes. Since you're beginning with a stated goal, the deeper you get into photography, learning light, depth of field, etc the more you'll realize what it takes to get consistent. Have fun, sock away extra cash for upgrades and enjoy the ride.