My lens arsenal consists of a nifty 50, a kit lens and a telephoto. Although I have dreams of owning some L class Canon lenses, I haven’t won the lottery yet, which makes most great lenses out of my reach. Thanks to my membership with NAPP, I discovered Borrow Lenses.com. I’ve rented from them once before, so I turned to them again for this shoot.

After much debate and research, I decided to rent the 50mm L and 35mm L. I opted for prime lenses over zoom since they are faster and produce crisper shots. I shoot with a Canon 7D, which has a 1.6 crop factor. This means when I shoot with a 50mm lens, it shoots closer to what an 80mm lens would do on a full frame camera. I had to keep this in mind as I selected the glass I was looking to borrow since I wanted my portraits to be flattering (who wouldn’t?) and allow for versatility in perspective.

I’m new to the world of professional lenses, so I can’t explain why I instinctively chose these lens over others, but I can say I enjoyed shooting with them. Both lenses have phenomenal apertures, allowing for a great variety of depth of field and crispness in low-light settings. The lenses were fast, not terribly heavy and produced some beautiful images. Granted, some of that is thanks to my subject, my skills as a photographer and my camera, but the lenses played their roles.

I was sad when it was time to send the lenses back. They were such wonderful tools to use, but I’m appreciative for the chance to rent them. The opportunity to use a professional-grade lens for a photo shoot without having to drop several thousand dollars is a wonderful thing. Perhaps someday I’ll plop down the small fortune to purchase one of these lenses, but for now I’m excited to play with rented equipment as I perfect my photography style.

While I do back up, I have to admit I don’t often sit down and plug into the external hard drive. This means it’s probably been over 200 days since I last backed up my laptop. While this is frustrating, I also know there might still be hope to recover what is on the drive and in reality, I probably didn’t lose anything of great importance.

We soon realized we have never backed up our iMac. Most of what we could lose could be recovered, but it would be a time consuming process. After giving it some thought, we purchased a 3TB Seagate hard drive with the ability to connect to our wireless network. We believe this will give us the ability to back up without plugging in and enough room for all three of our computers to do full backups.

Although the possibly fried hard drive is distressful, not having to purchase a new computer is a relief. The important thing is to remember that nothing is secure. Having multiple ways to back up your files (and actually backing them up on a regular basis) is the best way to protect yourself against major devastation should a disaster strike.

What creates such hatred for the rival brand? I’m a Canon girl. I’ve been a Canon girl since my film days (please keep in mind I’m only 27), and when I went DSLR, I stuck with Canon, mostly for brand loyalty and familiarity. I still remember flipping through a B&H Photo catalogue as I picked out what I would request for my college graduation present. I focused on the Rebel Xti and, without really comparing it to others, decided that was what I wanted. I liked the features, it sounded like a good camera and I had a history with Canon. Sure, I’d used Nikon in school, but Canon was what we had at home.

I wasn’t sure if Canon was the best brand for a professional, so I spoke with my uncle, a professional photographer. He’s invested in Nikon, and I was concerned I wouldn’t get an unbiased opinion, but what he said made sense to me. He had gone with Nikon because the equipment was cheaper, but they still produced solid gear. If he were to start all over, he probably would have chosen Canon since, in his opinion, the sensors faster and a higher quality, but overall, he felt I couldn’t go wrong with either brand.

Since then, I’ve added the Canon 7D to my arsenal and a variety of lenses. Despite my brand loyalty to Canon, however, I have not developed a passionate hatred for Nikon, and I’ve used a Nikon DSLR at work. I won’t deny that when I pick up a Nikon, I have a hard time getting my bearings, but that isn’t an attack on Nikon or evidence of a subpar camera. I am just not as familiar with the settings and button placements as I am with a Canon. I’m sure my Nikon-dedicated family members would say the same if they picked up my camera and tried to shoot in manual mode.

My sister-in-law is considering taking up photography, which has had me thinking about what equipment she should start with. I’ve told my husband there’s nothing wrong with either brand, that she truly can’t go wrong. She just needs to understand if she goes Nikon, I won’t be of much help. I can work with her on terminology and photography concepts, but when it comes to adjusting settings, she’s on her own.

I haven’t developed a hatred for Nikon, though I have wondered what has caused so many to find fault with a piece of equipment simply because it isn’t their brand. What’s your take on it? Do you dislike a competing brand, or do you not care about brand names?

On a side note, I have to admit when I’ve attended weddings in the past few years, I’ve taken a glance at what the hired photographer is using. More often that not, it’s been Canon, and it’s reassured me I’ve chosen correctly for the type of photography I want to do.