[lightbox]

I see people advocate for 50mm lenses, but 40/43 is my favourite focal length.

I've got the 50/1.8 sitting here on my desk and one thing that's becoming fairly obvious is how bulky it is with the rubber hood attached. It's not bulky in an absolute sense (actually a rather small, extremely light lens) but the DA 40 even with the built-in hood is much flatter and much more pocket-able I imagine. Might be good for certain situations where you want to go light and can't bring a camera bag. Just keep a DA 15 or 21 on the camera for scenic stuff, and pop on the 40 for portraits, etc... with nothing more than a coat or jeans pocket. Very cool.

... Or, I could just let the 18-135 WR hang at my side all day , but then no pixie dust.

[lithedreamer]

Just keep a DA 15 or 21 on the camera for scenic stuff, and pop on the 40 for portraits, etc... with nothing more than a coat or jeans pocket. Very cool.

I do something like this with the FA 31-43-77. Either with my K-1 or a lighter-weight film camera. 31 for landscapes, 43 for street photography, 77 for portraiture.

[noelpolar]

The most important part of photography isn't gear, but learning and improving your skills.

I tend to lean towards the important bit being how the hobby gives you pleasure and enrichens your life..... gear can be a meaningful net contributor to this for some.

[lithedreamer]

I tend to lean towards the important bit being how the hobby gives you pleasure and enrichens your life..... gear can be a meaningful net contributor to this for some.

To be fair, gear does make some things possible or much more practical: macro, low-light, astrophotography, things that make carry easier, flash. I don't think many of us would want to get by with the camera the average person has on them, the smartphone, so we carry a big camera, gear can extend how much do how fast you can grow.