The debate over whether expensive gear is essential for high-quality photography is ongoing in the photography community. A professional photographer’s experiment with Sony’s cheapest interchangeable lens camera for a week of professional work offers insightful perspectives on this topic and serves as a great reminder that you don’t always need the latest and greatest.

Coming to you from PJ Pantelis, this great video follows him across four real photo shoots over a week, including a food shoot, two product shoots, and a portrait session, using Sony’s most affordable camera, the ZV-E10. To maintain the challenge’s integrity, instead of pairing the camera with expensive lenses, he opts for affordable options recommended by YouTube’s cheap lens expert, Mark Wiemels. The chosen lenses include a 27mm f/2.8 for around $15, a 35mm f/1.8 for about $150, and a unique 60mm macro lens priced at approximately $140. Pantelis’ initial skepticism about these cheaper lenses quickly turns to surprise as he finds them outperforming his expectations, particularly the macro lens, which he credits for some of his favorite images ever. This experience highlights how affordable gear can still produce high-quality results, challenging the notion that expensive equipment is a prerequisite for professional photography and underscoring the importance of sound technique.

During the shoots, Pantelis encounters some initial challenges with focusing and lighting, especially with the kit lens. However, switching to the third-party lenses yields much better results. The 27mm and 35mm lenses become his go-to choices, offering the needed depth of field and image quality. The macro lens, despite its manual focus and challenges, proves invaluable, especially in product photography. Pantelis’ success in delivering quality images that seamlessly matched his previous work and received no negative feedback on platforms like Instagram underscores the equipment’s capability in a professional setting.

For any photographer questioning the necessity of investing in high-end gear, this video is a must-watch. It demonstrates how, with skill and creativity, one can achieve professional-grade photography with more budget-friendly equipment. That’s particularly important in an industry where we are frequently attempted to buy our way to better results. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Pantelis.