Everyone likes new gear, right? I’m not one to lust after the newest camera body at all, I’m pretty happy with what I have. New bodies brag up all their new features but the truth is that other than better high ISO capabilities, they are currently catering more to the video crowd. Both my bodies are working well for me. That said, how about lenses? Lenses are a bit more specialized, they are the key piece of gear that go the furthest to help you get the shots you’re looking for. All my lenses are pro level lenses, f2.8 or faster because that’s what I needed for shooting weddings, then live music. It would be hard to shoot music with anything other than a 2.8 lens in anything other than the best lighting. Sometimes in concert photography, you are shooting from FOH, (The sound board) usually located at the rear of the venue, far removed from the photo pit. I’ve made do with a 70-200/2.8 and a rather large crop up to now but the other day, I pulled the trigger on a new toy. The Nikon AF-S 200-5— ED VR and I don’t think I’ve ever been more pleased with a new lens. It is sharp, scary sharp in fact. This photo of the woodpecker below is at 500mm but what I’m also impressed with is that it’s only 1/125th of a second. The VR is so good in this lens, I can shoot that slow at 500mm and get a tack sharp subject. The rule of thumb dictates that for that focal length, I really should have been at a minimum of 1/500th of a second to achieve a sharp shot. I am extremely impressed that a lens of this ilk can still be hand-held. It is a workout to carry it around but considering the specialized work this lens will be doing, I won’t be too bothered about that.