Sounds easy does it not. Super Telephoto for wildlife, mild telephoto for portrait and Fashion. Wide Angle for Landscapes, nothing to it.
Well actually no, it’s a lot harder then you may think.
Possibly the easiest choice you might think is if you are a bird photographer, then you want a 800mm lens. Just pop down to your local camera store and pick one up.
One you have picked yourself off the camera store floor after fainting at the price you then start to compromise.
It’s now you start to realise there are a lot of choices to make.
You want a lens that can be used handheld in low light, built in VR or IS, maybe f/2 or faster to let in lots of light, produce those dreamy out of focus backgrounds you like.
You want a zoom that can go from 24-300mm on a full frame camera and is small and easy to carry.
Your shooting Architecture and every line should be straight and perfect.
There are lots of lens out there but your going to have to think long and hard about what you want to photographer and how you work.
If you travel long distances on foot to get to your chosen shot, then a zoom or a couple of light primes maybe better for you back and health, then the thought of carrying the big heavy optically ‘Perfect’ lens, heavy tripod etc.
So for me what would I pick. Well for me weight is not generally a consideration, I would choose a lens over its optical quality then its convenience or weight.
Well first there are Landscape & Architecture wide angles:
- 20mm f/2.8 Super Wide Angle or the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8
- 24mm f/3.5 PC Lens
- 35mm f/1.4
Every Day Standard Lens:
- 24-70mm f/2.8 Nikkor Zoom
- 50mm f/1.4
Telephotos suitable for portrait, fashion and wildlife photography:
- 70-200mm f/2.8
- 85mm f/1.4
- 105mm f/2.8 Macro
- 300 f/2.8
So thats my list, what would you pick?
One Reply to “Picking a Lens”