Essential Lenses

[Swad]

What are your essential lenses... the ones you can't live without? For someone just starting out (like me), what would be the first purchases you'd recommend.

 

I really enjoyed this list of Canon lenses at Digital Photography School:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog...lenses-to-take/

[molsar]

i have minolta dynax 7D and using maual lenses too ie:zenitar fish eye 16/2.8

(about 80% of my photos is made by this lens

[for canon u have "focus confirm signal" in some manual connectors cannon/M42]

 

i think it's good to buy a "wide angle to portrait" AF lens. something between ~20 and ~100.

aperture form 3.5 to 5.6 (not too expensive for beginers i think)

 

but telephoto lens is not a priority. better experiment witch light, deph of phield etc. on "short" lenses first.

 

after some experiments u may focus to lenses witch 2.8 aperture and if you go "the press photography way"-hi speed lenses.

 

sorry for my english

mol

---

P.S

my photos here:

molsar.dzialdowska.pl

[RiceTea]

I would go for a Tamron 17-35 or 17-50, plus the newish Canon 70-300 USM IS tele zoom. In case you like wide angle look for the Sigma 10-20 or the Canon 10-22.

 

The one "I can´t live without" is my beloved Tamron 17-35.

 

 

What are your essential lenses... the ones you can't live without? For someone just starting out (like me), what would be the first purchases you'd recommend.

[munky]

My standard kit:

 

Pentax *ist DL2 with 2Gb SD card

 

Pentax 18-55mm DA

Pentax 28mm

Tamron 70-210mm Tele (inc. aperture ring - wow i feel so old school!)

 

K-mount lens reverser (turns the 28mm into UBERmacro mode lens)

 

Mini tripod (tho i never use it and am going to replace it with a beanbag)

 

QCool OTG HDD storage thingy (sucks data off cards and onto a 2.5'' hdd when you're out and about - very handy)

 

15 min rapid charger inc AC and car adapters

 

Camera manual

 

all in my Lowepro Micro Trekker 200

 

(Ok, so I expanded the scope from just 'lenses' to 'kit'. So sue me).

[phi]

I'm driving very well with:

 

Olympus E-1

2x 2GB CF

 

Olympus Zuiko Digital 14-55mm F2.8-3.5 Normal-Zoom

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 Tele-Zoom

Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 50mm Macro F2.0

 

(Think about factor 2xXXmm of the FourThirds System)

 

The next one will be the Olympus Zuiko Digital 11-22mm F2.8-3.5 Wide-Angle, and then its really enough for any situation. The 1.4x teleconverter is great stuff to but expensive like a lens..

 

I made extremly good experience with Olympus Lens. The most outstanding crystal clear profi-quality you get with ED lens. So take a look at this "ED" sign if you buy a lens, its worth the price. I know from Nikon that they have ED lenses too and canon will surely have them also. But typically canon-style is to make profi equipment too expensive, so you have to think 5 times more about putting it on a rebel.

[rgsaunders]

I run Nikon gear, D70 with the following;

 

1. 18-70 Nikor AFS 3.5/4.6 - good general purpose - usually leave this on the body with a CP filter.

2. 35mm Nikor f2.0 - indoor work - clarity is excellent, not cheap.

3. 70-200 Nikor ED f2.8 - this is my favourite for when you want to really get creative. Very expensive glass but extremely versatile. Great for nature work, specially with a CP. If you are lucky you can pick up a used one for about 700-800.

 

Don't forget to get good quality tripod and head, I went with the Cameron tripod, (Manfrotto Clone) but stuck with the real thing for the head, Manfrotto 3 axis head with built in levels. This equipment is invaluable for those low shutter speed or long zoom shots.

[borisbadenov]

Yes, it is great to have a bag full of zoom lenses, filters, gadgets, etc to get that "perfect" shot. But what I have found from personal experience is that I ended up taking so long to get that "perfect" shot that the moment for it was gone. And then I started to feel like if I had just this one more thing, a filter, different lens, etc, then the shot would be just perfect.

 

Besides, so many of these zoom lenses are so slow, f4 and slower as one zooms out. I prefer a faster lens such a one that has a constant f-stop of 2.8 Yes, more money but the optics are better and besides, that is what takes the photo. The camera is after all just a box that hold film/a chip. And a faster lens allows one to focus faster, more accurately in low light.

 

So, what is my favourite lens? I love the 50mm f1.4 because the optics are great, the lens is fast, bright viewfinder and it also make me work at my composition. Instead of saying, "that a shot would be perfect if only I had....... " Now I am forced to make the shot the best I can with such limited means, forcing my creative energies to emerge. There are many days I will leave the house with just that one lens and I can feel myself looking at the world, how it would look with this lens, framing the world in this one lens, seeing all the posibilites it offers.

[lambsporriegetta]

Nice post boris, I have the same outlook, i love my standard lenses for the reasons that you have outlined and also with it being the closest to the human eye in terms of magnification. I love the challenge of instilling limitations such as working with only one lens.

[djKianoosh]

I agree with both of the previous two posts. i'm not a pro by any stretch, just an enthusiast, but I've done what they suggested and it really is a nice experience. quality is excellent. plus, my hand isn't steady enough for the zoom lenses anyway (again, amateur here). so, knowing my limitations and starting from that, I can usually get pretty good shots anywhere.

[Tommy]

since i have a canon digital rebel xt / 350D my next lenses would be Canon 100mm EF f/2.8 USM Macro.

 

p.s. i like taking macro picture

 

 

i wish i could afford the L series right now

[fireshark]

Does anyone have the crazy expensive Canon USM 50mm f/1?

[lambsporriegetta]

i've held one.......you'd want a pretty strong forearm or an industrial tripod!

[lorant]

for me, actually, it's my new tamron 17-55 2.8. it works very well with my D50

[linux4guru]

I started out with 28-90mm and 70-300mm Sigma Lens, but I ended up with a Sigma 18-200mm lens and loving it.

[focus5D]

I like my tamron 28-75 f2.8. It's cheap and takes pretty sharp images, though not as much wide open (in my case), but still good! The mid-range zoom is perfect for anyone that's looking for a cheap solution for a walkaround lens.

 

The constant 2.8 aperture is helpful, like boris had mentioned. I can obtain a faster shutter speed in dimly lit areas without having to pump up ISO to the icky 1600!

 

speaking of cheap lenses, the canon 50m f1.8 is also great for its value

[kuruu]

i started (with a 20d) with 50mm f1.4 and sigma 18-125 3.5-4.6 but gave them up in favour of sigma 30mm f1.4 and canon 75-300.

 

the 50mm lens was a nice one to be sure, but i had to get it repaired twice (mini-usm is a POS) and the 1.6 crop factor was just too much for up close people shots. (the purpose, for me of having a f1.4 lens) i'm much happier with the sigma and it's a darn sight sturdier and auto focuses in low light better too.

 

the canon serves it's purpose during the day, but i still find it slow. but i'm not that much of a junkie to afford a 2.8 lens...

 

mmmmm, L-glass.... drool....

 

oh I also have a Zenitar 2.8/16mm and a Peleng 3.5/8mm which are fun manual lenses. I wish I had more manual lenses on an EF mount.

[nova 1]

What are your essential lenses... the ones you can't live without? For someone just starting out (like me), what would be the first purchases you'd recommend.

 

I really enjoyed this list of Canon lenses at Digital Photography School:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog...lenses-to-take/

 

Hello There,

It all depends on What type of Photography you are entering, 35 mm--- Medium format--- 6x4x5 -6x6 -6x7-6x9 or Large Format 10 inch X 8 inch,it also depends on your bank balance and whether it is for Pleasure or Business, so in other words, if it is a Paying job, go for it.

that theses lens's are for then for 35 mm slr I would always have STD 50 mm-- 105 mm-- and 200 mm-- and for landscapes, I would use 24 mm Flat Field wide angle or 16 mm Flat Field for .... Landscape... Portraiture, I would use the 105 mm lens...Sea Scapes, either the 24mm or 16 mm .. As a Photographer for 25 years I have found these lens's to be essential Lens's. This is only for Single Lens Reflex Cameras, I only used Nikon for the lens quality, It is not the camera that makes a IMPACT PHOTO its the LENS....... The Larger the Format the More complexed it is, so Stick to 35 mm. Hope this has answered your Question. nova1 By the way, DO NOT USE ZOOM LENS'S too much distortion, stick to telephoto for best results.

Edited January 8, 2007 by nova 1