What is Your Current Favorite Lens? by

Posted in Lenses

So, lenses are a little like clothing...we all have different pieces (at least most of us) and what we choose at a given time depends upon our sense of style, where we're going, what we're doing, etc. When it comes to lenses, I tend to go in fits and spurts...sometimes I'm really into macro, sometimes I'm focused on my portraiture and at other times it's landscapes, but today I'm going to talk a little bit about my two favorite "walk around" lenses, and I hope you'll let me know what yours are as well.

In choosing these two lenses, I am thinking about versatility. What would I put on my camera if I were just planning to go out and about with my camera and had no particular "project" in mind (like a long exposure shoot, or specifically capturing wildlife, etc.). For instance, the other evening I went out for dinner, and yes, I am the annoying person who brings her camera along with her, because you never know what photographic opportunities might arise. I also do a lot of walking around my neighborhood or driving around my town, and I always have my camera with me, so I like to have something on my camera that will allow me to pretty much capture whatever I come across that's interesting. For this purpose, I have two lenses that come out above the rest - the Nikkor 35mm 1.8 prime and the Lensbaby Composer Pro with the Sweet 35mm Optic. Both of these lenses allow for different levels of creativity and versatility, and both are fantastic for the "walk around" purpose.



First Up - Nikkor 35mm 1.8 Prime
This lens has a lot of great features, the best of which (for me anyway) are the low f-stop (which allows for great bokeh and works well in lower light situations) and the extreme clarity. This lens is also relatively short, which makes it a lot easier to handle for walking around than a super long telephoto. I love the versatility of this lens, and I use it in a lot of different situations, from street photography, close up work, landscapes, etc. Here's a good example of some of the fun "close up" work I've done with this lens...



I also love using this lens for portraits. Now, a nice 105mm would probably be a better choice for portraits, but the 35mm 1.8 works a lot like a 50mm on my cropped sensor camera, so the "eye view" is pretty good and there is minimal distortion with faces and shapes. There is no "zoom", but as a mentor of mine once told me "the best 'zoom' is your feet", and I have found that working with a prime has improved my photography, because it makes me move my feet to get the shot. Here is a good example of a recent "6 Months Old" shoot I did for a client's baby...I had to get on the ground, up close to her, move farther away for the wide shots, so I did a lot of moving around, but the results were exactly what we were both looking for:



So, in the end, the Nikkor 35mm 1.8 is a very versatile lens with a low price point, great clarity, amazing bokeh, and is extremely easy to throw on the camera and "carry around". I would suggest this lens to anyone without hesitation.

Second - Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optic
I have only recently gotten into the world of the Lensbaby, and I have to admit that I'm already somewhat addicted. The idea behind these great lenses is fantastic, because they play to the creativity of the photographer. They are not meant to be straight forward lenses...you're going for artistic expression when you pop one of these guys on your camera. I have found that there is a learning curve to the lenses, as they are all manual focus, and have no electronics, which means that for most cameras you have to shoot in full manual mode (some cameras support Aperture priority) and you have to manually focus, BUT this is what I love about photography - the endless learning curve. The Lensbaby Sweet 35mm on the Composer Pro offers that great "tilt shift" ability, and can take a "common scene" and turn it into something interesting:



The above shot was just a cool fence with some pretty flowers, but with the Lensbaby stopped down to f/5.6 and a tilt shift, it turned the scene into something that would cause you to look twice; the image wouldn't have been the same with a standard prime lens. Another cool thing about these lenses is the amazing bokeh that you can achieve to offer a different level of artistic expression. A simple shot of a jewelry cupboard can become a bokeh-liscious masterpiece:



Throw on a the macro extension kit and you open up a whole new world of possibilities. All that great bokeh that we love in our macro shots is even more evident when you're using the Lensbaby:



So, now you're thinking "Great, you can take a lot of interesting shots of specific things, but what about 'walking around' and capturing a scene at the beach or on a walking trail"? The Lensbaby is great for that as well. The narrower the aperture, the less outer blur you will get, so if you bring things out to, say, f/11 you'll find a really nice center sweet spot that will allow you to capture a pretty cool landscape shot:



Still gives you that little bit of "artistic edge", but produces a very sharp sweet spot (if you can get the manual focus down - remember to adjust your diopter occasionally to make sure that what you're seeing through the viewfinder is what you will end up with in your shot). For me, walking around with the Lensbaby CPSweet35mm just puts me in a different mindset. I'm suddenly looking for new and interesting things to look at and capture with my camera, whether it's a close up of a flower, or a full scene of a beach. I love being able to have full control over my camera and my lens manually, and I also love that with these lenses, no two photographer's shots will look the same - tilt things a little to the left or the right, or up or down, and the exact same "subject" will look completely different.



So...these are my two current favorite "walk around" lenses; my go-to's unless I am specifically going out to shoot something in particular that requires a different type of lens. What are your current favorite lenses?
Tagged With: #lenses, #nikkor, #canon, #nikon, #lensbaby, #photography
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My favorite lens has to be my Canon 100-400 5.6. Since I do a lot of wildlife, that lens spends an inordinate amount of time on my camera. It is sharp, and the forward weight of the push pull type at 400mm aids in swinging the camera to follow birds in flight. Like a longer barreled shotgun helps the wing shooter follow his target.

My 70-200 2.8 IS lens is my low light wildlife lens, and my portrait lens. It is sharp as a tack.

My landscapes.. I am currently using a Sigma 18-50 2.8 IS lens. I use it because it is what I have. I so want the Tokina 11-16 2.8.
Posted by Bear Conceptions Photography, about 3406 days ago
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I use a Nikkor18-135mm DX and a 55-300 I use the wide angle most every day. I would like input on my next venture I want to mount a live feed camera on the mast of my boat with remote control any idea?
Posted by David Silva, about 3407 days ago
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I would v have to say my canon 10--18 mm ultra wide its a super sharp as nd good all around lens for most of my subject matter the second is my kit lens for its versatile nature
Posted by Steve Holland (moderator), about 3407 days ago
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I would v have to say my canon 10--18 mm ultra wide its a super sharp as nd good all around lens for most of my subject matter the second is my kit lens for its versatile nature
Posted by Steve Holland (moderator), about 3407 days ago
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My favorite everyday lens would have to be my Nikkor 18-300, it's perfect for everything!
My newest favorite is the Nikkor 105mm micro, it's an amazing macro/portrait lens
Posted by Sarah Shinners (moderator), about 3407 days ago
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Wow! Good question. Since at the mo, I have just two lenses...the 18-55 mmVR Nikkor which is the kit lens that came with my camera and I have a 55-200 mm VR Nikkor, I haven't really decided which is my fave. I would love to get my hand on a Lensbaby. I use both lenses interchangeably.
Posted by Janey (editor), about 3407 days ago
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I would love to get a 50mm canon 1.4 and that would become my go to portrait lens. Thats my next buy
Posted by Jade Lyf (moderator), about 3407 days ago
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At the moment I am in LOVE wiht my lensbaby because it's brand new to me and it's a fun new thing to do. But overall I use all my lenses equally. I have my lensbaby 2.0 of course, a 18-55mm kit lens and a 55-250mm and I have a diopter I add to the end of my lenses for my macros, but I am switching lenses constantly because I love to use them all. They are definitely different for the uses intended so it's hard to choose just one.
Posted by Jade Lyf (moderator), about 3407 days ago
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I guess i'm pretty much like you Sarah ... I don't particularly have a favourite lens haha.
I tend to visualized a lot when planning for a shoot. If it is for a portrait session, I plan and visualize on what kind of image I want to achieve, then i'll pick the lenses that will help me to materialize my vision.
basically, it depends on what situations/occasions :) i'll pick the lens that will fit that purpose.

Although I shoot 90% with most Lensbaby lenses now, however I do still have my 35, 50 and 85 primes and 70 - 300 zoom with me.
i'm a lens hoarder :(

If I really have to pick...i'll pick on the focal length ... it will either be my Lensbaby Velvet 56 / Lensbaby Sweet 50 or my 50mm 1.2 | 50 mm 1.4 :)
Posted by Pauline Putt, about 3407 days ago
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Scott Smith Hard to beat that Canon L Glass...I like the 24 to 70 focal length, pretty versatile.
Posted by Sarah Williams (co-founder), about 3407 days ago
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Terry Mobbs Aaahh...the 70mm to 200mm 2.8...*sigh* AND *drool* ;) On my list...very, very soon! Will make my event work SO much easier.
Posted by Sarah Williams (co-founder), about 3407 days ago
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My favourite lens atm is my Nikon Nikkor AF-S 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, super fast focus and pin sharp at 300mm. That could change this week though as I have a Nikon Nikkor AF-S 16-85mm f/3.5-5.6G to be delivered this week which is supposed to be awesome.
Posted by Phil Reay, about 3407 days ago
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Hi Sarah... An interesting read & article.
My favourite everyday walk around lens for all aspects is a Nikon 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VR
While this lens is good in almost all aspects, obvious it is not as pin sharp as the 35,50 & 85mm primes.
If I am going somewhere specific to shoot people or animals I take the Nikon 70-200mm F2.8vr arguably one of the best zooms Nikon have created and as near as a prime lens any zoom can get.
Thanks
Terry
Posted by Terry Mobbs, about 3407 days ago
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This is really good. My favourite lenses are a Nikon 17-35mm F/2.8 and a Samyang 14mm F/2.8
Posted by Rick Bull, about 3407 days ago
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The Canon 24-70 f/2.8L and the Canon 70-200 f/2.8 IS L. Sadly I no longer have either of these, so at the moment my go-to is the 24-105 f/4L. Just as sharp as the 24-70, but a stop slower.
Posted by Scott Smith (co-founder), about 3407 days ago