DISQUS

Raoul · 2 years ago

Great post, Jim! When I saw its title I thought, oh, he might be running a poll, in which case my answer is easy: all of my lenses. :-)

It really all gets back to one simple answer that we all need to ask ourselves before we take the photo:

- What do I want to capture in the photograph?

Once we answer that question, we know what lens we want to use, and if we've done our homework and learned about our cameras and photography in general, we'll also know what else we need to do to get what we want. And I might add that we'll also know what to do to compensate for the fact that the lighting might be poor, or we might not have just the lens we want with us, etc.

G Dan Mitchell · 2 years ago

Great post, Jim.

Sometimes it does pay to know what focal lengths you tend to favor - especially if you can't bring everything along. My favorites vary depending upon subject, but I find that I like the wide to normal end for many of my landscape photographs.

Since I do a lot of photography on foot - backpacking and urban/outdoor hiking - I don't want to carry a ton of lenses. Knowing what I'm likely to shoot and how I'll approach these subjects, I've found that I can do quite well with a minimum kit of 5D, 17-40, and 24-105 on back-country adventures. I just returned from a 6-day pack trip in the eastern Sierra, and I didn't miss the longer lenses at all.

My point isn't that, for example, wide is better than telephoto. Rather, it is that having preferences and knowing what they are can be OK and can even have practical benefits in terms of simplification.

Keep up the great work on this site!

Dan

Andrew Ferguson · 2 years ago

I'll admit to being surprised that you use telephoto lenses for some of your landscapes, but it makes sense when I look at some of your work.

I expected that most landscape work was done with wide angle, fish-eye, and standard zooms, maxing out at about 85mm.

I think I've settled on the Canon 17-40mm as my lens of choice for my upcoming foray into landscape photography. I'd love to try Dan's kit of that lens and the 24-105, but I just can't afford the weekly rental costs on two lenses.

David Selders · 2 years ago

Jim I think you covered it! I have to agree with you that I don't have a "favorite" lens. The lens is simply a tool like a paint brush. I use it to capture what I have visualized in my mind. So my favorite lens is the one that gets me closest to my visualization. Thank you for speaking about the creative side of photography, it really is more important than the gear.

Richard · 2 years ago

I'm with you there Jim. If there is a potential photo developing then you should use whatever is needed in order to get it. Not every landscape involves big foreground small background though that is a commonly used composition technique.

Trevor · 2 years ago

I must say that I do have a favorite. Now, maybe it's because it's my fastest lens. I don't know. What I do know is that I love shooting with it; its my Sigma 30mm f1.4.

One thing is for sure, it has forced me to be a better photographer. I find that I'm forced to get a little closer and that makes me more aware of the essentials.

Richard · 2 years ago

Trevor, that is the philosophy I have regarding telephoto wildlife photography. Most of the 600mm photos tend to be too safe for my tastes. Very cute, portraity but almost never memorable because anybody can open up wide and take a snapshot of a perched bird. For the same photographer to take that lens away I am convinced would become a better photographer not because their equipment would be better, but because they'd be forced to work the scene harder.

jim · 2 years ago

Thanks for all the great feedback!

Lens use/preference is going to be different for each photographer. My goal was to point out that choice of lens and focal length is itself a creative choice. Learning what characteristics each lens provides offers yet another creative dimension one can bring to your work. Often I think focal length and lens characteristics are taken for granted.

There definitely isn't anything wrong with identifying a lens or focal length that you prefer using more than another, but I'd hope that others avoid falling into a rut of using a lens the same way over and over. Variety is the spice of life and pushing yourself to try new things with the same lens or picking up a new lens to experiment with might just get your creative juices flowing.

It's all about having discovery and hopefully fun.

Jim

Dr_Watso · 2 years ago

I own a 12-24 that almost never leaves the camera when I'm shooting landscapes. With the 1.5 "crop factor" from the digital sensor, I find the range I get to be ideal for that type of photography.

Your posts are always a nice read, thanks!

Mark · 2 years ago

I don't have a particular favorite either, because I tend to use my entire arsenal of lenses when it comes to landscapes. It really depends on the situation. Although I tend to probably use my 12-24 more often, it isn't unusual for me to grab my 70-200 f2.8 or even my 500mm.

One of the problems I sometimes face is that I want to photograph a scene so many different ways, with different lenses, but the light is changing faster than I can change lenses!


BTW - I love the white sands shot!

jim · 2 years ago

Mark changing light is always a challenge. I suppose thats where having the ability to envision the various outcomes of using specific lenses helps prioritize different shots. It's a tough thing to do, but aside from cloning oneself prioritizing is the only option.

Thanks for the comment and I'm glad you liked the White Sands photo. It's one of my favorites.

Chris · 6 months ago

Jim,

Great writing about lenses. I really enjoy all my lenses. I try to avoid favorites because they each individually do such different things.

Lately I am trying to justify my fisheye because I use it pretty sporadically. We will see how it fares on my next 2 week photo trip.

Usually I shoot with everything, but tend to settle in on a certain lens or two in different places based on what is there.

Thanks for writing!