A Guest Post by Chris Folsom.
Lineup of Lenses – by canonsnapper
It’s a question I hear a lot from new photographers: “what lenses should I buy?”
And while there are a lot of different types of lenses appropriate for many different situations and needs, time and time again I find myself primarily relying on three lenses in my bag: a fast general purpose zoom (18-50mm), a macro lens and a telephoto zoom (70-200mm). These three lenses will give you enough versatility to shoot in almost any conditions. Also, these three lenses are available for just about every camera system and lens mount on the market.
The general purpose zoom
This is the lens that sits on my camera the most. For APS-C cameras, something in the 18-50mm range is best… for 35mm format cameras, a 24-70mm will work. This will give you the ability to go fairly wide while also being able to zoom into objects off in the distance. This lens might be your kit lens, but it should preferably be fairly fast (a fixed f/2.8 if possible) to give you greater control over depth of field. It makes a great “walkabout” lens when you aren’t sure what you will be shooting.
The macro lens
The length of this lens isn’t as important as its ability to create a 1:1 magnification of subjects. I currently keep a 50mm f/2.8 macro in my bag because it is small and light… easy to carry around for when I might need it. It makes a decent portrait lens (very sharp and the f/2.8 provides a fairly shallow area of focus) and the level of detail you can get when shooting objects up close is fantastic. Having a macro lens opens up a whole new world of tiny objects to photograph. Also, if you do any type of product photography (jewelry, food, etc.) this lens will allow you to capture a much greater level of detail than is possible with non-macro lenses.
Fortune by Chris Folsom http://www.flickr.com/photos/zero101/3335373821/
The telephoto zoom
The telephoto zoom should be in the general range of 70-200mm with a maximum aperture of at least f/4 (faster is nice though). This will give you a lot of distance to work with and a very shallow depth of field to bring focus to your subjects. For faster moving objects, the bigger aperture will allow you to shoot at faster shutter speeds which will help capture moving objects (birds, sports) too. This is also an excellent portrait lens as the focal length minimizes distortion and narrows the angle of view to fill the frame with your subject.
Wait… what about?
I am sure many of you reading this have other lenses you would consider essential. A fast 50, or a wide angle or a longer zoom… and all of those are great lenses to own also. However, for someone who is new to photography or who has just bought their first DSLR, these three lenses will give them the versatility to shoot in almost any situation. Family gatherings, sports events, birds, insects, flowers, landscapes, portraits, etc. Once you narrow in on a particular type of photography that most interests you, other lenses may be more useful for that specific subject, but until then these are the lenses all photographers should be carrying with them.
What lenses would you include in your ‘every photography should own’ basket?
Chris Folsom is a hobbyist photographer who spends much of his time photographing abandoned buildings. You can view his site at www.studiotempura.com or see more of his photos at Flickr.
His photos have been published in newspapers and on numerous websites.
Post from: Digital Photography School – Photography Tips.
Three Lenses Every Photographer Should Own
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For new photographers, I’d recommend the versatile 18-200 with stabilization. You should add lenses as you start developing affinity to particular types of photography. Even after you add other lenses to your arsenal, the 18-200 will still serve as a good “vacation lens” for situations where you want to travel light.
I only own one lens, a 10-22mm wide angle. Works for me!
But, I did use a 17-85mm for the first year while I was working out what type of photography I liked.
A 24-70 (or 28-75) f/2.8 on a crop sensor makes a great portrait zoom and short indoor sports tele. I own the Tamron version for my Canon 40D.
Any opinions on a 24-70 on a crop sensor?
The three lenses every photographer should own, so that every photographer can make the same kinds of photos as everyone else.
Not everyone wants to express themselves with closeups of fortune cookies, or wide angle landscapes, or telephoto shots of sports, or whatever.
There are no lenses that every photographer should own.
Don’t forget about crop factor. The 50mm prime will most likely be more like 80mm with a 1.6 crop factor. A 35mm lens may be better.
I doubt that most people new to photography will spend the money on a couple of f2.8 zooms plus a macro.
That’s cost me (shooting Nikon) about $3000+CDN in lenses if I shoot Nikon glass. I’d go further and say that lenses everyone should own are either:
1) A lens which will allow you to take the kind of photos you want
or
2) a 50mm f1.8 equivalent (i.e. 30 or 35 mm on a 1.5 crop factor)
Better yet, spend $40 on a film rangefinder (not a Leica) and learn to work to the lens that it came with. Now _that_ will teach you something
Good article for discussion. Good for everyone to _think_ about what photography means to _them_
Most people can’t afford a decent zoom lens. They’re either cheap and compromise on image quality or they don’t and they’re expensive as hell. And most people considering “more lenses” is probably already aware of the flaws in their 18-55mm kit lens.
Simply, every photographer should own:
1. A good wide angle. A dedicated wide angle or ultrawide lens will simply have better image quality at 18mm than a kit zoom lens, and won’t break a budget too badly.
2. A fast mid-range prime. A 50mm f/1.8 or 1.4 is cheap and is a good walk around lens, striking a good balance between reach and field of view, while offering that shallow depth of field you’ll want for most subjects. But anything between roughly 35mm and 85mm is just as well, depending on your style and whether you’re dx or fx. Odds are this lens will be good enough for most macro work, and a few of them even offer 1:1 macro.
3. A telephoto. Admittedly, it’s hard to find a good, affordable telephoto, but just about every photographer needs one – at some point you’ll be shooting either an event or wildlife or something where you’ll really need the reach.
If you carry those three, you’re covered for most anything you might wind up shooting, and you won’t have to compromise on image quality to get it.
Fast prime is essential…
I started off with a 18-200 VR. Added a 50 f/1.4 and later a 11-16 F/2.8. These days, I guess I would prefer to have a fast 35 prime instead of the 50, but can’t bring myself to sell it. It’s just that good