Whats the best Lens?

[ash]

Before you shell out a ***** load of dosh on a new lens its always best to ask other photographers there opinions.

Sure there are lots of reviews in magazines and all that, but I would just like to no what type of lenses you guys are using for your shots, Im interested!

So as a small little project, here is your chance to give us your opinions on the lenses you have, and if you would recommend them.

Categorising your lens would be helpful to us amatuers, ie landscape, portrait etc.........

I cant wait for the results

cheers
Ash.

[Ian]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Before you shell out a ***** load of dosh on a new lens its always best to ask other photographers there opinions.

Sure there are lots of reviews in magazines and all that, but I would just like to no what type of lenses you guys are using for your shots, Im interested!

So as a small little project, here is your chance to give us your opinions on the lenses you have, and if you would recommend them.

Categorising your lens would be helpful to us amatuers, ie landscape, portrait etc.........

I cant wait for the results

cheers
Ash.

I'm having a lot of fun with the 7-14 ultrawide zoom I have at the moment (14-28 equivalent).

But I'd be lost without my 14-54 (28-108 equiv).

Ian

[ash]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Thanks Ian, Im not very good at this am I, I forgot to mention it would help if you told us your camera!

And also why you like the lens

[Stephen]

[DTD]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Like Ian, my main lens is a 14-54mm f2.8 (in old money that's 28–108mm). I'd hazzard a guess that Ian's is also an Olympus. Mine's used on an E-1.

This lens virtually covers the range I had on my film cameras (4 prime lenses covering 24mm to 100mm). It's also a bonus that the Olympus is really good quality and is built like a tank and is weather sealed. I also have a 40–150mm (80-300mm) and a 35mm (70mm) macro.

I do miss having something wider than the 28mm equivilant. The 7–22mm is a bit too rich for my pocket, but I'm considering the 8mm fisheye or the 11-22mm. I wonder if this latter lens is too close to my exisiting 14-54mm?

[ash]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Eyup stephen, it sounds like you have a nice set of glass there. I am a bit surrprised that you dont have anything bigger than the 200 mili.

I currently have the sony kit lens, 28-105 sigma & 70-300 sigma. I am looking to upgrade my general walkabout lens to the 28-70 ex sigma, as I feel this will give me the speed and a nice focal range to play with. The 18-50 ex would be the obvious choice but I dont really feel the need to go so wide, also would restrict that little bit on the tele side, and it is 100 quid more I would rather get a dedicated wide lens for landscape work.

I would love to set off on the right foot and get a pro camera like the d2x for example but my piggybank just wont stretch that far at the moment, its frustrating coz I no that the money Im spending on new glass for my sony could go towards a decent body, and the glass I want to get now wont fit the pro body Im working up to. Ahh well there always ebay

Anyway thanks for your indepth review of your lenses and I hope a few more posters will let us in to there secret camera bag and tell us what they use.

Its been interesting
cheers
Ash

[ash]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Thanks for your input dtd, a 1:1 macro lens is also something I would like, so many lenses and such little money

[Bearface]

[Stephen]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Eyup stephen, it sounds like you have a nice set of glass there. I am a bit surrprised that you dont have anything bigger than the 200 mili.

I currently have the sony kit lens, 28-105 sigma & 70-300 sigma. I am looking to upgrade my general walkabout lens to the 28-70 ex sigma, as I feel this will give me the speed and a nice focal range to play with. The 18-50 ex would be the obvious choice but I dont really feel the need to go so wide, also would restrict that little bit on the tele side, and it is 100 quid more I would rather get a dedicated wide lens for landscape work.

I would love to set off on the right foot and get a pro camera like the d2x for example but my piggybank just wont stretch that far at the moment, its frustrating coz I no that the money Im spending on new glass for my sony could go towards a decent body, and the glass I want to get now wont fit the pro body Im working up to. Ahh well there always ebay

Anyway thanks for your indepth review of your lenses and I hope a few more posters will let us in to there secret camera bag and tell us what they use.

Its been interesting
cheers
Ash

Hi Ash, I'm unsure why you should be suprised about me not having anything longer than 200mm, though I did say I had a 1.4x extender. With that attached I get 280mm which with the 1D is eqiv to 364mm and this of course is over 7x magnification, s'nuf for me and frankly I don't often need it.

Now if you are hankering after that Pro body, I have to assume you mean a Nikon or Canon. It seems to me then that you should stop buying Sony fit lenses now, put it all on Ebay and get yourself a low to mid range N or C body now. Then accumulate their glass in readiness for when the boat comes in and you get the one your really want.

I know its all wishful thinking, but that would be the sensible plan.

[jtfrazer]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Hi Ash,

Like Ian and DTD, I use Olympus equipment. I have the E-500 and the two kit lenses that came with it. One is 14-45 mm and the other 40-150 mm. I recently added the 50 mm F/2 macro lens which also makes a great portrait lens. I'm happy with the kit lenses for now. It would be nice to have another lens at the wide end.

[StuartR]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Hi Ash

Like Stephen I only use Canon glass but my pockets aren't as deep as his so I can't afford the "L" range.

I use a 350D with:

EF-S 60mm f2.8 Macro, great for both macro and portraits
EF-S 17-85 f4-5.6 IS USM, a significant improvement over the kit lens (well my particular kit lens at least)
EF 70-300mm f4-5.6 IS USM, a noticeable improvement over my previous EF 75-300mm.

I find this gives me more than enough focal length range and the IS is a useful option, especially on the longer zoom.

I'm happy with the results from all of three lenses (until I can afford go full-frame probably ) and the only other lens I might

[devilgas]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

the lens that gets the most use from me is the 70-200 2.8L (non IS) and was bought specifically for sports photography. i couldn't justify anything longer as the price, for what i do, was too prohibitive. i do have a couple of non canon extenders (1.4x and 2x) which are infrequently used. the 2.8 is rarely used for anything other than sport and isn't exactly a walkabout lens ;-)
other lenses are a 17-40 L for most other general stuff, a 50mm 1.8 (best lens you can possibly buy for the money) and a modified 18-55 kit lens (so it fits the 10d) which also gets used with a fisheye attachment. there are some other lenses dotted around which the better half uses on her camera, the 28-200 f3.5-5.6 getting the most use.

as bearface says, you need to know what you want to shoot then generally buy the glass to suit. i do very little with macro photography, so make do with close up filters rather than owning a specific macro lens.

i needed a good lens for rugby / rally - bought the 2.8L
i needed a good lens for architecture - bought the 17-40
i needed a good lens for portraits - bought the 50mm
i wanted a 'fun' lens - modified the 18-55 and slammed on the fisheye attachment

[ash]

Re: Whats the best Lens?

Thanks for all your input, I think Ill hang fire with splashing out my dosh, and chew on it for a while, the sony is a great camera, but if Im to spend some money on some pro glass then I spoze it should be for a pro or semi pro body, which is of good build quality and last me for at least a couple of years.

Im gunna go to focus on imaging and see if I might pick up a bargain, by selling my sony and my lenses I think it will be a gud wedge off the price of a body. I can always sellotape my whisky tumbler on to the front to make a lens till I can afford one
cheers
Ash.