What's your favourite lens?

[Ian]

Do you have a really favourite lens? A lens that stays on your camera the most, for example? What is it that makes this lens special for you?

This is a question that is quite difficult for me to answer as so many cameras and lenses pass through my hands because of the nature of my work. However, I did enjoy using the Olympus Zuiko Digital 7-14mm f/4 super wide angle lens at the Paralympics - this is equivalent to a full frame 14-28.

Ian

[Pol]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Do you have a really favourite lens? A lens that stays on your camera the most, for example? What is it that makes this lens special for you?

This is a question that is quite difficult for me to answer as so many cameras and lenses pass through my hands because of the nature of my work. However, I did enjoy using the Olympus Zuiko Digital 7-14mm f/4 super wide angle lens at the Paralympics - this is equivalent to a full frame 14-28.

Ian

The lens that lives on my Pentax K20D is my favourite - that's the Pentax 50-135mm f2.8 DA*.

It's superb across the entire range 50-135mm - so much so that I've even managed to get some excellent crops when the reach wasn't as much as I'd have liked at the time.

Pol

[throt]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

The most use probably gets Olympus ZD 35mm. It has better quality than the other 2 kit ones I own and focal length is ok for everyday shooting. It could be a bit wider and brighter but for the price it has - there is nothing to complain.

[Ian]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

The lens that lives on my Pentax K20D is my favourite - that's the Pentax 50-135mm f2.8 DA*.

It's superb across the entire range 50-135mm - so much so that I've even managed to get some excellent crops when the reach wasn't as much as I'd have liked at the time.

Pol

Here is a 7-14 shot @7mm from the Paralympics - in mono:



I think you make a very good point about cropping. While the text books will say frame tight, which is good advice, I do find that I get very acceptable results when cropping even severely when you can't get any closer. But you do need a decent lens to achieve this. Here is one example, again from the Paralympics, where the original frame is 16 megapixels and around 10 megapixels has been cropped out:



Ian

[Ian]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

The most use probably gets Olympus ZD 35mm. It has better quality than the other 2 kit ones I own and focal length is ok for everyday shooting. It could be a bit wider and brighter but for the price it has - there is nothing to complain.

That's the 35mm f/3.6 Macro? It's one Olympus lens I haven't used much. The 50mm f/2.0 Macro has had a lot of use though.

Ian

[Mike Parr]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Iv'e got rather attached to or should i say my camera has. a new Nikon AF-S 35mm DX 1.8, nice sharp and great for portraits or landscapes.

My wife outside Wells Cathedral

And a Streetscape

[greenguru]

[mike_j]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

My favourite is unquestionably my Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2 on the Leica M8. It's the equivalent of the traditional 50mm full frame and if I take only one camera body and and one lens it's M8/ and Zeiss 35/2

However in the bang for buck league it has to be the Panasonic 14 - 45 on the Panasonic G1.

This shot is the kit lens on auto focus, auto exposure and no fancy pp

[Ian]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Hehe - a Zeiss on a Leica - isn't there an obscure law against that sort of thing

There are horrid kit zoom lenses and there are rather good ones - the Panasonic one is definitely in the latter category. Nice shot! Damselfly I am guessing?

Ian

[Ian]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Iv'e got rather attached to or should i say my camera has. a new Nikon AF-S 35mm DX 1.8, nice sharp and great for portraits or landscapes.

My wife outside Wells Cathedral

And a Streetscape

Ah, the good old standard lens Often inexpensive and rarely disappointing - and they make you work on the composition, too.

Ian

[Ian]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Some versions of the Series 1 70-200 are renowned but I'm not that familiar with the 70-300. Marvellous camera fodder those Meerkats

Ian

[greenguru]

[buddha01]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Must be my Oly Zuiko ED 70-300mm 1:4-5.6. It's on my Oly E-420 98% of the time! on 2nd place my Chinon 500mm mirror 1:8-16 Telephoto legacy lens, 3rd place my Delemax 650-1300mm 1:8-16 Telephoto legacy lens, 4th place my Oly Zuiko ED 40-150mm 1:4-5.6 Mk.II and on 5th place the Oly Zuiko 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 kit lens.
Due to the nature of my hobby, aviation photography, I mostly use the 70-300mm. Although in some cases even 300mm isn't enough. Then it's bigger is better.
In These cases I resort to my trusted legacy lenses. Manual operated, maybe not as sharp and fast focusing as a AF digital lens but adequate enough for the job. And... I use all lenses handheld (with a custom made shoulder mount. Similarto the shoulder mounts you could buy in the 1970's and 1980's. Looking like a butt stock of an stengun that is screwed underneath the camera but without the pistol grip).

[Dan in NC]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

My favorite lens, without a doubt, is the Zuiko Digital 50-200mm Mk I. It is usually on either my Olympus E-520 or E-3, often with the Zuiko Digital EC-14.

[Dan in NC]

Re: What's your favourite lens?

Here are a couple of images that I captured using the ZD 50-200mm Mk I.

With the teleconverter and E-3...


With the E-520 and no teleconverter...


Thanks for looking,
Dan