In the
topic of photography, I feel I must do the mandatory favorite lenses post. Ok, it's not mandatory but I at least wanted to be able
to know a bit more before I offered this advise and also actually own the
lenses I am recommending. I've had a few years with these
lenses by now so I think it's fitting I give my two cents or three.
Please
note that just because I own a lens doesn't necessarily mean I love it. To the contrary! I have actually sold some pretty decent ones
just because they didn't measure up or I outgrew them:
the 50 mm f1.4 and 70-105 f4L.
They are both good lenses but they just didn't do it for me.
- Canon
24-70 f2.8L. This is one of the
most revered lenses in the L series as it is considered to be very useful
and I couldn't agree more. Front
the beginning of my photography life I dreamed of owning this lens, but
with a sticker price of 2K, I saw myself probably never getting it. It actually took me years to finally get
my hands on one. About three years
ago I was due for a birthday gift and the money wasn't right so I settled
for the much cheaper cousin, the 24-105.
Not exactly what you would call a "cheaper lens" either
but at around $1000, I thought it would do and I would be happy with
it. I mean it's an L lens. Big, big mistake. In the world of zoom lenses, not all L
lenses are the same. So I ended up
selling it and waited for another birthday (and several other occasions)
to finally feel I could splurge on the 24-70 f2.8L.
USAGE: Even thought this is a beast of a lens, it obviously can't do it all. It's definitely an all around amazing lens that is the perfect companion for when you're not sure what you're going to encounter so you take this one. It's a great all around lens for anything and anywhere. The saturation is amazing and the sharpness is on point, so I find this is specially useful during portrait sessions and at 2.8, it's pretty decent indoors as well.
- Canon 70-200
f4L. Here was another major
decision that I had to make. Well,
all my lens purchases have been grueling and nerve wrecking and I probably
loose sleep over it for days. I
debated wether to get this one or the 70-200 F2.8 L II for a bit
more. I went for the f4.L because
of how heavy the f2.8 was and the price was a definitely decisive factor. If I could do it again, I probably would
not have based my choice on the weight alone but I am perfectly happy with
my choice. I've actually read posts
where professional photographers say if they could do it again, they would
probably buy the f4 because of how heavy and uncomfortable the f2.8 really
is.
USAGE: So, over all I am happy with my f4. Ok, let me rephrase that, I am completely thrilled at how the f4 works. I still remember the day I finally had this in my hands. This baby can make magic happen, I mean anything looks good with this lens. The saturation is bright and at f4 you get plenty of sharpness as the focus point is just right. Although mine came with an image stabilization, I don't use it! I actually thought I would but as it turns out I don't need it. If you ever encounter moving subjects, then I recommend you turn it on as it's definitely useful in this situation. I recently had a senior session and he was a bit uncomfortable with me, so I used the 70-200 and it allowed me to keep my distance while at the same time getting many different angles. With this lens you don't have to move much so if you're ever at a crowded place, you can still make magic happen.
- Canon 50
f1.2L. And last but definitely not
least. What can I say, I am in LOVE
with this lens and I can totally see what all the hype is about. It's taken me quite a while to finally
get my hands on this baby and I was even worried I would regret this
purchase. (Like I did buying the
cheaper 50 f1.4 version a couple of years prior) I was completely wrong.
USAGE: This is one of those solid lens purchases that you just wonder how you ever did without it. If there is one upgrade lens purchase that needs to be made, this is the one. While it's definitely one of those must have lenses, like everything else it can't do everything. This is a prime lens with a fixed 50mm distance so to get a shot you have to literally go get the shot. I already had previous experience with a prime lens, so I already knew what this lens could do and what it's limitations were. I was just worried that it would not make the cut and then I would have to sell it too. With the first photos I knew there was something special about this lens. With the amazing f1.2 aperture, this lens gives amazing bokeh, while the size of it make it the perfect carry everywhere lens. I am very happy I purchased it and highly recommend this lens to anyone wanting to buy a solid prime lens. I can't believe it took me these many years to finally get this lens.
Bonus: Canon 85 f1.8. Alrighty, this is where things get
interesting for me. I always believed
that if a lens was cheap, or "cheaper", that it automatically made
the lens inferior. I was so wrong. So wrong that after using this lens for over
5 years, it is still going strong. This
lens did not leave my camera body up until the 50 f1.2 L came into my life
because of how light weight it is and the amazing aperture. This lens was my very first upgrade after my
camera kit lenses on my Rebel and it's been the best purchase I've ever
made. Really. I guess this is the beauty of prime lenses
and this one has given me a taste of what they can do. The aperture of this sweet baby is
amazing. I do have to step it down at
around 2.2 to get a good sharp area but even here, the bokeh is simply
amazeballs. With this lens being a prime
and not zoom, I learned to go for the photo I wanted, rather than having it
come to me. I have to say zoom lenses made me a bit of a lazy
photographer. It has made me work for
the image and for that reason, it has made me improve my photography. At around 400, it's a workhorse and it's my
favorite lens to recommend when I get asked for a recommendation and you do't
want to break the bank.
So you
see, it's not about the price of the lens but how well it fits your style and
needs. As I maybe add more lenses in the
future, I might change my top three but as of now this is where it stands. Maybe the 85 mm f1.8 will get upgraded to the
1.4, or maybe I'll get the 35mm. For
some crazy reason, I have found that the 85mm just fits my style more than any
other lens. I sure love the 24-70 for
when I go somewhere and have no idea what I am going to encounter and the
70-200 takes up after that in case I need to draw something closer to me . My handy dandy 50 mm is just my go to lens
every day now. This is great for things
that are not going to move too far from me but that I can't get too far
from. It allows me the perfect play area
to grow and perfect my photography.
There
tends to be a natural progression of any photographer. It is said that most photographers start with
a kit lens, then buy into the zoom lenses and finally end up pursuing the prime
lenses 35, 50 and 85. I am completely
guilty of that! This is a road that each
of us have to take to find our style because not everyone photographs the same
things or the same way. For a wild life
photographer, the 35mm would be pretty useless when what he photographs are 20
feel away up on a tree. Zoom lenses are
where his subjects are at and therefore the 600 mm is more for him. If you photograph children, the 24-70 would
work perfectly because kids move so much around that the 35 would wear you out
trying to catch up to them. Trust me, I
know! Usually when I photograph my
girls, I whip out the 70-200 and there is no place they can hide from me. I am invincible! I am loaded and ready and that's how I get my
best photos from. If you are
photographing well behaved and posing and staying perfectly still subjects,
such as portraits, then the prime lenses are definitely your thing.
Hope
this has helped. I feel I should write a
lot more on photography subjects that I do so I will try to make a habit of it
more often in the next year. There are
definitely many more things I can write about.
I'm no expert, I've just been doing this for over 7 years since my Canon
Rebel made it to my hands. I have never
looked back.
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