Steve Balcombe
Forum Pro
This is such a good illustration of why this kind of discussion can just run and run. You have no ultrawide, no macro, and no long lens. Without all three of those my weekends wouldn't be the same!
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Less is More! Too much obsession with lenses!
- Thread starter lb92683
- Start date
haha. awesome. yeah i kind of agree. when i shot canon my kit consisted of 10-22, 28mm, and 70-200. i had an 18-55 IS just in case but i rarely used it. and when i left the house i never had to sit and ponder which lens to take, and i never worried about having the wrong lens.
for instance going to an MLB baseball game. sometimes i'd take my 70-200 and get cool shots of the players on the field. sometimes my seats were way high up, or i was tired of shots of players on the field, so i would take my 10-22 and get cool archetectual shots.
either way, i never took more than 1 lens with me when i left the house.
for instance going to an MLB baseball game. sometimes i'd take my 70-200 and get cool shots of the players on the field. sometimes my seats were way high up, or i was tired of shots of players on the field, so i would take my 10-22 and get cool archetectual shots.
either way, i never took more than 1 lens with me when i left the house.
Bluebird47
Well-known member
I guess the issue I have with this is that then the lens determines what kind of photos you can take, and not the motive.
Late on a tuesday night, and bored, I read through this whole thread. It's interesting, and has value beyond just "technical stuff".
Lenses, lenses, lenses. The entity probably cutting a fat hog on on all this is our "provider"-- that is Canon. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the various formats involved here-- FF, 1.6, and 1.3 crop cameras-- sometimes there's good lens overlap, but sometimes not. Most here seem to aspire to FF. Me too-- for awhile-- tried a 5D2 w/ several L lenses for 4-5 months, all the while having 50D and 7D cameras and ef-s lenses.
Long story short, I prefer the responsiveness of the 1.6 bodies and sold my whole FF system a few weeks ago-- did alright price wise too-- and someone got some good, little used equipment. But I kept my 100-400 L and 100 Mac L, but all the rest of my lenses are ef-s.
I've dedicated my 50D and 18-200 to kayaking-- friends think I'm crazy to take that kind of equipment out while kayaking, but I've been on 13 trips and haven't flipped yet-- one close call in salt water though. I also carry the 10-22 in the kayak sometimes, but unless the water is really quiet, changing lenses is tricky. Shooting from a kayak has become a favorite type of photography for me-- watched a Heron spear a 6" bass awhile ago and got some nice shots w/ the bass stuck on its lower bill.
My workhorse lenses are the 15-85 and 17-55 (for night work) for on land work though, and also use the 10-22 and 70-300 IS a fair amount.
I've got an m43 system going too-- for the size/weight savings-- mostly Panasonic. As I'm approaching "geezer class", I can't handle the big glass like I used too;> ) The GH1 isn't fast but it has good IQ and is small/light.
Let's keep this goofiness going.
Cheers. ernie
Lenses, lenses, lenses. The entity probably cutting a fat hog on on all this is our "provider"-- that is Canon. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the various formats involved here-- FF, 1.6, and 1.3 crop cameras-- sometimes there's good lens overlap, but sometimes not. Most here seem to aspire to FF. Me too-- for awhile-- tried a 5D2 w/ several L lenses for 4-5 months, all the while having 50D and 7D cameras and ef-s lenses.
Long story short, I prefer the responsiveness of the 1.6 bodies and sold my whole FF system a few weeks ago-- did alright price wise too-- and someone got some good, little used equipment. But I kept my 100-400 L and 100 Mac L, but all the rest of my lenses are ef-s.
I've dedicated my 50D and 18-200 to kayaking-- friends think I'm crazy to take that kind of equipment out while kayaking, but I've been on 13 trips and haven't flipped yet-- one close call in salt water though. I also carry the 10-22 in the kayak sometimes, but unless the water is really quiet, changing lenses is tricky. Shooting from a kayak has become a favorite type of photography for me-- watched a Heron spear a 6" bass awhile ago and got some nice shots w/ the bass stuck on its lower bill.
My workhorse lenses are the 15-85 and 17-55 (for night work) for on land work though, and also use the 10-22 and 70-300 IS a fair amount.
I've got an m43 system going too-- for the size/weight savings-- mostly Panasonic. As I'm approaching "geezer class", I can't handle the big glass like I used too;> ) The GH1 isn't fast but it has good IQ and is small/light.
Let's keep this goofiness going.
Cheers. ernie
Steve Balcombe
Forum Pro
There are people who swim often and people who swim almost never - this has as much to do with the type of water you paddle as anything else of course, and if you paddle a big stable boat on easy water you'll probably be ok. But there's a saying in kayaking - everyone is between swims.
Steve; others have told me that you're absolutely right, and I try to be mentally prepared everytime I go out.
Being on the Oregon coast, I have access to miles and miles of the Coos Bay estuary system plus some quiet coves on the Pacific. I watch tides, winds, and the marine forecasts closely before going ocean "yakking. I've mostly been doing local lakes though.
But thanks for the reminder. I'm guessing you're a kayak guy too? Do you shoot from your boat?
Cheers.m ernie
Being on the Oregon coast, I have access to miles and miles of the Coos Bay estuary system plus some quiet coves on the Pacific. I watch tides, winds, and the marine forecasts closely before going ocean "yakking. I've mostly been doing local lakes though.
But thanks for the reminder. I'm guessing you're a kayak guy too? Do you shoot from your boat?
Cheers.m ernie
Luc Delorme
Forum Enthusiast
This is an interesting topic, because I just had the chance to start over from scratch when moving from Olympus to Canon. I would not consider myself a professional, as I do not make my living from photography, and I do not sell digital images. I do sell some prints of my images, often up to 16x24 and sometimes larger. I mostly shoot landscape, macro and wildlife. I'm getting more into urban landscapes too, especially at night.
It works well for me having a high end body for my main use, and a small consumer body, mainly for my wife (she has some joint issues and cannot comfortably use a heavy camera/lens for very long at all), or as a second body so I don't have to swap lenses too often. I used to have an Oly E-3 and an E-510 (both 2x crop factors). I now have a 5D MKII and a Rebel T2i.
I had to get used to the concept of lenses behaving differently on either camera, and I think that makes a big difference when it comes to lens selection. Here are the lenses I chose for my new Canon system, and why I chose and use those lenses:
-Canon 24-105 f/4L IS: Came as part of a kit with the 5DII, and is a good bargain in the kit. It's a good lens for when I don't know what lens to use, and it's almost the same range on the 5DII as the 14-54mm on Olympus. I don't find the lens to be as useful on the T2i, it's not wide enough for many shots I do, and too short for wildlife and such. If it wasn't such a good deal as part of the kit, I would probably not have bought this separately.
-Canon 50mm f/1.8: Given to me by a friend who now has the 50mm f/1.4. Oddly enough, it's not a focal length I use much on the FF body (perhaps for candid shots at parties and dinners), but I really like it on the T2i for close range indoor sports. I am sometimes called upon to photograph martial arts, and the 50mm on the T2i works great. I used to use the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 on my E-3, but I get better results with the 50mm f/1.8 on the T2i.
-Canon 300mm f/4L IS: Bought new a few days after 5DII. I love this lens. Light enough to hand-hold all day (for me), quick focus, decent IS. I tend to hog this lens, so it stays on the 5DII most of the time. I've put it on the T2i a few times when I needed a lot of reach and it also worked really well. I haven't experimented much combining with the sigma 1.4xTC I recently bought (used, from a local seller). I would really
-Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS: Bought new a few days after T2i. Mostly bought this for my wife, as the 300 f/4 is too big for her. This lens provides very acceptable image quality on the T2i in a package that is light enough for her to use. In the (rare) case when I think I could use something between 100mm and 300mm, I use this lens on the 5DII.
-Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro: Got a great deal for a used one on eBay. I absolutely have to have a macro lens for the type of photography I do, and this lens is very impressive. I knew I had to get a long macro to get the working distance I need on the 5DII, and I was really happy to find this deal. I also have a Sigma 1.4xTC I can use with it, but have not tried much as of yet. I can't imagine trying to shoot macro handheld, so the lack of IS isn't a big deal to me.
-Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS: Kit lens with the T2i. I don't use it, but it makes for a very light combo for my wife on the T2i. Was worth it for the extra 80$ over the body only, but I never use it myself.
-Samyang 14mm f/2.8: I just got this, somewhat by curiosity because the reviews are great for an inexpensive lens, and partly because I think it could be great for some of my landscapes. Manual focus isn't really a problem for a set-up landscape shot on a tripod. It's only really useful on the 5DII though, there are better lenses in that range in for APS-C.
If I really had to take only a two lenses on a hike, I would probably take the 14mm and the 150mm macro with the 1.4xTC. That would cover me for landscapes, flower and insect macros and wildlife if I can get fairly close. But I know I would regret not having the 300mm when an owl or falcon finally shows up
I also really wish they would make a 500mm f/5.6 like in the old FD days. I'd love a lens like that, but the 500mm f/4 is too large for me.
Luc
It works well for me having a high end body for my main use, and a small consumer body, mainly for my wife (she has some joint issues and cannot comfortably use a heavy camera/lens for very long at all), or as a second body so I don't have to swap lenses too often. I used to have an Oly E-3 and an E-510 (both 2x crop factors). I now have a 5D MKII and a Rebel T2i.
I had to get used to the concept of lenses behaving differently on either camera, and I think that makes a big difference when it comes to lens selection. Here are the lenses I chose for my new Canon system, and why I chose and use those lenses:
-Canon 24-105 f/4L IS: Came as part of a kit with the 5DII, and is a good bargain in the kit. It's a good lens for when I don't know what lens to use, and it's almost the same range on the 5DII as the 14-54mm on Olympus. I don't find the lens to be as useful on the T2i, it's not wide enough for many shots I do, and too short for wildlife and such. If it wasn't such a good deal as part of the kit, I would probably not have bought this separately.
-Canon 50mm f/1.8: Given to me by a friend who now has the 50mm f/1.4. Oddly enough, it's not a focal length I use much on the FF body (perhaps for candid shots at parties and dinners), but I really like it on the T2i for close range indoor sports. I am sometimes called upon to photograph martial arts, and the 50mm on the T2i works great. I used to use the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 on my E-3, but I get better results with the 50mm f/1.8 on the T2i.
-Canon 300mm f/4L IS: Bought new a few days after 5DII. I love this lens. Light enough to hand-hold all day (for me), quick focus, decent IS. I tend to hog this lens, so it stays on the 5DII most of the time. I've put it on the T2i a few times when I needed a lot of reach and it also worked really well. I haven't experimented much combining with the sigma 1.4xTC I recently bought (used, from a local seller). I would really
-Canon 70-300 f/4-5.6 IS: Bought new a few days after T2i. Mostly bought this for my wife, as the 300 f/4 is too big for her. This lens provides very acceptable image quality on the T2i in a package that is light enough for her to use. In the (rare) case when I think I could use something between 100mm and 300mm, I use this lens on the 5DII.
-Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro: Got a great deal for a used one on eBay. I absolutely have to have a macro lens for the type of photography I do, and this lens is very impressive. I knew I had to get a long macro to get the working distance I need on the 5DII, and I was really happy to find this deal. I also have a Sigma 1.4xTC I can use with it, but have not tried much as of yet. I can't imagine trying to shoot macro handheld, so the lack of IS isn't a big deal to me.
-Canon EF-S 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 IS: Kit lens with the T2i. I don't use it, but it makes for a very light combo for my wife on the T2i. Was worth it for the extra 80$ over the body only, but I never use it myself.
-Samyang 14mm f/2.8: I just got this, somewhat by curiosity because the reviews are great for an inexpensive lens, and partly because I think it could be great for some of my landscapes. Manual focus isn't really a problem for a set-up landscape shot on a tripod. It's only really useful on the 5DII though, there are better lenses in that range in for APS-C.
If I really had to take only a two lenses on a hike, I would probably take the 14mm and the 150mm macro with the 1.4xTC. That would cover me for landscapes, flower and insect macros and wildlife if I can get fairly close. But I know I would regret not having the 300mm when an owl or falcon finally shows up
I also really wish they would make a 500mm f/5.6 like in the old FD days. I'd love a lens like that, but the 500mm f/4 is too large for me.
Luc
Steve Balcombe
Forum Pro
White water kayaker mainly, although lapsed for the last couple of years. I've never been brave enough to carry a DSLR in the boat on white water, but many do.
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