talkinghorse

Leading Member
Messages
604
Reaction score
377
Location
Palm Springs, CA, US
back in the day I used a leica with a 35mm, 50mm & 90mm lenses.

I realy enjoyed that kit. it seemed to do anything i needed

right now I have the NEX-7 wirh a zeiss touit 32mm and a sigma 60mm. I am looking to get the Sigma 19mm which to me would complete my three prime lens kit

so my question is what would be your three prime lens kit? - no zooms just three lenses of a fixed focal length

what would you pick to use on your APSc e-mount if you had to have a three prime lenses and nothing else?
 
I'm a bit weird so I would probably have the Samnyang 12mm the Zony 24mm (which I do have) and the Samyang 135mm.

I'm an antisocial grump and not a fan of people hence no portrait lens as its not something I ever take.
 
I'm a bit weird so I would probably have the Samnyang 12mm the Zony 24mm (which I do have) and the Samyang 135mm.

I'm an antisocial grump and not a fan of people hence no portrait lens as its not something I ever take.
so - tell me about the 135. is it a good lens? what do you shoot with it and is MF hard at that focal length/
 
While I understand the reasons to use primes, I'm not keen on them at all. I dislike changing lenses too frequently or carrying multiple bodies to get around that. So I'm squarely in the zoom camp. Nothing I hate more than wasting time in post fixing dust on the sensor.

Zooms have got a lot better in recent times, right through their ranges. So my bag contains a 10-18, 16-70Z and 55-210, with the 16-70 doing 70-80% of the work.

That said I have two Canon pancake primes, 24mm and 40mm plus adapter and I shoot occasionally with them. But only if I'm not mobile.
 
back in the day I used a leica with a 35mm, 50mm & 90mm lenses.

I realy enjoyed that kit. it seemed to do anything i needed

right now I have the NEX-7 wirh a zeiss touit 32mm and a sigma 60mm. I am looking to get the Sigma 19mm which to me would complete my three prime lens kit

so my question is what would be your three prime lens kit? - no zooms just three lenses of a fixed focal length

what would you pick to use on your APSc e-mount if you had to have a three prime lenses and nothing else?
 
While I understand the reasons to use primes, I'm not keen on them at all. I dislike changing lenses too frequently or carrying multiple bodies to get around that. So I'm squarely in the zoom camp. Nothing I hate more than wasting time in post fixing dust on the sensor.

Zooms have got a lot better in recent times, right through their ranges. So my bag contains a 10-18, 16-70Z and 55-210, with the 16-70 doing 70-80% of the work.
not really sure I understand the difference

you switch between three zooms with your midrange lens doing 70-80% of the "work"

and with a three prime kit I would switch between three lenses with the mid range lens doing 70-80% of the work

as to sensor dust - I have been icl shooting digital since the nikon D70 and have never had to clean a sensor - a few puffs with a rocket blower has always taken care of any issue

as a side note please tell me what zooms are as sharp at 32 or 60mm as the zeiss 32 or sigma 90
That said I have two Canon pancake primes, 24mm and 40mm plus adapter and I shoot occasionally with them. But only if I'm not mobile.
 
My kit is quite simple : Zeiss 24f1.8, Zeiss 55f1.8 and FE90f2.8. I find that I can do quite a lot of things with this.

I've bought the Zeiss since I plan to go FF next year, but if I hadn't planned to, I'd have kept the SEL50f1.8, which has OSS and is great.

I plan to sell the Zeiss 24 and my Nex 6 and to buy a A7 with a 28f2. I love the Zeiss, but I need something a bit wider I guess. 28 + 55 + 90 on FF (with my A6000 as second body) will be a killer combo, and not too heavy. It won't make me a better photographer, though, so I'd better take a lot of pictures in the mean time ;)

--
Pierre P.
Blog: http://pierrepaquetonphotography.wordpress.com
 
Last edited:
Samyang 21/1.4, FE55/1.8, FE90/2.8 or

Samyang 16/2, FE35/2.8, FE55/1.8 or

Samyang 12/2, FE28/2, FE55/1.8

Can't make up my mind - but I think the second one would be it.
 
My main interesting is people. I currently only have the Zony 24mm and Touit 32mm, and have been using the 32mm most of the time. I'm looking into getting a longer FL portrait lens, and am debating between the FE55mm and the Batis 85mm. I probably have to try out these focal lengths to see which works better for me.

Like you, I anticipate that even with the addition of a portrait lens, I would use the T32mm 70-80% of the time. I really like the 24mm, and I'm not sure if getting something a little wider would make that combo more versatile. A FF equivalent of 25mm (such as your 19mm) might be interesting.

I think a 3 prime lens combo would work very well, as long as they are carefully selected to fit one's need.
 
I live most of my life with either

Samyang 12mm for landscapes

Sony 24mm for people
 
I'd seriously consider this kit: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1236617-REG/zeiss_touit_12mm_f_2_8_32mm.html

You might think 12mm is a little wide, but better to have a view that is too wide than a view that isn't wide enough. A little cropping will fix the issue. I do wish the 50mm was a 60mm, but you could always get the 60mm Sigma f2.8 instead. That'd certainly save you some money. As an alternative, if you have the money, you could stick with the 50mm and you could consider getting a fourth, longer lens - the Zeiss Batis 85mm f1.8.


I think the four Zeiss lenses would be a GREAT kit.

Also, the Sigma 30mm f1.4 would be a good alternative to the Zeiss 32mm. The Sigma weighs a little more and is a tiny bit longer, but it can let in more light with that f1.4 aperture. (The Zeiss only opens up to f1.8.) The Sigma focuses to a closer distance too. At $340 that's a deal, if the image quality is similar, and I think it probably is. The Zeiss costs more than twice that. I don't know about focus speed though. The Zeiss might be better. They both get 5 star reviews.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1234027-REG/sigma_302965_30mm_f_1_4_dc_dn.html

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/970835-REG/zeiss_2030_678_touit_1_8_32_e_lens.html
 
Last edited:
I have several from Sony, Sigma, Canon, and legacy Canon and Minolta to choose from.
 
- Minolta 58/1.2 (compared to the Sony 50/1.8 and Sigma 60/2.8) - Incomparable bokeh. When wide-open, sharpness and contrast is below that of the Sony and Sigma but stopping down increase both qualities immensely while retaining the unique bokeh.
I have quite a few current and legacy primes to choose from but the Minolta 58/1.2 is also one of my favorites, along with the Canon EF 35/2 IS on the Sigma MC-11 adapter and Sigma 60/2.8 DN A for it's sharpness and flatness of field.
 
I have the 30mm Sigma, which seems pretty good; I think they all are....they're all quite cheap and take a reasonable photo, and what do I know other than that? Not much.
 
I'd probably go with the Rokinon/Samyang 12mm, Zeiss 24mm, and Zeiss 55mm 1.8 if money was not an issue.

My current prime kit is Samyang 12mm , Sony 20mm 2.8, and Sony 35mm 1.8. Decent budget kit. I also have a Canon FL 55 1.2 but do not bring that with me that much because of its size. The Sony 20mm is decent. I really like the size. It's not that far behind the Sigma 19mm, but with better AF.
 
what would you pick to use on your APSc e-mount if you had to have a three prime lenses and nothing else?
I wonder how few people will pick an all Sony set of primes :)

I currently use the FE 28/2 as my midrange, but would probably choose the Sigma 30/1.4 based on what I've been seeing from it.

Then I'd need a WA in the 14-16mm range. The Sony 16 is nothing I'd give up a zoom for, so I'd have to look at manual focus options. There's a Samyang that's quasi-legendary, but it might be 12mm, I can't remember. Actually, on second thought, that might be a nice choice. I recently had a discussion with someone about how I need to shoot a bit wider, to allow room for the cropping that takes place when I straighten and do perspective correction on some shots. Finally, probably the Batis 85mm. Though I'd really want to add something longer for at least occasional use. (Samyang 135 seems an obvious choice). Right now, I pair the 28/2 with the Sigma 60/2.8 ... really nice lens (esp for the price) but it's my compact alternative to my DSLR kit, where my 85/1.8 gets used frequently).

Too bad it's such a mashup ... 3 or 4 lenses and not a Sony in the bunch.
 

Keyboard shortcuts

Back
Top