80mm 2.8 or 50-140mm 2.8 for still life / products?

[kennedy32]

I'm a hobbyist, which means basically I shoot everything, most of them are portraits of my family and my friends. But recently I have some interests in still life and products.

I want to choose one from 80 2.8 macro and 50-140mm. ( I got 56 1.2 so 90 f2 is not an option. In fact, I don't shoot people from 5 meters away.)

Both are versatile and I have those macro rings, I don't know which one to choose and have no plan to have them both. Or do you think my current lens combination is already ready for that (9mmF2.8, 16-55mm, 18-55mm, 23F1.4, 35F2, 56F1.2)?

 

[dv312]

I'd say what you have now should be sufficient for your needs

The 80 is a very specialized lens which makes sense only if you 're really into macros

I had it but sold it within a few weeks since I don't shoot much macros; it has the annoying floating elements and is rather huge and heavy

The 50-140 while a great lens for many genres, is not really suited for product shots

Save your $$ and make sure of what you currently own

 

[JayPhizzt]

The 80 is a very specialized lens which makes sense only if you 're really into macros

I strongly disagree. While I would mainly recommend it for macro, it's definitely not a "very specialized" lens, but rather a very versatile lens that's excellent for several types of photography.

 

[JayPhizzt]

I'm a hobbyist, which means basically I shoot everything, most of them are portraits of my family and my friends. But recently I have some interests in still life and products.

I want to choose one from 80 2.8 macro and 50-140mm. ( I got 56 1.2 so 90 f2 is not an option. In fact, I don't shoot people from 5 meters away.)

Both are versatile and I have those macro rings, I don't know which one to choose and have no plan to have them both. Or do you think my current lens combination is already ready for that (9mmF2.8, 16-55mm, 18-55mm, 23F1.4, 35F2, 56F1.2)?

I would recommend you to not get any new lens at all since several of the lenses you have are excellent for those types of photography.

 

[jshetley]

I'm a hobbyist, which means basically I shoot everything, most of them are portraits of my family and my friends. But recently I have some interests in still life and products.

I want to choose one from 80 2.8 macro and 50-140mm. ( I got 56 1.2 so 90 f2 is not an option. In fact, I don't shoot people from 5 meters away.)

Both are versatile and I have those macro rings, I don't know which one to choose and have no plan to have them both. Or do you think my current lens combination is already ready for that (9mmF2.8, 16-55mm, 18-55mm, 23F1.4, 35F2, 56F1.2)?

You do not need a macro lens to photograph still life or products unless you are trying to photograph really small items. And yes - most of the lenses you have will do these type of shots just fine. The 80 macro is a great lens and I use it all the time for flowers and close up shots. But the 50-140 is just such a versatile lens that you can use for so many different things that it is hard not to recommend it. It is a superb lens and will fit the bill for your still life and product shots and a whole lot more. So if you want to get a new lens and are pondering between these two - I would strongly recommend the 50-140. You will love it every time you use it.

You might want to rent one first to make sure it meets your needs. It is much larger than your current lenses and that can be a real negative for some people. I held off buying this lens because of the size - but once I got it and saw how fabulous it was, I was sorry I took so long to buy it. Good luck with your decision.

 

[markusw]

I'd say what you have now should be sufficient for your needs

The 80 is a very specialized lens which makes sense only if you 're really into macros

I had it but sold it within a few weeks since I don't shoot much macros; it has the annoying floating elements and is rather huge and heavy

The 50-140 while a great lens for many genres, is not really suited for product shots

Save your $$ and make sure of what you currently own

Disagree as well. The 50-140 is huge and heavy as well, and the 80 works quite well e.g. for Portraits. You may look at this Video at 0:41, this scene had been shot with the 80:

 

[kennedy32]

I'd say what you have now should be sufficient for your needs

The 80 is a very specialized lens which makes sense only if you 're really into macros

I had it but sold it within a few weeks since I don't shoot much macros; it has the annoying floating elements and is rather huge and heavy

The 50-140 while a great lens for many genres, is not really suited for product shots

Save your $$ and make sure of what you currently own

Disagree as well. The 50-140 is huge and heavy as well, and the 80 works quite well e.g. for Portraits. You may look at this Video at 0:41, this scene had been shot with the 80:

don't understand why do they shoot with 80mm

 

[markusw]

I'd say what you have now should be sufficient for your needs

The 80 is a very specialized lens which makes sense only if you 're really into macros

I had it but sold it within a few weeks since I don't shoot much macros; it has the annoying floating elements and is rather huge and heavy

The 50-140 while a great lens for many genres, is not really suited for product shots

Save your $$ and make sure of what you currently own

Disagree as well. The 50-140 is huge and heavy as well, and the 80 works quite well e.g. for Portraits. You may look at this Video at 0:41, this scene had been shot with the 80:

don't understand why do they shoot with 80mm

Because I had it with me? My point to proof was that it works perfectly as a versatile short tele.