How many lenses do you really need?

rayonline_nz

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Over this time I got to ponder about my stuff. Let's say you are only to own / use one camera system, or that you are suddenly moving country and you could only take 1 camera system with you. How many lenses would you take with you that you use REALLY use?

Through my pondering. I find that over time I have bought some stuff and I have sold some of it. For myself it's really just 3 or 4 lenses max. And the interesting thing is 3 or 4 lenses for each diff format really. If it was medium format maybe 3 classical primes. If it was a whizzy 35mm system maybe 3 zooms and 1 prime kinda thing.

A note that I don't do sports or wildlife but ... yeah but maybe I relate to the majority but there are definitely exceptions to the rule.


Cheers....
 

jtk

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five: 50/1.4, 50/2.5 macro, 85/2 Pentax K lenses, all tiny, all manual... adapted to APS...as well as two APS kit zooms for when I really do want image stab and zoom. If traveling I pack two bodies. And a nice tripod.
 

Wallendo

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You only really absolutely need one lens for a camera to work, in my case a 50/1.8 lens.
How many lenses are desirable at a minimum depends on what you want to accomplish. For me that would be a 28mm lens, a 50 mm lens, an 85mm lens, a 135mm lens, a 35-70 zoom, a 70-210 zoom. In reality, I have more than that because some situations require lighter lenses, macro lenses, and so forth.
 

Dan Fromm

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When I bought my humble Nikkormat FTN in 1970 it came with a very helpful brochure on basic photography -- basically, what the camera's controls did, with homework exercises -- from Nikon. The brochure also recommended starting with a normal lens (50 mm is the accepted normal focal length for 35 mm still) and then doubling or halving the focal length. The sequence would be 25, 50, 100, 200, 400, ... In the Nikon system, 24, 50 or 55, 100, 200, ...

I ended up with 24, 55, 105, 200, 400 and 700 mm lenses, eventually added a 35. When my kit was stolen I pretty much replaced what I'd lost, except for the 35/2, replaced it with a 35-70/3.3-4.5. I'm not sure about this last, it is no longer parfocal. The 55, 105 and 200 are all macro lenses, I'm not sure about the 200/4 MicroNikkor AIS. There are better lenses.

On the other hand, when I moved up to 2x3 rationality a la Nikon went out the window.
 

David A. Goldfarb

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I like a wide, a normal, and a medium tele, but I have more.
 

BradS

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Need, really need...? Just one. I guess I’d choose a 28mm f/2.8 AIs Nikkor or 50mm f/1.8 AIs Nikkor.

But my minimal 35mm travel kit includes 28mm and 50mm and quite often 105mm lenses. I am very satisfied with just these three and a pair of Nikon F2 bodies. In other words, I really don’t need anything more than this.
 
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abruzzi

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I usually go out with a max of three lenses, but I change up the focal length of those three. 50 (or the MF equiv) is always there. Usually I’ll add a 35 and an 85, but sometimes I want more spread and leave those home for a 28 and 105. Occasionally I’ll go wider to 24, but I rarely shoot that wide. I have a 135 on my Nikon and Pentax systems, and some times I’ll add that I place of the long.

on my Bronica (6x4.5) it’s 75 plus 60 and 150. The 60 might get replaced with the 50 or 40, but I rarely go longer than the 150 (all I have longer is 250. Eventually I’ll get the 180 and 200 to compare.)
 

David A. Goldfarb

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Where are the pinhole folks to say, “Lenses? We don’t need no stinkin’ lenses!”?
 

Sirius Glass

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It depends on what I am photographing:
  • Most of my photography is done with the normal lens.
  • In Europe in general a normal and wide angle lens [24mm to 30mm equivalents in 35mm] are sufficient.
  • In the Greek isles I use the MF SWF and 50mm [20mm to 24mm equivalents in 35mm] almost exclusively.
  • For wild life I use MF 500mm and 1,000mm [312mm and 625mm equivalents in 35mm] and wish I have longer lenses.
 
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focus_on_infinity

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On 35mm and 120, a fast normal and a wide. Much less often a telephoto. But I mostly just shoot the normal.

I'm just starting with large format, but 95% of my shots are portraits with a 210mm.

And on *ahem* digital, I just have the built-in 35mm equiv on my Fuji, and I use a 18-200 zoom on my Nikon D90, and sometimes a fast 50mm prime.
 

removed account4

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i only have 1 lens its a pan format zoom that goes from 14mm to 1200mm, and it can go on the 30 cameras i have
 
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Cholentpot

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For my paid work I use one lens. 24-105 f/4. It does 98% of what I need.
 

Kino

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How many do you NEED? One.

How many do you want? 42.
 

Paul Howell

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No set answer, when I was in the Air Force we had to make do with just a couple, a normal and a wide like a 35 or 28, sometime on assignment we were issued longer lens. When a working PJ I had a set of 4, a 28, 50, 105 and 200, if I needed a speciality lens I could memo out or rent. With LF and MF, 3, a wide, normal and short long, for sports or wildlife, it really depends on where and when I'm shooting. In 35mm I have a range from 28 to 600, primes, and a few zooms. Travel, wide, normal and fast zoom, wildlife normal, mid range tele like a 300 then along tele, a 400 or 600.
 

Cholentpot

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Ko.Fe. said:
Our daughter did the same with same lens.

I'm not paid. I prefer one lens for each camera
Click to expand...

For unpaid work the sky is the limit.

I like to have one wide, one standard and one long for every lens mount I own.
 

RalphLambrecht

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I dislike zooms.so, I would t5ake three lenses: normal, wide and longish; in case f 35mm: 50,35,85; in case of 6x6:80,50,150!
 

Dusty Negative

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I am forming the opinion that the number of lenses might correlate inversely to one's expertise level. As I get better with photography I find that I use fewer lenses. Anyone else agree?
 

Pieter12

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What is meant by REALLY need? If necessary, I could get by with just a medium-wide to medium-long prime lens, or if the camera is an SLR or mirrorless, a zoom covering that range. On the other hand sometimes I REALLY need a lens for a specific shot--that could be macro, ultra wide or long telephoto, etc. Does this foreign country/desert island have a rental shop?
But do I REALLY need any lens? Not at all. I could survive without a camera and lens as long as I had some paper and a drawing instrument.
 
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