Many photographers use not-so-high-end cameras but still capture unbelievable images. Most of them say it’s not about the gear; it’s about the camera. But what if it’s about the lens? We’ve asked the same question to talented people in the industry about it so we can have an idea what it really is all about.
The question is:
If you only had one lens, which one would you have on your camera and why?
Lara Jade: “This is a hard question because I’m quite fond of both my
Canon 50mm f/1.2 lens and
85mm f/1.2 lens! If I was in a situation where I had to chose, I would say the 50mm f/1.2 – it works for a lot of different scenarios in fashion — from full length to portraiture! For location shooting, it’s my go-to lens because of the wide aperture and my love of soft, back-lit images.”
Luke HeMan: “Back last year my answer would have been different. Now it is clearly the
Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art. I don’t take it off my camera at all in the last days. Its such high quality and makes incredible high quality sharp images. The Focus is quick and responsive and it has the best focal length to use in any situation. I can do a whole wedding with this lens. I use it for portraits, landscape, engagements etc. I was more a 50mm guy but this lens changed my mind . Thank you Sigma”
Kenji Yamamura: “I’ll bring
AF-S NIKKOR 24mm f/1.4G ED (I am using Nikon D810). First, the sharpness. It is so amazing to use this lens. Second, I can use this for landscape and portrait both. Lastly, I like night photography and this lens helps a lot to take it.”
Kirk Mastin: “I think that the
50mm lens is the most versatile lens. You can shoot a portrait, a landscape, a detail, and it all looks great. It also has no distortion and keeps an image flat
it’s also how I see, and once I learned to use a 50mm lens I know exactly where to stand at any time to get exactly the photo I want.”
Roberto Valenzuela: “I would say, the
Canon 24mm-105mm L f/4 lens. The reason is because it’s light and it covers pretty much all the range you need. 24mm is wide enough to cover most landscapes or wide-shots you need, and 105mm is telephoto enough to not get any distortion on portraits and still have enough compression to make portraits more flattering. The fact that is only f/4 is not really that big of an issue to me. On a full-frame sensor, you still get plenty of bokeh.”
Stephan Ortmanns: “I only own one Lens which is the
Canon 24-70 2.8 II. I shot 90% of my Images with it. It’s my number one choice for on Location. I prefer it over the 70-200 as I like to include the surrounding in my Shots instead of going into full bokeh mode.”
Sam Polcer: “I have to go with my
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM. This doesn’t mean it’s the lens that takes my favorite pictures—for that I’d have to name one of my primes—but for my style of photography, I think versatility has to be the priority. I feel unprepared whenever this one isn’t in my bag. I know it’s not a unique choice (I’ve heard it referred to as the “Wedding Photographer’s Choice”), but it’s a workhorse that has deserves the “go-to” designation.”
Chris Soukup: “I would go with the
50mm 1.4 lens. The reason being that it’s a similar perspective too how people see, it’s a very fast lens that allows use in all but the most difficult of lighting.”
Nirav Patel: “
The Canon 50mm 1.2 view point is simply how the human eye perceives the world without the distortions of a wide or telephoto lens. I don’t like too much compression and I don’t like too much wide angle distortion. This lens sits perfectly in the middle.”
Amber Arbucci: “I would have to say my favorite is the
2.8/ 16-35 mm wide angle Canon lens. Since my photography is usually involving wildlife getting the landscape surrounding the image is important. This lens allows for that. Many people that shoot portraits and fashion don’t care for this lens because the edging can distort the person. Since my focus is underwater, and involving large animals underwater this camera suits my needs perfectly.”
How about you? What lens would you choose for your camera?
If you have other questions in mind? Feel free to comment it below and we might ask it to one of your favorite photographers.