Right Lenses

[mike_dunn2]

<p>Over the years I have purchased different lenses which I now use on Nikons N90, N60 and D90 cameras. Carrying all them around is a bit of a task. I'm never sure which lense I will need. I shoot mainly old buildings, old equipment (oil wells, etc) and landscapes. I have the following lenses Tamron 17-35 77mm; Nikon 24-120 72mm; Nikon 28-80 58mm; Tamron 75-300 62mm; Promaster 80-210 52mm; Tamron 200-500 86mm and a 2x converter. Should I shelve or trade in some and perhaps buy a more suitable lense or just keep lugging around the five lenses? The Tamron 17-35mm and the Nikon 24-120mm are fairly new and I am currently using them the most.</p>

[howard_m]

<p>I have no idea why you'd want to drag all of those redundant lenses around. You've got 3 wide zooms that basically duplicate each other and those long-ish zooms are also pretty redundant.</p>

<p>And then there is the genealized idea of taking 1 (maybe 2) lenses and really working and *seeing* within the context of them vs. fussing w/ a bunch of similar lenses.</p>

[richardsnow]

<p>The lenses you describe are very redundant. I would narrow it down to 2-3 lenses to carry with you.</p>

<p>Try narrowing it down to:</p>

<ul>

<li>A wide angle zoom (17-35mm)</li>

<li>A tele-zoom (75-300mm)</li>

<li>and, if needed, a midrange zoom (28-80mm)</li>

</ul>

<p>You can narrow it down even further once you figure out which lens(es) you use the most.</p>

<p>Once you figure out which lenses you are most likely to use you can shelve or sell the rest.</p>

[evilsivan]

<p>Consider the new 28-300? It has pretty good reviews. You could carry one wide 17-xx, the 28-300 and a teleconverter if the 300 is not long enough.</p>

[rossb]

<p>Some people want to carry the kitchen sink and others do not. Just decide for yourself. I prefer to keep it simple as it's annoying and heavy to carry a bunch of stuff.</p>

[carl_becker2]

<p>Seems to me you have a lot of over lap. You should know what you use most and be able to decide what you need. IMHO you could cut it to 3 zooms at least maybe two.</p>

[dan_brown4]

<p>I own more than a dozen Nikkors. I usually take one lens, maybe two. It's rare that I bring a full kit, mostly when I am traveling.</p>

[wpahnelas]

<p>sounds like you answered your own question, when you mentioned the two lenses that "are fairly new and I am currently using them the most."<br>

unless you need something on the really long end, you should be set. and given the subject matter you prefer, i see no reason to carry a lot of gear.</p>

[waltflanagan]

<p>I probably have around 4 DSLRs and 20 lenses. I never carry more than 3 lenses at a time. When I'm shooting landscapes I take the 12-24 and 18-70DX. Indoors? Sometimes just the 35 f2. Flowers? 2 macros and tripod. Put more thought into what you will actually be shooting. Look through the metadata of the shots you like and see which lenses and focal lengths you use most often.</p>

[leighb]

<p>One exercise we always used when I was teaching photography was to spend a day shooting with only one focal length, either a non-zoom prime, or a zoom lens set (and taped) to a particular FL. This really gives you a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each FL on your particular camera and with your particular shooting style.</p>

<p>I would suggest trying this for a couple of weeks (different FL every day or two) and evaluate the results. You may find that certain FLs match your style better than others. Then decide on a kit based on that information.</p>

<p>My walk-around kit is a Nikon D300S with a Nikon 12-24 and a Tamron 18-270. Nice and compact, and will cover just about any shooting situation. I sometimes add a Nikon 105 Micro.</p>

<p>- Leigh</p>

[bj_larsson]

<p>Have you sat down and actually analyzed your "winners"? Do they come primarily from one or two lenses? If so, carry those.</p>

<p>No sense carrying things "just in case".</p>

<p>I really like Leigh B.'s suggestion. I'd add that once you have your focal length fixed, you may just find that your technique changes and improves and you'll find the shot suitable to what you have mounted. </p>

[Two23]

<p>More and more, I find that photo gear just gets in the way of my photography. You need to thin out the herd. Start by pulling any lens (and camera) out of the bag that you haven't used in the past six months. Put it in a closet. If you haven't missed it by the end of May, sell it. There is one lens you don't have that you might find useful. It's a Nikon 28mm PC, used from e Bay etc.</p>

<p>Kent in SD</p>

[pamv]

<p>My film camera's choice is 24/2.8, 50/2 and a 105 2.5<br>

On DX format I carry a 12-24, 18-70 and a prime according to the needs</p>

 

[mike_dunn2]

<p>Thanks for all the suggestions. One of the reasons I like carrying most my lenses is while in Hawaii and riding around in a friends car(local) and seeing a perfect shot I discovered the lense I needed I did not have with me. Left it at the hotel. I have to admit after noting down on paper a thourgh inventory of my lenses I do have alot of overlaping lenses. While working I have always only carried one or two lenses and as of late the D90. Before my digital days I always carried my Nikon film camera with color film.</p>