With any camera, having a lens that does everything you need it to and produce stunningly sharp photos is the dream for any photographer and videographer.
I always look for lenses that are going to be the most ergonomically friendly. I’m always on the move and need to be adaptable to whatever situation I’m faced with.
From studio work, t on-location to product photography, I need lenses that fit in with me.
A harsh truth: The more expensive the lens means better build quality and sharper images. But don’t mistake this for making you a better photographer.
For a very long time I used these lens a Canon 18-135 IS and a 70-300mm.
Then I upgraded to a Sigma 17-50 f2.8 and a Tamron 70-300 f4-5.6 VC.
And now I use a Tamron 24-70 f2.8 VC and a Canon 70-200 f2.8 IS.
This has been over a 6 year period since I got my first DSLR so by no means did this happen overnight.
The Tamron 24-70 and the Canon 70-200 work flawlessly and because I shoot a lot of video, the addition of image stabilisation is a must have.
Here is a shot with it turned off.
And here it is with it turned on.
You get the point.
The build quality is second to none and both of them are weather sealed. Both have a constant aputure f2.8 so capturing shots in lower light environments is much easier and getting those bokeh (blurrier background) shots is much easier to achieve as well as being pleasing on the eye for headshots and portraits.
The zoom rings are smooth and you won’t get any juddering.
So while I might be ranting and raving about how good these lenses are, always get the lenses that make the most sense for you as a photographer or videographer.
I wish that there were more image stabilised prime lenses (and Tamron might just be the answer with their new prime lenses!).
I know a lot of videographers swear by the Canon 24-105 f4 L, which I owned for about a year and while I enjoyed the extra focal length, the build quality and the image stabilisation for photography.
However I found a lot of my shots at f4 were mind numbingly soft compared with my Tamron 24-70 and I would have to stop down to f5.6 to get a sharpness I was happy with, which meant sacrificing the bokeh background and crank up the ISO. Which is why after a year of use, I wasn’t sad to see it go.
Choosing lenses should be about what you do as a photographer and videographer. You might find you don’t need the most expensive lenses. Its all about what you need them for. I still keep all of my old lenses just in case anything happens/or I need them for a two camera shoot.
I even still use my old £80 50mm lens (it does a little dance of joy when it comes out of the box).
Let me know about your lens choices, your regrets, your joys and the lenses you really really want.