[niels hansen]

Chickentender
Just to understand you. Is the c330 a dream or a nightmare?

[jgnfld]

I do a lot of outdoor all season hiking and summer sailing with wildlife/plants/landscapes/boats as typical subjects. For that kind of usage, while I have a number of other lenses, I find myself gravitating to the 16-85 and 55-300 PLM.

That said, the 100mm macro is nice for taking ad lib (i.e. handheld/minimal setup) macro shots on hikes sometimes as well. And I often carry the 40mm Ltd in a pocket for special shots when its wonderful color rendering is desirable and the distances are right.

[Kevin B123]

I love the IQ of primes, and rarely use them wide open where they have an advantage of zooms. It would have to be (on APS-C) a Sigma 17-50 f.28 and the 55-300PLM.

[normhead]

I'm thing back to when I had my first digital kit.... I had 18-55, the Sigma 70 300 and FA 50 1.7 which would now probably be the 100 macro.But for two lenses 18-250 and 100 macro would work almost as well.

[normhead]

I'm thinking back to when I had my first digital kit.... I had 18-55, the Sigma 70 300 and FA 50 1.7 which would now probably be the 100 macro.But for two lenses 18-250 and 100 macro would work almost as well.

[ChrisPlatt]

Two "primes" - more properly fixed focal length lenses.

Recently I have acquired several 35mm SLR camera systems with incompatible lens mounts.
In each mount I purchased two lenses; a 35mm and an 85, 90, 100 or 105mm.

Together these two focal lengths account for 90%+ of my photos.

Image quality aside, IMO there's nothing more unpleasant than composing a photo using an SLR with a slow e.g. zoom lens...

Chris

[SJM]

i would go with one of each.

[timb64]

Two zooms
DA16-85WR
DA55-300WR
See below!

[UncleVanya]

Assuming I could use any body I'll go with:

DFA 70-200
DFA 24-70
And a K1

If I had to pick from my current gear, then:

K3
DA* 50-135
DA 20-40 limited.
And I'll cheat adding the HD DA 1.4X and my pair of Raynox macro lens adapters.

[normhead]

If the question was " if you are allowed three lenses" then I would go for 3 primes and no zooms so I think we need another poll!!

But since you already indicated you'd go for 100% primes, we don't need to know how many.

The one reason I can think of for primes is the user engages in a lot of wider than ƒ2.8 photography. There are quite a few 1.8 and 1.4 lenses, not so many zooms in the same range.

The issue with that is, ƒ1.4 t ƒ2 lenses tend to have not very good IQ wide open. Unless you are going for the super-narrow DoF thing, so much so as to be pretty much useless.

All the primes I use on a regular basis are either sub 2.8 or macro.2.8.
It's hard to tell from posts like this what the author is comparing to. Does he actually own any quality zooms?

When I go out, with the K-3, I take the 18-135 and either the DA*200 or DA*60-250. So I actually have a choice. Most of the time I take the 60-250 but evening or early morning when there's less light I might take the DA*200, or if it's going to a really long hike I might take the 200 to take an extra half pound out of my pack. But 90% of the time it's the 60-250.

But that's a real choice based on experience of two fine lenses, both of which are in reach in my camera cupboard right now.
When I read posts like this I always wonder, is this an intellectual preference based on the personal opinions of possibly biased photographer, or is this an actual description based on working knowledge of both primes and zoom lenses.

I ask because a person who's never had a top quality zoom to work with might possibly not know what he/she is missing. If you never get comfortable using a quality zoom, you'll never know exactly what you might like.


P.S.
See here's where you lose me. My DA*60-250 is as good as my DA*200 IQ wise. So I have the DA*60-250 set to 200mm. A stop slower but essentially having the same IQ. Why would having other focal lengths available at turn of a ring be a disadvantage?


The difference as I see it, with primes, if you need a longer or shorter focal length, you have to take the time for a lens change, and that's not even always possible. I've been in rain and dust storms where a lens change would be ill advised. With a zoom, you turn a zoom ring. It works in all weather and dust conditions.

[reh321]

If the question was " if you are allowed three lenses" then I would go for 3 primes and no zooms so I think we need another poll!!

And I would go for the three zooms I actually do use.

[iheiramo]

Why would having other focal lengths available at turn of a ring be a disadvantage?

Because it's not about the goal, but about the journey. For me the shot might bring few likes here on the forum, if I've done good work, and not much else. What i really gain from photography is the experince of finding that shot and it's most challenging, and therefore most rewarding, when you have only one manual prime to find it with.

[jddwoods]

One of each, my combo would be DA 16-85 and DFA 100 macro WR.

[WileyB]

DA 18-135, plus a nice small light 35 or 50.

[wstruth]

I voted for a prime and a zoom

For me it would be the 20-40 limited and the 43mm limited.