This question was posed on another forum and I thought it to be a very good and valid question.

I'd be curious as to the answers from this group.



My answer was.......
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What does "need" have to do with it?

[little laker]

I have 7 and need 3 more for an even 10

I need a macro, and a fisheye, along with a faster 50mm then I'm done

[dwinnert]

Need and want are two different things. I only have a single prime paired with each of my cameras. I might get a 35/2.0 for the F4s and maybe something wider for the K10D....but I really don't have lens lust.

Nikon F4's - 50/1.4
Leica M6TTL - 50mm f/1.4 Asph
Pentax K10D - 40/2.8
Yashica Electro 35 GSN - Built in 40/1.7

[barondla]

Can't work without the 100 macro, 77, 31, 16-45, 10-17, 70-210, and 400. Cursed with liking many different types of photography.
thanks
barondla

[Wethphotography]

According to Websters Dictionaary:
need –noun
1. a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation FA 50 f1.4 (Thanks to EddyinGA! )
2. a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary: to fulfill the needs of the assignment. DA * 16-50 and 50-135 f2.8
3. urgent want Autofocus 70-200 f2.8
4. a condition marked by the lack of something requisite. Every FA*
5. destitution; extreme poverty End result of LBA

[LaRee]

I guess I didn't *need* any of my lenses or my k10d for that matter. But I sure am happy to have them. I have 10 lenses and feel very content now. LOL ;-) I have no desire to buy another lens at least for a long long time. I have a nice collection that provides a lot of options. Kind of a nice feeling to be satisfied.

[khardur]

Hmm... I don't need, but would love to have: 50-200, Pentax 100mm macro, and maybe the fisheye or one of the ultrawide zooms.

So, 3 more and I'm done. I feel I'm light on lenses right now - but I'm really not that limited. my current collection:
18-55 "kit" lens
40mm Limited
Vivitar 100mm macro
A 80-200 f4.7-5.6
Sigma 28-105
Sigma 135-400

So I've really got most everything covered, it's really more of a want of better quality.
-Dan

[ccallana]

Need has very little to do with my purchases

by my own definition of "need" - I need

21, 31, 43, 70 and 77 Limited
DA14, 12-24, *200, *300, *60-250

FA24-90
Tamron 28-70/2.8
Sigma 17-70

FA*80-200/2.8

etc, etc, etc.....

[Buddha Jones]

I need to cover from 10-500mm with varying levels of macro. However many lenses it takes to do that is what I need.

[Heathglen]

... at a time.

What I need is a function of what I'm doing.

For macro work, I truly need just one lens.

For portraiture, I need solely one lens.

For pictures of working dogs, one lens suffices.

Unfortunately, each of them is different. Lens need varies with photographic activity.

Larry in Dallas

[Classvino]

I always seem to need at least one more than I have...

Although a f2.8 70 - 200 is currently at the top of my list...

[Lowell Goudge]

Its not a question of either need or want, but what you can make do with.

What I find is that there is always desire for something faster, lighter, longer, shorter, smaller, etc... than what you either presently have with you or have at all to use.

The challenge is, how do you make the best out of what you have?

It would be interesting for someone to make a data miner for the EXIF infomration that is generated whe we take pictures. It would be really interesting to see what we are actually shooting the most.

It would be nice to fantisize about having every possible lens made by pentax, and I'm certain that we would all find a reason to complain that we want something else.

[matix]

According to Websters Dictionaary:
need –noun
1. a requirement, necessary duty, or obligation FA 50 f1.4 (Thanks to EddyinGA! )
2. a lack of something wanted or deemed necessary: to fulfill the needs of the assignment. DA * 16-50 and 50-135 f2.8
3. urgent want Autofocus 70-200 f2.8
4. a condition marked by the lack of something requisite. Every FA*
5. destitution; extreme poverty End result of LBA

Very well done sir. Wish I had said that...

For me I now have in order of priority, that is what is on my camera most of the time.

1. Sigma EX 2.8-4.5 Macro 17-70mm
2. Sigma EX 2.8 DG Macro 50mm
3. Sigma EX 4-5.6 DC 10-20
4. Pentax FA 1.7 50mm
5. Sigma EX 'Bigma' 50-500
6. Sigma DC 18-200 3.5-6.3

Phil

[Arpe]

It would be interesting for someone to make a data miner for the EXIF infomration that is generated whe we take pictures. It would be really interesting to see what we are actually shooting the most.

You mean like this?

[Mike Cash]

If we get severely bare-bones about it.....we don't need any lens(es) at all. A pinhole will suffice.