Really? Just One Camera And Lens? YES!
I had someone ask me if I had to pick one lens and camera to do my everyday stuff of portraits, landscape, cityscape, close ups on nature like flowers, turtles and bugs, what would I choose? Well the one camera and lens I go to most of the time for most of my photos. The Pentax K1 MarkII with my Pentax HD Pentax-D FA* 50mm F1.4 SDM AW.
If you are into photography you might think I am mad. At first when I was so tired of wondering what lens to use and my photography needed to step up and be more inspiring, thought I was mad, taking just a 50mm lens and one camera and leaving all my cameras and lenses at home. In doing this I decided I needed to make compelling photographs with a 50mm lens using any creative methods I could conjure up. You know, single frames, cropping in post, using pixel shift, long exposures, low light work, and night shots, but only one lens.
I have a light weight camera and lenses but I decided quality over weight was much more important and my K1-MarkII and 50mm lens weight twice as much as my light weight KP camera and 31mm Prime (which on my ASP-C KP is 46.5mm).
After realizing I didn’t need a lightweight camera system for my photo work even if hiking, I decided to take my K1-MarkII and heavier 50mm 1.4 lens. I knew the controls like the back of my hand and the weatherproofing of both my camera and lens was also a factor for south Mississippi and Louisiana. I would settle on the trusty 50mm. Yes, I can picture you shaking your head. Why on earth would I take just a 50mm lens to do all my work? After being less than inspired with photography lately, I needed a challenge. That challenge was to only use the 50mm lens (not a zoom lens), while trying to capture dramatic landscapes and other photos.
I had not been this excited about photography in a long time. The 50mm lens challenge reignited a creative spark inside me that had been missing lately. This challenge was also a great opportunity to feel the 50mm focal length again. For weddings, I shoot mainly with a 50mm lens and now I use it 95% of the time on weddings, because I know what to expect from the 50mm.
Initially, I had gotten so lazy using a zoom all the time it was difficult to compose a photograph at first. The 50mm focal length is quite mundane, but that is its beauty to get you to be creative. You cannot rely on distortion from a wide angle lens or the beautiful compression from a telephoto. In fact there is not any measurable distortion in my Pentax 50 mm lens. All you can rely on is filling the frame with something interesting.
After shooting with the 50mm lens for a period of time now, I came to the conclusion that it’s actually a great lens for landscape photography. The focal length just feels natural and therefore feels just right. It feels like you’re right there, looking with your own eyes. Close enough to see the details, but wide enough to feel the bigger picture.
Having one focal length also eliminates any wasted time in changing lenses and no wondering what lens to actually use. You simply pull your camera out and compose a photograph. It’s quite liberating and something I would definitely recommend to any photographer who has gotten tired or taking photos or lost your drive and inspiration to be challenged with your photography.
Well you might ask are you going back to your other lens. Only on occasion for a specific job where I need a specialized lens for a specific work, but for my every day use it will be my K1-MarkII and my 50mm lens.
Last edited by mhsp1948; 06-22-2020 at 03:33 PM.
Post #1 by mhsp1948
Similar Threads 
