lens love - what's your favourite/dream lens?

[miketoll]

Dream lens would be the as yet unavailable Canon 200-400 L F4 with built in 1.4 converter that Canon has announced is in the pipeline but I shudder to think how many thousands it will cost and I do not even do the lottery so it will always only ever be a dream. Ah well.

[Alex1994]

Fave lens: Probably the 100mm f2.8 Zuiko on my OM. Great portrait lens.

Dream lens: a 6-600mm f1.4, pinsharp at all apertures and focal lengths, fits in my camera bag, weighs less than 2kg, costs £100, fits all my cameras. Hey, I can dream...

[byteme]

Originally Posted by Gidders

My most used lens is a Canon 24-104 f4 which accounts for 50%+ of my shots ... but it is very much a workhorse lens for me rather than a creative lens.

I had access to a 100mm f2.8 for a little while and I loved the creative opportunities that shooting wide open gave <<Like This>> for example
so I keep looking at the Canon 24-70 f2.8 ... but wondering ... would I miss the IS, would I miss the reach?

I'm also tempted to go for a collection of fast primes eg Sigma 30/50/85 f1.4

Thoughts anyone?

The 24x70 L f2.8 is almost welded to my 7D.
The f2.8 more than compensates for the lack of I.S. in my opinion and with the minimum of ISO being bumped up you can get pin sharp shots equivalent to any workhorse lens with I.S.
What I love is the versitility of the lens. Outdoors it gives good enough wideangle at 24mm - indoors a super 50 to 70mm for portraits, that are enhanced with the f2.8.

After the 24x70 my next fav is the 70x200 L f2.8 - great for candid shots

These two make up for 95% of my usage with a 10x22 and 100x400 often gathering dust waiting for the rare moments they are used.............

[postcardcv]

I agree that the IS isn't a big deal and in my experience the 24-70 is a better lens (faster focusing, sharper and f2.8 is nice) definitely worth a try. I also used my 28-70 f2.8 alongside a 70-200 f2.8 and find it to be a superb combination for people photography.

However if you like the dof effect of an f2.8 prime you'll love the way that the really fast primes melt the backgrounds. Even the cheaper primes do the job very well - you could get a 50 f1.4, and 85 f1.8 and an 100 f2 secondhand for a similar price to the Sigma 85 f1.4. I've been using an 85 f1.8 for quite a while and have been very happy with the results but am now selling it as I managed to find a good deal on a used 85 f1.2, that really is a crazy lens. If you shoot wide open for head shots the dof is so thin that it's hard to get both eyes in focus. For full length shots it really makes the person stand out from the background giving a nice 3D feel. Attached are a few shots taken at f1.2, I reckon that the lens has a lot more to give than I've got from it yet. If you are ever over my way then feel free to come and play with it and the 28-70 f2.8.

[cameramad]

I'm one of those becoming rarer Olympus users, so my favourite lenses are my 28mm 50mm and 135mm legacy lenses. I love to use them on my 510. Sharp, contrasty and like the Camera itself, compact

[Alex1994]

Do you mean the OM lenses by legacy? I have an OM-system, complete with 28mm, 50mm and 100mm. You are right, the 50mm 3.5 and 28mm have served me well. The 100mm f2.8 is perfect for portraits.

[mcliu]

I love my Nikkor 24 -70 mm F/2.8 lens ,Recently played a lot of Nikkor 60 mm and 85 mm Lenses.. they are also fabulous.. but 24 -70 mm remains most of the time.
My next lens is bit of confusion for me... Nikkor 80 -200 F/2.8 or 135mm 2D

[cameramad]

Originally Posted by Alex1994

Do you mean the OM lenses by legacy? I have an OM-system, complete with 28mm, 50mm and 100mm. You are right, the 50mm 3.5 and 28mm have served me well. The 100mm f2.8 is perfect for portraits.

OM lenses mate. I bought an OM to e seriesfocus assist converter, and they have given me great sevice!

[Alex1994]

Originally Posted by cameramad

OM lenses mate. I bought an OM to e seriesfocus assist converter, and they have given me great sevice!

I can imagine, they are first rate glass. I use 'em as they were originally intended :P

[dadevil]

My dream lens is still on the way to get into my kit. Still saving for the Canon 70 - 200mm, f/2.8 IS-II. I used it ones and fell in love with it. As of now the 100mm f/2.8 does a great job, and gives my heart a sense of fulfillment until I get my dream lens.