Equipment Your lenses? The great inspirational thread!

So what's in your camera bag?

As we all need to venture out to buy more lenses at some point I thought it would be great with a thread giving a quick view into what lenses people use. I hope you will participate in this thread.

So without further ado, please tell us all what lenses you are using at the moment / the most / next / while perhaps throwing in a link to display your achievements with the individual lens.

Please keep it short and informational. And I hope that this will become a great inspiration as to what lenses to buy/try.

Thank you!


Example:
----------
Camera: Canon EOS 350D

Lens 1: Kit zoom-lens - Canon EFS 18-55mm - Used for everything as I currently only own this one - Example photos - Good all-round lens, not very clear, slightly too much edge distortion.

Lens 2: type - name - used for? - example shot link - critique

Etc.

 

Camera: Canon EOS 30D

Lens 1: EF-S 17-85mm f4-5.6 IS USM - Used for most shots, good focal range, IS is quite handy, very sharp at 85mm, slightly mediocre at 17mm. Probably would just go straight for a 24-70 f2.8 of some sort (sigma or canon) if I was starting from scratch. Example Shot.

Lens 2: EF 50mm f1.8 mkII - Used for portraits and anything in low light. Build quality is fine as long as you're careful (as most people would be with however many hundreds of pounds of photo gear anyway). Example Shot.

Plenty more from both lenses on my Flickr page.

Hopefully going to be selling a Nikon 85mm f1.8D that I bought for my D50 last year, so the proceeds from that will go towards a Canon 85 f1.8 (shocker!). Also in dire need of a telephoto, which will either be a 70-200 f4L or 70-200 f2.8L (both non-IS) depending on how much a few photo jobs in the coming months bring in.

Edit: only just read the what's in your camera bag? bit, so I should also mention an Olympus OM2 SLR with 100mm f2.8 Zuiko lens, and a Canon 430EX for (wireless) flashing goodness.

 

Camera A: Nikon D200 w/MB-200 grip
Lens 1: Nikkor 17-55/2.8 - Used 80% of the time for everything. Great build quality.
Lens 2: Sigma 50-150/2.8 - Great focal length for "across the room candids", wonderful bokeh. light and fast.
Lens 3: Nikkor 50/1.4 - Low light lens, bought mainly for concerts.
Lens 4: Nikkor 24-120/3.5-5.6 - Back up lens, for when the 17-55 was in the shop. Good lens, not fast, plastic-but does the job. Usually stays home.
Frequent studio loan - Nikkor 70-200/2.8VR

Camera B: Pentax Spotmatic II - M42 screw mount
Lens 1: Mamiya 50/1.4 - Schwing
Lens 2: Mamiya 35/2.8 - Nice
Lens 3: Mamiya 60/2.8 - Macro
Lens 4: Mamiya 200/3.5 - not used to often

In the Bag-
D200, 17-55, 50-150, 50. 2xBattery. Charger.
2xSB-800. 2xJustin clamps. 3xAA sets for each. AA Charger.
CricPoleriser. USB Card reader.
Cards. Leatherman tool. 80Gb 2.5 USB drive.
Panadol. Amodium AD. Bandaids. Nexium.
Model release forms. Sometimes the Pentax...for fun.

On order: Nikon D3.
Awaiting small business loan: 14-24/2.8, 24-70/2.8, 70-200/2.8VR, 200-400/4VR, 4xSB-800 - that covers almost anything I shoot
Totally unnecessary, but want to play with: 200/2VR - for concerts, plus some other big primes. Plus a fisheye.

 

Small business loan... you going pro?

Anyways, my equipment:
Camera: Canon 400D, plus off-brand battery grip and three total batteries

Lens 1: 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 (kit lens) - not used much since getting lens 3, but it's good to have around when I need something wider.
Lens 2: 50 f/1.8 - nice and sharp when it focuses right. Allows strong bokeh when wide open, although it's a bit harsh on some subjects (5-blade aperture). Craptastic build quality, but it gets the job done.
Lens 3: 28-135 f/3.5-5.6 IS - my new walkaround. Nice solid build and a pretty practical zoom range. Faster would be nice, but it DOES have IS (and the fastest lens in the world still can't let you hand-hold at 1/8s and get a decent shot, and some things you want a long exposure for effect). Haven't had it long enough to comment much on image quality, but I'm satisfied at this point.

Flash: 580EX II, plus Sto-Fen diffuser, Cactus (ebay) wireless trigger and receiver, three total sets batteries (2 rechargeable, 1 backup alkaline)

Other: Wired and wireless shutter triggers. Extremely ghetto snoot made from a random piece of cardboard and some Scotch tape. 5GB total flash memory over three cards. Battery chargers for flash and camera. USB cable. Various crappy filters that desperately need replacing to something quality. Manual to the 580II sealed in a Ziploc baggie (camera body manual is going in as soon as I can find it again), plus a couple other baggies just for whatever. Lots of empty space for all the lenses and accessories I can't justify yet.

Not in the bag: Homemade product shot booth, made from several pieces of PVC pipe, a roll of artists paper, and three clamp-on light sockets funkily wired into a strip outlet. I was using some torn-up cheap white sheets for diffusers, but I think I'm just going to rig some paper over the end of the reflectors (I use CF bulbs so it shouldn't get problematically hot)

Next up: Lens hood for the 28-135. Various lighting accessories - probably a couple Strobist kits from MPEX. Then either an ultra-wide-angle, macro, long tele, or perhaps a fisheye lens.

I'll link up some sample shots from each of the lenses soon enough, provided I don't forget.

 

I have been, since well over a year now. It's the main reason I rarely post pictures here, since most of what I do is being paid for by someone else. Also I haven't had a lot of time for non-paid work, but that is changing here soon.

 

Camera: Nikon D40x (plus extra Nikon Branded Battery)

Lens 1: Nikkor AF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 (GII-ED)

Lens 2: Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm f/4-5.6 (G ED)

Not Used: 52mm UV Filter

 

Canon 350D

Kit 18-55m, pants lens really, but alright for semi-dark as it's pretty quick.

Canon 75-300mm ISM, great for motorsport, which is what I mainly do.
examples of the 300 here:
http://www.dorkish.com/index.php?a=albums/Motorsport And Shows/2007/MG Racing at Combe&c=1
and
http://www.dorkish.com/index.php?a=albums/Motorsport And Shows/2007/Brands Britcar&c=1
and
http://www.dorkish.com/index.php?a=albums/Motorsport And Shows/2007/British GP&c=1
and
http://www.dorkish.com/index.php?a=...Shows/2007/Goodwood Breakfast - Supercars&c=1


heh

 

Camera - Canon 350d

18-55 EFS f/3.5-5.6 including UV, Yellow and Circ-Polariser screw in filters. - Craptaculor in all ways, but it does the job, looking for something to replace it but don't have the monies.

10-22 EFS - I love it to bits, well worth the investment although I need to invest in a tripod to do proper panoramics.

Accessories - Two extra batteries, ND and Orange filters I haven't used in a while.

Wants - Battery Grip, 50mm (after using Geoff's in ShangHai I'm sold) something mid-range and something Macro, not fussed with Zoom atm although it would be good for motorsport but it needs to be IS and those are super expensive. I'm still after a good bag and tripod as well, but it's all funds and time.

 

Camera - Canon 350D

Lens 1 - EF 50mm f/1.8 Mk II - Cheap, cheerful, tacky and nasty. Built with the all engineering quality and expertise of a mid 80s Soviet "automobile". Sharp as a nail though and never fails to produce a good shot.

Lens 2 - EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5. My favorite, at 10mm it adds an awesome perspective to almost any situation. Got the hood and a normal (not super-thin) Hoya 77mm polarizing filter, which gives no noticable vignetting.



Lens 3 - EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 Mk II. An awesome lens, frankly. Focus meter, internal focusing, USM II, metal mount and body, 7 blade design. Impressively sharp (considering the cost of the lens) all the way through its range. This is my walk-about replacement for the kit lens.

stuff:
Battery grip, which IMO is a must-have for the 350 or 400D.
Hoods + filters for all of the above lenses
Sandisk Ultra IIIs

Wants / on the buy-list:
430EX, or the 580 if i feel up to it.
A proper telephoto lens, but just cannot decide which
EF 15mm fisheye
A shorter prime - the Sigma 30 probably
A tripod
More filters
A good camera bag
The 40D replacement in 12-18 months, when it's out, assuming EF-S will be supported.

 

Camera: Canon EOS 300D (with hacked firmware)


Lens 1 : Canon EFS 18-55mm (Kit Lens) - Used for macro and close up shots, also quite good for relatively wide angle shots at 18mm.
Pro's - Very good quality shots at F8 in good light, cheap, light.
Cons - Poor low light performance, could be sharper.
Example :


Lens 2: Canon EF 28-105mm MKII USM - Used as my walk about lens, I tend to use this more than the other two when out and about as it covers most situations.
Pro's - Sharp at most apertures and especially sharp at F8, price (best price/performance ratio of any Canon lens), looks good
Cons - At only F3.5 when wide open it suffers in low light, could do with just a little more length.
Example :


Lens : Sigma 100-300mm - I use this for mostly for motorsport shots
Pro's - Sharp between 100 and 250mm, reasonably fast for length, light.
Cons - Can get soft at 300mm, cheap looking plastic.
Example :


Accessories :
Battery/Portrait grip
Tripods
Remote shutter release
Bags
Filters (ND, CPL, UV)
Hoods for each lens
Extra batteries

 

Canon EOS 10D

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6

My walkabout lens and general jewel of my kit. It's ace and I love it. No, it's not as good as the Canon 10-22 but then the 10D doesn't support EF-S lenses so I didn't have that option.



Canon 50mm f/1.8 II

It's cheap, crappy, and i hate it, i only use it when i'm forced to or when the only thing i care about is sharpness. not a very nice focal length on a cropped body and suffers from flat colours. Not enough light?! get a flash then!



Canon 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II

Not sure why anyone really likes this lens. it was my first lens and served me well until i used some decent glass and realised it was generally just a bit pants. it's too long at 28mm on a crop body to be used as a walkabout lens but it's nice to have the length at the long end. on the plus side i quite like the bokeh this lens produces, but generally i don't use it at all.

Canon 70-200mm F/4L

For the price this is an astonishing lens. it really is superb, it's a great focal length in that it works well on both cropped and FF bodies. sharpness and the colours it produces are really great. If you've ever thought of getting one, do it, you will not regret it, especially not for the price, it's a bargain.

 

Camera: Olympus E-510
Lenses:
14-42mm 3.5-5.6 - Kit Lens #1 - This is the lens I keep on the camera for most shots. I like shooting at 14mm. There's something about this lens that makes everything seem dark, but it's not too noticeable.
40-150mm 4-5.6 - Kit Lens #2 - Good outside, sharp, but kinda slow.
Both of the kit lenses for the E-510 pretty good. I'm looking into getting either the Sigma 18-50 2.8 Macro or the Olympus 50mm 2.0 Macro.
In the Bag: my Lumix FZ-10 compact point and shoot (for random snapshots and etc.), charger, USB cable, filters.

 

Canon 300D (hacked firmware)

Sigma 150mm Macro

Amazing lens for close ups and a midrange telephoto

Sample


Canon 50mm f/1.8

Has it's uses!

Canon 17-55mm (kit lens)

My only wide angle lens for the time being.

 

Canon 10D

Sigma 10-20
Pretty much agree with everything olv says, it's an awesome lens. Use it for my walkabout too, I love the distortion it gives.


Canon 50mm 1.8
Bought it because it was cheap, but I really don't like the focal length. Nice and sharp but gets a massive amount of flare.


ajack ⊇ olv

 

Camera: Nikon D40

Lens 1: AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 GII-ED

example

Lens 2: AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6 G ED

example

Rocket Blower
52mm Hoya C-PL
3 x 2GB SD cards

Umming and aahing over a Sigma 10-20 hsm.

 

Camera: Canon Digital Rebel (300D to you lot)
Lens 1: Canon 18-55mm Kit lens - Landscapes/car shoots
Lens 2: Canon 50mm Prime F1.8 - Portraits/low light
Lens 3: Sigma 55-200mm F4-F5.6 - Motorsport/close ups

Next few bits;
Storm Jacket for Wales Rally in December.
Canon 28mm F2.8 possibly.

 

Two Canon 1d MkII

Canon 50mm f1.8 Mk2
Canon 20-35mm USM
Canon 24-70 F2.8 L USM
Canon 70-200 f2.8 L IS USM
Canon 100mm d2.8 USM Macro
Canon 28-105mm USM

Three Canon 550ex
Canon 420ex
Two Canon wireless transmitters ST-E2
2 lights stands, brollys, and brackets to affix 550's for portable wireless lighting

Lots of 77mm and 58mm files, all Hoya Super Pro HMC

& more Lowe Camera bags than I'll ever need - hardest purchase to get right

Two Canon 10D's - but can't use these since damage by Canon Service (UK CPS)
Canon 17-40mm L f4 - again can't use following Canon Service Damage
Canon 70-200mm L f4 - ditto
Canon 50mm f1.4 USM - ditto

I have an old Olympus OM2 kit, with 2 bodies, 50mm, 200mm, 28mm and 50mm macro . . . lovely kit, shame don't use it anymore . . . . served us well from about 1980 through to 2003.

 

Some great shots coming out here - that macro of Jamie's and the two that ajack posted up are great shots.

 

Thank you all for participating so far! This thread has become pure gold to anyone here interested in advancing with lenses.

And.... I got me the Canon 50mm 1.8 MkII thanks to what I've seen this lens do here. And I already LOVE it!!! Having such tight dof over my 18-55 kit lens is awesome. And I love the bokeh as well... it's so smooth! And I don't need as much light.

So here's what's now in my bag:
Camera: Canon EOS 350D
Lens 1: Kit zoom-lens - Canon EFS 18-55mm f3.5-4.2 - Used for everything as I currently only own this one - Good all-round lens, not very clear, slightly too much edge distortion.
Lens 1 Examples:

Lens 2: Canon EF50mm f1.8 - Used for using dof as focus - Nice bokeh and tight dof at low aperture. Cost so little I could buy it immediately. Needs a lot less light than my other lens. No zoom of course - Here are a couple boring shots I did while testing the new lens:
Lens 2 Examples:

 

seems it's in another thread