Must Have Lenses.....

[OnTheFly7]

What is a list of lenses you folks think are must have lenses?

For example, for me, I like shooting sports; fly fishing, waterfowl hunting, rodeos, archery, etc. In addition to this, I also like wildlife photography and do some very little macro shooting, such as new flies for a blog and website that I am working on.

Here are the lenses on my must have list, and please comment if you think a particular lens is need or not and provide suggestions.

AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm/f.28G
AF-S VR Micro NIKKOR 105mm/f2.8G IF-ED
AF Micro NIKKOR 200mm/f4 IF-ED?????

AF-S NIKKOR 14--24mm/f2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 28mm/f1.8G
AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm/f2.8G ED VR II (This Will Be My First New Lens)
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm/f1.4G
AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm/f4G ED VR II

DREAM LENSES:
- AF-S NIKKOR 500mm/f4G ED
- AF-S NIKKOR 600mm/f4G ED

OK.....Perhaps this whole list should be "Dream List", not "Must Have's"!

What do you folks prefer when it comes to longer focal length lenses, such as 200mm and beyond; prime's or telephotos? I think today, there isn't much difference in image quality between the two.

 

[480sparky]

Why do you need 3 micro lenses to do 'very little macro shooting'? :meh:

 

[shadowlands]

While you wait on some of those.... for only $100.00, grab a Nikon AF 50mm f1.8D. You'll be amazed!!!

 

[robbins.photo]

What is a list of lenses you folks think are must have lenses?

For example, for me, I like shooting sports; fly fishing, waterfowl hunting, rodeos, archery, etc. In addition to this, I also like wildlife photography and do some very little macro shooting, such as new flies for a blog and website that I am working on.

Here are the lenses on my must have list, and please comment if you think a particular lens is need or not and provide suggestions.

AF-S DX Micro NIKKOR 40mm/f.28G
AF-S VR Micro NIKKOR 105mm/f2.8G IF-ED
AF Micro NIKKOR 200mm/f4 IF-ED?????

AF-S NIKKOR 14--24mm/f2.8G ED
AF-S NIKKOR 28mm/f1.8G
AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm/f2.8G ED VR II (This Will Be My First New Lens)
AF-S NIKKOR 85mm/f1.4G
AF-S NIKKOR 200-400mm/f4G ED VR II

DREAM LENSES:
- AF-S NIKKOR 500mm/f4G ED
- AF-S NIKKOR 600mm/f4G ED

OK.....Perhaps this whole list should be "Dream List", not "Must Have's"!

What do you folks prefer when it comes to longer focal length lenses, such as 200mm and beyond; prime's or telephotos? I think today, there isn't much difference in image quality between the two.

For the longer focal length I prefer a zoom, it keeps my options open and since most of what I'm shooting at from those ranges is a moving target that can be a very handy thing indeed. There is a pretty significant difference between 70 mm and 200 mm, for example, and backing up that far in the often very limited amount of time I have would most likely end up with me missing the shot. I also shoot indoors fairly often with the 70-200 mm so backing up far enough if I had a prime in many cases wouldn't be an option.

I recently aquired a Sigma 70-200 mm F/2.8 and so far I'm loving it, the image quality far exceeded my expectations. You really can't go wrong with either of the Nikkor 70-200 mm F2.8's from what I understand, both the VR I and the VR II are outstanding lenses.

As for myself I'm thinking my next lens aquisition will most likely be something in the 500 mm range, either a Sigma 50-500 mm or a Sigma 150-500 mm depending on what I can find within my budget limit when the time comes.

 

[OnTheFly7]

Why do you need 3 micro lenses to do 'very little macro shooting'? :meh:

As I said, perhaps it should be a "Dream List". LOL! And I do not think you do. I just like to make a list of everything I may want first, and chose from the list, not necessarily have it all.

 

[480sparky]

........, such as 200mm and beyond; prime's or telephotos?........

Do you mean primes or zooms?

A 200mm is both a prime and a telephoto.

a 200-400mm is both a zoom and a telephoto.

 

[OnTheFly7]

........, such as 200mm and beyond; prime's or telephotos?........

Do you mean primes or zooms?

A 200mm is both a prime and a telephoto.

a 200-400mm is both a zoom and a telephoto.

I was thinking one thing, typed another. I think everyone knows what I meant. Yes, zoom.

 

[Propsguy]

For studio work I need good primes... 24, 35, 50, 85, 105... that covers my range in that environment.... the 105 is macro and I don't need anything shorter than that for a macro. For landscapes, the 24 prime and an ultrawide zoom do the trick. For everything else, the 24-70 and 70 - 200 with an occasional teleconverter does the trick. Those are the lenses I need... every thing else is wish list. If I wanted to satisfy the want for one wish list lens, I would invest in a 200 - 400 F4, but I would secretly lust for a 2.8 prime at the long end of that.... the zooms for me are just far more usable with how I shoot. Lenses I have no interest in are variable aperture lenses and anything that doesn't gather a lot of light.... 2.8 is the cutoff for me (the 200 - 400 would be the exception, and I would probably regret it).

 

[480sparky]

My Must Have list:

Nikkor 17-35/2.8 (my workhorse wide-angle)
Nikkor 50/1.8 D (light, portable Nifty Fifty, also used in macro work)
Nikkor 50/1.8 G (Nifty Fifty when best IQ is desired)
Nikkor 105/2.8 Micro (for macro work, as well as a general-purpose short tele)
Nikkor 70-200/2.8 II (sports, action, all-around tele with best IQ)
Nikkor 70-300/4.5-5.6 (sports, action, lightweight)
Nikkor 24-120/4 (My first-choice for a go-to all-purpose lens)
Nikkor 24-85/3.5-4.5 (backup to 24-120)
Nikkor 28-200/3.5-4.5 D (my "Street Zoom")
Sigma 8/3.5 circular fisheye (self-explanitory)
Nikkor 28/2.8 Ai (dedicated to Ubermacro shots, usually reversed on PB-6 bellows)
Tokina 17/3.5 SE (dedicated to tethered/remote shooting for panoramic stitching)

Next steps:
Replace Nikkor 10.5/2.8 fisheye with Sigma 15/2.8
Check out Tamron's soon-to-be-released 150-600. If it's as good as the hype makes it out, I'll sell my Nikkor 500 and Sigma 600 to fund it.

Long-terms wishes:
Nikkor 180/2.8

 

[goodguy]

My must have lenses ?

Check my signature list at the bottom, those are my must have lenses list.

My dream lenses list ?
Too long and to be honest I can live without them very easily, the lenses I have while are relatively basic and maybe even not very impressive are VERY effective lenses and they satisfy all my current photographic needs.

 

[Derrel]

Those are some nice lenses, for sure. I'd skip on the 40mm macro though...just too short. The 200mm Micro-Nikkor is an awesome lens. I would get the f/1.8 G trio of 28/50/85 AF-S G models--and soon, there's a rumored 35mm f/1.8 FX G-series Nikkor due to be announced within 60 days. I would get those for the size, weight, and consistent color rendering.

The 200-400 is long, a zoom, and...slow. Slow,slow,slow. Night-time rodeo and the 200-400 VR? Ehhhh....no.

A 200mm f/4 lens? A 300mm f/4 lens? For $5k? Not a lot of value UNLESS you need the FL's and have good light. Plus, read the long-term Thom Hogan review of that lens--it';s NOT that good at longer distances, whereas the prime teles are SUPERB. As we move into ever-higher MP cameras, lenses like the 200 f/2 VR make more and more sense; SUPERB optics, almost totally free of CA, and they are sooooo sharp and the bokeh is Sooooooo Beautiful, that shooting wider (as in at 200mm) and then cropping in later, makes more sense than it used to. I think by the time you get these lenses together, that we will be seeing a Nikon D900 that has a 54 or 72 MP sensor in it.

The one area I think you might be making a mistake is the 14-24...buy the 16-35 f/4 VR instead, and get a MUCH better range of focal lengths, the ability to add filters easily, VR for better panning and VR for shooting in boats, and in the wind--two areas where there is NO substitute, short of a gyroscopic mounting platform.