What is your favorite lens?

[icassell]

Hmmm tough call ...

These days, since I shoot primarily birds, it's my Canon EF 400mm f/5.6L.

I like every lens I own, however.

 

[JustAnEngineer]

The EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM rarely leaves my camera.

 

[gagey]

thank you for all the help and information...man it is so hard to decide..but am I understanding that the off brands do not work as well in low light as a nikon would? I really need a great lens for the ceremony and reception. but I think it would be much easier to hold a lens than use a mono pod or tripod....does it take alot of practice to hold the 70-200 by hand? maybe I should try out the 24-70 before I purchase the 70-200.....I really want great bokeh as well though!

I hand held my 70-200 2.8 for over 3 hours shooting a football game, the first day I had it. It gets a little heavy after a while but it is VERY doable.

Photo from that game:

*Sigma 70-200 2.8, non OS, handheld. Nikon D40. (exif data: 70mm, f2.8, 1/200th, iso 1600)

As long as there is enough light to keep your shutter speed greater than the focal length of the lens (ex. - at 200mm (add in 1.5x crop factor =300mm) you need at least 1/300th of a second to avoid blur from hand holding)

If its dimmer you need a monopod, dimmer yet and you need a tripod.

ok thanks! thanks for sharing the picture!

 

[Scatterbrained]

If you plan on doing weddings I would focus on the zoom trifecta. With Canon that would be the 16-35 2.8 L (or 17-40 f/4 depending on your needs), the 24-70 f/2.8L and the 70-200 f/2.8L IS M2. For me the 24-70 f/2.8 is my favorite lens. Granted these may be somewhat different on a crop but you get the idea. I love my 24-70 not because of any one thing special that it does but simply because it is such a workhorse. The MFD means I can get so close to something that I have to take my lenshood off and can still focus on it. The focal range is the most useful of all my lenses as well.
That being said my 70-200 f/2.8 IS m2 is a close second. I handhold it almost exclusively and have done long street walks with just that lens attached. Adding a teleconverter gives me 400mm at f/5.6 and the focus still works (albeit slowly). I use the lens for everything from portraits to taking pictures of the birds in the lake behind my house. Very versatile.

 

[AtuspidsGoddess]

Canon 24-70mm f2.8 followed by
Sigma 120-300mm f2.8 which is huge:

Umm HOLY SMACKS...can you tell us the name of the lens you used to take this picture?! Tat background has got me speechless!

 

[mwcfarms]

Subject to background distance for the win.

My favorite lens thought I don't own it yet is definitely the Nikon 70-200 VR II, although I do rent it at least a couple days a month lol.

 

[molested_cow]

AiS F1.2 50mm on a full frame. No question about that!

 

[Forkie]

What is your favorite lens?

Everyone else's.

 

[Mike_E]

50mm f4.5 Sekor C

Or the 180.

 

[480sparky]

Nikkor 10-24.