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Thread: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

  1. #1

    Join Date
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    What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Folks:
    I'm new to this forum and enjoying the conversations. Not much shyness here. One question intrigues me. If money were no issue, what ONE lens would you pick for landscape photography? Some claim ( e.g. Jack D.) that the Schneider SS XL 110 is it. If I were going to eat peanut butter for lunch for a year to buy one, it this it?
    Cheers,
    Dave B.

  2. #2

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Any 135 mm lens. Sironar N 135 mm for e.g. (for 4x5 obviously). And you do not need to subsist on peanut butter for very long to be able to afford one.

    Sincerely,

    Hany.
    Last edited by Hany Aziz; 10-Jul-2006 at 19:04.

  3. #3

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Which ever one I pull out of my lens bag to work the scene in front of me. Grin.

  4. #4

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    If I had a 135mm but I don't so I use a 120mm. Next most used is a 210mm, followed by the 150mm then 90mm, 300mm and finally 65mm.

    I find the 120 to be a very versatile lens. I use diopters to do close up stuff. In a pinch I can take off the front element and presto I have a 240mm.
    *************************
    Eric Rose
    www.ericrose.com


    I don't play the piano, I don't have a beard and I listen to AC/DC in the darkroom. I have no hope as a photographer.

  5. #5
    Beverly Hills, California
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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    You're going to get an incredibly wide variety of responses here, especially since you didn't specify the format (let's assume 4x5), and your favorite focal length in 35mm. Plus we are very individualistic.

    Nikkor SW 120mm f8

  6. #6

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Do you mean one special lens, among others in a kit or the kit is only one lens.

    For a one lens kit a 135mm. For a special lens with others the 110 XL.

  7. #7

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Fuji SW 105mm.

  8. #8

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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    Hi Dave -

    Everyone will have their own answers to that one. You didn't say which format you shoot, or whether you generally shoot close up to your subject or far away, etc. Instead of eating peanut butter for a year to buy a lens, how about this:

    1. Use a finder, such as some cardboard if you don't have a zoom finder, or a zoom finder if you have one. Walk around with it a bit..well, a lot. Figure out the angle of view that does it for you. Also, you can aproximate this if you have a camera with zoom lens, and simply crop to the aspect ratio of your format.

    2. When you think you've got your angle, for that one lens, figured out, rent it to see how you like it.

    3. Then, try to find one cheap. Chances are good that if you're willing to live with some cosmetic defects and a long wait to get it, you might get a good deal.

    My 2 cents - what Walter said, however to be nice about it, I'm an odd one - I would pick a 480 or so for my 8x10 for most things I like to shoot, perhaps a tad longer would be nice, and at least a 210-240 for 4x5 in many cases. Those lenses are on the short side for portraits, however usable for both portraits and landscapes. Many other people love super wide. For the squarish formats of 4x5 and 8x10, I often have more foreground or sky than I would like with wide lenses when not right up on top of the subject. Everybody has their own thoughts and preferences on it.

    You'll find that Rodenstock APO 135mm lenses are marvelously sharp and reasonable even new - if you like anything in the 135-150 range, they can be the most reasonable lenses of all...they are sort of like "enduro" motorcycles ( not a great street bike, not a great dirt bike ) in a way for me at least, however when conditions are right - well, they're great. Consider that many, many Graflexes came with 127mm lenses - that might be a vote for "one lens".

    You might also consider beans, as they could be cheaper than peanut butter and less greasy, and in some cases, if you have a wife, prepare yourself for eating some dogfood and sleeping in the doghouse after buying your new jewel. Some of the scientists on this board might even be able to tell you how to make a lens from peanut butter!

  9. #9

    Join Date
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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    I am a big fan of the "normal" persepctive, 135-150-180mm range in 4x5. These are also the best value for sharpness per dollar.

    4x5 tends to feel "wider" than 35mm give the same angle of view, IMHO.

  10. #10
    Moderator Ralph Barker's Avatar
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    Re: What ONE lens would you pick for landscape work?

    If I had to choose just one lens for landscape work, it would be the Schneider 80-400mm f/2.8 RSDKYSOS XXXL (Really Super Duper Knock your Socks Off Symmar, and we all know what XXX means) with a 500mm image circle.

    Short of paying Schneider a few $million to make it, on 4x5 I use the 110mm SSXL about 60% of the time, with most of the other 40% split between a 210mm and something around 400mm (400mm Nikkor M, 16 1/2" Red Dot). On 8x10, I use the 150mm SSXL a lot, then a 240mm G-Claron, plus the longer lenses. Just depends on the scene and how one sees it, I think.

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