Is having many lenses overrated?

[Frank Petronio]

bleh Kirk, I just don't like architects anymore ;-) not pursuing it is healthier for me.

(Of course the only thing they build around here are Walmarts...)

But more power to folks who like wides... I just don't feel the need myself.

[Leonard Evens]

It depends on what you are doing. I started with two lenses for 4 x 5, a 150 mm and a 90 mm, and I used both of them regularly. I found there were situations where a longer lens would be helpful, e.g., in portraiture or cityscapes where I wanted a narrower focus, so I added a 300 mm. Finally, I found situations in which a wider lens would be helpful, e.g., architectural photography where getting back from the subject wasn't possible, so I got a 75 mm lens. I don't use the 75 mm lens too often, but there are times when I definitely need it. Since I scan my film, an alternative to wide angle lenses would be using a panoramic head and modifying and stitching digitally, but I still haven't figured out just how to do that.

At present, the greatest barrier to my getting additional lenses, beyond the cost, is the limited space I have available for carrying my gear.

[Bruce Watson]

I often read threads here where people list a kit something like 58/90/150/180/240/360 etc but think I'd go crazy trying to select a lens if I had this many.

Anyone else a lens minimalist?

When I was a small format photographer, I was a lens minimalist. I could do this because the camera was small and I could stick it to my eye and compose with my feet. That is, I could easily fill the 135 frame by moving closer to and/or farther away from the subject. I used just two lenses -- a 35mm and a 105mm.

With LF, I've learned that a much more effective technique (for me) is to walk the scene without the camera and find the spot that gives me the perspective on the scene that I want. I set up on that spot, then pick the lens that gives me the angle-of-view that I want from that spot. As a result, I've got five lenses now that give me roughly 15 degree increments in angle-of-view.

I'm not saying anyone else should work this way. I think the number of lenses, and the choice of lenses, largely depends on how an individual chooses to work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the KISS principle. Nor is there anything wrong with using a workflow that makes you comfortable. So keep up the good work.

[Nick_3536]

Remember many of the people here shoot multiple formats. If you deal with more then one format you quickly end up with more then two lenses.

[archivue]

i use a 110 and a 150 for my personal artwork, but when i shoot architecture for client, i NEED 58, 80, 110, 150, 240, 305 !

[Ash]

I don't use any of my lenses often enough.

I quite enjoy the more impoverished way of things. My 35mm rangefinder has one lens, which was given to me (!), and my MF Rolleicord has a fixed lens. I have an old SLR somewhere, that came with a set of m42 lenses. Those cameras simply take photo's. No fussing over which lens to use. A normal lens is all I need. I guess I'm a minimalist there.

For large format (4x5) I LOVE to experiment, but I also have such a tiny budget that I should really make do with what I have!
It's all too easy to fall for yet another barrel lens that looks like it could be 'fun'. I don't think I'm able to stick to one or two lenses, as there are too many bullets to chase in this format. Fortunately I can only afford what I now have

[Jack Flesher]

I have recently sold off a bunch of my superfluous LF lenses. Some of these were phenomenal pieces of glass, but at the end of the day, I realized that trying to decide which of them to put in the pack on a certain trip or which to use at a given moment was getting in the way of my photography... (I heard you Ansel!)

So I trimmed down to a fairly limited assortment: Now my 8x10 kit consisists of a 150 (SSXL), 240 (Dr. Optic) and 450 (Fuji C). My 4x5 kit a 65 (SA), 90 (SA), 150 (APO Symmar) and 300 (Fuji C). None of the lenses I kept are in overly large shutters and all in the 8x10 kit are easily useable on my 4x5. I could probably get rid of the 150SSXL and simply grab the 4x5 when I wanted wideangle, but I have it and like it. Alternatively, I could dump the 150 APO Symmar and use the 150SSXL on 4x5, but that seems a bit overkill, so for now I have two 150's. I do have a few specialty lenses that are used in the studio; a 12 Wolly Velostigmat SF and one of the $300 Nikkor APO Macro 120's.

Cheers,

[John Kasaian]

When I was a small format photographer, I was a lens minimalist. I could do this because the camera was small and I could stick it to my eye and compose with my feet. That is, I could easily fill the 135 frame by moving closer to and/or farther away from the subject. I used just two lenses -- a 35mm and a 105mm.

With LF, I've learned that a much more effective technique (for me) is to walk the scene without the camera and find the spot that gives me the perspective on the scene that I want. I set up on that spot, then pick the lens that gives me the angle-of-view that I want from that spot. As a result, I've got five lenses now that give me roughly 15 degree increments in angle-of-view.

I'm not saying anyone else should work this way. I think the number of lenses, and the choice of lenses, largely depends on how an individual chooses to work. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the KISS principle. Nor is there anything wrong with using a workflow that makes you comfortable. So keep up the good work.

Its funny that one of the reasons for my interest in Large format was that when I was shooting 35mm and MF, I'd find myself "married" to a system (Nikon..Canon...Hassy) where I began feeling that I shouldn't leave the house without half a dozen lenses & assorted gear in the bag.That there were lenses for micro, night photography, lenses for stadium sports and lenses for portraits, motor drives, long roll backs, and, darn it, you need them all or you just can't take photographs worthy of the "brand" name on your camera.

Striking out with an 8x10 and one lens (both from defunct manufacturers) was quite invigorating after that circus! For me, minimalism enhances the creative imagination.

But how do I explain the Aero-ektar sitting a concrete pipe in the garage waiting for a lensboard?

[photographs42]

........With LF, I've learned that a much more effective technique (for me) is to walk the scene without the camera and find the spot that gives me the perspective on the scene that I want. I set up on that spot, then pick the lens that gives me the angle-of-view that I want from that spot........

I have 14 modern lenses ranging from 58mm to 720mm that I use and about 5 older ones that live in a drawer. I don’t recall ever being confused over which one to use. I do landscapes for my personal work and I work pretty much in the same style as Bruce. I spend a few moments finding just the right spot; Then I decide on a lens; Then I get the camera out. I use a Linhof viewfinder to get close to the proper focal length even though I can guess pretty closely without it. If my choice isn’t wide enough I usually go wider and crop rather than move back unless the move doesn’t affect the object relationships, but this is a choice. If I have only a couple of lenses I may not have that choice.

When I do Architectural Photography, having the proper lens is a must. Architectural work is extremely challenging at best and to go out to a project site without the proper equipment is totally unacceptable. My firm does work all over the United States and I can’t imagine the response if I were to travel from St. Louis to Los Angeles for example and come back with poorly composed images because I didn’t have the necessary equipment.

There is an old saying that I’m sure everyone is familiar with. “If your only tool is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail.” Of course you can get by with one lens. The problem I have with that is the “get by” part.

Jerome

[Steven Barall]

There is something to be said for discipline. I have a 90 and a 150 so those are the only two focal lengths I see in. I just don't see the things that require a triple convertible whatever. I just don't think that I'm missing something by not having a bunch of focal lengths. The discipline of the two lenses I have works just fine for me.

I think that people think they are going to miss something if they don't have the exact right focal length for where they are standing. If I can't get to a certain spot on the earth to stand for either my 90 or 150 then I just move on to the next thing. There are always more photos to be had somewhere else.

I never felt that I absolutely had to "get" any given photo. I have to trust that I'm a better photographer than my equipment is and that there are many more photos out there to get. That said, if you're shooting jobs it's great to have every lens that you can get your hands on.