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What is Your Favorite or Most Used Focal Length?


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Through Lightroom, I just did a metadata check on all of my images shot during 2017.  I was startled to see the results.  I shoot primarily with a "standard" or "kit" zoom lens on both my Nikon D500 and my Fuji X-E2, both are APS-C crop sensor cameras.  The Nikkor is a 17-55mm f2.8G lens that translates to about 25.5mm (FX) to roughly 83mm (FX).  The Fuji kit lens is the 18-55mm f2.8-4 OIS that translates to roughly 27-83mm (FX).

 

What shocked me was how often I used the long end of the zoom.  Speaking in full frame (FX) terms my three most used focal lengths were 35mm, 50mm, & 83mm, and I mean by a wide margin.  I had no idea I was using the 83mm focal length so often.  (+/- 5mm).

 

My favorite focal length, and one that if I could only choose one prime lens, is 35mm (FX).  It just seems to work for me.  For convenience purposes I shoot with a "standard" zoom.  I hate changing lenses.  It works for me but I really could get by with a Fuji 24mm f1.4, 35mm f1.4 and 56mm f1.2.  I don't think I'll be going that route due to the utility of the zoom but the results did surprise me.

 

How about you?  Do you have a favorite or one that you tend to gravitate to?

 

Rick  

 

 

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Interesting observations. I think it is similar for me. I shoot mostly on kit lens 16-55 cropped sensor, similarly for you for convinience mostly.

I often notice however that out of the entire focal range i only use two extremes, either 16mm (26mm  FX) or 50mm (80mm FX), and would prefer even wider/longer. If I could I would opt for say 12mm & 75mm (19mm-120mm FX) but as you do, I hate changing lenses.

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In film days I usually carried a 3-lens kit: 24, 50 and something from 85 to 105mm for a short telephoto. (Or, sometimes it was a corresponding wide-normal-portrait in medium format.)

I'm another one who doesn't like to change lenses in the field and find that I'm using either the wide or long ends of my 18-55mm, only infrequently the middle.

Currently I carry one body with Fuji XF 14mm and another with the 18-55, but I'm thinking of replacing the latter with a couple of f/2 "Fujicrons" -- the 35mm and 50mm.

That would mean carrying a third body, of course. The 50 would get more use than the 35, but about the same as the 14. A long tele would be nice on occasion, but isn't something I want to lug around.

 

P.S., for tabletop I use almost exclusively a PC Nikkor 35mm f/2.8 (last version, black knob) with a Kipon Tilt NIK-FX N adapter.

The lens and adapter rotate 360° independently of each other with click stops at 30° intervals.

The combination gives me a wide range of rise-fall-shift and tilt-swing options, almost like having a mini-4x5.

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I use mainly ex film fixed focal length lenses on my Sony CSC, as a result I cannot use the metadata to check usage.

 

My fitment of choice is a 28mm (equivalent to 42mm FF) as I leave the house.

 

However I use my bagful of lenses, but probably the least used (pity because it's a star performer) is the 35mm f2, or 52.5 mm FF equivalent. I make quite a lot of use of a 50 (75) as  I like the slightly compressed perspective, and that lens too is a great piece of glass.

 

I did find myself making use of the kit zoom yesterday trying to snap items of central heating gear in the airing cupboard, with one hand holding a mirror to show the maker's details in the cramped conditions. Autofocus was, for once, a godsend. PS then came in handy to show the mirror image!

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28 minutes ago, spacecadet said:

Tick the "metadata" library filter and select "camera info".

 

I clicked on "Metadata" in LR but could not see "camera info" in the dropdown list?

 

Allan

 

 

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By far a Sigma 10-20mm f4.5 mounted on various Sony APSC cameras (I mostly shoot architectural and contemporary art photographs); yet, my arguably most successful photo ever was made with a quite ordinary 50-200 Sony SAM lens. For close-ups I haven't found anything better than my old Minolta 35-70 f4 so far.

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I shoot with my 24-70mm f2.8 90% of the time. I find it covers almost all the ranges I need, which means I don't have to keep changing lenses. 

 

The downside is that it's quite heavy and bulky.

 

Other fav is the 50mm f1.8, makes for some beautiful portraits. 

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In the order of usage 50mm, 85mm, 35mm for most of my shots, all fixed focal length lenses. 

I usually mount the length I expect to use but take the other two in my rucksack. 

I rarely change lenses in the field and mostly stick to the focal length mounted unless really justified. 

For wildlife I almost exclusively use a 120-300zoom, occasionally mounting a 1.4x extender.  

 

A 24-70 f2.8 is on my shopping list for some time in the future. 

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90% of the time, I have my AF-S DX Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR on my camera... a cheap lens which I believe was sold as a kit lens with some Nikon models but it's what I can afford and it does the job. Occasionally it gets swapped out for my nifty-fifty but as many of the photos I take are opportunistic as I am walking around somewhere, having the zoom over the prime lens is helpful.

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For stock, my 18-135 is my most used lens. I use all ranges of it. I started to write that I used it at 50 on up mostly, but then remembered when I went out with my 50-140 and was hampered at the wide end. I guess it depends.  For shops, 18-135.  People doing things, 50-140. (The rendering, ya know)

When I’m home, I never use the 18-135 but work the 80, 100-400 and 56 and 18-55. When I go downtown, my 10-24 is the one.

 

Betty

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I don't keep track of the lens on my camera. However I do keep track of the cameras, lenses and focal length of the images that have sold.

Last week I added up what my RX100 I and II had earned me on Alamy. (Because of a very steep repair estimate of the II.) 

Really useful exercise: 5155 gross so far. Net is less than half because of some distribution and the money that gets lost in translation.

 

wim

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I go through phases. Mostly (fx) a 35mm, then a 50mm and then back down to a 28mm. All these lenses are f1.4 which covers me in low light. I rarely go longer or wider as I mainly shoot the street and people. If I could only take one lens then my 50mm f1.4 with a TinRay close focus adapter on an A7r  would be the choice. 0.25m close focus, 1:2 magnification and I can crop the daylights out of it for anything distant. 

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For travel it is always a 24mm-70mm f2.8 and 70mm-200 f2.8, (and for Live news)  and at time a 16mm fisheye. Nature and wildlife 300mm f2.8 and I know the weight can be limiting the blistering image quality of the 600mm f4. Mounted either on a D3s or D5. 

 

Alan

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5 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Go to the right of the filter bar and click on the dropdown.  It's the top option.

 

Thanks Mark.

 

I checked and the number of lenses used in the last 12 months is almost the number of images posted.:)

 

The one that stood out though was a 24-70 @ 89 uses.

 

Allan

 

 

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19 minutes ago, Allan Bell said:

 

Thanks Mark.

 

I checked and the number of lenses used in the last 12 months is almost the number of images posted.:)

 

The one that stood out though was a 24-70 @ 89 uses.

 

Allan

 

 

I mean this

Capture.jpg

Perhaps your lenses don't report focal length.

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