One lens to rule the world

One lens to rule the world

One lens to rule the world. Sending to the ring of omnipotence

What is the only lens to take for permanent use? The one and only for all occasions. The lens to which I would like to strive. That one high-quality lens, by buying which, you could solve all your photo tasks and not torment the camera with a constant change of lenses, but your thoughts by choosing something new. Nowadays it is extremely difficult to manage with one lens, but nevertheless, what to choose in this case?

Personally, I would look at:

The question of whether it is rational to use only one lens lies in a completely different plane. The same goes for system selection. In the comments, I ask you to concentrate and write about which single lens you would personally choose for everyday amateur or professional use. I suspect that it will be interesting to many.

For more information, see the section 'Autofocus fixes with the highest aperture", "Especially fast lenses from the Middle Kingdom'and'Fastest zoom lenses ''.

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Material prepared Arkady Shapoval. Training/Consultations | Youtube | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Telegram

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Comments: 232, on the topic: One lens to rule the world

  • rolexx711

    I would choose a good 35ku.

  • AM

    Minolta AF 28-135 f / 4-4.5 is a legend, there are few wagon, it is a pity of course that his era has passed.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Now there are lenses of class 24-120 / 4 and even with a stabilizer. Would you look at similar ones? Here we are not nostalgic about old legends, but offer the best functional solutions for every day.

      • AM

        I am not campaigning for anyone - whoever has a head on his shoulders will decide what is better for him, but as an alternative for 100-150 USD. this option can also be considered.

      • Tofig Babaev

        As a universal solution for every day, I think that the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-120mm f / 4 VR is the thing. And there is a stub, and a constant aperture, and the glass is good. And on the crop they will give 36-180mm, which is quite working focal.

  • Stepco

    Dani ob'єktivi for FF. Would you please for a Nikon crop?

    • Classic

      See comment below.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      In this article, I do not recommend 35 / 1.2 and 28-70 / 2. This is a personal preference.
      It's very simple for Nikon crop. The only one for all cases is Sigma 18-35 / 1.8 Art, and from fixes - Sigma 30 / 1.4 Art

      • Michael

        It's not the same for everybody. I did not like sigma 30 at all

        • Arkady Shapoval

          What was the period of its use and on which camera?

          • Michael

            On D300s, I rented it for a couple of days. I was picking up a staff instead of the broken Nikkor 35. Sharpness drawdown to the edge was very noticeable and poorly removed by the diaphragm cover, strong freezing. I was only pleased with the quite acceptable picture at 1.4 and good distortion correction (much better than Nikon). General impressions - almost the same as a plastic toy from Nikon, only 3 times more expensive)

      • Andrei

        Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-55mm f / 2.8 G ED DX replaces 18-35 sigma. How many did not try to adjust the sigma using the proprietary Pribluda did not work. (I tried not only). Maybe such a copy came across, but judging by the reviews, many are tormented. With this sigma, more than half, or even 70% of the photo shoot in Barcelona was overtaken. Very bad memories of this much-praised Art. He switched to Nikon and 90-95% of the photo shoot on the Cote d'Azur was excellent. Just in case, I bring Nikon fix with me fifty dollars 1.8 (it’s small) sometimes decides (In the twilight of the churches light glass is the thing you don’t really puff with puff).

        • Michael

          With Art, many suffer

    • Andrei

      What prevents the use of FF lenses on DX cameras ??? Nothing gets in the way. If it is the other way around, then there are big disadvantages, and FF on DX is already running.

      • Arkady Shapoval

        The presence of convenient sets of FR is a little bit disturbing, sometimes even price tags

      • Michael

        And weight

        • Vlad

          And harshness sometimes. All the same, FF lenses are designed for a lower pixel density

          • Rodion

            But from the old, some lenses seem to be better used on the crop. Oddly enough, the same Helios-44. The edges are unbearable in the full frame.

  • Classic

    My choice, Sigma AF 18-35mm f / 1,8 DC HSM

    • AM

      Sigma 18-35 is good, it's a pity the price bites, I looked closely for a long time, but did not dare.

  • Sergei

    Good afternoon. If there is such an opportunity, tell us more about Tamron 35-150 / 2.8-4. Vc. These focal points and the desire to purchase a station wagon are interesting.

  • Jury

    Jupiter 37a 3,5 / 135, I realized that I’m shooting at 90% for them, and often I don’t want to shoot from the camera)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      One TV set, although short, is still not suitable as the only one in the vast majority of cases from the life of an average amateur photographer or pro

  • Novel

    I chose for myself Canon 24-105 1: 4 L. I sacrificed aperture for the sake of versatility and cost. For amateur photos I mostly have enough.

  • arontad

    it is not in nature. 24-70 u 70-200 (80-200) no other how. Well, maybe in five years there will be 24-250 f1.8 ((

    • Arkady Shapoval

      24-70 + 70-200 is a classic working set, without much imagination. If nevertheless include Wishlist or fantasy?

  • Michael

    I would have some thread 50mm 1.4-2 with a stub quite suited

  • Oleg

    Ideally, 28-70 \ 2.0, but I think its price will still confuse you Arkady. And so all the same, tandem 35 and 85 in full frame. Is it possible to create 24-105 \ 2.8 in general?

    • Michael

      Dual lens camera with optical switch and two fixes)

      • Arkady Shapoval

        The old cameras were not interesting. After all, the task is set in one lens

    • Arkady Shapoval

      sets of lenses 24, 35, 85, 135 are too boring and have been discussed a million times. I saw the price, it doesn’t bother me. If they created 25-28 / 105 2.8 years ago, now it is an absolutely real task. Moreover, there are already 28-70 / 2. It's just that manufacturers are much more profitable to sell 24-70 / 2.8 or 70/200 by 2.8-85 / 135.

      • Pokemon

        Arkady, I looked closely at the purchase of this Tamron 28-105 / 2.8. But he refused to buy because of the weight, dimensions, a large number of killed specimens and the floating optical quality of this lens.

        • Arkady Shapoval

          Finding a live one is very difficult, therefore it is not worth considering

  • bigmc

    Nikkor 24-70 / 2.8 on Nikon D610 and D750. I became a full-time lens, I shoot them with studio family photographs, and weddings, and interiors, auto-photo. I got used to it for a long time, but now 95% of my shootings on it. For other tasks, there is a fleet of lenses, there is a second camera, but the back is not iron, and customers still do not see the difference.

    • Alexander

      Yes, and no one will see, because the entire huge park of optics is more of a marketolochotron than the necessary glass ...

  • Ivan Shikhalev

    Sigma 18-300mm Contemporary (Canon crop camera). Almost only I use it. But, of course, system cameras are not bought in order to be limited to one lens ...

  • Eugen

    Milvus 50 / 1.4 or Sony 24-105

    • Oleg

      24-105 \ 4 very boring reporting zoom, which is desirable to add a couple of fast fixes. In general, I never knew about the existence of 28-105 \ 2.8 and that the marketing desire to sell 70-200 \ 2.8 is an obstacle to its creation and production.

  • SashOK

    Well the guys are getting numb, the lens that rules the world (among Nikonists) is 18-55mm or 18-105 ;-)

    • Arkady Shapoval

      And among others, not Nikonists, but among photographers or amateur photographers?

  • Alexander

    On D7000 I use Sigma 17-50 2.8. On the D7100 I use Tamron 17-50 2,8 ... DX Nikkor 35mm is - lies, I rarely use it, although the quality of the fix can be seen immediately. The difference between “Fixed and non-fixed DX” can be compared with “35 mm frame and 6x9 frame on Moscow 2 ″ ... Nikkor 18-200 GII is also based. I forgot when I used it. Although the picture for such a zoom is decent ... Was bought for another 22,500 ... The most liked ones turned out to be just Sigma and Tamron 17-50 2,8 for me. When Tamron 17-50 was on the D7000, I didn't really like it. When I bought a Sigma 17-50, I put Tamron 17-50 on the D7100, I started to like it. Nikkor 18-105 was sold. The Nikkor 18-140 was also sold - it struck me with a stupid and stupid picture. Well, even though it was bought for another 11 thousand, it was sold for 10 thousand ... From the seventh grade I shot with Viliya-auto, FED-3, FED5V, Zenit 14. The lens was always one 40-50 mm. And all the amateurs filmed like this and did not bathe, 50mm was enough everywhere, even at home in the rooms. And thousands of valuable pictures are now in albums ...

  • Alex

    14-300 f / 1.8 VR IV
    We wait. :)

  • Pavel Gorbunov

    “One but fiery passion”? Why wear the same jeans all your life? 😂
    But, in the face of the task, I would choose the Canon EF 35-145 / 3,5-4,5. Why?
    1. Despite its more than venerable age (the lens was released in 1987), this glass in terms of picture quality will give odds to many modern far from budgetary zooms, with the exception of the L-series, and that is not a fact.
    2. Will work on all four Canon mounts - EF, EF-S, RF and EF-M (the last two via an adapter).

    • Pavel Gorbunov

      Typo: 35-135

    • Pavel Gorbunov

      Here he is, this handsome man:

  • Inna

    Personally, for me on the FF 35mm 1.4 or Sigma for the crop 30mm 1.4 I shot both for almost all occasions, if you choose one lens, but there are always 85 mm in pair with them, my favorite)

  • Basil

    EF 24-105 F4

  • Vitaly U.

    I don’t know how anyone, but I’m without 50mm, well, not how. 35 is already a moderate shirik (on FF), a portrait without strong distortion can only be shot by a tall man. There is no question of a close-up. 50mm is not far from 35mm, but still more versatile. Many here call 24 (28) -70 as an option. Well, 50mm is what it is))): 3 steps forward (this is already 70mm) +3 steps back (approximately 24mm)))) Nogozum))) I would leave half a toss, and what ... this is a different and very difficult topic. For me (problem of choice, whether it be wrong)).

  • Ivan Wolverine

    old photographers used to say that only three lenses are needed to work: one with a focal length close to double the larger side of the frame - for example 36x2 = 72 mm ... the second with a focal length close to the smaller side of the frame - for example 24-28 mm, the third - close to the frame diagonal - for example 45- 50 mm…. hence the conclusion - we need a universal zoom lens with focal lengths from 24 to 75 mm or from 28 to 105 mm ... although many masters of photography have been shooting with a lens with a focal length 50 mm all their lives and remain forever in the history of photography ... and a lot of photographers with a set of different lenses from 14 up to 500 mm, costing tens-hundreds-thousands of tired raccoons and remained gray :-)

  • Sergei

    On the crop (D500), NIKKOR 16-80mm f / 2.8-4E almost replaced both 85 1.8 and 35 1.8. But this is for home portraits of children and field trips. When traveling I take the super-wide Samyang 10 mm and zoom 18-200

  • Oleg

    Now my favorite is the old manual Nikon Nikkor 28 mm f / 2.8 Ai-s, I use it on FF. I won't say that you can shoot absolutely everything on it, but a lot - you can. I really like this miracle of Japanese lens builders.

    • koba

      Dear Oleg, I myself am planning to buy a nikon 24 / 2.8 Ai-s, in connection with which I would like to ask you - can you take several test shots of the same scene at apertures of 2.8, 5.6 and 8.0 and show RAWs? To see how it works in the center and corners?

      • Oleg

        Not a question, but only I have a lens with a focal length of not 24, but 28 mm. If you intend to buy exactly 28 2.8 AI-s, then write to me in the mail manfromsummer@gmail.com

        • koba

          I’m sorry, I didn’t watch, I’m going to buy 24mm, 28mm is not enough in many cases. Thanks for the answer!

  • Sergei

    Was it somewhat vague in terms of the frame format - full frame or crop?
    One could only guess ...
    And it would be desirable to voice the budget.
    And then you could order yourself the latest APO-Summicron 50mm f / 2, or 35 mm / 1,4 from this office.
    And then, when you get bored, sell for 50% of the initial price, and buy something else interesting ...
    Etc.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Anyone that the soul desires. Budget also any

  • Boris

    For me on FF Nikon D750, this is the Milvus 50mm f1.4.

    • Arkady Shapoval

      Manual?

      • Boris

        There are no other Millus, only manual.

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