The forever challenge of photography is having the right lens for the job. It’s rare when you go to take a photo that you don’t spot something that you would love to have that “other” lens for. Enter the world of carrying more.
What to carry
The backup lens
The first lens you should choose isn’t the primary lens, it’s the backup. If you’re going to capture a specific subject at a specific distance with a defined light, your primary lens defines itself. The backup lens needs to cover everything else you might encounter, quickly.
When I travel and try to resemble a normal human next to my wife, I have what I refer to as my “travel lens.” For me, that’s a Nikon AF-S Nikkor Zoom 24-120mm F/4.0G ED VR. It is not my favorite lens. Far from it. It’s the most comfortable lens that I feel when I hand my camera to somebody else, they could take the photo and it wouldn’t suck. This makes for a perfect backup lens and goes on camera #2.
The primary lens
This decision gets easier, but unfortunately, there is no one answer. What are you taking a photo of? Whether it’s landscape, wildlife, action sports, etc., the subject will tell you what you want to have in hand. In track and racing photography, most of the time you have the largest zoom with the widest aperture.
There’s a third lens now
If you aren’t counting the lens on the latest iPhones, you aren’t counting. While you can’t get the quality you can get out of a DSLR, it would be a shame to ignore what a valuable resource the iPhone camera has become.
What do I need an iPhone for when I have professional cameras?
- Preview lighting
- HDR preview
- Panoshots
- Challenging angles
- Capturing the moment
If you’re not a professional photographer and/or need someone to help capture the action, we have plenty of experience. Check out some of our latest work here and contact us if you’d like to learn more.
