taxslave

I can relate to that! Thanks.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Who are you to decide what other people need? Just because 3 lenses are all YOU need doesn’t mean anyone else falls into that same thought slot. Your same question could be changed to ask why use primes instead of zooms, or why use zooms instead of primes. Why use DSLR or MILC or M4/3 or any other format. People are different from each other, conformity is the enemy of free thought and self expression.

taxslave

I understand your point about low lighting situations but with the iso ratings of today’s digital bodies, that is not as important as in the film days. Shallow DOF on the other hand is easier to obtain with faster lenses.

taxslave

Thank you SuperflyTNT. I am simply curious. Isn’t this a photography discussion site. If someone does not like the discussion, they can simply ignore it as Leitz could have done.

pego101

Talk about a broad brush comment lol

edellington

alphadog

Now that's funny...thanks

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I was asking myself this very question the other day when I was thinking about my last acquisition, a Nikkor Tilt-Shift lens when I realized that with the Pandemic being so widespread and rampant it was going to be quite a while before I would be out and about to places the lens was useful!!!! C'est la vie! I could have left the money in thebank earning negligible interest!

rlynes Loc: Wisconsin

You could always go with the 'Sigma Pickle'.

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Well- if you have many lenses, if not anythg else, they make for cool still life images!

Seriously folks! I do have some older, some might say "vintage" lenses, some are the same focal length as others, but aside from technical specifications and characteristics, I find that each less has its own "personality". Some can be technically explained- thigs lie the shape or the number of aperture blades that created unique kids of "bokeh", others may have certain aberrations that add to their effect, and some can only be explained in that the creat a certain "look" or feeling that other of the same focal lenght or application doesn't possess.

An understandable analogy would perhaps be how artists use different sizes and shapes of brushes, brushes of different textures and stiffness or softness of bristles, palette knives, and a vast array of pigments to create their work.

mensch Loc: SF Bay Area

I have spent 40 years in photojournalism and commercial work, which took me to multiple continents covering all sorts of news and feature events, producing several 100,000 negatives and slides. When looking back on my pre-zoom days, the days when zoom lenses were pretty much junk, 65 percent of my images were taken with a 24mm, 20 percent with an 85mm, and 15 percent with either a 180mm f2.8 or a 300mm f2.8, the latter two mostly for sports.

Zooms are so good now, I use, on a regular basis, a 17 to 35mm, a 24 to 70mm, a 70 to 200mm, and on an occasional basis, a 200 to 500. All excellent, sharp lenses. I love the convenience of the zooms, they often allow me to work with a single body and to not have to change lenses all the time, but previous to them, the 24mm and 85mm covered pretty much anything thrown at me except for sports and wildlife. In my opinion zooms have made us lazy. Zooming in changes perspective, but shoe leather changes the feel of an image, potentially adding intimacy. I always tell students when photographing people, get as close to your subject as feels comfortable, then take another step!

I still have several fast primes, but use them mostly when I want to control a shallower DOF.

The lenses you list are a good selection and cover all of the bases!

Meadwilliam

Uh...lenses are used in photography.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I have 4 lenses for 3 cameras; the extra came with a new camera purchase.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Yea they are.
And microscopes, telescopes, spectacles, ...

John Hicks Loc: Sible Hedinham North Essex England

To Taxslave, in answer to your question why do people new lenses.
Photography is a fantastic hobby and also work to many others, it is also made up of many different facets of photoraphy.
The portrait photographer might have a 35 mms lens, a 50 mms lens, a 85 mm lense and also a 135 m. lens. , where as a landscape highlight go wide angle a 17 to 85 mms zoom and a 300 mms lens.
The guy who photographs wild life will tend to go for big zoom lenses and long prime lenses, also the sports photographer will go for similar lenses with large apertures. It all depends what you take pictures of
I photograph trains I have 100-400 zoom, 70-200 2.8 zoom a 17-85 mms zoom, a 400 Prime and a 85 mms prime as well as a 50mms lens and a 11- 22 zoom.. All these lenses are used when taking photographs not always but most of the time depending whether on a station or in the country side.

So three lenses would not suit me but might suit others, you buy which kit that you are going use.