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

I have always thought of a walk around lens as a compact, light weight, general purpose lens to carry on strolls and take on picnics, etc. Something like 24-85mm or 28-105mm.

Lately I’ve seen recommendations like 18-400mm or 28-300mm which strikes me as overkill for a walk. They seem to me more like one size fits all lenses.

Is there a consensus on what makes a good walk around lens?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I don't designate any of my lenses as my "walk around lens"; the concept seems very strange to me.

Dean37 Loc: Fresno, CA

Could be many different lenses. The choices are dependent on the type of photography a person does.

For me my cell phone has 3 different lenses.

My bridge camera has a f/2.0-4 28-200 lens.

My D300 has an 18-200.

It depends on what I have with me.

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

I doubt it. Haven't seen a consensus on here about anything. A good walk around lens I imagine differs depending on where you like to walk and what you like to photograph, and probably the camera - Full Frame, Cropped Sensor or other sizes. If one has a lens that stays on their camera 85% of the time, I'd say one would think that a good walk around lens. For me it's my 18-140mm.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

There is no single answer, because there is so much variation in what constitutes acceptable results when doing photography. There should be no shame associated with this range...it's just that different peoplpe are doing different things with their cameras, and the most perfect results from the most perfect lens and camera are simply not required for every one of them. Sometimes, this difference has nothing whatsoever to do even with the genre of photography. I'll give a personal example.

I am a member of the Santa Fe Railway Historical and Modelers' Society. That group has a convention every summer (except for this and last summer). A photography contest is part of that convention. If I am taking a railroad photograph with an eye toward entering the print in the contest, I'll guarantee that I'll be using my D850 and probably my 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom. There might be an occasional situation where a different lens might be needed, but if so, it's going to be one of my other top-line lenses. There will be a lot of planning, and a lot of attention paid to shot location, time of day, and all those other details that can make a difference when trying to shoot an absolute "best" image. It's a competitive contest, and there are a number of really good photographers in the group.

On the other hand, next week, my brother and I will be going out to chase the Union Pacific's "Big Boy" locomotive as it travels toward (and maybe within) Texas. Since it isn't an ATSF (or BNSF) locomotive, and since it won't be travelling on ATSF rails, none of the photographs will be eligible for entry in any organization contests. (I'm not a member of the UP group.) But since there will be lots of fast relocation from one location to another, and since we will be contending with large crowds of people and cards, and since we really don't know what the weather will be, agility is the absolutely most important part of the shooting equation. I still want to have decent results, but I'll likely not have complete control over shooting locations. I may have to be farther from he track than I would like. I do need to be able to shoot at the fastest shutter speed possible and I also need a reasonable depth of field. But there will be no time to be rummaging through a camera bag selecting and changing lenses. So my primary setup will be a D500 with a 24-120mm f/4 zoom. I'm considering whether to take the other D500 with an 18-200mm zoom just in case the shooting distances get really stretched out, but haven't decided for sure. Using that lens in this application calls for a lot of compromise. Might be better off shooting at 120mm and cropping to 200 if necessary. And yes, I'll take the D850 equipped as previously described, just in case an unexpected opportunity arises. Might even put the 24-120mm on it if an unexpected opportunity arises.

I realize that an outing like this is different from starting out on a "walk," perhaps with no specific plan. But the thought process is pretty much the same. I know that I'm not even going to attempt shots from a mile or even a half mile from the track...too much haze to be able to get decent results. Knowing what shots one must have and deciding what shots one is willing to give up is an important first step (or at least early step) in the photographic process. I learned a long time ago that trying to get every shot is a pretty good recipe for not getting any shots.

So I recommend slowing down, taking a breath, deciding on a more reasonable version of "must haves," and selecting a more targeted lens in order to accomplish a more targeted result.

tramsey Loc: Texas

To me a good walk around lens is a lens that you are most comfortable with and are certain that it can do the job in most of the situations that you find yourself. My walk around is my 80-400 on my d850

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

Like everything else, it depends.

For street photography and general all around, a 24-70 is ideal. If you're doing landscapes or need the extra reach, a 28-300. These are for Fx systems.

For APSC system like a Fuji, the 18-135 which is the equivalent to a Fx 24-70 is great.

hrblaine

>Is there a consensus on what makes a good walk around lens?

My friend, pro Charlie Harbutt always used a Leica with a normal lens (around 50mm, whatever size Leica offered in the '50s). I expect he would have laughed at the idea of 400mm. I followed him into some strange places to get shots with that lens but he always seemed to get a shot he liked and which sold. I say "sold" because as I said, he was a pro and made his living from his photography. I remember following him to the top of a tall building in Paris to get a shot of a crane beside a new building and also beside a really old building. Also in Paris down a small stream (in a boat) to get a pic of a pipe discharging raw sewage into the stream. Busy day! Harry PS Then we went and had a beer! <g> I tagged along because my wife amd the woman Charlie was living with (photographer Joan Liftin) were best friends from college.

ken_stern Loc: Yorba Linda, Ca

Mine is the 35mm 1.4 --stays on the camera most of the time
That is until I need something a little wider 24mm1.4
Or a little longer 85mm1.8
OR
Really longer 100-400

My favorite lens is the 135mm 2.0 which I hardly use anymore -- But I should

Don't at all care for the term "Walkaround lens" -- Ranks right there with "Bridge Camera"

Racmanaz Loc: Sunny Tucson!

Why not just call it a Loitering Lens?

ClarkJohnson Loc: Fort Myers, FL and Cohasset, MA

I have no single lens that does it all. I generally look for a lens that will (almost) eliminate the need to change lenses in the field. This could be an 18-140 for a family birthday party to a Z 24-200 for a tourist trip. My DX bodies would most likely stroll with me due to weight, but that depends on the circumstances.

The closest I come, I guess, is the camera I keep in the car “just in case.” It is a Z 50 with a lightweight Sigma 18-200 on an FTZ adapter.

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

That would be my definition and the lens of choice would cover most of the situations I hoped to encounter on a particular venture.

Peterfiore Loc: Where DR goes south

I do street photography. I use a Fuji XE-1 coupled with a 27mm, which in terms of full-frame it's a 40mm lens.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Walk around lens? A lens that covers approx the same FOV as human vision. Doesn't matter that it is a zoom or not.
Obviously the more compact the lens the better - it's all about portability while enjoying a walk, which is the priority.

chrisg-optical Loc: New York, NY

My preferred walk around lens is my all-in-one 8mm-1000mm f/1.2 1:1 macro PC shift lens - I am prepared for almost anything I might want to shoot...only kidding of course.

This is the funniest topic I've come across on UHH. It's one area of photography that has never been formally defined. Generally I consider my 28-200 or 18-55 a "walk around" lens, but one time I walked out the door with just a 35mm 1.8 (a "normal" on crop sensor) just to see what I can shoot with just that lens.