SonyBug

I adhere to the concept of a "walk about" lens, and as some posters have said, the walk abouts change depending on where I am. I am now in a stage of life where I don't hike the steep trails, kayak the biggest rapids, and skydive above the desert. So, I sold my Nikon gear and pro lenses, and now have a single camera and lens. They weigh 2 lbs together and take pictures so clear that faces are identifiable from 300 yards. I carry a Sony a6500 and a 18-105 lens and do not think that I will every carry anything else. I am going on a river cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam, and another that takes in Hong Kong, Singapore and Bejing. I can't think of any other camera lens combo that is as light and has such a range of photo captures. But, to each his (or her) own.

lamiaceae Loc: San Luis Obispo County, CA

I tend to disagree somewhat with your argument and conclusion but get the point of it. (1) I specifically bought a used Tamron XR DiII AF 1:3.5-6.3 18-200mm XR LD Aspherical (IF) Macro Zoom Lens as a Walk-About Lens. So I could carry just one lens when I want to travel light and shoot simply -- yes perhaps a compromise in all its uses. But when I am shooting REALLY seriously I have many specific prime lenses for most uses. (2) I have both a Pentax "kit" lens that came with a used camera body, smc-Pentax-DA 1:3.5-5.6 18-55mm AL Lens, and a expensive smc-Pentax-DA* 1:2.8 16-50mm ED AL IF SDM Lens. In practice I find both lenses similarly very sharp, in fact better than some of my vintage prime lenses. Both Pentax branded lenses are slightly better than the Tamron in that the Tamron produces fine color fringes around some objects in some lighting situations. Only shows at high magnification but is present. Never seen this with any of my other Pentax branded lenses that I actually use for digital photography. I do have some older vintage Pentax "film" Zoom lenses that I've never shot digitally with that I suspect would be crappy.

In case you don't know, DA* means DA(star), high end Pentax lenses that have silent electronic focusing motors in the lens and a worm gear mechanism for older camera's AF systems.

Gives us something to talk about anyway.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

No. Some people use a fixed lens as a walk-around. What is a walk-around for one person may not be a walk-around for another. It depends on what lens the person uses the most when they "walk-around". You can't market a lens as a walk-around as a moniker because it depends on the person, not the lens.

CatMarley Loc: North Carolina

Of course whatever works for you! But the 18 - 270 is by no means a small or lightweight lens, and a lens in that category is slow as well. I think the true test of a compromise "walkabout" lens is one that gives you some wide, some tele and some speed. I surveyed my photos with an 18-200 and found that I rarely used the long end, so I didn't need that heavy honker of a lens to carry around. When I got my Fuji XT-1, I was delighted with the tiny kit lens. So when I got the XT-2 body and the 18 - 135, I swapped lenses. The little lens is fast at 2.8, and it gives me modest wide to portrait length tele, and pretty much lives on my XT-2 now. When I want to shoot birds or other critters, I put the long lens on the other body, but otherwise, 90 % of my photos are in range of the tiny "walkabout".

russelray Loc: La Mesa CA

My walkabout/general purpose/lens-attached-to-my-Canon-cameras-100%-of-the-time-since-2007 was the Tamron 28-300. As of a couple of weeks ago, it's the Tamron 18-300. If I had just waited two weeks, it would have been the Tamron 16-400.

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Well said and well put - you nailed it better than I did in my OP

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Thanks Delderby!

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

And another thing! The physical dimensions of the walk-about? lens are also of importance. I have often thought that the strap lugs on the camera should be placed near the base - this would mean that the camera, when hung around the neck, would point down, instead of extending our bellies by another six inches or so, and more easily be covered by our raincoats when it's raining

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

There's an interesting thought!

stillducky

Of course. Lenses are heavy and can make walking difficult so my lens can be different depending on where I am walking and what I have to choose from in my lens assortment. If I'm in the city I will usually take a low light wide angle lens but if I'm planning to also get some closeups inside of open windows and know I might need to run fast at a moments notice I'll bring something light and small with a wide zoom range.

Kit lenses are usually smaller and light to carry and I've seen fine photos from them. They are usually slower lenses tho so don't work well in low light situations.

brookie

My very subjective "contribution":
On my new Fuji X-E2s, I'm using just one lens--Fujij's "kit" 18-55. On my old friend, Nikon D700, I have Nikon 24-120, another old friend. Occasionally, usually for flowers in our garden, the Nikon D60 macro.
Why? Long story short -- as my life changes, so do my needs.

advocate1982

For years as a photojournalist I carried three lens that did over 90% of what I needed on film. A 28mm 2.8, A 50 1.4, and a 105 3.5, so the one lens that does all of that on a crop sensor will in the area of a 17-70 2/8. Of that doesn't cover it you have moved into the realm of needing a specialty lens. And depending on what direction your work takes that would either be a ultra wide angle, a short telephoto, or a monster telephoto. Nikons 18-105 and 18-135 would be great if you could find one with optics that didn't match that of a coke bottle. The 18-140 also fits in that realm - but I've never used it so no idea. The 18-200 or 18-300 are both compromises and so do nothing great, but everything sort of OK.

SS319

In the glory days of the 70's and 80's, the kit lens, the walk about lens was the 50mm f/1.4 - f/1.2 if you could find the extra bucks. When you bought a FtB or an AE-1, you bought it bare body or with the 50mm 1.4. When the AE-1P came out, Canon dropped the kit lens to a 50mm f/1.8 as this is what most other companies were supplying at the time.

I believe that photography would be a lot better today if 90% of the people getting their first or second camera would begin with a 50mm lens (24mm for crop sensors). The 50mm provides nearly the same viewpoint as the human eye, and thus captures what you see, which, in turn forces the photographer to look and see what they want to capture. you want an alley picture - you have to go in to the alley - not stand at the street and reach with your lens. The more emotion you feel when you take a picture, the more emotion you will put into that photo.

PeterDragon Loc: Harlan, KY - Kona, HI - Phoenix, AZ

brookie

Wow! I guess that I've been out of the buyer loop a long time. When I purchased my 24-120 for my Nikon D700, it was not--as far as I know--a
"kit lens." Doesn't matter, I love the lens, have been using it for quite a while, and hope you enjoy the 24-120 as much as I do.