What Lens(es) to Take?

[VegasGeorge]

I have an 17-85mm, and a 75-300mm, and on Friday (UPS willing) I'll get my new 10-22mm. I figure that just about covers it. But, what do you do about taking all that hardware with you? Do you carry several of your lenses when you go out? Or, do you decide, "Today is a wide angle day," and just take the objectif du jur out for your stroll?

[thomasrhee]

Depends on if you know ahead of time what you want to accomplish that day and how much you mind carrying around the extra weight.

I typically only carry 2 or 3 lenses with me at a time.

[Dante King]

I always take all my get stowed neatly in a lowepro back pack. Never know what you will need for the occasion/event/outing.......

[raylks]

My shooting style is what you said, shoot purposefully. When I know that I will take birding, then I bring along with my 300mm L with my 17-40L, when I shoot for sunset, then I take my 17-40mm and 70-200mm L.

My habit is that whatever I shoot for, even the wide-angle lens is not expected to be used, I still bring a wide-angle lens. (what's a strange habit)

Since taking several lens is so heavy, I would minimize my lens carriage. However during holidays, when I don't think I will shoot for anything, I still bring along with my 28-70mm L to catch some moments happened that I can't expect.

[Jesper]

I don't carry all my gear all the time, because it's just not practical. It depends on what I expect to make photos of.

In February and March I was on holiday to India and I took my medium-sized photo backpack with me (a Samsonite - I've been looking at LowePro backpacks when I bought it but the same kind of thing from LowePro was twice as expensive as this Samsonite backpack!). In the backpack I can fit my 10D with four lenses (50 f/1.8, 17-40 L, 28-135, 70-300 DO including lens hoods), 550 EX flash, extra batteries, CF cards, 40 GB FlashTrax drive and some smaller stuff.

The 17-40 L is great for shooting on the street and it's the lens that I have on my 10D most of the time. Unfortunately, 40mm is too short for portaits most of the time, so I found myself changing to the 28-135 a lot, which is great for portraits. The 17-85 would have been more useful (but it's an EF-S lens so it doesn't fit on the 10D...).

Sometimes I shoot in a local jazz club. It's not a very big place so I'm close to the stage and when I go there I take my small backpack and two lenses with me: the 17-40 L and the 50 f/1.8.

When I'm going somewhere for "slow" photography (i.e. I have time to setup the camera etc.) I take the 17-40 L, 50 and 70-300 DO and I leave the 28-135 at home. On the other hand, at occasions where I have to be quick and there isn't much time or opportunity to change lenses a lot, I use the 28-135. For example at festivals like the summer carnival which is held here in the city every year, there are a lot of people in the streets moving about with colourful costumes. To make good photos you have to be quick because they've moved somewhere else before you know it.

[Jon]

I take what's appropriate for the occasion. If I had your gear, I'd generally be taking it all. As I have too much^h^h^h^h^h^h^h a fair bit more gear, I generally am able to leave a few pounds behind to save my shoulder. But if I'm just walking the dogs I won't be able to change lenses so there's no point in taking more than the one lens (usually the 24-70).

[PhotosGuy]

The lens I don't take is usually the one I decide I want to use. ;-)

[rdenney]

I keep everything for the 10D in an Outpack backpack. That includes the body, 12-24, 14, 16, 20-35, 28-70, 50 macro, 70-200, 85, 135, 1.4 converter, 550EX, extra battery, extra memory card, Nixvue storage device, AC adaptor for the Nixvue, Canon battery charger, AA cells for flash, lens brush, Rocket blower, cotton swabs and Residual Oil Remover in plastic bag, and various adapted lenses with their adaptors.

I take the whole shebang on trips. But then for any one outing, I'll pick one or two lenses to take along based on the subject. For architectural subjects, it will be the 12-24. For portrait sessions, the 50, 85, and 135. For big landscapes, the 20-35 and the 70-200. And then sometimes I go back to the car to change my mind, heh, heh.

This pack is light compared to the medium-format stuff, which is in a LowePro Photo Trekker Classic--one body and ten lenses plus flash, spot meter, and film.

And I once climbed down into the Maze district of Canyonlands carrying a modified external-frame Kelty backpack with a 4x5 view camera, spot meter, 20 film holders, focusing cloth, and four lenses. It wasn't worth the effort as it turned out--not one keeper.

When I hike with medium-format, I carry four or five lenses. The whole Canon outfit still weighs less.

Rick "who is downsizing as he ages" Denney

[VegasGeorge]

I take the whole shebang on trips.

Oh man! You sound like a traveling camera store! :D You should talk a friend into accompanying you just to take pictures of you fumbling around trying to find your stuff before the photo opportunity gets away. In fact, I think I remember a Laurel and Hardy just like that!

[malla1962]

i take the lot.

[rdenney]

Oh man! You sound like a traveling camera store! :D You should talk a friend into accompanying you just to take pictures of you fumbling around trying to find your stuff before the photo opportunity gets away. In fact, I think I remember a Laurel and Hardy just like that!

I'm a practitioner of the Pretty Rocks school. My subjects don't move too quickly, given me time to be contemplative (and to search in each of the 300 pockets in that backpack for the *#$*#&$*&#! Zenitar).

When doing action photography (weddings, wildlife, etc.), I stick a lens on the camera and just use it.

But it's really annoying to see a scene that begs for a particular approach from a particular spot, and not have the lens that will carry it off.

Rick "who doesn't change lenses often, but who wants lots of choices when he does" Denney