A question to the gazillion-prime users

Sometimes I see people with most/all of the shorter L primes, and I was wondering, what selection process do you go through to select which focal length you shoot with?
Suppose you have a 24L, 35L, 50L, 85L, 100L and 135L: I can certainly pick out one or two of them for certain shots, like headshot with the 85, 100 or 135, but how do you distinguish a certain perspective between 35 and 50 if you plan to do a frame filling full length portrait?

I really like shooting with primes, but I usually fall back to a zoom on one body and a prime that fits my needs on the other.
I recently sold quite a lot of lenses and I'm really conflicted about building my kit from what I have now. I use the 17-40, 28 1.8, 50 1.8, 100 macro on a 5D and 40D, and use my tokina 50-135 on my 40D. I'm not unhappy in any way with what I have now, but I can't really decide where to add lenses now. The 85mm 1.8 is very attractive, as is the 135L, but the 100 macro can probably do 90% of those shots...

If you can't decide where to augment what you have, perhaps you don't need to buy anything.

bohdank wrote in post #12289278
If you can't decide where to augment what you have, perhaps you don't need to buy anything.

sometimes people need to try new things to realize what they've been missing

Use the exif data from your last few shoots with a zoom. Look and see what focal lengths you've been working with and then decide from there.

If money were no object, I would probably buy all the L primes in Canon's lineup. But since price is a big concern, I make compromises on my lens selection. I shoot mainly portraits so I decided to go with the 35L. Not because it's better than the 24L or 50L but because it's a nice fit in between. I chose the 85L because its such a magnificient piece of glass. And I chose the 100L because it's so dang sharp and I'm an admitted pixel peeper and this helps with the OCD in me.

When I used to own more primes, I just took different primes with me each time I went outside to take pictures. I like to try new things. For me, I get bored of using the same lens for extended periods of time and like to try multiple lenses

My most used prime on full frame is 35L
My most used prime on 1.3 crop is 50L
24L gets used 3rd most
85L gets no love and 135L is always taken on vacation
I don't have 100L

for 1.6 crop, I would pick 24L and 50L (135L later).

TweakMDS wrote in post #12289032
I'm not unhappy in any way with what I have now, but I can't really decide where to add lenses now. The 85mm 1.8 is very attractive, as is the 135L, but the 100 macro can probably do 90% of those shots...

Can the 100 macro do f1.8 or f2? Can it render with the superb style of the 135L? Or the very different style of the 85/1.8?

My point is every lens has its own unique characteristics, and you will come to know your lenses well enough to have those characteristics factor in your choice. Sometimes practical concerns will dictate your choice, but when you have some flexibility you should probably have a sense of what you want from the image(s) you are trying to create and which lens will be most suitable.

After testing zooms and primes (14, 16, 24, 35, 50, 85, 135, 189, 70-200, 300, 420, 500, 600)
=> I will stay on 85L + 24L with 5DMKII and the next 7DMKII or a 1DMKIV..... but I would need a 200L2.0 too

Lots of replies that need a response, so aiming at most but quoting this:

kjonnnn wrote in post #12289969
WHAT is it that you aren't happy about that a lens would solve that issue? That's where you should began. If you get up caught up in the photography lens frenzy, you'll at some point decide you need EVERY lens.

So go back to what YOU shoot. Is there a problem that can be solved by purchasing a specific lens? Then go from there finding the right lens.

I mostly miss the middle range now. I have the 17-40, and for UWA - wide angle, I really like a zoom. Especially coming from the 11-16 on crop, the zoom range on the 17-40 is very liberating. However, once I get to the longer ranges, I'm usually shooting a certain style, and I'm mostly looking for better IQ than the 50 1.8 (better bokeh when stopped down), but also a shallower depth of field than the 100 macro, especially in the longer ranges. I love the 100 macro, but it's not the best choice for everything.

I'm quite satisfied with my 28 1.8, but I can imagine I could do a bit better in that same style with a 35L. I guess a 24L would be a bit too wide for general purpose usage in my style, since I already find the 28 1.8 a bit wide.
On the longer range, there's a whole lot of space between 50 and 100mm, but basically only two options to fill it with, if I want a wide aperture and AF (85 1.8 and 85L - which is somewhat pricey).
The 135L would be a really good option as well, and not as insanely expensive as some of the other options.

I'm hoping to add the 135L and maybe a 85 1.8. A 35L is certainly an option, but the 28 1.8 is working for now. I'm just wondering if a used 70-200 2.8 IS could also be an option for that, but it seems so bulky...
With primes, at least you have the option to only bring one or two, but with the 70-200, you always have to lug that thing around. Altogether it's probably a lot lighter than 85 1.8, 135L and 200 2.8L, which seems like a nice trio as well...

Just to note, several of the folks on the 135L thread have sold their 135L after getting the 70-200 2.8IS II because of it matching the prime in sharpness and bokeh.

gonzogolf wrote in post #12290435
Just to note, several of the folks on the 135L thread have sold their 135L after getting the 70-200 2.8IS II because of it matching the prime in sharpness and bokeh.

.. I don't use my 135L too, but after I got my 85L .. At least, I can keep both is a jacket pocket, and I can walk for hours with 2 primes (24L+85L in my case)! ..

But with a monsterous 70-200L2.8II ? it must be surely a pain to keep it on a shoulder and tying to change the lens to put a 24 or 35mm. Inside museums, theaters or any "discrete" places, I am not sure it will be welcome too ? ...
I always imagined that this zoom can compete more or less inside stadiums for sports with a 300L .. but as an every day lens 70-200 L ...I wouldn't have it instead a 35L+135L or a 24L+85L combos

TweakMDS wrote in post #12289032
Sometimes I see people with most/all of the shorter L primes, and I was wondering, what selection process do you go through to select which focal length you shoot with?

i don't think any of them are really all that redundant. people often cite the 24L and the 35L as being too close together to own both, but i strongly disagree. my 24mm is my dedicated wide angle, whereas my 35mm is my general purpose standard lens. i've held off on buying a 50L, but i can see myself caving one of these days because the perspective it offers is very distinct from a 35mm or an 85mm. i've had numerous occasions where i've looked at a scene and wanted the "50mm look", but wasn't able to produce it because the 35mm and 85mm both have such distinct signatures. i suppose it's all about creating the image that you've already orchestrated in your mind. you just know what you want, and there's only one way to create it properly: with the focal length that you've envisioned.

gonzogolf wrote in post #12290435
Just to note, several of the folks on the 135L thread have sold their 135L after getting the 70-200 2.8IS II because of it matching the prime in sharpness and bokeh.

i went the opposite route. as much as i loved my 70-200L, i sold it for a 135L because i found the age-old adage of the best equipment being the one that you have with you to be all too true. during short day trips, i can comfortably carry a 5D2, 35L, and 135L in a small messenger bag, and still have room for a water bottle, and a book without it being much of a burden. i felt like i always had to have a purpose when i carried the 70-200L, and it meant that the impressive lens that it was.. had a tendency of being left at home much more often. i've considered buying it again due to how useful it was for my paid work, but it's hard to justify it's price when the 135L does so well in it's own regard, for less money, and is a wonderful lens for personal shooting.

I'm in no hurry to sell my 135L, but having a zoom in that range thats just as sharp (and has smooth bokeh) is appealing. I think it comes down to how you like to work in that case.

alt4852 wrote in post #12290597
i don't think any of them are really all that redundant. people often cite the 24L and the 35L as being too close together to own both, but i strongly disagree.

I agree completely, they are very different focal lengths, and I feel my 28 1.8 sits somewhere in the middle, but also works really well on my 40D if I have a longer lens on the 5D. I do love shooting with 2 bodies and my next bag is also supporting that usage (think tank retrospective 30).

alt4852 wrote in post #12290597
i went the opposite route. as much as i loved my 70-200L, i sold it for a 135L because i found the age-old adage of the best equipment being the one that you have with you to be all too true. during short day trips, i can comfortably carry a 5D2, 35L, and 135L in a small messenger bag, and still have room for a water bottle, and a book without it being much of a burden. i felt like i always had to have a purpose when i carried the 70-200L, and it meant that the impressive lens that it was.. had a tendency of being left at home much more often. i've considered buying it again due to how useful it was for my paid work, but it's hard to justify it's price when the 135L does so well in it's own regard, for less money, and is a wonderful lens for personal shooting.

This is a key issue for me. While the 70-200 is probably even lighter in total than 3 primes (28, 135 and maybe a 200 or an 1.4x), I'd still rather have a slightly smaller and more discrete lens on my body. It's very hard for a set of primes to compete with the huge advantages of that zoom range and IS though, but I'm really starting to like the 35L + 135L idea, with the addition of a 50 and maybe an 85 later on.
I guess it will all depend on whether or not my bonus comes in this months' paycheck