Too many lenses?

I knew I had a problem when I ended up with 3 different 50mm primes. I dont even like 50mm primes. I bought the 50 1.8 II because it was cheap, then I found a 50 2.8 macro at a garage sale for $25, and then a guy on craigslist had a film camera with a 50 1.8 Mk 1 on it for practically nothing... I finally broke down and sold the MkII.

Nah I don't think I do now....

50/1.4, 135L, 17-40L, 100/2.8 macro [In order of usage]

Well, I can live with just primes. But having the zooms makes life easier in those action situations.

Too many lenses? I don't understand this sentence :P

One cannot have too many lenses haha

I only have 3 lenses. I think one of the differences for me was reading advice on POTN before I got my first DSLR..... I avoided the kit lenses and don't have them hanging around.

I will probably add a 400 f/5.6 a some point.. or the 100-400 if Canon releases a new one. I'm sure I could use a fast prime too but I'm still undecided as to which one so I don't have one on my list.

Hi DanFrank,

I believe that the amount of gear you have falls into certain weight categories.

Light weight, basically a camera and lens that you can carry around all day and hardly notice it's there.
Medium weight, a bag or small rucksack that you can carry all day but are tired at the end of it and glad to put down.
Upper weight limit, a big bag/rucksack which you can pick up but really don't want to carry for long as you will be too tired to do much more that "lazy photography" when you get there. Lazy photography is where you sit on he bench overlooking the viewpoint, set up your tripod next to the bench and shoot from there as you are too tired to find a better viewpoint.
Above your upper weight limit... The bag is too heavy to lift onto your back (I have one of these)

So in practical terms it is possible to have too many lenses, however that's what smaller bags are for, you load them with a subset of your lenses and only take the ones you will use today.

Aim for a medium weight bag as when you get closer to the upper weight limit the fun decreases significantly.

Best regards

BearSummer

My collection is getting up there again... I used to have 5 lenses at one point but reduced to only two (24-70 II and 70-200 II) but now I am back up to four and a fifth in the planning... I just got bored with the two zooms in a way, no matter how good they were! So now I have two primes and two zooms (plus a TC)... Plan to add a wider prime soon, either 24L II, 35L or the Sig 35 (try again...)... We shall see!

I like having options, though!

I think if you are a pro then you would fall into having some very top end glass suited for what you do mainly to get paid. Unless your a pro for wedding, sports, wildlife etc but what I've seen is most pro's specialize in one area and use just a few for that main area.

For a hobbyist we may one day want wide, fishey super zoom, prime, low light, etc. I find that hobbyist gear lineup can get pretty extravagant.

Personally for the average amature that I am, I think you can get away with a good 4 lens kit

Short/wider zoom (17-50, 17-40 or 24-105)
long zoom (70-200, 70-300 or 100-400)
short prime (indoor lowlight anything 50mm or wider)
long prime (portraits here 85-135mm)

I would thing that 4 lens setup would cover 95% of your photography. If you have more than this then it's purely a want to have something a bit more unique or creative. Like my 8mm fisheye. I don't really use this lens much for showing off but more as a memory tool. I can really create a memory of where I was at and see the whole thing as if I was really there.

Don't forget macro too. Realistically anything more than maybe 6 lenses then you are treating yourself very good.

I have too many - and yet, not enuf!!

Yep, lenses are like lady shoes. Some gets boring, so we get another while the latter one sits in the closet. And how many camera bags do you really need?

BearSummer wrote in post #16018163
...............
Above your upper weight limit... The bag is too heavy to lift onto your back (I have one of these)

.........

I know this feeling. When I load up my Vertex for a trip it so heavy I have to stand it upright on a table and back into it.

I don't understand how you can have too many lenses. Unless you need cash to feed your family, but even then that's debatable .

How can having more lenses be a drawback? Sit around wondering what lenses to take with you instead of going out shooting?

No lens is perfect, IME trying to find a 'perfect' combination of just a couple of lenses is not going to happen for most people who are not professionals and/or shooting a limited type of photography.

ejenner wrote in post #16018364
I don't understand how you can have too many lenses. Unless you need cash to feed your family, but even then that's debatable .

How can having more lenses be a drawback?

I have a certain budget for photography, and I'm overboard as is. Trying to pay off the home asap, so I have little leftover money.

In short, living the frugal lifestyle while enjoying my hobby.

having too many lenses is like keeping my money tied up in stocks.... I cant buy more unless I sell some.

No such thing as too many lenses they all have their uses and strengths. Personally i use my 28-105 as a walk around zoom,my pancake is my walk around prime, my 50mm i use for portrait style stuff and my 70-210 I use for shooting all sorts of things (portraits and wildlife and such among some sports photography too) I'm also considering picking up a fast telephoto prime like the 200 2.8 for my main sports lens and then the 70-210 will primarily be an outdoor portrait lens

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16017885
I didn't know it was possible to have too many lenses. . . . . ..

Agreed. I'll have too many lenses when I have too much money.