your go too lens for family photos?

would like to know what lenses you like best for family photos. thanks!

I usually have my 35 F2 IS and my 70-200 F2.8 II with me. Between the two of them, and a good flash, I rarely feel I need anything else. Maybe one day, I will get a 35/1.4 II, but the 35/2 IS is a excellent inexpensive alternative.

Scrumhalf wrote in post #18477767
I usually have my 35 F2 IS and my 70-200 F2.8 II with me. Between the two of them, and a good flash, I rarely feel I need anything else. Maybe one day, I will get a 35/1.4 II, but the 35/2 IS is a excellent inexpensive alternative.

I have the sigma 35mm 1.4 art so sounds good! thanks!

Depends on the goal.

I use:

17-40L often when indoors and with a group and want full depth of field, I actually love distortion
35 F2 IS often when I want to be close and get an environmental portrait but with a soft background
90mm F2.8 & 135 F2L when I want more intense separation of subject from a distant background, usually single subject

I usually always have a flash involved, and sometimes a strobe. Depends on if it was planned or not. But I incorporate lighting very often, it's more important to me than a lens selection, as I can make any lens work as long as its wide.

Very best,

35 IS on full frame and/or apsc

24-70mm for most of the unplanned candid grabs, normally bouncing the shoe flash off the ceiling or wall.

I do love the results I get with the 70-200mm, & I'll use it whenever I can, especially for portraits.

Either:
- Canon 24-70 F2.8 on a Sony A7rii
- Tamron 45 1.8 VC on a Canon 1Dxii

I set:
- the Sony with the Canon to F3.5 with Auto ISO
- the Canon with the Tamron to F2.5 with Auto ISO

I set:
- AV mode with min SS to 1/125
- on the Sony I use Wide Zone with Face Detect
- on the Canon I use center 9pt zone

Camera is there for any and all family member to pick up and use at any time and the hit rate is very high with lots of usable pictures

My go-to would be the 135L.

What I really would like is a pancake DO IS 16-600 f/0.2 ... but don't we all?

In the mean time, though, I make do with the 24-70 f/2.8 (II).

jeetsukumaran wrote in post #18478012
What I really would like is a pancake DO IS 16-600 f/0.2 ... but don't we all?

30,000mm aperture, or 98 feet approximately.

Very best,

If I had to pick just one it would be the 17-50/2.8, but I would rather take two or three primes

16-35mm
14mm 2.8

For family, usually my go to lens is my 50mm. When I'm capturing action, it's usually best to get some context, so a 50mm is good. It's not too wide, and it's not too long.

Really, it depends upon what occasion you are photographing. I usually take more than one lens, just in case.

Used to be 24-105L, now a 24-70 f2.8L II, purely for the versatility and quality, I love primes, but the kids could be all over the place, as could the location, and I've got enough kiddy stuff to lug around let alone a bag of lenses, so a single prime is too restrictive in this context for me, exactly what zooms are for, albeit I coughed up for a really good one to try and get prime quality...

For general purpose, I use 24-70 f/2.8 II, plus a flash if indoors.

For outdoors, I usually go for 135 f/2.

I also use 35 f/1.4 II for either full / half body portraits or indoors without flash.