Fixed Focal Length Lenses you use on DSLR

The lens that spends the most time on me Maxxum 7D is the magnificent
Maxxum 100 f/2.8 macro. Very sharp and contrasty. Unfortunately at
this crop factor it's effectively a 150mm in the 35mm fullframe sense.
That's a very narrow 15° or thereabouts.

My other primes are the 20mm f/2.8 (beautiful lens) which is a not too
useful to me 30mm lens on the 7D... so, it's mounted to the Maxxum 9 now
on a most-of-the-time basis.

The 50mm f/1.7 is finding renewed use for portraits.

The 300mm f/2.8 hasn't been worked too hard yet, but that's coming...

So, in a digital world that rewards good zooms, do you use your FFL
lenses (often referred to as primes)? Which ones, for which purpose?

Cheers,
Alan.

 

I have 28mm and a 50mm f/1.8 primes. They're a stop and a third
faster than any zoom I own at any focal length, so there's that.
Also smaller and lighter, particularly the 50mm. Sometimes I use
that as my walkaround lens when my back hurts.

I used to use the 28mm pretty much exclusively, as I was trying to
get good at using a "normal" focal length. You know, the usual
Henri Cartier-Bresson worship. I might do it again for a little
while, I've felt kinda photographically stagnant for the last week
or two, and the discipline might loosen me up.

 

Most of my FFL primes are non-CPU manual focus (which means they don't
meter on my D70). But, here goes:

50mm f/1.8AFD -- portraits
60mm f/2.8AF -- macro
8mm f/2.8AI -- when I feel "creative" or am frustrated by the FOV multiplier
doing in my lens choices <g>
500mm f/8 -- don't use on DSLR
24mm f/2.8 -- don't use on DSLR
everything else is a zoom

What do you have in mind for the 300mm f/2.8? Wildlife? Long enough for
birds?

George

 

400mm 5.6 L and 1.4x for wildlife , on 10D
85mm 1.8 for general use
rest are zooms
tempted by 200mm f2.8 L (will give 280 with 1.4x)

 

I'm not much of a bird shooter. I use it at fairly short distances for
sports and some people shot. For horse jumping last year it was perfect.

300 is not -that- long, but on the 7D is like 450mm equiv. for 35mm. So
it can be used for birds if close enough. Add the 1.4x or 2x and a
pretty long lens is at hand...

The problem with the 300 f/2.8 is its size and weight. Handhoding is a
forget about it proposition. I use a Manfrotto 58 tripod (monster)
with a Wimberly head (monster) with the 300... so it's definitely not a
casual use lens. I'd like to try it an airshow, the Wimberley should be
ideal for that. I'd like to find a smaller/lighter tripod to use with
that lens. My 190 is to small, head is wrong. Monopod is okay.

I'd sell the 300 f/2.8 if I had a reasonable offer. I just don't get
enough use out of it.

Cheers,
Alan

 

55mm macro for close-ups
85 1.8 for portraits
500mm 8 mirror when you really have to reach out and touch someone.

I recently had a chance to play with a 105 f2.8 AF micro lens and really
like it a lot. Nice for close-ups and really tight portraits.

All lenses are Nikon on a D70

 

Sheldon wrote:

Providing there's enough light or enough ISO ... I suppose a 500 @ 1.5x
(750mm!) can really reach out..! How do the donuts look on digital?

Post please (with highlights).

Cheers,
Alan

 

Remember, Tony Polson has taught us that aperture shape does not
matter. Therefore, you cannot see any donut-shaped defocused
highlights in pictures takn with a 500/8 mirror lens.

Brian
www.caldwellphotographic.com

 

I sold my 28mm, 50mm , 135mm, and 200mm nikkors. I was not using them
at all with a DSLR. I bought a 105mm macro with the proceeds, and use
that quite a lot. My complete lens kit is 18-70, 70-210, 105 macro.
Everything fits in a small bag. Nothing is on my wish list at present.
Something very wide would be nice, but not at current prices thanks.

 

[ ... ]

Well ... of my lenses, only two (which can be convinced to work
with the D70 without aperture ring surgery) are zooms.

I'll list them first:

1) 28-105mm f3.5-4.5 D -- general purpose lens when walking around.
Good macro capability.

2) 80-200 f4.5 -- Has AI, but not a CPU. I have actually not yet
used this on the D70, though I used it on the NC2000e/c before,
as the metering worked there.

Now the "primes":

First the ones with CPU:

3) 50mm f1.4 AF with CPU. Nice light lens when I can live without
zoom -- especially when I'm doing a lot of walking. It is small
enough to be protected by the crook of my elbow when walking in
crowds or in other close quarters.

It's f1.4 maximum aperture lets me do a lot more in low light
without needing to fire up the flash.

4) 180mm f2.8 -- manual focus, retrofitted with a CPU. Nice long
reach (effective FL is 270mm).

Now those without:

5) 20mm f2.8 with AI, so I can mount it, but not use it with
built-in metering. Exposure by hand-held meter or by guessing
and chimping the histogram.

Used when the zoom does not go wide enough. (Note that I do not
have the "kit" lens.)

6) 16mm f3.5 Fisheye -- same metering situation as above.

Used when I need even more coverage -- or actually want the
distortion.

The lenses listed above live in the camera bag or on the camera,
depending on my current whims -- with the exception of the 80-200mm
f4.5. My most likely uses for that would require the metering to work
for quick response. A pity that it is not one of the ones which can be
converted, since I love the push-pull zoom with the same control as the
focus (rotate to focus, slice to zoom).

The rest live elsewhere except when needed. I'm not going to
carry those around as a regular thing.

7) 200mm f4 Medical Nikkor -- built in ring flash. Exposure
calculation is built into the lens, so I just set the camera to
manual mode and shoot. Good for evenly illuminated extreme
close-up -- down to 1:1 or a bit beyond.

8) 500mm f8 Reflex Nikkor. Not yet used on the D70, but I have on
the above-mentioned NC2000e/c.

Now -- of my stable of other, older, Nikor lenses, there are two
which I am considering modifying the aperture ring so I can use them
(but I have not yet modified them, so they will not yet mount).

9) 55 3.5 Micro (Macro) -- with the dedicated extension tube to go
beyond 1:1 ratio.

10) 300mm f4.5 -- nice long chunk of glass, once I can mount it.

Enjoy,
DoN.

 

15mm fisheye Sigma, 50mm f1.8 Canon, 100mm f2 Canon, the latter two when
speed counts...

 

50/1.7 - indoor
135/2.8 STF - pretty people
200/2.8 APO - bad people
500/8 - bad people
2032/10 - really bad people

The big boys haven't spanked the tender new 7D yet.

The rest are walking zooms.

 

Alan Browne wrote:



50 F2 macro stays on the camera with the 11-22 close at hand..

 

I would have thought the 190 tripod would be okay, what head? 141?

 

I use:

135mm f2.8 Yashika (manual lens) with eos adapter

50mm f1.8 Yashika (manual Lens) with eos adapter

Along with a fully manual zoom 80-200 f4 made by Rokinon

These lenses are all more than 30 years old. The Rokinon has some ca and
doesn't focus as easily as the others.

 

All bow to the master. Facing the other way with pants down of course.

 

Yeah, "okay" with the ctr column down, just not tall enough. A medium
ball head (252RC) and that is definitely too small. Also I have to
switch from the Kirk plate for the wimberley and the 252RC plate, so
easier to just use the 58. I discovered yesterday that my little golf
pull cart is ideal for lugging around large tripods and such. It has
wide wheels on it, so should be good in the woods.

Cheers,
Alan

 

I'm not Sheldon, but here's one of my 600mm f/8 shots (*1stDs) I'm rather
fond of:
http://faxmentis.org/html/moonbyjove.html

or
http://faxmentis.org/html/jpg/moon-by-jove-01.jpg (image w/o editorials)

 

In the context of image rendition, not all that useful... not bad shots,
BTW.

 

Thanks.
I've only had the lens for a few weeks, and my terrestrial
"doughnut-infested" shots are not worth posting.
Yet.

Cheers.