Before I get a reputation as a hair-shirt, two-prime ascetic, simon-pure—unless it's already to late—:
How many lenses would you have if you could have all the lenses you want?
You can just give us the number. You don't have to go into the whole grisly blow-by-blow.
I've always held that four is the max. But, incredible as it might sound, I'm really not sure if I've ever owned as many as four lenses for the main camera I was using at any given time in my life. Surely that must be wrong, but I can't think of an exception off the top of my head. I have three lenses for my X-T1 right now. Well, four, but two of them are the same lens (long story), so, really, three.
Of course, I also have an Apo-Sironar 5x7 lens, a normal 80mm ƒ/2.8 Schneider for a Rolleiflex 6008AF, a Konica M-Hexanon 35mm ƒ/2 for Leica M mount, and a Panasonic-Leica 45mm ƒ/2.8 Macro for Micro 4/3—among other things—but let's not get into my psychological issues, eh? ;-)
Mike
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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:
Tom: "Five. I'd have what was the standard photojournalist's bagful from the beginning of my career, 24mm, 35mm, 55mm-ish Micro, 85mm and 70–200mm. Day-to-day I'd carry the 35mm and 85mm. The older I get the more I realise where I started was the optimum place."
Jeff: "Three or four, maximum, per camera. All native lenses, which is a critical part of the camera system purchase decision."
Eolake: "I’ve been selling lenses left and right in the past year, so now I’m down to.... Uhm, not sure, thirteen? Well, if you count the lenses on my vintage cameras (Pentax Spotmatic, Nikon F2, etc), then maybe twenty-nine."
Dennis Mook: "Five. Fujifilm...10–24mm ƒ/4, 16–55mm ƒ/2.8, 23mm ƒ/1.4, 50–140mm ƒ/2.8, and 100–400mm ƒ/4.5–5.6. Need the versatility for stock photography."
Kalli: "If I could have all the lenses I want, I'd have a metric ton of lenses. And I'd probably still use my current primary lens well over 90% of the time, so that'd be a LOT of glass gathering dust around my flat."
Jim Simmons: "That's easy—I'd want every lens Fuji makes for the X system. I'd trial them all and narrow it down to whichever ones I fell in love with."
marcin wuu: "I take photos of faces. I only want one—the 85mm ƒ/1.4 equivalent for any given film/sensor size."
Mike replies: People who know what their subject is are the happiest people.
Michael H: "I currently have nine...but three are for sale...so that I can afford to buy another. :-) "
John: "There is no just right number if you shoot multiple genres. I could easily get rid of some of my lenses if I gave up bird photography. Likewise, despite the many lenses I do own, I realized today that I don’t have the right lens to shoot a high school theater performance. It’s horses for courses."
Peter: "One prime."
SF Murph: "One more."
Kenneth Tanaka: "(No comment.)"
Ken's Canon drawer
Ken Bennett: "Oh, wow, that is a difficult question. I'd have to ask, what's the purpose of owning the camera and lenses? Why are we making these photos? When I grab a bag for personal work, or travel, or fun, I usually have three or four lenses. But for actual work, I feel like I need to own most or all of the lenses in a system. That's how it is with the Fuji system right now, and I had a very large collection of Canon lenses when that was my primary system."
Mike replies: Did you by any chance sell all your Canon lenses to another guy named Ken?
Adrian: "Eight. The viewing and taking lenses for the wide, normal and tele Rolleiflexes, and the two on my iPhone X."
Mike replies: That's hardcore!
Matt: "Two. I have more but don't care about carrying more than two. One is restrictive, three a hassle."
John Car: "20, 35, 85, 180mm."
Mike replies: That happens to be just about exactly the classic photojournalist's kit, c. 1970s in the US.
Rod S.: "In architectural photography, one quickly realises that buildings are surrounded by immovable obstacles such as streets, walls and other buildings and, consequently, the available vantage points for a successful photograph are often limited and close. That means you need wide angle lenses having the largest available image circles, permitting lots of lens rise, to get it all in. For my 4x5 tool of choice my standard walk-around lenses are the Schneider Super Angulon XL 72mm (21 mm-e) and 90mm (28mm-e). I've just added a Super Symmar XL 110mm (35mm-e) on the long end so I can back off a bit more (when there's sufficient space to do so) and reduce the 'ship's prow' distortion that creeps in when one is too close to the corner of a building. Occasionally the 58mm (15mm-e) and 150mm 45mm-e) are useful to have in the car or hotel.
"So for my architecture on 4x5, the answer is five."
scott kirkpatrick: "Fewer than Ken Tanaka, at least."
Joe Kashi: "I'm taking the Fifth Amendment!"
Mike replies: You'd better confess. I'm a pretty nice guy, but my partner here....
Haha. I love Adrian's answer about the Rolleiflexes, as well as the other featured comments.
Like others, if I had all the money I want for lenses, I would buy as many as I could think of using for any given system -- which would be too many and most would see very little actual use. In the real world, and perhaps that is a better metric, I would agree that today I don't need more than 4. In my bag I carry no more than 2 lenses plus the one that is attached to the camera. The vast majority of work is done with a 17-50/2.8 Tamron (28-80 equivalent) zoom and the long stuff with a 70-300/4-5.6 Tamron (115-480 equivalent) zoom, on APS-C (Canon). I wanted a portrait style lens and always lusted after the Tamron 90, so I bought a used one of those. It almost never comes out of the drawer. I have a 50/1.8 and a 24/2.8 that I haven't used in years.
And now I have officially become a member of The Online Photographer Mirrorless and Small Format Love Fest as I just don't feel like taking the Canon for general outings. It is too large and heavy. I purchased a used X100T a few weeks ago and, of course, just HAD to have the 1.4x converter lens (which I will probably rarely use). And I want the 28mm lens converter, too. So far, I am struggling a bit with the X100, but I need more practice.
So there you go -- a 3 lens kit for my Canon and a 3 lens kit for my X100T. The old film lenses sit in drawers, unloved.
Posted by: DA | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 10:31 AM
I want to add that, contrary to what my own lens inventories would suggest, my answer to Mike’s ”How Many Is Just Right?” question is ONE, certainly for most general photography. It’s my contention that few things have caused more missed photos in history than changing lenses and changing film. Technology has largely eliminated the need for both.
Posted by: Ken Tanaka | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 10:43 AM
Many, to many. Well, I collect them I guess. These are my curren lenses, but not use them all regularly :-)
For my Ansco 8x10":
- Schneider G Claron 210mm f9.0
- Schneider G Claron 240mm f9.0
- Schneider G Claron 305mm f9.0
- Fujinon C 405mm f12.5
For my Hasselblad 503 CW
- 50mm f/4 CFi Zeiss Distagon
- 100mm f/3.5 CF Zeiss Planar
- Sonnar T 180mm f/4 CF
For my Leica M
- 21mm f/2.8 ASPH ELMARIT
- 35mm f2.0 Summicron
- 50mm f2.0 Summicron
- 90mm f2.8 Elmarit
- 135mm f3.4 Apo Telyt
For my Olympus OM4T s
- Zuiko 21mm f2.0
- Zuiko 28mm f2.0
- Zuiko 50mm f2.0 macro
- Zuiko 100mm f2.0
- Zuiko 35-80mm f2.8
For my Olympus E digital
- Zuiko Digital 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5
- Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f/2.0 SWD
- Zuiko Digital 50mm f2.0 macro
- Zuiko Digital 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 ED
For my MFT cameras
- M.Zuiko Digital ED 12mm f/2
- M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8
- M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f/1.8
- M.Zuiko Digital ED 25mm f/1.2 PRO
- M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8
- M.Zuiko Digital 75mm f/1.8
- M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 PRO
- Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95
- Voigtlander 42.5mm f0.95
For my Durst enlarger
- Rodenstock Apo-Rodagon-N 50mm f/2.8 Enlarging Lens
- 105mm f5.6 Apo El-Nikkor
Of the above lenses:
- The most expensive was the last one, the 105mm f5.6 App El-Nikkor.
- Even though is a monster in size, the one that provides the most beautiful image (very sharp and natural looking) in my current MFT 20 Mpix cameras, is the Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f/2.0 SWD. Better than the primes and the 12-40mm f2.8 PRO.
- The most used one in the last three years or so is the Voigtlander 17.5mm f0.95.
- The ones I grab when I walk on the city and on mountain trails are the M.Zuiko Digital 17mm f/1.8, the M.Zuiko Digital 25mm f/1.8, the M.Zuiko Digital 45mm f/1.8, and sometimes I also include the M.Zuiko Digital 75mm f/1.8. All fit in a small bag and are very light, save for the 75mm.
- The Leica M lenses are Ok on the Pen F. The best is the 50mm f2.0 Summicron and the 90mm f2.8 Elmarit. The 90 Elmarit makes a beautiful 180mm equivalent.
- Of the 35mm OM Zuikos, the 35-80mm f2.8 provides a surprisingly good to excellent image mounted on the current 20 Mpix MFT cameras, although it is quite heavy.
- Even though I have had the Olympus M.Zuiko 25mm f/1.2 PRO for one year now, I'm just starting to like it. I mostly use it on my OMD-EM1 with additional battery grip. It is cumbersome on the small bodies.
Posted by: Marcelo Guarini | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 11:01 AM
From looking at the replies here, it appears that the camera industry has nothing to worry about! (I come in at the high end, but it seems I have lots of company.) My wife thinks I spend too much on lenses, but to her one lens looks exactly like any other, so she thinks I have about four as that is about the maximum I carry (and she sees) at one time. When at home, I am careful to keep my lenses in small groups about the house to maintain this illusion.
Posted by: Peter Wright | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 11:06 AM
Three is the most I want to carry around on a given day (one on camera, two in bag). But I have reasons for owning others. My favorite walk-around set is 24mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4 and 105mm f/2.5 (all Nikkor AI-S MF lenses). This set has the property of each successive lens approximately halving the field of view (74 deg horizontal using 24mm, 40 deg using 50mm, and 20 deg with 105mm). This is enough difference to make the need to change lenses quite obvious and worthwhile.
But, I also own 35mm f/2, 55mm f/2.8 micro, and 200mm f/4 lenses. Each has a distinct purpose.
If I'm confined to a single lens on a given day, I chose the 50mm lens for suburban and rural walkabouts while I opt for the 35mm in urban areas where the increase angle of view is helpful.
If I'm confined to a two lens set, no doubt I select the 35mm and 105mm lenses.
Posted by: Frank | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 11:33 AM
3 Canon bodies ( 6D,7D,T3i) 6 lenses , more than what i need but not as much as i wish.
Posted by: Yvan Sirois | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 12:18 PM
Adrian: "Eight. The viewing and taking lenses for the wide, normal and tele Rolleiflexes, and the two on my iPhone X."
That's a bold-faced lie ;-), because the iPhone X has actually three lenses: two on the back (28mm-e and 56mm-e) and a surprisingly adequate 7-megapixel camera on the front (32mm-e), which means that Adrian has nine, instead of eight lenses.
Posted by: Rupert | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 01:32 PM
I count 19 but I may have forgotten 1 or 2. Included in that number are 2 Rollei twin lens cameras, does that count as 2 or 4 lenses? Also Included in the count of 19 are 6 prime lenses from my old Rollei SL 35 system. I have adapters that adapt those to both a micro four-thirds camera and an APS mirrorless camera. So do those 6 lenses count 18?
To answer the question about how many I would like to have if money was not a limiting factor, I would like to have Lecia M primes in 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 135mm focal lengths. Of course I don't have a Leica M camera so I would need to take out a personal loan in order to buy one, since in Fantasy Land, Mike is only picking up the tab for the lenses. Thanks very much Mike!
Posted by: Rob Griffin | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 02:12 PM
I thought it was X +1, where X is the number your significant other believes is reasonable.
Posted by: Patrick J Dodds | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 03:05 PM
Four
The one that I use 90%+ of the time is my Fuji 18-55, followed by the 56mm, 10-24, and 55-200 in that order. But if Fuji comes out with a new,much faster focusing version of the 18mm, it probably will replace the 18-55 much of the time.
Posted by: David Elesh | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 03:34 PM
I would buy them all, in order to find the ONE.
Posted by: Carson | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 04:37 PM
I have too many d*mn lenses. Too many, I tell ya!! Maybe 80 at last count. I don't really know. I need to cull, hard. Really hard. The problem is I sold a couple of lenses lat year and now I really wish I hadn't.
The thing is.... Lenses have personalities. A look. A draw. And if you're into lenses you either have one you think is perfect or, like me, enjoy having a quiver of optics that all do the same thing, just a little bit differently. I couldn't say how many 50's I have but each one is unique and interesting and worth having. Price isn't the determinate if a lens is interesting. Personal taste is.
I have a cool photo of my collection but I can't remember how to add it at the right size. Mike, can you maybe put that info in the Comment guidelines page for forgetful duffers like me?
Gordon
Posted by: Gordon Cahill | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 10:07 PM
N+1
Posted by: Bryan Hansel | Thursday, 01 February 2018 at 11:57 PM
In the Sony bag with the A7M2, I own and carry only 2 lenses: 55mm and 85mm.
The Canon bag with the 7D MKII, typically contains 28mm, 50mm and 70-200mm. But I often forego the zoom. The 50mm is my goto and yielded the most great shots. I own several others Canon lenses but their are for special needs.
Posted by: Jacques Raymond | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 02:25 AM
9 native lenses for my main M43 system:
7, 14,20,30,45,60 primes
12-50, 14-45, 40-150 zooms
...and with that I still feel I'm missing a super-wide zoom and a super-tele zoom, and a do-everything 14-150 zoom as well. That would make it 12. Is that too much? Heck yes. How many do I use on a normal day? Just 1...
Posted by: Luc Moreau | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 06:28 AM
Only the one drawer, Kenneth ?
Posted by: Nigel | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 08:48 AM
I couldn't say how many 50's I have but each one is unique and interesting and worth having. Price isn't the determinate if a lens is interesting...
That's for sure.
One of my favourite 50s is an adapted 50/4.5 Ektar enlarger lens which cost around £10.
Posted by: Nigel | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 08:53 AM
21, 50, 85, done.
Posted by: Paulo Bizarro | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 09:29 AM
For my main camera the Panasonic GM5 I have 8.
7-14mm f4, 14-42mm pancake, 35-100mm f4/5.6, 100-300mm f4/5.6
Then 15mm f1.7, 25mm f1.4, 42.5 f1.2 and 60mm f2.8 macro.
That covers everything I need.
But of course I do have other cameras and lenses for those systems. The fewest is my sigma S14 with 17-70mm macro, 70-300mm and 50mm macro.
Posted by: David Bateman | Friday, 02 February 2018 at 09:51 AM
I don't really know how many lenses I have; I stopped counting long time ago. The last time I did an inventory, I had over 100 lenses between 40 – 58 mm:
however, I most never bring more than one lens at a time.
Posted by: Yu–Lin Chan | Saturday, 03 February 2018 at 05:32 PM
According to real cat aficionados/ lovers, if you know how many cats you have, you don't have enough. Perhaps the same could be said of (us) lense lovers.
Posted by: Frank Martin | Saturday, 03 February 2018 at 07:06 PM
Depends..
Tourist duty = DA*16-50 & DA*50-135 (2)
Feeling landscapy? = Zeiss 25/2.8 & DA*16-50 (2)
Purist mode = 43 & 77 (2)
Available light gigs = 50/1.2 & DA*50-135 (2)
Walkabout = 31 & 77 or 43 & 77 (the 31 is a bit nose heavy and doesn't balance well in my pocket.) (2)
Up close? Zeiss 25/2.8, DFA 50/2.8, DFA 100/2.8 (3)
So I average out at 2.17 lens per image creation opportunity.
Posted by: Robbie Corrigan | Sunday, 04 February 2018 at 10:02 PM
If I'm carrying them, three: normal macro, 300mm-ish, 500mm-ish. Of course on any given day my toy box might include several variations of each lens.
Posted by: Doug Herr | Monday, 05 February 2018 at 05:16 AM