IMG_E2134 I will be the first to admit I am a lens junkie.  In my world a guy can never have enough lenses and I never met a lens I did not like.    And as for cameras--I am a Canon guy--have been since early in my photography career.   I will admit though my second favorite camera is my Iphone 8plus and under the right circumstances it is a great camera especially the panorama feature which cannot be beat.   I also have an old Pentax K-1000 that I got when I was around 20 years old--I still have a romantic connection to film and I run a roll or two of black and white through it every year or so just for old time sake.   what is in my bag

 

I wanted to do a blog on my gear with focus on my lens choices.  My mix of lenses is a never-ending journey but at this stage of my career I seem to have found a lens for every situation and am happy with what is in my bag (well, today I am happy but that will change....).  I am always on the hunt for great lens value and hope to someday upgrade most of my glass to the best money can buy.  Yet I have found for a photographer on a budget you can do pretty well with glass choices that I consider pretty reasonable.   Although I am a Canon Guy and love their lenses, I have a mix of manufacturers in my bag, mostly for the economy of the lens and great reputation.  I certainly do not think I have the best of the best all the way through my collection but for what I shoot I am very happy with what I got--at least until tomorrow.  So without further ado I will showcase my lens collection with some examples of what I have shot with them.  Ordered from shortest distance to longest;

Rokinon 14mm f2.8

One of my newer additions as I wanted something to give me big sky, wide angle.  I reviewed a lot of lenses in the "less than 15mm" area and decided on this for two reasons.  First, the price---for around $300.00 I thought it a deal and knowing it would be used on special occasions and sparingly, I could stomach the cost.  This is  a fixed prime lens and the only lens in my bag without auto-focus.  But for what I will shoot with it (big rokinon example Como Conservatory exterior ronkinon 14mm example como conservatory ceiling sky, night photography, star photography and wide-angle architecture) I will have the focus set on infinity so auto focus is not that important.  I have only used it on a few shoots and took it for a test run to Como Conservatory in Saint Paul with the results shown here.  I look forward to a summer trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior for some star photography which is primarily why I got it.  Sporty, fun and inexpensive low mm lens.   

Tamron 28-300 f3.5-6.3 Di, VC, PZD

I have an affection for Tamron lenses and have owned quite a few of them.   I still have a Canon T6i crop sensor that has permanently attached a Tamron 18-400 lens.  I must have shot 50,000 photos with that combination as the versatility cannot be beat.  When I moved up to my full frame 6D street artist tamron 18-300 example 3 Mark II I looked for something that would give me the range of the Tamron 18-400 for a walk-around set up.  Unfortunately, Tamron only makes that lens for crop sensor (Please Tamron, tamron 18-300 example (2) come out with a full frame version--you will have a buyer in me).  With limited choices I settled on the 28-300 and have been very happy with the lens.  Although there may be better glass out there (Canon L, Prime lenses etc), for full frame there is nothing more versatile and economical.  I think I paid about $600.00 for it and money well spent.  Last fall I went on a trip to New York City specifically to do some urban exploring from subways to the Top of the World Trade Center.  Not wanting to carry gear around all day I attached the Tamron 28-300 to my Canon and spent 4 rainy days exploring the greatest city on earth.  This lens makes me happy and it does not let me down--it is one of my favorites and my "go to" walk around all purpose lens and a great
investment.  

Sigma 105 f2.8 Macro

sigma 105 example 2 About a year ago I decided I wanted a high-quality Macro Lens in my bag.  I had a Canon 60mm Macro for my crop sensor and it did not get used that much.  but then again, it was a limiting lens and hard to work with.  I read all the reviews on macros around the 100mm range--Canon, sigma 105 example
Tamron and Sigma were my choices.  I decided on the Sigma based solely on the reviews which all seemed to point to the Sigma as the best overall lens--quality on par or better than the Canon L lens  and at around $600.00 a few hundred less than the Canon.  I am very happy with this investment and have spent the last year learning a lot about macro.  It is not easy and takes a lot of practice to get it right but once you take a great macro photo you are hooked.  Highly recommend the Sigma 105 Macro as I love the results I get.  

Canon EF 24-105 f3.5-5.6

This is one of two lenses new bridge lens flare 2 second cut that came with my Canon 6D Mark II and the standard "Kit" style lens that Canon supplies with their package.  Although this is not an "F" lens, it gives me great results and new york beams hail mary favorite city from what I have read the elements of the F lens and the EF are pretty much the same--the body construction of the F is the big difference.  So for me it is a great Canon lens.  This is my 'go to' lens for night landscape/cityscape photography and I absolutely love the bokeh it delivers and especially the star flares you get with night and day photography.  I do a lot of night cityscape and had the opportunity to shoot the memorial beams at the World Trade saint paul prospect park canon 24-105 example
Center Ground Zero site on September 11, 2018--a spiritual experience with a great lens I got great results.   Two  examples show the star flares it gives you which are exceptional.  I do use this lens as a walk-around also especially if I am out and about at night.  I can see the "L"  version of this lens in my future.  

 

Canon 70-200 f2.8L canon 70-200 f2.8 example
 

One of my newest lenses in the bag.   I often find myself searching the on-line classifieds for lens deals.  Most people that advertise l
ense
s know what they have and as lenses hold their value, deals are few and far between.  But one day last summer I saw an advertisement for this iconic Canon lens.  It was advertised for $500.00 and included a Canon 2X teleconverter!  I could not pass it up and jumped on it right away having seen similar lens-only for around $800-1500 used this was just too good to pass up.  This is a beefy lens, built like a tank and about as heavy and mine shows wear and tear from years of use by the professional photographer father from who I bought it from (he had passed away recently and the son needed the money so the story goes).  It is a  lens that kind of falls into an 'in between' area as I have all the focal lengths covered with my other zoom lenses thus I have not used it much.  But it is my first L lens and I love the sharpness, speed, bokeh and detail it delivers.  I hope to shoot more with it this summer and happy to have found this iconic gem at a great price for my collection.  

Sigma 100-400 f5-6.3 DG Contemporary

sigma 100-400 example
There is only one reason this gem is in my bag--it came with the Canon 6D Mark II bundle I found--I could not pass up the value of the bundle and basically it was like they were throwing in the Sigma for free!  I know a lot of photographers that have the Canon 100-400L in their bag and this is similar in quality and  blue heron sigma 100-400 example
versatility.  I use it as an alternative to my Tamron 150-600 as it    actually         
fits in my bag where the Tamron monster lens does not. Thus I will take it on the road with me and when birding this is a great lens as you can see by the examples.  I take it on the golf course with me as there are always birds hanging around.  the quality I have got is great, fast speed and sharp delivery.  Happy to have it in my bag.   And although it came as a kit, at around $700.00 retail, it is a great value especially for those on a budget that cannot afford the Canon version at triple the price.  

Tamron 150-600 f5-6.3 G2

This is my favorite lens.  I love everything about it.  I use it mainly for wildlife and birding and have had it in my bag for about a year.  Although big coyote tamron example and bulky I find it very versatile and I have actually used it for some macro photography as you can get the depth of field that a macro lens does not offer.  Amazingly fast focus and the image stabilizer is fantastic--you can actually see it lock on to the subject.  Like all large lenses, you need good light to take advantage of it's speed but it cannot be beat for overall quality and value.  Mike tamron 150-600 example cost $1299.00 and came with a carrying case that is a must--you do not want this giant rattling around in your back seat.  I also have the 2x teleconverter for this lens which effectively gives you 1200mm.  Takes practice to use it and auto focus is not as effective as it "hunts" too much and you gotta have great light to get good results--but nothing better on the market for long reach situations.   I love the results and have taken some award winning photographs with this beauty and it will be a part of my lens collection for years to come.   swans taking off tamron 150-600 example 1

Well, that is my lens collection.  I will be putting together a future blog on accessories, filters, bags and other stuff that I use and endorse.  Thank you for reading and I look forward to any comments, suggestions or questions you have.