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Post your L-Mount "3 lens kit"

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Erik_A

New Member
I think that I have finally settled on my standard "3 lens kit" that I use for my documentary photography work with my Lumix S5. See examples: https://www.instagram.com/erikannis/

After selling/swapping out a few lenses on either side of my favorite 35mm, I plan to carry these 3:
  • Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN
  • Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN
  • Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN
I use the 35mm for most of my work, but am trying to "learn" the 50mm. The 24mm is more of an emergency lens for tight spaces.

I have sold all of my other L-mount glass, since I don't like to keep photo gear that isn't getting regular use. I do have a few vintage manual focus lenses that I like to adapt from time to time.

What are (or would be your choices for a minimal "3 lens kit"?
 
Excellent choice!! I would go with the Sigma 65mm f/2 instead of the Sigma 50mm F/2, only because I love the 65mm Sigma and prefer more compression for portraits, but apparently the image quality that both lenses produce is outstanding and they are equally good.
 
I actually had the Sigma 24, 35, 65 as my "3 lens kit" up until now. I sold the Sigma 65mm f2 to buy the 50mm f2. I did love the 65mm for tight portraits, but only used it for that. I wanted a bit more versatility for documentary work, but didn't want to carry 4 lenses.. I still think that I can get similar tight portraits with the 50mm, but also "learn" to use it in other ways to bring in more environment, when the 35mm is too wide.

Maybe this whole thread is to convince myself that I made the right choice in swapping the 65mm for the 50mm!
 
As a landscape kind of guy, I'm happy with slow zooms that cover the range needed - the key requirement is that they perform well optically. These are my current most-used three:

- Lumix 14-28
- Lumix 24-105
- Lumix 70-200 f4

I have several other lenses too, but these are always in my bag for an outing.
 
Although I want to carry as less as possible. - More or less a kind of "3 lens kit".
I don't have such a strict range of lenses to cover my needs.

I choose my lenses based on what I "think" I need to take with me,
depending on the outing or well-considered subjects "known in advance".

As for strict "3 lens kit":
- Panasonic Lumix 16-35mm/F4.0
- Sigma 50mm/F1.4 DNG
- Panasonic Lumix 85mm/F1.8

Another strict "3 lens kit" - (in spite of overlapping)
- Panasonic Lumix 16-35mm/F4.0
- Sigma 35mm/F2.0 DNG
- Panasonic Lumix 24-105mm/F4.0

But eventually I have a "forth" or "fifth" lens choice leaving within a car.

But opposite to "more lenses" I have at my disposal.
It could be that I only use two fixed focal length lenses for the complete photo shoot.
- Sigma 50mm/F1.4 DNG
- Panasonic Lumix 85mm/F1.8

But also could be:
- Panasonic Lumix 16-35mm/F4.0
- Panasonic Lumix 24-105mm/F4.0
 
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Vacation and trips (photo+video):
Sigma 16-28mm f2.8
Lumix 28-200mm
Lumix 85mm f1.8

For documentary (photo+video):
Lumix 35mm f1.8
Lumix 50mm f1.8
Lumix 85mm f1.8
 
I have different kits for my Sigma fp and my S5:

fp: Currently Konica Hexanon 40/1.8 (I generally prefer a bit wider than normal), Hexanon 28/3.5 (7-element version), Minolta MD 35-70/3.5 Macro. All of them very compact and light; enough so that I can also fit the Vivitar (Cosina) 100/3.5 Macro and the TTArtisan 11mm fisheye into a small-and-light bag. This bag is probably 70-80% of my shooting and is the kit I took with me to Vegas. If I need tele longer than 100mm, I have the Kiron 80-200/4.5 in a lens pouch that clips onto my belt, but I rarely use it.

S5: This one gets a larger bag and larger lenses. The Lumix 20-60 is the one native lens I use frequently, and I add the Vivitar Series 1 28-90 (the 'stovepipe') and the Hexanon 65-135/4 for longer reaches.
 
Last week I was on vacation in Italy and took my S5 with three lenses with me:

Panasonic S 20-60mm F3.5-5.6
Panasonic S 70-300mm F4.5-5.6
Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN

Panasonic S 85mm f1.8 or Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 would be substitutes for one of the others, depending on the use case.
 
My most used combo with my S1RII is:

16-35 F4
24-60 F2.8
70-200 F4

I use my 50mm and 85mm only for special purposes like portraits.
 
Hello,
14-28mm, 20-60mm, 24-105mm, and 70-300mm.
Sold 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200mm f/4, too heavy, but I regret not having tested them with the S1Rii.
 
My most used lens is the Leica 24-90mm (mostly the only lens I have with me), sometimes combined with the Sigma 17mm 4.0 dg dn or Sigma 50mm 1.2 Art
 
I don’t have a single 3-lens kit, but I do have three kits:

1. For astro, I carry the Sigma 14mm F1.4, 20mm F1.4, and 28mm F1.4. If I think the situation calls for it, I might leave the 14 behind and take the Panasonic 50mm F1.8 & Sigma 65mm F2. I’d love to replace the 28 with Sigma’s new 35mm F1.2.

2. I’m still working on what my “critical” landscape kit might be. Going through some changes right now in terms of the kinds of images I want to make. But I’m leaning towards the 16-35, 24-105, and the new 100-500. The 100-500 is probably overkill, but I like what a telephoto can do from a composition standpoint - like getting a butterfly on a wildflower without having to tromp off the trail and/or spooking the butterfly. And in the right situation, that 100-500 should be able to obliterate the background. Something I’ve liked with the 150-600, which is simply to heavy for me to carry regularly.

3. An ultra-light kit might be the 28-200 & 16-35. Or maybe the 24-60 F2.8 & the 100mm macro.

But I just don’t know right now. Change is hard. How is that for decisiveness? LOL.
 
I used to go out with three lenses but found it was more than I really needed, so these days I just go out with two lenses.

S5ii with Lumix 24-105mm and 70-300mm
(or sometimes Lumix 14-28mm and 24-105mm)

S9 with Lumix 18-40mm and Sigma 90mm f2.8
 
Erik_A said:
I think that I have finally settled on my standard "3 lens kit" that I use for my documentary photography work with my Lumix S5. See examples: https://www.instagram.com/erikannis/

After selling/swapping out a few lenses on either side of my favorite 35mm, I plan to carry these 3:
  • Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN
  • Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN
  • Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN
I use the 35mm for most of my work, but am trying to "learn" the 50mm. The 24mm is more of an emergency lens for tight spaces.

I have sold all of my other L-mount glass, since I don't like to keep photo gear that isn't getting regular use. I do have a few vintage manual focus lenses that I like to adapt from time to time.

What are (or would be your choices for a minimal "3 lens kit"?
Click to expand...

Actually on many occasions my three lens kit would be almost exactly this, though my 24mm is the Sigma f/2. I owned the f/3.5 for a few months, excellent lens, but I sold it to get the f/2 as I wanted the extra speed.

Sometimes I would swap out either the 24 or the 35 for the 90mm f/2.8 or the 85mm f/1.8, depending on what I expected to need.
 
depending on where I go:
last vacation to the Vosges
- 16-35/4
- 24-60/2.8
- 28-200

But most outings (if not all) I brought only one or two lenses in different combo's. City: 16-35, 28-200 for more reach. Long hikes in nature: 28-200 or 24-60. Museums, 24-60 and/or 16-35

Since I have the 28-200 I did not use the 24-105 or the 70-300, and the primes sporadic (because of 24-60).

I agree with @xaviergut, for me the 35 and 50 would be too close. I did a prime only vacation in Spain and I had, in aps-c, the 14/2.8, 23//1.4 and 35/1.4 with me. The 35/1.4 (53mm) got hardly used because it was too close to the 23/1.4 (35mm full frame). I like my primes a bit more spaced out.

Later on with the same fuji system, I swapped. the 23/1.4 for a 18/1.4 (28mm). That was the ideal combo for me. But that is not available in l-mount at the moment.
So my ideal 3 prime would be.

20/2
28/2
50/2

single prime: no question, 35/1.x
 
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For videowork I'd take
Tokina 11-20 ef
Sigma 24-70
Sigma 100-400
+ when i am longer traveling i take more than 3 and when i have a very specific project i take less. E.g. for Interviews the Sigma 24-70 just is enough.

For fotofun i recently take a two lens kit:
canon 35mm f2 ef
canon 135mm f2 ef
+ this is really fun! The 35 is quite light and good generell purpose, the 135mm is just so gorgous in portraits, and is also a decent range if needed. Both are also quite cheap since i can not justify for myself too well if its not bringing in anything.

I am planing to try to replace the 35mm ef with the new ttartisan 40mm 'cause it is even lighter and smaller.
 
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