"24-70mm" (the only lens you need)
1
The 24-70mm is a popular lens.
It comes a short-telephoto length (70mm) with a wide angle (24mm).
Its aperture is not small, either. Nikon and Canon sell a big version (f/2.8) and smaller version (f/4).
The 2.8 version is about 2.5x more expensive.
I wanted to try the f/4 version, because at an event, after an hour or so, the weight of the heavier version begin to strain my fingers, wrist, forearms, and neck.
950g (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM)
630g (Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM)
The drawback with f/4 is that it permits only half as much light, so it’s not as effective during autofocus in low-light situations, such as a dance-floor or dimly-lit room. This can be compensated with IR focusing light.
(illustration of two apertures)
The 24-70mm is among the most versatile of all lenses ever made.
At 70mm, it can handle individual portraits by isolating a subject from its background.
• narrows angle of vision (less background captured)
• stand farther from subject
• decrease depth-of-field effect (blurrier background)
24mm allows for greater flexibility in tight rooms and larger groups.
It is the only lens I used for photographing events this year.
2
The other two zoom lenses that matter are:
14-24mm
70-200mm
The 70-200mm is common for wedding photographers. The 14-24mm is helpful for landscape and real-estate photographers.
3
The one thing I’ve noticed is that it happens to be less consistently sharp than a prime lens. At larger apertures, both the Nikon and Canon 24-70mm appear to blur things that should be in focus.
I sold the Nikon 24-70mm (f/2.8) a year ago, because I never trusted the lens.
I did a wedding it with, a birthday party with it, and a few portraits. But I noticed the blurry skin texture, at times, and decided I did not need it.
Now that I’ve used Canon’s version, I realized it might not be Nikon’s engineering, but the difficult of creating a consistently sharp lens that changes focal length and has a wide aperture.
I happen to have a 28-75mm f/2.8 (Tamron), which I find exceptional sharp, better than the Nikon and Canon 24-70mm.
