99% of photographers will use zoom lenses for most of their work as they provide flexibility for composition at the expense of their light gathering ability.I tend not to use zoom lenses as I prefer flexibility with exposure. Lots of practice and experience has enabled me to learn to change lenses quickly, and to second-guess what the performer is about to do (in most cases) so that I don't miss too many shots.
I still own a full set of zooms though. I find them especially useful at larger venues, and at festivals where changing lenses can lead to my camera getting filled with crud. I also use them for any general photography I may do, including band portraits and landscapes.
I own the following zoom lenses:
Sigma 15-30mm f/3.5-4.5 EX DG
I bought this lens along with my first digital SLR to give me some form of wide-angle back.
The small maximum aperture makes this lens pretty useless for concerts, except at the widest setting in bright venues. The problem is that most venues that warrant such a wide angle are extremely dark and dingy.
I also hate the variable maximum aperture, although I get by with it. The main problem arises when using it with studio lights as zooming in reduces the amount of light gathered, which means I can't really use the maximum aperture if I wish to recompose by zooming. It is also very prone to flare due to the large globe of glass on the front.
Despite its flaws, optically this lens is great producing images which are easily sharp enough for large prints, even wide open.
Sigma 24-60mm f/2.8 EX DG
I haven't owned this lens long enough to get a proper feel for it yet. On the few occasions I have used it, I've been very impressed by it's performance.
My primary reason for buying this lens was for festivals, and general snaps as the range covers moderate wide-angle through to medium telephoto on my D200. It's a very compact design for a full-frame lens that is f/2.8 all the way through, which is ideal.
This particular lens can be quite difficult to find new or used. If I was looking for a lens of this range and couldn't find one of these, I would proabably go for the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG, which is nowhere near as compact, but is supposed to be good for the money.
Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8 AT-X
I bought this lens after shooting Monsters of Rock at Milton Keynes Bowl. That event really opened my eyes as to how difficult shooting with prime lenses can be, plus my camera was filled with more dirt than could ever be deemed healthy by the end of the day.
The build quality of this lens is absolutely fantastic! It's constructed of metal throughout and the zoom ring glides easily from one end to the other. AF is plenty fast enough for my needs as well. Although this lens is not an internal focusing design, the front element is encased inside a tough metal collar, which does not extend with focusing.
Optically this lens cannot compare to my primes, but it is plenty sharp enough at f/2.8 nonetheless, only softening slightly at the 200mm end.
Unfortunately, I think this lens has been discontinued in favour of Tokina's new 50-135mm lens, which is designed for digital only. On the positive side, this surely means that a few used bargains will crop up from time-to-time on ebay. If you're looking for a lens of this range and can't afford the Nikkor 70-200mm VR, I'd keep your eyes peeled for one of these!
1 comment:
Keep up the good work.
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