What is your go to lens & why?!

these are my 3 lenses i would recconend before watching the Video 1. 50mm f1.8 2. 24-70mm f2.8 3. 70-200mm f2.8

he is the first person to ever mention what us crop sensor users would need to get for these focal lengths

It very much depends on what type of photography someone does. For me I do landscape and wildlife, especially birds. So I have 4 lenses which covers me from 10mm right up to 600mm, as I am using a crop sensor camera it is actually 15mm right through to 900mm ff equivalent. My lenses are 10-20mm, 18-55mm 70-300mm and 150-600mm. The first two lenses are great for landscape, while the other two zooms are great for wildlife. But I sometimes use the zooms for landscape when I only want to catch just part of a scene, as I can bring the viewers attention to one part rather that the whole thing. The 70-300 is great for wide open landscape to capture parts of it or for wildlife especially larger animals even at quite a distance, so a very versatile lens that can cover many situations. The 150-600 is my go to wildlife lens, especially for small birds and animals that are considerable distances away. But I sometimes use it for landscape, such as capturing part of a mountain peak or a valley, allowing me to really bring in just part of the scene but in great detail. With those 4 lenses I really can capture anything whether it be really close up or a long way away. While the 150-600mm lens is a monster of a lens I usually use that the most as 70% of my photography is wildlife, but I carry all 4 lenses with me most of the time. You never know what you might come across and may need to change lenses.

The kind of lens you need depends on what you want to shoot. Period. So you might need some very compact and lightweight stuff for street photography like a pancake lens, an even faster zoom lens for sports or a big aperture prime lens for night shootings or a fast prime lens of middle zoom range for portraits. Wildlife photographers might look out for gear that is waterproof. Astronomers will reach out for reflecting telescopes. Divers also need different gear and for some a GoPro style video camera is the thing they need. But I agree that most cases are covered with your choice. On the other hand, you might involve the help of a camera dealer to give you a recommendation and you can try some lenses to find what suits best. Working with your gear enables you to see the limitations of each lens and with more experience you might know better what choice you want to make.

Just got into photgraphy and love learning about it. I just found your videos and the way you teach is really easy to follow. Thank you.

Your channel’s intro!! Hands down!! 🙌One of the best intros I have seen in such a long time!!

Started as a hobby. Always learn something with your videos. Thanks

I know everyone raves about and declares that a 24-70mm f2.8 is a must, but I’m super happy with my 24-105mm f4. Yes you lose some benefits of a wider aperture, but the Sony version has great appearing bokeh and I find myself ok with what it lacks vs what I gain with that little bit of extra reach, which is something I’m always frustrated with when using a 24-70. And when you’re zoomed in to like 70mm and higher for portraits and other subjects, that blown out background looks just as good as most other lenses! All in all, I like their versatility of the 24-105 and find ways to compensate for what it lacks. Also, I’ve found like like 50mm > 35mm all day! Great video though, mahalo!

Great advice Sawyer. I have all those ranges covered. In addition, I use a Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 Wide Angle Lens which is great for landscapes. In addition, I use a Canon 24mm f2.8 STM 'Pancake' Lens which is a great 'walk around' lens for Canon Crop Sensor Cameras.

I wish you had put a link to each of the lens in the description. Great videos each and every time

Great video. Totally agree with your focal length choices and reason.

Dude ! I love your videos man ! Thank you for all knowledge !

Lens list: 1. Full frame- 24-70mm f2.8 standard zoom / Cropped- 17-50mm f2.8 Timestamp: 2:27 2. Full frame- 35mm Prime / Cropped- 22mm Prime Timestamp: 4:00 3. 70-200mm f2.8 Timestamp: 5:44

A year(ish) ago I bought the Canon 70-200 2.8 Mk III. I have since scarcely removed it from my camera. I am constantly amazed at the razor sharp quality of the images it produces and the versatility of it. I LOVE this lens so very much and use it for almost everything. It is truly a workhorse of a lens!

Thanks, bro! I'm totally new to all this. You video explains things in simple details: clear, precise, and understandable without being overly too technical. Subscribed. Thumbs up!

Thank you so much for the tip about the equivalent of these lens to crop sensor. I really do appreciate your share of knowledge!

Here are some ideas for EF full frame: A. 24-70mm 2.8L II (general purpose, very sharp) 85mm 1.2L II (great for portraits) 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS II (macro, subject isolation at 400mm, great reach) B. 24-35mm 2.0 Art (very sharp, fast at 2.0) 50mm 1.2L (very artistic) 70-200mm 2.8L IS III (good for portraits, good reach, some macro, very sharp) C. 16-35mm 2.8L III (ultra wide for vlogging, artistic, stars) 24-70mm 2.8L II (general purpose, very sharp) 70-200mm 2.8L IS III (good for portraits, good reach, some macro, very sharp) D. 24mm 1.4L II (group portraits, wide look, very sharp) 50mm 1.2L (very artistic) 135mm 2.0L (fantastic for portraits, very sharp, reach) In any case would always pick a high megapixel full frame camera, switchable to a APS-C crop mode with at least 10 megapixels, for additional flexibility.

Just actually got a Canon 5D MK3 with a 50mm f.1.8 , i went from a Fujifilm x100F to a classic full format Canon :D

You are by far the only Photographer who speaks my language. You made so much sense. Every word you said, in this video is exactly what I been trying to comprehend. A million Thank you!!!!!

the sigma 24-70 F2.8 ,tamron 90mm macro, 50mm F1.8, at the end of the year i bu the canon 70-300L. i love this.

Whats in my bag is the budget versions: == > 24mm 2.8 STM Pancake / 50MM 1.8 STM / 17-55mm 2.8 IS USM / 55-250mm STM . I actually owned a 70-200 F4 IS L, but the 55-250 kicked its arse in sharpness (seriously), so I sold it. The 70-200 2.8 is a BEAST of a lens! Definitely not travel friendly! Borrowed one from a buddy of mine. OMG! I renewed my gym membership after using it reminded me that I had no upper body strength!

Mine got to be the 16-35 f2.8, 24-105 f4 is my in my bag in case I need more reach. Though I am contemplating getting the 70-200 range for awhile now.

My lens lineup - 16-35 covers the 35mm range w/ wide angle shots (no need for go pro). 85 1.8 portrait and b-roll. 70-200 f4 for landscape zoom.

I appreciate the way you explain things.

Lenses for every photographer, even beginners, the lenses you advised are indeed excellent. We have to consider lenses as a long term investment, but for someone starting out this is way over the top. Canon lenses to consider (in my humble opinion) FF equivalents: Canon primes the nifty 50 from Canon for the price an excellent lens. The lens that was given for free when you bought a SLR in the past century. (Canon 85mm f/1.8 EF a great lens for portraits and lower light situations.) Canon 35mm f/2.0 IS USM less expensive than the Sigma, you loose a stop and you have IS, the Sigma 35mm Art is a faster lens but AF can be quirky on some Canon bodies. zoom lenses The 24-70mm f/2.8 is expensive,. An essential lens for event photography, even for landscape. The 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS arguably one of the best lenses around, the latest incarnation costs around 2300€... If you are more into landscape than events i would suggest the f/4.0 version, less bockehlissious but roughly 1/3thd of the weight, for landscape and even events f/4.0 is sufficient and for weddings you have the bride and groom into focus...For landscape you will stop down to f/8.0- f/11, so what is the point of carrying a 1.6kg beast. You can use third party zooms like e.g. Tamron but CaNikon lenses hold their value more. In the case you want to quit it is less painful... With Regards

Bought a Sony A7iii last year and got the 24-105 f4 for my every day walk around lens. It’s great for the travel and landscape photos that I shoot. Late last year I picked up the 16-35 f2.8 which I’m loving for landscape and some neat street shots. Next up, instead of the 70-200, will be the 100-400 for some wildlife and compressed landscape shots. Also looking at the 90mm macro for portrait and macro. That should give me complete versatility and leave me broke but still married😄.

GREAT video!!! The pictures in the video are AMAZING!!! Keep doing you!!!

I ADORE my prime lenses! 30mm, 50mm, and 85mm. Great video! Thanks for sharing.

Canon lenses 16-35mm f4 (because of is), 50mm f1.4 and 70-200mm f2.8. That’s my favourite setup

LOL - I thought you were going to say the 3 zooms. Good for you going a different path. My first lens for my Sony A7 was the 35 1.4. It's a great focal length. I know people like the nifty 50 and there is nothing wrong with it, the 35 just worked for me as a single lens. Now that I have the 16-35, I sold the 35 prime and got the 85 1.2. I agree the 70-200 2.8 is another versatile lens. I know many people recommend the F4 version, especially for landscape. It's a lot lighter to carry. But the 2.8 just allows you to use it in more situations.

Outstanding advice. Thank you

Great video! Thanks for the help

I got me the 24-105mm - most people call it a kit lens but honestly I use it way more than anything. Just so handy

My Canon ef 24-105 mmL f4 use it for everything. And my 100mm L macro f2.8 My 17-40mm L And my 70-200 mm L f4. The backgrounds are very blurry . By the way the f2.8 is sooo ecpencive. I am working as a pro so I do choose the lenses for me and my clients are very happy with the results. I am a landscape and nature photograoher. I get the results I want. With the f4 lenses I have. Not everyone needs an f2.8 lens. And not everyone is as rich as you are. Good lenses thou. F4 does the jobb just as well as the f2.8. Only a nicer price.

Literally just bought roughly the same equivalent of used lenses for my used Sony Alpha77 I just picked up yesterday. Got a great deal $500 for 3 lenses, the body, a bag, and extra batteries. Not bad for my first real camera. Glad now after watching this video that I got so lucky to have gotten the 3 basic lenses needed. Ready to shoot anything! It came with 50 F1.8, 18-70 F3.5-5.6, 75-300 F4.5-5.6

This video helped me so much, thank you so much.

That was very helpful! Thank you! The appearance of this in my suggested videos was nearly perfectly timed. I'm currently in a position of being able to upgrade my Canon Rebel T3i kit lenses. I've already purchased a 50mm prime f1.8 though. I received it yesterday. I might've chosen differently if I had seen this video last week.

I checked this video out to compare notes. As it turns out, my top 3 lenses (I shoot with a 7D; a 1.6x crop) are a 17-50 f/2.8 (27-80 equivalent); a 30mm f/1.4, and a 70-200 f/2.8. The reason I chose those particular lenses was for shooting fighting- boxing, kickboxing and MMA. The only other lens I currently own is a 28-300, just for personal projects that don't require a lot of precision or require me to carry extra lenses.

Depends on what you need and what pictures you take. I use a 60mm F2.8D Nikkor macro lens predominately. For normal zoom lens I use a Nikkor 35-70 f2.8D. The last is a nifty fifty fast lens like a Nikkor 50mm f1.4G. But, like I said, it depends on what you are doing as not everyone is doing portraits. I mainly take product photos so my needs are different.

Thank you for this video

my to go lens is a 50 mm 1.8: much sharper than the sharpest zoom lens, much lighter, much nicer blurry background, much more light at night, much less flare when shooting sunsets, etc. Just zoom with your feet; just shoot landscapes with panorama merging. I got rid of all my excessive gear; I lost a lot of money when selling second hand,; but I got a lot of money left to spend on traveling Traveling so light: a completely new photography feeling: one camera, one lens, no lens changing, no dust on the sensor, Back to basics ... real Zen photography And; ... shooting with a 50 mm: your photos always look right

nifty fifty Canon 50mm f1.8 - 120 EUR, can't beat that even if it's cropped... move back a bit and it's all fine ;) Have a good one

Major help, thanks!

Thank you for this video! I certainly appreciate an easy explanation of some kind of confusing stuff for the beginner DSLR user. Phones, GoPros, Drones, and gimbals have been my only experience so far. I have a decent DSLR but It's time to put it to good use with an investment in some decent lenses!

I don’t need a 35 when I have a Tamron 24-70 2.8. It is a great lens for landscapes as well. I also have a Canon 50 1.8, Canon 70-200 2.8 is ll, Canon 85 1.8 and a Canon 100 2.8 macro with a 5D Mark IV. Took me years to get all of this (separately) because I’m poor and my husband hates me 🤷🏽‍♀️

Can’t forget about the 85mm f1.2 L that is a beautiful lens

Great video! Thank you

Thank you for this!😊

I appreciate that you include focal lengths for APS-C bodies, as a lot of us still shoot with those - thank you!

No mention of the 85mm 1.4?? My lenses are the 70-200mm 2.8 and the 85mm 1.4. My next lens will be the 50mm 1.4.

Thanks !! This video really help me out .

Thanks Sawyer. Pretty good information!

Got 16-35, 24-70 and the 70-200 all 2.8. 2 where bought 2nd hand and 1 was reduced due to shop use it had been a demo hobby.

Well, 3 lenses 4300$ Edit: let's ask for a mortgage

I use a budget version of 3 lenses, which has worked out very well as a 'hobbyist'. All Canon, on APS-C body. 1. General purpose: 24-70mm 4.0. Still amazing shots, with a fraction the pricetag of the 2.8. + I own a different 2.8 which I'll mention later. Does the job for landscapes and portraits and everything in between. 2. Landscape: 10-22mm. Super wide angle for landscapes, especially sunsets. Cheap, versatile wide angle. 3. Action/Portraits/Events: 70-200mm 2.8. Saved up for this one, but with the recent release of the version III, got a good price second-hand. About 800USD. This is the go-to lens of the pros and for good reason. Detail and sharpness is incredible. AF is silent and instant. Waited 5 years to find this lens at a decent price, and jumped on it as soon as I could. Those 3 got me covered for pretty much any focal length, excluding perhaps wildlife photography where 400+mm would be the standard. But that's WAY beyond my pay grade. The 70-200 does a serviceable job for my needs in that area.

What you need depends on what you shoot. I owned the 24-70 as well as the 70-200 and traded them into 85 1.2 and 200 1.8. That´s what I need more, and what makes MY pictures looking better. But most times I use the 400 2.8 or 600 4.0. Using the above mentioned average basic zoom lenses will only produce average (professional) pictures. But for the beginner a good point to start. But the 70-200 needs an extender.

i would consider also the 85 1.2.

Just wanted to remind you guys that renting an exceptional lens like the 70-200 f/2.8 is a great option for events or weddings.

thanks for the tips for lenses! i also suggest a 14-24 f2.8 or f4 or even 16-35 f.4

Great video. Completely agree. I use a 35mm L prime and looking to get the 70-200 L 2.8 again.

Great Video. I do have on question. I thinking to buy the Sigma 24mm f1.4 and because I have an Apsc Camera (sonya6300) it should be equal to 35mm right ? What do you think of this combo ?

I just came from your live stream on instagram and wanted to say I’ve been watching your video for 7years now and so happy that your channel is growing I remember you having less than 5K subscribers and now nearly 2mill! 💛💛 so yeah i feel like a proud sister from Saudi Arabia 😂💛

great list . thank you!

i was going to give you some crap about that hair you have but out of the first 5 videos i watched about lenses you where the only person to teach me something that actually made sense thanks a bunch will definitely subscribe.

Got a16-35mm f4, 55mm 1.8f and 85mm 1.8f - covers everything I need

24-105 F4, the added compression at 105mm gives you similar results as the 24-70 F2.8. (tried both, the difference is less than the price, for sure). F4 is not such a big challenge anymore, with the wonderful ISO performance these days.

Current set up I love canon 24mm f1.4L II 50mm f 1.4 24-70mm f2.8 L 70-200mm f2.8L Wide angles are crisp on the 24mm and night shots dance shots with a bounce are awesome. 50 portraits feet waist up are awesome 24-70mm save you time and can get every shot if everything is more faster pace and don’t have to worry if in tight areas. 70-200mm is nice to be farther away some people don’t like cameras being close to them and for portraits you would be very surprised. Also for ta ceremony darker light the 2.8 factor makes it with ease and sometime people don’t want you so close during certain moments.

my 35mm sigma prime is my favorite ..the bokah is incredible , insanely crisp

What is the alternative of 70-200 mm for crop sensor camera?

Nice advice! ... though I'll probably ignore the f2.8 part ;)

I loved the video thanks so much, and I'll be sure to get those lens

Great video-thank you very much!!!

Will guess before having watched the video. 16-35, 24-70 & 70-200?

I went for the 24-70 2.8 - 50 1.2 - 70-200 2.8

Great video, really helpful. Thank you

I think you pretty much nailed it for lense selection for what the average photographer needs

Definitely think a 16-35mm is a necessity.

i have the 24-70, 35 F1.4 but a 135F2. i prefer the faster lens as compare to 70-200 F2.8 and i dont mind walking abit to compose...

The amazing guidance 🙏

Love it bro!!

it would be nice to know why you choose the 35mm vs a 50mm? @sawyerhartman

Are used lenses a good idea to buy to save some money?

Very helpful and to the point!

Love your work!!

Lenses are the same thing as calliber in rifels...u need em all :DD

The Canon 100mm Macro lens is by far the sharpest lens I’ve seen and my favorite lens to use for portraits and traveling photography

I simply like everything you said. Sooo cool 😎

if you are shooting on the canon eos R you can pick up their RF 35 mm which also doubles as a macro! Amazing work as usual. Love your videos very informative

from instagram live my dude💛

Theres a million of these videos and this is the only honest one, thanks for being class

awesome. great video!

Good job! Very informative.

missing a wide angle lens like a 16-35mm?

he grew a mustache and i still cant tell where his upper lip is lol

I've watched a few vids to help me understand the types of lenses available (I'm only starting out with a Sony A6000) and this is the first video that has helped me understand. Thank you!!

Love the video man as always :)

Honestly, I don’t think you should own any of these. Perhaps you should. It comes done to one thing, and one thing only: self awareness of your style. For example, I shoot 95% of my work with a 24mm... a lot will say I shouldn’t but why not? I like it. The other 5% is with a 50mm. I even shoot hockey games with it, but that’s because I don’t like to capture these ultra close up shots. So I’d say, know your style and then adapt your gear to it. :) maybe just get a decent 24-70, shoot with it for a few months and see what focal length you like the most, get that prime. Idk, just some thoughts, maybe it brings some value to some.

Two minutes 25 seconds before he gets to the point!

Very honest review 👏