Quick note: I re-uploaded this video with a small edit as I sounded like a spoilt brat when talking about kit lenses. My new edit does a better job at explaining my thoughts on using kit lenses :)

The best lens is undoubtedly the one you left at home and you only discover this logistical error when you have just hiked up a mountain in Scotland in Winter.

My most stressful photography excursions have been when I’ve had several lenses in my bag. By the time I got to a location I was already exhausted and I began to fumble around frantically searching for the “perfect” lens for that scene so I could get a shot before I lost the light. My most relaxing excursions have been when I only had one camera and one prime lens. Then I just casually tried to find a composition to suit what I had. For me, photography is about stress relief so I now choose to go out with less options not more. Great video!

10 - 200mm f1.4 is obviously the answer. We just need a manufacturer to bend the laws of physics and build one. Oh, under 500 grams please too :-)

“Master the lens you have” - I reckon that would definitely improve your photography

"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop" - Ansel Adams. So perhaps we should expect the same.

First thought: In my opinion the 24-70 is a very good lens to start. First, with actual cameras (at least 24mp) you can crop to get a more tighter composition. And if you like a wider shot you can do a 24mm pano. Second thought: Don't buy F2.8 lenses for landscapes, it will save money and weight to invest into the f4 ones! Thanks for the video, love that kind of videos :) Regards Stefan

"Most photographers don't get an epic shot every time they go out." Too true, just get out and enjoy the moment. If you get an image, it's a bonus.

I now realize that I'm totally liberated! I never get the shot...

The importance of lenses is the reason why I am baffled by the obsession with larger sensor sizes these days. You can get lenses that each cover a wider range of focal lengths while maintaining the same level of quality and size/weight for APS-C and m4/3 and at a lower price. Nikon 24-70 F2.8 costs almost twice as much as 17-55mm F2.8 for example. In the long term, high quality lenses are the smartest investment for a photographer but the focus is almost entirely on camera bodies now. When I bought my first interchangeable lens camera last year, it was the lens that dictated it. I researched and I chose one lens, THE one lens that I must have, and I based my choice of camera body on that. Even if this video is about gear, it is still kinda refreshing, bring the discussion back to lenses. I also think maybe photographers now think too much about how their equipment is limiting them and holding them back. I'm not sure that is really the right mentality to have. Of course, that mentality is good for the camera companies, but for actual photography? I'm not so sure. Personally, I'd rather think about my own limitations and the ways in which I could improve. When I look at my photos, I usually don't think it is my camera that is holding my photography back. That's why I like to like to buy photography books and visit Instagram and Flickr and watch KZfaq channels like this. I try to immerse myself and experience other photographers work and hopefully learn from them and grow as a photographer. I think that will help me more than any new lens, even if I didn't already have a pro-grade lens.

I really enjoyed this video but may be for reasons you wouldn't have expected. Firstly, let me say that I'm an amateur photographer on a very tight (kit lens) budget. I've been viewing your vids during lockdown and I'm now venturing into landscape photography, mainly due to you. The reason this video spoke to me so deeply is that, prior to lockdown I used to give talks to cancer patients and their family / carers for a cancer charity, to help them with the psychological and emotional issues related having cancer. The courses were based on a process called ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. The first part of this is, Acceptance and we try to encourage people to apply Acceptance, not only to cancer but to all parts of their life. I don't know if you've previously experienced ACT but you're non-rant was was an excellent demonstration of how to apply it to any part of your life. Thank you for this and all the other videos. I will be sharing this one with people who will make use of it in a way I don't think you expected. Wayne John

Next week's video why s 40mm prime is what you really need 😂

Thanks Tom, I always appreciate your honesty. We have the same issues with wildlife photography, we see the lenses the pros use and think we need those to get the best shots, when you can get very nice shots with much more affordable gear. I agree with your comments re social media, it can be very overwhelming when starting out seeing all these epic shots when your own shots don't look anything like them. Over time I have learnt to enjoy the process more than the result, that way you still have a good time regardless of the final shot. Cheers, Duade

"Is tought (when you can't get the shot you want) and it takes time (to get used to take the pictures that you can with what you have). But it's liberating and its fantastic. You really start to enjoy the true meaning of photography. Which isn't to be the biggest/best person in Instagram. It's to be out there, connect with the outdoor and to have a nice momento to yourself." So good to hear that. That is what keep us photographers going on and on with what we have and taking pictures of what we can.

“Master the lens you do have” best advice ever!!!

Thomas - thank you. This is probably one of my favourite videos of yours. It’s honest and cuts through the crap that others sometimes put out about “MUST HAVES”. There’s a shot for every focal length, and I believe that learning how to shoot with what you’ve got is the key to producing better photos. Was really considering buying your book before, and I think this has pushed me over the edge. Thanks again.

Best lens is the one you can actually carry.

Really like the idea of going out with just one lens with a specific idea in mind of how you want to apply that lens in a given situation. So much more liberating and also less to carry on a long hike.

Let's see if I can remember what I wrote first time round. Many years ago when I first started in photography, I could only afford a camera and one lens. If I was starting out today I would choose an a73 and a 24-105mm G lens. Of course one lens will not cover all situations. But, the 24-105mm will cover most. Oddly enough though, if I had to choose 2 lenses it would be the 16-35mm and 70-200mm. And for 3, I'd either add a 50mm prime or keep the 24-105mm which is what I chose. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself to get a great shot whenever I traveled. But, these days I still try to get the best shots I can, but I don't worry if I don't get a great shot. I just try to enjoy the beauty of nature wherever I am first and if I get a great shot that's even better.

Thomas! I can’t tell you how much I appreciated this video. As a hobbyist, and still relatively new photographer this was probably some of the best advice I’ve received. I’m always appreciative of your perspective and suggestions. Keep them coming!

Quick tip: if you’re a landscape photographer, do not ignore quality older lenses, especially manual focus or adapted glass.

That is such a positive mind-set to be in. Its also nice sometimes to just enjoy what's happening and not focus on taking images

5D Mark IV still one of the best Cameras out there at the moment imo EF glass rules 🤗😂😂😂

Good to see the thought processes are felt by others! I personally think that this issue of 'getting the shot' is compounded when you are a hobbyist and have a social media account....I myself suffer with this. I find that i can slip out of the moment by pressurising myself to have some kind of 'result' for the effort. I therefore went for the many lenses option that put a hole in the wallet. Looking back i think you are right by focusing more effort on asking yourself 'why' you are taking the photo.

Hey Tom, great message. I’ve always been happy, and avoided all ‘gear anxiety’, by just shooting with a single prime. That’s it. Nothing else. It’s all you need to make images, and you can spend all the rest of your money on travel, trips and experiences... You win, hands down, in the end. Love the channel.👊🏻

Very interesting video Thomas! When I recently upgraded my camera to the canon eso r, I got the 24-105 kit lens with it, and I’ve been planning on getting the other f4 wide and telephoto when the come out, but I found that as of right now, with the photography I’ve been shooting, I haven’t even need those focal lengths. Sorry that was probably unnecessary, great video though! Keep it up man!

It’s so easy to fall into “if I buy this lens then I’ll get the shots I want” but honestly that’s an endless cycle. I’ve found I’ll carry multiple lenses “just in case” but I usually only use one of them. I also have found that I don’t like zoom lenses. Having every focal length between A to Z is just another thing I’m focusing on instead of the scene, and moving around to frame the shot is one of the fun experiences of photography for me. I like the last part of this video. Maybe the answer to “which lens do I need for this shot” should be “the one you have”

I’m a beginner photographer. I travel and love landscape photography. So I ended up buying the nikon 18-300. While it might only be a step up from kit lens it is perfect for me or someone you who can’t or doesn’t want to carry so many lenses. For now it works for me. While I might not be the advanced photographer that follows you but I love your videos and look forward each week to them. Thanks for your hard work to producing great content each week.

“Master the lens you do have” genius !! Thanks for all you do

Very thoughtful comments... “master the lens that you have” ...and the camera! So true. I have to admit I have too many Fuji lenses... and the ones I use most are the light and underrated 18-55 and the nearly-do-it-all 18-135 which is surprisingly good at its f8 sweet spot. As another person said, if you want a stress free day, just take one camera and one lens. If you have a particular shot/location in mind then work out exactly what you need and take only that.

Thought I had lost it when suddenly the video disappeared... glad its back :-) Great advice, I would also suggest its better to buy a good quality secondhand (L type) lens than a similar priced new kit type lens. That's what I had to do and I am very happy I did, the glass makes all the difference as you say :-)

'Be ok not having it, but master the les you do have'... This is so true! I used my 30mm 1.4 lens for years before I saved enough for some good glass. I learned so much by using only one lens. Thanks again Thomas for another great video!

I can live with the fact of taking all my lenses everywhere (great pain for my back but no regrets!) and coming back with no shot. But I can't live with the idea of coming home with no shot because of that lens I didn't take with me :D

This is why I like your channel, it's about the really important things: photography, nature, hiking, mastering difficult circumstances, failure, rules and braking rules (in photography), hopes, luck and disappointments... just honest. This is pretty rare nowadays on KZfaq. Thank you for the great content since years! (sounding like a fanboy..)

This is the hardest thing I had to learn over the years : to not be frightened by not getting a shot. I now take the time to look at the scene with the two best lenses I always have with me, my eyes.

I don't think I will ever be bored of your videos. I really enjoy your content Thomas! It is so broad and very genuine.

I went to my local woodland last weekend. I normally go out with my 80D, 3 lenses, a tripod, filters, batteries... etc. This time though, I went with just an X100F with its fixed 35mm eqiv, shot nothing but jpg and loved every minute. No bag, no fussing around with a tripod, no swapping lenses.. it was so much fun!

Great points! This is one of the best answers to this question that I’ve heard. It’s easy to feel restricted by your gear, but I look at it as a challenge to exercise my creativity.

Adam Gibbs has done some fantastic work with his 24-120 ‘kit’ lens on the D850, so it certainly can be done. Of course he is now shooting the Fuji GFX, so you may want to check with him if interested in trying that route.

Best video on this topic, and I have watched a fair few trying to decide which lens to purchase. Thanks Thomas, you were entertaining as well as being realistic. It helped me to know what to do.

Alright broseph, whatever you were sipping on before shooting this video has been deemed a new prerequisite for all future videos. For it is with this attitude that you will help the most people. And yes, not getting the shot is absolutely the correct way to look at photography. Hell, that's the correct way to look at life itself. Bruh, so deep. (also, "buy all the lenses" is a perfectly valid answer as well, mainly because I sleep better with that justification after having gone that route myself)

Your advice on not getting a shot every time and all the influence of social media is the best advice you've ever given out of all the good advice you do give. Very true and good to hear from a pro....

My first "professional" lens was second hand 70-200 f4 L. I instantly fell in love with it and I still use it till this day even on mirrorless system. As hobbyist I don't need nothing more fancy.

Happiness is wanting what you have..... Struggled with that in the past...one just has to get it or you'll never be happy. Now onto your site to look at the book and such. Keep the videos coming - frankly, the telephoto is a good option video you did meant a lot to me. Jeff

I'm glad to have my Micro Four Thirds Camera, where I can get the "holy three" together for under 1000€ 🤣 (used and with luck lol)

Do you feel pressured into buying a new system. Due to current body being discontinued. What system have you in mind. Interesting to see what you end up purchasing.

Great video! I have that struggle. I have both primes and zooms but my newest upgrade has been a life saver as it covers pretty much anything. I upgraded from 24-85 to the 24-120 and that extra length has been such a bonus. I now only really go out with that lens and my wide angle.

I appreciate your comments on feeling the visceral pain of missing a shot, which has happened to me numerous times over the years. I'm glad you have come to terms with it. I'm not there yet, but maybe your thoughts can help.

thank you. I just switched to the Mirrorless R6 and had to pick which images I needed. Finally settled on the ones that work for me and my photography.

I think this is really one of the best videos about this topic on KZfaq. One thing I would recommend to new photographers is buying cheap old manual lenses in the focal length they're 'missing'. Nowadays almost everyone shoots mirrorless and you can get old Minolta lenses with adapters from eBay for less than 50$ each. They're primes, and a bit limited, but perfect to start and get great results. Just get a 135mm and 200mm and you're good to go next to your kit lens and a potential extra wide angle!

I liked the video, bought one of your books, and now I'm commenting. Mad support for you, Thomas. I enjoy your photos, your channel, and your pleasant tones (even when you're ranting). Thanks for doing what you do and bringing us along for the ride. :)

I bypassed the expense by buying some quality vintage lenses. If you're doing landscape then you've probably got the time to manually focus.

I'm okay (at the moment) using kit lenses because they serve the purposes of my photography. But I also appreciate understanding other options and love those AHA moments when you pros articulate something I was thinking. It makes me feel better about where I'm at in my photography journey (and budget!). Love the new calendar that arrived this week!

Lol I think you did nail it though, “WA for seascapes, 24-70 for forests and telephoto for mountains.” Pick one of those and master that and be ok with not getting every shot. Solid advice.

Great video Thomas! You mentioned upgrading your camera, I recently upgraded to the Canon R5 and found it to be phenomenal! The RF mount glass is amazing but expensive, but the EF glass adapt perfectly. Hope you are having a great day!

Love your work Thomas, really interesting, sincere and inspiring.

Too true. I've had a bad back for a while now just taking the camera and 24-105 has made me more selective about images. Love the vid.

I'm really glad you're thinking about moving onto mirrorless soon. For those of us who have to buy secondhand, if people at your level are going to be selling their gear then the camera and lenses I want should drop in price a bit 👍

As I have learned with many other hobbies using 'tools', brush, pencil, lens, etc., it's not always the tool,, but the person behind the the tool.

If it is just a hobby and not your main source of income, then as soon as you start stressing out about your photography then it is time to look for a different hobby. I have made do with ‘kit lenses’ for a number of years and I am satisfied with the results I get. Thank you Thomas for a realistic viewpoint on this...

The whole thing about figuring out what focal lengths you shoot is why I've decided to invest in the new Nikon 70-200 2.8 lens. I find myself so often with the 24-70 shooting at 70mm and wishing I had more reach, so it makes sense that my first "Holy Trinity Lens" be a 70-200. I'm planning to make this my go-to walkaround lens, though I'm sure I'll miss having a wider angle occasionally when if I leave my other lenses behind. If this works out as well as I think it will I'll also pick up a 2x TC so that I can also get wildlife shots if the occasion arises. For wide angles I can always shoot composite images if I see a shot I absolutely have to have.

The short answer is: it depends. The long answer is: it depends a lot.

Why would you need new lenses when switching to a mirrorless camera? If you get an EOS R you can just get an adapter. Apparantly there is no loss in quality using an EOS R adapter for EF lenses.

Great video...agree with the importance of lens quality. That's why I stayed with Canon when going mirrorless. My high quality EF L lenses adapted easily when I upgraded to the mirrorless system. I slowly accumulated a few RF L lenses ( pricey, but worth every penny). Their quality surpasses any other. My favorite is the RF70-200 2.8 L- very compact and outstanding! If I have to travel with only one lens, it would be the RF 24-105 f4 L.

As someone who has worried too much about what lens to bring and use, what should I upgrade to, etc. it really does boil down to what do I have on me. Lately, I've just been having fun keeping my 50mm on for landscapes. I have a wide angle lens and a telephoto, but the fixed focal length has been forcing me to readjust my thinking on composition. Granted 50 can still cover a wide area, but having options sometimes causes me to 'miss shots'. After I get more comfortable with this, I'm aiming to swap for my tele, keep it on my camera for a good while, and challenge myself to readjust again. I think you hit the nail on the head bringing up social media. Everyone is different, but I think most of us are in photography for the joy it brings. And when you produce a shot, one that you are proud of, after a challenging day or what have you, it's a wonderful feeling. Keep it up, your videos are great

When I moved from Canon to the Sony A7III, I wanted that one lens to do as much as possible, I went with the Sony 24-105mm, with an L-Bracket it's a decent all-in-one package for landscapes, If I need wider I can do a simple 3-4 vertical Pano to create an 18mm ish shot.

Thomas, It is so good to get your reality check on which lens to use. I choose the lens based on the framing of the picture and composition. Sometimes a long lens and sometimes an 18-36mm

Yeah. A new lens won’t add 500 luminosity masks to your image and replace the sky. 😏 Instagram can be quite frustrating to look at as a new photographer. Find your style and realize, that over time, it will change. So will your gear. It’s impossible to get there in one day.

Tons of thanks for a Wonderful video on photography. This is a liberating experience for me to listening to you. You literally saved my time and energy for watching countless videos on KZfaq. Subscribed.

I keep coming back to this video, much like body dismorphia you see the online content and often smite down your own because all of theirs are bright and beautiful. For someone like myself with very little financial backing this gives me much comfort. Cheers Tom

Good update, thank you Tom. I appreciate the update. More expensive better be better otherwise why does it exist, but is it better enough to notice? What I look for is a lens that let's me do something I can't do with my current kit - longer, wider, faster, lighter? Perhaps more flexible because of a couple of those? I appreciate your examples - seascape with UWA zoom, woodland with standard zoom, peaks with long zoom.

I feel the best minimalistic option is the duo of 16-36 f4 and 70-200 f4 zooms. The main thing you need is a sturdy tripod that is light enough that you'll actually carry it with you.

Well thought out, Tom. Great words

As it happens, you gave some great advice. The options are: aim to cover all your needs with good lenses and if you can't afford them all at once; as many people can't, build the collection one at a time. Sorting through your images to check which types of shot you have preferred could be a good starting point. We must remember though that in choosing those shots in the past may have been limited by the lack of lens choice at the time.

Once again a great and informative video. Cheers!

Good and interesting comments. I keep filling in my collection with 14, 16-35, 70-200, and 200-500. But when it comes to walking around weight and flexibility, I still mostly use the f4 24-120 that came with my D750.

Ahh those beautiful Canon lens...they're the best. Also, I wanted to share this quote from Galen Rowell: “You only get one sunrise and one sunset a day, and you only get so many days on the planet. A good photographer does the math and doesn't waste either.”

Thank you for being so honest. It helps a lot👌🏼

Interesting. Definitely something to think about. Good idea about seeing which lens you use the most from editing software. 👍

Maybe when I buy that new full-frame mirrorless Sony camera I can take your advice. Till than I'm stuck with all of my purchase mistakes, lol.

Solid advice and appreciate your honesty...I've been struggling and feel a lot better...thanks for a sane commentary.

I've got a stack of lenses and cameras, full and crop. Recently when my Full-Frame camera went to the shop I decided to focus on getting the best images I could with one of my crop frame cameras. Now all I want to shoot with is my crop camera and the couple pancake lenses I have for it, lol. I'm really happy with my images too. The kit lenses these days aren't that bad either. I just did a kit vs 24mm pancake comparison video, posting tomorrow; I was surprised by the kit lens quality. The prime pancake is better and I think images taken on that lens look as good as images I took on a full-frame camera with L-glass.

Thank you for using "close-up" cuts when editing. I find it so much more comfortable than that horrible thing people do with second cameras off to one side (I always feel I'm being ignored and the presenter is talking to someone else when that gets used). I'd even be OK with jump cuts, to be honest!

It is always pleasure to listen to smart human being! Cheers! ;)

Honestly I faffed around for a long time over this. Carrying 5 lenses some days. I now stick to 12mm, manual focus and a 55-200 on my fuji. That does all I need, sometimes I need to shoot a 55mm pano but that's it. I leave the zoom on the camera incase I see some wildlife and want to photograph it.

The best lens is always the one I leave at home when I go hiking :(

Thank you for this video. I am currently switching from DSLR to mirrorless and am currently facing this dilemma. Happy to know that I’m not the only one. Purchased book & calendar and waiting for delivery. Keep up the great job.

I'm on the Fuji system, and quickly upgraded from the kit lens on my first X-T20 to a 23 f/1.4 prime (and sold the kit lens to make that happen) and it's been great for 90% of the stuff I shoot. But over time I wanted something longer and when I came to upgrade my body I got a deal on the 50-140 f/2.8 which has been awesome for portraits and some event stuff I have done. But I take most of my pics on casual walks / weekend travel and it's just a bit big to carry everywhere and I don't like changing lenses all the time while in the city. After thinking about it for a while and selling some kit I have ordered the 16-80 f/4, and while a lot slower it's a lot smaller, has OIS and I'm hoping it will be enough to stay in my bag all the time and stop me worrying about all the great shots I took on my iPhone and wondering how much better they would have been on a real camera

Wise. Definitely wasn't expecting that turn of thought. But that´s enormously true. Dont stress on needing new lenses, get to know the gear you already have and search for compositions that you are able to create with the gear you already have.

The best lens for landscape photography is the lens that is most versatile and still offers great image quality. So I'd say the Canon 24-105mm II L IS with a full-frame body. Great coverage, quite alright wide open and tack sharp stopped down, from a rather wide wide-angle to a really good telephoto range with IS. Plus: super lightweight and compact. Aaaaaand - it's a kit-lens, or at least it was for the 5D-series. I don't even shoot Canon, I'm a Fuji-guy, but I'd still recommend it.

Great video, great shot anxiety had really got its hook into me and I hadn't realised. Also totally agree with the pro lense comment, I am currently regretting a couple of purchases where I went quantity rather than quality. Love the channel

Thank you for such sound advice from someone who really does know their craft.

if all you are going to do is post it on Instagram ... use the camera on your phone more than enough dots to play with. I take photos for me so I'm happy.and have 3 lenses I use regularly 16-20mm 24-105 and 100-400 covers most of the stuff I want and my best photo was a dragonfly taken with 100-400 and a couple of extension tubes to turn it into a sort of "400mm macro" came out pinsharp and i didn't frighten the little bugger with a shadow :D

Definitely an impossible question to answer, but a valid attempt! Good vid! Enjoyed it....

The best lens for landscape photography is - undoubtedly - the lens that is on your camera.

Have book, ordered calendar a couple weeks ago, love the vids... a devote follower that loves yer your shots most! Keep er up Thomas... from BC Canada 🇨🇦

When I got my Nikon D610, the only lens I could afford was the 50mm 1.8. I did a cross country road trip with it and have a print from that trip hanging in my house. I also have a printed calendar where one of the pictures was taken with my Canon G9x compact camera. Photos don't have to be pin sharp and perfect to be enjoyed. As a side note, the "kit" lens (24-70 F4) that comes the Nikon Z6 is actually quite good.

Wise words. I've only recently started getting back into photography and taking it more seriously. At the moment I'm fine with my kit lens and find it great for learning. I know at some point I'm probably going to get some more dedicated lenses. But you just can't do it all, and I'm fine with that.

This comment was based off of your first edit of the video. First of all let me start off by saying I haven't come over here just to have a dig at your video or what you're saying, I am a big fan of yours, I thank you a lot and you really helped me push my photography and I cannot thank you enough for that, I have bought the last three calendars that you have released as well as your book which are all fantastic and I'm so glad ordered and will continue to do so. But Yes I agree with you that there is no best lens for landscape photography but this is where the but comes in about kit lenses. Believe it or not I still shoot with the cheap Holy Trinity set and only recently got my hands on canon 70-200 L lens, with a crop sensor body and I think if you find the sweet spot and really know how far you can push a kit lens to its capability then you can get still fantastic images from them. My favourite lens is the 10-18mm and where some people have said that it's not very good lens most of my images for the last 2 years have been shot on it. But do agree with you that kit lenes are nowhere near as sharp as a L lens at all or the more expensive lenses. Hope it's ok leaving this comment All the best Richard My Instagram handle is if anyone's interested on the images @rdfrench_photography

Amazing Thomas! Good stuff. Okay, so no book and calendar. I too am a working photog and unfortunately don't have the coin to get all the stuff but I love your work and I will like and share and comment.