What Lens Should I Buy? - A Ranked Tier List
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.พ. 2021
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What lens should I buy? It's hard to know where to invest your money next, especially with all the crazy combinations lenses come in. Here's a ranked tier list of which lenses you should purchase.
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lol so i totally meant 135, not 105 😂 ah well. you get what i mean 😂
I can confirm that the difference from an 85 to a 135, is not enough to really sacrifice the greater versatility of the 85
Are you talking about these focal lenghts for full frame cameras, no? Because on crop sensors is different. For example I'm looking a lot lately at Sigma 56mm f1.4 for crop sensor, which is pretty much an 85mm.
@@StefanAlexandruGeogloman His main photo camera has a full frame sensor, but as a rule of thumb I'd always assume that people refer to full frame when talking about focal lengths...
Here is where the lens itself is important. For Sony the 85 (as one of their first GM lenses) focuses very slowly and is loud for video, where as the 135 is an amazing lens for motorsports (if you're on-track) and other fast movement with the new linear motors, in addition to being amazing for portraits.
I wonder where on this list you would put sony's 12-24mm lens? separate from that I was seriously considering the 24-105 f4 g oss as my first sony lens because it has a good range for flexibility and it has a lot of really good reviews on its quality and sharpness. however this rank is tempting me towards a 35mm prime before I even have a chance to find what range works for me LOL.
I’ve watched a lot of photography TH-cam channels now and this is one of the best. I love how structured your thinking is in all of your videos, and filled with examples and insights.
Felt the same. Definitely a lot of thought prep for the videos.
I think we're due for a new tier list! I really liked the idea of it and the execution was really good. I know this is not so realistic, but I would love to see a tier list of all full frame E-mount lenses. Including all available apertures and even 3rd party lenses like Sigma, Tamron and Samyang. That just sounds really cool and it's also impossible for a person to try all of them.
I agree! Will be waiting.
I fell in love with the 85mm, it was my first prime lens and I use it for street photography as well! I also use my 24-70mm a lot, especially for concert photography. At a show you can't move as much and you have to be quick so you don't always have time to switch lens if you want to. And I think that in this situation the 24-70mm really shines.
Next lens I want to try is the 35mm, I've had my eye on it for a while and it is time to try it finally
Kinda same, i use a 85mm 1.4 and 35mm 1.4 combo 99% of the time. 2.8 is too slow for concerts for me, so i decide on a length or switch lenses even if it's a hassle.
To me a 50mm is the most versatile focal length for general photography. I feel that the 35mm and 85mm both are either to narrow or too wide. I have to add though, that the locations I have available to shoot at are usually not very pretty all over, so I find that the 35mm pulls in too much ugliness. If I were in a beautiful city somewhere, sure I would love the 35mm to pull in much more of the scenery but at this point, the 50 pulls in and excludes just enough. Also, I love the 50's very low perspective distortion, it just looks so honest and natural as if I were there where the photo was taken
i love the insight from this video. i've always just thought i needed 2 types of lenses for vlogging. a bokeh lens (55mm) and a wide lens (24mm).
ive never seen anyone describe these amount of lenses and give examples of them too. great video Pat
Great video, as a street photographer I pretty much use the 85mm G Master and 70-200mm G Master 90% of the time.
Pat, I started using 85mm 1.8 a few months ago and I couldn't agree more. It's typically great for portraits but I think it does incredible things with street photography and landscape you wouldn't expect.
Love the continued content. Also definitely agree I love my sigma 35 on my a6400. Keep up the quality content.
My nifty 50 is crying in my bag right now.
haha so is mine. what have you been using lately?
@@patkay 16-35mm f4 and 50mm f1.8. Pretty much the only two lenses I've ever owned but this list is making me want a new one...
This is so cool. No brands, no gear, only info.
Firstly, your photos are very eye-catchy in an artistic way. That says a lot about the way you ranked the lenses. Newbies might get misled if you don’t mention that this is aimed at full frame cameras. Cheers😊
Love this video! Thanks for the breakdown.
Insightful and genuine. Exactly the kind of content the community needs. Thanks dude. Recently upgraded from APS-C to mirrorless so definitely considering a 16-35 for versatility and creativity. Also, I probably reference “You can’t polish a turd” more than I care to admit… keep on keepin on!
Pat you give genuine advice and you're true to your viewers👍
PHENOMENAL Video! ❤️
Learned alot!
really love your video. I'm new into photography and this helps a lot!
Great review. IMPO the 24-70 f2.8 GM is way too heavy for standard zoom to carry around. Personally, I see it as more of a studio lenses. However, I do prefer the newer and lighter 20-70 f4 G as a everyday carry lens for travel, street, and most purpose lens.
I love this tier breakdown; I've never seen a lans comparison visually represented this way, and it's absolutely helpful. I've heard of the different use-cases for such lens or focal lengths, but seeing your thought process this way was great. My daily, on-me-at-all-times is a 35mm and 85mm. I've found that these 2 focal lengths are so versatile while at the same challenging me quite a bit. I do have a 24-70mm, which is my all-purpose, no-frills lens that I use if I can only have 1 lens to do everything, or on the road somewhere and I want to minimize my carry. I've also found that treating my zoom as "a prime" can help with practice and challenge; so in essence, locking it at a single focal length, and move around.
Thank you! This made my decision to buy my next lens easier!
Really interesting. Thanks a lot. 24, 85 and 100-400 is my setup. I love the 24mm.
I think the choice of lenses really depends on the type of photography. For Lanscapes I usually use 12-24mm, 24-105mm and 70-300mm. For Portraits I use 55mm and 85mm. For Sports I use the 70-300mm or the 200-600mm. For stars and night photography the 20mm is perfect.
Totally agree with your opinion about 24-70. It’s versatile but I never got a good vibe with the images over multiple cameras and lenses I used. For a versatile travel zoom I’d rather prefer 24-105 for the extra reach even though it’s F4 and as with the 24-70, I don’t really prefer it over primes.
When I first started doing photography, I was into travel and street as i traveled around the world. My favorite was the 135mm f3.5 Nikkor. I could isolate subjects and stand off so they were not aware I was shooting them. It was reasonably light and compact and stayed on my camera nearly all the time. My other camera was fitted with the 35mm f2.8 when I couldn't back up enough.
Very informational video! I highly agree with your thoughts. The only thing I would add is to bump that 24mm up to an S. With that much praise, I was surprised that it ended in A. 24mm, 35mm, and 85mm are all S to me :) Awesome content!
Thanks for the great overview mate! Was wondering if this tier lists covers videography as well or would it look completely different for video needs?
Thank you for the video!! It helped me a lot since I am doing research about buying a new lense.
Thank you for sharing your opinnons with us!
Stay healthy :D
glad you enjoyed it!
great video, as all of yours! just discovered your channel yesterday and I really like your approach to the topics. Its not only technical but you often add much needed intellectual level, which I love! so thanks for that!!!
funny to see that the 3 lenses I own are basically in your S category - I have 35mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8 and 14-24mm 2.8 - the zoom one is not exactly the same as yours but similar enough to understand the thoughts behind 😉
and yeah, I love 85mm for street photography, since its not "in your face" lens and I love the mood with f/1.8!
Great Video! Thanks mate! Looks like your main A Roll lens is the 24mm. Wondering what B-Roll lens for filming you would suggest? Is the 16-35mm a good B-Roll allrounder? Or maybe something else?
This is so helpful and explains why I struggled with some lenses in the past like the Sony 20mm 1.8. I've just bought into a new system and I'm going to think about getting the 16-35 for the very first time. Also I can't wait for your Pokémon Tier List. :)
I've gotten used to shooting with 50mm f/1.4 over the years since my dad lent it to me. I've grown to really like the focal length, but I'm wondering if a 70-200mm would be a zoom lens I want for shooting at a race track.
This video is awesome! I was thinking the same thing for my set-up...16-35mm and 85mm for max versatility.
no wonder your setup looks so crispy. the 24mm f1.4 looks so good. have you tried 28mm or 35mm for talking head shots? or is it just too tight?
Good recommendations! I have the 24-70mm and 50mm lenses for my Nikon full-frame camera...
My current go to are the 24mm and 85mm FF equivalent lens for Olympus M43 and definitely thinking of getting a zoom now
It's funny that you said that about the 24-70, just picked it up at the beginning of the year and I feel like my photography is progressing quickly and now I'm looking to get multiple prime lenses 😭
Woooooooooo, Pat Kay for the win
This tier list is gearing towards street photography/astro/landscape and i definitely agree with it. But If you are a sport and wildlife photographer, those small lenses are in B C tier, those 70-200, 100-400, 200-600 will be in A or S tier. Like me aswell. Haha. Its also important to understand which type of photogrpahy you would focus on.
Really agree w/ the 85mm as an every day carry!
I think the best lense for a beginner to buy,..will always be the nifty 50.... crisp,bokeh heaven,..affordable..but quality for days!
My feelings, 24-105 is the best general lens. Great for travel. 70-200 is my go to for portraits. Interesting that I almost never use my 16-35 but maybe I should re explore this.
Literally my least favourite lenses
I had a preference for 35mm until recently. I got a 25mm mft lens when my son was born and have grown to prefer it. I also now prefer a 75mm mft lens for landscape.
Nice! Yeah 16-35mm + 85mm and your covered for mostly anything. What's your opinion on the Batis lenses vs G master?
As a college student, I find it very important to do as much research when it comes to purchasing a new lens. I was fortunate enough to have had an internship where my skills I had prior were challenged and it forced me to think differently when it came to fulfilling what the client wanted and how I was going to produce the final product. I think the optimal set up to have as a student photographer and videographer would be a 14-35mm F4 and an 85mm f1.8 at least through my experience
Quick question for the new to photog people like me. These focal lengths are obviously based on fullframe format. Would these recommendations change for most newbs that will likely be shooting DX or other form of crop sensor.
Thanks for this video and the channel. I'm looking to learn a lot from it.
I'm using a well used Nikon d-7100 and standard kit lenses 18-55 & 55-200, my but my favorite is the 35 f/1.8. But curious if I should scrap the kit lenses for a 16-35 f/4 or f2/8.
Getting the 35mm soon. Getting the 85mm later this year. Thanks for the video.
For me, the S-Tier is definitely the 15-35 f/2.8, also I do enjoyed shooting with the 85 f/1.2, but I'm not entirely sure on if I will make it S Tier.
The 28-70 f/2.0 though is awesome!
And yeah, gonna try more telephoto. The 35 was my first lens. My old nifty fifty broke unfortunately and I repaired it twice already but... I gave up on it and now it sits beautifully on my shelf!
when choosing a lens for a cropped censor cam, should I convert it to it's full frame equivalent?
When you put it that way. You’re right the 24-70 is a lazy lens! I never saw it that way but I do agree! I wasn’t a fan of the 16-35 because I just used it at 35 for my work but once I got the 24-70 I bounce between 24-50. Thanks for the video! Great breakdown
Love your content!
I am a beginner and want to buy a canon 90D soon.
With the canon I want to focus on mountains & nature pictures - most of the time.
What Lens would you recommend ? Could I use the 16-35mm?
Thanks!
Greetings from Austria!
Hi Pat, sorry for the question but is there any advantage to buy a 35mm over a 16-35mm?
I’m so happy with my 35mm f1.4 gm. My next choice would be the 85 gm so you’ve confirmed I’m on the right track
Hi @patkay - came across your page today, loving your videos, very helpful! I earlier watched your video 'The Best Beginner Camera 2023' and took a lot from it - thanks for posting.
Out of the 16-35mm and 35mm lenses you ranked as top, what would you recommend for a beginner? I mostly will use it for nature/music festivals, up close band/DJ gig shots and portrait type photos, so torn between the two you referred - either Sony SEL35F14GM or Sony FE 16-35mm F2.8 GM. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you.
Favourite focal lengths for me are 28mm, 40mm and 77mm (referring ofc to the Pentax 77mm 1.8). Absolutely love your work mate, and your videos have inspired me to get out more!
I also love 40mm, it works so well for so many things. The little Sony 40mm f2.5 G is such joy to use
As an anime cosplay photographer, I use a Tamron 28-75 f2.8, and a Sony g master 70-200 f2.8. I love the bokeh and background compression they give me. I'm dying to get a wide lens though!
I really dont know what to say But, whenever I see your videos I feel Very very Happy :) Keep creating such Great and Interesting content Pat! Lots of love from India!
thanks for watching =)
Hey pat! Another great video! I was looking for an excuse to buy another lens (not that we really need one right?😂)
Also, i noticed you have ads now! Wow that was quick! Congrats man!
haha totally; lenses don't really need excuses huh 😂
and thanks! it's been an interesting little journey this one!
I only have have the kit lens then some vintage lenses, but I love my 55mm f1.8
Not a photographer, but I thoroughly enjoyed this, I really wanna buy one now
😢😢
haha at least you know where to get started now if you do!
Hi Pat, thanks for this insightful video, I notice you have the 55mm 1.8 in your gear, do you prefer it over the 50mm 1.4
yup! definitely. it's like a quarter of the size and weight, just as sharp, and barely any difference between 1.4 and 1.8
I love 35 soooooo much, and 85 is its best friend for sure
totally agree!
Yup, works on an APS body as well
Hey patkay, do you think the 16-35 GM is still a worthy buy today? would there be a GM II possibility to wait for or should i invest in the 16-35 presently?
Lens are tools, so your requirements will be what dictates what your needs are. A bird photographer wont get a 35mm prime wherein his need requires a 200-600mm. The recommendations you have are based on your needs as a travel photographer. Nothing wrong with that, it's a great list if you're a travel photographer. Good review and opinions on the lenses.
Really helpful.
Say man, what lens should i buy first if i want to do portrait photography, landscape as well and incorporate some video work as well. I own a 35 sigma dg hsm(the first sigma 35mm model) and a zeiss 55mm. Both on a Sony a7iv. Ive been interested in a sony 20mm 1.8, 24 gm 1.4, 35gm 1.4 to replace my current 35, Sigma 85mm 1.4, 24-70 dg dn. Stuck between all these on choosing which one to buy first. What would you recommend?
I guess my personal S tier would be: 24-70mm F2.8, 35mm F1.4 and 85mm F1.2/F1.4/F1.8 (depending on the lens itself! a sluggish F1.4 is worse than a quick F1.8 for me). You can argue though that for Sony GM the 24-70mm right now is one of the weaker lenses in the line up and needs a rehash (just as the 85mm F1.4).
A tier would be: 24mm, 50mm, 105mm OR 135mm (just because I wouldn't use both, but each of them has advantages) 16-35mm (though I do not own one myself), 100-400mm OR 200-600mm and depending on use case probably prime tele lenses >200mm as well as prime wide lenses
I don’t know how I feel about all of these picks. But your superior list is my current kit exactly. Plus I let the 50mm hang out in the superior tier too.
One year later and the 24-70gm ii has been released - has it changed your thoughts on that FR? Seems to nearly match the quality of all primes in the range. I can’t be hauling around 5 different sony GM lenses all the time. Too often I have missed the shot due to being too wide/too narrow and don’t have time or the opportunity to break open my bag and start swapping lenses
Thank you
Yes,,,new video 😍😍😍
hehe thanks for watching!
Dear Pat! Do you think the 16-35 is better than a 12-24 + 24-70?
Newbie using 35 85 and 70-200. I just dont need more than that right now. Well extension tubes for macro but not used often.
My S tier lenses are: 24-70mm f4 (yes I felt attacked when you put it as an A lol), 50mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8, A: 70-200mm 2.8, 20mm 1.8, 14-30mm f4, B: 105mm Macro. Being that I am a Nikon Z owner, a 16-35 is not available, but a 14-24mm 2.8 is. The 24-70 has a 2.8 version available, I may move to it at some point. I agree with most of your choices, excellent reasoning for usage, looks, and aspects. I am definitely going to get a 35mm 1.8.
My experience has been moving from F mount, selling off the F mount lenses, and moving over to all Z.
I agree with your list (mostly haha)
As a hybrid shooter, I mainly do portraits and record portrait videos, B-roll, and dance videos.
I use the 85mm 1.8 (80% of the time when I do photography)
I own a 16-35mm however my clients gravitate towards the photos from the 85mm. So I keep the 16-35 for video.
I recently got the 20mm 1.8 from sony. Extremely happy with it. It gives me the soft background that my F4 16-35mm couldn't give me, and I use it for both photo and 90% of my video work.
In terms of telephoto, unless I am shooting concerts or shows, I never use them. (I have a cheap telephoto kit lens from sony which is sharp enough for my needs) however, when lockdown is completely lifted and I see enough event jobs, I'll look for a 70-300mm as you advised!
Had the same problem, tamron 17-28 2.8 solved it. Great close focus distance and bokeh.
What program/app did you use to make the visual tier list itself?
Curious to get your perspective on something I've been grappling with. I have a Canon 6D (Mark 1) dslr body since 2015, which has been around since 2012, making it almost a decade old. I am very comfortable with it and I invested in a 70-200 f2.8 for it when I was getting paid to do sports photography and eventually paid for itself. But I no longer do paid shoots but never sold it because I felt like if there was a gig, I'd be ready. It's been 3 years since my last gig and I feel like it has aged and need to do something before its value is nil. I'm tempted to go the mirrorless route because of the auto focus capabilities, which my 6D often struggled with. What's holding me back from upgrading is that I don't shoot as much anymore but I feel the need to have -a- camera when I want to get back into it. Should I go ahead and trade up now while the 6D has a bit of value left (probably $300) or don't bother and just buy the new camera when I really really need it?
DLSR is dead in the water, so i'd totally sell it as soon as you can! as for when to buy a new mirrorless, well, that's up to you ;)
another suggestion; rather than going full hard out on a brand new big mirrorless, also consider smaller options like the sony RX series of the A6000 series. they're small, but have fantastic image quality and won't break the bank!
What software did you use to make the visual that you added to your video? TIA...
What’s your opinion on the 200-600mm?
Convinced me 100x over to get an 85mm over a 50mm. I was already debating with myself but now I'm sold!
S, A, B, C tiers. Did you play Lineage 2 by any chance? :)
I just bought my first real camera, a used (but under 100 shutter count) Nikon D5100 with an 18-55 AFS with 1:3.5-5.6G, whatever the “F” that is. Lol! I’m too old to figure this stuff out myself. I’m going to take the Accelerator course. It’s cheaper than a photography class at a community college, and I suspect it will be much more suited to my learning style.
I assume, by looking at your gear, that we are more specifically talking about Sony lenses. I would have wanted you to mention the 135mm f1.8 GM. It is so superlative that even though it may be an odd focal length, it is difficult not to desire it. I own it, and because of the focal length I seldom require it at the moment, but when I do, I just love it.
And what about the new 35mm GM versus the new (still to come as per April 2021) 50mm GM, which is allegedly better... All this require a new updated video :)
The 24-70 was a bit confusing. You say it's a lens that can do pretty much everything so you don't like it, but then you say it's not versatile enough and the 16-35 is more versatile. Though i do understand what you meant with it not pushing your artistic boundaries.
That being said, I am still very much leaning towards getting this lens as I want to shoot sport (to go along with a 70-200).
Wanting to shoot landscape as well as people makes things really tough!
Hi Pat! Im a begginer and i have question. If i have sony kit 16mm-50mm it somehow has worse quality than normal 35mm or something or it doesnt matter? Greetings
I have a 24, 50 and (I have a 60 for macro); but my dream lens is a 85!
im assuming this list is based on the full frame cameras but if i have an aps-c type camera should i calculate the difference, so when he says 35 mm i should get about a 24?
Thoughts on how you'd tweak this for Nikon shooters, where our wide-angle range is a 14-24 rather than 16-35?
i actually forgot to mention the 12-24, which is a lens that would be A-tier for me, so you can throw that one in there with that =)
where would you put a 40 mm on this scale as it is becoming more prevalent in street photography. I have a nikon 24-200 which I love though it's a bit slow, their 12-28 DX and a viltrox 13mm 1.4 which I love for DX use.
What you mention here is for full frame right? So i assume when you mean 35mm is good it is not like the 35mm on an APS-C camera, as it would be almost a 50mm for that.
Haha, I really liked this video! I have the Zeiss 16-35mm f4 and only downside is, well that it's f4 and needs pretty much good lighting at all times. Wish I could use it more for night street photography but Bulgaria doesn't have the best lit streets xD
thanks for watching! i had that lens in the past too - it's great! the OIS comes in really handy for video too if you want to go down that route =)
@@patkay Yea that's true! It's great for vlogging style content
I shoot architecture and interiors professionally and the 16-35 lives on my camera. The 55mm f1.8 is my go to for details and the 70-200 as utility too. I wouldn't recommend anything wider than 16mm for professional architecture work though. From here you start to loose subjects to there surroundings or add too much distortion. It can look artistic but clients don't usually like that. Tilt Shift lenses are next on the list but these are about as niche as a lens can get 😅
what lens for wedding?
What do you think about the 35-150 from tamron?
What about the 12-24mm bro? Haha my favourite!
GFAH i totally forgot to do this lens too! DAMMIT. it was such a great one too. that'd defs be A-tier from me
Okay, because you said it, I feel confident in admitting that I haven't been loving the 50mm. But it's the only lens I own besides my kit lens haha.
no shame in that! for sure my 50 doesn't get as much using as it wants to. what's your next lens purchase going to be?
@@patkay In a perfect world where I could justify spending, I'd go for the 16-35 or the 85. Maybe one day if I ever get my job back ahaha.
Iv'e still been using my kit lens saving up to efenutally hopefully one day buy a new lens :)
so what would your trinity be? 16-35mm 35mm and 85mm? or 16-35mm 24mm and 85mm? I'm assuming all the S class ones? thats a decent kit! :D
I used to have the 24-105 canon, while it was an awesome lens (especially the rf version) I found myself just cranking it wide or zooming in all the way everything else was just kinda there felt a little lazy
Nice system homie! Give me all da lensessss though
just the entire collection thanks
135mm and 28mm were missed...albeit, they are very nich focal lenghts. 24-70 should also be top tier IMO, as they are the bread and butter for lot of event photogs. Other than that, solid rankings that I can get behind. 👍