If I Could Only Have One Lens

I remember when I started photography, I wanted to own every lens in the world. I wanted to own the 16 mm, 20 mm,  35 mm, 50 mm, 85 mm, 60 mm macro, 105 mm macro, 135 mm, 24 to 70 mm,  70 to 200 mm, 200 mm, and so forth. If they made it, I needed to own it. I once thought that having more lenses would give me more options, but as I grew as a photographer I realized having the options is bad for creativity. Also, it is not cheap!

Why do people think that having everything means you can do anything? 

There might be some truth in that statement, but why do you need to do it all? Sometimes having limitations can make you better. As I started to narrow down what I was doing, I loved having limitations because it forced me to think creatively.  In this profession, we don’t want to be a jack of all trades and master of none. We want to become masters in specific niches. For myself, I am now primarily a studio portrait photographer who does, creative portraits, headshots, editorial, and advertorial work. When I was beginning my adventure in photography, I was doing street and event photography including weddings. The lenses that I used in my kit ranged anywhere from a 20 mm focal length to a 200 mm focal length. At that time I didn’t have a wide selection, not the best quality glass.  I was primarily using an old 20 mm prime, a 50 mm 1.8 prime, and an old push-pull Nikon 70 to 200 mm. That was my go-to, but I wanted more to have options. I would run and gun with two bodies on me, one holding a 20 mm the other I would switch from a 50 to a 70 to 200 mm. Eventually added the 35 mm, 85 mm, and 60 mm to my arsenal, but I found myself having to decide what I was packing with me for that day based on what I was shooting. Often I ended up just throwing everything in my bag, and having one big heavy bag to lug around all day long.  

Having everything with me really became a burden because I was always switching between lenses checking what looks better rather than using the lens with the intention to create what I wanted.

I slowly began to notice that having it all was really hindering my creativity.

After a few years in the field, I started to settle into what I wanted to do long-term as a photographer. I became more of a studio shooter doing headshots and some commercial work. I slowly noticed that the primary focal length that I was working in was 50 mm to 105 mm. The aperture I was mainly used for my work was F8 -F16. I noticed that having wide aperture lenses wasn’t benefiting me and was only causing a dent in my wallet. After using a variety of lenses, I saw that the 24 to 105 F4 actually fit 80% of what I need and using it in the studio gave me quick flexibility. At the same time, it did not limit my creativity. 

I finally purchased the Sigma 24 to 105 F4.

This lens has produced most of my work in the studio for the past three years. If I could only have one lens for the next 10 years, the 24 to 105 would definitely be that lens for me. I intend to upgrade to the new Z-mount for Nikon 24 to 105 once available but for now the Sigma 24 to 105 hits hard. With this lens, I can quickly switch from doing headshots at 85 to 105 mm to doing full body and three-quarter-length portraits rather quickly knowing the focal length that I need to change to. I began to ask my photographer friends what lens I mainly use in the studio, and to my surprise, most of them also use a Sony or Canon 24 to 105 (or another equivalent of that same focal length for their camera brand). It really blew my mind because I thought I was going crazy seeing myself using one lens so much. We see all these big-name photographers talking about the use of prime lenses and how tack sharp they are, meanwhile the hidden gem in the lens arsenal is the 24 to 105 F4. 

My primary lens kit in 2021 consists of the following:

• Sigma Art 24-105 F4
• Nikon 85 F1.8 S
• Sigma Art 35 F1.4
• Sigma Art 50 F1.4
• Tamron 70-210 F4
• Tokina 16-28 F2.8 FX
• *Nikon 105 F2.8 S Macro (On Order)* 

So if you could only have one lens, what would you choose?