Best lenses you've *ever* used?

[nickthetasmaniac]

Just for a bit of interesting discussion, what are your three favourite lenses ever? They can be from any format or style, and they don't necessarily have to be the most technically perfect. just the ones that you've enjoyed most :smile:

No one wants to see an endless list of lenses so please keep it to three and add a little explanation if you like! Perhaps add one image taken with each lens too.

For me it'd be the following, in no particular order:

- SMC Pentax DA Limited 1:2.8 35mm Macro - beautifully made and a perfect 'normal' length when used on APS. 1:1 macro, decent speed and sharp at infinity make it hugely versatile. The Pentax Limiteds are something else :smile:

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- Zuiko Digital 12-60/f2.8-4 SWD - the workhorse. Fast enough, long enough, wide enough, great IQ, sealed and built like a tank. This was the reason I jumped to Four Thirds in the first place and I think it's just about the perfect dSLR travel lens.

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- Cosina Voigtlander Nokton 25/f0.95 - Like the 35mm Limited, this shows how versatile a prime can be, except it does it even better :smile: Obviously, it's an f0.95, which is very fast... But it's also super sharp from f1.4 onwards, has gorgeous bokeh, renders beautiful star-bursts, focusses down to 15cm, and, perhaps most importantly, is built like a lens should be built. The best lens on the market today? I think so

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[Sammyboy]

I use lenses from 3 manufacturers, so I'll pick 1 from each.

1. Leica (R) 100 / 2.8 APO macro
2. OM Zuiko 38 / 2.8 macro (bellows)
3. Nikon 28-70 / 2.8 zoom

 

[NicolasGOD]

For Me

Nikon 85mm f2 AIS, compact and lightweight tele, really sharp
Carl Zeiss sonar ZM 50 f1.5, I like the 3D effect of the Carl Zeiss optics, sharpness is there too, and a nice bokeh full open
Minolta MD M rokkor 90 f4, really a nice lens, only Minolta lens made in Germany, super sharp.

 

[Ned]

I really like the Zuiko 14-54mm and Zuiko 50-200mm SWD lenses. They perform so well at any aperture, yet they're both so well balanced and compact for their nature. There's just something about the design of those lenses that really feels good...

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I also love my G.Zuiko 50mm f/1.4. The colors and smoothness of that lens is superb, as well as its fluid handling. The wide open glow is just pleasant, and it looks damn sexy, too...

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I also love my Jupiter-3. This one is kind of an odd-ball lens as it's not the sharpest or what most of us would call the best performer. It also requires a rather long focus distance. However, the images it takes stopped down are just irreplaceable. It just gives this warm feeling that can't be reproduced easily.

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[Kosta]

Hrm...

hard to pick...

I favour compact portability combined with ergonomics and image character....

I'd start with my 50mm Leica M Summicron Rigid
I also love the OM Zuiko 24mm 2.8
CV Nokton 25mm 0.95

hard to pick a third at the moment...

 

[Dangermouse1968]

The 65 mm on my Mamiya II was quite stunning

 

[Gillymaru]

My three favorite lenses that I have now are:

Nokton 25 mm for micro 4/3.
Wonderful image quality and creative possibilities. It is a joy to use

Olympus 11-22 mm 4/3 lens
Fantastic image quality and such a useful range.

Olympus 50-200 mm 4/3 lens
Great image quality and works so well with the 1.4 x converter. Oh how I want a micro 4/3 version of this lens.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Great image quality and works so well with the 1.4 x converter. Oh how I want a micro 4/3 version of this lens.

+1 :smile:

 

[stratokaster]

The best lens I have ever used was the Olympus OM 90mm f/2 Macro. Selling it was one of my biggest mistakes. Sometimes I want to buy it again but the prices right now are very high.

 

[addieleman]

1. Nikon PC-Nikkor 28/3.5 on the Nikon F3. Beautiful colours, and I still miss a shift lens up to these days.
2. Minolta MD Tele Rokkor 100/2.5 on the Minolta SR-T303b. Small and beautiful. Its younger brother MD 100/2.5 performs great on my GH2 as well!
3. Minolta MD Macro 100/4 on the GH2. Never had such a stunning lens before; it must have been out of this world on a 35mm camera.

 

[harry_s]

Nikon 80-200 2.8 AF-S

I found one second hand for £500 at a time when I had only previously used slow 70-300s. They're worth an awful lot more than that so I got lucky, really. The tracking AF is the quickest I've experienced to this day (quicker than the 70-200 2.8 VR in my experience) and it helped me sell pictures to global car manufacturers even though it was only bolted to a tired Nikon D50.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/harry_s/930081016/" title="Fowlers Motorcycles Motostar Meeting by Harry_S, on Flickr">

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"640" height="427" alt="Fowlers Motorcycles Motostar Meeting"></a>

 

[stanleyk]

I'm with Nick on the 35mm. It's really great.

Also the Pentax 31mm. That lens is just incredible and worth it's somewhat steep price. It's a shame Pentax isn't better known. The K5 is a really great camera.

I'd also throw in the Super Takumar 85mm F1.8. Very few lenses are really good at their maximum aperture. That one is.

I hope they do something mirrorless with Ricoh.

Actually the Q is quite interesting and I would encourage anyone who is curious to read Steve Huff's review which he posted yesterday. I still think it's too expensive, but like the K5, the build quality appears to be exceptional with a magnesium alloy body. That may to some degree explain the pricing.

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Also the Pentax 31mm. That lens is just incredible and worth it's somewhat steep price. It's a shame Pentax isn't better known. The K5 is a really great camera.

I'd happily travel the world with just a K-5 and 31mm Limited.... :smile:

 

[kundalini]

It would be easy for me to say the Nikkor Holy Trinity because they fit in one of my bags.....

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..... yet if I only were to chose three, I would pull the 24-70mm.


The 70-200mm f/2.8 for its reach, color and clarity. Even at or near 100% crops, the lens is very sharp.

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The Nikkor 14-24mm because there is not another UWA lens this good on the market. Being able to get really smooth bokeh at 14mm and at f/2.8 is pretty awesome....

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The Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 micro is another favorite because I like capturing the small world that we seldom can see with our own eyes and it makes for a pretty good portrait lens to boot.....

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[Bokeaji]

I'd happily travel the world with just a K-5 and 31mm Limited.... :smile:

I hear nothing but amazing things about pentax and the k5/lenses...
They need to join m4/3 and make pretty da limited lenses for me to GAS over

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[~tc~]

Bring it back to some native lenses:
Panny 20/1.7
PL 45/2.8
Panny 8 fisheye - nice color and amazingly sharp, gives that "3D" effect

 

[zettapixel]

1) Canon EF 100/2 - nice rendering and super fast AF

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2) Sigma 50/1.4 - my favorite home lens - too big to carry but makes every snap looks nice with any background... even when AF misses a little.

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3) Panasonic 20/1.7 - because I can (and do) take it anywhere.

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I was tempted to include Konica 57/1.4, but I guess it's only an honorable mention...

 

[Armanius]

CV Nokton 50/1.5, a poor man's Lux 50! 90% of the performance at 20% of the price!

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Also love the CV Nokton 35/1.4, another poor man's lens version of the Lux 35. More versatile than the 50/1.5, not quite as sharp wide open, but gives a really good 3D effect.

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[kevinparis]

its hard to come up with just 3... i may have to answer later with another three

but for the moment I am going with these because to me the best lens is the one that effortlessly delivers a shot that pleases me

Panasonic 25/1.4 - 4/3 version shot on E-510

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chorus line by kevinparis, on Flickr

more examples here

Panaleica 25/1.4 - a set on Flickr

Leica 75/1.4 (M Mount) shot on E-P1

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Eat on the Go by kevinparis, on Flickr

Contax 50/1.5 CY Mount on E-510

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Contemplating Eric by kevinparis, on Flickr

whole lot more legacy shots here....

Legacy lenses - a set on Flickr

K

 

[KS11]

my fav handdowns would be my smc takumar 55mm 1.8 m42 mount lens.....i love this fast fifty and maybe it's my copy (fungus and all), the pics that come out from this lenses has some kind of fungal magic to it.

2nd would be the 20mm 1.7 for obvious reasons, and then the 14mm 2.5.