My Lenses – An In-depth Look

I want to take an in-depth look at my lens collection, specifically a range of focal lengths that are quite close together, and the perceived lack of wide angle lenses. All lenses are Z mount lenses, native for the system to get the very best results in image quality, autofocus and lens features.

This article is quite comprehensive, and will give you an idea what I’m looking in for in my ultimate setup. Although I’ve always strived for great lenses, it’s only now that I’ve been able to really get exactly what I want. 

All lenses are to attach to my Nikon ZF and my Nikon Z6ii.

The trinity of primes

The first thing that you notice in my collection is this block of lenses:

• Nikkor 35mm F/1.4.
• Nikkor 40mm F/2.
• Nikkor 50mm F/1.4.
• Viltrox 85mm F/1.8.

They all seem very, very close to each other, and technically they are! However, if you take one of them out of the set, it soon makes me sense.

The Nikkor 40mm F/2 is a very small lens compared to the other lenses, and sits perfectly on the Nikon ZF. It is my “fun” lens that is compact, and feels like a 35mm, but with the reach of a 50mm. Some say 40mm is the new 50mm, and I can see why. 

That 40mm is more than good enough to shoot weddings and portraits, and I have used it for those things, however it is primarily now my ZF everyday lens.

Suddenly, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm make more sense, with the 35mm F/1.4 on my Nikon ZF, the 85mm F/1.8 on the Z6ii, it’s a perfect pairing for most things, while if the 35mm is too wide or the 85mm too long for a venue, then the 50mm F/1.4 is there to replace it.

The widest of wide 

The second subject to tackle is the wide focal length end of my lenses. I initially had an F-Mount 14-28mm F/2.8 zoom lens, but it was huge and I sold it. While using it, I also came to the conclusion that I would focus my wide in slightly differently.

My wide lenses:

• TTArtisan 11mm F/2.8 fisheye. 
• Viltrox 20mm F/2.8.

I’m confident that these cover more than what I need for ultra-wide lenses. The 11mm fisheye is fun as a fisheye lens, however, it can easily be distortion corrected which then takes it to around 13-15mm. It’s a bit of work, but I have set up macro presets in my editing software to correct the image. 

The 20mm is much wider than you think too, with the micro 4/3 equivalent being a 10mm lens and an APSC equivalent being around 13.5mm. I loved my 13mm on my Fujifilm, and this 20mm is almost identical and more than wide enough, while not being hugely distorted like lenses that are any wider.

Zoooooom

As has become the norm for me, I don’t have many zoom lenses, but they make up for it by being exceptional quality. 

• Nikkor 24-70mm F/4 S series. 
• Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7

I use the 24-70mm regularly out on walks in areas I’m not too familiar with, or in areas where I know I might want to take a break from prime lenses. 

The 150-500mm is an excellent lens that I just don’t use much. When I do use it, it’s for the moon, birds and wildlife and that general thing. It is the only lens I’ve though about selling, however, I know it is an important lens to own to have a bit of variety when having fun. 

Honestly, the 24-70mm is a stunning lens that I could live with as my only lens if I wasn’t doing weddings, events and portraits. As an all-round lens, it’s probably the best lens I’ve ever owned.

 

Macro

My final serious lens in my collection is one that I use a heck of a lot. 

• Tamron 90mm F/2.8 Macro Di III.

As the name suggests, this is a dedicated macro lens. A pin-sharp beast of a lens for close-up with with flowers, bugs, bees and any object I want 1:1 magnification. 

Other lenses 

A lens that I bought for around £25 is the Retropia repurposed disposable film camera lens.

• Retropia 32mm lens

This is literally a tiny body-cap, plastic lens of questionable quality that I bought for a bit of fun, and I reviewed it extensively. It is by far the worse lens I’ve ever used for sharpens, CA, distortion and everything else, but it’s fun!

It is sold as a lens that gives you the “film look”, and the images are definitely organic coming from this lens!

Roundup 

I have 10 lenses, all for very specific purposes but that said, I could grab any one of them and have a good day’s photography. I’ve gone for a mix of clinical lenses and lenses with character, so that I can get the look that I want, when I want it.

Every single lens was bought while it was on offer or after a deal was struck (or a combination of both!). All the lenses were bought brand new, except the Viltrox 85mm which was an absolute steal at £100!

I believe I’m at a point now where I think I have the lenses that I have always aspired to own. I am especially happy with my trio of very fast primes, something I never thought, even a few months ago, that I would ever own. 

The only change I could see me making in the future would be trading the Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7. I have to way up the options on this one, as handy as the lens is. Possible replacements could be the Nikkor 24-200 F/4-6.3, Tamron 70-300mm F/4.5-6.3 or the Nikkor 28-400mm F/4-8.

Another configuration that has entered my mind is replacing the Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 and the Nikkor 24-70 F/4 S series with a Nikkor 24-120 F/4 S. I guess only time, and finances will tell!

I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into my lenses, I have a follow up to this that looks at my lighting collection, which I will share very soon.