Lenses
This is definitely the workhorse of my photographic arsenal. This is my go to lens and it’s on my camera 90% of the time. People often say that this lens isn’t that great but for how I use it, I couldn’t imagine having another lens. For the photographers who live at wide open apertures (f/1.2-f/2.8) I would think about picking up a set of primes instead of this. However, like I said for my needs, this is perfect. I don’t live at f/2.8 (I’m usually closer to f/8) and I need the freedom to be able to zoom in and out when working with athletes. Yes, I do portraits and when the athletes are standing still I probably could opt for a sharper prime lens. But, when my subject is moving around I have to have the ability to zoom in and out to frame my photo just how I want. This is the one lens that I’m going to use if I’m only allowed one.
Canon EF 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM
This lens has recently become one of my favorites and the reason why I can’t claim that I use my 24-70mm 99% of the time. The version that I own is the older version and unless Canon releases a new version of the 24-70mm this will be the second version of this lens will be the next that I purchase. If I’m ever shooting a upper body portrait or head shot this is the lens that I reach for. I also love the ability to compress an image with this lens rather than stretching out the background with a wider angle. This lens really helps make your subject feel a part of the scene rather than separating it from the background (can be a good or bad thing depending on how you use it). I’ve heard the second version is ridiculously sharp and can’t wait to upgrade. But for now, I’m more than happy with what I have.
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
This is by far my least used lens but not because of any fault of its own. When I was shooting more landscape work and doing HDR this was the lens that I would go to first. I loved the super wide angle and being able to fit in such a wide scene. However, my work recently has been totally dominated by Sportraits and this just isn’t the right lens for that type of work. If I’m shooting a background plate for a composite I’ll sometimes go for this lens just to be able to get as much of the scene in as possible but it doesn’t get as much work as it deserves. It’s still a great lens to have around in case I need it for a sweeping landscape shot. I won’t lie though. I’m still holding out hope that Canon will release it’s own version of the Nikon AF-S 14-24mm F/2.8G Lens.
