I thought I would start doing a series on my favorite lenses, realizing of course that I will be scrutinized the entire way. We all have our favorites, and many are brand dependent. We need to face it, there are so many good lenses to choose from. But here, I want to talk about those that have character, meaning that you can easily pick it out from another brand of the same focal length, speed and type because of its unique palette.
I personally want my photography to be beautiful. For me that means that the scene is sharp and looks natural and is always appealing to the eye. For portrait work, I am not looking for the most accurate color rendition, I am looking for a lens that flatters the subject and plays with the colors and bokeh. Something timeless. I find that while many modern lenses are razor sharp and render accurate color, they are also very clinical and cold to me.
My favorite portrait lens for example, is a war-time era Zeiss Sonar. It’s simply magic. I hope to get to all of my favorite lenses over time. So check here over the next few days as we kick off a series on Great Lenses! Email, and let me know yours and why? We might just include it.
See you soon,
Norman