The Holy Trinity Isn’t Holy #118

The Holy Trinity Isn’t Holy #118

This podcast is for Charles in Ohio.

The Holy Trinity of lenses for a full-frame camera is considered the 16-35mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm. Or whatever combination that basically gets you everything from ultra-wide to about 200mm. But is it really that holy? Charles told me that a renowned photographer wrote on their blog that an ultra-wide angle lens was basically useless. What? Really? Seriously? I love my ultra-wide lens. And it now accounts for nearly 20% of my work. So why would this guy say this? By saying this, it means that the Holy Trinity is not holy. One of the things I've come to find is that most photographers shoot what they shoot. They specialize in something. And if they work hard enough, they get to shoot that one thing all the time. The result of which is their world then revolves around that one thing. They think their small part of the photo universe is actually the entire universe, and this is especially true when it comes to photo equipment. So maybe this photographer doesn't shoot any landscapes or interiors, and that's why he doesn't find a need for the ultra-wide. So for him, the Holy Trinity isn't very holy. And to a great extent, that's okay. But I really disagree with the blanket statement that the ultra-wide is practically useless. The fact is that the Holy Trinity is useful for most photographers, especially non-specialty photographers, which would encompass about 95% of the amateur world and probably about 80% of the rest of the photography world. But let's say you're one of those people who like to shoot the same thing over and over again, like birds. In that case, two of the Holy Trinity is practically useless for you. If, on the other hand, all you shoot is macro, you wouldn't buy any of the Holy Trinity at all, right?

Although I still disagree with this guy's rather short-sighted statement, I would have to agree that not everyone needs an ultra-wide lens, or any particular lens for that matter. What you need is the equipment that will help you accomplish what you want to accomplish most of the time. And if you need help figuring that out, check out Podcast 45. Just keep in mind that the Holy Trinity of lenses is called the Holy Trinity for a reason. But I still stand by my other comment, which is the Nifty 50 ain't nifty.

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