Adam Trahan: My Current Photography Kit

I choose film and a fantastic DSLR, the uber special D780. I look through the viewfinder 95% of the time, live view is for overhead shots and night photography. I choose a FG, I want a simple, compact, inexpensive, durable and replaceable daily, throw in the floorboard camera but make no mistake, if I want to replace digital with film? The F6 is the epitome of 35mm photography, that body is in my camera bag.

But my lenses? I’m at a point where I want to improve my photography by refining the basics. I want to understand more about one lens instead of getting lost in choices of what to use. I’m focusing on developing a photographic style. I want to learn red, yellow and blue, with that knowledge, I can create any picture.

I’ve gotten to a place where I am making deep cuts into my collection of lenses. I have definitely shaken off the “I wonder what this lens will do?” I understand the experience and can see where that long road leads to. I’m keeping in mind where I want my photography to go. This is my kit and I still keep a couple of fun yet serious ancillary lenses that promote creativity.

The below list looks like a lot but that’s my complete kit for three different systems, lens for a manual focus FG, auto focus lenses for a D780 and F6 and the single medium format lens for the Mamiya M645 1000s.

The bulbous business end of the AF-S Nikkor 14-24 f2.8 ED N G FX

My F6 ~ D780 lens kit is about as minimal as I can stand. The 16mm fisheye is a specialty lens used for a couple of narrow applications. The 14-24 is for night astro and indoor architectural. It is one badass lens, those straight lines are straight. It’s not perfect because the front element is bulbous and can’t mount filters. Filters are necessary for certain applications. The 16-35 is my rock art lens with the ability to use filters.. The 18mm serves wide angle applications. The 24-120 serves as a travel lens. The 50 is an indoor family or all around normal lens and the two telephotos are for long and longer landscape shots.The 80-400 can do portraits with its compression and bokeh.

In other words I could further trim this kit by removing the fisheye and the 18 and even the 200-500 but I don’t want to. These three lenses are valuable to me and have stood the test of times in previously culling the collection. The 18mm has so much potential! I don’t use it a lot but when I do it delivers. It’s small and packs performance and potential. Both 50’s are tack sharp f1.8 beauties in MF (DOOM) and AF. The duplication could be replaced by the manual focus 50mm f1.8 AI-S yet the auto focus is necessary. The F-mount is a choice, it isn’t a must. Whether I like it or not, a 50 is how I took my first steps in photography.

If I was forced to choose just one lens for the DSLR, it would have to be the 24-120. Really, but not really. Could you live the rest of your life with vanilla? I could do it with a 50 f1.8 but that’s boring, the 18 is my favorite prime but I don’t want to view the world through rose colored glasses. I don’t want an exercise in one lens although a one lens philosophy might teach me a bit about creativity.

The two lens kit would go to the 16-35 and the 80-400, the second two lens kit would probably be the 18 and the 80-400.

The three lens kit would be the 18, 24-120 and the 80-400 or the 18, 24-120 and the 200-500… That’s not my idea of a great choice but I think I could make it work.

The one, two and three lens exercise above lets me know that I have progressed to a point where I can see what I want to do with focal lengths.

The kit that I own now is quite versatile. The low end overlap is because The 14-24 is such a performance lens but I can’t attach a filter. It’s an excellent wide zoom but has limitations. Eight lenses, that’s it. I could definitely trim three lenses from the eight but I don’t want to. I need just a couple of spices for my meals.

The least used lens is the fisheye followed by the 200-500. Both are fun to own and use but are not necessary until I don’t have them. The 200-500 lies in waiting, it’s the peaceful version of a hunting rifle and a fly rod. The fisheye replaces my skateboard. It’s attitude that I want to preserve for appropriate times, it’s a non-negotiable lens that has earned its place in my kit. The 14-24 has too, if you want to know why, HERE is a whole story about that.

The manual focus kit is mean and lean. A 20, 50 and a 35-200. Pick any one of these lenses and I could live with it but I don’t want to just live, I want to do it in style. All three cover a perspective I want and if I want more control, I can F-mount them on my F6 or D780.

The Mamiya 645 1000s medium format camera is my choice for that size film. My Grandfather is the reason why I got into photography. He used a twin lens reflex medium format camera. To learn the medium format style of photography, the 45mm Sekor C lens was chosen after trying to do it with an 85. I don’t need a range of lens to shoot the M645, I only need patience.

My kit is always open to review.

I always leave the door open, the door that leads to opportunity. I’ve built my kit with spices of content, creativity, potential and self reflection. One of the last questions I ask myself before I choose how to fund a new purchase is, “Do I want or do I need this lens?” The answer is always meet by the fact that I could probably use one of the two 50mm f1.8 lenses I own but that wouldn’t be very much fun now would it?

If it’s not fun, I’m not doing it.