Daily Archives: July 4, 2025

Two early wide angles, the 24m. f2.8 and a 35mm f 2 with rear lens caps glued back to back!

 

It was no one less than the great John Shaw that said, “I never met a lens I didn’t like….or buy!”   Amen, that same 6hng could be said of me as well!  After all,   a great camera is wonderful, but it is the lens that make all the difference!  I wouldn’t even want to guess how many lenses I’ve owned , but it has to be in the hundreds!

 

A little history; I started in photography in the 1960’s around 1968.  My first real camera was from Nikon. a Nikkormat FTN  that was sold with a 50mm f 2 lens.  Shortly after I bought a 35mm f 2 and a 105mm f 2.5. then it was off to the races!!!!  I stayed with Nikon for 43 years!!!!  After shoulder surgery I moved to the lighter Fujifilm X System,  Only recently I’ve picked up some small Micro 4/3rds cameras and  and lenses which I use for light travel, from Olympus and Panasonic  (Lumix) I am currently shooting with a complete Fujifilm system.

 

Here are some of my all time favorite lenses some images made with them!

 

 

Starting at the long end, my favorite all time long lens was the Nikon 400mm f 3.5 telephoto.  It was fast and exceedingly sharp and even though manual focus (back then everything was!)   It was a beautiful lens!

 

The African Bee Easter!

Two examples above!

 

 

My favorite short telephoto and portrait lens was the Nikon 105mm f 2.5 this image of my dear friend Mike Ellison above and my daughter Catherine with our Basset Hound, B.J. are two examples of it’s most common use!

 

 

 

 

 

Two more examples of the wonderful versatility of a 105mm!

 

My most used wide angle lens has been the 24mm f 2.8,  some examples below.

 

 

Those are some of my favorite lenses from the film era!!!

 

Watch for a future post with some of my favorite Digital Era lenses!

 

Blessings,

 

the pilgrim