The Essential Lenses Every Camera Bag Needs

You don’t need ten lenses to be well equipped: three or four well-chosen optics, complementary rather than redundant, cover almost every situation a photographer will run into.

The versatile zoom, the foundation of the bag

A zoom covering roughly 24 to 70 mm is often the very first lens to consider beyond the one supplied in the kit: wide enough for a landscape or a street scene, tight enough for a portrait or a detail, it handles the vast majority of everyday situations without ever swapping lenses.

A fast prime, for portraits and low light

A 50 mm f/1.8, inexpensive and available from every brand, complements the zoom perfectly: its wide aperture lets you shoot in dim light without pushing the ISO too far, and for portraits its background blur remains unmatched by an entry-level zoom. See also prime or zoom, which one to choose.

A wide-angle, for landscapes and architecture

Between 16 and 24 mm, a wide-angle opens up the frame for landscapes, architecture or cramped interiors where you simply can’t step back. It’s a lens you’ll use less often day to day, but it becomes indispensable the moment a subject just won’t fit into a tighter frame.

A telephoto, if wildlife or sport appeals to you

For anyone who regularly shoots wildlife or sport, a telephoto from 200 mm upwards becomes necessary to frame tightly without disturbing the subject. It’s an investment to reserve for genuine practice, though: a telephoto that stays in the bag serves no one.

Fill gaps rather than accumulate

The right reflex before any new purchase: identify precisely what your current bag can’t do, rather than adding a lens that duplicates a focal range already covered by another. A bag of three complementary lenses, known inside out and always ready to use, serves you better than a collection of optics half of which stays at home for lack of any clear purpose.