Fred Miranda
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 p.1 #10 · Are alt lenses just a distraction? | |
johnvanr wrote:
I know, heresy right there in the question.
Still, I wonder if I'm alone in this: I have a bunch of third-party lenses that I use with different cameras, with the bulk being M-mount lenses that I've used on the M11 (which I don't use much anymore), various Canons and the Nikon Z6III. I also have a few Voigtlanders and Typochs for other mounts lying around.
I find that when I actually go out to shoot something without fooling around, those lenses stay home. I use lenses dedicated to the system I'm carrying. And I'm perfectly happy with what I get from those lenses.
With the alt lenses, I go out trying to find something to shoot, but I end up mostly just 'testing' the lenses and the combination with the camera. Lots of boring images just to see the colors, the bokeh and the fringing. And then when push comes to shove, as stated above, those lenses don't get used.
I just returned to Vienna from spending time in Spain and I had schlepped tons of gear with me that I hardly used, other than testing stuff for one day.
Sure, I know that it's my fault and that I could have acted differently, but I fear that just by having those lenses I'm thinking more about how I could use them than about just considering photographic opportunities and picking the gear that fits those opportunities.
I must add that I'm not a pixel peeper. I'm not looking for ultimate sharpness, but I do like a nice rendition. Thing is I think my Olympus PRO lenses, my Canon L lenses and a bunch of others are right up there with many Alt lenses, at least in the digital realm.
Other than never schlepping so much gear to Spain again, I'm not sure what I'll do, though. These lenses are a sunk cost and they do have a role to play once in a while, if I can manage to not let them distract me. ...Show more →
I don't think this is heresy at all, it is actually a really honest observation... What you are running into is less about the lenses themselves and more about what they do to your mindset. The moment you bring those alt lenses, you slip into testing mode instead of shooting mode, even if you don't mean to. With native glass you already trust the result, so you just go out and make images. One thing that helps a lot is adding some structure. Personally, I try committing to one lens per outing and treat it like it's the only lens I own, no backups. Another approach I use is to rotate my lenses, 1 per week or per shoot, and really learn it instead of comparing it. It also helps to separate 'testing days' from 'shooting days', because mixing both is usually not satisfying.
For travel with the family, I would simplify to one body and at most 2 lenses. You already saw that bringing more didn't improve your results, it just added complexity. It also helps to give each setup a role so you are not choosing based on mood every time, one for reliability, one for character, one for testing/experimenting. And honestly, lenses are just tools, like paintbrushes, they don't need to be used all the time. They work for you, not the other way around. In other words, you don't owe your gear anything.  The real shift is this, you don't need fewer lenses right away, you just need fewer decisions when you go out to shoot. By all means, if you rarely use a lens you can sell it, but if it's sitting in a drawer and you don't need the funds, it is perfectly fine to let it rest until you actually need it.
There is also the question of what "alt lenses" really are. To me, they are simply lenses that can be adapted across different systems, which actually makes them more flexible than native glass. The best example is M-mount lenses. They're native on my Leica bodies, but adapt easily to my mirrorless cameras. In that sense, I see them less as a distraction and more as a flexible option. The key is just being intentional about when to use them, so they don't pull you into testing mode when you really want to be shooting.
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