At a wedding shoot last week I was asked one of the most common questions put to photographers on the job. " What kind of lens are you going to use to shoot this?" The other most common one , of course is , "What kind of camera are you using?"Both these are more or less the same question usually asked by someone who believes that the equipment , not the photographer, makes the shot. If this were so I should buy a Gibson Les Paul. Then I could be the next Jimmy Page!
Here is my answer. If I had the choice of only one lens to work with it would be a 50mm. Canon, Nikon, Pentax , Minolta. They are all the same. They are literally the best lens each manufacturer produces. The standard lens is a simple design that is cheap to make. Therefore a very affordable top end piece of equipment.
A quote from Ansel Adams :""Any good modern lens is corrected for maximum definition at the larger stops. Using a small stop only increases depth..." Ansel Adams, June 3, 1937, in a reply to Edward Weston asking for lens suggestions, page 244 of Ansel's autobiography.
Photographers more than ever are so hung up on equipment that they forget what this profession is. Painting with light. Whether you are using film or using a digital capture, the most important element is light and how you use it. A 50mm lens is fully capable of being part of the image capture in a 100% professional manner, as long as the photographer uses it in a professional manner. 75% of what I shoot is done with a 50mm 1.8 . I can achieve wonderful bokeh in portraits , razor sharp landscapes, amazing low light stage shots and great candids all with a single focal length lens! Not to mention I feed my family doing it, which I would say is the definition of professional. I make 100% of my living doing this. Of course I have a fast 2.8 wide to medium zoom , a super wide 17 , a 105 and a 200 that I use in specific situations. The 50mm, though, is used more than anything else.
If you look at any photo mag, photo site or many other photographers web sites you would think that no matter what, the bigger the lens the better the photographer. Posing with huge tele lenses and ultra range zooms seems to be THE fashion statement for many photographers these days. I wonder if these shooters are afraid to get too close to their subjects! One of the most famous photojournalists of all time, Larry Burrows, recorded the Vietnam War frontline using a 20mm wide angle lens more than anything else!
My point here? Don't worry so much what anyone thinks of your gear. Be concerned about what they think of your work. That's what they will pay you for, as long as it is professional!
