My favorite and most used lenses - and why they are!

When I was presenting at B&H Photo this week, I did one presentation on "The Best Lenses for Different Subjects". During that presentation and my Olympic presentation, I had numerous people ask me what my favorite lenses were, and that lead me to write this blog post.

You will notice that most of my lenses are zooms and not primes. That is because I have always been partial to zooms, and the quality of zoom lenses has increased dramatically over the years, now being on par with prime lenses. I am partial to zoom lenses because I am constantly zooming in and out and reframing my shots before hitting the shutter button.

I am going to list out the lenses I use almost every time I pick up a camera, with explanations of why I rely on those for either the focal length, aperture or both. I am also going to order them by how much I use that particular lens. 

Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8

This has been my go-to lens for more than 20 years. It all started with the EF version and I have upgraded to newer models along the way, but the 70-200mm focal length and the wide aperture of 2.8 has made this my favorite of all time. I use the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 lens for most of my individual and family portraits. It is tack sharp from 70mm all the way to 200mm and provides amazing bokeh (quality of blur) behind my subjects.

Canon RF 15-35mm f/2.8

When I am photographing receptions and parties, I use three lenses to cover the event. I do use the RF 70-200 lens for all my tight shots, but most of the time I use wider zoom lenses. The Canon RF 15-35mm 2.8 is probably my most used lens at parties, since I am usually walking around the event and close to my subjects. It is wide enough to show them and some of the surrounding scenery, and tack sharp from edge to edge. I find that the wide shots are really popular with my clients, since they show so many of the people who have joined them for their big day. When shooting at 15mm, there is some distortion at the edges of the frame (making those at the edge look wider), but in my opinion, that is acceptable when viewing a very wide shot. Even though I do not photograph a lot of landscapes, this is my favorite lens for landscape photography.

Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8

The third lens which I rely on for those same events, is the Canon RF 24-70mm 2.8. This lens gives me a fairly wide view around me, but allows me to zoom in a little more and capture portraits of people with little distortion on the edges of the frame. This is also my second most used lens for portraits, in spaces where the Canon RF 70-200mm f/2.8 is too much lens or I want to take a wider shot to show more of the environment.

Canon RF-100-300m f/2.8

I originally got the Canon RF-100-300m f/2.8 lens for my sports photography, primarily for the longer reach and the ability to capture 300mm images at f/2.8. I also love that this lens, which is VERY sharp, is wicked fast in focusing. 

As it turns out, I now rely on this lens for so much more than sports. I use this long, fast zoom lens any time I am shooting a wedding or bar mitzvah from the back of a church or temple. It allows me to zoom in nice and close to my subjects from a distance and, at f/2.8, do so in low light without having to increase my ISO to levels above what I want. 

Even though this lens is big and heavier than the rest of my lenses, I have been taking it on more and more of my photo tours where we are focusing on wildlife. For most of those times, I will bring extenders with me (but more on those in a minute).

Canon RF 7-14mm fisheye

Most people would think of a fisheye lens as a novelty lens and one not used very often, but I find myself reaching for this lens quite often. It is actually my fourth most-used lens at those same parties I described earlier. I really like capturing super wide shots, especially when I am on a stage, just above the dance floor, shooting down over the crowd. It allows me to capture really nice photos, even in tight spaces, and show so much of the environment. Even though I can correct much of the fisheye distortion in Adobe Photoshop, I usually choose not to do that, as I really like the fisheye look.

This same lens was invaluable at the most recent Olympic Games, when I used the Canon RF 7-14mm fisheye for photographing ice hockey and unique views around the city of Milan.

Canon RF 24-105mm f/4

Even though the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 lens is not towards the top of this blog post, this particular lens does get a lot of use. I do not use it at events, since I rely on the Canon RF 24-70mm f/2.8 lens for those times, but I LOVE this lens as my "walk around" lens. Whenever I travel (and I do often), I take this lens with me. I find that the focal range from 24mm all the way to 105mm is ideal for most street photography. I know that Canon also makes an RF 24-105mm f/2.8 lens, but I actually prefer the size and weight of the Canon RF 24-105mm f/4 lens for when I am walking around.

Canon RF 100-500mm

This is not a lens I use for photographing events, but I use this lens for most of my other photography, including wildlife, sports and even long lens portraiture when I am traveling. There are numerous things that I love about this lens:

1.  The focal range from 100-500mm is perfect for sports and wildlife photography, when you don't know how close you will be to the subjects.

2. It is relatively small and light (compared to my Canon RF-100-300m f/2.8) and easy to handhold. There are times when I use this lens for more than 10 hours at a time, and it is very manageable for me. I also like that I can lift it quickly to catch fast action, which is not the case with my larger zoom lens. This lens goes on almost every photo tour with me, since I need to keep my carry on size and weight to a minimum. 

3. It is a very sharp lens all the way from 100mm to 500mm.

4. This lens lets me focus so close to my subject that, when combining this fact with the 500mm reach, allows me to photograph even the smallest critters and make it look like I used a macro lens.

I don't love the fact that the Canon RF 100-500mm ends at f/7.1, but for the previous reasons I have given, I put that aside and rely on the lens quite often.

Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 

I consider this lens my "specialty lens" and only break it out when I want to shoot images at a really wide aperture, like f1/.2. The final results are really beautiful with incredible bokeh and narrow depth of field, while keeping my subject tack sharp. I use it sporadically, and love the final results. There are many times when 85mm is too much reach and I may switch this out for an RF 50mm f/1.2 lens in the near future. Regardless of the focal length, I do love having an f/1.2 lens in my bag. 

Canon Extender RF 1.4x and Canon Extender RF 2x

 

For most of my photography career I have not been a big proponent of using extenders, but that has changed since getting the Canon RF-100-300m f/2.8 lens. As I mentioned before, I love this big lens, with the ability to shoot at f/2.8 all the way from 100mm to 300mm, but there are many times when I need more than 300mm reach. For those times, I grab either the Canon Extender RF 1.4x or the Canon Extender RF 2x to give me greater focal length. With the 1.4x on the big lens, I am able to shoot from 140mm to 420mm at f/4, and with the 2x I can shoot from 200mm to 600mm at f/5.6. This has yielded some really beautiful photos in Costa Rica and I look forward to using it in the Pantanal of Brazil in 3 weeks and in Tanzania on Safari in Jan / Feb 2027.

Canon RF 100mm macro lens

Last, but not least, is my Canon RF 100mm macro lens. This is the least used lens in my arsenal, but not because of a lack of quality or functionality. This lens is used mainly for weddings, when I am capturing images of the rings and other small details, and also for my trip to Costa Rica when we are photographing the small tree frogs and insects. As I mentioned with the Canon RF 100-500mm lens, I am now using that lens for a majority of my close-up photography in Costa Rica, which lessens the need to bring this macro lens with me. A little less weight in my bag. 

There you go...now you know my most used lenses and how I use them. I hope that this will help you decide what might work best for you in each photo scenario that you might encounter.

I mentioned that many of these lenses are used on my photography tours. Check out the photo tours page on my website to see the exciting locations where I will be teaching in the future. Remember, you can try any of these lenses at no cost (thanks to Canon) when you join me on a trip.

 __________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

_________________________________________________________________ 

FINALLY!!!! I am heading back to B&H Photo for LIVE Event Space presentations!

I know this sounds crazy, but I have not presented at the B&H Event Space in New York City since before COVID. It was more than 6 years ago when I presented there, not knowing how much life would change. The pandemic happened and they shut down the Event Space for years. Now B&H has re-opened the in-store presentation area and I will be there in a couple of weeks for two free presentations (thanks to Zenfolio and Canon for sponsoring them)! 

I did a presentation at the B&H BILD show in New York City last year, but that was at their trade show, not at the store. I am really excited to get back to the Event Space, like the good old days.

You are all invited to come, and if you can't make it in person, they will be recorded and posted to YouTube at some point. I will post them when they are live.

Here are the details:

Topic: Photographing the Winter Olympics in Milan

Sponsor: Zenfolio

Date: September 1st

Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Location: B&H Photo at 420 9th Ave

Registration: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/eventDetails.jsp/id/5218

Topic: Choosing The Best Lens For Your Subject

Sponsor: Canon

Date: September 2nd

Time: 3:30pm - 5:30pm EST

Location: B&H Photo at 420 9th Ave

Registration: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/eventDetails.jsp/id/5219

I hope to see you there!

 __________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Africa, Iceland and more.

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

_________________________________________________________________ 

Really unique senior portraits in Disneyland and more!

A couple of weeks ago I took some really special senior portraits. They were special for a number of reasons. First of all, I was going to be taking the photos down in Southern California, including spending a whole day in Disneyland looking for good portrait locations. And secondly, the images were of my girlfriend's daughter, Hannah, who works at Disneyland and is about to graduate from college. 

We were down visiting my cousin and her husband who have an amazing place right on Laguna Beach, so we thought we would take advantage of that time and location to get some nice photos for Hannah, who lives in the area. Since we were at Laguna Beach, we decided to start there just before sunset.  

We walked down to the beach about 45 minutes before sunset, for me to pick locations and wait for the best light. At that point, the sunlight was still a little harsh, so I took some photos of Hannah in the shaded areas. I was using my Canon R6 Mark II with the Canon RF 70-200 2.8 lens and a Canon 600 EX-RT flash (to add just a little light to the shadow areas of her face).

About 15 minutes later, the sun was much lower and we were ready for the golden hour photos.  

I was shooting at ISO 100 (and no flash needed for these) since I had plenty of light to work with. I like shooting at f/2.8 to isolate the focus on Hannah and not the background.

For this photo I definitely needed the flash! Actually, for this photo I needed two flashes to light her against the very bright background. I had one Canon 600 EX-RT flash on camera and another one that Laura (her mom) was pointing at her. Laura was so close to her that I had to Photoshop her hand and the flash out of the right side of the image. I set the Canon R6 Mark II to f/20 to bring the shutter speed down to 1/200 sec and powered up both flashes to make sure that my subject was not a silhouette. (Expert note: since the Canon flashes produce a much cooler (bluer) light, I selected Hannah in Adobe Photoshop and warmed her to match the color of the sunset.)

As Hannah walked on the beach, I saw how the late day sunlight was hitting hair. I had her turn her back to the sun and shot this portrait.

I saw her swing her hair around to get it straightened and asked her to do that again for a photo. I put the Canon R6 Mark II in high speed mode and took a burst of images to get this one with her hair flying out and lit perfectly by the late sunlight.

As the sun was just about to go down past the horizon, I had Hannah sit on one of the rocks and once again I lit her with two flashes. So pretty, both Hannah and the location! Once the sun set, the light was gone and we were done.

Hannah had classes the next day, so we spent time walking around Laguna Beach until she was done. Then we drove over to Chapman and walked around campus to look at locations and also made some prop purchases at a nearby store.

This is the classic shot that all the graduates take at Chapman University in front of the arch. That was great, but I wanted to do something different. (I was using the Canon RF 24-70mm lens for this photo and most of the remaining photos you will see. )

When we were out shopping, Laura decided to buy a bottle of Champagne for Hannah to pop in front of the school. We got the cheapest bottle we could find and had some fun.

We went over to this wall and had her open the bottle. It was so cheap that it had a screw top. Ooooops! So when she opened it, nothing really happened. So I had her shake it up and keep her thumb over the top. When she let go, even she was surprised. This photo made us all laugh.

Laura and I also purchased some graduation confetti at the dollar store.  It took many tries to get this right, but we had fun with Hannah blowing this right at the lens. We like the little hats that flew up, but ultimately decided that it would have been easier to blow if it was all small confetti. 

As we were heading back to the parking lot, I saw the sunlight hitting this one wall and knew that it would backlight Hannah perfectly.

Before leaving, we stopped by this one wall (on the side of a liquor store next to campus) to have a little more fun.

The next day we planned on waking up at 6:30am to "rope drop" (be there at opening) at Disneyland, and we did just that. 

We got into the park right at 8am and luckily we had cloudy weather which allowed me to get a slow shutter speed for this motion shot. I knew that everyone would be rushing in to get to their favorite rides, so I asked Hannah to go dead center in front of Main Street and stand very still while everyone else hurried by. I set the camera to ISO 50 and f/18, which gave me a slow shutter speed of 1/5 sec.

There was a large group of people trying to get a dead-center shot in front of the castle, but we saw this wall with a clear background. Hannah hopped up on the wall for some photos in this location.

I was really happy to have clouds in the sky to give us great lighting on Hannah and a nice neutral background without harsh sunlight and deep shadows.

Even though this photo does not scream "Disneyland", I loved how beautiful the cherry blossoms were, and had to take a photo with them in the background.

After taking the photos in the Main Street area, we headed over to Fantasyland, to the rides where Hannah used to work. She hopped on the Dumbo ride (for her first ride ever, which is funny because she worked the ride for a while). I took some standard photos with a fast shutter speed and then slowed the shutter speed to 1/50th sec and panned along with her as she went by. This is one of my favorite photos from the day. Hard to get it sharp, but totally worth the challenge!

We then went over to the Tea Cups for a couple of photos. Since Hannah knows the workers, they allowed us to take a couple of photos before letting the next wave of guests into the ride. 

Then I thought it would be fun to get into the tea cup with her for some more slow shutter shots. For this photo, I lowered the shutter speed to 1/13th sec, and fired off a bunch of photos as we spun around.

Before heading to the park, I had asked Hannah for a list of photos that she wanted. On the top of the list was a photo with her and Winnie the Pooh, so we prioritized that next.

And we took photos with some of the other characters as well.

We could not shoot graduation photos at Disneyland and not have photos with Mickey.

We took the afternoon off and planned a return trip in the evening. I looked on the Disney web site and verified that tripods were allowed, so I brought my Gitzo travel tripod in. With lower light, and not being handheld this time, I tried another motion shot on main street. (Note: Tripods are allowed and will make it through security, but one of the photo cast members told me it was not allowed.)

The reason I brought the tripod in was for this shot in the California Adventure Park (next door to Disneyland). I knew that this location would be much better at night vs the day, so it was the last shot on our list. I set the Canon R6 Mark II on the tripod, changed the settings to ISO 100, f/16 with a shutter speed of 6 seconds. I fired the Canon 600 EX-RT flash to add some light on her, but used the long exposure to get a better background. 

The funny part was that we spent most of the day in the Disney Parks and the only ride I was on was the tea cups to get the motion shot. But we got lots of photos for Hannah to commemorate her big accomplishment. 

I hope this inspires many of you to try different camera settings and locations for your senior portraits.

__________________________________________________________

• Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!

• You can now purchase Jeff Cable Photography images from my new fine art site at: https://fineart.jeffcable.com/

• If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.

• Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa Costa Rica and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours.

 _________________________________________________________________   

What a difference a year makes - the photography world is restarting

It is clear that Covid has not gone away, as many people I know are still getting it, but I have to say that it is really nice, even at the risk of getting sick, to be back to some sense of normalcy in the photography world. 

People have asked me why I stopped doing the bi-weekly Zoom get togethers, and the reason is...I just don't have the free time that I did during the height of the pandemic. Between shooting, retouching, running the business, and traveling, there isn't much down time.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day, a guy who was putting out a lot of really great content on his podcast, and he said the same thing. No time to do that any more. Things have changed so much since 2020 and 2021. And thankfully! 

That is not to say that everything is back to normal (especially here in the San Francisco Bay Area) but it seems like we are getting closer every day. People are having events again and the parties are going strong. 

Over the last couple of months I have been shooting a lot of bar and bat mitzvah, senior portraits, a handful of weddings, corporate events, headshots and more. It is tiring, but after more than a year of sitting around and not doing much, it is refreshing. 

Here is a small sampling of what I have been doing recently...

Fun family portraits in San Francisco

I was taking portraits of this lovely young lady when I saw this blossoming tree and just had to get her in there. I shot this at f/2,8 to get her perfectly in focus, but have the background in various levels of blur.

A senior portrait of a college graduate.

Family portraits in my area.

A different kind of family portrait (just for fun).

A wedding the Northern part of the Bay Area.

Some corporate events, including this one with the largest group shot I have ever taken.

Lots of bar and bat mitzvah...

Many senior portraits for those kids graduating high school and about to head to college.

And, of course, I have been taking photos of my granddaughter. Most of those have been with my iPhone.

And now I am off to shoot another bat mitzvah party this evening, and then fly off to Costa Rica for another photo tour in the morning.  The days of sitting around are long gone. Do I miss the slower pace? Just a little bit. :)

__________________________________________________________________________

Subscribe to the Jeff Cable Photography Blog by clicking HERE!
__________________________________________________________________________
If you are interested in purchasing ANY equipment, please click here to go to B&H Photo, as I get a referral from them if you enter this way. It does not change the cost to you in any way, but it helps me keep this blog up and running.
__________________________________________________________________________
Check out my upcoming photo tours to amazing places around the world. I have photo tours to Africa, Costa Rica, Cuba, Europe, Asia, India and more. And Canon will loan you any gear you want for FREE for any of my tours. 

__________________________________________________________________________