When I was young and dinosaurs still roamed the earth my photographer friends and I would talk a lot about the "Ultimate Camera/Lens Kit."
Following closely from well known practitioners, comme Henri Cartier Bresson, we settled on 35mm, 50mm , 85mm as the perfect kit to carry wherever we went and to any photoshoot we made. We used 50mm most of the time and reached for the 35mm or 85mm lenses when a situation warranted it.
It was simple.
For many years I carried either a Canon F1, a Pentax MX, a Nikon FM, or a Leica M3 with a 50mm in the appropriate lens mount.
The Canon F1 was the original first model series version. It was built like a tank. The camera survived a drop at one of the first Long Beach Grand Prix, it was that strong. Additional lenses for it were a 35mm f/3.5 FD, a 50mm f/1.8 FDn, a 135mm f/2.5 FL, and a 200mm f/3.5 FL. Yet, the vast majority of the photographs I made with it were using the 50mm lens.
The Pentax MX was a beautifully small camera and the 50mm f/1.7 lens I used was perfectly balanced for the way the camera handled. I had a couple other lenses for it, but the 50mm was my "go to" optic. I made some nice images with that camera. That was one of the more "perfect" kits I owned.
The Nikon FM was slightly larger than the Pentax. I had a 50mm f/1.4 Auto Ai that I used. The camera body had a winder, too. It was a fun kit, but I was too young and inexperienced to realize what I had. The Nikkor lenses were considered the class of the world for very good reason and I was completely clueless.
The Leica with an interesting 50mm f/1.5 Leitz came to me after a Samy's Print Lab big "important client" print session that netted enough money to get to decide between the German camera, a Swedish Hasselblad 500C/M, and an Ansel Adams 16x20inch "Moonrise" print. Yes. I'm stupid. I should've purchased the Adams. In fact, I can still see that gorgeous print in my mind's eye hanging in the Best Gallery in Yosemite Valley. Ugh. Oh well. Missed opportunities, and all that.
Fast forward from the Dinosaur Era to the present and I find myself with a nice collection of Nikon Nikkor glass and a Sony A7 full frame mirrorless camera. The Sony camera is actually smaller and lighter than a Canon AE-1 film body. Though, it must be noted that with age the Sony, Nikkor kit is beginning to feel a little heavy.
Anyway, here is what my friends and I used to call the "Ultimate Kit." It's been repurposed for use in the Digital Age and consists of a Nikon Nikkor-O 35mm f/2, a Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AiS, and a Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 K.
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