Why I stopped using F2.8 Lenses

I recently did a video all about this but wanted to share some of the images taken with my 24-120mm lens and some of the stats around my decision making process.

I had an amazing foggy morning at Padley Gorge in the Peak District making the video and taking some awesome shots.

All the photos I shot were with my 24-120mm F4 Lens. This lens is my most used Nikon lens and is awesome. But it isn’t the sharpest lens I own. That would be a prime 50mm and then my 24-70 F2.8 lens. The thing is that I never shoot wide open at F2.8 and the difference in quality between the 24-120 and the 24-70 F2.8 isn’t that noticeable in real life scenarios. I would rather have the flexibility of the extra 50mm of reach without having to change lens that the increased sharpness of the lens.

2023 Lightroom Stats

The Lightroom stats tell a fairly convincing story for this change. Here you can see that my most used lenses are all F4 and above. And what is really interesting is how many keepers I have shot with the 24-200mm lens as I often take this on long hikes.

If you compare the stats for 2023 above to 2021 below you can see a big change in the lenses I use.

Can you tell the difference?

I have uploaded 3 images below. One with the 24-70 F2.8, one with the 24-200 F4 and one with the 24-200 lens. Can you tell the difference?

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