“Do not ask which lens is best. Ask what story needs to be told.” – MJ Martin
The Question Behind the Question
As a passionate photographer, I am often approached by people who notice my Nikon cameras and large Nikkor lenses. Their curiosity is always welcome. Photography is a generous art form because it invites conversation, observation, and shared learning. When people ask questions, it is my pleasure to engage with them and share whatever knowledge or experience I have gathered through practice. Yet one question appears more often than any other: “Which lens is the best?”
It is a simple question, but it is also a misleading one. My usual response is, “Best for what?” That answer is not meant to be evasive. It is meant to clarify the purpose of the tool. A lens cannot be properly judged in isolation. It must be considered in relation to subject, distance, light, composition, style, and intention. The best lens for photographing birds may be unsuitable for a tight indoor portrait. The best lens for architecture may be awkward for street photography. The best lens for documentary work may not be the best lens for wildlife, sports, food, or landscapes.
All Lenses Have Value
In practical terms, all lenses are good when they are used with understanding. A wide angle lens can exaggerate space, create drama, and place a subject within a broader environment. A standard lens can produce a natural field of view that feels honest and familiar. A short telephoto lens can create flattering portraits, isolate details, and compress the background. A long telephoto lens can reach distant subjects, flatten perspective, and create a powerful sense of separation.
The lens is not merely a technical accessory. It is a visual translator. It shapes how the photographer sees the world and how the viewer experiences the image. Focal length affects not only magnification, but also emotional distance. A wide lens may pull the viewer into the scene, while a long lens may create a more observational, cinematic effect. Neither is inherently superior. Each creates a different visual language.
Subject Determines Selection
Lens selection begins with the subject. A photographer must ask what needs to be captured and how that subject should be interpreted. Is the goal intimacy, scale, detail, drama, context, or abstraction? A landscape photographer may choose a wide lens to emphasize space and depth, while a wildlife photographer may choose a 600mm lens to work respectfully from a distance. A portrait photographer may prefer an 85mm or 105mm lens because it offers pleasing compression and subject separation.
However, these conventions are guides, not rules. Photography becomes most interesting when the photographer understands tradition well enough to challenge it. Creative lens selection can move an image beyond documentation and into interpretation.
The Creative Use of Unorthodox Lenses
In street photography, the conventional focal length is often between 35mm and 105mm. These lenses allow the photographer to remain close to the action and capture human interaction with immediacy. Yet I often enjoy using a long telephoto lens for street photography, especially in the 400mm to 600mm range. This is certainly not the traditional approach, but the results can be remarkable.
A long lens changes the rhythm of street photography. It allows the photographer to capture three quarter shots from a distance, compress urban backgrounds, isolate gestures, and simplify visual chaos. Instead of placing the viewer inside the crowd, it allows the viewer to observe from a quieter, more reflective position. The result can feel candid, cinematic, and highly composed.
The Best Lens Is the Intentional Lens
The strongest photographers do not ask which lens is best in a universal sense. They ask which lens best serves the image they are trying to make. Technical specifications matter, but intention matters more. Sharpness, speed, weight, reach, and aperture are important considerations, but they are secondary to vision.
The real lesson is that lens selection is not about owning the “best” lens. It is about understanding what each lens can do and then applying that knowledge creatively. All lenses are useful. All focal lengths can be adapted. The photographer’s imagination is what gives the lens its purpose. In that sense, the best lens is not the one with the highest price, the widest aperture, or the longest reach. The best lens is the one that helps the photographer see differently.
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees – in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 80 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) [aka Micro Learning] continuous education programs in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.