At least 90% of my images are made with tilt shift lenses, and of those 90%, at least 80% of them have some rise or fall (shift) involved in the composition. Simply put, tilt shift lenses are invaluable when it comes to architectural and interiors photography. The ability to adjust the composition, framing and field of view without tilting the camera up or down (which would induce skewed vertical lines) is the largest benefit of tilt shift lenses for this application.
I also carry a few zoom lenses in my bag, which are relegated mostly to backup use. I personally own the Canon 17-40f4L and the Canon 24-105f4L. If you aren’t ready to throw down the $2,000+ that the tilt shifts require, you’ll be able to get by with an ultrawide zoom and standard zoom combo, but you’ll quickly see their limitations.
Fujifilm Mirrorless System
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 This lens was the first lens I ever bought for my Fujifilm system, and it is probably my most used lens as well. Since it is equivalent to a 15 - 36mm lens on my full frame camera, the 10-24 has a massive wide angle range. This lens does have a slower f/4 aperture, but because most of my work is shot at f/8 - f/11, this is usually not a disadvantage, and it actually makes the lens lighter in weight.
Fujifilm XF 16-55mm f/2.8 This is used less frequently than the 24mm, but if you only buy one, you’ll quickly see the limitations and want to buy the other. Together, these two lenses (with the teleconverter) are about as good as it gets for 35mm architectural photography. While the 17mm sees a bit less use, it’s invaluable when I’m backed into a tight corner and 24mm just isn’t wide enough. Another great application for the 17 is shooting in tight city streets - which makes it a rather popular travel lens, as well. Sometimes you just don't have the luxury of backing up or getting elevation and the 17 can really save your butt.
Fujifilm XF 50 - 140mm f/2.8 The toughest lens for a weight conscience photographer to travel with is by far a good telephoto lens. If I find myself needing the extra reach, the Fujifilm XF 50 - 140mm lens is my main go to telephoto. This lens has a fast f/2.8 aperture which is great for shooting indoors, street photography, and other portraits but I must admit this lens gets the least use of all the lenses in my bag.
Fujifilm XF 14mm f/2.8 This lens is more or less a specialty lens that I really do not use a whole lot to be honest. I mainly use this super wide angle lens for astro and night photography because it has the fast f/2.8 aperture. I also use this lens fairly wide open for my "Moments Between" series because I like the shallow depth of field it gives me. Also because these photos are often handheld, the extra stop of light allows me to get razor sharp images at slower shutter speeds that simply wouldn't be possible with my f/4 lens.
Nikon DSLR System
Nikkor 14 - 24mm f/2.8 This is the first "good" lens I ever bought for my landscape photography and to this day it is still rated as one of the best quality wide angle lenses on the market. Now I admit, this lens is really expensive but if you ever decide to shoot in low light or astro photography, the f/2.8 aperture really makes a difference in dimly lit environments. The one big downside to this lens is it does not easily accept filters which has caused me to buy the next lens below.
Nikkor 16-35mm f/4 The Nikkor 16 - 35mm lens is a relatively new lens in the Nikon lineup and it is one of my favorite and most useful lenses for my DSLR system. It has a standard 77mm filter thread which means it easily accepts all my round filters as well as my Formatt-Hitech filter holder. As I've said before, I like shooting at f/8 - f/11 which means if you buy the more expensive 14-28 f/2.8 lens above you are really spending a lot of money on an aperture you don't necessarily need. Not only is this lens significantly lighter weight, but it is also much less expensive. Most of the images in the Landscape tutorial were shot with this lens.
Nikkor 24 - 70mm f/2.8 This lens is perhaps the workhorse lens for most photographers. The 24mm end is usually a bit too telephoto for most landscape applications but when you need the extra reach this really is the best lens you can buy. Again this has the faster aperture which you may not need in well lit environments but it is handy if you need to shoot a quick portrait or interior photo while traveling.
Nikkor 28 - 300mm f/3.5 - 5.6 At the moment this lens serves as my main telephoto lens for my Nikon D810 but honestly I find myself using it very rarely. If you want a decent all around lens that does a little bit of everything, you might want to consider this but with the 28mm wide end, you still are going to need a second wide angle lens anyways. Just like the Fujifilm telephoto lens above, this lens is one of my least used lenses when shooting landscapes.
