After returning from a photography trip, I like to analyze how often I use each lens. During my last trip through the Capital Cities of the Northeast, I used wider focal lengths more often due to the high percentage of architectural subjects.

On a typical day, the following lenses were placed in my backpack: (1) Nikon 14-24; (2) Nikon 24-70; (3) Nikon 70-200 VRII; (4) Nikon 105 VR; and (5) Sigma 15mm Fisheye. The first three lenses are often referred to as the "Holy Trinity". That trio of lenses covers the focal lengths from wide to narrow (14mm through 200mm). All three lenses are fast (f/2.8) and sharp.

During the road trip, I considered 492 images to be keepers. Those are the images that I processed. Of the 492 pictures, all but 25 were captured with one of the Holy Trinity lenses. The Holy Trinity of lenses accounted for 96% of all of my photographs!

Of course this distribution will change dramatically if I schedule a photography trip with an emphasis on wildlife. Then, the distribution would skew heavily in favor of the telephoto lenses--and I would also bring my 500 VR into the equation.