Photographers are re-evaluating a workhorse lens, the 24-70mm, with many discovering its perceived limitations stem not from the lens itself, but from technique. London-based photographer Martin Castein has sparked discussion with his analysis of why this popular zoom lens often feels “boring” or fails to deliver compelling results.
Castein, who focuses on landscape and portrait photography in locations including Wales, Scotland, and the Lake District, argues the issue isn’t the lens’s capabilities, but a reliance on the zoom function as a compositional fix. He contends that photographers often remain stationary, adjusting the zoom rather than altering their physical position to improve the relationship between the subject and its surroundings. This approach, he suggests, diminishes the potential of the 24-70mm.
The core of Castein’s argument, detailed in a recent YouTube video, centers on the difference between changing focal length while stationary and physically moving to achieve a desired framing. He demonstrates that zooming alters the size of elements within the frame, but doesn’t change the perspective. Perspective, he explains, is dictated by the photographer’s location. A subject framed at 24mm while standing close will exhibit a different background relationship than the same subject framed at 50mm from a greater distance, even if the subject appears similar in size in both images.
“Zoom with your feet” is a common piece of photographic advice, but Castein believes it’s incomplete. Moving changes the perspective, fundamentally altering the scene’s visual relationships. Simply zooming maintains the same perspective, merely cropping the image tighter or wider. He advocates for photographers to approach the 24-70mm as if it were a prime lens – setting it to a fixed focal length, such as 35mm or 50mm, and then prioritizing movement and observation before making any adjustments to the zoom.
The 24-70mm lens, often considered a staple for wedding, live music, and general photography, is described as a “nowhere lens” by Castein. This is because it doesn’t offer the dramatic exaggeration of an ultra-wide lens, nor the compression and simplification of a telephoto lens. Its neutrality, while versatile, can expose weak composition. A lack of intentional framing is immediately apparent within the 24-70mm range, forcing photographers to build deliberate choices about distance and background elements.
Castein recommends an exercise to illustrate this point: photographers should attempt to match framing at 24mm and 50mm by physically moving, observing how the background shifts with each adjustment. Repeating this exercise while only adjusting the zoom reveals the difference between perspective and focal length. This practice, he suggests, builds an instinct for recognizing when a change in position is needed, rather than relying on the zoom ring as a default solution.
The photographer’s masterclasses cover portrait and landscape editing in Lightroom, offering guidance on color grading, skin editing, and reshaping light. However, his recent focus has been on the fundamental principles of composition and how they relate to lens choice and technique.
