What's your favorite lens to get flare? 21 Pros weigh in

Above photo by Sarah Lalone

Who doesn’t love getting a little lens flare in a photo here and there?

It can make such a great additional element to photo but choosing the right lens for the best flare can be tricky. All lenses are not created equal when it comes to flare.

To get some insight on lens choices for flare, we asked the Click Pros to weigh in on their favorites.

Canon lenses:

Sarah Lalone and Julie Audoux love their Canon 24-70 mm f/2.8L for flare.

Audoux says, “For many reasons…mainly because it is so versatile and fast when I am taking pictures of my kids. The cherry on top though is the amazing flare I get when I position the lens just right, either tilting it downwards when I am shooting into the sun or when I partially block the sun with an object or subject.”

Bre Thurston‘s vote goes to the Canon 85L!

Allison Jacobs and Liz Behm both agree on the unique softness of the Canon 50mm f/1.2 L lens.

Currently, Ardelle Neubert says she’s been trying the Canon 45mm tilt shift lately to get “those big circle flares that fill most the frame.”

Kristen Ryan says, “I actually can get really good flare with my Canon 24-105L.”

But for Lauren Penland, she loves the Canon 24L for flares.

Fuji lenses:

When it comes to shooting with her X-E2, Jessica Nelson reaches for her Fuji 27mm f/2.8 lens when wanting flare. Natalie Greenroyd agrees saying, “It gives such fun flare when shooting directly into the sun!”

Lensbaby lenses:

Diane Wittenberg reaches for the Lensbaby Velvet 56 when wanting flare. Wittenberg says, “I can get some pretty interesting flare with my Velvet 56, especially while shooting macro and towards the sun.”

Loving the Lensbaby Edge 50, Kaela Elliott says she “gets awesome sun flare!”

While Alice Che declares the Lensbaby Sweet 35 is her favorite.

But Erin Wagnild insists, “The Lensbaby Edge 80 brings the DRAMA. So totally unexpected. And different.”

Nikon lenses:

For Karen Osdieck, her go-to is the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. “It is so versatile for creating all different looks of flares and I can get a variety of lens and sun flares with just one lens.”

“I adore my Nikon 28mm f/1.8 lens,” Tetyana says. “This is the only lens I use and it works for me perfectly.”

Eileen Critchley says, “Looking through my archives, I am surprised at my answer! My Nikon 10-20mm gives me nice flare.”

“Right now,” states Danielle Parker, “my Nikon 35mm hardly ever leaves my camera.”

Sigma lenses:

“My favorite lens for flare is definitely my Sigma 24mm,” says Monica Carlson. “What I love about it is the warm color it produces and how creamy it looks when shooting wide open. If I am lucky I will also get a little rainbow flare in there also.”