But, I wonder who looks? Personally, I'm looking through the viewfinder, and I zoom until I get the composition and perspective I want, without regard to the focal length. I can check that later in the EXIF data (and that is useful, if only to inform what lens(es) I should be looking at next - for example, I find that I'm shooting with my 17-55mm mostly in the middle, so I'm considering the 35mm f/1.4L).


The one time when I think the focal length markings on the lens barrel would be useful is along the lines of an 'assignment' - it's often stated that a prime lens spurs creativity by forcing you to use one focal length and 'sneaker zoom', so you could set your 15-85 to 35mm to approximate the 'classic' 50mm prime lens (on a film/FF body), then shoot all day at that setting.