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Photography Tips
How to photography tips for: weddings, portraits, pet, and family photgraphy.
The lens focal length determines the amount of magnification and the angle of view delivered by the lens. It is labeled with terms of 28mm, 50mm, or 180mm. They are grouped in general categories: wide-angle, normal, and telephoto.
Wide-angle lenses provide little magnification and the widest angle of view. With a wide angle lens distant objects appear relatively small. Common wide-angle focal lengths are 17mm, 28mm, and 35mm. These lenses are also known for their relatively large depth-of-field.
For a 35mm format the traditional normal lens has a focal length of 50mm.
Telephoto lens have a long focal length. Common telephoto lengths are 100mm, 200mm, or 300mm. Telephoto lenses offer more magnification with a narrower angle of view. The result is to draw distant subjects in close.
Drawbacks to telephoto lenses is that they are susceptible to camera movement and their depth of field is more shallow. A tripod is often required with these lens.
Lens speed is determined by its maximum aperture. Always remember that the maximum aperture is really the smallest number that the lens can open to. The term maximum refers to the amount of light allowed through the lens.
For example, an f/2.8 lens is faster than an f/8 lens because the corresponding shutter speed required at f/2.8 will be three stops faster than at f/8. A faster lenses is typically more expensive and heavier than the same focal length shorter lens.Another advantage of a faster lens is that in low light situations you can see better through the viewfinder and your camera can focus better.
A lens which has one focal length is called a prime lens. Common prime lens focal lengths are 50mm, 85mm, 100mm, 200mm, and 300mm.
Zoom lenses provide a variable focal length, such as 28-105mm. Zoom lenses are very popular and are often sold as part of the camera kit. One zoom lens can take the place of several prime lens.
Many zoom lenses have what is called a variable aperture. An example is the Canon 28-135 which has a maximum aperture or f4.5 at 28mm and f5.6 at 135.
If you are shooting in a manual mode and are metering the scene you will need to make adjustments when you make major changes in the focal length.
Optical quality is the preverbal brass ring. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. If you purchase an inexpensive 28-300mm lens to cover a large range of focal lengths the optical quality may not be as good as other lens. What you need is based upon your needs from your photography.
Lenses with high quality optics are expensive and usually heavier. Before you buy a lens you can study the independent test, look at the charts, and visit photography forums.
Generally speaking, even an inexpensive lens can render excellent photos. General rules of thumbs to help these lens are to avoid the maximum and minimum aperture and the far ends of the zoom lens. Each lens model is different, so study them.
A lot of what determines what you need to buy is what you intend to photograph and what you intend to print. If most of your printing is smaller prints you won't need as much sharpness. Don't get me wrong, I will never say don't buy a quality lens, but there is a practical side to this craft called a budget.
The close focusing distance refers to the minimum distance from the lens that a subject must be to be in focus. For example, with a 17mm primary lens you may be able to focus on a subject one foot away while 24-200 zoom lens may only be able to focus to three feet. If close focus is important be sure to look at the specifications.
Website Created by Art Sprague Consulting
Are you an author with a product to sell? Please contact us to discuss marketing opportunities.