Choosing Pro Lenses for your D-SLR Camera
The first thing to consider is focal length. Focal length is measured in millimetres; longer focal lengths magnify the view and show less of the scene while shorter focal lengths provide a wider angle and therefore show more of the scene.
Aperture is measured in f stops; a wide aperture allows in most light and enables faster shutter speeds, while a small aperture allows in less light and therefore needs a longer shutter speed. A smaller aperture enables longer depth of field, i.e. sharpness throughout the photograph while a wide aperture gives you a shorter depth of field.
Stabilised lenses enable a smaller aperture without more blur because the stabilisation helps minimise movement. When the stabilisation is in the lens, this can significantly increase the cost however, some cameras come with a stabilisation function.
The lens quality varies according to the ingredients in the glass and production process. It's worth remembering that the more lenses you use, the less light will pass through and some groupings of lenses can cause distortions. Similarly, lenses with high reflective qualities can create optical aberrations.
Motors or drives are used for aperture control, e.g. auto-focus and stabilisation. They can add a lot of weight to the lens and can also be noisy, which you will need to consider if you wish to take wildlife shots. However, they are not necessary on good quality, manual-focus lenses.
Prime lenses have a fixed focal length whereas zoom lenses allow you to vary focal length, i.e. you can decide on what magnification you want. A zoom lens will allow you control over the framed view, however prime lenses tend to be higher quality, faster and sharper (they have wider apertures) and give more realistic colours and exposure control.
Possibilities to consider include the fisheye lens, which gives you central focus while distorting the periphery of the image. This draws the eye to the central part of the photograph; the wide angle lens – good for landscapes or wide views of your subject; standard zoom lens – this can give creative freedom as you can change from magnification to wide angle, however the quality is dependent on cost and very long focal lengths tend to have high f-stops; a standard 50mm prime lens will give you a greater rendition of what your eye is seeing and allow decent performance in low light because of the wide aperture size that they tend to have; an 80mm standard prime lens is an excellent choice for portraits; lastly, a zoom lens is flexible for many types of images but especially wildlife shots and getting close to people far away, although if you are looking at something around the 800mm mark, expect to pay more than you paid for your camera and remember that they are very heavy indeed and will absolutely need a tripod.
Aperture is measured in f stops; a wide aperture allows in most light and enables faster shutter speeds, while a small aperture allows in less light and therefore needs a longer shutter speed. A smaller aperture enables longer depth of field, i.e. sharpness throughout the photograph while a wide aperture gives you a shorter depth of field.
Stabilised lenses enable a smaller aperture without more blur because the stabilisation helps minimise movement. When the stabilisation is in the lens, this can significantly increase the cost however, some cameras come with a stabilisation function.
The lens quality varies according to the ingredients in the glass and production process. It's worth remembering that the more lenses you use, the less light will pass through and some groupings of lenses can cause distortions. Similarly, lenses with high reflective qualities can create optical aberrations.
Motors or drives are used for aperture control, e.g. auto-focus and stabilisation. They can add a lot of weight to the lens and can also be noisy, which you will need to consider if you wish to take wildlife shots. However, they are not necessary on good quality, manual-focus lenses.
Prime lenses have a fixed focal length whereas zoom lenses allow you to vary focal length, i.e. you can decide on what magnification you want. A zoom lens will allow you control over the framed view, however prime lenses tend to be higher quality, faster and sharper (they have wider apertures) and give more realistic colours and exposure control.
Possibilities to consider include the fisheye lens, which gives you central focus while distorting the periphery of the image. This draws the eye to the central part of the photograph; the wide angle lens – good for landscapes or wide views of your subject; standard zoom lens – this can give creative freedom as you can change from magnification to wide angle, however the quality is dependent on cost and very long focal lengths tend to have high f-stops; a standard 50mm prime lens will give you a greater rendition of what your eye is seeing and allow decent performance in low light because of the wide aperture size that they tend to have; an 80mm standard prime lens is an excellent choice for portraits; lastly, a zoom lens is flexible for many types of images but especially wildlife shots and getting close to people far away, although if you are looking at something around the 800mm mark, expect to pay more than you paid for your camera and remember that they are very heavy indeed and will absolutely need a tripod.
