 Sri Shotty |
Understanding the different types of lenses Hi Folks, I have decided to buy a 20D and thinking of buying a couple of lenses to get the triple rebate. But when I see the list of lenses I can buy, it is mind boggling. I am new to photography with SLR cameras and am trying to understand what the different lenses mean and their purpose is...any pointers/help is much appreciated. Thanks in Advance!
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Tom Walker |
I don't do digital, but the same should hold true for digital as well as film. Wide angle is like looking thru a telescope backwards, makes things look farther away, good for landscapes and when you're trying to get a room full of people in the same shot. telephotos are like a telescope, brings things closer, a short tele is ideal for portraits. Prime lenses are of 1 focal length (35mm,50mm,100mm, etc) Zooms change focal length over a specified range (28-80, 35-105, etc.) Other people on here can give you more technical explainations if you need it. 1st figure out what type of photography you're gonna do and go from there. Hope this helps..Tom
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Sri Shotty |
Thanks Tom, I think I have that basic understanding. But you gave me a good idea on how to ask my question differently. So, here goes... I am interested in Portrait photography & Macro photography. What lenses should I buy along with my new 20D DSLR camera (It is already coming with 28-55mm lens)? I can't spend more than $300-$400 per lens... Also, if you can comment on what your opinions are on third party lenses versus Canon lenses that would be great! Thanks,
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Maverick Creatives |
Hi Sri I do both portrait and landscape photography. I only have two lenses for my 20D and at this point I'm not looking for more. EF-S17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
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robert G. Fately |
Sri, of course your style will have a lot to do with what suits you for portraiture work, but let me offer a thought or two. In the land of 35MM film shooting, the 85-105MM focal length lenses are the most commonly used for portraits (and I'm talking about the mostly head-and-shoulders type shots here). Of course, with the 'crop factor' of the digital camera, this would mean something on the order of a 50-ish MM lens. Now, while the zoom obviously can be used at that focal length, the other consideration is lens speed - that is, the biggest aperture (fastest f-stop) that the lens can be. A wider aperture (lower f-number) leads to a shallower depth of field, meaning that you could get the subject's eyes and cheeks in focus and leave the wall in the background blurry so as not to distract. So, a non-zoom ("prime") lens of something like f1.8 or f1.4 on the DSLR would be like a 75MM f1.8 lens, and this is quite different than a lens that max's out at f4. Happily, prime lenses in this focal length are not too costly. For the macro, you could of course get a lens specially designed for macro work, and in the long run this would be best if you plan on doing a lot of close-up shooting. Macro lense are generally made in 3 focal lengths - 50-ishMM, 100MM and about 200MM. They can all be excellent, optically speaking; the difference is how far from the subject you can be and still get a 1:1 reproduction ratio. The longer focal lengths let you move he camera further away, and this can be more convenient or allow for more lighting options. You can see my floral shots at www.yessy.com/f8lee if you want some examples - most of those shots were taken with a 180MM Sigma macro lens, though some were with bellows and others with just a close-up filter on a telephoto zoom. If you'd like to know about any particular shot, just let me know. I hope that starts to help...
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