Can anybody explain DSLR lens’s? ?
Question by littlegmoon: Can anybody explain DSLR lens’s? ?
I have just had my 1st DSLR and I love it (Canon EOS 450D).
I’ve been looking at lens’s however dont understand them? Is there a simple way to get your head around them?
I have
Canon EOS 450D with Canon 18-55mm IS lens
Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens
I know the zoom is better on the Tamron so Im assuming the 300 is the zoom?
I didnt realise these things would be so technical! I suppose it’s easy once you get your head around it all…..
I want to use my camera for wedding, portrait, sports and scenery photography, so all around use. How do I determine what lens is best and even, how do I know what lens does what?
Best answer:
Answer by namedeletedbyrequest
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/camera2.htm
Know better? Leave your own answer in the comments!
Less than 21mm (Extreme Wide Angle) is good for Architecture
21-35mm (Wide Angle) is good for Landscape
35-70mm (Normal) is good for Street & Documentary
70-135mm (Medium Telephoto) is good for Portraiture
More than 135mm (Telephoto) is good for Sports & Wildlife
This is only for full frame… your DSLR has a crop factor of 1.6x, so you’ll need to calculate that.
Example:
50 x 1.6 = 80
So a 50mm lens on your camera would act like an 80mm lens on a full frame
You have some misconceptions. When you say the “zoom” is better, do you mean the Tamron is a better lens? Do you mean the Tamron reaches out further for shooting things like sports or wildlife? Do you mean you assume the 300 mm is the zoom
The best lenses for Canon EOS cameras are Canon, either new or used.
Third party lenses are the third choice in this order of quality:
Tokina, Tamron, Sigma and then the others.
Wedding: 24-70 mm f/2.8
Portrait: 50 mm f/1.4, 24-70 mm f/2.8
Sports: 70-300 mm f/4.5 ~ 5.6, 70-200 mm f/2.8, 400 mm f/2.8, 600 mm f/4.0
Landscapes: 10-22 mm f/3.5~4.5
As you can see lenses are your real investment. Cameras will have to be replaced every three to five years as technology advances. Lenses should last for decades.
To put it simply, a longer mm lens will allow you to get much closer to your subject. The “zoom” you speak of isn’t how close you can get, but rather zoom indicates that the lens can be adjusted between closer and further. In contrast, those that can’t be adjuster are called prime lenses.
For example, you could have a 300mm lens, and you can see there is no range (100-300 for example) so you would call it a prime lens, and not a zoom lens.
Gareth, I think you need to get a few books and learn a bit more about taking pictures in general.
I can recommend any books on digital photography by Scott Kelby.
300mm is a focal length. “Zoom” means that the focal length of the lens is adjustable – in the case of your Tamron, over the range between 70 and 300mm. The size of the image on your sensor is proportional to the focal length you’re shooting at. At 200mm, your Tamron will give you an image twice as big as it does at 100mm. That’s the same change in image size you would get if you shot from half the distance.
The “normal” focal length on your 450D is about 30mm, so you can think of 300mm as giving you 10x magnification.
if you don’t intend to attend any classes, the least you can do is to go and check out some photography books from the library.
There are several really good books in the library and in book stores that will answer your questions. The one I always recommend is the one by Hedgecoe. It is for film photography, but the principles are the same. The best place, though, is to take a community college course in it and learn it that way. Some of them might make you use a film SLR, but they are not expensive now and you will learn from the bottom up. There is no way that anyone would expect you to pick up a camera and start a business with it without proper training. There are many complex issues.
Not trying to be nasty, but that stuff didn’t really answer your question.
THIS is what your lens’ mean…
Canon EOS 450D with Canon 18-55mm IS lens
Tamron 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens
Canon – Zoom lens, from 18 – 55mm, will be good for all photography, as long as you can use it well. Don’t use it though, it is a kit lens, they are terrible. Flog it on eBay and get yourself a couple of none-zooming lens’.
Tamron – Great zoom, you couldn’t use this for anything like portraiture. Your f-range is very small so you don’t have a good lens at all there.
My advice is to go and research the mount you have, find what companies make lens’ to fit it. Then, go on eBay and find some.
1 – Zoom lens, aim for one 18 – 300 if you can, otherwise 18 – 50/55 and 50/55 – 300. This is great for those sport shots or even any landscape work you are unable to get close enough to.
2 – Get a couple of lens’ which DON’T zoom, they are ALWAYS better quality.
Make sure that all lens’ have an f-stop which is about 2.8 – 22. If you can get more settings, the better.
I hope that helps, just keep researching everything about your camera and various lens’
I also own the same exact equipment as you do. The Canon EOS Rebel XSi (450D) is an awesome camera. I would take both of the lenses with me, but the 70-300mm seems to be more versatile and gets more use. You can take excellent portraits with it at about 80-100mm. I have also taken EXCELLENT portraits with the other lens, the 18-55mm. Be sure to get a LOTTT of experience in using both lenses. I suggest outdoor shooting to begin with. After you get more confident, try going inside, using the flash or natural lighting. Be sure to experiment with the ISO settings, white balance and shutter speeds. Good Luck
The Tamron is better for ‘long range’ photos. and using it between 70-100, will be ideal for portraiture, with the widest aperture possible.
Also on the tamron, you should have a macro switch,which works between 200-300mm.
A very good lens at a cheap price, as I used to have one.
Your 18-55 will be ideal for close work and landscape.
For a different ‘view’ on landscape, mount your camera on your tripod, and turn it to portrait, and keeping the same settings, start from one side, taking a series of overlapping pics to cover the scene, then stitch together in one of many programmes.
IF you are interested, message me and I will send you a link to a free site which I am on, and many others from here who have taken my advice, where you can get a lot of help from canon users, so you can improve your photography no end.
Good luck