That means lenses marked with this acronym will fit the image circle of the full-frame cameras. As lenses are made up of multiple elements arranged in groups it isn't always immediately apparent where the optical centre is, but, with a few exceptions, longer focal length optics are usually longer than shorter ones. There are three different kinds of optical image stabilization system in place. The 18-200mm and the 24-70mm, for example, are great for landscapes, portraits, group shots and everything in between. Cheaper lenses tend not to handle small apertures well. Traditionally on film cameras it was used to describe lenses in the 50mm range because this is what usually came with the camera. This is particularly important when buying lenses made by third-party manufacturers. There are many choices, across formats and makes, just like in other genres of photography. Wide Angle DSLR Lenses. Sports photography is usually about speed, fast auto-focus, blindingly fast continuous shooting drive and the ability to withstand elements. 9 rounded blades are the recipe for beautiful bokeh. Every component manufactured by Nikon is covered, plus a … Everything You Wanted to Know about Micro Four Third Lenses. The next numbers on the ring are the focal length and minimum aperture. Sony's G Master series redefines lens performance to serve the cameras of the future. Wildlife photography is one area where zoom lenses are of paramount significance. Full stops like f/1, f/2, f4, f/8, f16. A true macro lens will be able to produce a 1:1 representation of a subject when focused on its closest working distance. Let’s say that you find wildlife photography as your calling. [â¦] Log in to Reply. The 11-24mm is also a good lens. But one of the most sought after features with these camera bodies is the ability to change its Lens whenever you want.. Build quality refers to not only how capable the lens is in terms of repelling the elements of Mother Nature. They are very difficult to master. The D780 also offers the best 4K video quality and feature set of any DSLR on currently on the market. Not everyone needs a second lens though. Let’s take a closer look at all of these parameters one by one. When we say the right equipment we mean among other tools a great piece of lens. Longer the focal length, the further the magnification of the scene is. Nikon will clearly mark out there lenses as FX or DX. Let’s take another example. Their … Street photography is another interesting, and for many, an intimidating genre of photography. ... My lenses are lovely, and I would like to use them on a digital camera body but I want to make sure that is possible. Its 51-point viewfinder AF system tracks moving subjects with ease, and the on-sensor focus system focuses quickly in live view using the 3.2â tilting touchscreen. It depends on the path that each photographer takes. Focus breathing is a mechanism where changing the focus tends to change the focal length (and therefore the field of view) of the image. As per our previous understanding, you need a high-quality wide-angle lens to capture the scene in all its glory. You should also get yourself a filer that will protect the front element otherwise weather sealing will not be complete. It has often been cited that 50mm lenses, when used on both film and digital 35mm SLRs is a âstandardâ focal length.Anything longer than this is telephoto and anything wider is wide angle. Working distance for focusing denotes the minimum distance from the subject at which the lens is able to make a sharp focus. In this post, I will show you the essential lenses and filters you need. Sign up for our newsletter to get 52 free photography tips. Sigma uses the acronym OS which stands for Optical Stabilization. They sell off their old equipment either to buy new ones which are upgraded or for the purpose of minimizing their overall equipment. These range from wide-angle-to-normal and wide-angle-to-telephoto capabilities. They are almost always under-lit (for photography purposes) and therefore fast lenses are the order of the day. The acronym Di stands for Digitally Integrated. If possible buy a lens that has a constant aperture because that will allow you to get a constant depth of field across the focal length range and there would be no visual jerk. Ideally, if you are on a full-frame camera something like the Nikon D610 or the Canon 5D Mark IV you should be using a focal length between 85mm to 135mm. And just for your knowledge, Sigma also makes lenses that are optimized for mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras. by Roberto Blake. These are macro, tilt-shift, close focusing and selective focusing. These lenses are so expensive that theyâre only used in very specific situations, such as photographing a dangerous animal from afar. Tamron makes some very interesting lenses for both Canon and Nikon systems. You also need a focus delimiter feature that will allow you to limit the focusing distance within a shorter range. Canon Lens Features. There is a unique bokeh control option on the lens that allows you to render really interesting effects to your portrait images. The latter being the sensor on which the image is formed. Zoom lenses are extremely convenient and their quality has improved enormously over the years, but they still have to make some compromises in order to enable the focal length shift. Although still relatively new to the photography world, Micro Four Thirds systems are becoming an increasingly popular choice for those looking ⦠Some special lenses have the ability to produce really interesting bokeh. Today, most lenses come with a focusing motor inside them. Sony uses a special acronym for their mirrorless format lenses. With these lenses you can move the plane of focus around, shifting it perpendicularly or even horizontally. This means that a 50mm lens will capture an image that looks the same as one captured by an 80mm (50 x 1.6) on a full-frame camera. by John Reilly (neuroanatomist) With my first SLR, I placed my subject in the middle of the frame and turned the focus ring until a feature in the split prism lined up and the microprism collar lost it sparkly look. Magnification, minimum focus and more explained. These figures can usually be found in a lens' specification list to indicate how much of a scene is visible through it. Obviously the benefit of zooms are that you do not need to physically get closer to your subject to get a tighter framing of the image. However, do note that you will have to go to the [Custom Setting (Tab 3)] tab in the camera's menu, go to [16. Some camera bodies like the Nikon’s mid-range and advanced cameras come with a built-in auto-focusing motor. Then the lens has a series of other features which are extremely useful for the purpose of outdoor shooting. I seldom am able to comprehend things on a first read, Your email address will not be published. A shorter focal length, something like a 24mm, will allow you to capture a wider slice of the scene. I quickly got weaned from my over-dependence on the kit lens that came with my camera. As such, Canon lenses alone are reason to choose the EOS system. Learn more now! Cyber Monday deals: see all the best offers right now! The one that comes first denotes the maximum aperture that the lens is able to open up to when shooting at its shortest focal length. A tilt-shift lens can counter common issues like merging train tracks or tall skyscrapers appearing leaning on each other and so on. What is a good landscape lens? Lens buying, thanks to these absurd amounts of acronyms, has become an extremely difficult proposition. Must Have DSLR Lenses for Beginners. Camera lenses are one of the most important considerations that go into the mirrorless vs. reflex camera decision. But you will quickly get used to it. The shorter that distance, the greater is the magnification. This is a major difference from the Canon system. Full-frame sensors are roughly the same size as 35mm film (36 x 24mm), while cropped sensors are smaller (around 24 x 16mm).When a lens is fitted to a camera with a cropped sensor, the focal length appears to increase, but what’s actually happening is that the scene is being cropped. Optical and electronic. They are also great for selective focusing techniques. The highest attention to detail is paid to every aspect of every lens that bears the name Nikkor. Optical image stabilization is a technology whereby mechanical or computer-aided systems inside a lens move tiny stabilization elements in the lens in order to ‘stabilize’ a picture and compensate for any inadvertent hand movements at the moment when you press the shutter release. Lenses which have a smaller maximum aperture struggle in these situations. It is OSS or Optical Steady Shot. With a DSLR, if your first lens doesn't have the wide-angle or zoom capabilities that you want, you can purchase additional lenses that provide more zoom or better wide-angle options. But the inherent disability of these lenses is that you have to use your feet a lot more than you normally do in order to manually ‘zoom’ in and out. At the lenses widest, 17mm, I can open the aperture to f2.8, but if I zoom all the way in to 35mm now my maximum aperture is only f4. We are concerned with optical image stabilization only in this discussion. Thank you was very insightful, even for one in early stages of dementia. Such as the 85mm f/1.8 and the 135mm f/2. We had previously detailed what the f-stop chart is like and how sliding up or down the f-stop chart will double or half the amount of light that is captured by the sensor. Lens selection, prices, and qualities like sharpness, contrast, size, and compatibility all influence the attractiveness of an interchangeable lens format. DX is the acronym that suggests that these lenses are optimized for the smaller crop sensor cameras. We also share useful tips and tricks on how to become a better photographer and offer free online photography courses. It is a Japanese word. Therefore, elements in the image vertical to the focusing plane (back to front) are in focus and those parallel to the focusing plane are out of focus. Digital cameras aimed at beginners and intermediate users typically only offer a built-in lens. You put your camera on the continuous shooting mode, set focusing to AF continuous, set the focus delimiter button to ensure that you have the focusing range correct and set your camera to shutter priority (and not focus priority) and fire away. We have already learned how prime lenses tend to be optically superior most times when compared to zoom lenses. There are advantages and disadvantages to both these type of lenses. These lenses are known to have a slightly slower and yet more reliable Stepper Motor AF technology. Whether you are an amateur or a professional this guide will help you understand the different parameters that you need to consider before finalizing a lens. Sigma uses the term HSM which stands for Hypersonic motor. Focal length is the distance in millimetres from the imaging surface (film or sensor) and the optical centre of the lens when it is focused at infinity. You want to focus on the flower and blur out all the insignificant elements that are in the background as well as the foreground. There is no way you could do that unless you open up the aperture. See your world through renowned Nikkor DSLR lenses. You will notice that sometimes zoom lenses come with two sets of apertures. Fully weather sealed lenses will be able to handle rain, bad weather, and dust without any problems. This lens is light and more compact than other camera lenses, making it perfect for photographers who are still in the early stages of photography. In this mode, the lens will activate image stabilization when it detects that there are any movements that are perpendicular to the panning movement. This segment of this discussion will help all photographers who ever wanted to have a single lens to do everything that they needed to do. Not until very recently. ... With a DSLR, itâs as simple as swapping out lenses. For moments when you are unsure which way the subject is going to move, i.e., the movement is erratic. Posted in Features on Friday, September 20 2019. When I started off as a digital photographer, merely dabbling different things with my DSLR camera, I realized very quickly that one lens was not enough. Both of these effects are necessary for photography. The primary purpose of these lenses is to be able to capture a scene, without drawing attention unto themselves. In other words, they don’t zoom. This is why longer lenses are used for shooting distant objects and shorter lenses are used for capturing landscapes. You can use EF lenses on all Canon EOS DSLR bodies, and you can also use these on Canon’s range EOS M series of mirrorless cameras via the EF-EOS M adapter. With full-frame cameras - those that have a sensor that is the same size as a 35mm film frame - lenses longer than 50mm are considered telephoto optics because they have an angle of view that is smaller than our eyes. The second mode is known as a panning assist mode. A single-lens reflex camera (SLR) is a camera that typically uses a mirror and prism system (hence "reflex" from the mirror's reflection) that permits the photographer to view through the lens and see exactly what will be captured.With twin lens reflex and rangefinder cameras, the viewed image could be significantly different from the final image. Standard Lenses – this is a term that seems to be disappearing a little from terminology. Let’s take an example. Required fields are marked *. It was (and still is) the same thing for film SLR cameras too where their high quality lenses deliver the same sort of quality images to the 24mm x 36mm area of film rather than the equivalent sensor area of a DSLR. This lens extends all the way to 200mm and has a fast constant aperture throughout the focal length range. Lens manufacturers these days have surpassed all previous standards when it comes to adding acronyms (and abbreviations) at the end of a lens’ name. Lens Stabilization vs In-camera Stabilization. There are at least five different decisions that you have to make in order to buy a piece of glass. Such as when you are following an athlete running past you or when panning a bird in flight and these sort of things. Wide-angle: These lenses have a focal length less than the diagonal size of the camera sensor. *1 The image size is automatically set to that of the APS-C size setting. Canon APS-C format SLRs like the EOS 7D Mark II or EOS 700D etc, have a focal length magnification factor of 1.6. Kinds of DSLR Lenses Macro DSLR Lenses. The best features you need in a lens for shooting wildlife are a long focal length, a fast aperture and the ability to pan without any vertical hand movements affecting the panning movement. Bokeh is the quality of the blur. Canon EOS DSLR Autofocus Explained. There are two kinds of image stabilization at work. Still, others have preferred a telephoto lens. Special Purpose, if any, (will discuss in detail later) that needs to be fulfilled. Get one email per week for one year (Unsubscribe at any time). You are free to experiment with different lenses till you reach that point when you realize which one (or two) works best for you. What they are: Typically covering a focal length between 24 mm and 35 mm, Wide Angle lenses … This week, we shoot the new Tamron 70-210mm F4 alongside the equivalent Canon and Nikon models to see how they stack up. DSLR vs. Mirrorless Lenses. Let’s start with Nikon. These lenses will take care of most of your everyday photography requirements. In the case of Nikon systems, the crop factor is 1.5x. Which NIKKOR Lens Type is Right for Your DSLR? If landscape photography is your thing then wide-angle lenses will be your bread and butter. This suggests that the maximum aperture possible on the lens tend to vary based on the focal length that you have selected. The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM is a great choice to start off. Let’s say that you want to buy a 36-megapixel full-frame camera with all the latest features packed in. You also need to use a small aperture around f/8 or even f/11 to get much of the scene in sharp focus. Photographer’s beginners and pros often upgrade their equipment. Every full stop going right (or down) that chart will halve the amount of light and go left (or up) that chart will double the amount of light. Often you wouldn’t get too much time to compose and make your shots. Another great choice is the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM. Every component manufactured by Canon is covered, plus a few exceptionally good third-party components. Close-up lenses are primarily used for macro photography to be able to get closer to the subject, decreasing the minimum focus distance of the lens. Another advantage of fast lenses is that you are able to freeze a moment. Canon uses the terms EF and EF-S to denote lenses that are optimized for the full-frame cameras and those designed for the smaller cropped cameras respectively. Prime lenses are lenses that have a fixed focal length, whereas zoom lenses allow you to change between focal lengths without changing lens. Some FX lenses will also work with older film cameras. Gizmodo DSLR Buying Guide: DSLR Camera Lenses Explained. There is really no hard and fast rules here. Telephoto Lenses. Rapid advancements in camera performance are changing the requirements and demands for lenses. Let’s say that you want to make an image of a beautiful flower in your garden. The most important consideration, something that seems to be number one when it comes to deciding which lens to buy, is the price. There are a few things that you need to look out for though. Even smartphones are being fitted with two or more lenses so that they could mimic this effect. But you can also find a series of prime lenses which are perfect for the job too. Some DSLR camera bodies are sold with one or two lenses included; these are called kit lenses. I have always maintained that when it comes to choosing between the combination of an average quality lens paired with a good camera, and an average camera paired with a good quality lens, always opt for the second combination. Additionally, you need weather sealing because when you are outdoors you never know when the heavens are going to open up. This happens more with the cheaper lenses than the top-end lenses. Read more about us or contact us. Tilt-shift lenses are another special purpose lenses. There are a vast majority of street photographers who prefer to use prime lenses for shooting street photography. Typically, these lenses can reproduce small objects at up to 0.5x life size on a camera’s imaging sensor. These lenses, Canon states, have been designed to work in tandem with the new dual pixel CMOS auto-focusing technology. The resulting pictures would show a noticeable amount of chromatic and other aberrations. To start off if you plan on shooting images in low light and hand-held you need this particular image stabilization mode. Next, on our list, we bring up Sigma. Different manufacturers use different acronyms to denote their auto-focusing technologies. They work to some extent like a counterbalancing system. The Nikon system of digital single-lens reflex (SLR) bodies and lenses is a popular choice among serious photographers worldwide.This page makes it easy to shop for Nikon digital bodies and Nikkor lenses. The first one would stabilize a movement regardless of the direction in which the hands (and therefore the camera) is moving. Lenses originally did not auto-focus. Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM APO Macro Lens. Home » Features » DSLR Camera Prime Lenses Explained DSLR Camera Prime Lenses Explained. Page 1 of 2: Moving on, we come to the single-lens part of the equation which, again, is fairly self-explanatory. Aperture is the adjustable opening on a lens which allows light to enter the camera and expose the sensor for the image to form. Aperture is expressed as f-numbers and the usual way to express is it is either in full stops or 1/3rd stops. So if you have a camera with an APS-C sensor, the focal length of an EF-S lens will be true. Along with fast apertures you also need your lens to have the usual goodies, good distortion and aberration suppression, suppression of ghosting and flares especially when working in backlit situations. There are some lenses like that. So, a 50mm FX lens becomes a 75mm lens when mounted on a DX body. Their inability to zoom makes it possible for the lens manufacturers to focus their energy towards making the optical technology of the lens of a superior quality. A 50mm lens used on a full-frame DSLR will provide you with the field of view of a 50mm lens, although on a camera with an APS-C sensor using the same lens will result with an effective focal length of around 75-80mm. They are designed for two different sensor formats, APS-C and full-frame respectively. A telephoto lens is a lens that appears to magnify distant objects. How to Use M42 Lenses with a Canon EOS DSLR. This goes out to people who bought or want an entry-level DSLR, and wonder what's the deal with interchangeable lenses. All other Canon mounts will work with the EOS-M with a mount adapter, but EF-M lenses will not work on other Canon bodies. The newer AF-P lenses let you set certain settings from the camera’s menu system, such as VR (Vibration... E-Type NIKKOR Lenses. This is because the focal length allows you to change the perspective of your shot without having to move. One of the great aspects of Nikon's camera systems is that most of the legacy lensesâthose that you may have used with your film-based Nikon SLR cameraâcan be used on your digital SLR camera. They are Normal lenses, Wide-angle lenses, and Telephoto lenses. https://bhpho.to/2VnjOQo. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Such as Sigma, Tamron, Tokina, Lensbaby, Lomography and so on. PhotoWorkout is an online magazine reviewing and comparing the best photography gear, software, and photo prints. As a result you get these lenses at a very reasonable price point: $100-$600 in most cases. The lens mentioned above (70-200mm) is suitable for this purpose (portrait photography) as well. You can thus, create an image where the plane of focus is perpendicular to the focusing plane. This DSLR lens guide will be incomplete without a mention of the different special purpose lenses that are available to shoot with. On the other hand, if portrait photography is your calling, you need to find a lens that gives you a focal length range of 70 – 135mm. In this mode image stabilization kicks in only at the moment when you press down the shutter button all the way. You know it is about to make a move. Another good place is to look for manufacturer refurbished lenses. A longer focal length, such as a 200mm, allows you to get closer to the action. One of them is the Petzval 58. AF-P Lenses. The acronym DC is used to denote lenses which have been designed for the smaller APS-C sensor cameras. However, it is not very fast nor incredibly sharp, unlike other quality camera lenses. Receive news and offers from our other brands? It will always kick in when you press down the shutter button halfway. Telephoto Zoom Lenses â Zoom lenses are the most popular DSLR lenses at present and come in a range of configurations and levels of quality. For … But you pair that with a 100 dollar lens. By the way, this technique is also referred to as selective focusing. Wide-angle lenses have ⦠The original design was made in the first half of the 19th century. Nikon uses the term SWM which denotes that the lens uses the modern generation Silent Wave Motor technology. DSLRs have either a full-frame or a cropped sensor. Canon, on the other hand, uses the acronym IS which means Image Stabilization. Macro Lenses It is more of a ratio between the focal length and the actual diameter of the lens’ opening. A wide-angle has a shorter focal length (10 thru 42mm) when compared to a standard lens. Angle of view can be measured vertically, horizontally or diagonally (this gives an increasing measurement in landscape orientation). Learn more in, DSLR Lens Guide (Everything You Need to Know). Please note that the actual focal length never changes. Let’s take a look at these acronyms. And not just the lens they prefer using weather sealed camera bodies as well. Image stabilization kicks in at the precise moment when you press the shutter button half-way to lock focus. Nikon’s New Lens Mount Probably Won’t Glow, But Maybe It Should. This happens when you stop the lens down and that results in the light rays getting bounced off the aperture diaphragm blades thereby reducing the overall sharpness of the image. We've selected our favorite lenses for Canon DSLRs in several categories to make your decisions easier. This illusion will show up parallel lines as merging in a distance. Often new photographers and videographers feel that prime lenses should be the first thing they invest in when they decide to transition from their kit lens and better understand their cameras. This is a great all around lens, … Camera Lenses Explained Which lens best suits your type of photography? The Canon EOS system of digital single-lens reflex (SLR) bodies and lenses is a standard choice among professional photographers worldwide.This page makes it easy to compare and search for for Canon digital bodies and EOS lenses. This depends on the crop factor of the camera. If your budget is low, which is the case with most beginner photographers, but you need good quality lenses nevertheless, try to look for second-hand lenses. Even though there are some lenses which you probably never need to take off, being a firm believer in the concept of multiple lenses, I find it very hard to imagine a situation where I would be stuck with a single lens at all times. It all comes down to your interest which you are likely going to discover early in your photography career. This is why if you use lenses such as the 35mm f/1.8D or the 50mm f/1.8 D with an entry-level camera your lens won’t auto-focus. This is because you have to walk out on to the street and make images of complete strangers. Kit Lenses – These days the lens that is offered as a package with the DSLR is generally called the ‘kit lens’. DSLR cameras are incredible for a variety of reasons. Here, Canon Photographer Jenn Cooper sheds light on what those numbers on the lens mean, covering everything from focal lengths and aperture values to the different types of lenses and when to use each one. Focal length is the distance in millimetres from the imaging surface (film or sensor) and the optical centre of the lens when it is focused at infinity. Examples of a prime lens are the Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D and the Nikkor 85mm f/1.8 G. Since these lenses don’t have a zooming mechanism they contain fewer elements. The 24-70mm has a constant aperture across the focal length range. They are named differently by different manufacturers but they all tend to do pretty much the same thing. The expansive wide focal length range of 11-24mm allows you to get an even wider slice of the scene. This is a comprehensive DSLR lens guide that will help you through the steps of shortlisting, comparing and deciding on your next DSLR lens. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, This enables you to capture a… A fully weather sealed lens is what you need when working in outdoors and in inclement weather. They use the acronyms Di and Di II (as well as Di III) to denote lenses that are for the full-frame systems and APS-C systems respectively.