What property makes a lens what it is
- This topic has 15 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated Oct 9, 2008 at 4:00 pm by
.
-
Posts
-
Hey Chaps,
I’m a little confused as to the difference in lenses and can’t really figure out why I need anything different from my 17 – 85 mm efs lens on my 20D. I know that most of you guys on this forum are excellent photographers, so I thought I would consult with the pros 😉 🙂
What property makes a lens a wide angle / telephoto / zoom / fish eye?
I’m no pro photographer, but I’ll answer for you. The question your asking is about focal length and a function (zoom).
I’ll start with a simple one, What makes a zoom lens a zoom lens. – If a lens has the ability to change focal lengths, then it’s a zoom lens. Your 17-85 is a zoom lens.
As for the other part of your question, lenses get different classifications based on their focal length. You’ll hear the terms: fisheye, wide angle, normal, and telephoto.
Fisheye lenses are extremely wide angle lenses with an extreme amount of distortion. In terms of 35mm type lenses, fisheyes usually start around 15mm. There are some wide angle lenses that are wider than 15mm but arent considered fisheye because they lack the extreme distortion.
Next would be wide angle. I’ve always heard that any lens wider focal length than 50mm is considered a wide angle.
50mm (and some say up to 85mm) focal length lenses are considered normal. The reason is that at that focal length provides an angle of view similar or equivalent to that of what the human eye sees.
Telephoto lenses then fill in the rest of the focal range. Lenses above 50mm (or 85mm) on a 35mm or full frame DSLR are considered telephoto. These lenses magnify what is normal to the human eye.Hope that helps.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramSo if I understand this correctly, all lenses are zoom lenses?
The only difference is the focal length?
If this is infact the case,The are 2 kinds of lenses.
1) “Zoom” lenses
2) “Prime” lensesZooms allow you to change the focal length by “Zooming” in and out.
Primes are a fixed focal length. They only way to “zoom” in o out is with your feet.
Then there are different classifications as Chad mentioned. Fish eye, Wide Angle, Telephoto, super telephoto (400mm and above), Macro, etc.
For arguements sake you could have 2 Wide Angles, one of each type.
A 16-35 “zoom” and a 16mm Prime.To answer your question pictures taken with both lenses at 16mm would look much the same. The angle of view will be identical. The only difference is that one lens allows you to zoom in (upto 35mm) and the other doesnt.
/edit
To attempt to answer your first question….why do you need anything different than your current 17-85mm…you probably don’t. Atleast not yet.What you might need is another lens that compliments what you already own. The addition of that 2nd lens will enable you to take more pictures in different situations…Situations where the 17-85 isn’t appropriate or it might struggle.
Classic example is of something thats further away.
85mm isn’t alot of reach. To get a better shot of distant subjects you want a lens of greater focal length.Say a 70-200, a 70-300 or a 300 prime.
With the addition of any of those you’ve opened alot of doors to alot of different applications. You’d have focal range from 17-85mm and from 70mm out to 200 or 300 in the two lenses.
Dizzy –
I am only an amateur photographer but recently upgraded my equipment in hopes of capturing shots at work that could be sold for medical publications. Thus I have been in your position recently and here’s how I put the puzzle together – remember this is just my analogy and in no way a scientific review.
Think of photography in relation to fly fishing for a moment.
We all know that one guy who only owns one 5wt rod and one double taper fly line and his box is mainly parachute adams and a few hare’s ear/PT nymphs. Sure enough he is most likely a great fly fisher and able to catch fish most of the time. In fact, he might very well be a great fisherman because he has paid the price and knows exactly how to use the basic equipment under certain conditions and he knows how to read the water. In this example, the fisherman is the photographer, the rod is the camera and the flies are lens. More importantly, the conditions and the water are the “principles” of photography such as understanding depth-of-field and lighting and knowing how to harness their properties to make a certain outcome. Catching the fish is like taking the picture and landing the fish is like post-production in Photoshop. There are many many factors that go in to actually landing the fish (the final outcome) or printing/publishing a picture.
Let’s take another example – you know that guy who has multiple rods, say 3,4,5,6,8,10,12 wt rods and about 10 fly boxes and multiple lines and leaders and he obviously spent some money getting his setup in order. One of two outcomes can happen, either this guy is really really good and knows exactly why he has each piece of equipment (e.g. saltwater, lakes, river, ponds, or specific fish like carp, bonefish, bass, trout) and he can use each setup like a precision instrument to land a fish. Or the other outcome might be that he doesn’t know exactly why he has each setup but rather went and bought each piece because he read an article or heard on an internet blog that each individual piece was important. The second guy might not actually catch more fish (or more importantly land more fish) but he certainly has the gear to grow.
At the end of the day we all want the same thing – to take good pictures (land fish). The key is knowing WHY you want something and HOW you are going to get it.
Zoom lens = a general 5wt workhorse fly rod. Advantage; very versatile, allows you to get multiple focal lengths with one lens, generally less money. Disadvantage; the glass is not always as good and the inner workings of the lens have multiple components, and at the extremes of the zoom (all the way out or all the way in) it doesn’t produce as well. However, it will allow you grow and take many different pics and learn. I actually still use my 18-200 zoom lens most of the time because I know it like the back of my hand and it is my go-to setup.
Prime lens = fixed focal length, no inner zoom mechanism. These are like a fast action saltwater 8wt rod or a 3wt bamboo rod. Advantage; they are killer lenses in general (depending on the f stop but I will avoid that topic for now – just know that some people call low f stop lenses “fast glass”, they mean the same thing but it has to do with shutter speed in low light,). These are the lenses you save up for and pull out when you want to create a specific outcome/picture. It is out of my skill level to comment further, but I will say that prime lenses are addictive and the ones you usually like to “brag about” and pull out at night just to look at. They are also the ones you don’t tell your wife about, hahaha. like fly fishing, these are the “hot topics” and often discussed on internet sites and have that “gotta have it” factor.
Macro lens = Switch rod. These are lenses that do multiple things. In general they are all prime lenses since they don’t zoom (ie fixed focal length) BUT they have little gears inside that allows the lens to focus up close and get great 1:1 shots that look more “real”. Macro lenses can also be used as a normal/prime lens – see my recent post about using the macro lens for portraits (think of it like using your 8wt saltwater rod to go bass fishing on a lake).
Telephoto lens = Shooting head setup for distance. Allows you to grab a subject far away and pull it in closer to the image plane.
Fisheye lens = one of the new bluegill or bass fly rods. Very niche but can do really interesting things in certain situations.
Tripods and heads = skiff boat or casting platform. They allow you do your job better and are accessories. Sure we can all wade fish but having a boat allows you get places and do things.
Filters, flash, tape, reflectors, etc = tackle. They allow you fine tune your image to get that shot you visualized in your mind’s eye.
Photoshop and post-processors = well, you get the picture.
A lot of the guys on this board often discuss fancy things they are doing with their gear. It’s like saying hey look what I can do with my spey rod or watch me bonefish with a 3wt. However, once you understand the basics you will see that there are some AMAZING photographers here who are doing awesome stuff with their gear and pushing the envelope. That’s what makes it so fun. I just caution people not to get caught up in the advanced skills until you are comfortable with the basics (i.e. don’t try and compete in a fly fishing distance tournament if you can’t double haul). But it sure is fun to watch and dream.
Remember, photographers are just like fisherman, they have lots of gear and equipment, their clothes have many pockets, they are obsessed with technology, they travel, they study, they practice. We all have more toys than we need but only a few people really understand the equipment they have. When you first started fly fishing the language and terminology seemed daunting but now you can actually carry on a conversation with any fly fisherman once you get the basics.
I’m no pro photographer…
Now that made me laugh…. ;D ;D
Have you seen your photos, I think you should go look….… In this example, the fisherman is the photographer, the rod is the camera and the flies are lens. …
That was one of the best posts I have read in a long time! Great stuff!
I am only an amateur photographer…
And then I LOL’ed even harder…
You guys need to go look at you own photos, between you and Chad, and then the other guys who post here… I is doing da lots of da learning, me even learn engliss hear…
And then I read the post and learn even more…
Neal, Chad, the rest of you, where do I pay, this kind of info is worth soooooooo much….
Right, I want a wide angle for my Olympus e500, I got the 18-55, and a 55-200, great to cover most of what I need on the water, and Combined with my u770 water proof, point and shoot, which is on my belt anytime I’m on the water. I think that a nice wide will complete my Camera stufffsss….
I am then going to get that Sanyo waterproof digital video camera…
Wow, awesome replies guys, especially yours Neal. Thanks – its makes whole lot more sense now. I do still have stacks to learn about my current set up!
The effect a fish eye lense gives – is that because the glass is curved?
What causes the distortion?Neal that is one intense analogy! There are many lenses for many reason. Think of it from the standpoint of where you want to or have to place the camera?
Camera placement is the only thing that determines perspective. Focal length and lens design determines angle of view. If you put a camera in a certain spot and change the focal length of the lenses the perspective dosen’t change just the area recorded in the image. A zoom gives you more flexibility for camera placement and allows you to control the field of view that is why they were first used on movie cameras. A cinematographer really couldn’t crop a movie like you can a still image.
Prime or fixed focus lenses are great under controlled conditions such as portraits,landscapes, or extreme telephoto lenses for wildlife. The fisheye yields something like a 180 degree distorted angle because of the optics.
The lens you have gives you a excellent range of focal lengths from moderate wide angle to slight telephoto. One thing you might want to try is setting the zoom to a certain focal length and move the camera back and forth rather than zooming. Take a couple of tennis or golf balls and line them up on a table. Focus on the first one fill the frame at 20mm 30mm 40mm etc and observe the effect.I’m no pro photographer…
Now that made me laugh…. ;D ;D
Have you seen your photos, I think you should go look….Thanks Mike, but until I start seeing pay checks for shooting photography, I’ll be an amateur.
Neal I’m confused, what focal length is my 7’6″ 4 wt?
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox InstagramNeal I’m confused, what focal length is my 7’6″ 4 wt?
About just right for a small bushy stream with big ass trout in it…
I’d say it’s more of a f2.8 It gets the job done, but not great for all situations. Actually it is a pretty fast little rod, so maybe f/stop = rod action.
http://society6.com/grainfarmer Fly Fishing and Landscape open edition Photography prints.
http://grainfarmer.vsco.co/ iPhone photos
http://instagram.com/chad_simcox Instagram
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.