Clearing Doubts, need help!

[sweetfeetjaded]

Hi guys,

I just have a few doubts to clear from my head, becuase i am really sitting on the fence on this. Could you guys help me out?

1) The difference between a fixed aperture lens and a ranged one.

2) What do people mean when saying off-flash photography.

Thanks!

 

[vince]

Hi guys,

I just have a few doubts to clear from my head, becuase i am really sitting on the fence on this. Could you guys help me out?

1) The difference between a fixed aperture lens and a ranged one.

2) What do people mean when saying off-flash photography.

Thanks!

My take on your questions:

1) Fixed Aperture/Ranged Aperture lenses would apply only in Zoom lenses. For example:

70-200 f/2.8 means that no matter what the lens focal length is set at, the aperture remains at f/2.8. Ranged will mean that depending on the level of zoom, the aperture will change. So in a 18-200 f/3.5~f/6.3 lens, at 18mm focal length, the aperture is f/3.5 but when you zoom in to 200mm, the maximum aperture goes down to f/6.3

2) Off-flash photography would be better described as "off camera flash" photography or "strobist (a relatively newly coined term)" which means that the flash is not mounted on the camera body but rather away from the camera firing from a different angle/location compared to the camera lens.

Hope this helps.

Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers!

 

[ianwurn]

Heya,

1) Do you mean like 50mm f/1.8 vs 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ?

Anyone pls correct me if I am mistaken : 50mm f/1.8 means that the max aperture is at f/1.8. For the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6, it means at the wide end (18mm) max aper is f/3.5 and at the zoomed end (70mm) , max aperture is f/4.5.

2) Off flash = off-camera flash

Anything that does not use the built in camera or hot shoe mounted flash unit. Like flash cord so that your flash comes in from an angle compared to where you camera is pointed, wirelessly triggerred umbrella flash units etc.....

Hope this helps.

 

[unmtdrv]

Heya,

1) Do you mean like 50mm f/1.8 vs 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5 ?

Anyone pls correct me if I am mistaken : 50mm f/1.8 means that the max aperture is at f/1.8. For the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6, it means at the wide end (18mm) max aper is f/3.5 and at the zoomed end (70mm) , max aperture is f/4.5.

2) Off flash = off-camera flash

Anything that does not use the built in camera or hot shoe mounted flash unit. Like flash cord so that your flash comes in from an angle compared to where you camera is pointed, wirelessly triggerred umbrella flash units etc.....

Hope this helps.

Anyone pls correct me if I am mistaken : 50mm f/1.8 means that the max aperture is at f/1.8. For the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6, it means at the wide end (18mm) max aper is f/3.5 and at the zoomed end (70mm) , max aperture is f/5.6

Other than that (i think u punch in the wrong F/xx no.), you got the rest right!

 

[ianwurn]

Anyone pls correct me if I am mistaken : 50mm f/1.8 means that the max aperture is at f/1.8. For the 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6, it means at the wide end (18mm) max aper is f/3.5 and at the zoomed end (70mm) , max aperture is f/5.6

Other than that (i think u punch in the wrong F/xx no.), you got the rest right!

Aha.... my bad. 4.5 and 5.6 cannot differentiate... Sheeeesh.... ;p

 

[ortega]

Hi guys,

I just have a few doubts to clear from my head, becuase i am really sitting on the fence on this. Could you guys help me out?

1) The difference between a fixed aperture lens and a ranged one.

2) What do people mean when saying off-flash photography.

Thanks!

1. Fixed aperture lens is when the lens aperture does not change when you change the focal length

2. off flash means switch off the flash
off camera flash means the flash is used off the camera

 

[ortega]

for a prime lens, there is no zoom so the aperture will not change

there are some zoom lenses that has the ability for the aperture not to change with zooming

 

[ianwurn]

2. off flash means switch off the flash

;p Super accurate explanation !!!! :sweatsm:

 

[aryanto]

Agree with ortega.

Fixed apperture lense is the lense which can maintain the same minimum apperture number over the entire zoom range. This lense is ultra expensive.
http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=fixed+aperture+lenses

Ranged apperture lense is your normal zoom lense which minimum apperture number varies according to their focal range.
http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=ranged+aperture+lenses

Off-Flash I never heard of. I think you mean off-camera flash? There is such term. It means the flash is not attached directly to the camera body. It is either connected with wire, or wireless (Radio Frequency, Infrared etc). It is a slightly cheaper and a lot ligher option than using studio strobe.
http://www.google.com.sg/search?q=off-camera+flash

If you know what you are looking for, aren't google great?

 

[giantcanopy]

1) Fixed Aperture/Ranged Aperture lenses would apply only in Zoom lenses.

Actually some prime lenses such as certain fisheyes and mirror lenses are only fixed aperture.
You cannot change the aperture.

But otherwise I am sure the TS now has a good idea of what are constant aperture zooms / variable aperture zooms

Ryan

 

[liarliar]

Prime lens with fixed focal lens. But most can still change aperture. Specified at f/1.8 for example you can still stop down to smaller than 1.8 (maybe at 2.2, 2.8, 3.5, 4.5, 5.6 and so on).

Fixed aperture zoom lenses you can change the aperture if you do not wish to shoot it at biggest. E.g 70-200mm f/2.8. Can maintain at constant max f/2.8 even if you zoom out to 200mm. But if you wish to stop down aperture to smaller than f/2.8 any any of the zoom range still possible.

Some telephoto or mirror prime lens has a fixed aperture (e.g Sony 500mmF8). Exposure is usually varied with a drop in filter on the lens.

 

[sweetfeetjaded]

thanks for all the feedback guys! i think now i understand much better cheers!