Clarification with Lens


Status
Not open for further replies.

outofmind

New Member
Dec 5, 2007
70
0
0
Woodlands
Hi all, I am rather new to the world of photography...
And I would like to know what are the different types of lens used for....

For example, lens that are 105mm, I know that they are not zoom lens. So what are they used for? Portrait? Macro?

And what about those 55-200mm? 70-300mm? I saw that 70-300mm are super macro lens...

So how do we determine what are the uses for the different lenses?
 

Hi all, I am rather new to the world of photography...
And I would like to know what are the different types of lens used for....

For example, lens that are 105mm, I know that they are not zoom lens. So what are they used for? Portrait? Macro?

And what about those 55-200mm? 70-300mm? I saw that 70-300mm are super macro lens...

So how do we determine what are the uses for the different lenses?

if am not wrong the 105mm is a marco len and also can be use as a portrait len due to the sharpness , btw as for 55-200 is a zoom lens , if am not wrong u are talking abt sigma70-300 mm ? if yes it also a zoom lens but with macro feature 1:3 and yes it can shoot marco but not as good as 105mm which is 1:1 .
 

yup, i am talking about sigma 70-300mm....

so these lens will state if they have a macro feature?
what is the ratio about, may i ask?

thanks
 

these are range that the lens can cover.

as for the lens, there're several kinds which includes wide angle, macro, telephoto (which are those u mentioned above), prime, zoom and superzoom.

wide angle lenses are used for many purposes from landscape to events photography.
prime lenses like 50mm with fixed focal length are more for portrait as they produce nicer bokeh (background blur).
zoom and superzoom are lenses that allow you to adjust within a range of focal length, with superzoom having a wider range of focal length. usually these are walkaround lenses.
macro as stated, are used for macro but can be used for portraits as well.
telephoto lenses gives you more reach for a faraway subject. can be used for many purposes like birds, nature to events photography.

hope that helps. :)
 

I think I kinda understand it...

just one more qns, so what's the range for zoom and superzoom lens?
 

I think I kinda understand it...

just one more qns, so what's the range for zoom and superzoom lens?

zoom. examples of such lenses are 17-40mm, 18-55mm, 28-105mm, etc...
superzoom. will cover a wider range. examples like 18-200mm, 28-200mm, etc...
 

Hi all, I am rather new to the world of photography...
And I would like to know what are the different types of lens used for....So how do we determine what are the uses for the different lenses?

Hi outofmind

Other than the focal length itself that gives you an idea of what kind of shots you can make
( e.g a 14mm lens can make wider angle shots than a say 200mm lens ), a
lens itself has also its own specifications that makes it suitable for different purposes.
For example. 105mm reflects the focal length, but ( in Nikon ) you can have a
- 105mm micro,
- 105mm Defocus Control
While both being 105mm, they have their subspecialised niche. Some other maker may make a say 105mm tilt shift lens for a different purpose.

Ryan
 

so these lens will state if they have a macro feature?
what is the ratio about, may i ask?

thanks

abt the magnification ratio, it refers to the size of the subject on traditional 35mm film. if the subject, say a flower, is the same size in real life as on the film, it is at 1:1 magnification (in focus). but if a certain lens can only focus close enough, up to half the actual size, then it is 1:2 magnification etc.

they shld state if they have a macro feature, but it is a very general term. usually dedicated macro lenses (usually primes) will prob say '1:1' macro. others, eg tamron 18-200 xr di II LD MACRO, can focus closer than other lenses at say 200mm, but not up to 1:1

hope that helps u ;)
 

okay, thanks for all the kind souls out there!!!!

so what would be a recommendable lens if i wanna take street shots and also occasional macro shots?
 

okay, thanks for all the kind souls out there!!!!

so what would be a recommendable lens if i wanna take street shots and also occasional macro shots?

hmm which system are you using? canon or nikon?

oh just realised fellow woodlanders here. :)
 

okay, thanks for all the kind souls out there!!!!

so what would be a recommendable lens if i wanna take street shots and also occasional macro shots?

For a Nikon prime lens, the 105mm micro is one option. There are other 3rd party makers such as the Tamron 90mm macro

Ryan
 

hmm which system are you using? canon or nikon?

oh just realised fellow woodlanders here. :)

From his previous posts and the "105", it seems our TS is a Nikon user.

Hey I am a woodlander too!

Ryan
 

From his previous posts and the "105", it seems our TS is a Nikon user.

Hey I am a woodlander too!

Ryan

haha maybe we should revive the woodlanders thread, but a little too late as it already expired. :sweat:

hmm.. not too sure abt nikon range of lenses but for 3rd party, perhaps the tamron 17-50mm f2.8, but it's not really made for macro. :)
 

anyone can recommend a good lens for street and travel shots and also occasional macro shots...
 

anyone can recommend a good lens for street and travel shots and also occasional macro shots...

I's suggest you get different lenses for the different purposes. A Tamron 17-50 f2.8 would be a good choice for a street shooting and travel lens. As for macro, you can either get a dedicated one or to save cost, get a close-up filter like a Raynox 250.
 

Just wanna ask, i always see this term called walkabout lens...
so what does it actually mean? lens for street shots? for travel?
 

I's suggest you get different lenses for the different purposes. A Tamron 17-50 f2.8 would be a good choice for a street shooting and travel lens. As for macro, you can either get a dedicated one or to save cost, get a close-up filter like a Raynox 250.

yes, that is a good range. in fact the kit lens range is pretty good (18-55 or 18-70, depending).. just that the maximum aperture across the board is restrictive at times.

in any case, ts - walkabout lens is simply a term used for something one is comfortable with that can handle street photography.. what has been recommended is not a bad range for walkabout, it all depends on what sort of shots you are comfortable taking. for example, i like using 10-20 as walkabout lens, but lots of people don't. :bsmilie:
 

Just wanna ask, i always see this term called walkabout lens...
so what does it actually mean? lens for street shots? for travel?

For Eg, when you are going out casual, you wanna be able to take photos of just abt everything, and no need to change lenses so often. Depending on individual, a 17-55 would be a good example. Can zoom and take photos of cute dog on the street, or "wide angle" to take photos of architecture, or portrait your girlfriend with a statue of stanford raffles
 

Status
Not open for further replies.