help on lens!

[mdnoorhakim]

hey fellow clubsnappers,
i am new to the dslr world and i have some questions to ask you.
i own a nikon d50 and a kit lens 18-55.
the questions i want to ask are:

1) what is the connection between the f number and the numbers on the lens such as 18-55mm? what does a larger/smaller f number mean? what does a smaller mm mean? and whats the connection between them?

2) is it similar if i have a 18-55 lens and buy a 55-200 lens, than buying a 18-200 lens?

thank you fellow clubsnappers. ur response is deeply appreciated. i really want to delve in deeper into photography and i get frustrated when my pics are not sharp enough or out of focus.

 

[voldisinarta]

Read this:

http://www.paragon-press.com/lens/lenchart.htm

http://www.uscoles.com/fstop.htm

You can pm me if you have further question.

My two cents.

 

[Daedalus Trent]

LOL! a D50 with kit lens? we're in the same boat!

1) what is the connection between the f number and the numbers on the lens such as 18-55mm?
well, F-number determines the size of the aperture (therefore how much light is allowed to fall onto the light sensor, hence affecting brightness) it also affects depth of focus(DoF)
the numbers you mentioned '18-55' are the focal length range of the lens. To put it simply, focal length is how much you can 'zoom' (in and out) with your lens. 55 is the furthest you can 'zoom in' with yr 18-55mm lens

As for the connection btw F-number and the focal length, F number = focal length of lens/ diameter of lens aperture.

2) is it similar if i have a 18-55 lens and buy a 55-200 lens, than buying a 18-200 lens?
Well, i can't answer about optical abberations and such, but a 55-200VR costs abt $450-500 while a 18-200 costs $1400+.

yep, hope this helps ya xD

 

[mdnoorhakim]

LOL! a D50 with kit lens? we're in the same boat!

1) what is the connection between the f number and the numbers on the lens such as 18-55mm?
well, F-number determines the size of the aperture (therefore how much light is allowed to fall onto the light sensor, hence affecting brightness) it also affects depth of focus(DoF)
the numbers you mentioned '18-55' are the focal length range of the lens. To put it simply, focal length is how much you can 'zoom' (in and out) with your lens. 55 is the furthest you can 'zoom in' with yr 18-55mm lens

As for the connection btw F-number and the focal length, F number = focal length of lens/ diameter of lens aperture.

2) is it similar if i have a 18-55 lens and buy a 55-200 lens, than buying a 18-200 lens?
Well, i can't answer about optical abberations and such, but a 55-200VR costs abt $450-500 while a 18-200 costs $1400+.

yep, hope this helps ya xD

hey thanks Daedalus Trent. that helped me clear things up abit. and D50 is a great camera. its good to know that some people are still using the D50 since most ppl i know own a D40.

 

[sunboi80]

the lens is more impt than the cam body itself.... and of cos the skills of the person pressing the shutter

 

[obewan]

I'm still a D50 owner while most of my friends have Nikon D300, Alpha 700, etc. :embrass:

18mm refers to the wide side of the lens. (Wider view)
55mm refers to the tele side of the lens. (Closer view)

f3.5-5.6 indicates this lens maximum aperture will change as you zoom in and out.
The maximum aperture at 18mm is f3.5.
As you zoom towards 55mm your maximum aperture is f5.6.

18-200VR will give you more convenience as you do not need to swap lens.
The wide angle side may have more distortion, but the quality should be still quite acceptable. This is a convenient lens for tour especially. The built of the lens is also quite good. If you can afford, go for this.

18-55 and 55-200VR is not too bad if you are on a budget.
The 18-55 is very light weight. Especially good for outdoors and streetshooting.

 

[mdnoorhakim]

I'm still a D50 owner while most of my friends have Nikon D300, Alpha 700, etc. :embrass:

18mm refers to the wide side of the lens. (Wider view)
55mm refers to the tele side of the lens. (Closer view)

f3.5-5.6 indicates this lens maximum aperture will change as you zoom in and out.
The maximum aperture at 18mm is f3.5.
As you zoom towards 55mm your maximum aperture is f5.6.

18-200VR will give you more convenience as you do not need to swap lens.
The wide angle side may have more distortion, but the quality should be still quite acceptable. This is a convenient lens for tour especially. The built of the lens is also quite good. If you can afford, go for this.

18-55 and 55-200VR is not too bad if you are on a budget.
The 18-55 is very light weight. Especially good for outdoors and streetshooting.

so ure saying that 18-55mm + 55-200mm = 18-200mm lens?
thanks for the tip. ouh what effect does it give to the photo if the F number is large? or small?
and i have the 18-55mm lens and it has served me well.
and maybe i should start a D50 club since its members are fast depleting! :bigeyes:

 

[obewan]

D50 is quite an old model, I'm not sure if you still can find enough members to form a club. :bsmilie:

18-55 + 55-200 will give you the same range as the 18-200.
Aperture size will affect DOF (Depth of field) and exposure.
Test it out yourself and try shooting with different f numbers, that may give you the answer.

 

[mdnoorhakim]

D50 is quite an old model, I'm not sure if you still can find enough members to form a club. :bsmilie:

18-55 + 55-200 will give you the same range as the 18-200.
Aperture size will affect DOF (Depth of field) and exposure.
Test it out yourself and try shooting with different f numbers, that may give you the answer.

hey OLD is GOLD! haha. its a good camera. and enough for me i guess.
okay thanks. i think thats the best way to find out. i still cant quite understand the theory part.

 

[ahtiow]

Heyah!!

Another D50-er here! Just got my first DSLR last Sun, and yeah, I start off with D50!!

Just to share with you on the 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens (yes, I got the kit lense as well):
F3.5 - 5.6 just simply means that if you are taking pictures on the wide angle side i.e. 35mm, the aperture is f3.5 which and if your 'zoom' in i.e. 55mm, then your aperture opening is f5.6

From my experimentation shoots today at Chinatown and later in my room, I found out that the lense is ok for outdoor pics but can a bit tricky if you are taking indoor or under low light condition cos of the f3.5-f5.6 which can be tot of as quite small openings for the aperture ring. With that limitation of the aperture opening, you gotta lower the shutter speed to allow more light to go in when you take pics under low light, but the tricky part here is you gotta be very steady, lest the pic may be blurred. ANother option is you can boost up the ISO, in tat way, u can have a faster shutter speed when shooting indoor.

Hope this helps!

ahtiow

 

[ssping83]

so ure saying that 18-55mm + 55-200mm = 18-200mm lens?
thanks for the tip. ouh what effect does it give to the photo if the F number is large? or small?
and i have the 18-55mm lens and it has served me well.
and maybe i should start a D50 club since its members are fast depleting! :bigeyes:

the 18-200 offers VRII (i think it's called dynamic VR or something.. it allows VR "on the move" or something like that.. don't own one so not too sure)..

55-200 utilizes the older VRI technology.. and so does the newest 18-55 VR.. you can google on the difference between 55-200 and 18-200.. and the different VR technologies..

range of f/number wise i believe they are almost similar.. i mean.. 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 + 55-200 f/4-5.6 approximately --> 18-200 f/3.5-5.6

cheers..