Lens details explanation?

[immunoglobulin]

Hi all,

I've been toying around my dslr kit lens for quite some time and i decided to buy a new lens. But i've no ideal what to look out for in a lens and what does the details in the lens means.

So I'll list out what i know about a lens and correct me if i'm wrong.

Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18- 55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS

Canon: This is the brand of the lens

Zoom Lens: Zoomable lens

EF-S: Mounting system from what i've read but don't know the differences between EF and EF-S.

18-55mm: How far it can zoom... is this the focal length of the lens?

IS: means there's image stabilizer.

Then there's weird sign beside it wrote 58mm... not sure what that means... maybe some can enlighten me

1:3.5- 5.6: The aperture of the lens... denotes the speed. Does this means that at 18mm, the f.stop will be 3.5 and at 55mm it'll be 5.6?

Thanks for all the inputs.

 

[GoheadGostern]

the 58mm is the thread size of ur lens. so you can buy filters tat will fit into ur front thread.

http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/showthread.php?t=309544

read the following post in the link above. it might help you understand better.

Cheers

 

[Rashkae]

1:3.5- 5.6: The aperture of the lens... denotes the speed. Does this means that at 18mm, the f.stop will be 3.5 and at 55mm it'll be 5.6?

You're off to a good start! :thumbsup:

 

[nIveL]

Hi all,

I've been toying around my dslr kit lens for quite some time and i decided to buy a new lens. But i've no ideal what to look out for in a lens and what does the details in the lens means.

So I'll list out what i know about a lens and correct me if i'm wrong.

Canon Zoom Lens EF-S 18- 55mm 1:3.5-5.6 IS

Canon: This is the brand of the lens

Zoom Lens: Zoomable lens

EF-S: Mounting system from what i've read but don't know the differences between EF and EF-S.

18-55mm: How far it can zoom... is this the focal length of the lens?

IS: means there's image stabilizer.

Then there's weird sign beside it wrote 58mm... not sure what that means... maybe some can enlighten me

1:3.5- 5.6: The aperture of the lens... denotes the speed. Does this means that at 18mm, the f.stop will be 3.5 and at 55mm it'll be 5.6?

Thanks for all the inputs.

All correct, and the last weird sign u mention is actually the diameter of the lens. Its telling you that the diameter is 58mm, so if you getting a filter for the lens, you need to get a 58mm one. Any other sizes won't fit, for obvious reasons.

EF lens = Mountable on Full Frame Bodies. (EG. 1DsMkIII, 5DMkII)
EF-S lens = Mountable only on Crop Bodies. (EG. 450D, 400D, 500D, 1000D, 40D, 50D) I only mention the newer ones, there's too many to name.

 

[jlkk76]

wat is ur budget?

wat type of lens u lookin for?

 

[2evans]

immunoglobulin, out of curiosity, why do you feel like getting a new lens? What does your current kit lens not do for you? What type of photographs do you like to take and why do you think your current lens does not work?

What you like to photograph and your budget will help narrow down lenses that would fit your needs.

 

[nixontkl]

TS - u pretty much nail it all.

yes 18-55 is the focal length of your lens, zoom power of your lens will be 55/18= 3x (zoom factor is always your larger focal length number divided by the smaller number)

example: a 18-200mm lens is say to have a 11.1x zoom

To understand waht u want in your future lens, play around with the aperture settings and different focal length more. 1 picture try to take it using different aperture (example take picture of someone or something from the same distance and position and take using different aperture, from F3.5 to F8 or even F10) see the effects of aperture on your picture.

happy exploring your lens

 

[immunoglobulin]

Thanks for enlightenment!

So i assume full frame is the one with a bigger sensor compare to the crop bodies? Can a EF lens fit on a crop body?

I'm looking for a lens that can take a photo with shallow depth of field at a distance. My current kit lens cant do that. I remember i used to loan a lens from my school but i can't remember what lens is it. If i recall correctly, the diameter of the lens is quite wide and length is double of my kit lens.

I like to take candid shorts especially at events, animals and a little bit of stills like portraits. I'm a student so budget wise not too high... I own a 40D so i think it's a crop body.

 

[gymak90]

Thanks for enlightenment!

So i assume full frame is the one with a bigger sensor compare to the crop bodies? Can a EF lens fit on a crop body?

I'm looking for a lens that can take a photo with shallow depth of field at a distance. My current kit lens cant do that. I remember i used to loan a lens from my school but i can't remember what lens is it. If i recall correctly, the diameter of the lens is quite wide and length is double of my kit lens.

I like to take candid shorts especially at events, animals and a little bit of stills like portraits. I'm a student so budget wise not too high... I own a 40D so i think it's a crop body.

Yes you are right to say a full frame body has a bigger sensor than cropped bodies.

An EF lens can mount on a crop body, but EF-S cannot be used on a full frame body. 40D is a cropped body cam

Shallow depth of field at a distance can be achieved by long focal lengths and large apertures. Say 70mm f2.8

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

Thanks for enlightenment!

So i assume full frame is the one with a bigger sensor compare to the crop bodies? Can a EF lens fit on a crop body?

I'm looking for a lens that can take a photo with shallow depth of field at a distance. My current kit lens cant do that. I remember i used to loan a lens from my school but i can't remember what lens is it. If i recall correctly, the diameter of the lens is quite wide and length is double of my kit lens.

I like to take candid shorts especially at events, animals and a little bit of stills like portraits. I'm a student so budget wise not too high... I own a 40D so i think it's a crop body.

If you turn your kit lens' zoom ring to the max (55mm), is that close enough for you? Or you need more zoom? Able to walk in closer to your subject?
If about 55mm is near enough, you can consider the 50mm f/1.8 lens as a value-for-money buy. Gives you the thin depth-of-field you are looking for. If 50mm is not enough, you can search for a prime lens with longer focal length, say 85mm f/1.8 or something.

 

[Lomographer]

the 50mm f/1.4 will be better

better built, better picture quality

but even better if you have the budget for the 50mm f/1.2

 

[nixontkl]

TS - if u are on budget, the 55-200mm is a cheap alternative to the lens ur sch club got.

DOF become thinner when u zoom in. your kit lens maxed out at 55mm, longer focal length lens will give u a thinner DOF at the same aperture. your best bet is either 55-200 or 70-300. both lens are budget tele lens, 55-200 if not wrong is about $400 while the 70-300 is about $800.



what u used at sch might be a 70-200 F4(the one u loaned should be this) or even F2.8 (lens head diameter should be as tall as your camera) these lens are very good for candid shots, subject isolation, but very expensive, $1200-$3000.

 

[immunoglobulin]

Hi all

Thanks for the inputs. The lens which i used now is a kit lens and at 55mm, my f stop smallest is 5.6. Can't really do good depth of field photos. Usually i shoot photos at events and most of the time i can't get close to the subject.

The one in my school should be quite expensive cause i remember there's a red ring. I'll try the 55-200 and 70-300 at cathay photo soon.

 

[Shen siung]

Hi all

Thanks for the inputs. The lens which i used now is a kit lens and at 55mm, my f stop smallest is 5.6. Can't really do good depth of field photos. Usually i shoot photos at events and most of the time i can't get close to the subject.

The one in my school should be quite expensive cause i remember there's a red ring. I'll try the 55-200 and 70-300 at cathay photo soon.

If you can't get too close, a longer reach lens with longer focal length should suits you.
Do note the is a EF55-200 and EF-S55-250, they are 2 different lens. The latter comes with IS.