How to Choose the Right Camera Lens
One of the principal advantages of the 35mm SLR is the Option of
changing lenses. However, there are so many camera lenses around, which
one is the best to be used to produce the right image? It's easy to be
seduced into collecting lenses by the expectation that the object
itself will help you take better pictures. It won't. Lenses are like
spanners in a tool box: you can tackle most jobs with a limited range
of sizes, or with just one adjustable spanner; extra spanners don't
make you a better mechanic, though they will extend the range of tasks
you can tackle.
Lens quality is another trap. Most lenses for SLRs provide
extraordinarily good quality, so that unless you make giant
enlargements, you'll probably never fully exploit the optical
capabilities of your lenses. Remember that many factors affect the
sharpness of your pictures, and lens quality is just one of them.
Unless you habitually use a tripod, camera shake is likely to set a
limit on picture sharpness much sooner than lens resolution, and over
long distance, heat haze and mist are also factors. Tests in camera
magazines may enable you to make objective comparisons between lenses,
but they are carried out in an optical laboratory, and in practice
you'll probably notice only the grossest of differences in the finished
picture.
Finally, bear in mind that what you carry in your camera bag is there
to aid you, not to be a burden. If you hesitate about carrying your
camera bag half a mile across sand dunes, it's time to take something
out of it.
Telephotos take you closer to the subject
Travel light with a mid-range zoom
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For maximum versatility and minimum
weight, mid-range zoom lenses are unequalled. The most versatile lenses
have focal lengths ranging from 28mm to 200mm, but watch out for hidden
drawbacks - these wide range zooms often focus no closer than 7 feet (2
meters) and have small maximum apertures, limiting low-light use. Zoom
lenses make cropping in camera especially easy: not only do they save
you the trouble of constantly switching lenses, but they also provide
intermediate focal lengths - such as 130mm - for fine-tuning
composition.
Expand the horizon with a wide-angle lens
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The qualities of a wide-angle lens are
easy to appreciate in practice. With a wide-angle lens on your SLR, the
foreground looms larger and the background recedes into the distance:
small changes in camera position will radically alter the appearance of
the picture. Wide-angles are small and light too and you'll hardly
notice the extra weight.
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