There’s a lens for every photo. It happened to all of us that after buying our first SLR camera, after playing with it for a while, we realized that the lens provided with the starter kit did not cover ALL our photographic needs, and that’s when we started to wonder what the target would be. What’s the next goal I need to buy now?It must be said that this question, very accurate and smart for the case, some do it even before, just when they want to buy the camera/starter kit. With no idea what each type of lens is for, they don’t know if an 18-55mm camera lens kit is useful, or with an 18-105mm lens, or what exactly it is.
Today it occurred to me to explain in a simple and very simplified way, as always without going into technicalities or in-depth explanations, what type of lens it is advisable to use for what type of photography.
- Even if you don’t want to use technicalities.
- The phrase “Focale” will read you a lot in this article.
- You need to know what it is.
- If not.
- Read this before proceeding.
The answer to the question of why there is so much variety of lenses can be found in compact cameras, those that only have a fixed lens, with which we try to take decent photos in all circumstances. We all know that while the quality of these photos is always acceptable, it almost never reaches the level that an SLR camera with its lens/lens can offer us. The variety of objectives allows us a very high level of specialization. Each lens is good, very, very good, in its range or in the type of photos for which it was taken. Working all kinds of photos with a single lens would be more economical, that is true, but at the expense of the optical quality of the photo.
Here are the most common situations you’ll want to shoot and the type of target you’ll need to use to get the best result. Go ahead, you can always photograph all situations with any purpose, but what I propose. here’s the ideal use, the way you’d get the best results, go ahead.
Landscapes, nature, panoramas and urban scenes: For this type of photography you will need a wide-angle lens, they are lenses capable of capturing a wide angle (hence their name), they usually have a small focal length. For example, the typical lens that is usually provided with SLR cameras, the 18-55 mm, is valid for this purpose, provided that we put it at a low value such as 18 mm or around that figure. you could get a lens with an even smaller focal length, for example 17 mm, or 14 mm, that would be phenomenal Well, these lenses not only capture a panoramic view but, at very low focal lengths like 14 mm or 10 mm, even produce some distortion of the lenses (landscapes, clouds, buildings, trees, etc. ), driving a touch of grandeur and magnificence.
Portraits / Portraits: Here is recommended a lens of 50 mm upwards Can you take a portrait with a focal length of 200 mm?In principle, yes, it is possible, but it is normal to move between 50 mm and 70 mm as a rule, being possible to film also at greater focal lengths.
Another important aspect for portraits is the opening of the diaphragm. You will need a target with a large aperture (f/as small as possible). An f/3. 5 would be worth it, but if it were smaller, even better. If you are passionate about portraits, if you think most of your photographs will be portraits, then your thing is prime lenses. They are lenses where the focal length is one, fixed, does not change, always the same. There are two very famous and whose portrait results are excellent and are the 35mm and the 50mm. I know and have used Nikon, but I know canon also has two similarities. These lenses produce impressive results, firstly because, being fixed, they offer a higher level of specialization and their optical result is designed precisely for that specific focal length. On the other hand, these lenses usually have a VERY GENEROUS diaphragm aperture, for example f / 1. 4, and with this the portrait result will be spectacular (if you are new to SLR photography, be sure to read this article that will guide you on how to produce stunning portraits in a few simple steps).
Macro: We all love macro photography. We love to capture these small details that fill our day to day but rarely pay attention to: folds of skin, insects, tree leaves, rose petals, household objects . . . Thanks to macrophotography, everything can become an attractive object. In macro photography, it is necessary to use a long lens lens. For example, starting at 70 mm, you can get good results. Also note that normal lenses can only focus at a certain distance from the object, if you try to get closer than necessary, they no longer focus. That’s why there are specific macro lenses on the market, designed with the ability to focus very closely.
Sports, action, children: there are situations in which either you have a telephoto lens with a focal length ranging from 70 to 200 mm, for example, or you go crazy, these are situations in which you cannot get very close to the subject and in which You have to take a picture of where you are, for example watching a football game in a stadium, a motorcycle race, or trying to photograph children (hyperactive beings that are intrinsically elusive) . In these cases, we want to have a telephoto lens that it reaches the maximum possible, but that also gives us the versatility to go from a 200mm long focal type to a short lens like 60mm or 50mm for example without having to change lenses from time to time.
Warning: beware of telephoto lenses that cover an excessive range of focal lengths: for example, an 18-200mm does not recommend much because if it solves the fact of having to change lenses, it causes us to lose a little optical quality.
As you can see, these are the most common situations you’ll normally encounter and want to document them for the most appropriate purpose. I’m sure there will be rare, un cataloged situations where you won’t know which lens to wear (photograph a glass, rabbit or your foot) but following the instructions I just gave you, you should know how to track them for any similar situation.
Thanks for reading this. I hope it’s useful to you and you can enjoy it, if you think it can benefit other people like you, share it.