- All camera systems offer a dizzying selection of lenses
- Less expensive lenses will generally have variable apertures – so as you zoom, the maximum aperture gets smaller
- More expensive lenses have a fixed aperture
- Wide angles give an expansive view, and when used correctly, they can wrap you in the scene
- If you shoot scenes with prominent foreground objects, then a wide-angle lens is the way to go
- Wide angles are also handy in tight areas, like small rooms, cars, caves, etc. They can create volume and expansiveness in a limited space
- Standard zoom lenses are great walkaround lense
- Most people feel that zooms offer more bang for the buck these days
- a prime does force you to think more about composition and point of view, simply because it can’t zoom
- prime lenses also tend to be cheaper than optically-equivalent zooms
- Telephoto lenses get you close to a subject without actually approaching them
- Working with a telephoto lens is like shooting through binoculars because they magnify distant subjects
- The most popular telephotos seem to be various flavors of 70-300mm or 70-200mm
- Telephoto lenses also compress distance, making everything appear closer together, as opposed to wide-angle lenses, which distort perspective and make things look separate
- Of course, telephoto lenses are also excellent for sports, nature, and wildlife photography, where it can be difficult to get close
- Of course, telephoto lenses are also excellent for sports, nature, and wildlife photography, where it can be difficult to get close
- If you really want to shoot like the pros, you’ll want a 300mm f/4, a 300mm f/2.8, or a 400mm f/2.8
