| When shopping for a Digital SLR Camera people | | | | structures appear to lean toward the center of |
| often overlook or skimp on the camera's lenses. | | | | the frame. A way to check if the wide-angle |
| Camera Lenses serve as the digital SLR cameras | | | | lenses you are interested in has convergence is to |
| "eye," the lens determines what and how your | | | | take test pictures before buying the lens. With |
| camera will see your subject and how well that | | | | high quality wide angles lenses like Canon L series |
| view is transmitted to the camera's sensor chip | | | | lenses address this convergence issue well. |
| for recording. The way I like to look at camera | | | | Examples of wide-angle lenses are 15MM, 17mm, |
| lenses is as painter's brushes, broad strokes, | | | | 24mm and 28mm lenses. |
| medium stokes, all purpose brushes, and small | | | | Normal Lenses: |
| detail brushes. There is a lot to learn about digital | | | | Normal Lenses try to mimic how the human eye |
| slr camera lenses and this article will serve as a | | | | sees and are some of the most versatile lenses |
| basic outline to understanding them. The following | | | | you can use. These are my all purpose brushes, |
| sections explain the basic types of digital SLR | | | | and are somewhere between a wide angle and a |
| camera lenses, how they work, and how to | | | | telephoto lenses. If you buy just one lens try and |
| select them. | | | | buy the fastest normal lenses you can like a |
| | | | 50mm 1.4f lenses. Some examples of normal |
| Focal Length | | | | lenses are 35mm; 50mm, 65mm and some |
| On a digital SLR camera the focal length of the | | | | consider a 80mm a normal lens. |
| lenses measures the distance between the lens | | | | Telephoto Lenses: |
| and the image sensor, measured in millimeters. | | | | Lenses with long focal lengths 100mm and higher |
| Lenses can be classified into subgroups like prime, | | | | are called telephoto lenses. A long focal length |
| macro, wide angle, normal, telephoto, and zoom | | | | seems to bring the subject closer to you and |
| lenses. They are also rated in regards to f-stop or | | | | increases the subject's size in the frame. |
| speed an example would be a F2.0 50mm lens or | | | | Telephoto lenses also give your subjects a graphic |
| a 1.4F 80mm lens. We will explain this later in this | | | | look and flatten out your subject. These lenses |
| article. | | | | are my short stroke brushes. |
| Prime Lenses: | | | | Zoom Lenses: |
| Prime lenses are fixed focal length lenses like a | | | | Zoom lenses are special because they can be |
| 50mm 1.4f lens. To zoom with these types of | | | | very versatile. These types of lenses vary in their |
| lenses you need to use your feet and to get | | | | focal lengths and come in many in wide-angle, |
| closer or farther away from the subject. | | | | telephoto, and wide-angle to telephoto. In my bag |
| Traditionally prime lenses are sharper and faster | | | | I carry a 17mm to 35mm my wide-angle broad |
| then zoom lenses. If you are on a budget you | | | | brush, 24mm to 70mm my medium brush, and a |
| can pick up some amazing used older prime | | | | 80mm to 200mm my short brush. With these |
| lenses off eBay or your local camera store. | | | | three lenses I get a very board range of focal |
| Macro Lenses: | | | | lengths for any situation. All of my zooms are at |
| Macro Lenses are your detail brushes they enable | | | | least f2.8 through out the lenses range, which |
| you to get up close and personal with your | | | | means my f-stop can stay constant while I am |
| subject. These types of lenses are used for | | | | zooming in and out. These types of lenses are |
| extreme close ups on small objects like daisies, | | | | very expensive but so get what you pay for. |
| pennies, and food but not limited to these types | | | | When shopping for a zoom lenses check out the |
| of subjects. Examples of macro lenses are 50mm | | | | f-stop range rating. An example is a 24mm to |
| and 100mm macros. These lenses are also great | | | | 300mm f3.5-f5.6 lenses meaning the lowest f-stop |
| for selective focus types of photos. | | | | you can shoot is at the 24mm range of the |
| Wide-angle Lenses: | | | | lenses and when you zoom to 200mm the lowest |
| Wide-angle lenses are your broad stroke brushes; | | | | you can go is f5.6. Zoom lenses can give you |
| these types of lenses have short focal lengths. | | | | flexibility and versatility all in one lenses. When |
| The short focal length has the visual effect of | | | | buying a zoom lens try and get one that is made |
| "pushing" the subject away from you and making | | | | of glass and is the fastest you can afford, you |
| it appear smaller. The beauty of wide-angle lenses | | | | will not regret it. |
| is you can be relatively close to your subject and | | | | Understanding what these different groups of |
| fit a broad stroke of the background into the | | | | lenses can do will help you make more informed |
| scene. | | | | decisions on what lenses to purchase and what to |
| One problem with wide-angle lenses is known as | | | | put in your camera bag. |
| convergence, a distortion that makes vertical | | | | |