The Different Types Of SLR Camera Lenses

Different Types Of  SLR Camera Lenses

For a professional photographer, SLR camera lenses will probably be in abundance to ensure that the most suitable lens is available to utilize for a specific photograph.  However, for amateur photographers who are looking to purchase a new lens to increase their photography capabilities, it can be somewhat daunting as the array of camera lenses that are available is considerable.

One of the most important points to note about SLR camera lenses is that they are always camera brand specific, meaning that a Nikon camera lens would not be compatible with a Canon camera and vice versa.  However, a lot SLR camera lenses are generally interchangeable between different models from the same brand.  For instance, the 18-135mm kit lens that comes with the Nikon D80 will work on the D90, with no particular issues arising.

Whichever SLR camera is owned, the lenses available vary considerably in purpose, size and price and can generally be easily placed into one of the following five categories.

Standard – most SLR cameras that come with a kit lens will feature a standard lens.  Not designed to take photographs of any specific form that a dedicated lens would be purchased for, standard lenses are extremely suited at taking regular photographs that do not require any change of image perspective.

Wide Angle – with a shorter focal length than a standard SLR camera lens, wide angle lenses provide, as would be suggested by their name, a wider angle image.  Offering somewhat of a distortion on the picture’s perspective, wide angle camera lenses give the effect that the item which is closest to the camera is a lot bigger than it is, producing a surreal looking photograph.

Telephoto – in essence, a camera with a telephoto lens attached has the ability to bring items that are further away closer to the camera, in much the same way that a telescope or pair or binoculars work.  One of the SLR camera lenses that vary in price most, they can cost in excess of $100,000 at the higher end of the market, which although unnecessary for the vast majority of photographers, are ideal for professional wildlife photographers.

Macro – the opposite of a telephoto lens, a macro SLR lens has the ability to make small things that are close appear extremely large.  Not detracting from the detail in the image, high quality macro lenses are more than capable of taking a photograph of a one inch sized insect with such detail that it can be blown up to fit a large poster without losing any of the insect’s features.

Fish Eye – often seen as an extension or progression to a wide angle lens, using a fish eye lens can encompass a wider view, but give the photograph a different perspective, to the extent that it appears to effectively bend.  Not used particularly widely in general photography, fish eye lenses offer a great and unusual effect to produce some fantastic images.

Three Points To Note When Looking For The Best SLR Camera

SLR Camera

Although 35mm SLR cameras are still used, their digital cousin is without doubt the most popular option to choose when looking to purchase an SLR camera. Technology has progressed to such an extent over the past decade that the cost of a digital SLR camera is now extremely reasonable and can allow for many to purchase an SLR camera that can take high quality, professional looking photographs.

However, due to the vast array of options available, there are several points to consider when looking for the best SLR camera for your individual needs and the following three points should all be taken into consideration before any purchase is made.

Use – the primary aspect that must be kept in mind when looking for the best SLR camera to meet your needs and requirements is when, where and how it is going to be used, as this can have a substantial effect on which camera is chosen.

For instance, if you were a professional photographer who regularly attended assignments, not only would the camera need to have a high technical specification to be able to meet the demands of your clients, but it will also have to be able to withhold regular transportation and a range of different temperatures and weathers. Of course, there are accessories available to aid with protecting the camera, but these are only considered additional or extra protection, meaning that the best SLR camera possible for your needs should be chosen.

Conversely, should the SLR camera be an upgrade for an amateur photographer from a compact camera, their requirements will be a lot less intense and may simply need to be user friendly and have the options to utilize automatic functions, so to make the transition to an SLR as easy as possible.

Lenses – linking in with the above point, it is extremely beneficial to be aware of what lenses are both sold with the camera and those which are available to purchase and utilize in the future. Whilst a lot of camera lenses are interchangeable (generally between models from the same digital SLR camera manufacturers), this is not always the case and it can be worthwhile understanding what lenses are available, especially if the camera is to be purchased for work purposes.

For amateur photographers who have little or no experience of lenses, it is recommended to ensure that the lens that is sold with the camera (as most digital SLRs are sold with at least one lens) has a length that has good capabilities at both ends of the scale, such as an 18-135mm lens. Whilst it is not suitable for macro photography or as use as telephoto lens, it is more than capable to provide close-up and long distance, both to an extent, photos that are suited to beginner photographers.

Price – when looking for the best SLR camera for your individual needs, it is always advised to have as flexible of a budget as possible. Although it is possible to purchase a digital SLR for a few hundred dollars, particularly if purchasing an older model that is pre-owned, a brand new recent model will cost several hundred dollars and can easily run into thousands.

Whilst there are other aspects that should be considered further to these three points, should you be aware of what your requirements are for the camera’s use, its lenses and your price budget, purchasing the best SLR camera will be a hassle free process.

How To Decide On The Most Suitable SLR Camera Lenses

For all photographers who use a SLR camera, at least one lens is required to accompany a SLR body to take a photograph.  Unlike a compact point and shoot camera, in which the camera incorporates the lens into the body, making the lens and body one item and therefore not having the ability to amend the lens in anyway, SLR cameras are sold in two parts.  Firstly, the body, which is the considered the primary part of the camera, as this is what processes the photograph and where, in 35mm SLR cameras, the film was housed (for digital SLRs, it is where the memory card is stored) and secondly the lens, which, for those who are not photographically savvy, is the long, cylindrical part which protrudes from the front of the camera body and arranges the light that enters in to actually create different image perspectives.

Prior to any photograph being taken, the photographer must first attach a lens to their SLR camera body.  For the majority of general consumer SLR cameras (i.e., those aimed at the widest possible market, from amateur photographers to semi-professional), most will be sold with at least one lens, known as a kit lens.  Suitable for taking general photographs, they are not designed to be particularly efficient at taking photographs that require a certain perspective and using a camera with this lens is often seen as the next step up from a compact point and shoot camera.

However, unlike on a compact point and shoot camera, which has a fixed lens, this lens can be removed and replaced with a different one, such as one with a greater focal length or wider aperture, so to be able to produce a varying style of image, offering a different style of image.

Due to the vast amount of lenses that are available, deciding on the one that is the most suitable for you as an individual photographer is far from being an easy process.  Prior to any lenses being looked at or considered, it is important that several questions are answered and points are considered, including the actual type of SLR camera that is being used, what type of photography is carried or planning to be carried out and any additional needs or circumstances that should be taken into consideration.

Whilst searching for a new lens will be possible without taking note of this information, the process will be one that is much less time consuming and complex if it is all taken into consideration.  However, as this information can be particularly laborious to digest and become fully aware of it, it can be difficult for an amateur photographer to take it all in.  Therefore, as the needs of an amateur photographer will very often be substantially less than professional photographers, the basics of the information would more often than not suffice when choosing a SLR camera lens for an amateur photographer.

 

SLR Brand
The reason why it is important to know what type of SLR camera is being used is that lenses are camera (sometimes model but at least brand) specific, meaning that they cannot be interchanged between cameras from different manufacturers.

With this in mind, there are some exceptions to this rule, which are the lenses that are created by third party SLR lens manufacturers.  Not producing SLRs themselves but focusing solely on the manufacturing of lenses, these companies produce lenses of all types to fit most SLR cameras, meaning that a lens from the manufacturer of your SLR body does not necessarily need to be purchased.

However, it has to be noted that due to the different fixing points (known as lens mounts) that the SLR bodies from different manufacturers have, these third party lens manufacturers will often create the same lens, for the same price, but with different fixing points.  Therefore, if purchasing a lens from a third party manufacturer, it must be ensured that the lens with the correct fixings for the SLR body is purchased.

Discussions arise regularly in regards to lenses that are not produced by SLR body manufacturers, primarily in respect of their quality, with many professional photographers believing that the images that third party lenses produce are not of the same standard as those created by SLR body manufacturers.  Whilst this may be the case, for the majority of amateur photographers, this difference will be barely discernible, meaning that they are more than suitable, extremely practical and very cost efficient, as they are more often than not cheaper than those lenses created by the manufacturers of the SLR bodies.

On the assumption that this information is held, it is paramount that the four primary types of SLR camera lenses are understood, so that the most suitable lens for the type of photography which is going to be carried out is chosen.

 

Telephoto
The telephoto lenses are some of the most popular lenses which are – and always have been – purchased.  Available to suit every type of photographer’s needs and budgets, telephoto lenses carry out the purpose of acting in the same fashion as a pair of binoculars do and draw an item that is in the distance, whether only ten feet or one hundred feet, closer for viewing and therefore for taking a quality image of.

Telephoto SLR camera lenses are particularly favored most amongst professional photographers who cannot, for whatever reason, get within a close enough distance of their subject to take a high standard photograph using any other type of lens.  For instance, a photographer who takes regular photographs of different types of wildlife will utilize a telephoto lense, or several of, to be able to capture both, for example, a rare bird where getting close could frighten the animal away and a unpredictable lion, in which being close to the animal could be too much of a risk to the photographer.

It is not just wildlife photographers who benefit from telephoto lenses and apart from other professional photographers who utilize them, such as sports photographers where the action could be at the other end of the field to where they are located or paparazzi photographers who may need to photograph a celebrity from a distance to make it somewhat inconspicuous, they are popular amongst amateurs due to the extra distance it provides them with, allowing them to take photographs of items they otherwise would not have been able to capture.

As there is such a substantial amount of choice, not only with telephoto lenses but SLR camera lenses in general, when looking at the telephoto lenses which are on offer, it is important that you fully understand how they differ from one another technically, which allows for the most suitable one to be chosen for your individual needs.

All SLR camera lenses have a certain focal length, which is the amount of millimeters between the sensor in the SLR body and the optical lens center when an image is being focused on.  For a standard lens, such as one that is sold as a kit lens with any of the popular consumer SLRs, its focal length will likely be anything under 80mm and above 30mm (or thereabouts), allowing for it to take photographs that do not require for the photographer to be too close or too far away from the object.  Telephoto lenses, however, can have a focal length of up to 300mm, with the minimum generally considered to be 100mm, meaning that they can offer a substantial amount of more flexibility over a standard lens when it comes to taking photographs of images in the distance.

Under the section of telephoto lenses, it must be noted that there is an additional type of telephoto lens, known as a super telephoto lens.  Not talked about widely amongst amateur photographs (or even regularly with semi-professionals), super telephoto lenses are almost always used solely by professional photographers in small photographical niches, such as a certain types of wildlife photography, where the objects can be at such a distance that a standard telephoto lens will not suffice.  Often custom created by a manufacturer to meet a photographer’s individual needs, the focal lengths of these lenses are, in essence, endless, with one of the longest focal lengths seen on a super telephoto lens being 1700mm.  Comparing this against a popular 135mm telephoto lens, which for many amateur photographers offers enough additional distance when first starting photography and for a lot of people, the results are completely and utterly astounding.

 

Wide Angle
With a telephoto lens, a photographer will very often only want to capture a certain object when they first look through their lens.  If a photographer wanted to capture in an image all that they could see, encompassing everything that the photographer is looking at from the sky to the ground, then they would generally use a wide angle lens.

Ideal for photographers who regularly take shots of a landscape due to the breadth and extent as to which the lens can cover, due to the way in which the lenses are created, they tend to make the area closest to the camera appear larger than it actually is.  Although this can give a fantastic perspective to landscape photography, offering a certain depth to photographers which other lenses cannot reproduce, it makes them almost completely unsuitable for facial portraits or head shots, as the distortion that is apparent makes the nose in particular appear considerably larger than it actually is.

In terms of focal lengths, wide angle SLR camera lenses are at the opposite end of the scale to telephoto lenses and any lens with a focal length under 28mm is usually considered to be most suited to the needs of wide angle photography.  As this is apparent, many amateur photographers choose to purchase a wide angle lens after experimenting with the lens which is sold with their chosen digital SLR body, as the vast majority of consumer kit lenses that are sold with digital SLRs today feature an 18-55mm lens, giving the photographer a good taster of both a standard and wide angle lens.

Standard
For many professional photographers, a standard SLR camera lens is something that will very rarely be used when working, as they do not have the capability of being particularly efficient at taking any type of niche photograph.  Although they can be used for taking different types of photography, such as for images of landscapes, it is portrait photographs where they truly excel, particularly when utilizing the lens at a focal length of above 50mm and below 80mm (a lens with a focal length of between 35mm and 85mm will suffice as a standard SLR lens).

Whilst this may be the case for professional photographers, for an amateur photographer who purchases an SLR camera for the first time, the standard lens that will accompany the SLR body will usually be extremely suited to their needs.  The reason behind this is that if the photographer is progressing from a compact point and shoot camera, where there is no scope to change the lens or aspects associated with the lens and only to zoom in or out, this standard SLR lens can be a fantastic bridge between their compact point and shoot and full SLR photography.

Other
Not requiring a category of their own, particularly for the fact that they are often seen as an expansion or addition to one of the three lenses above, there are a small selection of lenses that can aid with producing a different photograph, most notably fish eye and macro lenses.

What To Look For In SLR Camera Bags

SLR Camera Bags

It is particularly surprising for many amateur photographers to hear that SLR camera bags are available in abundance and the SLR camera bag market is one which is very competitive.  Unlike compact point and shoot cameras in which people are often given the option of simply choosing a soft or hard case, there are a considerable amount of options that need to be considered when choosing an SLR camera bag. Above all, the primary point that should be noted when looking for a camera bag is the type of photography that the camera is going be used for, as the answer to this question will reflect heavily on the type of SLR camera bag that is needed.

For instance, there are amateur photographers who, upon purchasing an entry-level SLR, only find the time to use it at family occasions and seasonal events.  In an instance like this, where the camera will very rarely be taken outside of the home, a soft case that doesn’t cost a lot of money would be more than suitable. Of course, using an SLR camera on few occasions is not the way of many photographers and to cover all other eventualities, there is a range of different bags available.

Taking a professional photographer who carries out a lot of project work in a range of different locations and weather types as an example, one of the more industrious and robust SLR camera bags would be beneficial, such as the Think Tank Addicted 2.0 Carry on Backpack. Costing in excess of $300, the Think Tank Addicted 2.0 Carry on Backpack is seen as one of the most suitable SLR camera bags for traveling.

With a capacity to store safely and securely two camera bodies with lenses attached, an additional four lenses, as well as all of the necessary flashes, battery chargers and leads, there is very little room for improvement, particularly when considering that the bag is fully padded, has security locks and an additional compartment for a laptop for on-the-go photograph viewing and amendments.

Whichever of the many SLR camera bags is chosen, the photographer has to ensure that the bag is not only able to keep their camera and equipment safe, but also meet their needs in regards to how and where the camera and bag is going to be used..  Whether it is light, portable, sturdy or secure – or a combination of all of them– a substantial amount of time needs to be taken to ensure that the most suitable SLR Camera Bag is chosen.

How To Find The Best SLR Camera For Beginners

Photography is a fantastic hobby and is one that anyone can take part in.  With even the most basic of cameras, photographs can be taken of any object or place around the world and displayed for everyone to see, or simply kept in an album to be looked at at a later date.

Whilst most people will take some form of photograph on a regular basis, particularly with the progress that has been made with camera technology on cell phones, not many take their interest further than seasonal or vacation photographs.  For those who do, however, a standard compact camera, whether digital or film, will generally not suffice to meet the lengths to which photographs want to be taken and therefore it is advised to look for the best SLR Camera for beginners, out of the vast array of choices that are available.

When looking at choosing an SLR Camera for the first time, the option that must be decided upon initially is whether a digital SLR camera is wanted or the more traditional route of the 35mm film option is preferred.  Although there are strong arguments for both sides, it is generally advised that the digital option is chosen.  Whilst they may cost more than their 35mm counterparts, digital SLRs allow for the photographer to see the image that they have taken immediately and can therefore increase their knowledge of photography at a much quicker rate than if they were using a film camera (in which the photographs have to be developed before they can be viewed).

Assuming that the digital route is taken, there are a vast amount of different options available to choose from.  However, rather than simply going to a local camera retailer and picking a digital SLR that they have on offer, a lot more research should carried to ensure that the best digital SLR camera for beginners is chosen.

For instance, the actual feel of the camera should be taken into consideration, as the way that an SLR camera feels is a lot different to a standard compact and for some people it can take a lot of getting used to.

Should it be the case that the photographer is finding, or believes they may find it difficult to adjust to the change in shape, there are several cameras available that act as a great transition between a compact and SLR.  Similar in appearance to an SLR camera, they have a somewhat smaller body and have similarities in regards to the way that a photograph is taken to a standard compact, providing a fantastic middle ground between a compact and an SLR camera.  However, it must be noted that as the lenses on these transitional cameras can very rarely be changed, a larger budget is often required so to be able to purchase a full SLR camera once more flexibility is needed and the shape and feel of the camera has been adjusted to.

Purchasing and utilizing an SLR Camera can take a person’s photography to the next level.  Bringing with them a range of different options to understand and implement, such as shutter speeds and focal points, they may not be as straightforward as the traditional ‘point and shoot’ compact cameras, but once understood, the end results can be fantastic.

Digital Camera Equipment Buying Guide

There are so many digital cameras that it can be confusing trying to buy digital camera equipment. Here are some tips to help you decide which the best choice is for you and buy digital camera equipment that you will get the best results with:

• The first step before you buy digital camera equipment is to set a basic budget on how much money you want to spend. You do need to be realistic about the fact you won’t be able to get the best of every feature, as you may have to make tradeoffs when you actually buy digital camera equipment.

• Your experience level has to have a big influence in your decision to buy digital camera equipment. There is no point in buying too much buy digital camera equipment than you can actually use. For a novice you should buy digital camera equipment that is point and shoot so that you don’t have to worry about manually changing any settings. Digital zoom is not as important a part in the process of choosing to buy digital camera equipment as you may first think. Basically it just means that the camera crops the picture and gives you the center piece of it. You do not need to buy digital camera equipment that does this as you can do it better yourself after you take the picture. You can usually move closer to the subject anyway and to buy digital camera equipment that includes an optical zoom can add a lot of unnecessary cost and weight to the camera. Of course, expert photographers will want to buy digital camera equipment that gives them more manual control over the exposure process.

• Next you need to consider what you will use your camera to capture before you set out to buy digital camera equipment. A fast shutter speed is necessary for moving subjects. You can also buy digital camera equipment that has special features to enable you to take multiple pictures in quick succession for high-action pictures.

• There are a number of helpful websites that give reviews on photographic products to help you decide on the best camera for your needs before you buy digital camera equipment. Of course, you can also ask friends and family about their digital camera choices. Price comparison websites are also essential to help you to buy digital camera equipment at the best possible prices. Remember that when you buy digital camera equipment there are often a list of extras that you may want to purchase, including batteries and memory cards.

Don’t be tempted to go for a trendy-looking, colorful camera if you really want to buy a less cool looking one that does more of what you want. Make sure that you have got as many of the features that you wanted to have in the first place and haven’t compromised too much on them for the sake of a few extra dollars. It is important to ensure that you buy digital camera equipment that you are happy with and enables you to take the photographs that you want.

Digital Photography Software

Digital cameras are used for many events and special occasions. To transfer our favorite pictures from the camera to the computer we need to use special software that will facilitate this. This software is known as digital photography software, and you will find many varieties of it available on the market.

This digital photography software can sometimes be found with the digital camera that you buy. In the digital photography software there are various items to be found. These different programs will allow you to manipulate the pictures that you have taken when they are finally on your computer.

There are different types of digital photography software that can be found and used. You will need to make sure that all of the features in the software work properly before you download any of your stored images. The software can be ZoomBrowser EX 5.1, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, PhotoStitch and ImageBrowser 5.1 among the many varieties.

There are different types of digital camera software that you can use for Windows computers and ones for Mac computers. A few of these differences are found in the browser programs. The ImageBrowser 5.1 is to be used with Mac computers and it allows you to view, archive and manage your digital photographs. This is true for the Windows version, the ZoomBrowser 5.1.

To make these many different types of digital photography software work you will need access to device drivers. These drivers that you must have in your computer’s hardware should be TWAIN for Windows 98/2000. For Windows ME you should have WIA installed.

Besides these digital photography software you also need to have a Picture Transfer Protocol or a PTP on your computer. This Picture Transfer Protocol provides the support that you need for your digital camera to connect to any Windows XP (SP1 – 2) or Mac OS X (v10.1.5 – 10.3). With this transfer protocol you don’t need to look for the various requirements that are needed for device driver installation.

By looking at these various digital photography software you can gain an idea of the types of software that you will need to buy. The different kinds of software that is available today should not be that expensive.

You will however need to see if these various programs are compatible with your computer and your digital camera. The various features that are found with digital photography software, allows the camera enthusiast to create the masterpieces that they want.

Next Page »