How To Buy Zoom Lens
However if you re taking very specific types of photos pick a lens type that will provide the right zoom for your needs.
How to buy zoom lens. A prime lens has a fixed focal length so you have to bring additional lenses of different focal lengths for various shooting ranges. If you re buying a zoom lens be sure that the lens zooms easily and without interference. Smaller and lighter than average zoom lenses. For example if you know that a 70 200mm f 2 8 lens should be very sharp at f 5 6 at all focal lengths stop the lens down to f 5 6 and take some pictures at different focal. Before you buy the lens make sure to check out its reviews first to see at which apertures and focal lengths the lens performs the best and the worst.
But prime lenses still have some very real advantages. Thanks to the crop factor on dslrs you don t need too much zooming power. Zoom lens if you want to grab action photos a telephoto lens in the 100mm to 300mm range is your best bet. Also make sure that it doesn t telescope itself out on its own. Check how the lens type affects zoom capabilities.
Zoom lenses have become almost ubiquitous over the past few years and at first sight buying a lens which is restricted to a single angle of view might seem pointless. Zoom lenses and even some prime lenses with a macro badge give a greater magnification of around 0 5x. But if you re buying a lens for close up photography a macro prime that gives a. Compared to zooms they tend to be smaller and lighter have faster maximum apertures and give sharper images. Ones with better.
The kit lens your dslr or interchangeable lens mirrorless camera came with is probably an example of a standard zoom lens covering a focal range of around 35 70 mm. You need to bring just one zoom lens instead of two to three prime lenses that covers the full range of focal. In point and shoot cameras it s more common for manufacturers to advertise the zoom rating of a lens 10x 40x etc whereas dslr and mirrorless lenses will be advertised by their focal. While a loose zoom action won t impact picture quality it s an annoying thing to have to constantly remember and work with.