Search results for: photography buying guide prime vs zoom lenses
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by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Choosing a lens is a highly personal choice, and that’s especially true for wildlife photography. This is in the realm of the telephoto lens after all. While almost any focal length lens works for landscapes and other types of photography, in general, when it comes to photographing animals in the wild, you'll want to have the longest reach you can. In this guide, we’re going to discuss the factors one should consider when purchasing a lens for wildlife photography.
Focal Length
The first and most straightforward factor to consider is focal
by Mathew Malwitz · Posted
There’s an old adage that gear doesn’t make the picture, it’s the photographer. This is partly true. A super-telephoto prime with a fast aperture will make quick work of busy backgrounds, and the faster focusing systems of high-end full-frame cameras will more easily track a bird’s eye in some of the most challenging lighting conditions. But there’s another factor to consider. At the heart of the image is a creative eye and technical proficiency. High-end camera gear only serves a purpose once you know what you’re doing.
In this guide, we’re
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
Travel photography is a broad, catch-all genre that can encompass anything and everything from portraiture to landscapes to interiors to even wildlife and sports. One unifying aspect of the travel genre, though, is efficiency and a desire to have a kit that provides you with the most versatility and capability in the smallest package possible.
Nikon NIKKOR Z 70-180mm f/2.8 Lens
When building a kit, you’ll need to assess
by Bjorn Petersen · Posted
There were nearly 200 new lenses released this year, many of which were iterations of an existing lens. Many of the lenses were also wholly new designs, whether first-party designs to pair with a new flagship camera or third-party innovations designed to fill the gaps in existing lineups.
With such a breadth of new lenses available in the past 12 months, we're narrowing things down to cover some of the highlights and most unique or exciting lenses that came out
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
What is the best lens for landscape photography? The answer is that any camera lens can and will be the perfect lens for capturing a landscape, depending on your viewpoint and the subject. But if a landscape photographer is heading out into the world with a single lens, betting money says they will go with a wide-angle zoom or prime lens affixed to their camera.
How to Choose the Best Focal Length for a Landscape Lens
We started this buying guide by saying that almost any lens could be used as a landscape lens. Let’s refine that premise to
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
The camera bag starts as an afterthought—something you get after you buy a camera and/or lenses, and for many, just about any camera bag will do the trick for them. But, when you get deeper into photography and expand your kit, the camera bag becomes an essential part of your everyday carry. There are many parallels between shopping for a camera bag and shopping for something like a pair of shoes—hundreds (maybe thousands?) of options,
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Many of us believe that astrophotography requires a ton of know-how plus the investment of highly specialized (and expensive) gear to create successful images. The truth is that you can capture astrophotography with any camera and any lens. But, as the saying goes, your mileage may vary.
If you already have a camera and lens, you might want to head over to my three-part series Basic Backyard
by Shawn C. Steiner · Posted
If you want to cover all your bases, you only need three lenses: a wide-angle zoom, a standard zoom, and a telephoto zoom. This set is so practical that every major manufacturer has its own holy trinity of zooms. Sony happens to have two—one G Master set with f/2.8 apertures and a G series with f/4 apertures. You can’t go wrong with either, or mixing and matching for that matter, but let’s take a closer look at these two lens trinities and see which one is best for you.
What Lenses are in the Trinity?
Even though many photographers know
by Stepan Andranikian · Posted
So, you've decided to dive into the captivating world of portrait photography, but now you may be wondering, "What kind of lens would be best for me?" Let's look at various focal lengths, examine the differences between lenses, and explain how they impact your work. We'll also discuss the pros and cons of prime lenses and zoom lenses for portrait photography.
Your choice of focal length plays a pivotal role in framing your subject and influencing the final look of your photographs. As we delve into this topic, you'll notice that mid-telephoto
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
What is the best lens focal length for photographing the total solar eclipse? Well, there really isn’t a correct answer to that question. There are many factors involved, so let’s outline some options for different types of cameras and budgets.
Above: The Hinode satellite X-ray telescope mission captures the January 6, 2011 solar eclipse. © JAXA/NASA.
Expedition 43 Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti took a series of photographs
by Todd Vorenkamp · Posted
Knowing your lens’s sharpest aperture—its “sweet spot”—is one surefire way to maximize image sharpness. Image sharpness is the goal of many photographers—regardless of the subject matter. Sharpness is also the catalyst for the dozens of lens-testing and review websites that populate the Internet, as well as the impetus for endless snobbery and debates over which lenses reign supreme in the quest for ultimate clarity. In my article,
Posted
Professional photography Tony Gale is back with an in-depth guide to camera and lens buying, specifically for Sony cameras and lenses. What is the difference between a full frame vs. crop sensor? Should you get a prime or zoom, wide angle or telephoto? What type of lens is perfect for wildlife, portraits, street photography, etc.? Gale answers all these questions and more!
Are you a Sony fan? Use the Comments section below to share with us what’s in your kit.