 BetterPhoto Member |
Help with Zoom Lenses!! Okay I REALLY need help with my camera- this is a general question but Ithink almost anyone on this site can help me. So here goes. If I want to shoot something like say, a butterfly close range, is there a special lense I should use? Because when I use a far range lense, the camera has trouble focusing but I would like all the details I can get. Please please help me with as specific an answer as possible - I'm new to this! Thanks soooo much - - - Laura
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robert G. Fately |
Laura, what you are asking for is called Macro capability - that means the lens can come close enough to the subject that it can project a life-size (or almost life-size) image of the subject on the film or chip. So, if you were shooting a stamp, way, that's 1/2" square, the size of the image on the film (or chip) would be 1/2" square. Now, there are a number of ways to get this level of closeness. Best, and most expensive, are macro lenses made to do exactly this. They are not zoom lenses in general - that is, they have a single focal length, like 50MM or 200MM, rather than 28-200MM zoom. (A zoom lens is one that allows you to change the focal length). Other than Nikon's zoom-Macro, true macro lenses are all so-called primes, or single focal length types. The more MM focal length, the further from that stamp (or butterfly) you can be while focusing to that 1/2" image size. Another approach is getting a more general-purpose zoom lens with macro feature. There are a number of lenses that offer moderate zoom range, like 28-100-ish or even 28-200MM zooms that also have a Macro setting. These are okay; not quite as sharp as the special macro lenses but good for most uses. Yet another approach is to get a so-called close-up lens, which is kind of like a filter that you screw into the front of your lens. Instead of being orange or polarizing the light, though, a cose-up lens is clear but has a diopter power that allows the lens to focus close (how close depends on the focal length of the lens). Canon's 250D and 500D are quite excellent, but Tiffen and other filter makers offer these types of lens accessories. There's a photo of paperwhites on my website (www.yessy.com/f8lee) that I took with this kind of filter on an 80-200MM f2.8 zoom lens. But wait, there's more! You can also try an extension tube, which is basically a hollow tube that sits between the back of the lens and the camera body. By moving the lens a bit away, the effect is that it allows the lens to focus closer. So that's the lens story. Be aware that with macro shooting, you usually need a tripod and plenty of lilght. This is because at close distances, the depth of field (the band of focused area) is quite thin, so you need to hold the gear very steady - the lighting will help allow you to use a small aperture to maximize that DOF. I hope that wasn't too confusing - good luck!
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