 BetterPhoto Member |
Lenses For a Beginner I intend to purchase a lens or two and am, for all practical purposes, a beginner. From what I know, the cheap zoom lenses available from various brands have poor max aperture and are not great quality. Can anyone advise if I should consider buying only fixed focal length lenses and if so what focal length lenses should I consider for a beginner. I think a standard lens and a telephoto might be good, but these lenses are quite expensive. Also I have one more question, I recently saw that a Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 lens was priced about the same as a 200mm f/2.8 lens. How's that possible, I thought the problem with zoom lenses was that the had poor max aperture. Can someone "throw some light" on this?
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Laljit S. Sidhu |
In the past, there was a difference in quality between fixed focal length lenses and zoom lenses; however, modern zoom lenses are on par with their equivalent fixed length lenses. In other words, telephoto zoom lenses (e.g., 80mm to 200mm) are likely to be equal in quality to a fixed 200mm lens for all practical purposes. Some would argue that fixed focal lengths are better because less physical elements are involved in the construction of the lens. Although this may be true, the differences are extremely minimal ... to the point that most professional photographers use zoom lenses. With regard to poor maximum apertures, I assume you are referring to the difference between fast and slow lenses. One can purchase fast zoom lenses with wide open apertures of 2.8 or ones where the aperture is less at 4.5. In addition, some zoom lenses have a fixed aperture throughout their zoom range. Whether one shoots at 70mm, 200mm, or anywhere in between on the 70-200/2.8, the maximum aperture possible will remain at 2.8; in contrast, there are variable aperture zoom lenses such as the 75-300mm/4.5-5.6. At the 75mm range, the aperture can open up to 4.5 while at the 300mm range, the aperture goes to 5.6. When one starts to enter into the realm of super telephoto lenses such as those beyond 300mm, one is unlikely to find apertures more than 4.0 due to the basic physics of a lens. As John Shaw puts it, a 400mm/2.0 lens would require a pick up truck! With regard to fixed focal lengths, one can certainly find "ultra-fast" lenses with aperture going to 1.4 and such (i.e., Canon's 50mm/1.4). When choosing a lens set, however, you have to consider your subject matter and equally importantly your pocket book. For novices and amateurs (such as myself), I would recommend zoom lenses. This allows one to have a wider variety of options. Of course, if a particular fixed focal length lenses meets some requirement that you have with regard to subject matter, go for it! But, most of your lenses should probably be zooms. As to what types of lenses to get ... that depends on your subject matter. Generally, you will want to cover the the three major lens categories -- wide angle, "normal", and telephoto -- for most subject groups. The extreme lens, such as super wide angle and super telephoto are geared toward specific subject groups. These extreme lenses can get fairly expensive. I have the following lenses: 28-80mm to cover the "normal" range My only fixed length lenses is a 100mm macro that is specific to my needs because I enjoy shooting close ups. In addition, this doubles as an excellent portrait lens. One suggestion I would make, something I learned by expensive error, is to try and purchase the fastest lens you can afford. If you can't afford fast lenses in all three groups, I would begin with purchasing a fast zoom lens for the normal group; then, save up money and purchase lenses to cover the other ranges as your desire warrants. I made the mistake of compromising on quality and buying a telephoto that was slow and of poor quality. Now I am replacing it. A costly mistake. Additionally, the major lens manufacturers make consumer grade lenses and professional grade ones. In the case of Canon, the professional grade lenses are designated with an "L"; I am sure Nikon differentiates their's somehow as well (beyond the exhorbitant pricing, I mean). Personally, I don't think amateurs need to spend the money on getting the professional grade lenses. Some would disagree, but since my livelihood doesn't depend on my photographs and I am in this for fun, I can't justify spending 3,000 dollars on lens. So, buy the consumer grade lenses ... just try to buy the best you can in that grade. An alternative to purchasing lenses from the manufacturer of your camera, you can also purchase third party lenses from manufacturers such as Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina. From my research, I would stay away from Tokina lenses ... but Sigma and Tamron make excellent lenses for a lot less than Canon or Nikon. Perhaps you may want to look into theirs as well. Before purchasing any particular lenses, check out the reviews on that lenses on this website, at photographyreview.com, and at photo.net Good luck and I hope my long winded response answered at least some of your questions. Sorry, didn't comment on that Nikon issue, but I'm a Canon user.
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