Sometimes you want to capture expansive vistas without resorting to post-capture tricks like stitching multiple frames together; like on my latest excursion to Antarctica when I wanted a wider perspective than I achieved on an earlier visit with a 24mm lens (which transformed into a 38mm on my crop-body camera). The question I asked myself was ”how wide is “wide enough?”
Sony shooters will soon be able to use their beloved Nikon F lenses on Sony's E-mount mirrorless cameras with a new adapter from Vello scheduled to ship sometime next month. This is a premium adapter with all-metal construction, superb build quality, and an anti-reflective matte finish.
I’ve always preferred longer focal-length macro lenses in the 90-100mm range because they give you more breathing room between the camera and skittish subjects than does standard (50/60mm) macros. No wonder, then, that one of my earliest lenses was the original Vivitar Series 1 90mm f/2.5 macro, which I first paired with a Minolta SR-T 102. I burned plenty of Kodachrome with that glass.
Using filters with ultrawide lenses can often be a difficult proposition but Fotodiox has just launched a nifty solution. Called the Wonderpana FreeArc XL, the innovative filter system enables Canon shooters to use NDs, polarizers and other filters on the ultrawide Canon 11–24mm lens.
Sony just introduced two new full-frame lenses for their E-mount mirrorless camera system: the FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom and 50mm F1.8 prime lens.
There was considerable buzz generated at The Photography Show in Birmingham, England last week with the unveiling of the new Irix premium lens line from TH Swiss. The first in what promises to be an assortment of premium glass is the ultrawide Irix 15mm f/2.4.
Every company that makes lenses usually designs a few that are ideal for portraiture. The trend these days for studio and boudoir portraits is toward fast prime lenses, while zooms remain popular for location and wedding photography. Wide-angle lenses may get you closer to the subject but perspective distortion exaggerates a subject’s nose and ears.
Back in the day when fixed-focal-length optics reigned supreme, the 35mm lens, along with its wider cousin, the 28mm, was known as the lens a portrait or wedding photographer would use for group or full-length portraits or, especially if it had a fast aperture, the photojournalist would use to grab street candids. Today, with our wide zooms we’re often happy enough with an f/4 maximum aperture and we tend to overlook what faster fixed-focal-length lenses could do to help our photography.
An aperture set at f/2 is twice as big as one set at f/2.8 and four times larger than f/4. What’s Pi got to do with f/stops, and why do we use such a seemingly arbitrary numbering system? Continue reading to learn the answers to these and a few more arcane aperture facts.
THE GOODS is a new feature in Shutterbug that spotlights the hottest premium photo gear out there. If you have a product you’d like considered for The Goods, e-mail images and info to editorial@shutterbug.com.
Here are some tips I discovered when researching this month’s column. One was from my wife who uses this technique all the time—smile! And you know what, people smile back, making you appear friendly and non-threatening. The other was from Michael Archambault, who suggests you “acknowledge that street photography is not perfect.” Or as my grandfather once told me, “If you spend your whole life looking for happiness, it’ll make you miserable.”
What’s normal? Not asking about your weird uncle Walter who puts mayonnaise on his French fries—and his spaghetti. When photography went digital, understanding focal lengths became much more difficult. Let’s unravel a few of the mysteries so that we can make better educated decisions about lenses.
Tamron announced the new SP 85mm F/1.8 Di VC USD (Model F016) lens this morning, which the company is calling “the world’s first fast aperture telephoto lens with VC (Vibration Compensation).”
Tamron unveiled another new lens this morning: the SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD 1:1 MACRO (Model F017). The new SP 90mm F/2.8 Di VC USD 1:1 MACRO (Model F017) is the follow-up to the Tamron 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro from 2012, and has been updated with several key features.