Lens News

British pro Thomas Heaton’s latest video has a provocative title: “Throw Away Your Wide-Angle Lens.” Does he mean it? Not really, but Heaton, who is an acclaimed landscape and nature photographer, does have a point to make about lens choices when shooting outdoors.

So you have a bit extra cash to spend on photo gear, and you’re about to go shopping. Before you do we want to remind you of something we’ve stressed in the past; namely, it often makes far more sense to upgrade your optics than it does to invest in a new camera.

Wide-Angle lenses are typically the go-to choice for experienced landscape photographers. They enable you to easily capture expansive vistas with room for cropping, and they help to tell a story about the location with your images.

Many, many years ago a coworker at Altman Camera in Chicago showed me that it was possible to screw a Vivitar +10 Macro Adapter into a partially disassembled set of Nikon K-series extension rings and thereby build a soft focus lens that practically exploded with delightfully horrendous aberrations. It was fixed-focus, you had to bob to-and-fro like a drunken sailor to use it, but it was sensationally unsharp and I’ve been hooked on this genre ever since.

Nikon users love their prized Nikkor glass, which the company says is built “to the highest standards of craftsmanship to deliver images of unrivaled clarity and sharpness.” In this interesting video from the My Nikon Life YouTube channel, you’ll get a look at the optical and mechanical technology that goes into Nikkor lenses.

"Exploring Light" is a new monthly Shutterbug column featuring tips, tricks, and photo advice from professional photographers in Canon's Explorers of Light education program

Sports photography shares much in common with capturing images of wildlife: You’ve got an active scene captured at a distance requiring specialized equipment and knowledge of the subject’s activities while anticipating what they are going to do next…or not. Sure, you’ll need fast, long focal length lenses but you will also need camera supports and other gear that along with specialized knowledge separates the virtuosos, like Regis Lefebure (regislefebure.com), from the wannabes. Here’s a look at some of our favorite tools of the sports trade.