How do You Choose the Lens that's Best for You and your Camera? Consumer or Professional.

Most lens manufacturers, Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Tokina and Tamron produce optics for the Comsumer and for the Professional. The Canon Professional Series is black (for the shorter focal lengths) with a red ring just behind the hood attachment point. White for the telephotos. The part designation is EF-L. A consumer 70-300mm zoom f/4 / 5.6 IS (Image Stablization) can cost around $550.00. Professional "Glass" in the same range, 70-200 zoom f/2.8 IS, which is 2 stops "faster" but with a shorter focal length at 200mm, will cost around $1700.00 or more. Why?

The material the barrel is constructed from is usually aluminum or magnesium, not plastic. The optics, or "Glass" is of extremely high quality with superior coatings. They are usually larger in diameter which transmit more light, yielding a sharper image. The Professional model is "faster", f/2.8 throughout the entire range of zoom versus f4 at 70mm and f/5.6 at 300mm.

Faster "Glass" works better in low light situations. An aperture of f/2.8 transmits twice as much light to the sensor in the same given time as an aperture of f/4.0, making the f/2.8 Faster.

On Professional grade optics, the zoom is usually achieved internally by moving the optics, instead of externally by changing the length of the barrel.

If you are a casual photographer, great results can be achieved using consumer lenses. But if you want to go to the next plateau with your photography, purchase the best "Glass" you can afford! Remember, if you stay with one manufacturer like Canon or Nikon, you can upgrade your camera body and still use the "Glass" you already have!

Some photograghers still prefer prime (single focal length not zoom) "Glass". Prime lenses are fantastic if you really need them, but they have some limiting factors. The First limiting factor is price! A Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS-L is priced at $ 6500.00! You can buy a lot of equipment for $ 6500.00. Second is weight. Long Prime lenses are heavy! Third, they are single purpose. They are great for getting in close to that Bear or Moose or Soccer Player from a distance, but what if your subject starts coming closer to you? You either try to move back or change lenses.

I have used both, and with the quality of todays professional zooms, there is little or no difference in image quality. And with one or two good zoom lenses you can cover a whole range of situations, from wide angle to telephoto.

However . . .

And there always is a however, if I were working early in the morning, photographing animals in low light conditions, I would select a 400mm f/2.8 prime "Glass" over a 100-400mm zoom. The reason being, with the 100-400mm zoom set at 400mm, the largest aperture available would be f/5.6. Two full stops slower at the same shutter speed. That's alot of light!

The Sweet Spot

What is the Sweet spot? Every lens has a Sweet Spot, where performance is maximized! This usually lies in the middle of the aperture range, say f/8 or f/11. Does this mean you should only shoot at these apertures? No, of course not. If that were the case, manufactures would only produce lenses in that range. This would severly limit your creativity as a photographer.

The basic designations are Wide Angle (20mm to 35mm), Telephoto (105mm to 600mm) and Speciality (Fisheye, Tilt and Shift, Super Telephoto and Macro). But what is Normal? A 50mm lens would be considered Normal for a 35mm Camera. The reason it's called Normal is because it takes in the horizontal angle of view as the human eye.

When you look at a scene, the area that is sharply focused in your mind is approximately the same as that produced by the Normal lens.

Sensor Size IS Important

But normal is NOT the same for all cameras. It depends on the film or sensor size. Here's why! The diagonal measurement of a frame of 35mm film is 50mm. A 50mm lens would be considered Normal for a 35mm Camera. For a camera using larger 2 1/4" x 2 1/4" film, 75mm would be considered the Normal focal length.

Most DSLR cameras don't have full size sensors. In other words, they are not the same size as a frame of 35mm film! So how can You find the size of your camera's sensor? In the Manual of course! Look under Specifications then locate Image Size. On my Canon 20D the sensor is 22.5mm x 15.0mm. That means that the sensor is smaller, about .6 times the size of the 35mm frame. To find the focal length of any lens mounted to the Canon 20D, you have to multiply the focal length by 1.6. 50mm x 1.6 = 80mm. So Normal for the Canon 20D would be 32mm. With a 28-105mm zoom mounted, you would set the focal length to 32mm. Remember, you have to make that calculation for every lens.

A Few Words of Advice!

Do not venture down to your local camera supply store without doing your homework! Decide on Consumer or Professional equipment before you go. As I have said before, Professional Equipment can separate you from large portions of your disposable income quite rapidly.

Most camera sales people at chain retailers you find in the Malls are just that, sales people! Their job is to sell you something, whether that something is what you need or what they want you to buy! Don't get the wrong idea here. I have no problem with chain retailers. I sometimes buy equipment there, but when I do, I know exactly what I want. And from time to time you can get some great deals on Name Brand equipment.

Want vs. Need

Ask around your area. Find out where the "Pros" go to get their gear. Build up a relationship with the staff. They have probibly been in the business a long time and may be photographers themselves. We all might want that slick looking Pro 400mm Prime Telephoto, but does the type of photography your doing require it?

They are an invaluable source of information you can use in making decisions on which piece of equipment will best fit your needs, not just your "Wants". Not to mention on how to improve your skill as a photographer.

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