10 Things to Consider When Buying a New Lens

Image by canonsnapper.

I am active on a couple of photography boards and I often see questions along the lines of "which lens should I buy." In fact I've asked the question myself. The truth, though, is only you can answer that question (and that really is the truth!), because only you can determine what is important to you in a lens. When you ask somebody which lens to buy, even if you give them a few choices, you are asking them to tell you what they value more in a lens. Sure, it's good to take a hint from the pros, or perhaps go for something a little higher-end than you need right now so that you don't outgrow it too quickly, but ultimately the person who can make the best choice for you is you and you only. I have developed a list of 10 things, that, if you consider them all, will help you significantly narrow down your options and make the best choice for you.

1. Price. It's so obvious, but boy, does it help you narrow things down, especially if you're on a budget. If you're not willing to spend more than $500 for a lens, why are you looking are the $1000 ones? They don't magically become cheaper. Believe me I check every day ;-)
2. Condition. Do you want a warranty? Do you want it spotless? Maybe you don't mind a few scuffs as long as it still works? There can be hundreds of dollars of difference here. I tend to look for an item used (from places like eBay or Fred & Miranda) if I can save more than $150. If not, I figure it's not worth not getting it from a more reliable source. Maybe you'll feel that every penny you can save is a penny earned, or perhaps nothing is as good as buying it new.
   
3. Brand. Are you buying an off-brand (like Sigma, Tamron, or Tokina) only to end up selling it for your own manufacturer's version, or will you genuinely be happy with it? Some people swear by manufacturer (Canon/Nikon/Sony/Olympus/Pentax) brand only lenses, and won't consider third-party lenses either because they don't like the look, they fear they will get a bad copy, or they think it won't work as well. It's true that you hear more of "bad copies" of lenses coming from third-parties but these lenses also tend to come with free extras, like a hood and case, and a much longer warrantee, than your own camera's brand. If you get a bad copy, you can always send it back for a new one.
4. Maximum Aperture. Those new to photography tend to value this less than advanced amateurs and pros, but the faster the maximum aperture, the more useful your lens will be in low light. This might be worth paying hundreds more for, and it almost always is the selling point for pros.
5. Focal Length. This can be the most difficult decision of all, because there are so many ways to go about getting the focal length you need. I have a superzoom which goes from 18-270mm. This allows me to get almost any shot I need when I am outdoors in good light. When I am taking a low light shot, I have two prime lenses that have a much faster maximum aperture than my zoom lens. Some, however, feel that splitting up such a range into two lenses, such as 18-70 and 70-300, gives you better quality. This can be true, but it also adds significant inconvenience when you have to change lenses often (and the opportunity for dust to get into your camera!) I've tried splitting it up and having it in one lens, and I much prefer having it in one lens, especially since I have my prime lenses for when I need super high quality or low light capabilities. You probably won't know for sure the answer to this one until after you take your lenses into the field.
   
6. AF Type. When stepping up from a point and shoot to a DSLR, most users don't realize that unless they purchase a lens with silent wave motor autofocusing (the best type there is!), they may hear a lot of buzzing while their lens tries to autofocus. I find this can be very frustrating and even embarrassing depending on where you are. Only one of my lenses does not have this type of AF, but even still I find the buzzing and the hunting much less noticeable than I did with the kit lenses I had on my first DSLR. If you are buying a fast prime lens to use in low light (or any lens you plan to use a lot in low light), I strongly recommend getting the silent AF (USM in Canon speak, AF-S in Nikon speak). This is one point I feel very strongly about, because, well, what's the point of getting a lens to use in low light if it won't autofocus for you? I have missed many a shot because of slow AF. An added bonus is, once you shell out the extra cash for the fast AF, the lens tends to come with a better build quality as well. Also pay attention to whether or not the front element rotates during AF. If it does, you generally can't use the petal lens hoods (which are the most effective at blocking excess light) and you cannot use ND or polarizing filters without a lot of hassle, as they rotate with the front element. None of this may matter to you now, but odds are, the more serious you get about photography, it will, so it's something to take into consideration!
7. Image Stabilization. If you use Sony, Olympus, or Pentax, your DSLR probably has image stabilization built into your sensor, meaning you would never need to buy a lens with this equipped in it. If you use Canon or Nikon, you may want to invest in IS (Canon) or VR (Nikon) lenses. Few prime or ultra wide angle lenses come with IS, as they are generally fast lenses to begin with, but many mid-range and telephoto lenses have this option, and it generally means ponying up extra cash. After using lens-based image stabilization I can say I would probably never buy a mid to telephoto range lens again (at least anything slower than f/2.8) without it. I have taken images handheld at 1 sec with IS, and I don't even have super steady hands. IS varies in each lens though, so be sure to read reviews and look at sample images on Flickr (there's probably a group dedicated to photos taken with the lens you're interested in, and you can check the EXIF data for shutter speeds, etc.) or elsewhere. If you don't own a tripod or don't want to use it all the time, and you take a lot of pictures in low light, don't skimp on this! It truly is worth all the images you end up taking that you couldn't have otherwise.
8. Size & Build Quality. Some people want a nice big lens to show off. Some people need a nice big lens, because it's the only one that will get the job done. Some people want a less conspicuous lens that doesn't draw stares. I always thought it was odd when people talked about a lens being less conspicuous as if it were a plus, but once I started using larger lenses (and I'm not even talking big honkers here, just consumer telephoto range lenses) I started to understand what people were talking about. Sadly, some people immediately assume you're up to no good if you've got a huge lens on your camera out in public. This has become quite an issue, as people are very opinionated about this. A large lens is heavier and takes up more space in your bag as well. There are pros and cons to any size and build quality, but this too is a big decision you have to make before you buy a lens. I like to check out pictures of what a lens looks like on my camera before I buy it.
9. Sharpness and Image Quality! This is so important, but sometimes you get so caught up in specs that you forget to do some research on whether or not the lens is actually any good! And perhaps you're willing to sacrifice a little IQ or sharpness for things like size, price, or aperture. The best way to decide if you're happy with a lens' IQ is to look at sample images at 100%, either in reviews, or on Flickr. It helps if you can find images taken with your camera and with EXIF data intact.
10. Compatibility. Basically here I'm talking about lenses that are designed solely for consumer grade DSLRs, and will not work on full frame or film SLRs. The plus side of these lenses is that they are optimized for cameras with a smaller than 35mm sensor, so they are generally smaller, lighter, and more affordable than its full frame counterpart. If you think you'll be upgrading to full frame soon, these may not be a worthwhile investment for you, unless you don't mind selling them down the line (which is quite a common practice). Sometimes you don't have a choice. If you use a consumer DSLR and you want an ultrawide angle lens, there is really nothing wide enough for your needs that will be compatible with a full frame camera. Same goes for fisheye lenses. The bottom line though, is that if you're using a crop sensor camera and then you upgrade to full frame, your lenses that work with full frame will give you a different field of view than they did when you used them on your crop body. For instance, I have a 30mm prime lens that I bought for my camera because I wanted a "normal" field of view, close to 50mm full frame equivalent. This lens is not intended for use with full frame cameras, but it will still work, albeit with some corner vignetting, but it will be a lot wider! If I ever go "FF" I will probably just sell it for a 50mm lens, so I can maintain the same FOV. So, buying lenses that will be compatible with a full frame camera should you decide to upgrade is all well and good as long as you understand and are okay with the fact that they will not look the same on full frame.

One Final Note- I cannot stress enough the importance of reading reviews. Reading a variety of good reviews that explain how well the lens lives up to its specs and provides sample images and test charts will answer all the questions you just can't find the answer to on the manufacturer's website. Be wary, however, of biased reviewers, especially those that easily dismiss consumer lenses for not having professional quality optics. Some great places to find good reviews are The-Digital-Picture.com (for Canon users, it's got to be the best resource!), SLRGear, and Ken Rockwell (who has many haters, but he is unapologetically honest and I really like that - he is very opinionated though!).

20 Awesome DIY Photography & Imaging Tutorials

Photo by Macropoulos

I love trying new things, especially when they cost me next to nothing! One of the best ways to expand your photographic horizons is to try a DIY project or effect. Here are some of my favorite tutorials, broken down into four categories.

Optics
1. Freelensing (Beyond Megapixels)
2. DIY Tilt-Shift Lens (Creative Pro)
3. Reverse-Mount Macro Photography (Digital Photography School)
4. DIY Pinhole Lens (Photocritic)
5. DIY Fisheye Lens (JPG)

Lighting
6. DIY Homemade Flash Mini-Bouncer (DIYPhotography.net)
7. The Ring: DIY Ringflash (Eye on Birmingham)
8. DIY Flash Diffuse from a Barf Bag (Digital Photography School)
9. Introduction to LED Lighting (DIYPhotography.net)
10. DIY Studio Umbrella (Invent Geek)

Special Effects
11. Sun Flare for Beginners (Pioneer Woman)
12. DIY Vaseline Filter (Photo Answers)
13. Create Your Own Bokeh (DIYPhotography.net)
14. Zoom Trails (Fodors)
15. Camera Toss (BoingBoing Gadgets)

Post-Processing
16. Lensbaby Effect (The Expat)
17. Fisheye Effect (Just About Photography)
18. Lomo Effect (Digital Photography School)
19. Infrared Look (Photoshop Essentials)
20. Cross Processing (Layers Magazine)

In Praise of Primes

Photo by jessi.bryan

I was going to title this post "Primes vs. Zooms" but then I thought about how many blog posts have probably been titled that, and my last post was called "Crop Sensor vs. Full Frame," so I decided to make this post strictly in praise of prime lenses, since I think it's a pretty safe assumption that most people at least start out being more familiar with zoom lenses.

What is a prime lens?
If you don't already know, a prime lens is a lens that has a fixed focal length - it does not zoom at all, so it's certainly not the most convenient lens you'll ever own. Prime lenses used to be the standard in photography because they offer excellent image quality at much more reasonable price than zoom lenses. Which leads me to my next point...

Prime lenses give you more bang for your buck!
Prime lenses are by nature cheaper to make than zoom lenses because they require less glass. Sure, you can drop a couple thousand dollars on a top-of-the-line prime lens (like the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L USM pictured above), but you're paying for a super-wide aperture, perhaps a better build quality, and faster autofocusing generally more than you're paying for extra image quality. What's more, even the cheapest primes generally offer a fast aperture. A faster aperture (or LOWER f/ - like f/1.8 or f/1.4) lets you shoot at faster shutter speeds in low light without having to use flash. It also gives you a beautifully blurred background. Currently no zoom lens I know of, even the professional lineup, is faster than f/2.8 (although Canon is rumored to be building an f/2 - but you can bet your wallet it won't be cheap!). That's still pretty fast, but for a prime lens that's even considered relatively slow. When I was deciding what lenses to get for my Canon T1i, instead of going with a wide-to-midrange zoom and a telephoto zoom at f/2.8 that would have run me thousands of dollars and still would not have been fast enough for some of my photography needs, I went with a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 HSM, which is a great alternative to a 50mm lens on a crop body, and a Canon EF 100mm f/2 USM, which is hundreds of dollars cheaper than a 70-200 f/2.8, while also much smaller, and a whole stop faster. Now there are some consumer grade 17-50 f/2.8 lenses that are priced comparably to the Sigma lens I have, but they are over two stops slower (and if you want image stabilization that compensates for that, it is not priced comparably to my lens). Another great thing about the Sigma 30mm is that, even though it's rather large for a prime lens, it's still a pretty compact package when mounted on my T1i, and if I want to throw it in my purse to bring out to dinner or somewhere where I don't want to lug my whole backpack full of gear with me, it's not a problem.

Prime lenses force you to expand your creative horizons
Before I started using prime lenses I always thought when people said this about lenses that it was kind of a lame point to make, but I can't tell you how many shots I look at and think "That's a cool composition, I never would have thought of that if I wasn't using a prime!" With a prime, you have to "zoom with your feet." You'd be surprised how much fun it is to zoom with your feet instead of zooming with your zoom barrel! Now I have a zoom lens and I love it - it's the Tamron 18-270 f/3.5-6.3 VC. I love this lens and don't hesitate to use it outdoors during the day, and sometimes even at night. Sometimes you need a zoom and it's so convenient when you do! This lens takes me from wide to super telephoto, but as you can see, it's not a fast lens at all. It does have VC, which is Tamron's form of image stabilization, and it really works, but I still tend to go for the faster lenses when I'm shooting in low light or shooting portraits. My zoom lens cost more than either of my prime lenses, and although it yields great image quality for a superzoom, it still doesn't match that of either of my prime lenses.

In Conclusion...
This post isn't meant to bash zoom lenses. Every kit should have at least one zoom lens (probably more if it doesn't cover much range), and I love the convenience that comes with my zoom lens. I'm just saying that I think prime lenses are an excellent value and not something to be overlooked as "inconvenient."

Crop Sensor or Full Frame? A Constant Conundrum

If you read other photography blogs you've doubtless read about the pros and cons of crop sensor (APS-C, APS-H or Four Thirds) versus full frame (35mm) DSLRs. I am writing this post not because I think I have any new information to share, but because I would like to share my own opinions on the topic.
First of all, I think a lot of consumers are very confused on what sensor size actually means, and what all the hype is about full frame. Full frame DSLRs feature a sensor (which is the digital incarnation of film) that is the same size as a frame of 35mm film - the film you probably used in your camera before you went digital. Full frame is a bit of a misnomer, as it only refers to the full frame of a small format camera. There are also medium format and large format film and digital cameras being made with much larger imaging surfaces! Because these sensors are still expensive to produce, they are currently only contained in professional models. Most DSLRs have an APS-C sized sensor, with a 1.5x or 1.6x crop factor, meaning that a full-frame sensor is that much bigger. Four Thirds cameras (manufactured by Olympus and Panasonic) have a sensor that's half the size of a full-frame sensor, resulting in a 2x crop factor.
This "crop factor" also makes your lenses appear to reach further (and thus making the wider lenses less "wide"), since by cropping the sensor you are effectively "zooming in" on the frame. But when it comes down to it, full frame DSLRs come at about 21-25 megapixels, resulting in a huge image when you put it onto your computer, so you can crop quite a bit without losing too much image quality.
Professionals like full frame DSLRs because it offers better image quality all-around (although many of today's consumer DSLRs offer excellent image quality as well). There are lots of reasons to like full frame. A friend recently let me look into the viewfinder of his full frame Canon EOS 5D Mark II - wowza, a much bigger view than my Canon EOS Rebel T1i! Full frame DSLRs also give you more control over depth of field - it is much easier to get that desirable bokeh, or blurry background on a full frame DSLR, even if your lens isn't very fast. If your lens is fast, you can very easily turn the background to mush! This is what I sometimes wish I had in my T1i, even though I own two fast prime lenses.
What's not to like about full frame? Well, as much as I'd love to own a full framer, there are a few advantages to having a crop sensor camera. For starters, they're much cheaper and still deliver excellent quality! They are also smaller than full frame models. Lenses designed just for crop sensor cameras are smaller than a lens offering the same field of view on a full framer, and thus less expensive (and lighter!). For sports and action shooters, those zoom lenses seem to reach a whole lot further!

What's your opinion on sensor size? Is full frame overrated?

I'm Back!

I had planned to post on this blog a lot more often than I have been, but unfortunately these past few months I had little time to do so. I hope to keep the posts a little more regular in the months to come! I recently switched my DSLR from Sony to Canon so you may see a more Canon-centric feel to some of the posts.

Until next time, happy shutterbugging!

A World Outside Your Car Window

No professional photographer would compose the money shots out the car window, but there are plenty of shots that can't be safely or practically attained any other way. Don't be deterred by the fear that your shots will be blurry. Inevitably, some will be, but with a little practice and the right technique, fewer and fewer will be with time. Here are some tips for composing out-the-car-window shots (and I hope it goes without saying that you should NOT be the one driving!!), followed by a few examples of my own.

Crank Up the ISO!
If your camera can't handle high ISO, you're going to be disappointed with many of your shots, because it's impossible to get a tack-sharp shot without using a high ISO unless it's very sunny out, especially when pointing your camera at a close subject out the side window.

Keep the Lens Wide Open (Low f/stop)
If you use a DSLR, this will give you a shallow depth of field, which may not be desirable for a landscape shot, but in my opinion, it is more desirable than a noisy shot from too high ISO. If you have a super-fast lens, you might be able to get away with using a low ISO.

Shoot in Continuous Mode
It's unlikely that the first shot you take will be the keeper, so when you see something you like, just hold that shutter button down and take a few shots!

Don't zoom in too tight.
It can be tempting to try to frame your shot just like you would if you weren't in a moving vehicle, but if you miss, you won't be able to bring back the lost edges. Cropping is a very important part of out-the-window photography!

Try a Polarizing Filter
I say try because you will lose some light with a polarizing filter, which might end up being a deal-breaker if your camera can't handle high ISO, but if you must keep the window up, the polarizer can cut down on the reflections.

Don't be afraid to include the car in a few shots
Sometimes the car can be an interesting subject in your shot and give a sense of place to your set of images.

Take Advantage of the Motion
Sometimes you can use the motion of the car to create some cool effects. This picture was shot at about 1/10 of a second at f/22 and ISO 100. To get this effect, point your camera towards the windshield, use the highest f/stop and lowest ISO possible, and hold still! You can overexpose just a bit to exaggerate it even more.

Use your camera bag as a support
You should have something on your lap to rest your elbows on to steady your shot. Sometimes if I'm shooting through the windshield, I lean on the dashboard, which also lets me use a wider angle without getting the whole car in the shot.

A Few Shots from my Flickr Photoset:

How Much Control Do You Give Your Camera

Every budding photographer goes through a stage where they think they have to do everything manually or they're not a "real" photographer. I think I am just coming out of that phase now. If this "all-manual" theory were true, why would autofocus, auto ISO, and auto exposure controls even be included on professional cameras? The truth is, your camera is a smart creature, able to judge how to accurately expose a scene based on how much or how little information you give it (be it an f/stop, a shutter speed, an ISO setting, or all or none of these things). For the most part, your lens can focus more accurately and sometimes faster than you can. The great thing about prosumer and professional cameras is that they let you override the camera's decisions, so if you specifically want to expose for the shadows in a scene, you can tell the camera to overexpose a bit without having to come up with the exact shutter speed on your own. I like to choose the ISO because I have a pretty good understanding of what shutter speeds at what focal lengths I am able to handhold, and I don't want the ISO creeping up too high in broad daylight or too low indoors. When I'm shooting my moving kitten, I sometimes have to crank the ISO way up to stop the motion. I could put the camera on sports mode, but then I can't control the aperture, which I always leave wide open when I'm shooting my cat to allow the ISO to be as low as possible. I shoot almost exclusively in Aperture Priority mode because I like to be able to control the bokeh/background blur in my portraits by keeping the lens at its widest aperture, and when I'm shooting a landscape I just crank the aperture down to get more in focus. I often press the shutter halfway to get a light reading, and if the shutter speed my camera reports is too slow for handheld I adjust the ISO (unless I'm using a tripod or another support). As for metering (how the camera evaluates the light and chooses the proper exposure), I always have it set to multi-segment metering, which takes into account the whole frame when choosing the exposure. If I'm shooting a portrait where center-weighted or spot metering would be better, I tend to just tell the camera to overexpose a bit rather than go through the menu to change the metering mode. On my camera, setting exposure compensation involves a lot fewer buttons than changing metering mode. This is my system and although I'm sure I'll evolve and change how I take pictures, I am pretty happy using these controls. What settings do you give your camera control on and which do you control manually?