Last time in “Photography 101”, we talked about the different uses and needs of point and shoot users, and DSLR users. I was recently at a seminar where a famous photographer named Bambi Cantrell was speaking. She was emphasizing the point that “cameras don’t take pictures, people take pictures.” She is confident that she could successfully shoot a wedding with a disposable camera if she had to (though this is an exaggeration of course – camera gear does make a difference). I thought it funny to hear that she often brings a disposable camera to her wedding shoots and pulls it out for her first few family portraits just to get a reaction and bring a little humor to the stressful moment!
Lens: let’s talk about the glass baby!
People are often surprised to hear that a good piece of glass (as us photographers tend to lovingly refer to our top lens) will often cost more than the camera body!
There are several factors that separate the costly lens from the cheap lens, often found on your camera when you buy it (DSLR).
1) The “Speed” of the Lens
We will go into aperture later on in this series, but the ability of the lens to “open up” the aperture (the width of the lens leaf allowing the light in) even when zoomed in is a key indicator of a quality (and very expensive!) lens. On cheaper lens you will notice numbers like f4-5.6 (this means that as the lens zooms in, it is forced to let less light in to compensate). This is not necessarily a bad thing, it just limits you as a photographer and how much light you can use at any given moment. For example, we have a 70mm-200mm Nikon Zoom lens that can remain wide open (f2.8) no matter how far you zoom in – beautiful lens like these are almost $2,000 each.
2) The Quality of the Optics, its Coatings, and Construction and Reliability
Most all quality modern lens are going to be better than the older lens – the technology is just amazing now and allows for stunning lens that weren’t possible before. You get what you pay for, and a quality built lens will have a good warranty, last a lifetime if properly cared for, and have better resilience to things like water and dust, as well do everything better and faster.
3) Sharpness and Vignetting
We use Nikon at Clear Image, and Nikon’s top lens have an “ED” (extra-low dispersion glass elements) designation to show that these lens will be incredibly sharp and consistent from the middle all the way to the edge of the frame. Expect cheaper lens to not have the sharpness (yes, there is much more to the sharpness of your image besides how many megapixels your sensor is!) of more top-shelf lens. Also expect cheaper lens to not be consistent in sharpness, color, or light dispersion from the middle of the frame to the edge of the frame.
Next time, we will talk about lens features and if they are important or not, such as:
Vibration Reduction (VR) or Optical Stabilization
Silent Wave
Lens Hoods
Zoom vs. Fixed
As well as understanding Focal Length and what it can do to flatter your subject!
Until then, all my best!
-Daniel
Clear Image Photography & Portrait Studio 