What kind of lens should a novice photographer choose?

Lead: Different lenses will make you get completely different works, which will bring great differences in composition, image quality and even use. This article will explain the advantages and disadvantages of different lenses, and then let you make a suitable choice.

What kind of lens should a novice photographer choose and what should he consider when buying a lens?

There are no restrictions, and photographers certainly want to have all the shots. However, in the case of limited space and financial resources, we can often only choose the lens that best suits our shooting habits. The considerations are as follows:

1) focal length (for example, if you like to shoot birds, you should consider whether the lens is long enough to shoot birds or whether the scenery is wide enough)

2) Aperture (for example, the shooting place is dark, or the depth of field needs to be shallow enough to highlight the subject)

3) Format support (including whether the film is suitable and whether there will be black corners; Or whether the connecting rings correspond; Or whether autofocus can be supported)

4) Special functions (such as shifting mirror, macro mirror or fisheye glasses, etc. )

5) Weight (some lenses can't even be shot by hand, and must be supported by a tripod)

6) Price

After considering the above main factors, you may also consider image quality, appearance, brand and even other special functions. The following are the classification of several main lenses for your reference when purchasing:

Fixed focus lens and zoom lens

Features of fixed focus lens:

1) fixed focal length, so when changing the composition, the photographer can only move by himself.

2) There are fewer lenses, which are generally lighter and have better image quality, and the aperture is often larger, such as f/ 1.8 or above.

Features of zoom lens:

1) The focal length is variable and the composition flexibility is higher.

2) There are many lenses, so they are generally heavier, and the image quality will decrease. The maximum aperture is usually about f/2.8.

With the continuous progress of science and technology, the above principles have gradually changed. For example, some of the latest zoom lenses can't compete with fixed-focus lenses, and they have also appeared? Sigma 18-35mm f/ 1.8 is a special case of large aperture zoom lens, so this is just a reference. However, there are still many gaps in weight, so we should pay more attention when choosing.

The fixed-focus lens has only one focal length, and the one above is 50 mm

The focal length of the zoom lens is a range of values, which is 70-200 mm in the above picture.

Wide-angle lens vs telephoto lens

Features of wide-angle lens:

1) has a wide viewing angle, and is mostly used for landscape photography, so the foreground will be exaggerated and the image distortion may appear at the edge of the photo.

2) Generally, there are fewer lenses, and the lenses are lighter. Generally, you can shoot them by hand, and some of them are quite cheap.

Features of telephoto lens:

1) The viewing angle is narrow, but you can shoot distant scenes such as birds, and the perspective will show a sense of oppression, that is, things in the foreground and background seem to get closer and the depth of field will be shallow.

2) There are many lenses, which are heavy, and the longer the focal length, such as 500 or 600mm, they often need to be supported by a tripod, and the price is quite high.

As mentioned above, science and technology are constantly improving, and so are earthquake-proof technologies, even such as? Tenglong 150-600mm F/5-6.3? You can hold the telephoto lens in your hand, but the most important thing is not to be limited by "common usage" Wide-angle lens can shoot wild animals, and telephoto lens can also be used to shoot landscapes. It's just that composition and visual effect are different, and flexible use is the correct method.

Wide-angle lens can shoot a wide field of vision.

This photo taken on the mountain was taken with a telephoto lens.

Original factory mirror vs vice factory mirror

The original mirror is a lens produced by camera manufacturers such as Nikon, Canon and Sony for their own cameras. The secondary mirror is a lens developed by manufacturers other than these manufacturers, such as Tenglong and Sanyang, which are used in other brands of machines.

As long as the connecting ring corresponds, the lens of the deputy factory is also a good choice. The advantage of the deputy factory mirror is that it is generally cheaper than the original factory, even almost half the price. In recent years, the quality of the deputy factory mirrors has been continuously improved, even reaching the original factory level? For example, it is extremely expensive. Zeiss Touit, high quality).

The disadvantage is that there may be compatibility problems. For example, the new fuselage may not support the old sub-factory mirror, resulting in autofocus failure. After all, different companies may compete in the lens market, which must also be noted. In addition, some people think that the original fuselage with original mirror is more beautiful/complete, and this psychological factor is quite common.

Sigma lens

Deputy factory mirror produced by Tamron

The choice of lens includes not only when buying, but also when traveling abroad or shooting. What lens would you consider? How much should I bring? As mentioned in the basic concept, we need to consider the purpose and weight of the lens. If you bring more than one lens, you should consider whether there is enough time to change the lens and whether you have enough physical strength when shooting.

Under special circumstances (such as shooting sports), photographers even take two or more cameras and change cameras instead of lenses to capture fleeting images. In any case, sometimes we should choose not the lens, but our endless greed for images and hope to shoot everything, so we may buy all the lenses and get nothing in the end. This is the experience of many people.