Lens for long distance shooting

Captain · 16 Sep 2017 at 17:28

If i want to take pictures zoomed in from a long distance away but keep the picture quality sharp, what sort of lens do i need for this?

Tried getting some pictures today but the kit lens isn't up to the job.

I'm watching loads of Youtube tutorials at the moment but nothing beats personal opinions.

I see 50-250mm zoom lens cheaper than 15-55mm for example, why is that?

Cheers.

D.P. · 16 Sep 2017 at 18:01

You want a telephoto lens. How long will depend on what you want to shoot and how close you can get, also how much you can afford and how much weight you are willing to carry. For rare animals and small birds you want to remortgage your house and buy an 800mm f/5.6. Fr a trip to the zoo a 50-200 will.work. ducks in a pond 300mm. Birds of prey, moose, bison, elk, 400mm. For an.african Safari a zoom lens is useful, 200-400 is popular.

Lend costs relate to complexity, build quality and front element size. Telephoto lenses are actually relatively simple design compared to wide-tele zoom lenses. Especially with a smaller aperture and consumer optics.

Captain · 16 Sep 2017 at 21:46

£15,000 for an 800mm lens

ill take 2!

I take a lot of pictures when I'm out on my bike, weight isn't a big issue as it'll be on my back.

I'd like to get some pictures of my bike with a lot of scenery in the background but I'd also like to get closeups and get a good depth of field.

I also have a weekend away at Christmas and I'll be visiting a few docks in Spain so will be getting close up and long range shots of yachts.

Holst1981 · 17 Sep 2017 at 19:06

What camera do you have now?

Some idea of budget would help.
If you only have £50 some extra petrol to ride a bit closer may be your best option.

Raymond Lin · 17 Sep 2017 at 19:21

Don't approach it as "l like to take pictures of things far away".

Approach it as "I like photos like these and to recreate photos like these"

Then get gear that do that kind of jobs.

Why? Because I find that almost everyone start photography wanting the zoom, it's almost the first lens they buy after the kit lens, may be something to do with the cool element of it but to be honest most "tele photo zoom" photos are crap. It takes a lot of skill to frame something like that properly and look good because most of the time at that kind of compression there is little to no context so everything relies on the moment or expression of the subject.

Captain · 18 Sep 2017 at 21:47

Holst1981 said:
What camera do you have now?

Some idea of budget would help.
If you only have £50 some extra petrol to ride a bit closer may be your best option.

I have the Canon 1300D with the 18-55mm kit lens. Budget is hard to calculate as i don't really know the prices or what i actually need yet.

Captain · 18 Sep 2017 at 21:49

Raymond Lin said:
Don't approach it as "l like to take pictures of things far away".

Approach it as "I like photos like these and to recreate photos like these"

Then get gear that do that kind of jobs.

Why? Because I find that almost everyone start photography wanting the zoom, it's almost the first lens they buy after the kit lens, may be something to do with the cool element of it but to be honest most "tell photo zoom" photos are crap. It takes a lot of skill to frame something like that properly and look good because most of the time at that kind of compression there is little to no context so everything relies on the moment or expression of the subject.

I have a new iPhone coming on Friday and i would like some really sharp up close pictures, what would be the best mode to shoot in? I can take them in the conservatory as it has really good light.

Raymond Lin · 18 Sep 2017 at 21:52

Clov!s said:
I have a new iPhone coming on Friday and i would like some really sharp up close pictures, what would be the best mode to shoot in? I can take them in the conservatory as it has really good light.

I think the iPhone automatically focuses up close, it won't be a problem for it.

Captain · 18 Sep 2017 at 22:04

Raymond Lin said:
I think the iPhone automatically focuses up close, it won't be a problem for it.

Sorry i should have said, i want to use my DSLR to get some pictures of my new iPhone.

Raymond Lin · 18 Sep 2017 at 22:23

Clov!s said:
Sorry i should have said, i want to use my DSLR to get some pictures of my new iPhone.

Getting your iPhone stand up vertically would be the hardest part ! What I mean is, think about the kind of shot you want to take, have it lie on the table looks crap, I would think of something more interesting. Then you can think about background, think about surfaces, think about lighting.

Captain · 18 Sep 2017 at 22:30

Raymond Lin said:
Getting your iPhone stand up vertically would be the hardest part ! What I mean is, think about the kind of shot you want to take, have it lie on the table looks crap, I would think of something more interesting. Then you can think about background, think about surfaces, think about lighting.

I may have a small stand that the iPhone will fit in, which would make getting good pictures so much easier!

Minstadave · 19 Sep 2017 at 01:49

Clov!s said:
Sorry i should have said, i want to use my DSLR to get some pictures of my new iPhone.

Close up photos can be challenging:

- lenses will have a minimum focus distance, with a zoom lens it will vary with focal length. A macro lens will let you get closer than a normal lens
- depth of field become an issue up close, closing the aperture down (using a higher f number) will get more of your subject in focus but less light will hit the sensor so lighting becomes important or you can use a slower shutter speed (however camera shake becomes an issue so a tripod is useful)

You’re going to best shooting in manual and experimenting.

Captain · 1 Oct 2017 at 21:12

Minstadave said:
Close up photos can be challenging:

- lenses will have a minimum focus distance, with a zoom lens it will vary with focal length. A macro lens will let you get closer than a normal lens
- depth of field become an issue up close, closing the aperture down (using a higher f number) will get more of your subject in focus but less light will hit the sensor so lighting becomes important or you can use a slower shutter speed (however camera shake becomes an issue so a tripod is useful)

You’re going to best shooting in manual and experimenting.

Cheers.

What's the use of the really low mm lenses? I've seen some that are 12-18mm, what are they used for?

Minstadave · 1 Oct 2017 at 21:49

Clov!s said:
Cheers.

What's the use of the really low mm lenses? I've seen some that are 12-18mm, what are they used for?

When you say 12-18mm I think you mean focal length, that’s difference to minimum focal distance.

Focal length equates to how wide an angle of view the lens is. So a 12-18mm lens is a wide angle zoom lens.

Minimum focal distance is a property of a lens, it’s how close you can get to an object and still get it in focus.

Columbo · 2 Oct 2017 at 11:45

What type of images specifically of your phone? Extreme close up or just general photo's of the handset?

You'll get perfectly good images of a phone with your 18-55mm, stick the camera in AV, put it at 55mm, aperutre at f5.6, use Auto ISO and move to the closest focus distance. The kit lens is pretty sharp and has a useful .34x magnification which is very useful for such tasks.

Make sure the background is not a lot brighter than the handset otherwise it may underexpose the subject depending on what metering choice you have.