Today you can get a fantastic image without knowing a single thing about photography but the reality is that if you take a few lessons, look up a few tips and have a better lens, you’ve got a greater chance than ever before of taking actual prize winning photos.

Over time and with a bit of education gleaned from online or offline, you can learn to select just the right lighting, and just the right focus and just the perfect lens.

For my money, nothing beats an SLR. They are handy, they save money and they are amazingly hardy to carry with you on an outdoor trek. You can come up with just about any lens that you like and sometimes more than you could find for the 35mm that you used with film.

The best way to get the kind of shots that you want will be to use some different caera lenses. If you don’t take the time to learn anything else at all then you should take the time to study a bit more about lenses, what they can do for you and how to use them.

Every photographer, beginner or professional should take the time to visit a good camera lens site and learn a little more about the best lenses and what they will be used for. Those lenses that everyone should have in their camera bag include:

The Standard Lens- Typically just a normal lens that is a shorter length and may be fixed in length, these are going to give you what you need for a standard photo. On an SLR, standard lenses may be considered 35-80 in most cases although the professional photog would  argue that they aren’t “standard” if they are movable in nature..i.e. zoom style. That’t actually true, but if you have just one lens, get a 35-80mm which gives you a ton of options.. Generally they will be an F2 and will give you a bit more light so that you can take photos just about anywhere. These are something that may come standard with your camera or are the recommended lens if you don’t have any others. One good solid standard lens is a necessity.

A Wide Angle is also nearly a necessity. If you want to see more of the background as well as your focal point, a wide angle is going to give you a dramatic effect. Normally the wide angle lens is oin to be a bit shorter and will probably still have that ability to give you a little more light in them. They are usually an f/2 aperture and may be 24-50 mm. There are other wide angles known as fish-eyes that are super wide angled lenses that will give you a birds eye view of anything in your imagery.

The Zoom lens. My absolute favorite it gives you a plentiful number of ways to use it if you don’t want to carry anything else around with you. They are available in a huge array of sizes such as 35-70 or 35-80 or 80-200mm. They can get a bit more costly but are definitely worth your while to have at  least one. They help to pull things up for you and give you great animal and weather photos like you’re sitting on top of the item you’re photographing.

Telephoto- My second favorite has to be the telephoto that really brings the world up close and personal. Telephoto lenses bring you things like your children coming down the water slide, or the polar bear out on the ice a half mile away. You won’t ever regret having a solid telephoto lens.

Bottom line–get as many good camera lenses as you can afford. Experiment with them to get the best images that you can get. If you’re using one of the good SLR cameras, you’re not out a dime. Delete the bad results, keep the good ones and start all over again.

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In our lives, we will encounter several circumstances where we will need to take a photograph. Because of this, we will explore the types of camera lenses that are required for weddings, portraits, sporting events and even landscapes. While we won’t be going into brand names on the photography lenses we explore, this information will help you with making a decision.

Weddings

There are a number of reasons why you would want to take your own photographs at a wedding. This might include your own memories of the special day, or cutting costs on an expensive photographer. No matter your reason for taking photos at a wedding, there is are photography lenses that work best in this situation.

It is generally a good idea to keep your pick full frame cameras lenses for the wedding photography. The best lenses will have minimal magnification, as you can encounter a number of problems if they are too powerful. This can include disproportioned ears and noses. Your focus should be on finding an option that is between 50 – 85mm. In cases where you want a full room view of the groom, such as the entire altar they are standing in from of, a 200mm lens will be your best bet.

This means a normal portrait lens will be uses for close up shots, and wide-angle lenses will be best suited for scene photographs.

Portraits

Portraits have a number of different purposes. For some, it is to provide a memory of a period of time in a person’s life. This might include something like an award ceremony, or even publicity shots for an upcoming entertainment release. The portrait will focus on the individuals face, and the photography lenses you choose from should be designed to reflect the individual in a good light.

The portrait lens that you will use should have minimal magnification, and in most cases, a standard lens or medium telephoto lens will be your best options. When you prepare for the picture, think about how the individual appears in the raw photo. If they look distorted or blurred adjust the settings on your camera. The subject should remain in the center, and their face should be the main focal point.

Landscapes

Landscapes can appear breathtaking, and when you capture them on film, they are brilliant. While some people will find that a standard lens will do an okay photo, it isn’t really the best option you have. Typically, wide-angle lenses are going to give you a better view of the scenery.

Since you can’t get the proper distance as a rule, most shots will require a lens that can provide magnification. Longer distances will require what is called a telephoto lens. This will allow you to stand at a distance, and take a picture with little problem. In cases where there is wildlife, this will allow you appear to be right next to the animal, without scaring them away.

Smaller sections in your landscape will require macro lenses. If you are shooting a field of tiny flowers, and you want get a close look at them, these photography lenses will provide you with the means to do that. They are also good for photographing bees and other small insects.

Sports

When it comes to sports, you know there is an instant that you have to take a photo. Because of this, you need a very quick shutter rate. In addition to this, the telephoto camera lenses will be your best option. They will allow you to shoot from a distance, and still capture the game up close.

There are a large number of options when it comes to photography lenses. Each has a unique feature that will aid you in different circumstances. From Landscapes, to Weddings and everything in between, camera lenses provide us with the best way to take pictures we’ll remember for a lifetime.

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There are several photography lenses on the market that allow for macro and micro photography.  I came across a good article that helps explain some of the details related to this type of photography and the lenses used.  See the article below for more information.

Macro , Micro and Close Up photography are they all the same ?

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Being the novice photographer that I am, I am constantly looking for information to help me get up to speed on the subject. Mark hit the nail on the head in this article giving the reader a great perspective from an avid shutterbug’s point of view. One of the areas in photography that I have much to learn is about photography lenses. Mark talks about when he jumped head first in to photography in the early 1980s, the camera and lenses he started out with, and the type of photos he liked to take (and still likes to take).

One of the best aspects of this article for me was that he actually goes into some detail explaining various types of camera lenses including: Wide Angle, Standard, Zoom, Telephoto, and Specialty lenses. If there’s one thing I knew little about it was the various lenses, what types of photographs they were good for taking, and what actually made them well suited for those shots. Mark does a good job of giving us a quick overview of each. He goes into enough detail to make you hungry to learn more.

If you get a chance, jump on over to Photography Lenses – What You Need to Know to read the entire article. It’s an easy read that gives you some good perspective.

Here at The Photography Lenses Blog we’ll keep bringing you great articles like Mark’s as we come across them. If you’ve got some photography stories or information you’d like to share with us drop us a note or leave us a comment. We’d love to hear from you as we learn and grow.

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Why does this happen? Especially if I am using an auto-focus photography lens that is supposed to assist me?

Have you heard of depth of field? You camera lens on your digital SLR camera has options for controlling the amount of light entering the lens like the iris in your eye. This is adjusted using the aperture setting on your lens. The more light you let into the camera lens the more shallow your focus area is and the less light the larger your focus area is.

F-stops on the aperture ring on the photography lens can typically run from F:1.4 through F:22. The larger the number the more subject area of focus you can get in your photographic detail like you may want in shooting landscapes. The smaller the number might be used when shooting portraits.

Rob Barron takes you through this very simple, comprehensive explanation of depth of field as it is used with Photography Lenses.

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Ernst Wildi is the author of Achieving the Ultimate Image and Composition Techniques from a Master Photographer. He lives in Wachtung, New Jersey.

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If you enjoy this video on lenses for photography then rate it a +5 for Rob.

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The book is organized into concise little lessons dealing with specific aspects of selecting or working with various lenses. There are also sections that talk about improving the quality of your results with any lens and the correct use of every lens control. One of the interesting areas that it goes into is how to shoot great close-up pictures with the lenses you already have. It is full of beautiful, full color images illustrating the results of photographing with various settings, techniques, or lens.

Get ready to wow your friends with the photographs you can take using the versatility of your digital SLR photography lenses! Click here to grab your copy today!

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Look for part 2 of Rob’s basics in Photography Lenses in a coming post.

Thanks Rob, enjoy…

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When I got interested in photography in the early 80′s I had no idea about which equipment to get. It was because there were so many different kinds of cameras to choose from, and not to mention all different kinds of camera lenses. If it hadn’t been for my Uncle who had a Pentax connection I am not sure what I would have done. I was able to get some quality information from the Pentax representative who showed me my options and explained to me how the photography lenses were used for different types of activity and photo desires.

I started out with a Pentax LX professional 35mm line of equipment and outfitted myself with several lenses from wide angles to one-touch telephoto’s reaching ranges from 24mm wide to 800mm strong for sporting events. Today I still own that great 35mm equipment but now have a Nikon digital SLR that utilizes interchangeable lenses for all my photography needs.

What is it that makes the picture worth a thousand words and stands out in the view that you expected? Is it the camera or the lens? Well, both actually, but if you understand how camera lenses are equipped you can construct the image before hand and produce that prize!

Many of the people who are starting out on photography really do not know what kinds of equipment to get. Choosing camera and a lens for your camera can be one of the toughest decisions to make, especially if your camera is a specialized one. Today there are so many choices to pick from. You must understand what type of picture you want to produce and how to select that lens. If you want to capture a lot of activity in a photo you will need a wider angle. If you want to capture very close up images you will need a macro lens. Finally, for long distances you will need a zoom or telephoto. Therefore, it is essential to choose the perfect photography lenses for your photo purposes and camera.

Photography is undoubtedly one of the most important inventions in history–it has truly given us a perspective on how we conceive the world. Today, photos can be produced so that we can see the most minute details from close up or miles away. Photography lets us encapsulate moments in time and preserve them for years to come. Selecting the appropriate camera lens allows us to produce and cherish those memories.

The purpose of this blog is to bring you information regarding photography lenses, the camera, and information that will enhance your photography experiences. Grab your copy of the photography lenses review guide and let us help you get started as a shutterbug. We hope you enjoy!

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