This article regarding tips for choosing camera lenses was compiled from Arbain Rambey's long-standing cult. We have deliberately summarized it into an article that is easy to read and easy to understand. Copyright remains the property of Kultwit. Please follow his Twitter account at @arbainrambey. Hope it is useful.
The basic quality of a photo is determined by the quality of the camera, lens, and firmware. Lens quality is important, but it still depends on two other qualities. The quality of the lens is seen from the sharpness of the image and the quality of the colors produced. The quality of the lens must also be seen from the durability of the manufacturer, rubber, etc. It's best to buy lenses of the best quality, but if you use cheap lenses, don't worry too much because other qualities are involved.
Ideal Focal Lenth, Wide Lens or Telephoto Lens?
When choosing a camera lens, you need to pay attention to the following things. A wide lens doesn't have to be for wide shots. A telephoto lens doesn't have to be for long shots either. A telephoto lens brings what is far away closer while a wide lens moves away what is near, this is called the lens distortion effect or compaction.
The photo above shows two bottles, taken using three types of lenses. The first photo is an 18mm wide lens which gives a close-up effect. The second photo is a normal 34mm lens showing the actual distance conditions. Finally, the third photo was taken using a 55mm telephoto lens, making the two bottles appear closer together.
So having a telephoto lens or wide lens is not just to get a wide and far angle, but also to get the effects of distortion or perspective.
Wide lenses are unnatural for human faces. Unless you really want to make his face look funny and strange. In general, photographing humans should use the 70-200 mm range. Too short a focal (wide lens) causes distortion, too long (telephoto) causes compaction. Facial distortion due to a wide lens that is too short makes the face convex. Meanwhile, using a telephoto that is too long to photograph the face makes the ears appear to be on the same level as the nose (flat/flat face).
Large aperture lenses (1.8 or even 1) are comfortable for shooting because they are bright. But it is rarely used at the largest aperture because the results can be soft / not sharp. Ideally, a lens has a range of 16-35mm, 24-70mm and 70-200mm (135 format) or 7-14mm, 12-60mm and 50-200mm (Fourthird). Why are there so many lens choices? Because there are so many human tastes. There is never an absolute choice in buying lenses.
There is no lens brand whose products all stand out. Each brand definitely has superior products and also products that are less popular. For example, on Olympus, the superior lenses are 35-100mm/f2 and 7-14mm, on Canon it is 24-70mm/2.8 L.
The third party lenses currently available are of very good quality. Some types even have quality above the lenses from camera brands. But still, "price never lies" is the benchmark for buying quality lenses.
Please remember that the technical quality of a photo can be improved by post processing, for example using Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, etc. software. So if you already have any lenses, just use them. Don't use too many types of lenses so that you can get a "touch" of them, memorize their properties and understand their effects.
Camera Lens Accessories
Using the right camera lens is 50 percent of shooting. Wearing accessories such as lens hoods is an option only. The benefits vs. hassle are sometimes not worth it. But if you want to be safe, wear a lens hood.
Meanwhile, filters such as UV can also protect. But sometimes it reflects light backward when photographing sunrise/sunset. Even the best lenses sometimes need filters because there is always a special need for anything. Polarizing capability is not included in the lens function because it reduces lighting when it is not needed.
Choosing And Purchasing Lenses
The number of types of lenses a photographer must have is unlimited. So buy only what you need. Buy the most expensive lenses you can afford. Lenses can be used as an investment because the price is stable. Meanwhile, camera body prices tend to continue to fall. Choosing a lens has its standards, but breaking these standards sometimes produces photos that are actually better.
There are photos that require the quality of a fixed lens, and there are photos that require the reaction speed of a zoom lens. Between zoom and fixed lenses, the fixed ones are better and sharper. But if you use a handheld outdoors, normal eyes can't tell the difference. In general, zoom lenses are more practical with satisfactory results. Ask yourself, is it better to get 100 class photos but only 3 than getting 100 photos but only 90 classes? If you are still confused about buying a fixed or zoom lens, the answer is: Buy a Zoom one! Fixed lenses are only for people who know they need fixed lenses.
Another example of a cheaper fisheye lens is that it doesn't curve because the curve is actually a defect. But that's also a choice! Easy guide to buying lenses: go to a photo community, then look at what your friends are using. Don't be afraid of making a mistake when buying lenses. As long as you buy a well-known brand, and there are many of them, it's safe.
Do you need to wear lenses with a stabilizer? If you have more money, that's good too. Those lenses are more expensive. The price of used lenses can never be predicted because they contain trends and interests. What is certain is that the price of used lenses is stable.
Also pay attention to the crop-factor sensor, making the focal length of a lens seem to be elongated because the coverage area is reduced (as if it were telephoto). If it says a crop factor of 1.3x, that means a 30mm lens on Full Frame is like 1.3×30 or 40 mm on that camera. If on Micro Four Third which has a 2x crop-factor, then the 30mm lens on Full Frame becomes 60mm.
Lens Care
After choosing and buying, don't forget to take care of it. Here are some simple tips for caring for camera lenses, both DSLR and Mirrorless:
Quality lenses can be used for up to 20 years. A good body is only 6 years old
Keep your lenses away from extreme temperatures, and extreme temperature changes.
Don't knock the lens. Its accuracy will be damaged because it is a fragile item. There are many types of errors in modern lenses because they have complicated electronics. At Canon, a very mysterious error is called error 99.
When climbing a mountain, to avoid fogging up your lenses, don't wear them with your clothes.
In work that requires high-frequency shooting: for example, journalists covering natural disasters, the fewer lenses they carry, the better.
Beginner photos are often not sharp because the surface of the lens tends to become full of oil from being touched. So always clean!
How many times can a DSLR lens be removed without the mount coming loose? I don't know... some have had no problems since 1990
So, hopefully it's useful. Like if you like it, share with friends if it's useful.
