S/O talk about lenses

[jessica31876]

So I am a bit confused and hope I do not make myself sound to uneducated LOL. I got two lenses that came with my camera and then bought a 50 because everyone said how much they loved theirs and I wanted one that was good for inside the house/portraits and it seemed that was the one everyone recomended to use. I do like it a lot and use it for portraits but I really love my zoom to much to trade it permanently for the 50 mm or the 85. Maybe it is because of the type of pictures I take but I like to be able to be out when we are in the woods for instance and I see a bird in the trees to be able to zoom without having to walk right up on it to get a good picture. I also have a 55-300 (I think) which was one I got from the package deal I bought that I rarely use. I did use it at daytime concerts and I liked I was able to zoom out and get the entire band/stage in the shot and I could zoom in and get just the singer and it was like being right at stage level in the picture. I know I can improve my photos by learning more about the manual mode and I do practice on it occasionally but I mostly shoot in auto still. (that is a goal for 2012 to learn to be competent enough to shoot in manual solely)

So my question is what is the lens you find yourself using the most and what is the reason that lens is your favorite? I mean I have three prime lenses in different focal ranges but I still use my 18-135 the most. I rarely take it off the camera. So having a 28mm, a 50mm and an 85mm am I missing something with not using them. Am I doing something wrong because I just do not like them as much as I thought I would. I did all kinds of research when checking to see what lenses I would need for the type of pictures I needed and waited until I could find them at a really great price somewhere. Yet when I bought them I just did not realy like them as much as my zoom. I kinda feel bad because they just sit in my bag unused and I think maybe I am doing something wrong when using them and not seeing their full potential.

[Ginger_79]

First off let me say: You don't need to trade one lens permanently for the other. In fact it's the point of having an DSLR, that you can switch lenses. If I had the money, I'd probably have quite a few more than I own now. I use a 50mm prime, a 17-50mm standard zoom and my 18-200mm for travels and snapshots.

A prime lens has it's advantages. Because the lens system doesn't need to cope with variable focal range, there need to be less compromises on quality. While zoom lenses have become very good over the years, they still cannot beat primes in some points. You often get better sharpness and clarity for the same money. Unless you are willing to hand over a big amount for L zooms. And the most obvious point is of course, that they open up wider. F/2.8 is currently the max. you can get with a zoom lens. Even a cheap F/1.8 prime beats that.

Then for me personally, my prime also educates me to pay more attention to my angles and really compose the image. Once I need to go closer or back up, I automatically start thinking about it more. Zooming makes me lazy in that regard.

However, I doubt you are going to notice any of these things in Auto. You mentioned before, that you shoot ourdoors a lot. I doubt the camera will choose a wide open aperture in Auto mode often then. And the better quality... you will still need to expose well and nail the focus to see their full potential.

[jessica31876]

Yea I have read books (Scott Kelley I think is the author of the books I have) and I bought the book for my specific camera model. It is still confusing to me. I just do not get how the different settings work together. I am nervous about signing up for a photo class thinking I will be the only one in the class who is still shooting in auto and I am not sure I would be able to make classes locally and have looked online many times. I do really like my 50mm (it is the 1.8 I believe) as when I bought it I did not want to spend a ton of money not being sure I would use it often enough to justify the extra cost. Saying that I do not think my pictures are to bad even on auto. I mean I am not interested in becoming a professional photographer so if the pictures just capture our memories and they are not full of noise or over/under exposed I am happy. I wish it was just a little easier to figure out the camera's settings and how they work together to get really great photos.

[Ginger_79]

Awww, you shouldn't be afraid. I'm pretty sure many people in beginners' courses are no manual pros. Saying that, as long as you are happy with your images, then there's nothing wrong with shooting in Auto. It's not like heaven is only open to photographers, that shoot in manual mode. Plus you can rock that still by paying attention to light and composition.

My point was more, that you may not notice some of the differences between a kit zoom and a prime lens as much then. Shooting wide open is an extreme so to say. And a camera in auto will usually not choose extreme settings, unless it's really necessary.

[Nettio]

Honestly, unless you have dreams of becoming a professional photographer, you really don't need to shoot in manual mode. Yes, there are some tricky situations where it can come in handy but for the most part shooting in something like Aperture Priority (especially if combined with exposure compensation) will work just as well. There's no reason to stress yourself out thinking you must shoot in manual all the time if you want good photos because composition, light, etc are all just as important (if not more so) than the actual numbers and your camera is designed to handle the numbers just fine.

I do think getting out of Auto is helpful though since it gives you a bit more creative control but the only way you're going to do that is if you put one of the prime lenses on your camera and play. Find yourself a window with lots of light and set up a mini photo shoot, like an object on a chair (stuffed animals can be good for this ) - don't use a live person because you don't want to feel rushed. Then set your camera to Aperture Priority mode and adjust the dial to the widest aperture/lowest number (1.8 if you're using the 50mm). Take a photo and then gradually increase the aperture up, taking photos each time. Watch how your camera adjusts the shutter speed based on the aperture you've set. Again, don't worry about the actual numbers, just things like "oh it went up" is fine.

Once you've got a series of photos of your object taken, download them to your computer and check out the images and the settings for each image. Look at how the amount of the object in focus changes based on the aperture you set. How does the ISO and shutter speed change? It's kind of like homework, haha, but it should start to give you a better idea of how aperture, shutter speed and ISO all work together. Then you just have to not be afraid to try things out and make mistakes. Blurry photos are all part of the learning process.

[Milmomma]

Originally Posted by jessica31876

So my question is what is the lens you find yourself using the most and what is the reason that lens is your favorite?

They have given some great advice, so I'm just gonna answer your question with my opionon.
I own the standard kit lens- 18-55mm, the 75-300mm, the 50mm, and currently renting the 24-70mm. I usually have my 50 on as it fits best in my purse. I also love it the most. I don't mind moving around a lot for what I want. I believe that is something you have to be willing to deal with for prime lens. My next will be a 24-70mm probably. Though I think I will be renting the 35mm and the 85mm next.

[*Celeste*]

i just love the prime lenses. i find they are quicker to focus handle a wider array of lighting situations, and take one element out of the guess work.

[navaja77]

I'm just a mom with a camera but I highly recommend trying to learn to shoot in manual. It's not just to be a pro photographer. My motivation was to take better photos and I really didn't like using the flash all the time. I have no intention of ever being a pro photographer but I do want to have better control over my camera to take better photos. It just doesn't make sense to me to have a DSLR and not learn to use it. My two cents. Take it or leave it. BTW, once you learn to shoot in manual, it does become second nature. Now, I can't imagine not shooting in manual.

I only have a 50mm and love it. I've gotten so used to it and zooming with my feet that when I have a zoom lens, I forget! LOL My wishlist is for a 35mm (for the tighter spaces in my house) and a 85mm. I'm renting a zoom lens right now and honestly, i really don't like it. I like using prime lens.

[Ginger_79]

Of course Ophelia is right, that more control over your settings will result in better images after a good bit of practise. More knowledge about how your camera works, will make a bigger difference than any lens. Or as someone once told me: The trick is to see a scene, how your camera sees it and not how your eyes see it. I didn't really understand his point back then (didn't know enough about it), but I remembered it.

So if it's your goal for this year to go manual, then I guess a course is a good way to find out, if you enjoy the more technical side of photography. It can be be quite fun! However, some people don't and that is ok, too. Everyone has their own goals and their own reasons to take pictures.

[mummytothree]

I too am just a mom with a [semi nice...if slightly out of date] camera!!! But I do shoot almost exclusively in manual. I have no desire to become a professional but that doesn't mean I don't want my photos to look like they were taken by a professional!!!

I have the kit lens, 50mm, 35 mm and a 75-300mm. My 35mm hardly ever leaves my camera!!! It works the best for in my house and for outside in my yard with my kids!!! Now there are certain times I do use my zoom lens...but really I hate it and I only use it so I can have a few photos of my kids in their various concerts at school...also that's usually the only time I switch out of manual and got to Program mode.

I agree that if you love your photos then stick with the lens you have...I don't at all feel bad that some of my lenses sit in my bag.....I did use them at one point in my life but I just out grew them!!!