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  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Let's talk about lenses.

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
What would a camera be without a lens!

Lenses. All shapes, various focal lengths, speeds, sizes, zooms, macros, special purpose, fixed fl, vibration reduction and on and on. The choice is bewildering. Add the cam-phones.

A camera and a lens. Think of the possibilities. The world lies before you. You have a camera, and it has a lens.

So, I would like you to tell me which lens/es are your faves. Why? Show pictures you made with your favorite lens/es.

How did you decide on that particular lens, and why?

What are the most important things one should look for in a lens?

Where, when, how and why one would use a particular lens as opposed to another..in terms of speed,
Zoom or fixed, purpose etc.

How many lenses do you generally carry with you..on a trip, on a day's outing, for a special event?

Let's have some fun; and along the way let's learn from each other. I am thinking more about 35mm and p&s because that is what I have and use. But please let this not be a restriction for this fun discussion.

Please discuss.
 
I love my some telephoto action. Why? Compression...

nikkor 85mm f1.4D @ F1.4
suject distance = 3.76 meters

8241115498_8029c62bd4_c.jpg


Tamron 300mm f2.8D @ f4

6840181764_f5ce038803_c.jpg


nikkor 180mm f2.8 ais @??

7300098592_fdec1a16a7_c.jpg



Tokina 100mm f2.8 macro @ f16
subject distance = .3m

5883693040_503082052e_b.jpg
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
I love my some telephoto action. Why? Compression...

nikkor 85mm f1.4D @ F1.4
suject distance = 3.76 meters

8241115498_8029c62bd4_c.jpg


Tamron 300mm f2.8D @ f4

6840181764_f5ce038803_c.jpg

Hi Jake.

What excellent photographs!! I specially like these two..I love kids and the family moments.
The second one is so so special.

The 85/1.4 D is one of my fav lenses, and one of the few af lenses I still have. They do not call it the ' cream machine ' for nothing.

Nikon have the new 85/1.4 G out. I have not tried it; and neither am I interested in it. The 85/1.4D is
good enough for me.

I generally use it for when a shallow dof is needed. Mostly for portraits like your son's. Wonderful rendering.

I have a zeiss 100/2 makro. Again use it for a little bit of reach and it is 1:2 makro. It too renders beautifully but feels like a beast to me nowadays.

I have never tried longer focal lengths, althoughI have owned the 180/2.8 Ed, and the 70-200 zoom long time ago.

My longer reach lenses fall between the 75/85/100; depending on the make and camera.

Thanks for kicking this thread off.

Very best to you and your family.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Here are 2 shots with the Nikon 85/1.4D.

The first one being used not for portraits..

p1337095640-5.jpg

The next one, well see for yourself..

p1337323948-4.jpg

An interesting question for you folk..why do most of you buy a fast lens for? Its primary reason for purchase?
 
Hi Jake.

What excellent photographs!! I specially like these two..I love kids and the family moments.
The second one is so so special.

The 85/1.4 D is one of my fav lenses, and one of the few af lenses I still have. They do not call it the ' cream machine ' for nothing.

Nikon have the new 85/1.4 G out. I have not tried it; and neither am I interested in it. The 85/1.4D is
good enough for me.

I generally use it for when a shallow dof is needed. Mostly for portraits like your son's. Wonderful rendering.

I have a zeiss 100/2 makro. Again use it for a little bit of reach and it is 1:2 makro. It too renders beautifully but feels like a beast to me nowadays.

I have never tried longer focal lengths, althoughI have owned the 180/2.8 Ed, and the 70-200 zoom long time ago.

My longer reach lenses fall between the 75/85/100; depending on the make and camera.

Thanks for kicking this thread off.

Very best to you and your family.

I love this cream machine!

8241116854_0616d2d19c_c.jpg
 

Michael Nagel

Well-known member
A lens is there to reflect your vision. So in first line it is a tool which has to reflect your vision.

Here are three samples using the DA 12-24/4 at 12mm





Here another zoom lens, the Tamron 28-75/2.8




A prime lens is usually faster, which means a smaller DoF is possible paired with excellent IQ.
The zoom lens adds flexibility and some are quite good and good enough for most occasions.

It is a decision based on what you expect and what is your interest.

Best regards,
Michael
 
But is a hard question your asking us Fahim. As I really like all my lenses. I'm sure there are better variants of each but I have what I have, and there are still tools at the end of the day.


Nikkor 35mm f1.8 G @ F8 through a window.

7953864570_e01f682a2b_c.jpg






Nikkor 50mm f1.8D @ F4


6897642906_a69db256b1_c.jpg
 

Eamon Flannigan

New member
Mr. Nagel: Do you enjoy your Tamron 28-75/2.8? I've had my eye on that lens, and I'm wondering if you find the zoom range sufficient. Also, how in the world did you get the snow in your street-lamp photo to show up so nicely and sparkle?!

Right now, I've been playing around with some old Canon 50mm f/2.8 lens. It's great for depth of field, but I don't have any particular photo I feel like sharing right now.... they would all pale next to these.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Michael, Jake...

What a treat you are presenting us with!!

Jake, the question I posed was to get this going. You said it right..you like all your lenses. That is the way it should be; otherwise why keep them?

My apologies the question seems to have no right or wrong answers ( for the most part anyway ); because
there really is no right or wrong answer.

Michael, my first camera ( besides the Baby Brownie ) was a Pentax Spotmatic. In those times ( late 60s ) most slrs would come with a lens, 50mm.

The Pentax got stolen ( I cried, as it was the single most valuable thing I owned ). In the early 70s I bought a Nikon Photomic. I have stayed with Nikon since. That too came with a 50mm.

I look at my cams today, they have a 50mm on both!! This time it is by choice.

Eamon, I am sure your work is no better or worse than any of ours. It might be different.
Just share.

Thank you guys.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
One day I analyzed the focal lengths I used. It went something like 60% with the 50mm, and the balance almost equally divided between the 35mm and the 75/85/100 mm.

I use fast lenses for dof, as Michael mentioned. Not to control light. I am a natural light photographer.
I just do not have the talent to use artificial light.

Here are some of my 50mm shots. Most of what I photograph is really covered by that one focal length.
These are re-posts..some from long ago.

p1338828548-4.jpg


p1338828466-4.jpg


p1338828508-4.jpg


p1338828616-4.jpg

I guess that is how I see the world..a 50mm focal length mostly.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
My favorite focal length. Obviously the 50mm.

This is the only focal length I need for my kind of photography. But I have known to carry 3 50mm lenses.
It has to do with rendering. Each lens I have draws in a different way. Some moody, some sharp and high contrast, and some have a bit of macro built-in.

p1338874544-5.jpg


p1338874562-4.jpg


p1338874502-4.jpg


p1338880372-5.jpg

I love lenses with spherical aberrations. For some things, but not for others.

I think not bad for a focal length which is just blah!!
 

Jerome Marot

Well-known member
Or course, focal length and aperture are essential properties of a lens. But the photographs I cited are taken with the same focal length and aperture from the same position of the same object, yet look different:




Bokeh is an obvious aspect, but is not the only one. If one observes the dandelion onto which I focussed at the center (especially the leaves), the level of detail in the two pictures is different, although both are sharp examined at the pixel level. The different colors are a byproduct of the different cameras used, but the difference in apparent detail is from the different lenses.

It is rarely as obvious as on these two pictures (which is the reason why I chose them and keep the name of the lenses out of the discussion for the moment), but still happens between any two lenses. The wider the aperture, the more obvious the effect (which is due to optical aberrations which increase with the aperture). For example, a 85mm f/1.4 of brand X will not give the same effect as the same lens from brand Y (and sometimes even not within a brand).
 
Michael, Jake...

What a treat you are presenting us with!!

Jake, the question I posed was to get this going. You said it right..you like all your lenses. That is the way it should be; otherwise why keep them?

My apologies the question seems to have no right or wrong answers ( for the most part anyway ); because
there really is no right or wrong answer.

Michael, my first camera ( besides the Baby Brownie ) was a Pentax Spotmatic. In those times ( late 60s ) most slrs would come with a lens, 50mm.

The Pentax got stolen ( I cried, as it was the single most valuable thing I owned ). In the early 70s I bought a Nikon Photomic. I have stayed with Nikon since. That too came with a 50mm.

I look at my cams today, they have a 50mm on both!! This time it is by choice.

Eamon, I am sure your work is no better or worse than any of ours. It might be different.
Just share.

Thank you guys.


No need for apologies Fahim. As I do love all my lenses, I often gravitate towards the longer focal lengths because of the compression/magnification they give me!
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
I like old lenses - not all, but a few.

This is the smc A 15/3.5 - underrated on digital as I think.

The lens produces flares, but this is not always a disadvantage.



BMW-Welt

....
Best regards,
Michael​


Lovely. One does have to get to know a lens to successfully utilize even its ' disadvantages '.

Regards.​
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Here are some with the 35mm.

One really has to get to know a lens. Its follies, strengths and weaknesses.
The longer one stays with a particular lens, the better can one use it to its max. and begin to enjoy what it can do. That is what I have found. I am not a gear whore. But use a few selected lenses, till they become second nature to me.

No fumbling, know whether it would get a pic or not; and quite often how the pic would turn out.

p1341215548-4.jpg


p1341215672-4.jpg


p1341215982-4.jpg


p1341216084-4.jpg

It is said that the 35mm has been a preferred lens for pj work. I find it just enough to include the surrounds, to give context, and not too wide that I cannot handle.

The 35mm has helped me out with portraits too..although I prefer to use a longer fl for portraiture.

btw, the first image is unsharpened.
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
That's neat Jake.

Many times, I find myself with a 35mm when I should have a short tele. Then I have to crop. Such times are the only ones where I find a bit of more mp would have helped!!

This is with a zeiss 35/2 and the D700..b/w conversion in Nik sw.

p1286715740-5.jpg
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Sharpness of a lens is, in my opinion, an overrated quality. Sometimes one does not want a sharp photo.
Sharpness on its own rightfully belongs to micros. There are other qualities. How does a lens lens maintain the separation of the foreground and background. Does sharpness fall off towards the edges.? How is the micro-contrast? Myriads of other details.

None of these is a must have, and all of these might be needed sometimes.

It should be borne in mind that most modern day lenses ( except a very few deadweights ) are very good
indeed. At f4 all lenses should be delivering near their peak..the rest is depth.

It is in the performance of a lens at its widest apertures that the cost becomes apparent. To get 95% goodness in a lens nowadays should be normal. It is the final 5% where the costs go up exponentially.

Here is an image made with the cron 75 apo.

p295604390-4.jpg
 

fahim mohammed

Well-known member
Jake, Michael, Jerome..thank you for your contributions.

What's wrong with the people here? Are we the only ones taking pics, out of all the members of OPF?

Cat got their lens? Over 10,000 members and just 4 of us contributing!!
 
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