The Lens Lowdown

Sep 13

Your guide to the camera lenses that will work for you!

Have you been thinking about adding to your lens collection but are at a loss as to which one to go with? There are a tonne of camera lenses in the market, in all sorts of shapes and sizes, each suited to different scenarios. We’ve created a rundown to help you focus in on the one lens that suits your needs!

Image credit: Hunter Moranville, unsplash.com

First thing to consider when you are selecting a new lens is your subject. What are you wanting to photograph? We can divide photography into a range of genres and we will cover some of the most common ones below.

Another vital thing to consider when purchasing a lens is the cost. The asking price of a new camera lens can be anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars for a consumer lens, all the way up to tens-of-thousands for a specialty lens (in fact, this is ignoring those even further up the scale, unbelievably tipping the scale at the 10-digit mark!). Budget is often the final deciding factor when we make any purchase, so understandably, this is an important factor to keep in mind.

Let's take a look at some of the more common photographic genres and the things we might want to consider when researching lens options for each type.

PORTRAITURE

In portraiture we often aim to isolate our subjects from the surrounding environment, so we are going to be looking for a lens that is bright and fast with good compression. Another highly regarded feature of a portrait lens is its ability to capture razor sharp details. It’s no surprise then, that for this reason, portrait photographers frequently turn to a selection of prime lenses as their glass of choice.

Prime lenses are those that have a fixed focal length - some common prime lenses for portraiture are 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm, with the latter often hailed as the Holy Grail of prime portrait lenses. The 85 mm prime lens is renowned for its ability to produce flattering portraits, by slimming the face and compressing the foreground and background elements. Added to this, their incredibly large apertures (think f/1.2 to f/1.8) give you great results in low light situations.

Image Credit: Aimee Glucina. Tamron 85mm prime lens, f/1.8

Image credit: Natalie Finney. 35mm Sigma art f/1.4 lens

Image credit: Natalie Finney. 50mm Canon f/1.8 lens

35mm vs 50mm. Both of these portraits above were taken at roughly the same distance from the subject - The 35mm lens captures far more of the surrounding environment, whereas the 50mm narrows the field of view as well as bringing us closer to the subject.

Another of the other highly sought after portraiture lenses is the 70-200mm zoom lens. With such a vast focal range, this ‘boss’ of a lens gives you a lot of freedom in terms of utilizing the space you are in and allows you to zoom in on your subject from a fair way back. Also, the foreground to background compression that occurs at the full 200mm length is out-of-this-world-bokeh-licious!

Image Credit: Victoria Andrews. 70-200mm lens.

Another great workhorse of a lens for those of us who prefer the flexibility of a zoom is the 24-70mm, which is a perfect if you like to take in more of the environment whilst also producing quality portraits. In addition, it also allows you to work in smaller spaces, making it easy to create in-home portraits. Having the variety of focal lengths from 24mm to 70mm means you can capture 2 very different images with the quick zoom of your lens, without having to move positions.

More than that, when you look at the variety of brands producing these lenses, the reviews are all up there - not too heavy, fast, sharp focusing and great image quality across the range.

Image credit: Helen Whittle. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. Focal length 28mm.

Image credit: Helen Whittle. Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8. Focal length 68mm.

MACRO

Image Credit: Dinorah Capota. Canon 100 mm 1:2.8 IS

Image Credit: Helen Dol. Nikon 60mm Micro-NIKKOR.

Macro lenses, despite what some may think, are incredibly versatile. While they often get put into the Nature photography basket, they are also highly sought after by Newborn, Wedding and Portrait photographers.

Let's first think about their use in nature photography. Having a good macro lens will enable you to get up close and personal with your subject matter. A longer focal length lens is optimal, as you can stand further back while still having the macro ability of focusing in on tiny details.

You will need to take note of the minimum focal distance for each lens you are considering. As you can see in the below two photographs, Kathleen was unable to get any closer on her first image as she was limited by a minimum focal distance of 35cm - meaning she could not catch focus at a distance shorter than 35cm from her subject. In comparison, the 180mm macro lens enabled her to capture the petal detail far better.

It is important to note that a longer focal length does not necessarily mean a larger magnification factor - you need to balance the magnification factor and minimum focal distance according to your needs.

Nevertheless, giving yourself a little more working distance between your subject and the front of your camera lens can make life easier, particularly if you are working with live subjects!

Another important consideration for those in the market for a macro lens is aperture. As you will be capturing an image at such close range, you will want to be able to narrow your aperture right down in order to maintain sharp focus throughout the image, so look for a lens with a particularly narrow minimum aperture (f/22 or higher).

Image Credit: Kathleen Clemons. 85mm macro.

Image Credit: Kathleen Clemons. 180mm macro.

Macro lenses are also a game changer for family and baby photographers for their ability to catch the beautifully delicate details of a newborn, as can be seen in these adorable portraits captured by Family and Newborn photographer Belinda Coles.

Image Credit: Belinda Coles. Macro fingernails. 100mm.

Image Credit: Belinda Coles. Macro lips. 100mm.

STREET/DOCUMENTARY

Going unnoticed is often a high priority when considering a lens for street and documentary photography. After all, you are trying to discreetly capture moments without disturbing the scene. Something that is unassuming and discrete is a good starting point.

Image Credit: Emma Pigueller. Tamrom 28-75mm F2.8 for mirrorless full frame.

Another big factor is size and weight, as you’ll likely be carrying the camera on you for quite some time waiting for that perfect moment to unfold in front of your lens. So you can probably forget about one of those huge telephoto lenses. The ability to throw your body and lens into your bag, ready to go, is a win. Super light Mirrorless cameras and lenses are winning over the market for this reason.

You’ll also want to consider the focal range. Sticking with wide angle lenses (somewhere between 28-50mm) means you will be able to capture entire scenes and tell a more complete story.

Image Credit: Nadja Arold. Nikkor Z 24-70mm (24mm, f/4, 1/640, ISO 100).

Image Credit: Nadja Arold. Nikkor Z 24-70mm (24mm, f/4, 1/1250, ISO 3200)

A perk of shopping for a Street or Documentary lens is that you don’t necessarily have to go for the lenses that offer the widest apertures (which generally cost more) because you usually want your aperture to sit at a maximum of f/4 or f/5.6 and for street it's f/8 or even as high as f/11, which many kit lenses already offer. As opposed to some of the other genres of photography, we generally want to keep much of the scene sharp and in focus in the documentary and street arena.

There are arguments for both zoom lenses and prime lenses, but if we are taking a traditionalist standpoint, a prime lens might be the way to go. Not having the ability to zoom in and out of a scene means you have to get up and move (yep, no hiding out in the background for you!) and gives way to interacting in the scene and with your subject. Consider looking into a 35mm prime lens as a starting point for its wide field of view, superior ability to shoot in low light situations and the general quality of the glass.

WEDDINGS/EVENTS

If you've ever had an opportunity to photograph a wedding or a medium to large scale event, you will know that remaining inconspicuous, particularly during important moments throughout the event, is vital! This is where a great zoom lens is going to be your best friend. Being able to zoom right in to capture up close and personal shots of the bride and groom (without blocking the view for all the guests or being so close that you spoil their intimate moment) is a huge asset.

The wedding portrait below left would not have the same feel had I been right up the front and shooting on a wide angle lens. Having the ability to drop back behind the guests and shoot through them adds to the intimate, personal moment.

On the other scale of things, you also need something wide to be able to capture the full scene, guests and all, which is where a 24-70mm zoom lens is equally as handy. The image below right was shot at the widest range of the lens - 24mm, which enables us to take in the entire scene.

Image Credit: Natalie Finney. 70-200mm Canon f/2.8 lens

Image Credit: Natalie Finney. 24-70mm Canon f/2.8 lens.

LANDSCAPE

Often, the signature lens for a landscape photographer is considered to be wide-angled; that is, one which enables the photographer to capture sweeping views of valleys, mountain ranges, ocean-scapes and beyond. A lens which covers some of the widest spectrum of the field of view is a 16-35mm zoom lens. If this seems too wide for you and you want a multi-purpose lens that can cross over into other genres, then you might want to go up the field-of-view slightly and employ a 24-70mm lens.

Image Credit: Susan Larson. Shot at 24mm on the Nikkor Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3.

But don’t stop packing your bag with that one wide angle lens! Despite our initial presumptions, a telephoto lens (something that has a focal length of longer than 85mm) is just as important in a landscape setting. Telephoto lenses are ideal for capturing distant landscapes and isolating subjects, as can be seen in this beautiful scene below. Without a telephoto lens, the sail boat would be merely a spec in the distance and the image would not be nearly as strong.

Image Credit: Gustavo Pizano. Nikkor 105mm f/1.4 lens.

SPECIALTY LENSES AND GENRES

LENSBABY

With a huge variety of types, focal lengths and effects in their range, these deserve a blog post all to themselves (watch this space for an upcoming blog all on Lensbaby lenses!). There is a lens for every type of photographer here; portrait, landscape, macro, event, basically any style of photography where you have the flexibility to push the creative boundaries!

Image Credit: Ute Reckhorn. Lensbaby Sweet 50.

Image Credit: Ilse Mouwen. Lensbaby Sol 45.

UNDERWATER CAMERAS

Not a lens as such, but worth a mention here for their ability to allow you to dip below the surface and discover a world of photography that you may never have seen before. They can be tricky to nail focus with at first, and fighting against moving tides and buoyancy is anything but easy, but the results are often well worth it for the difference in light and texture that you find under there!

Image Credit: Kate Flowers. Olympus TG6.

Image Credit: Mary Kaminsky. Nikon d700, SPL waterhousing. Sigma 15mm f2.8

INFRARED

In infrared photography, your camera’s sensor is sensitive to infrared light, a wavelength of light our eyes can not perceive on their own. Given this factor, infrared photographers produce some incredibly interesting imagery, capturing scenes in a distinctly other-worldly, surrealist way. To create an infrared photograph, you either need a camera that will allow for it OR a lens filter that will block all but infrared light.

The lens you use could technically be any lens, however there are some lenses that will prove better than others for this genre of photography. The reason for this is normal camera lenses are optimised for available light, not infrared light.

Some of the major issues to keep an eye on are lens hot spots (a bright overexposed spot in the centre of your frame, caused by the coating of the inside of your lens barrel not being optimised for infrared light). Focusing can also be affected due to the longer wavelengths of infrared light. Having your lens calibrated can help with this issue. In addition to this, normal edge distortion that you would see on any wide angle lens is exaggerated in infrared photography. One of the recommended lenses that has been tried out for above issues is the Nikon 18-55mm.

But don’t let these challenges sway you, because the end image, once you have all these pieces in place, certainly is worth it!

Image Credit: Leanne Trivett. Captured on a converted infrared camera.

A FEW LAST THINGS TO CONSIDER:

Varying aperture. Some lenses have varying aperture, meaning at its widest focal length, you can achieve a certain aperture (for example, f/3.5), but if you zoom to its longest telephoto focal length, your aperture may drop down a stop or more (for example, f/5.6). Depending on the type of photography you do, this may not be a problem for you, but its something to be mindful of.
Fastest speed of the lens. Again, we are talking about aperture here, but again, an important feature to understand. Some lenses are super fast and will allow you to open the aperture to a very wide f/1.2. At this aperture, you are going to be able to create very shallow depth of field and create that dreamy background bokeh that is highly sought after. Other lenses, are not so fast, only going as wide as f/4.0. Think about your end us of the next lens you want to purchase in factoring in if this is important to you.
Quality of the glass. Not all lenses are created equally, and some lenses are made from higher quality case materials and lens elements which are made to reduce lens distortions and aberrations. These will come at a cost though so again you need to balance out your end use with your budget.
Image stabilisation. This is a feature on some lenses that will help to reduce vibrations or mild camera shake and will also allow you to shoot with a slower shutter speed while hand-holding your camera. This is definitely a bonus if you are a photographer that is on the move! But, if you tend to keep your camera glued to a tripod, this feature is not for you (in fact, you should be turning this off if you are locking down on a tripod). Image stabilisation will up the cost of a lens, so keep this in mind.

THE LENS LOWDOWN - PROS AND CONS

35MM PRIME

Well suited to: Street, Documentary, Environmental Portrait, Wedding/Event, Landscape, Newborn/Family/Lifestyle.

PROS

Gives you a wider range of view and works great for environmental or indoor portraiture in tight spaces.

CONS

Can be a bit pricey and, at that fairly wide focal length, beware of face distortion on the outer edge of your frame. You do need to get up close and personal if you want to fill your frame with your subject.

50MM PRIME

Well suited to: Street, Documentary, Portrait, Newborn/Family, Travel.

PROS

At 50mm (on a full frame camera) this focal length is the closest to what the human eye sees. Cannon offer a range of speeds for their 50mm pancake lenses, starting a f/1.8 being the entry level which is a great option for the budget conscious, and its super small and lightweight compared to many other lenses.

CONS

Has a tighter crop than the 35mm, so can be too narrow to work within more confined spaces.

85MM PRIME

Well suited to: Portrait, Wedding, Family/Lifestyle.

PROS

The bokeh that this lens produces at a large aperture is second to none, and at 85mm, the flattering face compression is ideal.

CONS

The price factor on this lens is usually the clincher - its the most expensive of all the prime lenses mentioned here.

70-200MM ZOOM

Well suited to: Portrait, Wedding/Event, Family, Landscape.

PROS

Often considered a pro-level lens, the edge to edge sharpness of most 70-200mm is right up there with the best. Also gives you huge flexibility in terms of space - the wide range in focal length means you can shoot in medium to larger spaces with no issues. It also has a relatively large aperture (f/2.8) for a zoom lens. Great for portrait, event/wedding and landscape/wildlife photographers alike!

CONS

It’s big and heavy, which can be tiring if you are hand holding your camera body for extended periods of time. Not a good option for tighter spaces. Best to use with a tripod!

24-70MM ZOOM

Well suited to: Street, Documentary, Portrait, Wedding/Event, Family/Lifestyle, Landscape.

PROS

Versatile across many genres and a decent focal range. If you go for the f/2.8, the extra stop of light (over the f/4.0) helps you get the shot in less than ideal conditions. Can compose full body portraits then easily zoom to capture a head and shoulder portrait. Usually not too heavy. Great image quality.

CONS

Depending on the brand, can be a little pricey for some budgets.

MACRO

Well suited to: Nature/Flower, Newborn, Wedding, Portrait.

PROS

Allows you to get close and capture intricate details your eye bare cannot easily see. 100mm macro lens also works perfectly for portraits at that focal length and also has a flat lens surface eradicating any lens distortion to facial features.

CONS

Depending on our subject and the magnification you desire, some wont get you close enough and you will need to purchase additional extension tubes. Need to pay close attention to your focusing to ensure you capture the detail you intend to. Generally best if mounted on a tripod.

LENSBABY

Well suited to: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Nature/Flower, Wedding.

PROS

A huge range of different effects and interchangeable lens optics. Also relatively affordable compared to regular lenses on the market.

CONS

Given they are manual focus lenses, there can be a steep learning curve for those new to them. Learning to tilt and focus can be tricky at first!