Lenses Archives - Page 2 of 4

Extender

What Is An Extender? An extender is the same thing as a teleconverter, it’s an optical accessory that sits between the lens and the camera and multiplies the focal length. One fact of note is that Canon call theirs ‘extenders’, whilst Nikon and other manufacturers call theirs ‘teleconverters’. This results in a split in terminology that you will find in books and all over the internet! Extenders can be a very cost-effective way to reach longer focal lengths that are typically useful for sports and wildlife photography. Prices of longs lenses increase almost exponentially, but an extender can get you …

Filter Size

What Does Filter Size Mean In Photography? In photography filter size Refers to the inner diameter of the front of the lens, more specifically the threads into which a filter is screwed to attach it to the lens. Knowing the the filter size required for your lenses is extremely important as it will allow you to make sure you purchase the correct equipment, and also insure you can pack correctly for any photography outings you have planned. The filter size of a lens is always printed on the end of the lens barrel so that at a glance you can …

Filter Thread

What Is A Filter Thread? Almost all lenses have a threaded section on the front that allows you to screw on filters to achieve certain effects. When referring to a lens’ specifications, it should tell you the diameter of the filter thread and then you can purchase your filters in the same diameter. Common thread sizes include 52mm, 72mm, 77mm and 82mm. If you have a filter that you would like to use with a lens that has a different filter thread diameter, this can be achieved with a step-down ring that adapts one diameter to another. If you do not …

Focus Breathing

What Is Focus Breathing? Focus breathing is term that is used to describe the small change in focal length of a lens that occurs as the focus is adjusted from infinity to MFD, or vice versa. If you look through the viewfinder of your camera and rotate the lens’ focus ring from one extremity to the other, you will see that the lens appears to zoom in or out very slightly. This change is called focus breathing. For still photography, focus breathing won’t make any difference at all. Even the most expensive professional grade lenses exhibit focus breathing, and it …

Focus Throw

What Does Focus Throw Mean? Focus throw is measured in degrees and represents the amount of rotation needed to turn a lens’ focus ring from its MFD (minimum focus distance) to infinity. A manual focus lens tends to have a much larger focus than an autofocus lens because this allows a greater degree of accuracy. Cinema lenses, which are manual focus, all have very long focus throws so as to allow extremely precise focus. In general, you’ll also find that lenses with a very wide maximum aperture also have a long focus throw. The wider the aperture, the shallower it …

GND

What Does GND Stand for in Photography? GND stands for graduated neutral density and is a type of photographic filter that allows a photographer to better control a large dynamic range within an image. Typically made from resin or glass, these filters are rectangular and feature neutral density that transitions from a specific amount, through to zero. GNDs are most commonly created in 100x150mm sizing, but larger sizes are also available from some manufacturers. The rectangular shape means that you can use them in a 100mm filter holder, but adjust them up and down to place the transition over the …

Image Stabilization

What Does Image Stabilization Mean When Talking About Photography? When talking about photography ‘image stabilization’ refers to a technique used within camera hardware to reduce the effects of camera shake. There are two main types of image stabilization, lens based and camera based. Lens based image stabilization uses floating lens elements which move independently of the lens barrel to reduce the effects shake. Camera based image stabilization allows the image sensor to move independently to the camera body to mimimize unwanted sensor movement. Image stabilization is extremely helpful in any situations which require longer exposure times, for example when hand …

Infinity

What Does Infinity Mean When Talking About Cameras and Lenses? When talking about photography, and specifically photographic lenses the term ‘infinity'(∞) refers a focus setting where everything beyond the lens’ ‘hyperfocal distance’ will be in focus. Technically speaking, when a lens is set to infinity focus, rays of light reaching the photographic medium do so completely parallel to each other. In reality this is not quite the case due to limitations in optical manufacturing. Focusing to infinity allows a photographer to quickly ensure that an object beyond the hyperfocal distance is in focus without having to physically check focus through …

Lens Coating

What Is a Lens Coating When Talking About Photography? When talking photography and optical lenses a ‘lens coating’ is a coating that is applied to the surface of a lens element which is designed to reduce light reflection and increase light transmission within the lens. Lens coatings are used by lens manufacturers to produce optics that can render an image with the least unwanted optical degradation. The application of lens coatings can be extremely complex and costly, therefore complex multi-layer coatings are normally only found on expensive lenses. One example is the Zeiss T* coating, a multi-coat anti-reflective technology which …

Lens Collar

What Is A Lens Collar? A lens collar is another name for a tripod collar. Please click through to the tripod collar page for a more detailed description of what it is, what it does and why you might want to use one. Additional Reading