Olympus OM-D E-M5
Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR
Nikon D4
Nikon Coolpix S9300
Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm
Nikon Coolpix P510
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
How to Choose and Use Lenses - Part 2
Let's just consider how useful image stabilisation or vibration reduction as Nikon call it really is. If you believe the manufacturers it's a miracle invention that lets us use slow shutter speeds hand held with no discernible camera shake. It is a remarkable and useful aid, but I'm wary of being too reliant on it. With a focal length of 200m and without stabilisation I would never work hand held with a shutter speed slower then 1/250 sec, in fact now with the searing resolution of full frame sensors I'd prefer something a touch faster.
It's reckoned the latest IS will allow a leeway of 3-4 stops slower, enabling me to shoot at 1/30th sec or maybe even 1/15th hand held with the 200mm; in theory. But don't believe all you read. Do tests in the garden; it's the only way to ascertain the true performance in the real world and in your hands. I'm very reluctant to rely on IS for more than 2 stops of leeway. Trouble is it's not an exact science, sometimes it does the job, other times not. To get the most from it you do need to allow a second after the shutter is half depressed for the stabilisation to kick in and be well braced, bright eyed and bushy tailed with no jaded or jangly nerves from a heavy night or stressful day.
But there's no doubt it is a useful function and used in conjunction with a fast aperture and the ability to wop ISOs up to previously unheard off sensitivities beyond 1600 it opens up a whole new world of opportunities where spreading the carbon fibre legs is unfeasible. If it's a choice between leaning heavily on the stabilisation or upping the ISO I'd always opt for the latter, but a modicum of the two when it's a choice between making a picture or not works well. Of course being lazy and relying on it ‘cos you can't be bothered to lug a tripod is unforgivable; we wouldn't dream of such sloppy technique, would we?
Talking of tripods these long lenses do make life difficult whether we're deploying legs or not. Just clipping the camera with long tom fitted on a tripod won't ensure a sharp picture if there's a breeze or the ground you're on is a mite spongy. The longer the lens the more beefy your tripod needs to be. And your technique needs to be impeccable. The magnification of long lenses will show up any vibration or wobble; everything needs to be tight, well rooted and secure, with cable release fitted and mirror lock activated. A lens with a collar to allow centre weighting is crucial. When shooting vertically use the collar to rotate the camera rather than the tripod head; that way the weight of the camera/lens remains over the centre column and is much more stable.
Man O'War Bay, Jurassic Coast, Dorset, England. Canon 1Ds mkIII, 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens @135mm, 1.3 sec @ 16, ISO 50
Pictorially long lenses come into their own not just for their ability to fill the frame with wild cats or Prima Donna footballers but for the unique perspective they bring to bear. Wide angles are great for emphasising bold foregrounds; standard lenses replicate the viewing angle of our eyes, but long lenses emphasise the true scale of distant objects. Want to show mountains as big? Use a long lens. Annapurna through a fisheye looks like a molehill, but from a remote viewpoint with a 150mm lens compressing the perspective the snowy 8000m peak dwarfs the tiny trees and villages below. Of course finding the location to express that is the key, but no one ever said this game is easy.
Mt Veronica and the village of Marras above the Sacred Valley, near Cusco, Peru. Canon 1Ds mkII, 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens @145mm, 1/30 sec @ 8, ISO 100
That long lens perspective is equally appealing for shooting people. The classic portrait lens is about 135mm on a full frame sensor camera. At that length headshots have a pleasing aspect and the subject is a comfortable distance from the photographer. Believe me some of my subjects I'm not too keen on getting too close! Here a fast aperture is so useful; I shoot virtually all my travel portraits wide open at f2.8. It puts a lot of demands on focusing accuracy but the out of focus background and narrow angle of view is a very effective way of isolating the subject from confusing backgrounds.
Boy, Chincherro, near Cusco, Peru. Canon 1Ds mkII, 70-200mm f2.8 IS L lens @175mm, 1/250 sec @ f2.8, ISO 100
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David Noton, lenses, lens, choose, use, zoom, prime, telephoto, tele-photo, long lens, long, nature, SLR, DSLR
Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review
Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR Review
Nikon D4 Review
Nikon Coolpix S9300 Review
Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm Review
Nikon Coolpix P510
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30
Fujifilm X-Pro1
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V
#1 Matt Jacks
Thanks for postinf this on your website, It’s a nice article which I enjoyed reading, and no doubt I have learnt a few things.
But the author seems to be only talking about exoensive cameras and expensive lenses. Judging by your reviews, I’m assuming that most of your readers (including myself) can’t afford the equipment that he uses. I would have preferred it if he’d talked about using DX cameras, and consumer zooms and what not. I’m not likely to have a 1Ds Mark III with 70-200mm f2.8L, nor would I take it traveling with my.
How about some tips regarding a Nikon D5000 and 70-300mm lens?
9:49 am - Tuesday, April 27, 2010
#2 Tim
@Matt Jacks
Nikon’s 70-300 VR lens is excellent and comparatively affordable, a definite sweet-spot. I seem to get better results on the few occasions I use it that off my normal zoom sigma lens. Recommended.
@David Noton: this article should carry a friendly warning that the choice of medium-long lenses, while relevant for ducking in amongst market-stalls, is not as applicable in the fields of sports, racing (F1 or horse), or flying at airshows. I wouldn’t be without my 300mm end for those.
11:03 am - Tuesday, April 27, 2010
#3 Bas
Get a Pentax. It has SR (shake reduction) for all pentax lenses.
12:25 pm - Tuesday, April 27, 2010
#4 Bas
A wait, sorry. The world only exists off Canonikons…
12:28 pm - Tuesday, April 27, 2010
#5 madeinholt
OK so we need a decent 70-200/300 f2.8 lense.
Whats the best lense make to go for? I know the body dictates the lense type to a degree - it’s just I am thinking of upgrading all of my kit.
2:07 am - Wednesday, April 28, 2010
#6 Fara
Hello. I’m looking to buy a point and shoot camera that can give me the same quality of the first and third picture. I know it sounds silly but I’m looking for something that makes every picture look like art or something out of a magazine. I’m looking for a camera that has the best quality images, at least 10 optical zoom, good in low light, the best fps, etc basically something that is an all in one point and shoot out there. Suggestions please. Thank’s
3:34 am - Friday, April 30, 2010
#7 jesus c. deleon
Olympus E-3 is not good camera?
Only nikon and canon is good to use?
1:19 pm - Tuesday, May 4, 2010
#8 rootradical.com
An interesting article. I am planning to buy a new lens for portraits. After reading the last part of this article, I guess I will go for the Canon 85mm 1.8 on my crop 50D. Also don’t want to go too close to some of my subjects.
3:20 pm - Monday, May 10, 2010
#9 Tim
@rootradical.com: around 100mm or longer is conventional for portaits, so taking crop-factor into account, 85*1.6 is about right.
3:35 pm - Monday, May 10, 2010
#10 Claire
Nice to relate to the story of the early obsession for the super long lens (Thought it was just me!) Nice post. Thanks for sharing.
4:04 pm - Saturday, June 12, 2010
#11 Laura
I too had to have a super long lens (ended up with a Sigma 120-400mm) and like it very much but I have to train myself to use MY TRIPOD, camera shake is definately an issue at the long end:(
12:23 pm - Tuesday, June 29, 2010
#12 matt
@fara how about the finepix hs10, apparently a very good camera
4:01 pm - Monday, July 12, 2010
#13 Joe Bennett
I have to be honest. You can spend alot on some of the Canon Zoom but I I use the 70-200L F4 version without the image stabilization and it is only around 500 dollars. This lens is probably the best value your money can buy. It is the perfect walk around lens that does not get in the way and its super sharp with lots of contrast. I do not leave home without it
3:49 am - Thursday, September 23, 2010
#14 Geoff
It would be great to be able to afford these sexy lenses - I am happy with my 70-300
It is not the case of having the best of everything - it is simply a case of getting the best out of what you have
Happy New Year to all
9:59 am - Wednesday, December 29, 2010