Photography for bloggers lenses. I remember doing my research when I first went shopping for the upgrade camera and lens and even with my tight budget (I had no hope of buying a professional camera, just an entry level model), there was so much to choose from that I quickly got overwhelmed and very confused. So I’m going to assume that if you are reading this, you are just starting to shop for your first DSLR or maybe you just bought one.

PHOTOGRAPHY FOR BLOGGERS LENSES

Why are lenses so important? It’s the lens, rather than the camera that can make or break your photos, since the quality of your photographs is very dependent on the type of lens you are using. In fact, the lens determines the type of photograph you can take whether it’s indoors or outdoors or an extreme close up or long shot.

Prime lenses.  These lenses are less expensive than their “zoom” counterparts because they have less moving parts and stay fixed at one focal length (ie. they don’t zoom in and out). If you haven’t read my post on photography terminology yet, a focal length is the distance between the eye (sensor) of your camera and your subject.  This is a great lens option if you are looking for one with a low f-stop  (shallow depth of field and the ability to shoot in low light), at a considerably lower price point.

My primary lens. There was a special going on when I bought my DSLR, so I was able to upgrade to a better lens rather than going home with the standard lens kit lens and boy am I glad I got it. The main lens I use is the 18-105mm f3.5-5.6, which for the most part is perfect for my everyday photos. It’s probably not the ultimate lens, but I’m comfortable with it. I can carry it around and take both close ups and long shots as needed.

50mm lens. This is an all around great lens to learn on because the focal length most resembles your eye (what you see is what you get). So it makes for a great starter lens and depending on what and how often you shoot, this might become your primary one. It has very little distortion, you can use it to shoot in low light and it is the lens of choice for many street style photographers.

Macro lens 60mm 1:2.8. I’ve had many people mention that they want to get a macro lens. In fact, I was one of those people as well… I finally got a used one and while I love it… Do you know how hard it is to use?! On my first day of practice, more than 50% of my shots were out of focus. I almost gave up until I realized just how extremely precise you have to be with this lens. It’s a prime lens, so I had to position the camera at the exact distance from the subject the lens requires. As a result, I was forced to create my own mini studio, be very precise with the lighting and carefully avoid the camera casting a shadow onto my subject.

Lens kit lens. Remember that the lens you receive with your lens kit will do at first. Take the time to get to know your camera and understand the pros and cons of your lens. Do you find yourself, for instance, shooting in low light? If the answer is yes then you will likely need an upgrade.

Now, I’d love to be able to tell you to run out and buy a specific lens and camera, but unfortunately I can’t do that. After all, it’s not the camera that makes the fabulous photograph, it’s you. While a lens may and can help catch the perfect shot, the one you use depends entirely on the type of photographs you are taking. I mean, you wouldn’t need to use a huge telephoto lens, the kind you would take on a safari, at home when taking photos of jewelry. On a final note, the best advice I ever got when I was choosing my first DSLR was to pick up and hold all the similar level cameras to see which one felt best in my hands…. From there, the decision was easy. I chose the Nikon D3200 (entry level camera) and while I’ll be wanting to upgrade at some point in the future, for now it works very well. It is light and small enough that I can carry it anywhere.

Whichever lens you choose and whichever camera you choose, however, take some time to learn your camera so that you aren’t constantly stuck in automatic mode.
Do you have a favourite type of lens that you use?

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caroline

Caroline has worked with international designers in fashion retail and completed professional makeup courses when working in the beauty industry. Her love of writing, photography and film inspired her to work at the Canadian Film Center and then to earn a BFA in Screenwriting. In addition to her blog, Style On The Side, you can see her work in Huffington Post Canada and other international websites.

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