Looking for Experiance Photographer

[blackcrystal22]

A LOT.

i don't know the conversion, but if you take a picture from all the way out and one all the way in with some type of ruler in the image i may be able to figure out magnification.

300mm lens are used to photograph stuff that is far away. Over the summer i picked up a 300mm tameron lens from a guy off CL . he had the nikon mount for it too. I do a lot of birding when its warm so that 3oomm lens was a real help. Before that i was birding with a 105mm

Would you say that the zoom is significant?
Do you know how the mm applies to a macro lens? Like if it's a 50mm macro, does that just mean how zoomed in it will be for up close pictures?

[cinderbird]

Would you say that the zoom is significant?
Do you know how the mm applies to a macro lens? Like if it's a 50mm macro, does that just mean how zoomed in it will be for up close pictures?

the lower the mm the closer you will be able to get to your object. I've used 12 and 15mm thimble lenses and you can get EXTREMELY close to your subject. Just remember, that as your mm lowers so does your effective focusing plain. (smaller the mm, the less of your image you will have in focus). you will literally, with some lenses have one vertical millimeter of perfect focus in your image. Ill see if i can find an example later for you.

Like with that 300mm lens you'll have to be VERY far from your subject, but you will be able to get much more of your object in the frame.

There is a lot more to lenses than just the focal length though. You want to look at what the lenses are made of (coated glass is the best, un-coated glass, then coated plastic, then plastic). Over time plastic lenses will break down and become uneven. Plastic really just isn't a good lens material, but if you're on a budget than do whatever works.

I have to get to work, but i'll post more on this later.

[kitedemon]

Hey I am just going to pipe in here. Macro lenses focus close, how close it is not related to focal length but reproduction ratio. With a full frame digital (or 35mm film) a lens might be a 1:2 ratio.

That means if you photographed a ruler as close as the lens goes you could see the 0-2 inch marks in the frame. Stated differently if you shot it with file and laid the same ruler on the processed negative the 1 inch mark on the photo would fall at the 1/2 inch mark on the ruler its self. A 1:1 lens would fall at exactly the same size as life. Ok so is that clear? Keep in mind a 1/2 size sensor causes doubling of the optics, so a 1:1 becomes a 2:1!! 2 inches on film (digital sensor being the same for this) is one inch in life loosely 1/2 inch will fill a frame in camera (if the viewfinder was a inch long as I said loose here folks).

A 55mm 1:1 lens focused as close as it can maybe say 2 inches away from the subject a 100mm 1:1 lens with the exact framing (all things being the same which the never are) would be about 4 inches. A 300 mm lens that has say a 1:4 ratio would allow you to be farther away but the same subject is much smaller in the frame. Generally true macros (1:1 ratio lenses) are in the 50mm to 300mm I can't recall any longer than this The majority being mm 50 to 200mm. Photographing snakes and such I'd go for the longest I could I am a nikon person I have 3 personally an old 200 macro a 60mm macro and a 105mm macro. The 200 is great but is Manual so as I age I am using the 105 for snakes and the 60 most other things (I make my living as a photographer and I teach photography in a university) I hope this helps some!
Alex