What should I be using my lenses for?

[byalexandr]

I am a pretty avid photographer, but I'm not very experienced when it comes to f-stop and focal length and stuff, I just use whatever lens to take the photo. I was wondering what were the actual purposes of my varying lenses, and what I should be using them for. My lenses are:

 

1. Sigma 28-70mm 1:2.8-4 DG (All I know about this lens is that it has a very shallow depth of field when I use it)

2. Sigma 70-300mm 1:4-5.6 DG (I know that this lens likes to be very far away from the subject but it still takes very close macro shots despite being far away)

3. Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm 1:3-5.6 GII ED (It has auto focus, but I rarely use this lens)

 

So can anyone explain what the proper uses are for each of my lenses? Right now I tend to use the 70-300mm with a flash diffuser for most of my hardware photos, but at times I like to use the 28-70mm in a white box for small products. Am I doing anything very wrong or does a lens really not serve just a single purpose?

[ALwin]

This is like asking "What fruit should you eat?" 

 

You're still asking a good question, asked by a lot of beginners who often do not understand "photography" because they're caught up in the "technical" aspects of the gear.

 

There are no rules that define what the proper the uses for your lens are.  If you understand how different focal lengths can alter the composition, you will be able to work the scene and decide which lens works.

 

 

I recommend you find yourself a copy of this book and read it:

http://www.amazon.com/Within-Frame-Journey-Photographic-Vision/dp/0321605020/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1440881914&sr=8-4&keywords=david+duchemin

 

Alternatively there are some nice low cost eBooks here that cover the creative aspect of photography and a bit more.

http://craftandvision.com/

 

And despite all this, you still need a rule or guideline about lenses:

Think about the composition before you choose the lens.

[byalexandr]

3 hours ago, ALwin said:

This is like asking "What fruit should you eat?" 

 

You're still asking a good question, asked by a lot of beginners who often do not understand "photography" because they're caught up in the "technical" aspects of the gear.

 

There are no rules that define what the proper the uses for your lens are.  If you understand how different focal lengths can alter the composition, you will be able to work the scene and decide which lens works.

 

 

I recommend you find yourself a copy of this book and read it:

http://www.amazon.com/Within-Frame-Journey-Photographic-Vision/dp/0321605020/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1440881914&sr=8-4&keywords=david+duchemin

 

Alternatively there are some nice low cost eBooks here that cover the creative aspect of photography and a bit more.

http://craftandvision.com/

 

And despite all this, you still need a rule or guideline about lenses:

Think about the composition before you choose the lens.

Thank you very much. I'm just confused as to all of this focal length and f-stop and aperture stuff. I get a feeling of what will make a good shot and I use that, but other than that I have no idea of what each lens does besides my experience with it.

[ALwin]

2 hours ago, byalexandr said:

Thank you very much. I'm just confused as to all of this focal length and f-stop and aperture stuff. I get a feeling of what will make a good shot and I use that, but other than that I have no idea of what each lens does besides my experience with it.

Ok there are some basic stuff you need to know about using lenses:

• On lenses that have image stabilisation (Nikon calls it Vibration Reduction, VR), if your camera is mounted on a tripod or any stable surface they recommend not using VR.
• On lenses which have 3 different VR modes (Off, Normal, Active), you should stick to using Normal for most shots. Active is mainly for things like you are panning the camera and lens hand held to get some sense of motion.
• Every beginner seems to think opening the aperture seems to be the best substitute for low light.  This is not accurate.  As aperture controls the DOF, use it to control DOF and not compensate for low light.  Not enough light?  Well you should know how to use speedlights and strobes and light modifying tools.
• Want to make the street lamps in your photo appear to have starburst patterns?  Use a narrower aperture, like f/8 or smaller.
• Aperture and Focal Length affects the Hyperfocal Distance.
• Want to take close up portraits with minimal distortion?  Use focal lengths between 80-135mm.  That doesn't mean you can't use super telephotos or wide angle lenses, you just have to know the sort of image distortion they have on the subject and if that effect is what you require.
• http://petapixel.com/2016/02/15/why-you-shouldnt-count-out-wide-angle-lenses-for-portraits/ 

 

 

As I said previously, think about the composition before picking a lens.  Below is an example of a photo where I used an ultra wide angle lens, my Nikon 14-24 @14mm.  It's a photo of some interns at one of my offices.  Why did I choose to use such a wide focal length?  Because the distortion effect of the lens would go nicely with the shape of the guitar, the long neck.

 

Here's one where I used a telephoto lens, and waited until the Sun was close to the horizon.  The best time to take Sun set/rise and Moon set/rise photos are when they are close to the horizon, using a telephoto lens and having some nice foreground objects.  That's how you make them appear large in the photo.  If I used a wide angle lens to compose the image below, the Sun would not appear as large in the image.

 

Here is one where I used the wider end of my medium zoom to give a sense of distance and vastness, even though I was just a couple of meters away from the front most person.

 

Use the lens and camera position to alter perceptions.  You think the image below was taken in some sea or ocean?  I took it in the middle of a lake, from another boat.

 

Or where I enjoy playing with miniature cities and towns.   I used a tilt-shift lens here.

 

Know that doubling or reducing the shutter speed or ISO or aperture changes the exposure by 1-stop each time.  ISO 200 is 1 stop more sensitive than ISO 100.  F/2 is 1 stop brighter than f/2.8.  30 seconds shutter speed is 1 stop more exposure than 15 seconds.

 

 

And in the end, as you just said...besides my experience with it is what counts.