A photographic lens is used to focus the light onto film or a digital sensor. Many cameras have interchangeable lens systems, allowing the photographer to choose the type of lens to use.
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2answers
41 views
Lens won't focus except in video mode, and makes a funny noise: what's wrong?
My 18-55mm AF-S Nikkor lens seems to be faulty. It makes a funny noise when it tries to focus and can only focus at a close distance, not at a long distance. The shutter is very sluggish and slow. It ...
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2answers
92 views
How do I choose between 24-70 f/4 and 24-105 f/4 Canon lens?
I am getting a new medium range zoom lens for general use and occasional weddings. This new 24-70 f4 was top of my list until I watched this review:
Canon 24-70 f/4L IS vs Canon 24-105 f/4 IS - ...
2
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2answers
76 views
Does high reflectiveness of digital sensor lead to poor lens performance?
I Googled film vs dslr and found an article from 2007 that said:
Digital sensor has higher reflectiveness than film. The light bouncing back from sensor will cause flare and lead to poor optical ...
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2answers
56 views
Why would I use a rear gelatin filter over a front filter?
Lenses such as the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4 L USM offer rear gelatin filter holders, but also accept front filters via a 77mm screw on type. If I was using a circular polarizer, I would need to put it on ...
4
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4answers
161 views
How to learn to predict which lens to use between a 14-42mm and 40-150mm?
I am a beginner who has bought Olympus EP-3 and it is my first camera with interchangeable lenses. My two lenses are: M.ZUIKO DIGITAL 14-42mm 1:3.5-5.6 II R and M.ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 40-150mm 1:4.0-5.6 ...
4
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3answers
288 views
Why are there no digital cameras with ultra-bright integrated lenses, like f1.0, f1.2 or even f1.4?
One would think that with smaller sensors vs. film, it would be much cheaper to build an ultra bright lens. It's easy to find superzooms, 20X or 35X, but I have not been able to find a camera with a ...
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2answers
86 views
How do I choose among the following lens of 55-250 IS, 70-300 IS and VS 75-300?
Sorry by this specific question, but I'm pretty crazy here looking for a difference.
I've got to buy a lens tomorrow (I leave my country in 2 days)
I could see the difference between 55-250 and ...
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3answers
53 views
Standard zoom lens recommendation [closed]
Am planning to buy a zoom lens for my upcomming trip.I have Canon650D and Tokina 11-16 lens with me .My clicks mainly involve landscape, architecture.
I want to know out of the below lens which I one ...
1
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1answer
46 views
How to fix a zoom lens that is sticky at a particular focal length?
I have the Canon 18-55mm lens. When I zoom out from 55mm to 18mm, the lens works fine until 22mm, where it seems to be stuck and you must then use a bit more force. I saw in many sites that this is ...
6
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1answer
108 views
What is Power Focus on a Canon lens?
A few of the most recent Canon telephoto lenses a feature called "Power Focus" or PF. What is the purpose of the setting and does it benefit photography at all?
I have found the following lenses ...
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2answers
164 views
Is it the lens or is it the camera producing a black blob on every photo?
Is it the lens or is it the camera producing a black blob on every photo? How can I tell which is at fault? It is a used Nikon camera kit I have just purchased and there is only one lens so I can't do ...
2
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4answers
121 views
Noob photographer, seeking help for day-to-day lens
I have just started taking interest in photography and after reading through couple of blogs I decided to purchase Cannon T2i as a beginner camera. It came with 2 lenses
18-55 (I don't remember rest ...
4
votes
1answer
84 views
Is there any difference in the glass between Zeiss cine and photo lenses?
I've heard that the Zeiss cine lenses (Compact Primes, Ultra Primes, etc...) are just rehoused ZE/ZF.2 lenses. Are there any differences in the glass between their lenses of same focal length (i.e. ...
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2answers
53 views
How do you remove the Canon 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM Tripod Collar?
I was wondering if anybody has any knowledge on the tripod collar on the 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM. I have an application where the collar needs to be removed to mount the lens in a rig. With other ...
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1answer
75 views
Can someone give me an. Example of when you would want to stop down? I do this manually? I just purchased a Canon 3Ti with a Canon 18-200 lens [duplicate]
Can someone give me an. Example of when you would want to stop down? Do I do this manually? I just purchased a Canon 3Ti with a Canon 18-200 IS lens. We will be shooting outdoor sporting events also ...
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0answers
81 views
Why is buying lens so satisfying? [closed]
There's something addictive about buying lens. The enjoyment I get out of a new lens purchase is unparalleled to anything else. Why is that?
It's not the same as other collection hobbies (stamp ...
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0answers
72 views
What are the qualities of a good macro lens? [duplicate]
What are the qualities and technical specifications of a good macro lens? I need a Macro lens (micro for nikon) to shoot insects (for scientific researches) and other small objects. These are the ...
4
votes
3answers
181 views
How do they come up with focal lengths for lenses?
There are a lots of lenses for each camera and I understand that each lens caters to a different use case but my question is on how they arrive at these numbers.
For eg: there are prime lenses which ...
3
votes
4answers
249 views
Why do Canon EF and EF-S lenses exhibit the same crop factor?
I have a Canon 7D, which has a crop factor of 1.6x.
When using a Canon EF-S lens I get the focal length stated on the lens, when using a Canon EF lens I get the focal length times 1.6 when used on ...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
Nikon Lens Warranty explanation
I want to purchase a good lens of about $1K from Nikon (the 18-300mm lens for example) and I have a few quick questions about the Nikon Lens warranty. I researched online extensively and it seems ...
5
votes
2answers
96 views
How can I check for damage to my lens from impact with a window?
I was taking a photo at an airport when I accidentally zoomed my Canon SX40HS into a window. The impact wasn't super hard, but there was a thump. I cannot see any visible damage, but how can I check ...
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votes
1answer
100 views
Which Canon should I buy? [closed]
I've done photography for some months now. I always borrowed an Canon 600D from a friend.
Now I got a job as a party and concert photographer. (I need to use an external flash of course.)
I'm just ...
2
votes
1answer
103 views
If I want soft focus, should I get the Canon 135mm soft focus lens or do it in Photoshop?
I always read that when possible it's best to "get things right in camera" which I always aim for - so following that line of thinking, would it be worthwhile to get the Canon 135mm f/2.8 soft focus ...
4
votes
3answers
231 views
Would it be better to use a 35mm prime instead of a 50mm prime on a cropped sensor body?
It's said that 50mm is close to what the human eye sees and is a very versatile focal length in general, especially good for street photography which is what I'm most interested in. That being the ...
3
votes
2answers
278 views
Why prefer the 18-55mm and 55-250mm lenses vs 18-200mm?
There seems to be a preference for to have the
18 mm - 55 mm
55 mm - 250 mm
lenses, but no mention of why they're better than a single 18-200mm. Could someone please explain why the two separate ...
0
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0answers
7 views
Digital video cameras optical zoom vs lenses [migrated]
If you read at digital video cameras specifications, you will probably read that camera has 20x optical zoom or even greater.
If you compare this camera with my Nikor 18-200 lens, the lens itself is ...
6
votes
3answers
279 views
Why are Zeiss lenses heavier and larger for Canon EF than Nikon F mounts?
We recently acquired specifications for all DSLR lenses by Carl Zeiss and almost always the Canon EF-mount version is larger and heavier than the Nikon F-mount version. The difference ranges from ...
5
votes
3answers
239 views
For MTF, why does 10 represent contrast while 30 represent resolution?
I'm trying to learn to read MTF charts. Everything is making sense to me, except why most explanations of MTF will refer to the 10 l/mm line as a measure of contrast while referring to the 30 l/mm ...
0
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2answers
118 views
Will a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 lens fit a Nikon 1 J1 camera?
Will a Tamron 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DI LD Macro (Nikon AF) fit a Nikon 1 J1 camera?
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3answers
165 views
Which budget retro lens mounts are compatible with full frame Canon DSLRs?
Why Old Lenses? Unlike fancy new lenses, old lenses always have a certain charm, a story and a personality. They also keep your wallet a lot heavier! You can have a full range of very high quality ...
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2answers
102 views
Water spots inside brand new lens? Normal or reason to return?
I bought a new lens, and discovered two stains/spots which look like water spots on the rear side (side which is plugged to the body). These stains are from the inside.
I have taken a couple of ...
3
votes
1answer
76 views
Can Pentax K mount lenses be used on a 645 Reflex via an adapter?
Is it possible to use Pentax K mount lenses on a Pentax 645 via an adapter? If so, what is the name and type of adaptor required?
5
votes
2answers
123 views
How can I quickly tell without testing if my lens is parfocal or varifocal?
I have read a couple of related questions, but I am curious to find out if there is a list of parfocal/varifocal lenses out there.
I'm most concerned with the lenses I have and I would like to know ...
5
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1answer
212 views
Why are so many kit-lenses parfocal if it's an expensive feature?
According to this answer, parfocal lenses (lenses that can zoom in/out without losing focus) are relatively rare and more expensive.
However, the original poster's kit-lens is parfocal. ...
6
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1answer
188 views
When focusing at max zoom, focus is lost after zooming out. Is that normal?
On my Canon kit lens, I could completely zoom in, focus on the object and then zoom out to take the picture with the object still in focus.
Now I have a Sigma 18-200mm (with a Canon 600D) and that ...
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2answers
131 views
What can cause black corners in an image?
There are completely black corners in some of my photos. What can cause it?
I have a full-frame Canon 5D Mk II and had the problem with my 24-105 Canon lens recently and have experienced it with my ...
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3answers
149 views
What causes blurred/non-sharp images taken of stable objects?
I know about two important reasons which are motioning or shaking camera/hands and dust and dirt on you lens but if you have fixed them and still you have blurred/non-sharp results, what can be the ...
2
votes
2answers
128 views
Why are large aperture lenses so expensive? [duplicate]
Why are lenses with very large apertures so expensive?
For example, generally speaking, there is a significant price difference between a f/1.8, f/1.4 and f/1.2 lens of the same focal length.
Doesn't ...
6
votes
1answer
136 views
Can we do a refractograph with a lens on?
I just saw this tutorial on how to do refractograph. The tutorial specify that you have to remove the lens to make this work. Do you think it would be possible to do something similar with a lens ...
5
votes
3answers
93 views
What could cause a totally broken focus mechanism?
When looking for lens bargains on eBay, I often come across lenses that have something like this in their description:
Lens will not focus automatically or manually. For parts or repair only.
...
3
votes
3answers
212 views
What does it mean that a lens is x millimeters?
Every lens has different focal length in terms of millimeter so if I have a 100mm lens, what does that refer to? Does it mean the length of the lens itself is going to be 4 inches long, or does this ...
6
votes
4answers
353 views
Are there any comparison photos of different lenses (with the same camera and scene)?
I've heard claims ranging from "higher-quality lenses only make a noticeable difference for scientific applications and super-huge prints," to "even the difference between high-quality and ...
2
votes
3answers
93 views
Is focus hunting “normal behavior” for the Sony SEL18200SE?
I recently bought an NEX-6, the 24mm F1.8 (SEL24F18Z) lens, and the black 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 (SEL18200LE) lens. I love the 24mm lens, but I'm having a what I believe one would call a "focus hunting" ...
3
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3answers
167 views
Tele-zoom lens choices for Nikon 1 J1?
I recently got a Nikon 1 J1 camera and would like a bigger lens, I've been looking on the internet for answers but can't seem to find anything. I was looking for a 30-110mm size or larger at a ...
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0answers
42 views
Nikkor AF-S 28-70mm 1:2.8 D autofocus problem
I had this lens for quite a few years now, it used to work as expected. I didn't use my stuff for a few months, maybe 6-8 months. I just bought a D600 and tried to use them. The AF does not work as it ...
0
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2answers
109 views
D7000 Kit (18-55mm) or D7000 Kit (18-105)? or should I get a separate lens? [duplicate]
I'm no expert on cameras and lenses. Can you give me some pieces of advise on what to choose?
If I buy the body and separate lens, what should I buy for a general purpose lens.
Thank you in ...
1
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1answer
88 views
Misfunction of Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 on manual focus?
I have a Canon T3i (600d) and two lenses: EF-S 18-135mm and EF 50mm f/1.8.
While working with manual focus, I can shoot out of focus (on purpose) with the 18-135 (as expected).
But with the EF 50mm, ...
2
votes
2answers
82 views
Should I be worried that my Canon 1dx gave an Err01 on my Zeiss 21mm 2.8 lens for ONE exposure and after that it was fine?
I had this weird experience when I was out shooting at a park. Everything was fine for the first 30 exposures or so and I was not doing anything unusual when all of a sudden on one of my exposures my ...
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1answer
200 views
Canon EOS 650D + Canon 50mm f/1.8 lens calibration
I have the Canon EOS 650D with Canon 50mm f/1.8 II lens.
After some tests I mentioned that I have ~1cm front focusing (see this question).
Is there any way to calibrate Camera/Lens without ...
4
votes
3answers
229 views
If I mount a (heavy) cine lens on a DSLR, does it need additional support?
I'm shooting some video and I'm renting a Zeiss CP.2 50mm which is a whopping 2 pound lens. I'd like to mount it on a Canon 7D. Will the lens need some sort of additional support apparatus (i.e. the ...
