my lenses

[luvtkngpics]

i'm just reading through something online telling about aperture and i'm noticing that 1.8 and 2.8 are the highest f stops. my lenses are 3.5-5.6 and 4-5.6, does this mean my lenses aren't good quality lenses? all this stuff is pretty foreign to me so please forgive my ignorance! any help and guidance would be appreciated.

 

[chrisburke]

not that they arent good quality.. just that they could be better... the 18-55 is a kit lens.. thus it is a mass produced lens.. so its not as good a quality as other lens'

 

[iflynething]

On most beginner cameras (not that the D40x is just a beginner camera) the lenses aperture changes are you zoom in and out.

Basically, the aperture is the opening inside the lens that controls the amount of light hitting the sensor (among other things). On that 18-55, you have a max aperture of 3.5, meaning at 18mm, that little opening is no bigger than 3.5 and no bigger than 5.6 at the 55mm mark. The same is true for your 55-200.

I hope you understand my explination. Its an oversimplification but you should get the gist of it.

Also, 1.8 and 2.8 are NOT the highest f stops.

~Michael~

 

[NateWagner]

well, yes and no... I mean 2.8 is the fastest for any zoom that I'm aware of. For a prime they go as low as 1.0 I believe. I'm pretty sure canon made a 50mm 1.0 at one point.

Also, again the 3.5-5.6 itself doesn't mean that the lens is poor quality, but it generally isn't the highest quality. The higher quality lenses usually have lower f/stops although the focal range does affect this somewhat.

 

[luvtkngpics]

i kinda got the gist of that explanation. this whole thing has my head spinning really! how long did it take you guys to understand all this jargon?

so the lenses i have, what are they really good for taking pics of? and what kind of lenses would you recommend for portrait picture taking?

 

[chrisburke]

your lens' are good for taking pictures of just about anything... as for a portrait lens... the nifty 50

 

[A4Effort]

I just bought a nifty fifty because of a earlier thread and from what my friends have tld me. Can't wait until it arrives.

 

[luvtkngpics]

the nifty fifty is the 50mm 1.8 right? does the shutter speed automatically set with that lens? and is it only good for portraits? (again, i'm sorry if these questions seem juvenile! i'm a true noob!)

 

[chrisburke]

yes its the 50mm 1.8

the shutter speed will set automatically if your in auto mode or shutter priority... and its good for LOTS of stuff.. its an amazing lens

 

[luvtkngpics]

do a lot of professionals use this lens? or is it more for the beginners so it simplifies the process a little?

 

[chrisburke]

its a pretty standard lens to have in your bag, professional or beginner... and thers nothing about it that simplifies things

 

[luvtkngpics]

ohh i just figured since it's just the one aperture setting that it takes the guess work out of it.

 

[Josh66]

ohh i just figured since it's just the one aperture setting that it takes the guess work out of it.

The reason your lens has two apertures listed on it is because the aperture doesn't stay constant throughout the zoom range. The maximum aperture is f/3.5 at the wide end and f/5.6 at the long end. Some zooms keep the same aperture through the range, some don't. Mostly the higher end ones will stay the same.

In the case of the 50mm f/1.8, there is no zoom (it's just 50mm, you zoom by walking) so there is only one max aperture. The 70-200mm f/4L, for example, is f/4 at 70mm and at 200mm.

 

[Dionysus]

btw, if you havent gotten it already..the bible 'round these parts is "Understanding Exposure". It's a pretty easy read. You'll understand a lot more after reading it.

 

[luvtkngpics]

btw, if you havent gotten it already..the bible 'round these parts is "Understanding Exposure". It's a pretty easy read. You'll understand a lot more after reading it.

thanks! i'll definitely have to pick that up! looks like i'll be making a run to walmart soon! :thumbup: