Nikon D90 Setup

The 60 macro and the 85 macro in the same kit do not make much sense...the 60 macro is very demanding to use as a general-purpose lens...the focusing is very hair-trigger on it at normal distances; the 60mm macro is designed as a flat-field, art and document copying lens, for the most part. The new 85mm macro was...I dunno...dreamed up as a solution is search of a problem...either way, you do not need both a 60 and 85mm macro lens...I would drop the 60 entirely. I have a 60 micro, which I bought because the price was simply too good to pass up,and it helped out a friend ( custom knife Maker Darrel Ralph) who sold it to me when he went to Canon. I don't use it too much.

I think the 150-500 is awfully slow,aperture wise; the Sigma 80-400 OS is a slight bit faster,aperture wise, and is about the slowest you can get away with, plus the shorter focal lengths from 80 to 149mm are very handy to have.

I can agree with the 70-300 VR and the 16-85 choices.
 
So, Aperture, or the f- number, is essentially, how fast the lense is, and how much light it lets into the sensor? ISO Sensitivity is the amount of light needed to take the pictures, resulting in higher or lower shutter speed? Faster shutter speeds equals mean less blur lines and such, and slower shutter speeds equal more blur? Is it because with Lower shutter speeds, it is exposed longer and lets more light in? And the larger aperture number means more is in focus?

Sorry I'm not very educated guys, I'm really trying to learn.
 
I am currently working on a new guide about DSLR lenses, and this is what I have so far...

If anyone has any input or any factual errors to point out, I would appreciate it.


DSLR Lenses – A guide




Part I: Lens 101

- DSLR lenses are simply used to focus and transmit light onto the camera's sensor that is then processed by its electronics into image data.
- Wikipedia: "A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam."


Part II: Mount

- The lens mount is the opening on the camera body that allows for the attachment of a lens.
- Generally a lens will only work on the mount that it was specifically designed for.
- There are adapters that allow you to attach one type of mount to another, although they remove the ability for a lens to autofocus.


Part III: Aperture

- The aperture is the opening inside the lens that controls the amount of light that the lens takes in.
- The aperture can be set with camera controls, and this is what is called an f-stop.

Part IV: Focal Length

- The focal length is what determines a lenses field of view.
- Longer focal length results in a narrower field of view.
- There are 5 main types of focal lengths for lenses: Super Wide, Wide, Standard, Telephoto, and Super Telephoto.
- There are also zoom variations of these types that provide the ability to change the focal length of the lens.

Part V: Glass

- The glass elements in a lens are what transmit the light to the sensor.
- The quality of the glass has a direct effect on the ability of the lens to produce high quality images.
- Higher grade glass provides superior sharpness, color, and contrast, among other things.
- There are different types of glass elements that are used in lens construction, as well as different shapes.
- The glass elements inside of a lens are arranged into groups within its body.
- Some of the common shapes used for glass elements are:
- Exotic glass elements serve to improve image quality, and reduce chromatic aberration. Some common types are: UD, ED, fluorite, FLD, XR, etc.


Part VI: Construction

- The construction of a lens determines its durability, optical performance, features, resistance to the elements, etc.
- Lens construction ranges from cheap plastic to high quality metals. This has a direct effect on the durability, of a lens.
- More expensive lenses are generally built to tighter specifications and with higher grade materials, although there are some exceptions to this.
- Some lenses provide dust and moisture resistant sealing (or weather sealing). This serves to protect the lens from the elements, and is suited for professional use in adverse conditions.


Part VII: Stabilization

- The different forms of optical stabilization allow the use of slower shutter speeds when the lens is handheld.
- These operate by countering the motion or shake of the lens and camera body. Typically this is only needed when shooting handheld, and can be turned off when a tripod is used.
- There are two main types of DSLR stabilization systems: sensor based, and lens based.
- Sensor based stabilization functions by moving the sensor to counteract movement.
- Lens based stabilization system make the adjustments by moving special lens elements within the lens itself to counteract movement.


Part VIII: Focus System

- There are two types of focusing systems for lenses: AF (autofocus), and MF (manual focus).
- MF only lenses require the manipulation of a focusing ring that determines the lens focal point.
- A lens autofocus system provides the ability for the lens to focus itself.
- Most AF lenses also have a focusing ring and the ability to MF as well.
- There are special types of lens autofocus systems that increase speed and reduce noise.
 
So, Aperture, or the f- number, is essentially, how fast the lense is, and how much light it lets into the sensor? ISO Sensitivity is the amount of light needed to take the pictures, resulting in higher or lower shutter speed? Faster shutter speeds equals mean less blur lines and such, and slower shutter speeds equal more blur? Is it because with Lower shutter speeds, it is exposed longer and lets more light in? And the larger aperture number means more is in focus?

Sorry I'm not very educated guys, I'm really trying to learn.

Yes the aperture controls how much light the lens lets in, as well as the depth of field. This also determines the "speed" of the lens. Larger aperture=faster lens.

Iso determines how much light the sensor "gathers". Higher Iso means you can shoot in lower light, but it also increases image noise.

Faster shutter speed does mean less blur as a general rule. A faster shutter speed will reduce camera shake, as well as provide the ability to freeze motion. As a general rule without IS, you want at least the same shutter speed as your focal length to get sharp photos.

Yes a higher f-stop, f/11 for example will provide a broader focal range compared to a lower one like f/2.8.

A high f-stop lets in less light though, and would require a higher Iso or slower shutter speed to get a proper exposure.

Hope this helps.
 
Definately did help Neil. So a high number f-stop like f/5 means it's going to be significantly slower then a lens with f/1.4? But thef/5 will have a considerablely large amount of more zoom/range?

Thanks a ton Neil. Your guide looks great.
 
Would this be a good setup?
- Nikon AF-S 24-70mm f/2.8G IF ED
- Nikon AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8G VR ED
- Nikon AF-S 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5G DX Nikkor
- SB-900 Speedlight Flash
- Kata Bags DR-467 Digital Rucksack
or
- Kata Bags Bumblebee DL-210 Backpack
- Nikon AF 35mm f/2.0D
- Gary Fong Universal LightSphere Starter kit
- Panasonic 16GB SDHC video card 22mb/sec class 10
- Manfrotto 785K Modo Maxi Tripod c/w 785 bay
- Nikon En-EL3e D90 Battery
 

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