How come some photographers use giant lenses

[Kbarredo]

I've seen some indoor studio shoots where the photographer appears to be using a 500mm lens or longer. Is there a reason for this.

 

[Robin Usagani]

LOL.. I dont know about 500mm lol.. where do you see that? You may see 70-200, 135, or 200. The reason is, you see less of the background, less barrel distortion on the subject.

 

[Kbarredo]

LOL.. I dont know about 500mm lol.. where do you see that? You may see 70-200, 135, or 200. The reason is, you see less of the background, less barrel distortion on the subject.

maybe its only 200mm. This thing just looks big. I just forget that my nikkor 55-200mm is just small. Its smaller than my 18-55mm

 

[SabrinaO]

lmao... isn't there a funny saying with photographers in their giant lenses?

 

[Dao]

This one is 200mm

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/data/telephoto/spec/ef_200_18l_usm.jpg

 

[Kbarredo]

This one is 200mmhttp://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/lens/ef/data/telephoto/spec/ef_200_18l_usm.jpg

that thing is a giant. This is mine
http://bythom.com/55200lens.htm

 

[IgsEMT]

"size isn't everything" @ ur Honda dealer
The other day my wife and I show up at clients house for a newborn shoot, when they saw 24-70 w/ Lens hood they also said "that's a big camera"

One of my colegues use 200 prime for portraits. Looks great

 

[Jarmo]

Lenses with long focal lengths flatten the view which can be good for portraiture.

 

[Trever1t]

Right. Longer focal lengths flatten the subjects features and can offer less DOF to make the subject contrast nicely with a blurred background.

 

[KmH]

Longer focal lengths don't offer less DOF. If subject scale in the frame is the same for both a short and a long focal length, the DOF is the same for both lenses. That happens because to maintain the subject scale in the frame with the longer focal length lens, the camera has to be farther away from the subject.

However, because of perspective compression, the background the longer focal length renders, shows the same blurred background elements seen in the shorter focal length lens, as being bigger than the shoter focal length lens renders.

 

[KmH]

I've seen some indoor studio shoots where the photographer appears to be using a 500mm lens or longer.

Where did you see those studio shoots?

This is a 500 mm lens and lens hood, mounted on a gripped Nikon D90:

 

[Raian-san]

I've seen some indoor studio shoots where the photographer appears to be using a 500mm lens or longer.

Where did you see those studio shoots?

This is a 500 mm lens and lens hood, mounted on a gripped Nikon D90:

If it can only shoot out some bullets, sniper mode.

 

[jake337]

Possibly the photog could have been shooting medium or large format as well.

 

[DiskoJoe]

they were probably using a 70-200 f2.8. those are all enclosed and look huge but do nice work. good for portraits.

 

[djacobox372]

The lenses likely a 70-200mm f2.8. It's large because of the "f2.8," it takes a lot of glass to make a 200mm lens that fast. Fast glass is better at isolating the subject due to the narrow dof, and the longer focal length flattens the subject for a more flattering perspective.