Newbie Lens Info/Suggestions

[rowekmr]

I have been using a point and shoot for awhile and am looking to step up to a SLR. Can anyone tell what the numbers stand for in the lens designations (18-55mm)? Why do some have a 2 numbers and others just have one number? I will be buying a camera to mainly take pictures of my family indoors (low light) and outdoor and also the scenery in the background when we travel. Any lens suggestions? Is image stabilization in the camera or the lens (VR)? Is it effective?

Thanks

 

[robbins.photo]

The numbers on the lens, 18-55mm, is a measure of the lens focal length expressed in millimeters. Some lenses, also referred to as primes, will only have one number because they only have one set focal length. Other lenses, usually referred to as zooms, have two because you can adjust the length from the smaller number to the larger number as desired. Here is a pretty good basic run down of focal length and the affect it has on your photographs:

Focal Length | Understanding Camera Zoom & Lens Focal Length | Nikon from Nikon

 

[rowekmr]

Thanks for that link. Those pictures clearly show the difference between the focal lengths.

The numbers on the lens, 18-55mm, is a measure of the lens focal length expressed in millimeters. Some lenses, also referred to as primes, will only have one number because they only have one set focal length. Other lenses, usually referred to as zooms, have two because you can adjust the length from the smaller number to the larger number as desired. Here is a pretty good basic run down of focal length and the affect it has on your photographs:

Focal Length | Understanding Camera Zoom & Lens Focal Length | Nikon from Nikon

 

[robbins.photo]

Thanks for that link. Those pictures clearly show the difference between the focal lengths.

The numbers on the lens, 18-55mm, is a measure of the lens focal length expressed in millimeters. Some lenses, also referred to as primes, will only have one number because they only have one set focal length. Other lenses, usually referred to as zooms, have two because you can adjust the length from the smaller number to the larger number as desired. Here is a pretty good basic run down of focal length and the affect it has on your photographs:
/QUOTE]

Lol.. well it's one of those things that is kind of hard to explain without pictures so I figured the link would come in handy.

 

[SCraig]

It's also why I mentioned in your other thread that we don't use "x" multiplication values when discussing lenses. The "x" value is very misleading because it only compares one end of a zoom lens to the other end but it has no relationship to how that lens relates to what you see. For example, 10mm (very wide angle) to 100mm (mild telephoto) is 10x. Likewise, 100mm (mild telephoto) to 1000mm (super telephoto) and 5mm (fisheye wide angle) to 50mm ("Normal" lens) are also both 10x but it have distinctly different meanings.

That "x" factor is just a marketing ploy to make one point-and-shoot sound better than another simply because people don't understand the terms. If they said something along the lines of:

5x Wide Angle <------------ Normal ----------> 15x Telephoto = 20x Total magnification

then it might have some meaning, but they don't.

 

[KmH]

Some more online stuff:
Camera Lenses

• Understanding Camera Lenses: Focal Length & Aperture
• Using Wide Angle Lenses
• Using Telephoto Lenses

Advanced Concepts

• Digital Camera Sensor Sizes: How Do These Influence Photography?
• Understanding Diffraction: Pixel Size, Aperture and Airy Disks
• Digital Cameras vs. The Human Eye (NEW)

Lens Characteristics

• Camera Lens Flare: What It Is and How to Reduce It
• Camera Lens Quality: MTF, Resolution and Contrast

 

[hirejn]

Vibration reduction is a good investment. I would recommend starting with a general purpose zoom lens, like the 18-55, 28-200, or somewhere in between. You can read more about lenses here.

 

[rowekmr]

I am reading that lens quality effects picture quality. I see manufacturers offer different lense with the same focal numbers. Which parameters do I look at to determine lens quality?