tele lens no good for everyday?

mrm83 · Apr 27, 2009

Are tele lens really just for far away stuff? Are they no good for everyday?

Because I want to get a macro or a tele lens..
specially... the canon 100mm or 70-300mm.. but can't decide which one i should go for.

dcclark · Apr 27, 2009

Lots of people use telephoto lenses for portraits -- it can make you (apparent) depth of field smaller, meaning a more pleasantly blurred background. Of course, you have to stand farther back...

itznfb · Apr 27, 2009

well... the 100mm macro will allow you to bring the lens much closer to the subject then the 70-300mm would at 100mm.

are you just looking for a new lens to buy or are you looking to do something specific?

Big Mike · Apr 27, 2009

One problem with telephoto lenses, are that it's harder to get sharp shots while using one.

The rule of thumb for shooting hand held, is that you want your shutter speed to at least be as fast as the focal length of the lens. So if you are shooting at 300mm, you will want a shutter speed of at least 1/300. Some say that you need to use the crop factor for this equation, so on a Canon crop body, you would want a shutter speed of 1/480.
The problem is that you will need either bight light or a high ISO in order to get those shutter speeds...especially when your max aperture is only F5.6.

So if your 'everyday' shooting is outdoors in sunny conditions...it may be a struggle to get sharp shots with ambient lighting.

tsaraleksi · Apr 27, 2009

Using just a telephoto lens means that you won't be able to shoot anything where you can't get far enough away to get it within the frame. In my view it would be quite limiting.

mrm83 · Apr 27, 2009

ohhhh.. then i think i might consider the 100mm macro.. but i have some concerns with that lens..
1 - i see ppl say u need flash to take macro photos.. (which i dont wanna get yet..budget issues)
2 - there is no IS, and i want to do handheld shooting... so im not sure if this will be an issue
3 - its prime.. im not sure if this will matter to me.. becuase im still relatively new to photography.. (this will be my first lens)

dxqcanada · Apr 27, 2009

1. Not true. I never use a flash with my Macro lens, but you can if you want fill flash.
2. Handholding any lens requires a shutter speed high enough to reduce camera shake ... as per Big Mike ... shoot at 1/100s or higher as a general rule with a 100mm lens.
3. Real photographers use primes ... Ok, back to reality, the prime lens usually has a higher optical quality over a zoom lens.

ANDS! · Apr 27, 2009

mrm83 said:
ohhhh.. then i think i might consider the 100mm macro.. but i have some concerns with that lens..
1 - i see ppl say u need flash to take macro photos.. (which i dont wanna get yet..budget issues)
2 - there is no IS, and i want to do handheld shooting... so im not sure if this will be an issue
3 - its prime.. im not sure if this will matter to me.. becuase im still relatively new to photography.. (this will be my first lens)

Using flash on a macro lens depends on what kind of shots you are taking. The problem with a macro lens is that yes you can go 1:1, but at that distance you are more than likely blocking light from hitting your subject, so flash is needed. However onboard flash will create a nice shadow at that distance. Thats where macro-flashes come in.

You can handhold a tele lens, depending on how far out the sucker extends and how much it weighs. In daylight, with perhaps a 400 ISO you should have no problem getting 1/1000 of a second and faster shutter speeds.

A prime lens just means that its a single focal length usually coupled with a wide aperture (the longer the lens the smaller that aperture becomes however).

Having said that, the tele and the macro lens are two very different lenses, and I would think about what you would do more - macro shooting, with a little "reach" (on the 100MM) or tele to super-telephoto shooting, with poor macro capability (it will not be able to go 1:1).

skieur · Apr 30, 2009

dxqcanada said:
3. Real photographers use primes ... Ok, back to reality, the prime lens usually has a higher optical quality over a zoom lens.

That used to be the case, but NO longer according to Popular Photography magazine lab studies. The technology has improved and it has become just a matter of cost and the quality of glass in the lens. A prime is likely to be higher quality than a kit lens but not better than a good quality zoom.

As to shooting, most photographers walk around with either a 50mm prime or a zoom that covers roughly from 28mm wide angle to 80mm portrait telephoto with macro capability. To put it another way, it is easier to move in closer to get the shot, than to back up and have pedestrians, audience or tourists in the way.

skieur