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Normal lens is way better than just a normal lens (22.06.2016)
When purchasing a DSLR camera, you usually get a lens with it that is called a kit lens. This is not a lens type but it is a lens put into the camera kit by the manufacturer and its indicators might be different as to what the manufacturer expects. Most of the time, manufacturers choose a wide angle lens that satisfies the main needs of the photographer in different shooting situations. For keeping the price of the kit moderately low, kit lens cannot be of high quality and optical power.
For capturing the whitest nights of the year, we recommend a cheap lens that still has remarkable optical power which makes it easier to photograph in situations where there’s not a lot of light photography wise. We offer you Nikkor 50mm f1.8mm lens that costs 249 EUR at the moment. This lens is also called normal lens. Its name is derived from the fact that basically, the image of this 50mm lens is similar to what the human eye is able to see. Since this is a lens with a very big aperture (f/1.8) and there is no zoom (zooming extends the focal length and this often causes the optical power to decrease), it has good optical power. Here are some tips on how take advantage of this lens when photographing at beautiful summer nights and by the bonfire.
- If there’s not enough light in the photography situation, I recommend using a more sensitive sensor which actually means raising ISO. Today’s Nikon cameras are able to produce good quality photos at ISO 1600-3200. For taking better advantage of this camera’s automatic options, you can set ISO on automatic mode by setting the lower limit of the shutter speed to 1/60 seconds
- When using a wide aperture, you need to consider that the depth of field is small. This means that there’s quite a small range of sharp area and the background is soft and not sharp. In many situations, soft background is very pleasant because it brings out the sharp subject.
- If you want to widen the area of the depth of field, you need to use a smaller aperture. For example, with the aperture of f/16, you get a much bigger range of the depth of field. You should only make sure that the shutter speed is not too long then.
- With longer shutter speed, you should use a tripod or fix the camera on a firm bracket. You should consider that with long shutter speed, moving objects are still not sharp even if the camera is still
- While photographing outdoors, try not to use the flash. If the subject is far enough, the flash is not powerful enough but the foreground is going to be overlit. If you take photos by the bonfire, the flash is going to make brighten the smoke and that could totally ruin your photo.
- You can use flash when you photograph people with bonfire on the background. With backlight, the image of the person is too dark and in that case, the light of the flash balances the situation.
I am sure that you have noticed that it is easier to photograph with a lens that has a lot of optical power. Since there is no zoom, the photographer needs to move around to compose a suitable frame. This forces the photographer to forget being lazy and teaches them to see and compose the frame better. Since this a lens that is also small and light weight, I believe you have found your favourite lens.
