Modern DSLR lenses have a lot of features – have you considered everything?
DSLR lenses have other features than focal length and maximum aperture worth considering. Before you decide on you new lens you should read about the other features that might not be so obvious. However these features can be important to, as many of them depends on how you are going to use your new lenses.
Important lens features not to be missed
Manual vs. autofocus
Today’s DSLR lenses have built in autofocus. The autofocus on modern digital cameras are quick and accurate and will do a great job in most cases.  | Thunder and lightning |
There are however situations where autofocus do not work properly as in the case of very bright reflecting surfaces or when the motive is moving very quick. Also in macro photography manual focus might be a better option to get the perfect result. Many lenses have a switch where you quickly can turn autofocus on or off if needed. If the lens does not have this switch, most cameras have a switch on the body where you can turn autofocus on or off. If your camera does not have the switch you can most likely do the same via the software. This takes longer time and might not be the best if you are in a hurry.
Silent autofocus
Autofocus lenses have built in a motor which does the focusing of the lens elements. How much noise you will hear from these lenses when focusing is dependent on the type of motor. More and more common is the manufacturers implement motors which are almost quiet. Common names for this include Ultra-Sonic Motor (USM) in Canon lenses, Hyper-Sonic Focus (HSF) in Sigma lenses and Silent Wave Motor (SWM) in Nikon lenses. Obviously such lenses are particularly important in wildlife photography to avoid scaring the animals or birds.
Internal zoom and focusing
If a lens has internal zoom and focus, it means it will not change in size or dimension when you zoom or focus. Because of this, such a lens allows more compact design and you will have a closer focusing distance.
Focus and zoom ring
Should be big enough to allow easy handling and not too hard to turn. Most focus and zoom rings are made from rubber, securing a good grip.
Macro capabilities
If you are into close-up photography and are shooting a lot of photos of small subject like insects etc, you need a lens where you can focus very close. Do you need a special macro lens or will a regular lens with macro facilities do the job? Many DSLR lenses can focus pretty close without being macro lenses.
 | Ladybugs on flower |
However if you are doing serious macro photography you will need a lens with macro specifications. The macro specifications of a lens are measured on how much the lens can magnify the subject onto the sensor. A lens having a 1:1 magnification is a good macro lens. 1:1 means the subject will appear life-sized on the sensor. If the subject is coin, you can focus so close the coin will fill the whole frame. It is not uncommon zoom lenses have macro capabilities, but the magnification with these lenses are more likely to be 1:2 or 1:3 which is not that good.
Filter thread size
In front of most lenses you can attach filters of different types to the filter thread. Size of the filter thread is given as millimeters (mm). The filter thread size is printed somewhere in the front of the lens. The problem with the filter thread is if you have many lenses with different thread (which they most likely have), you will need one filter for each of the lenses. Filters like Polarizer’s can be expensive, especially for the “big lenses”. Also be aware with some wide/ultra wide angle lenses the front element can be very bulbous and stick out so much it is not possible to attach a filter to the lens.
Rotating front element or not
Some DSLR lenses will rotate the front element while focusing. This is just an issue if you are using filters with your lens. If you are using a Polarizer filter or Gradual ND filter the position of the filter in front of the lens is important. This is not too much of a problem but rather a frustration. You solve it by focus first and then place or adjust the filter in front of the lens. If you are a frequent user of filters, this might be an issue of importance for you.
Lens hood
You should also check the possibilities of attaching a lens hood to your new DSLR lenses. The lens hood is a device you attach on the end of a lens to block the sun or other light source in order to prevent glare and lens flare. Glare and lens flare on your photos can be very annoying. With many lenses the lens hood is included, while with other the lens hood has to be bought in addition
As you can see there are so many things to consider with DSLR lenses , so spend some time to think through your needs before you decide.
Return from DSLR lenses back to Lenses home
Return from DSLR lenses back to Home page
|
