
Your camera is basically a light-tight box – an expensive box packed with tech but no more than a fancy paperweight until fitted with a lens. This could be anything from a tiny hole punched into a piece of silver foil to a lens designed for the purpose of delivering sharp images onto the sensor. The most widely used lens type is the zoom and they dominate the market for a simple reason. In a single lens, there’s a broad range of focal lengths at your disposal to portray the subject as you see fit without having to move. Fixed focal length lenses, known as primes, remain popular and we’ll explore these in the next issue. But in terms of sheer popularity, zooms rule the roost.
Zooms range from budget lenses with modest maximum apertures that are often sold together with a camera to provide an entry point into the brand’s ecosystem, to fast aperture, weather-proofed zooms costing several thousands. Deciding which zoom to invest in depends on many factors so you need to consider the options, depending on your budget and what you want to shoot. There is also the question of sticking with your camera brand or opting for independent third-party brands that offer good performance at lower prices.
A 24-70mm and a 70-200mm (or equivalent for your camera format) pairing works well while adding a 15-30mm would expand potential further. If you prefer to travel light, a superzoom covering around 24-200mm or so is a good one-lens solution although you will get better quality with shorter-range zooms. If you have the funds, a fast aperture zoom could be the way forward, while on a more limited budget, you can still take the two/three lens approach but go for optics with more modest maximum apertures, perhaps from third-party lens manufacturers.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2024 من Digital Camera UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2024 من Digital Camera UK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول

Nikon Z50 II
Brand's original DX-format Z-series mirrorless gets turbocharged with Expeed 7 processor

Eric Meola
The American photographer's latest book is called Bending Light: The Moods of Color. Niall Hampton finds out more

Lumix FZ82D
Panasonic shows that bridge cameras aren't dead yet

Art Wolfe & Federico Veronesi
Two long-term contributors to Remembering Wildlife - and members of the competition judging panel - reflect on the series reaching its 10-year milestone

Scanning ahead...
AI is no substitute for experiencing the world and telling compelling stories, says Jon Devo

10 Years of Remembering Wildlife
ENTER TODAY! Submit your images of pangolins in the wild - or any of the previous nine species to have featured in the Remembering Wildlife series - for the chance to be featured in the next book

Enhance your wildlife subjects
Using simple techniques in Photoshop, James Abbott shows how to make wildlife subjects stand out from their background

Edit fast with slider pairs
For effective editing results, combine pairs of sliders in Lightroom, says Sean McCormack

Reader gallery
Digital Camera readers show how they've been getting creative, submitting images across a range of genres

Hotshots
Our showcase of the winning entries from the Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards 2024