Reader's Comments - Index of - Free

Lens
1X-5X macro lens.
Be Careful (and rich)
Modern film is extremely good. Modern camera bodies work very well. The limiting factor in the
quality of your image will almost always be the lens. If you want to achieve a good result, you must
have the correct lens for the job and it must be a high quality example of that kind of lens.
Lots of companies make high-quality lenses. Sadly, none of them have figured out how to break
physical laws and do so cheaply. So if your creative goals require a long telephoto or very wide angle
lens, prepare to cough up the big bucks. If you are using a larger format than 35mm, prepare to cough up
the big bucks for any lens!
Rent
If you own a Canon or Nikon 35mm SLR, a Hasselblad medium format camera, or any large format
camera, you can rent a wide variety of lenses in most major cities. It will definitely expand your creative
horizons without breaking you financially. Remember when using a large or medium format camera that
a given lens focal length will result in a different perspective than on a 35mm camera. Use this table to
convert.
(If you're determined to ignore our advice and buy a lens instead, you can help defray the cost of running
photo.net by buying from Adorama or Photoalley.)
More
● lens FAQ
● photo.net lens tutorial
● equivalent focal lengths for the same perspective with different sizes of film
● archived Q&A threads on lenses
Next: Film.
philg@mit.edu
Reader's Comments
http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/lens (7 of 9)7/3/2005 2:22:04 AM