Let’s say you have what you consider to be the minimum amount of gear to begin your adventures into professional photography – a good camera, a couple of quality lenses, and good working knowledge of post-processing. From there, your wish list has grown to epic proportions and includes everything from a back-up camera body to studio lighting and lenses galore. So how do you know what you really need, and in what order do you prioritize your purchases?

1. Ask yourself the right questions.

What kind of a professional photographer do you want to be? Do you want to take studio portraits or work on-location? Do you want to capture landscape or wildlife photography? Are you going to be traveling great distances, or staying close to home? Will you have a home studio or a rented space, or will you be working out of your car? All of these questions are key aspects of discerning what kind of gear you need to prioritize.

2. Protect your client’s photos.

First and foremost, get yourself an external hard drive to back up your photos. Consider backing up your backup, too! Choose a reputable on-line backup resource like Mozy, CrashPlan, or Carbonite. Since you are now going to be providing a service to paying customers, it is ESSENTIAL that your photography projects are stored safely.

3. Get the colors right.

Make sure you are working with a calibrated monitor and printer – you can’t get the colors right for your clients unless you’re working with properly calibrated displays! Purchase color calibration software and tools, and repeat the calibration process occasionally to make sure your colors continue to be accurate.

4. Develop your Essentials Kit.

Your Essentials Kit should include a selection of memory cards, spare batteries, microfiber cloths, lens caps, white balance cards, UV filters, lens hoods, and other odds and ends. Make up a kit for every camera bag you use, plus an additional kit for your storage cabinet. As you use a battery and plug it in to charge, IMMEDIATELY replace it with a charged battery. As you pull out a memory card for post-processing, IMMEDIATELY replace it with a blank one. By doing this you will seriously decrease the odds of being without an essential item when you’re out in the field.

5. Achieve the bare minimum.

Understand the BARE MINIMUM amount of gear you absolutely need to have, and prioritize those purchases over anything else. For instance:

- Portrait Photography: A basic three-light setup is essential, or two lights and a good reflector. The bottom line is, for portrait photography you absolutely need off-camera flash. Buy quality equipment and resist the urge to purchase cheap, flimsy kits. Get a softbox and an umbrella that can act as either a reflector or a shoot-through diffuser. Purchase with an eye toward traveling with your gear, if that is the route you’re going to take. You’ll also need remote transmitter/transceivers, like those you can get from Pocketwizard. Finally, invest in a quality light meter.

- Wedding Photography: Invest in “fast” lenses that work well in low light – get a wide-angle and a medium-length telephoto (such as the oft-recommended 70-200mm f/2.8). Many wedding photographers swear by the “three lens prime kit” – the 28mm, 50mm, and 85mm. Accompany those lenses with a Speedlight or two, which are highly portable and flexible. Have a light stand and a light modifier for each Speedlight, and remote flash triggering. If you have a full-frame camera body, consider a crop-sensor body as your backup (and vice-versa).

- Landscape Photography: You’ll probably want to prioritize lens purchases to make sure you have a full range of focal length capability. Always purchase lenses with an eye towards quality – the better the lens, the better the photos. A backup camera body is also essential to be prepared for any mishaps. Full-sensor cameras are highly recommended for wide-angle landscape photography. You’ll need a rugged tripod, one that is designed to be used out in the field. Finally, you will need a hardy, weather-proof travel case or two in which to store your gear.

- Wildlife Photography: Once you have a quality DSLR in hand, it’s all about the lens when it comes to capturing photos of elusive wildlife. Start with a high quality telephoto zoom lens, then add on with telephoto prime lenses. Get a rugged tripod, one that is capable of resting on uneven ground. Consider a crop-sensor camera body as your backup – they have the added benefit of adding on to the effective focal length of telephoto lenses. Choose a light weight but sturdy weather-proof backpack for your gear.

- Architectural/Real Estate Photography: Prioritize the purchase of an extreme wide-angle lens, or a tilt-shift lens. Choose a couple of portable strobes and battery packs, with enough power to light dim corners and large spaces. Your tripod should have a ball head and spirit level.

- Product Photography: Get a couple of high quality macro lenses – one with a 1:1 ratio and one with more extreme magnification. Powerful light sources are essential, whether they be constant lights for use with light boxes, or studio strobes. Buy light boxes of various sizes, and consider getting something like a Lastolite 7′x8′ HiLite for larger subjects.

6. Take notes.

As you gain experience in your chosen genre of photography, you will quickly learn about what works and what doesn’t work. Take notes on every photo shoot that you perform, with an eye toward simplifying everything from the amount of gear you need, to the amount of time it takes to set everything up. Figure out the gear that you bring but DON’T use, or the gear that you left behind that would have come in handy. As the essentials become obvious, you will continue to re-prioritize your list of gear purchases to suit your circumstances.

Photo credits (in order of appearance):
- “Randi in Wedding Dress” by Walt Stoneburner on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “Monument Valley” by Marco Bellucci on Flickr Creative Commons.
- “Female Great Horned Owl” by Tiffany Joyce.
- “Spiral Stairs” by Icelight on Flickr Creative Commons.

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1. Photography Gear Research
2. Stepping Up Your Gear
3. Traveling with your Camera Gear

Oh, oh, oh, how I LOVE the new Lensbaby Composer Pro.

Lensbaby has revised their original Composer with heavier construction, a Double Glass 50mm selective focus optic with drop-in aperture discs, and upgraded swivel ball and focus mechanisms. Where the swivel and focus on the original Composer felt a little “gritty”, the swivel and focus on the Composer Pro are smooth as silk.

As I described in my original review, the Lensbaby Composer Pro possesses a very specific “sweet spot” focus point surrounded by graduated blurring, that can be manipulated in fascinating ways to provide very interesting perspectives. The apertures are physical discs that are placed on the lens itself, from f/2.0 to f/22. They are contained in an applicator tool, and at the end of the applicator tool is a magnetic wand that is used to insert and remove the apertures. The lens can be tilted to move the “sweet spot” of focus around while composing the photograph.

The Lensbaby must be used in either aperture priority or manual mode, and it is manually focused. Once you play around with it for a few minutes, you’ll easily get the hang of how the lens operates. I found that it was unnecessary to “lock” the focus in place once it was manipulated to my satisfaction – there was enough tension to hold it in place just fine. However, you can utilize the locking ring to lock the focus in place if needed.

Once I trained my eyes to recognize the sweet spot and determine focus, I found no end to the fascinating ways I could photograph the ordinary.

I was in Santa Fe last month. While there I spent a lovely hour early one morning with the Lensbaby Composer Pro in hand, wandering around the area of the historic Plaza. Here are some of my shots (click to see larger versions):

Lensbaby makes versions for Canon EF, Nikon, Sony Alpha, Minolta Maxxum, Pentax K, Samsung GX, Sigma and Olympus 4/3. Both the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Double Glass Optic for Canon Digital SLR (here’s the Nikon version) and the Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35 Optic for Canon Digital SLR (here’s the Nikon version) would make excellent and unique gifts for the photographer in your life (or yourself!).

Once you get your hands on one, you’ll quickly discover how addictive they are!

Photos copyright Tiffany Joyce

*The Author received complimentary products in exchange for mentioning the Provider’s products and/or services on this website. Such compensation received did not and will never influence the content, topics or posts made on this website. We will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.

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Wildlife Photography

As I sit in my little white home away from home at art shows, and attempt to sell my photography to unsuspecting people, I am often inundated with a question that I consider kind of silly. I can see where this curiosity comes from, as I am often able to get within 20 to 30 feet from an animal or bird that one would rarely get within 100 or 200 feet in the wild. People see some of my bird shots and are curious as to how I got so close.

Coopers Hawk from 22 feet

That question is “Do you ever shoot in a zoo?” And that answer is no, but then I do stop and do a bit of explaining.

The vast majority of my wildlife shots are taken in public parks, most notably Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, in Micanopy, Florida. Micanopy is a small town 12 or so miles south of Gainesville, on US 441.

Bird Bridge in Paynes Prairie Preserve

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park was purchased by the State of Florida in 1971 and became a National Historical Landmark in 1974 because of its unique geographical and biological features. If you visit the Gainesville, Florida area, be sure to check out the park’s vast animal and bird species. It truly is a gem in the Florida State Park system. It has bison, wild horses, numerous bird species including eagles, and of course, alligators. As a matter of fact, lots of alligators.

Now back to the original question. In fairness to the people asking that question about taking pictures in a zoo, Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and other parks are often similar to zoos.

How so? The animals and birds here are wild, and must be treated as such. But they are so regularly in such close proximity to humans, that they sometimes show a sense of familiarity and calmness that if approached in a quiet and respectful manner, you may be surprised at how close you can get to them.

One of my most memorable examples is early one morning I was walking out La Chua Trail, on the north side of the park. It was cold, and I think I was probably the first visitor out that morning. I spotted a raptor sitting on the guardrail of the boardwalk about 250 or so feet away. I stopped, shot a couple of captures with my camera. I stood there for a few seconds, and the bird, which turned out to be a Coopers Hawk, looked at me and then went back to surveying the brush, obviously intent on finding his breakfast.

Coopers Hawk from 250 feet

I slowly moved closer until I saw him (or her) turn and look at me again. I stopped, shot some more captures and let him calm down.

Coopers Hawk from 80 feet

I kept this up for about 15 or so minutes, until I was so close that my lens, a Nikon 600mm F4 would no longer focus. That minimum focusing distance is 20.6 feet. I sat there and just watched, honestly amazed. The Coopers Hawk must have known that I was no threat and went back to scanning the brush. After a few moments, I began to feel a little guilty perhaps that I was infringing on his space, and slowly began to back away. It was one of the neatest things that a wildlife photographer can do, to approach a wild creature and get close, but not too close.

On yet another day, I was on the observation platform on La Chua Trail, scanning the horizon, waiting for a photo ‘op’ to jump out in front of me. Little did I know that a really super photo opportunity was on the way.

Whooping Cranes from 200 yards

I was watching the surrounding wetlands and as I turned and looked back down the trail, I noticed two white headed birds in the grassland just north of the trail. It was two of the resident Whooping Cranes. For the non birders, Whooping Cranes are one of the most treasured and sought after birds to add to your life list. We are blessed as we usually have somewhere between 4 or 5 resident Whoopers. I don’t know the exact figure, but there are around 350 or so in the wild and perhaps another 150 in captivity used for egg production.

My attention was glued to the pair as they fed out of the tall grass areas and worked their way south to the trail proper. They continued walking, and I assumed they would cross the trail and continue out into the area southeast of the platform.

Whooping Crane from 75 feet

Not so. As they walked out onto the trail, they turned and headed towards the platform area. I was blasting away with my camera capturing every little nuance. They gradually got so close that I could no longer get them both in the frame with the 600mm. I watched as they came right under me to the bottom of the tower and began to feed on some seeds they were picking out of all things, bison dung. I carry two cameras and had a 70-300 zoom on the second body. I could not get both birds in the same frame at 70mm as they had gotten so close. My heart was pounding as these two creatures continued to eat not 15 feet below me. I had checked the time when I first spotted them, and one hour and 22 minutes later, they were still at the bottom of the platform eating. They knew I was there, as they looked at me often, but as I was moving very slowly and not threatening them, they tolerated my presence. Finally two park visitors approached on foot and the birds saw them and took off. The visitors approached me and were astonished that they had gotten to see the whooping cranes. They asked if I had seen the whooping cranes. I just smiled.

Whooping Crane from 25 feet

As far as the bison, those are regularly seen in Paynes Prairie also. But that’s another story.

I know that I am lucky to spend so much time in this park and in other wild places and get to see so many neat creatures up close. Are all creatures so cooperative? Obviously, no. And do we have a moral obligation not to disturb wild creatures with our presence? Yes.

I totally understand that there is a fine line as to my need to record, but not to disturb wild birds and animals. But, when some of those same people come into my booth and see that Coopers Hawk photo, they become a little more curious about photography and birding and the need to preserve our wild heritage. While I am a businessman and hope to sell images at the art fairs, my ultimate goal is to inform the public about the beauty of our wild birds and animals.

Come and visit us at Paynes Prairie or your local park. Or, become more familiar with your home park and explore the photo ‘ops’ they present.

___________________________________

I’m compelled to make a comment about Greg’s article. I can remember when there were only 40 Whooping Cranes living on the planet. The fact that there are so many of them alive today is a tribute to the hard work from many people to save this wonderful bird. That there are places like Paynes Prairie where photographers can photograph them in the wild is a gift we should greatly appreciate. Thank you, Greg, for sharing this with us.

All Photos by Greg Stephens

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The Short Review: DEAR LORD I LOVE THIS LENS. I am going to buy it at my earliest opportunity. It went immediately on my wish list.

The Somewhat Longer Review:

The Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6L IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens is an excellent lens for photographing action taking place in bright sunlight. Due to its aperture I wouldn’t use it for indoor sports or low light situations, but if you’re photographing wildlife or sports in bright outdoor ambient light, this is most certainly the lens for you.

I rented this lens from the good folks at Pro Photo Rental for my trip to the Indianapolis MotoGP weekend last August. I knew I would be outdoors all weekend long, trying to capture in-motion shots of motorcyclists traveling at speeds exceeding 100 miles per hour, and often close to two hundred. The focal range was exactly what I needed – whether I was trackside a mere 50 feet from the riders, or up in the stands over 400 feet away. I actually toyed with the idea of taking my Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L II IS USM Telephoto Zoom Lens, but since I was already packing my Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM Lens I figured I had my focal lengths covered. As it was, I barely used the wide-angle lens and never missed the 70-200.

The lens features two image stabilizer modes – mode one compensates for horizontal and vertical vibration, while mode two is specifically helpful during panning shots when mono-directional stabilization is required. There are also two focal range settings – mode one is used for subjects within 1.5 meters, and mode two is used for distant subjects up to infinity.

The lens is a push-pull zoom, which was a bit tricky to get used to. I imagine the intent is to set it at a specific focal length and leave it there, rather than adjust the focal length while in action. The push-pull functionality itself took some effort, at least in the copy I used. It’s possible to adjust the tension on the push-pull so that it moves more easily, but I can see where the tension would be useful to keep the lens at a specific focal length so that it doesn’t slip when pointing the lens upward or downward.

The sharpness that this lens delivers is absolutely excellent. Take this shot below. Click on it to zoom all the way in to its original size, and just observe how incredibly tack sharp the details of the rider came out (it looks even better in Lightroom):

This lens is NOT light. Weighing three pounds, if you add that to a larger body (as in my 7D) and a battery grip, you’re really going to want a tripod or monopod. I had neither during the race, so I skipped the grip and just kept extra batteries in my pocket. It was still quite heavy, so I found myself grateful to share the photographic responsibilities with my husband (who kept saying, “Are you done? Is it my turn now?”).

I was EXTREMELY pleased with the motion blur this lens captured. I shot in aperture priority all day, between f/8.0 and f/12.0, and got consistently tack-sharp subjects with great motion blur around the wheels and the passing landscape and ground. Check this one out – the subject has just enough blur to be aesthetically pleasing, but the ground is fantastically blurred, and the wheels seem to glow:

So! To summarize, I was extremely pleased with the results of this lens. I would highly recommend that you add it to your arsenal – I had SO MUCH FUN with this lens that I can’t wait to get my own copy!

The Digital Picture has a great in-depth review of this lens, if you’d like more technical details.

Photo credits (all): Tiffany Joyce

*The Author received complimentary rentals in exchange for mentioning the Provider’s products and/or services on this website. Such compensation received did not and will never influence the content, topics or posts made on this website. We will only endorse products or services that we believe, based on our expertise, are worthy of such endorsement.

Related posts:

1. Review: Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM Lens
2. Product Review — Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS USM Super Telephoto Lens
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I was amazed at the total value of my equipment and the items shown above are only part of what I have including a Canon EOS 5D Mark II I purchased after this photo was taken. When you buy your equipment one piece at a time, because you can’t afford to buy all of it at once, you have a tendency to lose sight of the total amount of money you’ve spent on your equipment. At least, that’s what I did.

I made the inventory for insurance purposes. My equipment has always been covered under my homeowner’s insurance policy and the knowledge of that coverage gave me somewhat of a false sense of security. Granted, all the equipment was covered for the normal causes of loss (fire, theft, etc.) that a homeowner’s policy covers. However, I have a sizeable deductible on my homeowner’s to keep the premium reasonable and because I’ve never had to make a claim on my policy (knock on wood).

Two things caused me to discuss the coverage with my insurance company. First, I’m moving out of the house I live in that’s located in a gated community and has a monitored alarm system and moving into an apartment complex for a few months whilst waiting for new home in a new location to be built. Second, I know someone that dropped their very expensive 100-400mm zoom lens and broke it.

Okay, the first reason is just me and assuming the apartment I will be living in is actually less secure than my house, the equipment would still be covered under my personal property insurance. However, none of the equipment would be covered if I dropped a camera and lens into the Grand Canyon (yes, it’s happened before, just not by me).

My insurance carrier has, as do most if not all carriers, what they call a Valuable Personal Property (VPP) policy that insures certain listed valuable items – jewelry, firearms, photography equipment, etc. In a conversation with my insurance company I learned that if I had one of these policies on my photography equipment there would be no deductible, it would be insured for any loss including being a klutz and dropping in on a concrete walkway or in a lake, and it would be insured for the replacement cost up to the amount listed on the inventory provided to the insurance carrier.

If you own a substantial collection of photography equipment and don’t have this kind of insurance, I strongly recommend you look into getting it. I have it now and have asked myself why I didn’t purchase it a long time ago.

If you decide to buy special insurance on your equipment (VPP) I also recommend that when you list all of your gear for the insurance company that you use the MSRP and not the 50% off sales price you paid when you purchased it. If you have a loss and have to replace something, it may not be on sale any longer. Keep in mind that the insurance company is going to cover the replacement cost up to the amount you listed on your inventory. If it’s on sale when you need to replace the lost item, the carrier will pay you the sales price. If it isn’t on sale and you listed the sales price, they’ll pay you the listed price even if it costs twice as much to replace it.

If you already have this kind of insurance, way to go. If not, talk to your insurance company or agent and make sure you have the kind of coverage that fits your needs. There may come a day that you’ll be glad you did. I found the cost of the VPP to be very reasonable and not nearly as much as I expected it to be.

Related posts:

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3. Macro Photography — Experimenting With Different Equipment

Of COURSE I photographed the unboxing when it arrived! And here’s the best tip I can give to you – SAVE all the boxes, the packaging, and anything that was used to stabilize and protect the lens during shipment. If you ever have to send the lens back to the manufacturer for service, you’ll have everything you need to ship it safely. The same tip applies to your camera body, or really any other investment that you’ve made in photographic gear.

One thing I didn’t realize about this particular lens is that it comes with both a lens hood and a very nice lens case. I’d actually purchased a lens hood to go with this lens, but hey, there’s nothing wrong with having an extra one laying around, right?

Okay! So, here are the unboxing photos, followed by the first few photos that I took around the house just to test it out. You’ll see the absolutely incredible lengths both the manufacturer and Amazon went through to protect the lens. Click on each of them to enlarge, and hover over each of them for descriptions. I’d like to note that the photos taken by the lens (the last three at the end of this post) are straight out of the camera, with absolutely no post processing – not even sharpening – applied. I’d also like to note that my pets end up being the guinea pigs (ha!) whenever I get a new piece of gear to try out. They’ve learned to live with it.

I bet you guys know what I’m going to be doing this weekend! Woo hoo!

All photos: copyright Tiffany Joyce

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I just spent a few hours over the weekend performing auto-focus micro-adjustments for three of my lenses. Not the MOST fun I’ve ever had with my camera, but a necessary activity for achieving correctly focused images.

Auto-focus micro-adjustments are sometimes necessary to calibrate the focus points of the lens/camera combination. Some lens/camera combinations tend to focus slightly in front of the focal point of the subject (“front-focus”), while others tend to focus more to the rear of the focal point of a subject (“back-focus”). When using auto-focus, the focus point should be tack-sharp exactly where it is placed. So if you determine that your lens/camera combination is consistently front- or back-focusing, perform an auto-focus micro-adjustment to correct this issue.

I used a Datacolor SpyderLensCal Lens Calibration System (hereafter referred to as the “target”), which I highly recommend for its ease of use and accurate results. I spent the most amount of time ensuring that the camera and target were lined up properly, which is very important to ensure accurate results. Here’s the setup that I recommend:

1. Put the camera on a tripod.

2. Place the target on its own stand or tripod, or on a flat level surface.

3. Separate the camera and target at a distance that is about mid-way along the lens’ focal range, or at about the distance you would normally shoot a subject when using the lens. Ensure the camera and the target are lined up horizontally and vertically.

4. Ensure the target is well-lit (as in bright sunlight or bright office lighting).

5. Set the camera on one-shot auto-focus and the drive to single shooting. Set the auto-focus point to single point AF and position the AF point directly in the center of the frame. When looking through the viewfinder, the auto-focus point should be positioned directly over the target’s focal point (on the LensCal, it’s the small square directly to the left of the ruler).

6. Use Program mode and set the ISO to 100.

7. Use a remote shutter release (or tethered shooting using the program’s shutter release). Mirror lockup is helpful as well, to ensure there is absolutely no vibration when the photo is taken.

It is extremely helpful to use tethered shooting while calibrating your lenses. Doing so will allow you to see the image results immediately on your computer and perform the necessary AF micro-adjustments on the camera without having to remove the memory card from the camera, download the photo onto your computer, open it in a photo editing program, check the focus alignment, put the memory card back in the camera, double-check the camera-to-target alignment to make sure nothing moved around, change the auto focus micro-adjustment setting, take another picture, and repeat that entire process for as many shots it takes to complete the calibration.

To ensure the target was level, I used the bubble level provided on the LensCal system. To ensure the camera was level, I used the bubble levels on the tripod, and I also used the very awesome, very cool electronic level built into my Canon EOS 7D (displayed when you press the “Info” button twice).

Once everything was all lined up and ready to go, I took the first shot with the micro-adjustment settings set to “0″ (as-is) to determine the extent of the focus issue. I was using the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM, and this is the result of that first shot (zoomed in 100%):

Click for full size

As you can see (and as I suspected), this lens has a significant front-focusing issue. Front-focusing requires that I move the micro-adjustment value to the positive side of the +/- 20 scale (for rear-focusing you would use a negative adjustment). On the Canon 7D, access the Custom Function III-05 AF Microadjustments menu, then choose “Adjust by Lens”. A screen appears with the name of the lens currently being used, and the +/- 20 scale. Here is a comparison at the -5, 0, +5 and +10 adjustment points to give you an idea of how the adjustments effect the focus:

Click to enlarge

Top right = -5
Top left = +5
Bottom right = 0
Bottom left = +10

It might be a little difficult to tell with this screen shot, but the “0″ point was most in focus somewhere between the +5 and +10 calibration. I ended up setting the calibration at +7 for this lens. I performed the same process and set my Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM, which was severely front-focusing, at +11. The Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM kit lens that came with the 7D was properly calibrated at 0. The Canon 7D has the ability to save the specific micro-adjustment settings for up to twenty different lenses. This process works similarly for other D-SLR’s which have auto-focus micro-adjustment capabilities (not an all-inclusive list, check your camera’s user manual):

Canon: 1DsMkIII, 1DMkIII, 1DMkIV, 5DMkII, 7D, 50D
Nikon: D3, D3x, D3s, D300, D300s, D700, D7000
Sony: A900, A850
Olympus: E-30, E-620
Pentax: K20D, K7D

I hope you find this article to be helpful in your own lens calibration efforts. Feel free to leave any questions, feedback or advice in the comments!

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Macro photography has long been one of my favorite approaches to photography. It’s possible to create stunning images with nice bokeh and most of all, create an image of something that allows the viewer to see the subject in a manner they’re not used to seeing.

For this article I decided to approach the subject from a somewhat technical perspective instead of an artistic one. I have included 18 images of the same orchid blossom, using various combinations of two lenses, extension tubes and tele-converter. The images are arranged by lens/extension tube/tele-converter combination and with each combination I captured an image with my Canon 7Dand my Canon 5D Mark IIand displayed them side by side.

If you’re not familiar with extension tubes, they are a hollow tube that is attached between the camera body and the lens. The tube increases the distance between the lens and the sensor and makes it possible to move the lens closer to the subject and still be able to focus on the subject.

The tele-converter, in this case a Canon 1.4X, increases the magnification of the lens thus capturing an image closer while still maintaining the same distance from the subject.

The reason for using two camera bodies is to demonstrate the difference between a crop frame sensor (the 7D that has a ratio of 1.6 and will always be the image on the left of the pair) and a full frame sensor (the 5D).

All the images are SOOC and are intended to demonstrate the approach and not to be fine art. Okay, enough talk.

This is a full frame image of the blossom that serves as the base line image. It’s taken with a Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro Lens. For the image on the left taken with the 7D, the distance from the front edge of the lens to the blossom was 20″. The distance from the front edge of the lens to the blossom in the image on the right (the 5D) was 13″. Because I wanted the same size image with both camera bodies I had to move the crop frame sensor farther away from the subject.

All the remaining images were taken with the lens at the minimum distance from the subject that still allows for a focused image. Just to be clear, the lens controls the focusing distance. The sensor controls the size of the image. That’s why in the image above, the lens-to-subject distance had to be different for the two bodies to enable the capture of the same size image with each.

Note that there isn’t anything magic about the Canon lens other than it’s a great lens. You could expect similiar results with any other similiar size macro lens. For example, the Nikon 105mm f/2.8G Lens

These images were both taken with the 100mm macro lens and a lens-to-subject distance of 5″.

This image was captured using the 100mm macro lens and a Canon 12mm Extension Tubeand a lens-to-subject distance of 4.5″

100mm Macro lens and a Canon 25mm Extension Tube and a lens-to-subject distance of 4″.

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L Lens with the lens zoomed to 200mm and a lens-to-subject distance of 45″.

200mm lens (70-200mm zoomed to 200) with a 1.4 tele-converter and a lens-to-subject distance of 45″. Note that the tele-converter doesn’t affect the lens-to-subject distance but does make the subject appear larger.

200mm lens with a 12mm extension tube and a lens-to-subject distance of 32″. Notice that the use of the 12mm extension tube captures an image that is roughly the same size as using the 1.4 tele-converter. The difference is the lens-to-subject distance of 45″ with the tele-converter and 32″ with the extension tube.

200mm lens with a 25mm extension tube and a lens-to-subject distance of 24″.

200mm lens with the 12mm and the 25mm extension tubes stacked and a lens-to-subject distance of 21″.

I didn’t address the impact of the various attachments on shutter speed and aperture. Just remember that anytime you put something between the lens and the camera or in front of the lens like an ND filter, you’re going to affect the amount of light passing through the lens to the sensor. For example, the 1.4x converter reduces the light by one stop. Keep this in mind when using extension tubes and converters.

With a true macro lens you can get a lot closer than with other lenses. However, using the 200mm lens that has a minimum focusing distance of approximately 4 feet and adding extension tubes or a tele-converter can still result in some very nice images. In fact, the 200mm lens with the 1.4 converter is ideal for photographing butterflies and other flying insects. You won’t get the multiple eyes of the house fly this way, but you can capture an image of a butterfly without scaring it away. Experiment with your equipment and see what kind of results you can achieve.

Photo Credits:
All photos by Steve Russell

Related posts:

1. Macro Photography Without a Macro Lens
2. Did you say Macro? Here’s a lil’ something about them macro lenses…
3. Macro Photography 101, Part 2

A reader recently sent me an e-mail, asking me to explain how fixed aperture lenses work. She was suffering under the misconception that a fixed aperture on a lens means that’s the only aperture that lens is capable of shooting.

Apertures tend to be a subject that can be confusing to a beginning photographer. Primarily, it’s the larger number/smaller opening, smaller number/larger opening concept that tends to throw folks off at first. Aperture is a calculation of the lens opening with respect to the lens focal length, with each full f-stop increment representing an opening in the iris that has twice as much area as the stop below it. When a person buys their very first digital SLR, the kit lens it comes with tends to be a variable aperture lens. For example, when I bought my Canon Digital Rebel XTi back in 2007 (which has now been replaced by the Canon EOS Rebel T1i), it came with an EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II Lens.

Let’s break that down. The 18-55mm means that the lens shoots at 18mm at its widest point, and 55mm at its longest point. This range is what defines it as a “zoom” lens. The f/3.5-5.6 means that the largest available aperture is f/3.5 when shooting at its widest point (18mm), and the largest available aperture is f/5.6 when shooting at its longest point (55mm). In less expensive lenses such as this one, the aperture functions in tandem with the lens focal length, which is why they have variable apertures. This is usually demonstrated by a lens barrel that extends and contracts as it is zoomed in and out.

Now, take my favorite walking-around lens, the EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS. Again the 17-55mm makes this lens’ widest point 17mm, and longest point 55mm. However, the single aperture number indicated, f/2.8, means that the largest available aperture is f/2.8 throughout the entire focal length. I can shoot at f/2.8 at 17mm, at 55mm, and at every point in between. In the construction of a lens of this type, the aperture functions independently of the focal length, which results in lens of heavier (and more expensive) construction. Often, the barrels on fixed aperture lenses do not extend and contract as they are zoomed in and out (though the 17-55 does).

A fixed aperture lens is desirable because photographers are able to expose the photograph equally at all focal lengths (and of course, the larger the available aperture, the more light is captured and the “faster” the lens). In a variable aperture lens, photographers need to be cognizant of the fact that properly exposing the shot will require decreasing the shutter speed and/or increasing the ISO at longer focal lengths in order to achieve the same level of exposure as at the shorter focal lengths. There are also various implications to be aware of when using a flash. However, accommodating for that, variable aperture lenses are perfectly acceptable tools in your arsenal of gear.

Now, just because a lens has a fixed aperture certainly does not mean that it ONLY shoots at that aperture. An f/2.8 fixed aperture lens will shoot at every other available aperture (typically up to f/22 or f/32). An f/3.5-5.6 variable aperture lens will also shoot up to f/22 or f/32 at either end of the focal range. This applies to prime lenses as well – for example, a Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF Nikkor shoots the full range of apertures. In all cases, the aperture indicator on the lens only refers to the largest that the iris of the lens is able to open.

I hope I’ve been able to provide some clarification to this somewhat confusing topic. If you have any questions or input, feel free to let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: “Camera lens and aperture” by Nayukim on Flickr Creative Commons.

Related posts:

1. Lens 101
2. Back to Basics: Exposure Explained
3. Macro Photography 101, Part 2

Depending on how serious the person asking the question is, recommending photography equipment can be a daunting responsibility to take on. Cameras and lenses are at least 50% personal preference so the person asking for the advice might not like what you recommend. I wanted to share a recent experience with you in the event you’re ever asked a similar question.

About a week ago I received a text from my son that went something like this:

“Dad, I need to get a pretty good digital camera and lens. Nothing over the top, but something that I can control shutter speed and f-stop so I can get good photos in low light.”

In other words, his point & shoot can’t produce acceptable results under the conditions he’s attempting to photograph and the use of flash is prohibited. Sounds like a familiar refrain. His situation is very similar to the one I experienced that pushed me over the line from P&S to DSLR.

Because he is my son and I’m very familiar with his likes and dislikes answering his question isn’t as difficult as it might be coming from someone else. Nevertheless, he might purchase what I recommend and if the equipment doesn’t fit his needs or if he doesn’t like it then he will be stuck with the “stuff” that Dad recommended.

Please understand that I would never expect you to make the same recommendations and I’m not trying to convince you that my recommendations are the best ones. Besides, you don’t have all the information about this particular request that I have. Hopefully, whether you agree with me or not, this will get you thinking about how you might answer the same kind of request. If it hasn’t already happened to you, it will someday. People that want to be the kind of photographer you are will eventually ask what you think.

My first response to anyone asking a similar question would be to ask what they plan to do with the equipment. My son had already told me that in his text. Next I asked him to define “pretty good” and “over the top.” His answer to “pretty good” confirmed what I had guessed and “over the top” meant not the very best or most expensive. Then I asked how much he wanted to or was willing to spend. I also factored in that his job requires that he travel extensively, both domestic and international. With all that information I was ready to start suggesting equipment that would move him well down the road to photography Elysium. Or is it perdition?

He wants a camera that performs well in low light which means good resolution at 800 and 1600 ISO and a high megapixel count. Lots of international travel suggests the need for rugged construction. I wanted to give him a choice so I recommend the Canon EOS 60D which would give him an 18 MP sensor and an articulated view screen but with a plastic body or the Canon EOS 7D with the same sensor and a magnesium alloy body but with a fixed view screen. Of course, the biggest difference between the two camera bodies is the price.

As a side note, I recommended Canon products to my son because when we’re together we’ll be able to share equipment. If it were someone else I would probably give them both Nikon and Canon suggestions.

The next item on his list was a lens that could capture good images of people on a stage from his location in the audience. I was tempted to recommend the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L Telephoto Lens but he did say nothing over the top. I opted for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L Zoom Lens which has a more affordable price and is a terrific and rugged lens. Alternatively, if he’s willing to give up one stop he could opt for the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4 L lens for less money.

Taken with a Canon 7D and a 70-200mm f/4L lens.

Because the 70-200 lens is a little large and heavy for a walking around lens, I also suggested that he consider buying the Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L.

Taken with a Canon 7D and the 24-105mm f/4.0L lens.

Next on the list was a tripod and head. I’ve been happy with the one I have, that is until I get the Gitzo GT3541XLS, so I recommended the Manfrotto 055CXPRO4 Carbon Fiber Tripod with the Manfrotto 498RC2 Ball Head with Quick Release.
.

Last on his list was a camera bag to carry the gear. I have a Lowepro Stealth Reporter D200 AW for when I want the camera, one or two lenses and an external flash. However, I have two other bags, a backpack camera bag and the Think Tank Airport Security V2 that holds all my equipment. I decided to go up one size from my D200 and recommend the Lowepro Stealth Reporter D300 AW.

This should provide him with a very versatile set of equipment that will fulfill his requirements. He has to decide if he wants to spend approximately $6,000 for the camera, two lenses, tripod, ball head and camera bag. If not, then I’m sure he’ll be asking where he can spend less now and upgrade later.

Think about how you would respond to a request to recommend photography equipment from someone you know.

Photo Credits:
Canon EOS 60D DSLR by 아우크소(Auxo.co.kr) on Flickr Commons
Canon 7D by meflower on Flickr Commons
Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 Lens by Asif A. Ali on Flickr Commons
Becky by Steve Russell on Flickr
Dauphin Island, AL by Steve_Russell_Photography on Flickr

Related posts:

1. Should You Buy A Better Lens or Better Camera?
2. Macro Photography — Experimenting With Different Equipment
3. Insuring Your Photography Equipment