Commercial Photography Technique - Lens Characteristics and Applications
Fisheye lenses
There are two types of fisheye lenses – circular and full-frame. Circular fisheyes take in a full 180-degree hemisphere and project this within the frame so that the resulting images is a sphere with a black surround. Full-frame fisheyes are effectively an enlargement of this sphere so that the image fills the frame. As a result, the angle of view is less than a circular fisheye. Typical focal lengths for circular fisheyes are around 8mm, while full-frame fisheyes are usually 15mm or 16mm.
Good quality fisheye adaptors are available, such as those by Raynox that will fit most compact cameras, but avoid cheap adaptors for DSLR lenses as the image quality is poor.
Classic subjects for fisheye lenses include architecture, landscapes, interiors and commercial photography but they can also create amazing circular skyscapes as well as ‘grotesque’ portraits and dramatic ‘in your face’ close-ups of action sports such as skateboarding or skiing.
Ultra wide-angle
Ideal for sweeping scenics, gravity-defying buildings and for getting the most out of tight spots
Because of their wider angle of view ultra wide-angle lenses are able to ‘get more in’, making them ideal for sweeping landscapes, architectural photography and working in confined spaces such as interiors. One of the main characteristics of ultra-wide images is that they display noticeable stretching (distortion) of objects close to the edge of the frame – for example buildings. Distant objects will also appear much smaller and can become ‘lost’.
Ultra-wides also provide great depth of field – even at mid-range apertures – and are much easier to hand hold. Manual focusing can be difficult though, so it’s often better to use autofocusing and then recompose. Also, be mindful when shooting landscapes that include a lot of sky, as the camera can easily be ‘fooled’ into underexposing.
Ultra wide-angles are available as prime and zoom lenses such as Nikon’s 14, 16, 18 and 20mm lenses or Sigma’s 10-20mm, but avoid confusing them with fisheye lenses.
Wide-angle
Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, it’s perfect for travel, landscapes and much more.
Wide-angle lenses are the ideal choice for landscapes, architecture, interiors and group portraits because of their wide perspective and the ability to include more of the subject in the frame.
Wide-angle shots have a much greater depth of field and angle of view compared to standard lens shots. However, images can become cluttered with too much included in the frame. Image quality can also be poor at the edges of the frame.
For landscape photography when a small aperture and low ISO setting are required, use a tripod and a hotshoe bubble to keep the horizon level. Many ‘standard’ zooms start at 28mm or 35mm, such as Canon’s 28-105mm but for ultimate quality consider a prime lens such as a 24mm. Prime lenses are usually close focusing too, making them more versatile for other subjects.
Be Aware of Flare – As they take so much in, wide-angles (and ultra-wides) are prone to flare. Always fit a lens hood or shield the front element with your hand or something similar.
Short Telephoto
From Close-ups to wildlife, portraits to architectural photography, this lens can cover them all with ease
The best all-round lens, which is often referred to as a portrait lens, because this focal length is standard kit for photographing people. It can also be used discreetly for capturing candids. Lenses in the 100mm range are well suited for close-up work. They’re also very useful for photographing wildlife in it’s habitat, depicting the animal at a good size but with the background clearly identifiable.
Short telephotos can similarly be used for ‘portraits’ of buildings and for picking out architectural features. They’re also light enough to hand-hold for travel photography and for capturing sports.
This lens type has a narrower angle of view than standard, isolating the subject and producing attractive blurred backgrounds. The choice of lenses in this range is extensive and includes fast 100, 135 and 200mm primes. There are also a plethora of zooms covering this focal length, such as 70-200mm (a particularly strong example from Canon), 70-300mm or 100-300mm.
Close-ups – Short telephotos provide a good working distance, which avoids disturbance of your subject and makes framing easier. To make the lens focus closer you’ll need to fit an extension tube.
Long Telephoto
Long telephotos are all about magnification of subjects that are difficult to get close to – most typically wildlife and sport.
British wildlife is often shy, so the onlyway to get a good image size is to shoot with a 500mm or 600mm lens. The same applies for sports where the players are some distance away.
Lenses of 300mm or longer have a limited depth of field, so focusing on the most important part of the subject is critical. This also leads to a diffused background that makes wildlife subjects stand out from the background. Anything bigger than a 300 f/4 is awkward to handle and requires a good support for use in commercial photography. Optically, the best long telephotos are fast prime lenses, such as a 300mm f/2.8 or 500mm f/4, but these are big and expensive. Good alternatives include Canon’s 100mm-400mm or Sigma’s 70-500mm. A cheaper options to add a 1.4x or 2x teleconverter to a 200mm or 300mm f/4 lens.
Macro
When you need the right tool for a close-up, these specialist lenses are worth their weight in gold
A macro lens is an important addition to your kit if you’re serious about close-up work. While a short telephoto, plus extension tubes, performs a very similar role, a good macro enables you to achieve 1:1 size reproduction. Their principal role is for product close-ups.
There’s only one real feature that defines a macro lens and that’s it’s ability to close focus. It’s this close focusing rather than the focal length of the lens that magnifies the subject. At such close focusing distances depth of field is minimal, so these lenses can often be stopped down to f/22 or f/32.
A macro lens is best used in manual focusing mode to enable fine-tuning. At small apertures and full extension, shutter speeds can be very slow, so a tripod is essential and mirror lock-up advisable.
Macros are available in different focal lengths starting at 50mm up to 200mm, but expect to pay £500 plus.
Aperture – Stopping your macro lens down to its minimum aperture to maximise depth of field isn’t always the best option, because sharpness will be compromised.
Usage
Product Photography – Macro lenses can be great for producing eyecatching images of products that can have that striking, querky look for marketing materials. Get in close and shoot at a small aperture to record every element in fine detail.
Portraits – Macros are optically superb, which makes them ideal for portraits with bags of detail. Try moving in very close for abstracts that include just a small part of the face.
Landscapes – Macros are versatile lenses that can be used equally effectively for landscapes. The fixed focal length provides a good lesson in careful composition and attention in framing.
Standard
Fast, optically superb and close focusing – there’s nothing normal about this much maligned lens
The standard lens is an underused lens, yet it’s extremely versatile with many applications. The superb optical quality of a prime standard lens makes it perfect for recording fine definition, such as close-up and still-life work. It’s also widely used for portraiture.
Many standard lenses are also very fast, with maximum apertures typically between f/1.2 and f/2.0. This feature means they can easily be hand-held for reportage and also produce beautiful diffused backgrounds.
A prime 50mm was traditionally the lens that came with the camera but this focal length is now more often part of a zoom, such as a 35-70mm. For standard enthusiasts there are plenty of primes on offer, including 50mm macros. For digital cameras with a 1.5x cropped sensor, the prime standard lens is 30mm to 35mm, such as Sigma’s 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM.
This article shows the quality and variety of techniques that customers benefit from as part of our commercial photography and architectural photography service. Call now to discuss your requirements and timescales on 079101 68536.
Copyright - Adam Coupe Commercial Photography 2008
