• Suggested Links
  
• Photoshop Tutorials
• Graphic Design Resources
• Graphic Designers
• Tutorials Outpost
• Creative Public
• The Print Guide
Creative Track
Digital Dreamer
Logomarket
Desktop Publishing
Blue Sfear
Web Design Templates
More Graphic Design Links
Design Directory
Photoshop, Flash, Studio Max Tutorials
Web Designers & Developers
Photoshop Tutorial Man
Tutorial Guide
Webmaster Tutorials
Web Designers
Web Design Portfolios
• All Work at Home Ideas
• Other Sites We Own
• AllFreelance
• Artists Helping Children
• Design Sites Up
• All Freelance Work & Portfolios
• Graphic Design Community
• Career Buds Networking

home > graphics > digital cameras > Guides for Using SLR Digital Camera Lenses

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY - Learn How to Use The Lenses of Your SLR Digital Camera

.....................................................................
Did you just buy a digital camera and want to know how to take better digital pictures? The articles below are how to guides and articles with tips and advice on taking better digital photographs. Good Luck.
.....................................................................

Digital Single-Lens Reflex Camera - Wikipedia
A digital single-lens reflex camera (digital SLR or DSLR) is a digital camera that operates on the same optical and mechanical principles as a modern electronic auto focus 35mm film single-lens reflex camera. The key difference is that the film is replaced with a CCD or CMOS image sensor plus accompanying electronics, thus creating images digitally in-camera, without the need to first chemically develop a latent image on film

5 Things You Need to Know About SLR Lenses
One of the most common questions I get as related to photography is “what camera should I buy?” I’ve already answered that question (sort of) with 10 Reasons to Buy a DSLR and 10 Reasons NOT to Buy a DSLR. The next most common question (I mean next literally, as in directly after the previous question) is “what lens should I buy?” Well, that’s a tricky question because there simply is no one-size-fits-all lens.

SPOTLIGHT GRAPHIC DESIGNERS FROM OUR DESIGN COMMUNITY

Selecting Lenses for Digital SLR Cameras
I often see comments that run along the lines of since digital cameras don't have the resolution of film; you don't get any benefit from premium lenses since the digital sensor limits image quality". I also see statements to the effect that digital sensors need the very best lenses to give good results. True? Well from a theoretical viewpoint I can make a convincing argument based on convolution of MTF curves that better lenses should give better images even on small sensor, limited pixel count digital SLR camera

Making a Pinhole Lens for SLR Cameras
Despite my fascination, I have never involved myself with pinhole photography. I read about how to make a pinhole camera out of a 35mm film container.

Learn More About How to Buy a Good Digital Camera Lens
Focal length is probably the most important factor that should be considered when choosing a lens, and for good reason: focal lengths determine the field-of-view of the photos you will be able to take successfully with your camera. The two main types of focal length are telephoto and wide-angle, and while telephoto lenses have a narrow field-of-view and are best suited for close-up shots and portraits, wide-angle lenses have a wider field-of-view which is perfect for indoor photography and landscapes.

Manual Lenses With EOS Cameras
One area of interest to a lot of Canon EOS camera users involves attaching old manual lenses and telescopes to their auto focus cameras. Canon doesn’t say anything about this in their manuals - they just include a warning about how using non-Canon lenses might somehow ruin your camera. While this may theoretically be true, in real life it’s not a problem. And opting for non-Canon lenses opens up all kinds of interesting choices to you.

Digital Macro Photography Lens Options
True digital macro photography refers to the practice of taking digital photos where the subject is roughly life-sized or larger when printed on 4 × 6 papers. There are many elements to achieving high quality macro pictures. The most important factor is your lens. This article will explain the various lens options available to aspiring macro photographers.

Digital Camera Lens Buyers Guide Resource Page
Buying a lens for your new DSLR can turn out to be a much more difficult decision than deciding which DSLR or brand to buy. For each system, there are dozens upon dozens of choices on the market ranging from a lowly $50 all the way up to a bank breaking $10,000+.

What Lenses For My Digital SLR (Canon)
The digital body is a bit more important. The quality of the sensor is important. But the lens is still the most important item for a good image. All these cameras, even the full-frame 11 megapixel 1Ds, have sensors that are around 7 to 8 microns in size. That's small enough to need a good sharp lens to get the full benefit. (The D30, with 12 micron sensors, could do with a bit less.)

Digital Camera Lenses - Choosing an Interchangeable Digital SLR
Perhaps you’ve upgraded an old manual film SLR for something a little higher-tech. Now you’ve got a problem: to get the most out of that new camera, you’ve got to choose the right interchangeable SLR lenses to go with it. Manufacturers are constantly making improvements to interchangeable lenses—both in the glass that goes inside and in the extra features that make them more user-friendly.

Canon EOS Lenses for the Canon EOS Digital SLRs - Reviews
The first question a lot of new Canon EOS DSLR owners will ask is "what Canon EOS lenses should I buy?” If this is their first digital SLR, perhaps even their first SLR or digital camera, this is a reasonable question. Those with previous experience with the Canon EOS system will probably already have a bag of Canon EOS lenses, or at least enough experience to know what they want!

Tips for Choosing the Right Digital Camera Lens
Selecting the right lens is critical when purchasing a digital camera. Basically, lenses can be categorized this way: fixed focal length, retractable zoom, fixed zoom and interchangeable lenses. Fixed focal length lenses are the cheapest and simplest to use. Designed for those on a very tight budget, children or real novices, fixed focal length lenses typically offer only a wide angle view, which can be perfect for landscapes and group photos.

Camera Lenses - Photography Lens Shopping Tips
Stick with camera lenses from well known manufacturers like Nikon, Canon, etc. If you're a beginner, don't worry about these lenses until you are more advanced as they come with very high prices and it's hard to justify the price for the small increase in quality.

How to Buy Digital Camera Lenses
There are several other terms to take into consideration when buying a digital camera lens to make sure you are making the best purchase. If your lens utilizes aspheric lens elements, then you can rest happily with the knowledge that your lens will help produce sharper photographs and help keep lens weight to a minimum. Lenses using internal and automatic focusing also keep lens weight down thanks to less moving parts, and of course allow for faster focusing.

Digital Camera Settings and Controls: Understanding How Lenses Work
The lens is the camera's eye. Like the human eye, some focus better than others. Some see farther away; others can read the fine print. Camera lenses can be made of many individual polished glass elements, or cast as a bubble of transparent plastic. Its function is to focus light rays onto the light-sensitive surface. The better it does the job, the clearer your picture is. The simplest type of lens is a single element convex lens, the same kind used in a magnifying glass.

The Lens Flare: Camera Lenses
Most film or digital SLR cameras allow you to interchange lenses to give you the tactical advantage of having the right one for the right situation. So which is the right lens to use? Camera companies are constantly coming out with new and improved models, so this article will help describe the different types that are available, rather than specific brands or models.

New Digital Camera Lens Made of Liquid
Clarinase writes "101reviews is running an article about a new type of camera lens called Fluid lens. This patented lens made of liquid is no bigger than a contact lens, but can still achieve up to 10 times optical zoom by changing its shape similar to the human eye."

Lens Armor and Oher Useful Oly C-Series Digital Camera Modifications
The 41 mm lens cap on the original Oly C-2000Z popped off far too easily. Oly may have weakened its grip on purpose to prevent the cap from damaging the fragile zoom lens assembly when the camera powers up and the zoom lens begins to extend into operating position with the cap in place. Without a tether, that early cap was easily lost—especially when the zoom lens removed it for you.

Using Lenses Creatively in Digital Photography
Working with a lens involves more than simply adjusting to its greater or lesser field of view. That is to say, a wide-angle lens is much more than just a wider perspective, just as a telephoto lens has a lot more going for it than the ability to pull objects closer to your camera. The following sections show you some of the techniques you need to know to work with wide-angle and telephoto lenses creatively.

Find a Digital SLR Camera Filter For Your Lens
Filters for Multiple Lenses, if every filter is matched to a lens size, what do you do when you have two different size lenses? Are you stuck getting double the number of digital SLR camera filters? Not exactly: there's a trick.

Digital Camera Converter Lenses and Adapters
Compact digital cameras don't accept interchangeable lenses like Single Lens Reflex cameras but many do accept add-on converter lenses. Converter lens are relatively inexpensive and extend the flexibility and capability of a built-in lens. A digital camera converter lens may require an adapter so it mounts correctly on the front of a camera. Lenses and adapters can be often purchased together in a kit and are available from original and third-party manufacturers.

Digital Camera Lens Hood
A lens hood for your digital camera can be a valuable addition to your list of photographic equipment, its purpose is to block off excess light from entering the lens of your digital camera thus improving the quality of your photos. It’s main use is to reduce the excess light when you are taking digital photos in bright/harsh lighting conditions, it can also reduce lens flare (the proper term) when you are using strong back lighting during indoor photo shoots.

How To Choose A Camera Lens
You’ve seen the claims: “This is the sharpest lens I have ever used.” But how does a person know whether or not a camera lens is truly sharp? And is sharpness the only criteria by which we should decide to use a lens? As someone with more than three decades of photo experience, I have used nearly 100 different lenses in my career. First, you should know the criteria for choosing a lens. Some of the criteria are subjective like…Is this lens appropriate for the intended purpose? Is it versatile enough? Do you like the look and feel of the lens?

Choosing a Lens for your Digital SLR
In choosing a lens, most of the information you need to know about the lens is in the name. Consider the “Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR DX” – wow, that’s a mouthful.

Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR) Cameras at DoItYourself.com
Photographers, much like artists, possess reasonable amounts of control over many elements of the masterpieces they create. Single-lens-reflex, or SLR, cameras present an opportunity for photographers to take great advantage over flexibility and creativity while they construct and capture the perfect shots. Digital SLR cameras embrace a number of advantages over 35-mm SLR cameras, such as increased photograph capacity on memory cards, no film costs or processing fees (unless prints are desired), faster shooting speed, higher ISO and ISO changing abilities.

Lenses (and filters) to buy for Landscape Photography (forum discussion)
As far as lenses go, almost anything works for landscapes -- long lenses let you concentrate on small pieces of the landscape and wide-angles, properly used, can give you a great sense of depth. Everyone has their own set of subjects and styles and what works for one photographer doesn't necessarily do it for another.

Digital Focus: Accessory Lenses, Choosing Compact Flash Cards
Three kinds of accessory lenses and how to use them; plus, how to choose memory cards.

Using old lenses? (forum discussion)
Those cameras are the exception, though: The vast majority of cameras need a lens adapter. Lens adapters are intermediate rings or tubes that snap or screw onto the front of the digital camera and mate with whatever lens you plan to add. Adapter rings are inexpensive and typically allow you to connect a wide assortment of standard accessory lenses to your camera.

S3 IS lenses (forum discussion)
I was wondering if there was anything i could do to get really small macro shots on this camera. I know it's already pretty big with the subject being able to get so close but I want to get shots of insects and such.

Types of Camera Lenses
Here's a run-down of the most common lenses and some of the specialty lenses for an SLR camera.

How to Choose the Best Digital SLR Lens
Before you even get started down the road of selecting a lens, you have to know the brand of digital SLR camera that you're going to get. Here's why: lenses are not interchangeable. This connection relays information from lens to camera so that you can change setting on the lens (like aperture) from the camera body itself.

How to Test a Camera Lens
As someone with more than three decades of photo experience, I have used nearly 100 different lenses in my career. Some I liked more than others. And in an attempt to help photographers make informed choices, here is a primer on how to evaluate a lens.

Digital Focus: Polarizing Lenses
The use of polarizing filters is one of the best-kept secrets of the photography world. Pros know all about these filters, and they carry them on every photo shoot. A polarizing lens can enhance the colors in your photo and deepen the contrast. It can change a so-so picture into one that has a lot of oomph (yes, that's a technical term).

New Lenses for 35mm And Digital SLR Cameras
As digital SLR cameras grow in popularity, most manufacturers are working to develop additional lenses. An increasing number of the new products—primarily zooms—are designed exclusively for use with digital SLRs with the “APS-C” size sensors employed in most cameras. Such lenses (discussed in more detail later) are usually more compact because they need to cover only the smaller image circle of the smaller sensor.

How Many Lenses (Camera) Do You Need in Your Bag?
isn’t so much "how many lenses" here, but the quality of what you do have! If budget is an issue, this may be a difficult area to get started. As I have said before, buying a poor quality telephoto lens can be disastrous, especially if you are looking to make a living.

Shutter Priority Mode Lens and Shutter Bug Digital Camera
Shutter priority mode. This shooting mode is very useful when dealing with the problem of a moving subject.

What Are You Looking For in Your Next Camera Lens?
It is true that all lenses basically have but one function – to let light into your camera and focus it to make a sharp image on the sensor (or film) - but do not overlook the importance of choosing the right lens for the photography that you are interested in.

Just what is a "Digital Lens"?
Just what is a "Digital Lens"? OK. So you've sold your old film body and bought a new digital SLR. What about your lenses? If you've looked into the subject at all, you've undoubtedly noticed that more and more lenses are being marketed as being "designed for digital." This week we'll take a look at just what this means and whether you should care.

Canon: First Ever Zoom Lens with DO Elements
Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today releases the EF70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 DO IS USM telephoto zoom lens. A new triple-layered diffractive optical element (DO) has enabled Canon to produce a 70-300mm lens less than 10cm long. The lens also includes Canon's Image Stabilisation technology to dramatically reduce camera shake, compensating for approximately three stops in shutter speed without any perceptible increase in image blur.

Old Lenses On New Canon Digital Camera?
We have inherited several old Canon cameras and quite a few expensive looking lenses.  My husband is thinking of buying a new digital Canon and using the old lenses with it. I have a feeling that this won't work quite as simply as he thinks. It has already occurred to us that the focal lengths won't be the same. How much of a problem is that?

Zoom vs. Fixed Focal Length (Prime) Lenses - Which to choose?
This article contains many generalizations regarding the differences between Canon's zoom and fixed focal length lenses. There are often specific examples that disprove certain generalizations, so be sure to read my Canon Lens Review on the specific lenses you are considering.

Lens - Camerapedia.org
An element of a photographic lens is an optical lens itself, but one consisting of one single round piece of honed glass or Plexiglas. Most photographic lenses have several different elements combined in the lens barrel, all having the same optical axis. Two or more elements which are cemented together (without an air space between them) make a group. (Older lenses used Canada balsam, made from pine pitch, for cement, while newer lenses use higher-tech UV-cured cements.)

Camera Lens
Once you've settled on the subject and the light, you have to decide on     the relative prominence of objects in the scene. By moving the camera position back and forth, you can adjust the relative size of objects in the scene. After you're happy with the position, you pick a camera lens whose angle of view encompasses all the objects that you want to include in the photo.

Digital Macro Photography Lens Options
True digital macro photography refers to the practice of taking digital photos where the subject is roughly life-sized or larger when printed on 4x6 papers. There are many elements to achieving high quality macro pictures. The most important factor is your lens. This article will explain the various lens options available to aspiring macro photographers.

You Need a Prime Lens
So, you’ve got a SLR, do you? Smashing. You might have a kit lens, a tele-zoom, and a couple of flashes by now, and you’re feeling pretty hot about yourself and your camera gear, are you? Well, good on you. But until you’ve got a decent prime lens, you haven’t really lived. And I’m here to tell you why.

Non Canon Lens Adapters
With all the concerns recently of possible damage to the AF control by the use of “non-Canon” lens adapters, I wanted to post this quick article to address some of the concerns. Whenever you use a non-Canon lens adapter, there is always a risk of damage however it should in my opinion be no more risky than using a OEM lens on your camera as both are using a lens adapter that wasn’t made by Canon.

Nikkor Lens Information
While Nikon has stuck with the F-mount for over 30 years now, they've made plenty of additions and tweaks over the years, and it seems that every time they do, there's a new acronym to learn. First, a little history, then the translation dictionary (right column).

Canon EF-S 18-55/3.5-5.6 Lens for the Digital Rebel Review
This review was written after testing the original EF-S 18-55 lens which was supplied in the US with the Canon EOS Digital Rebel (EOS 300D). In Japan this same lens was available with a USM motor, and now the USM version is available in the US and is being sold with the new Canon EOS 20D The optics of the USM version are identical to the non-USM version, so the results and conclusions reached in these tests are applicable to both the USM and non-USM lenses.

Wide Angle Camera Lens on the Cheap
In this article, you have to have one hand on the door viewer which means you would have to be very steady when taking a picture if your digicam is not equipped with anti-shake or high speed shooting capability. In the original article on aggregate.org, they built a wooden structure for it. Frankly, that means more stuff and more weights.

Lens Armor and Other Useful Oly C-series Digital Camera Modifications
The 41 mm lens cap on the original Oly C-2000Z popped off far too easily. Oly may have weakened its grip on purpose to prevent the cap from damaging the fragile zoom lens assembly when the camera powers up and the zoom lens begins to extend into operating position with the cap in place. Without a tether, that early cap was easily lost—especially when the zoom lens removed it for you. Subsequent C-series rangefinders came with a much more secure 41 mm lens cap with spring-loaded grips.

Digg - How Should I Clean My DSLR’s Lens?
Cleaning your camera’s lenses should be a regular part of any camera owner’s maintenance. While you do need to be careful during this process it’s not something to be frightened about. The lens tests presented here deal primarily with sharpness. Lenses have other attributes that affect image quality: distortion, contrast, flare, uniformity of illumination, color rendition, "bokeh" (out of focus behavior), etc., but sharpness is arguably the most important contributor to image quality.

Types of Camera Lenses
Purchasing a Single Lens Reflex (SLR) camera gives the photographer the advantage of choosing among different lenses and the ability to change those lenses. The choices seem endless, though, and it is sometimes difficult to determine which additional lenses to buy. Here's a run-down of the most common lenses and some of the specialty lenses for an SLR camera.

Lens Testing
Some excellent lens test results are available on the Internet. So why test your own?

Using any Lens on Your E-System Camera
First of all, the lens has to be mounted on the camera body. E-Series cameras use the Four Thirds standard bayonet, providing both the mechanical coupling and the digital interface between lens and body. Obviously, the Four Thirds standard is compatible only with the Four Thirds lenses.

Canon Lenses
Canon currently has some 50 different lenses in its EF arsenal for the EOS series of film and digital camera bodies. The line is one of the most extensive available, and includes a large number of zooms, fast fixed focal length lenses, and specialty optics such as their proprietary tilt/shift and Image Stabilized lenses.

Jim Bullock's Lens Test Article
Testing is useful if you have several lenses or cameras that duplicate or overlap function. If you have an Instamatic 104 and an M3-Sumicron there probably is not much doubt which camera to use at your daughter's wedding. On the other hand, if you have an M3 and a Konica C35 and need a camera to take on vacation, a test might be useful to see just how much resolution and contrast you are giving up by opting for the handier C35.

DSLR Lens 101
We will start with the fact that a camera lens is really not a simple lens in optical terms.   A true "lens" is a single piece of glass (or other transparent material) having one or more curved surfaces that alter the convergence of light rays. A camera lens is composed of multiple lens elements assembled and fitted together in a tube called a lens barrel.   This photographic lens is known as an "objective" or compound lens.   The term objective refers to the complete optical system.  

 

Digital Cameras Lens Guide
Focal length is probably the most important factor that should be considered when choosing a lens, and for good reason: focal lengths determine the field-of-view of the photos you will be able to take successfully with your camera. The two main types of focal length are telephoto and wide-angle, and while telephoto lenses have a narrow field-of-view and are best suited for close-up shots and portraits, wide-angle lenses have a wider field-of-view which is perfect for indoor photography and landscapes.

 

Lens & Shutter Cameras
In a previous column we discussed the various digital camera types and touched on the pros and cons of each. In the months that have passed since then the Digital SLR market has experienced tremendous growth. More and more people I talk to are thinking of making the move to a DSLR. With this in mind, I felt it was the right time to dedicate a column to these very capable machines.

Getting a Handle on the Creative Process for Graphic Designers
The Graphic Design industry is very competitive, and trust me, it can certainly get stressful and frustrating at times. However, it doesn?t always have to be that way. Here, I have broken down my design process. This is how I create my design layouts from start to finish. Basically, with some focus, structure, and a little bit of talent, creating rewarding and professional design work can be produced more efficiently and with less stress.

---

Jul 5

20 Ways to Avoid Graphic Designer?s Block
As a designer everyone has experienced a point where they just can no longer think of anything worth while. It?s in these situations when you have to reevaluate your perception of what works and what doesn?t. Use the following 20 tips to avoid and get through a tough designer's block.

---

Jun 18

Free Online Font Tools - Mega List of Web Based Font, Text, & Type Tools
Graphic Design and Typography are deeply connected. For that reason, I figure that most of you are going to love these free online font and type tools. Most, if not all, of these are very useful and I recommend that you use them when you have a chance. Below you will find the huge list of free browser-based font and type tools.

---

Jun 13

List of Graphic Design Podcasts on Topics Graphic Design, Web Design, Typography and More
I have found a load of design related podcasts that I am sure will peak your interests. Just think of it as radio shows geared towards you and your love of design. You will even find Podcasts on Photoshop, Illustrator, Typography, Freelancing, as well as Web Design and Graphic Design.

---

Jun 7

List of Vector Conversion Software - 30+ Tools to Turn Photos into Line Art and Illustrations
I love Vector Magic, a free online vectorization tool. It is a really cool browser-based tool that can be used to turn a photograph into an illustration. It doesn't always succeed in getting that look that you might be looking for, but it does a pretty good job. I usually just use it to play around with photos to see what Vector Magic can do with it, but it also can be very useful if you want to convert a photo into an illustration. I started to wonder how many other vectorization tools and software packages there were out there and I was surprised to find out that there are a ton o them. Basically, most of these tools turn Raster / Bitmap / Photo Images into Line Art / Illustrations / Vector Art.

---

May 28

Free Photoshop Shapes Downloads - Mega List of Free Custom Vector Shapes for Adobe Photoshop - Part I
I am in love with vector shapes right now. I think they are so handy to have around when you are building a site. The way that you can stretch vectors without creating jaggy edges, makes them incredibly useful. Most of the time I just land up breaking them apart to use a curve that I like. I also love using them for as badges or buttons on web sites. I have collected a huge selection of free custom Photoshop shapes. If you download every single one of these, there are probably close to 15,000 free Adobe Photoshop shapes. There are more to come in Part II. Enjoy.

---

May 27

A New and More Accurate Search Engine for Finding Free Clipart
As graphic designers, we are always on the hunt for quality free clipart images to use in our designs. The problem is that often searching for clipart often brings back very inaccurate search results. Well, thanks to one of my friends, I have found a new site called Find Free Clipart which will make my life much easier the next time I search for clipart online.

---

May 20

Become a Graphic Designer - Design Careers & Design Education Advice from Professional Designer
Whether you?re right out of high school, a Mom looking for a career she can do from home, recently out of the Military or simply someone who feels they have a knack for design and is ready for a career change, consider that you have a few options on how to gain the skills you will need to pursue your dream job. But first, ask yourself some questions

---

May 16

Online Drawing Tools & Free Online Painting & Sketching Tools
As Graphic Designers, we are all creative individuals. I thought that most of you would love to know about all of the fantastic online drawing and painting tools that are available online. Not only are they fun, but they are also quite useful for sketching out some of our ideas. Some of these tools can also be used as design collaboration tools to use with your co-workers, clients, friends, teachers, and family. Enjoy and don't hesitate to send me links to online drawing tools that I might have missed.

---

May 12

Green Graphic Design: Why And How to be More Eco-Friendly
Green Graphic Design: Why And How to be More Eco-Friendly by Angela Ferraro-Fanning of 13thirtyone Design Why Green Design? ?According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the world population is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. The world reached 1 billion people in 1800; 2 billion by 1922; and over 6 billion by 2000. It is estimated that [...]

---