SELECT SPECIALIST LENSES

For more niche areas of photography, make use of dedicated optical tools

As a new photographer it is often advisable to invest in less specialist lens models, instead selecting products that can allow us to access a broad range of image types and study a greater variety of subjects. This is because we may not yet be certain which area of the medium interests us the most, so it is a good idea to develop skills across the board to prepare us for later specialisation. As working pros or enthusiast photographers with refined tastes in image styles and subject matter, however, it can be frustrating to attempt images without dedicated kit.

For macro photography, for instance, while it is possible to capture close-up images without a true macro lens – a model with 1:1 life-size magnification – no model is adequate for small subjects such as insects. Since these are physically small in comparison to the size of the sensor, they will require enlargement to fill a significant proportion of the frame area. This is especially true for full-frame cameras, which do not benefit from the magnification factor of models such as the Canon EOS 7D Mark II, Nikon D7500, or Fujifilm X-Pro 3. There are multiple types of macro lens, and even once you have decided to invest, you have to choose a lens that is appropriate for the types of subject you regularly shoot.

Furthermore, for special effects, dedicated lenses are essentially the only option for creating the look the photographer desires. While fisheye effects can be applied in software, the style is not identical to the

optical effect and does not provide the wide-angle field of view a true fisheye can apply. Similarly, although the filter galleries in Photoshop and other programs can simulate tilt/shift blurring, this is only an estimation and cannot directly replicate the fall-off in focus generated by manipulating the focal plane. Moreover, the functionality of a perspectivecontrol optic goes far beyond focus effects. There is no filter capable of reproducing the straightening of converging verticals that these lenses can achieve.

As in any trade, specialist equipment requires specialist skills for proper use and proper results. Here, we will look in a bit more depth at some of the key features of niche and ‘creative’ lenses.

© ALI PAZANI SUPER-FAST PRIMES SOME SYSTEMS FEATURE F/1.2 OR EVEN F/1 LENSES, OFFERING SUPERB BACKGROUND BLURRING. THIS CAN CREATE FOCUSING CHALLENGES, HOWEVER, AND STOPPING DOWN SLIGHTLY PROVIDES A SHARPNESSBOKEH BALANCE.

MANUAL FOCUS A POTENTIAL DISADVANTAGE FOR SOME USERS IS THE LACK OF AUTOFOCUS CAPABILITY, BUT SINCE FOCUS WILL OFTEN BE FINE-TUNED WITH TILT THIS SHOULD NOT BE AN ISSUE. A FOCUS-DISTANCE SCALE IS OFTEN AVAILABLE FOR DISTANCE MEASUREMENT AND AS AN AID TO CRITICAL FOCUSING. SHIFT MOVEMENT BY TWISTING THE SHIFT CONTROL, THE FRONT OF THE LENS CAN BE MOVED IN TWO AXES, ENABLING A PRECISE CHANGE IN COMPOSITION. THIS ALLOWS THE PHOTOGRAPHER TO CAPTURE BUILDINGS WITHOUT TILTING THE CAMERA AND INTRODUCING CONVERGING VERTICALS. SHIFT PANORAMAS ARE ALSO FREE OF PARALLAX ERROR. FISHEYE PERSPECTIVE FISHEYE LENSES OFFER A UNIQUE VIEW. WHILE CIRCULAR FISHEYE MODELS HAVE MORE LIMITED USE, DIAGONAL TYPES OFFER ULTRA-WIDE PERSPECTIVES FOR A BROAD VARIETY OF SUBJECTS, FROM WILDLIFE TO LANDSCAPES AND INTERIORS.