ANATOMY OF A 35MM MANUAL FOCUS LENS

BAYONET-FIT HOOD

Unlike other optics, 35mm lenses generally don’t come with built-in hoods. Nonetheless, detachable hoods are available and practical to use. Leaving the hood off means that more light can enter the sensor and also makes the lens less noticeable. However, if you’re shooting directly into the sun, you can attach the hood quickly to prevent sun flare.

FOCUS RING

Due to the extended rotational travel in their focus rings, these lenses provide increased precision in bespoke focus techniques and viewfinder-based focusing, where AF may be unreliable.

DEPTH OF FIELD MARKINGS

The depth of field markers for the lens’s aperture values are used in combination with the focus distance scale for focus techniques, and allow you to define the depth of field intensity to control sharpness.

APERTURE RING

Fully manual lenses have no electronic components to assist you. Instead of adjusting the aperture via the camera body, you need to use the aperture control ring. As a result, you can only effectively shoot in Manual (M) or Aperture Priority (A/AV) modes, because other modes require automatic aperture adjustment from the camera, which isn’t possible without electronic support.

FOCUS DISTANCE SCALE

If you want to apply popular street photography focus techniques, such as hyperfocal distance or zone focus, it’s useful to have a lens with a focus distance scale. While this isn’t essential, it can save time, especially if your camera doesn’t have a focus distance display in the viewfinder or on the rear screen.