Using your camera lens

“No matter how good your camera lens – if you do not use and maintain it properly you will not get the best from it! Follow these simple tips and hints to get sharp well focused images every time!”

Typical DSLR with fixed focal length camera lens

If you have a DSLR it is likely that it came with a zoom camera lens. Most new DSLR’s are bought as a “kit” which will normally include a zoom lens – so even if your camera was “used” when you bought it, the odds are that it will still have come with a zoom camera lens.

Your zoom range may be 17/18-50/55mm, 17-85mm or even 18-105mm, but whichever range you have it will offer you more versatility than a single focal length camera lens

If your camera came with a “standard” fixed focal length camera lens you will still be able to take some great shots – but, because of the greater flexibility it will give you, I would encourage you to save up for a zoom camera lens (see my page on choosing your camera lens).

Maintenance

Whether fixed or zoom looking after your camera lens is essential if you want it to produce high quality images for years to come.

Although fairly robust in its construction your camera lens is a delicate instrument and you should treat it accordingly. When not in

Typical camera lens cleaning kit with blower brush, cleaning fluid and cleaning tissues

use always keep the lens cap on and, if not attached to the camera, you should always attach the rear cover as well. Dust is the constant enemy of your camera lens and if you get any inside it can not only damage the workings but ruin your pictures as well. Dust inside your camera lens can be very difficult to clean – you have been warned!

If your camera lens becomes scratched you might as well throw it away so I always keep a Skylight 1b filter attached for protection. If necessary the filter can be removed when actually taking a shot. (Hoya have now produced a Protector filter which is totally clear and will protect your camera lens from any damage without affecting the colour or sharpness of your pictures – I have put this on my “must buy” list!)

Keep your camera lens clean at all times. To avoid possible damage when cleaning I strongly advise you to use a blower or “blower brush” and proper lens cleaning cloth or tissues and fluid. Harsh material such as kitchen towel can leave minute scratches and normal tissue such as Kleenex can leave particles – both of which will harm your pictures. Equally important is to keep your cleaning cloth clean - just one small piece of grit can leave a scratch! I keep my cloth in a re-sealable plastic bag. (However, do not use a "blower brush" or any cleaning fluid inside your camera as this can (and probably will) damage the internal workings - always consult your camera's manual for full instructions and servicing requirements).

Taking Pictures

With a fixed focal length camera lens you can only frame your picture by increasing or decreasing the distance between you and your subject. However, generally speaking a fixed focal length camera lens will have a greater aperture range giving you more control over the depth of field in your picture. It also gives the beginner fewer settings to worry about. A large aperture (low number) will give less depth of field than a small aperture (high number). Less depth of field allows you to keep your subject in focus while “blurring out” the background. A larger aperture also allows for a faster shutter speed reducing the possibility of a blurred picture due to either your subject moving (e.g. a plant being blown by the wind) or camera shake (i.e. the camera moving while the image is being taken).

The pictures below illustrate the difference in depth of field and the advantage of a fast shutter speed. Both pictures were taken from exactly the same position using a Nikon D40x set to 100 ISO with an 18-55mm zoom camera lens set at 55mm. The picture on the left was taken with an aperture of f/5.6 (large) resulting in a shutter speed of 1/100th of a second and the one on the right with an aperture of f/32 (small) resulting in a shutter speed of 1/3rd of a second.

The picture on the left is sharp (because of the fast shutter speed) with the background out of focus making the subject (in this case a flower) stand out. In the picture on the right the background is more in focus, which is a distraction from the subject, and the subject is blurry because the plant moved slightly in the breeze during the relatively long exposure (slow shutter speed). I know which picture of the flower I like best!

This picture was taken with a D40x using an 18-55mm zoom camera lens with an aperture of f/5.6 and shutter speed of 1/100th of a second

This picture was taken with a D40x using an 18-55mm zoom camera lens with an aperture of f/32 and a shutter speed of 1/3rd of a second

Examples of Focal Lengths

The advantage of a zoom camera lens over a fixed focal length camera lens is that instead of you moving towards or away from your subject to get the shot you want you can zoom in (and make your subject fill the picture) or zoom out (and include more of the background). This will allow you much more freedom to “frame” your subject in situations when you cannot get closer or move further away.

The pictures below were all taken from the same position. See how much difference there is between an 18mm focal length and a 300mm focal length!

This picture was taken with a D40x using a 18-55mm zoom camera lens set at 18mm

This picture was taken with a D40x using a 18-55mm zoom camera lens set at 55mm

This picture was taken with a D40x using a 70-300mm zoom camera lens set at 70mm

This picture was taken with a D40x using a 70-300mm zoom camera lens set at 300mm

Experiment!

When experimenting with your camera it is important to keep a record of the settings used to take each picture. If I am experimenting or trying out a new technique or camera lens I load the pictures onto my computer and, using my imaging software, open the “EXIF” info. This gives all the information about the camera settings from ISO and focal length to aperture setting and shutter speed. The only information not provided is whether any filters were used. A word of caution here – if you use your imaging software to manipulate your image the EXIF info can easily become corrupted or erased. So if you do want to manipulate an image but want to be sure to keep the EXIF info either use a copy of your image to edit (best option) or if you edit the original save your changes to a new file. Either way you will still have the original image with the EXIF info intact.

If your camera or imaging software doesn’t support “EXIF” info be sure to keep a record of your settings for future reference. I would suggest that you do this by either adding this info to the image file name (you may have to abbreviate) or using your imaging software to add text to the image.

As you will know by now one of the great advantages digital has over film photography is that experimenting costs virtually nothing – just the electricity to run your computer and re-charge your camera battery. So experiment, experiment, experiment!

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