Monday, October 5, 2009

Use A Super Telephoto Lens

Super telephoto lenses can get greater distance and detail than a simple telephoto lens.








Using a super telephoto lens is a means of taking highly detailed photographs from great distances. Super telephoto lenses are larger and more expensive versions of standard telephoto lenses. The relatively high cost involved in super telephoto lenses is such that you should familiarize yourself with the best means of operating the camera. Using a few simple tips, it is possible to get the most from your telephoto lens, and ensure that your photos can reflect the high quality of the lens that you have bought.








Instructions


1. Fit the lens to your camera. If you are used to a telephoto lens, then you will be familiar with the micro and macro functions of the lens. A super telephoto lens is a more extreme version of this, allowing for both magnification of detail, as well as long-distance zooming. Be familiar with adjust the zoom and magnification before taking photos, to allow for better results. If your super telephoto lens is from the 1960s or 1970s, then you may need to buy an adapter to fit it to your camera. These can be bought from photography shops or from the website of your camera maker.


2. Choose the right film to go with your lens. A film such as the ISO 400+ works well with a telephoto lens, although if your lens is older, you may wish to buy film recommended by the supplier. With more modern super telephoto lenses, film need not be so specialist. With the ISO 400+, blurring will be minimized.


3. Adjust your shutter speed to ensure that your telephoto lens works well with your film. The rule of thumb with telephoto and super telephoto lenses is that the shutter speed should "1/x" the size of your lens in mm. With a 1000 mm lens, therefore, your shutter speed should be 1/1000. This will minimize the impact of blurring with extreme zoom or magnification.


4. Use a tripod to keep the camera still. Super telephoto lenses can be extremely heavy, particularly when carrying long distances. Using two tripods, therefore may be necessary. Use your normal tripod on the camera itself, and set up a tripod on the lens to maximize stability. Lens tripods are occasionally sold with the tripod, although one can easily be improvised using an old tripod and modifying the legs.


5. Use a shutter release. With high resolution pictures, pressing a shutter can cause the camera to shake, which will cause blurring. Using a shutter release will remove this possibility. A shutter release can be bought relatively cheaply from a photography shop, or online from sites such as Amazon.


6. Isolate and frame your photographs. A super telephoto lens can be an excellent tool to flatten a deep shot, as well as use a shallow depth of field to take highly contrasting shots. When considering your photographs, experiment with your shots. The best shots with a photograph tend to involve some level of contrast, whether it be sharp focus on blurred background or a wide shot with a small, detailed subject. Super telephoto lenses are optimal for this purpose, and through experimentation, you will become comfortable with using this technology.

Tags: telephoto lens, telephoto lenses, super telephoto, super telephoto lens, shutter release