Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Photography: Best Lens for Portrait & Landscape!



This has been one of the most viewed photography posts:

It is not so difficult to say what the best portrait lens is. You want a medium telephoto lens from 85 mm through 105mm and 135mm.  You pick the widest aperture you can afford and that may mean 85/1.2 at great expense. The background could be so well blurred that you do not need a studio back drop. My favourite is of course the 180/2.8.

Mademoiselle
 with 180/2.8 Taken in France.


© Am Ang Zhang 2005


Now, when it comes to landscape, I am going to go against the grain (in true Cockroach Catcher style) and suggest something different.

So you are not recommending the 18 mm superwide then.

No!!!

250mm.

What? That is a telephoto lens! I thought that should be for birds and safari.

May well be.

But because of the better resolution, you have situations where you can make use of it.

But such a narrow angle of view?

Ah! But you can take a number of photos and stitch them together. You can use either Photoshop or there are free softwares including one from Microsoft that can be used for panoramic merging.

Here are 4 photos I took on my recent cruise. We reached Panama at dawn.


Four straight shots with 250mm lens © Am Ang Zhang 2011










Oooops here is a nice boat © Am Ang Zhang 2011

Put them through Photoshop© Am Ang Zhang 2011

Move the boat up© Am Ang Zhang 2011
Some minor photoshopping

Panama © Am Ang Zhang 2011

Vatican


© Am Ang Zhang 2011
As most of my fellow travellers did one simple click with their point-and-shoot, I was clicking away my trusted Nikon DSLR with its 250mm lens.

“I see you are taking so many pictures: WHY?”

“I stitch them together!!!”

“Wow!!! Must be fun!!!”

"Indeed!"

Here is the result:


© Am Ang Zhang 2011

It is the detail that matters!!!

© Am Ang Zhang 2011

Photography:

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