DSLR Activities

Noise Quality

For this photo, I used ISO200. The image is darker than when I used a higher ISO. There is no obvious noise.

I used ISO6400 for this photo. The light seems to become a bit stronger or brighter. Noise is noticeable.

Depth of Field

The aperture of this photo is 5.6 and the shutter speed is 1/4. The background has bokeh.

The aperture of this photo is 32 and the shutter speed is 1/5. Background has no bokeh.

Blurriness

The shutter speed of this photo is 1/8. Aperture is 29. There is apparent motion blur.

The shutter speed of this photo is 1/400. Aperture is 5.0. The image of water droplets is very sharp.

Language of the Lens

Just as various paints are used to create different forms of visual art, or a choice of ingredients to cook a certain dish, or strategies to achieve a specific plan; DSLR cameras also have different types of lenses which can produce unique photos. Here are five of them:

 

1. Zoom Lens

The zoom lens’ focal length is adjustable from a minimum to a maximum length. This lens has become a basic lens for DSLRs. This usually has a lower maximum aperture than other lenses. Its maximum aperture is greater at the wide-angle end than at the telephoto end of the zoom range. Zoom lenses are made such that the loss of image quality remains minimal. This kind of lens can be used particularly in medium or normal shots.

2. Prime Lens

The prime lens or “prime” is a standard non-zoom lens. It is smaller, lighter and cheaper than a zoom lens of the same quality. It has a larger maximum aperture, so it can be used with less light at the same shutter speed and can provide less depth of field if desirable.

 

 

3. Macro Lens

The macro lens is designed for extreme close-up shots. This is popular for nature shooting, especially if the subjects are small living and non-living things. Most macro lenses can focus to infinity with satisfactory sharpness.

4. Perspective Control Lens

The perspective control lens allows the photographer to control the appearance of perspective in the image; the lens can be moved parallel to the film or sensor. This movement of the lens allows adjusting the position of the subject in the image area without moving the camera back; it is often used to avoid convergence of parallel lines, such as when photographing a tall building or other vertical structures.

5. Fisheye Lens

The fisheye lens is an extreme wide-angle lens with an angle of view of up to 180 degrees or more, with very noticeable (sometimes intended) distortion or the so-called convex non-rectilinear appearance. This usually is the widest lens a DSLR can have. Its focal length depends on the film format it is designed for. Fisheye lenses are also used for scientific photography such as recording of aurora and meteors. They are also used as peephole door viewers to 
give the user a wide field of view.

 

Article References:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenses_for_SLR_and_DSLR_cameras
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perspective_control_lens
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisheye_lens

 

Photo Sources (in chronological order from number 2 to 5):

• http://fwdcreative.com/whatwelike/optimus-prime-lens/
• http://urbanfragment.wordpress.com/category/macro/
• http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGallDetail.asp?photoID=5812230&catID=25260
• http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/inspiration/100-fantastic-photos-taken-with-a-fisheye-lens/