OP Home > Gear > Lenses

Lenses

Camera Lenses Reviews and Articles


With a variety of camera lenses on the market, how do you choose the one that's best for your outdoor camera? Check out our digital camera lens reviews. From wide-angle lenses and telephoto zooms, trust advice from the experts.


Up Close And Wide!


How to get the most from your fisheye lens



Up Close And Wide!Apparently, a fisheye lens is how a fish actually sees the world from its bowl.
Read More...

Building Your Lens Kit For Digital Action


With the autumn migrations and rutting season approaching fast, now is the time to put together a set of lenses to help you capture all the action



Building Your Lens Kit For Digital Action Now is an ideal time to upgrade your lenses. Fall wildlife season is here, and it’s also the time of year when you can make some of the best landscapes.
Read More...

Building The Ultimate Lens Kit


There are so many top-notch, high-tech, affordable lenses available for nature photography, it’s easy to assemble a collection that will give you the right tool for what you love to do



Building The Ultimate Lens KitOutdoor photography encompasses a lot of territory—from landscapes, wildlife and macro to tripod-mounted shots of static scenes and handheld shots of quick action. So the “best” lens(es) depend in large part on what you photograph outdoors and how you see the outdoor world. A basic three-lens kit is a good starting point, and it gives you a solid foundation from which to build. Expanding from the basic three is like constructing the structure on that foundation.
Read More...

The Poor Man’s Super-Telephoto


Using a tele-extender can give your long lenses even more punch for wildlife and landscape photos



The Poor Man’s Super-TelephotoThe lens of choice among the serious pro wildlife photographers I know seems to be the 600mm ƒ/4 super-telephoto. It’s great for subjects that won’t let you get close, is incredibly sharp, and autofocuses quickly and accurately. However, it costs over $7,000. That being just a bit beyond my budget, when I really need “reach,” I turn my $1,200 300mm ƒ/4 lens into a 600mm ƒ/8 by attaching a $300 2x teleconverter between the lens and camera body.
Read More...

Lenses For Landscapes


Looking for the perfect lens for your scenics? Check out the options and see what some top OP pros have to say about their favorite choices.



Lenses For LandscapesAt heart, the choice of lens for any photo is based on the photographer’s vision, on how he or she “sees” the subject and the final image. Wide-angle lenses take in a vast angle of view, and individual elements of the scene are relatively tiny. Telephotos zero in on a small, distant portion of the scene, compressing the elements, and individual elements are much larger in the image.
Read More...

Fast Lenses


In the digital age, the advantages of a big maximum aperture are greater than ever



Fast LensesWhen Kodachrome 64 and Fujichrome Velvia 50 were the mainstays of outdoor photographers, a fast lens was a critical advantage, especially when handholding in early-morning or late-afternoon light. Lenses like the 300mm ƒ/2.8, 70-200mm ƒ/2.8, 105mm ƒ/2 and 50mm ƒ/1.4 or ƒ/1.2 were the workhorse lenses that propped up shutter speeds as light deteriorated.
Read More...

Choosing Your Tele-Zoom


Some of the best nature photographers share thoughts and tips on their favorite medium telephoto zoom lenses



Choosing Your Tele-ZoomThe versatility of medium tele-zooms is just incredible. With ranges that vary from around 50mm to between 200mm and 400mm at the high end, these lenses provide a tremendous variety of framing options for landscape, wildlife, sports action and macro work. Between one of these lenses and a good wide-angle, you can travel most anywhere and be confident that your bases will be covered for nearly any situation. And you can travel light—an absolute necessity if you fly anywhere these days, given the weight restrictions on baggage, not to mention how much easier it can be on your back.

Read More...

Tamron AF28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 VC Zoom


There's a new player in the stabilization game: Welcome to Tamron‚’s Vibration Control zoom



Tamron AF28-300mm f/3.5-6.3 VC ZoomIt becomes a challenge to lug a lot of gear into the field. On the other hand, it’s nice to have wide-angle, telephoto and close-up capability, as well as a tripod for support. So the dilemma is always to either travel comfortably or be prepared for anything.
Read More...

Zeiss F-Mount Lenses


A trio of new high-quality optics are available for the Nikon line of cameras



Zeiss F-Mount LensesA new player has entered the arena of digital SLR nature photography. While it’s a name synonymous with exceptional quality and performance in its optics, that reputation has mostly centered on medium-format camera lenses, binoculars, spotting scopes and motion-picture lenses used by Hollywood’s movie industry.

Read More...

Recent OP Articles

 

Popular OP Articles

Win This! Digital Photo Magazine Enewsletter
Banner