Guide to lenses

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Guide to lenses

stevef224
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p.1 #1 · Guide to lenses

Hi all - I am a total newbie to photography.

Can someone give me a link or tell where I can find out what the numbers & switches mean on the side of a lens.

Also a good setting to start off with

The lens in question (if it makes any difference is a Miranda 70 - 200)

Many thanks

Aug 06, 2012 at 01:29 PM

omarlyn
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p.1 #2 · Guide to lenses

stevef224 wrote:
Hi all - I am a total newbie to photography.

Can someone give me a link or tell where I can find out what the numbers & switches mean on the side of a lens.

Also a good setting to start off with

The lens in question (if it makes any difference is a Miranda 70 - 200)

Many thanks

Hello there...I'll assume your question is sincere and I'll do my best to answer but I have to be honest here, your questions are...how can I say this...odd!

Well to start, the numbers on the lens will indicate the aperture setting (f-stop), the zoom range (focal length), the focus distance in feet & meters, and the depth of field (DOF). However, NONE of that onfo will help you at all if you're asking what it means...really! You'd need to take 'Photograpghy 101' just to get started. As for what setting is good to start with...impossible to answer. That's like asking what do all the dials mean on a kitchen stove top and what's a good setting to cook at...it's just impossible to even suggest anything without knowing WHAT you're trying to do (assuming you are trying to photograph something).

I don't mean to cast doubt on the sincerity of your questions but they just aren't typical. If you can provide alot more detail, you'll probably get alot better answers.

Omar

Aug 06, 2012 at 02:49 PM

stevef224
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p.1 #3 · Guide to lenses

OK - not a very nice answer.

Anyway what I really need to know is with my Miranda 75 - 200 lens - waht aperture should I start with - just as a general thing.
I have a choice of 22, 16 , 11, 8 and 5.6

As for waht I will be shooting general outdoor and some F1

Aug 07, 2012 at 08:21 AM

omarlyn
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p.1 #4 · Guide to lenses

stevef224 wrote:
OK - not a very nice answer.

Anyway what I really need to know is with my Miranda 75 - 200 lens - waht aperture should I start with - just as a general thing.
I have a choice of 22, 16 , 11, 8 and 5.6

As for waht I will be shooting general outdoor and some F1

Excuse me? I took the time to answer your question as best as I could despite the limited information that you provided and the rather inane nature of the question to begin with! There was nothing "not nice" about my answer and I was genuinely trying to be helpful!

Further, your follow-up reply reiterating which aperture you should start with clearly indicates a total lack of understanding of the fundamentals of photography...that is NOT an insult towards you in any way, it is simply a matter of fact. Everyone has to learn from ground zero (so to speak) so it is NOT a disparagement on you that you lack this knowledge right now. I'm simply pointing out that your question about aperture choices is synonymous with asking "what temperature should one cook at as a general thing"...there is NO correct answer for such a question just as there is NO correct answer for which aperture to use (as your question stated). I'm sorry if you feel that is "not nice", but I think you really need to start with 'photography 101' first so you can get a basic understanding of what are all those "numbers & switches", how they are relevant to each other, & how it effects a final photograph. This is not something that can be easily answered quickly in just a couple of paragraphs.

Omar

Aug 07, 2012 at 01:09 PM

DanBrown
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p.1 #5 · Guide to lenses

Here's a good tutorial on lens aperture. I think it will offer some assistance. The link is here.

Aug 07, 2012 at 01:28 PM

omarlyn
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p.1 #6 · Guide to lenses

DanBrown wrote:
Here's a good tutorial on lens aperture. I think it will offer some assistance. The link is here.

Here's another helpful LINK with 4 or 5 pages discussing aperture, shutter speed, exposure, & depth of field. This (and other similar websites) can give a good general understanding but I must say again, I think the OP can be better served with a more in-depth explanation of aperture and exposure in general. Still, I hope the OP can find some usefulness with the info and reply later with more specific questions of what he's trying to do so we can try to offer specific advice.

Here's yet ANOTHER LINK with further explanations and examples of different apertures can have on an image.

HTH,
Omar

Aug 07, 2012 at 05:11 PM

Monito
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p.1 #7 · Guide to lenses

Welcome to FM, stevef224.

omarlyn gave a good answer to you. Your question was very vague, which is ok for a newbie, but it is also ok to explain that the question is vague as omarlyn did.

A little less sensitivity and a little more appreciation will pay huge dividends in knowledge at this site (and others too).

Aug 12, 2012 at 11:51 AM

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