Good morning, happy Tuesday everyone! 👋

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. It was cold 🥶 here in NYC, but I managed to get out and finish a roll of CineStill 800T! 🎉

Here’s what I have for you today.

1. 🤔 What are the different types of lenses?

2. 🙇‍♂️ How to shop for a lens—and what to avoid.

3. 🏃‍♂️‍➡️ How fast do you really need?

🤔 What are the different types of lenses?

We’ll cover several different types of lenses that you should be aware of, but let’s start with the two main categories that most lenses fall into.

Prime vs Zoom

The topic of many, many internet debates is if you should get a prime or a zoom lens. So what’s the difference? It’s pretty simple:

• Prime lenses: Have a fixed focal length. Ex: 35mm.

• Zoom lenses: Have a variable focal length, going from a minimum to a maximum and everywhere in between. Ex: 70-200mm.

Which one is better? Depends. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. Let’s take a look:

As you can see there are really a lot of pluses and minuses to each, neither one is perfect. Which one to go with is best determined by what kind of photography you plan doing the most of. 

• 🕯️ Doing a lot of low light work? A prime with a large max aperture may be the way to go.

• 🏎️ Shooting sports or birds? You probably should shoot digital, but regardless a zoom may make it easier to capture the action.

What are some common focal lengths?

Lenses (especially older film lenses) come in all shapes and sizes. 📏 Different manufacturers have different sets of lenses, but below are some of the more common focal lengths.

What other lenses are there?

There are some other, more specialty, lenses that can be useful in certain situations.

Macro lens - Used for very close-up photography, these lenses can open up a whole new and tiny world. Usually found in either 50mm or 105mm these lenses provide a 1:1 reproduction of your subject. These are also good lenses to use when scanning film. 🎞️

Fisheye lens - Not as popular as I think they once were, these are extremely wide-angle lenses that distort the image. Making it look like a fish’s eye. 🐟

Tilt-Shift lens - Less common, but extremely useful for architecture photography. 🏢 A tilt-shift lens allows you to apply tilt and shift lens movements. Usually, these kind of movements are only available in large format cameras, but they can be used to keep vertical and horizontal lines (like of a building) straight and parallel.

Now, that you have an idea of what’s out there, let’s talk about how to get one.

🙇‍♂️ How to shop for a lens—and what to avoid.

Like most things in the film world, you’re probably going to be buying a used lens. This can be a little scary. 😬 But never fear, there are some great, reputable, places where you can buy lenses in great condition. Let’s go from least to most sketchy.

Local camera store

If you’re fortunate enough to live near a friendly, local camera store, this can be a great place to start. People who work 👩‍💼 in camera stores are usually very knowledgeable and passionate and can help you determine what kind of lens will suit you. Plus, you can hold, inspect 🔍 and even try out the lens before you buy. The downside is you’re probably going to spend a little bit more money. 💵

KEH

KEH is a reputable site that sells used camera gear at good prices. I’ve gotten several cameras and lenses from KEH and never had an issue. They provide a grading system and list any imperfections. You know with them that the lens has been cleaned and tested. 🔬 

eBay

I have gotten a lens on eBay that was affordable and in great condition. But you need to be careful. All the listing say that it’s in excellent ++++++ condition, but that doesn’t mean it is. Here are some things to keep in mind:

• Seller rating

• Pictures of the actual product. Even better if there is video of the actual product.

• Being honest about imperfections. You’re buying a used lens, scratches and dings are to be expected. If the listing doesn’t mention anything, that’s red flag.

• Usually better to buy from a seller in Japan.🇯🇵 Shipping will be more, but it’s where most of these lenses were manufactured and it’s just easier to get good condition lenses.

Craigslist / Facebook Marketplace

Rolling the dice.🎲 This is usually people clearing out their attics. You may get lucky and get something for really cheap that was kept in good, working condition. Or you may get something that’s damaged or inoperable. Keep in mind that the people listing these may not have been the photographer in the family. They may not know how to tell if something is damaged or not working properly. 

What to avoid 🙅‍♂️

Some things to keep in mind:

• If it is too good to be true, it probably is.

• Some minor scratches or dings on the outside of the lens is ok, but you want to make sure the actual glass is clear and scratch free.

• Ensure the lens mount is compatible with your camera. Always double check compatibility.

• Make sure the lens is clear of any haze or fungus.

Hopefully now you can go buy a used lens with more confidence. 🫡 But there is one more trap you should avoid.

🏃‍♂️‍➡️ How fast do you really need?

You’ll often hear people say, “This is a fast lens”. But what does “fast” mean? It refers to max aperture. As I’m sure you know the lower the f-stop number the wider the aperture is and the more light it lets in. There is a tendency (I know I’ve been guilty of it) to want to get the fastest lens possible. “Let me get a f1.2 and I’ll never have to worry about low light again,” the thinking 💭 usually goes.

But it’s good to stop and ask yourself 🤔 what you really need. Typically, the wider the aperture can go the more expensive 💵 it is. If you do mostly landscape you probably don’t need a f1.8 lens. And at such wide apertures, the depth of field is very shallow, which can make getting what you want in focus challenging. So don’t automatically dismiss a lens if its max aperture is f4 or f3.5, it may suit your needs and be cheaper.

Final note on apertures. Keep in mind that on zoom lenses, the max aperture is usually a range. For example, you may have a 24 - 70mm zoom lens that has a max aperture of f3.5 - f5.6. This means that at 24mm the max is f3.5 but at 70mm the max is f5.6. There are zoom lenses that have a fixed max aperture, meaning you can have the same aperture of how zoomed in you are. The 70 - 200mm f2.8 is a popular example.

So with all this said, if I could only have one ☝️ lens, what would it be? I know it’s a cliche, but if I really could only have ONE lens it would be a 50mm f1.8. They don’t call it the nifty 50 for nothing. It is a very versatile lens to have.

Alright, that’s going to do it for today. I will see you next week! 🫶

Remember to turn a negative into a positive.

Ben Henschel

📷 Canon A1 / 🎞️ Ilford Delta 3200