Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX

'Tokina AT-X 16.5-135mm f/3.5-5.6 DX'

Tokina’s 16.5-135mm zoom might be the only lens that some users ever need. Its 8x zoom range is impressive in its own right but even more so taking into account the 16.5mm wideangle starting point. The lens is also usefully compact although it has a significant mass and may start to feel heavy on a long trek.

The front half of the lens barrel is home to manual-focus ring, which is enabled on the camera body rather than on the lens itself. The ring has a light touch and a very short throw of only about 30; it is complemented by a focused-distance scale but there are no depth-of-field markings.

The rear half of the lens barrel is filed with a generously-wide zoom ring that, on the review sample, felt rather stiff. Extending the lens to its maximum focal length approximately double its overall length. There’s reversible, petal-type lens hood but there is no image stabilization system, which would be useful at longer focal lengths.

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Sony 20mm f/2.8

'Sony 20mm f/2.8'

Sony’s 20mm f/2.8 lens has been around for some time. Curiously, Sony’s website says that the lens has a focus-lock and a focus-limiter but in fact neither of these features is provided (nor necessary) on this lens.

This is a cleanly-designed lens with a super-sleek appearance. The manual-focus ring is tucked away on the flared flange at the front of the lens but can be easily located when required. This is important because the manual-focus ring rotates in AF mode so needs to be kept unobstructed when it is not being deliberately deployed.

A generous focused-distance window fills the main part of the lens barrel and is accompanied by full-frame depth-of-field markings. And that’s it: there are no switches, sliders or push-buttons. Changing between AF and MF modes is carried out focusing  a switch on the most on the host camera body, not on the lens itself.

A petal-type lens hood is included and can be reversed for storage. A soft drawstring pouch is also provided: this is slightly on the large side but it protects the lens from dust and knocks when it is being carried in a jacket pocket rather than a bespoke camera bag.

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The Histogram

While reviewing images on the rear screen of your camera can sometimes be enough to assess whether the exposure is correct or not, it should only be used as a rough guide-surrounding lighting conditions can distort what you seen on screen, and on bright days, can make it hard to see the screen at all.

The best way to check exposure when you're reviewing your images is to review the histogram for the image. The histogram is a graphical interpretation of the image, showing the spread of tones - the left hand side showing the darkest areas, while the right hand side shows the light areas.

There's no such thing as a good or a bad histogram - it simply shows you the tonal range of the image. A well - exposed image will have peaks that are evenly distributed across the image, while overexposed shot will have the graph clumped over to the right - hand side, with the opposite being the case for an underexposed shot.

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SIX MOST FAVOURITE of LENS

1.       Fixed Focal Length

Fixed lenses offer some advantages over zoom. They’re generally smaller and lighter, with wider maximum apertures and superior image quality. An ultra-fast (eg f/1.8) 50mm lens is perfect for low light, 85-105mm is ideal for portrait, while a fast 300m (or longer) tele is a popular addition to any wildlife or sports shooter’s kit.

2.       TELEPHOTO ZOOM

Telephotos make subjects seem closer. They’re great for sport and wildlife, while short teles are good for portraits. Telephotos magnify camera shake, so consider one with Image Stabilisation if your camera doesn’t already have it, or buy one with a wide maximum aperture.

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Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G

'Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.8G'

There was a time when almost every 35mm film camera came with a 50mm prime (fixed focal-length) lens because on a full-frame camera, the 50mm focal length captures roughly the same angle-of-view as is seen by the human eye. Today, 50mm primes have two further appeals; they provide a good focal-length for portraiture on APS-C digital cameras and they often have a very wide maximum aperture with which to exploit creative focusing techniques.

Nikon's G-series 50mm f/1.8 lens is an excellent example of its type and feature the same deeply-recessed front element design that has been seen on Nikon's standard primes for decades. The front half of the barrel is given over to a manual focusing-mode switch. When AF operation is set, manual intervention can be applied at any time. The feel of the manual-focusing ring is excellent, with a silky movement and just the right amount of resistance over an approximately 100 throw.

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Lenses

'Lenses'

A DSLR or micro System camera is hugely affected by the lens attached to the front, as the light hitting the sensor impact focus, exposure and image quality. Be sure to do some research here before you purchase.

Lens Mounts

Each camera manufacturer has their own lens and most aren’t compatible with one another. If you own a Canon DSLR, for example, you can’t used Nikon lenses, though you can use independent brands such as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina – if you get them in the right mount. In the Micro System ranges Panasonic and Olympus lenses are interchangeable, and as Sony took over Minolta a few years ago any lenses from the older 35mm system may well work.

Magnification Factor

If you’re migrating from 35mm SLR, your lenses won’t provide the same field of view on a DSLR unless you have a ‘full-frame’ model such as a Canon 5D Mark II. Otherwise, for Nikon, Pentax and Sony DSLRs, magnify the focal length by 1.5x to get the 35mm equivalent.

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LENS SUFFIX GUIDE used by manufacturers

·         AD          Tamron Anomalous Dispersion element

·         AF-DC   Nikon defocus feature

·         AF-S       Nikon lenses with Silent Wave Motor

·         APO       Sigma Apochromatic lenses

·         ASL         Tamron lenses featuring aspherical elements

·         ASP        Sigma lenses featuring aspherical elements

·         AT-X      Tokina’s Advanced Technology Extra Pro range of lenses

·         CONV    Sigma lenses compatible with teleconvertors

·         CRC        Nikon Close Range Correction system

·         D             Nikon lenses that communicate distance information

·         DA          Pentax lenses optimized for APS-C sensors

·         DC          Sigma’s designation for digital lenses

·         DF           Sigma lenses with dual focus facility

·         DG          Sigma’s designation for digital and full-frame lenses

·         Di            Tamron lenses designed for full-frame sensors

·         Di-II       Tamron lenses designed for APS-C sized sensors

·         DO          Canon lenses with a diffractive optical element

·         DT           Sony lenses optimized for APS-C sized sensors

·         DX          Nikon’s designation for digital lenses

·         ED           Nikon’s lenses featuring Extra low

·         ED           Dispersion elements and Olympus and Leica (Panasonic) lense with low dispersion                 element

·         EF           Canon’s designation for full-frame lenses

·         EF-S       Canon’s lenses designed for APS-C sized sensors

·         EX           Sigma’s ‘Excellent’ range

·         FC           Tokina’s Focus Clutch Mechanism

·         FE           Tokina lenses featuring a floating element

·         FE           Canon’s fisheye lenses

·         G             Nikon lenses without a manual aperture ring

·         HF          Sigma’s designation for Helical Focusing

·         HID        Tamron’s High Index Dispersion glass

·         HLD        Tokina’s High refractive/low dispersion glass

·         HSM      Sigma’s lenses with a Hypersonic Motor

·         IF            Sigma/Tamron/Nikon/Tokina Internal Motor

·         IRF          Tokina’s Internal Rear Focusing Lenses

·         IS            Canon’s Image Stabilised lenses

·         L              Canon’s ‘Luxury’ range of lenses

·         LD           Tamron lenses featuring Low Dispersion Glass

·         M-OIS   Panasonic’s Mega Optical Image Stabilisation

·         N             Nikon’s Nano Crystal Coating

·         OS          Sigma’s Optically Stabilised lenses

·         PRO       Tokina’s Professional range of lenses

·         RF           Sigma and Nikon lenses with Rear Focusing

·         SD           Tokina’s Super Low Dispersion element

·         SDM      Pentax’s Sonic Direct Drive Motor

·         SF           Canon lenses with Softfocus feature

·         SHM      Tamron’s Super Hybird Mount

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Lens Advice

'Lens Advice'

If you want to get up really close to your subject, then you're going to need a telephoto lens. Bundled kit lenses that come with most DSLRs and CSCs are great for most subject, but don't provide enough reach when it comes to the majority of action subjects.

A good starting point is either a 55-200mm or 70-300mm telephoto zoom. On a DSLR with an APS-C sized sensor, there will give you 35mm focal length equivalents of 82.5-300mm and 105-540mm respectively, which should get you close enough for most subjects.

These lenses won't break the bank either - Sigma's 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Macro DG lens, though there's no built-in anti- shake system, while Tamron offer a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 Di LD Macro for pretty much the same asking price. Pay slightly mire and there' the excellent Canon EF-S 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS, which does include Canon's Images Stabilizer (IS) anti-shake technology; while the Nikon 55-300mm f/4.5-5.6G AF-S DX VR zoom, features Vibration Reduction (VR0 technology to combat camera shake.

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KEY FEATURES DSLR

'KEY FEATURES DSLR'

LOW-LIGHT CAPABILITY

If you’re likely to want to shoot in low light, whether it’s sunset landscapes or cosy jazz club, good low-light performance is must. Most DSLRs can shoot at ISO 3200 and some go to ISO 6400, but performance varies a lot between different cameras. A higher ISO speed makes the sensor more sensitive, meaning it can shoot with less light. Some pro DSLRs can shoot it pitch black conditions and still produce reasonable quality result.

IMAGE STABILISATION

Also known as anti-shake or vibration reduction, this is either built into the lenses (Nikon, Canon) or is sensor-based and built into the camera itself (Sony, Pentax, Olympus). Though it’s considered that lens-based stabilisation is slightly better, it lenses to get the benefit; sensor-based stabilisation works with any lens.

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Flash Guns

'Flash Guns'

I fu you're taking picture in low light, or just adding some fill-in, a dedicated flashgun will expand your range and allow you to balance even the strongest backlighting.

Choosing a Flash

Many DSLRs have built-in flash units, which are adequate for general snaps, but have limitations. If you want to get creative with flash, or just fire out more power with better light, a separate unit is essential. Like lenses, though, you need to find a flash that's compatible with your camera - a Canon flash won't work with a Nikon camera, for example.

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Fast Lenses

'Fast Lenses '

The lenses above are great telephoto zooms, but the slow variable maximum aperture (f/4-5.6) means backgrounds won't be blown completely out of focus to isolate your subject, while the slow maximum aperture will require you to use a higher ISO in order to achieve a fast enough shutter speed.

If you'll be shooting a lot of  action, it's worth looking at fast optics. Many pros favour a 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zoom: it may not have quite the same reach as a 70-300mm, but the fast constant aperture of f/2.8 is great for achieving shallow depth-of-field shots, and provides plenty of flexibility for shooting at lower light levels, while the brighter viewfinder provided by lens will aid autofocus speeds in trickly conditions.

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DSLR

'DSLR'

Digital SLRs offer numerous advantages over compacts. Here are some key considerations to think about when choosing a camera.

SIZE

Digital SLRs vary greatly in size and weight. At the lower end of the market the beginner models are light, with few buttons and easy-to-handle frame. Although the grip position is different from the average compact, DSLRs are designed to feel natural with the right hand holding the body, and the left supporting the lens. Moving up through the DSLRs the bodies become sturdier and more resistant to weather, and at the pro end of the scale can weigh over 1kg without a lens.

PIXELS

Don’t obsess about the number of pixels a DSLR camera has. The more pixel are squeezed into given space, the smaller they have to be, and this causes problems such as image noise. A DSLR sensor is physically large than that of the average compact, which means the pixels have more room to gather light and construct a well-exposed image. As a result the megapixel rating on a DSLR may be extremely similar to a compact, but the end quality far superior.

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Compact System

'Compact System'

Also known as Micro System Cameras, the newest system to enter the digital camera market offers an impressive combination of compact size and removable lenses. Much like DSLRs, there are a number of different fittings and mounts available, and plenty of models now offer high-definition video too.

What are they?

Hybrid cameras are developed to appeal to an audience wanting to upgrade from a compact camera but don’t want the bulk of a DSLR. They share much of the creative potential as their full-size cousins but with smaller bodies and smaller lenses. Their design makes it impossible to include a pentaprism mirror which also defines a cameras a camera as an SLR.

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