Tamron and Tokina make various levels of quality of lenses For a number
of years, Tokina's top line was (still is?) 'AT-X' and Tamron's was
'SP'. This designation is a pretty reliable indicator of at least a
good lens, and some are great lenses. The only one that immediately
comes to mind as having a poorish reputation is the Tamron SP 24-48mm
zoom. The SP 17mm gets mixed reviews.
As a couple of people have written, the Tamron SP 60-300mm is one of my
favorite lenses. a couple of the finalists for my TOPE entry are taken
with this lens. Another is taken with the Tamron SP 80-200mm/f2.8.
The Tokinas were made to fit specific cameras. The Tamrons use their
Adaptall 2 system which uses adapters to let their lenses be used with a
wide variety of camera brands. Although the Tokinas are comparable in
performance and generally smaller and lighter for euivalent lenses, the
Tamron flexibility resulted in more sales. It is rarer to find a
specific Tokina for OM mount than the similar Tamron.
I think people have given widely differing advice about photographing
sunsets because there are a lot of different ways to photograh of
sunsets. Getting all the amazing clouds across a wide expanse of sky
requires a normal to wide angle lens, while making images where the sun
is large and other things are in silhouette around or in front of it
requires a tele like you are looking at or longer. The advice to shoot
with a normal lens and enlarge to get the close up image you like
doesn't make money sense. film and developing aren't cheap and
enlargements with custom cropping are even dearer. You would run past
the cost of a telephoto very quickly that way.
The 'F stop' or 'F number' you refer to is a measurement used in the
same way in all photographic contexts. It is a measure of the brightness
the lens delivers to the film. In it's simplest form it is simply the
ratio of the size of the opening of the lens to it's focal length. It
comes up in 2 contexts, the maximum of the lens and the aperture to
which it is set for a particular exposure.Picture a simple lens like a
magnifying glass that is 1 in. in diameter and focuses the image of the
sun 2 in. behind it. 2/1 = 2, so it is an f2.0 lens. Standard lenses for
35mm cameras are usually similar to that, 50mm focal length and near
f1.8. In addition to consisting of several coated elements to make
better images than a single lens, they have a set of metal blades that
can adjsut the amount of light going through the lens below thw maximum
avialable. The adjustment is done with the aperture ring on the lens,
which is marked in f-stops, such as 2, 2.8,. 4, 5.6, etc.
A faster lens, i.e. lower numbered mamimum f-stop (usually marked on the
front of the lens as a ratio like the 1:5.6 of the Vivitar), is capable
of providing greater brightness on the film and allowing faster shutter
speeds and/or slower film speed, etc. for any given shot.
You really should read a simple basic photography book to get some of
this terminology straight. It's so much easier to 'get' with pictures
and diagrams.
Moose
Kierstin wrote:
very rough ride eh...?
No, I am just joking... will all lenses list 'F' numbers, is this a system
that all manufacturers use?
you said any 'AT-X' lens, does this mean if the model number begins in
'AT-X' its a keeper (I mean if it is undamaged)?
I would so like to try my hand at sunsets, but I don't want to burn my money
in the glow.
I am also taken prior member advice by buying a tripod (22 hrs to go, the
suspense is killing me). I am going to 'snipe' it (thank you Joshua), just
to be sure (reasonably sure) of success.
I still haven't received, much to my dismay, any advice about taking
astrophotography (moon & stars) pictures. Is this too soon in my love
affair to consider this? This type of photography I think could become my
soul mate, as I feel closer to God whenever I stare into the night sky.
I would really appreciate some experienced members to impart some night
knowledge to me, even if it is only to tell me to forget about it for now.
xoxoxoxo
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