Vintage lenses are so underrated for beginners!! They’re cheap and great to help you understand what everything does, and some of them look absolutely gorgeous!!!
I'd love to get one, but I don't know much about mounting lenses. Do most of them need an adapter? For example, I have a Nikon D5600, which is a Z mount. Is Z mount specific to Nikon, or is it a mount that my camera so happens to have? How do I know what adapter I need for a vintage lens? Thanks in advance.
Very comprehensive explanation on what to look for in lenses. I wish someone had explained it to me like that when I started (film era). Also yeah those exposed sensors made me nervous xD. One thing you did not mention is that with the more expensive and prime lenses usually clarity and sharpness is better so it may make sense to spend a little bit more, and that sharpness is usually worse at the extremes of the aperture range. Overall a great video that I am pretty sure will help a lot of newcomers.
Thank you! Lenses are definitely not the type of thing anyone normally figures out in one go, so it's normal to have to "revisit" some concepts 😁 It DOES all start to make sense over time though! I promise.
I enjoy your content because you're a great host/content creator. There's nothing in this video I needed to learn but the way you make content is always so entertaining and you make learning fun and easy. If I had something that was like this when I started out I'm sure it would have been a bit easier. I hope you continue to grow! Also I really enjoy your Microphone content.
@@tombuck TBH though, I made a viable decision to go with expensive EF mounts back in the day... To this day... Every camera that I buy/rent/lease... I put a Metabones on it. It's these new mirrorless lenses and their mounts that are the ones causing all the raucous.
I always enjoy how entertaining while still being informative your videos are! Btw, Canon APS-C crop is 1.6x as you said, while Sony/Nikon/others is 1.5x.
Thanks for the kind words! There are definitely a lot of variables out there with sensors and crop factors but it seems 1.5 or 1.6-ish is usually a good place to start for getting a general idea.
Well-done tutorial! I had to learn a lot of this on the fly years ago when we changed from film to digital for work. I would add that perhaps the biggest factors in all this are 1) the quality and performance of the sensor and 2) the quality of the glass in the lens. Without either of these, the rest doesn't matter much. And for years, the case against zooms was that they did not deliver the sharpness of fixed-focal-length lenses. I don't believe that's as much the case now as it used to be, but it can still be a factor. You just can't skimp on lenses!
@@tombuck agreed. At one time their lenses seemed like lower-end or budget-level stuff, but now I think their quality is much improved and I have used their lenses with success.o
Wow Tom! This was so helpful. I just went from scratching my head wondering why I should choose the sigma 16mm 1.4 over the sony 35mm 1.8/sony 85mm 1.8, among other endless sony e-mount compatible lenses. Phew! You just helped me finally have the understanding to decide what the best lense for my youtube and podcasting setup is to go with. Thank you so much mate!
Tom, this is a fantastic video! Thank you so much for taking the time and explaining things! You introduced and cultivated a prime lens fixation. I’m obsessed! (Don’t worry, I’m still sticking with my 2 ZV-E10’s)
@@tombuck 🤣 Well…I switched over almost the same time you did. I sold off pretty much EVERYTHING, and replaced it with 2 ZV-E10’s, Sigma 16mm, and Rokinon 12mm. Yeah…my wife was giving me grief. So I went full frame to APS-C. 🤷♀️
Love your videos, Tom 😊. Been an iPhone power user for many years and finally just bought my first big boy camera, (Lumix S5ii). Thanks for all the great work you do! 💯
Great walkthrough of the basics, wish I had this video, umh, 30 years ago ;) The way I got around the whole "understanding aperture" thing in the beginning was the "smaller number, shorter focus depth" and "larger number, longer focus depth" since that kind of makes sense in the "real" world - and *then* I started to tacle the "focus depth is relative depending on the distance between the lens and the subject, and focus depth is longer the further away the subject is"-thing
It can all get super confusing! When I was teaching, my students always understood focal length right away, and then looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language when we started talking about aperture.
@@tombuck What really threw me off in the beginning, doing video, was why I always struggled getting proper exposure outdoors, using the 180 rule and all that, always overexposed, not understanding what I could do other than cranking the shutter which resulted in waaaay too choppy video ... until I learned about ND filters some years ago ... *duh* - such a basic concept, such a gamechanger
Thank you! You are one of the few people whose reviews I can trust. I couldn't decide on the zv e10. But since it is on your recomend list I will buy one.
Because you haven't really touched on the Micro Four Thirds side of things, I'd like to give out some recommendations for my fellow MFT beginners based on my own experiences with a Lumix G7 as well as the GH5 and GH6. Of course you can adapt Full Frame lenses using a Speed booster, but I like to stick to native lenses for the ease of use as well as the weather sealing. I find that I really only need 3 lenses to cover basically everything: My main lens is the Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 (fixed aputure, FF equivalent would be a 24-80mm f/5.6). It's very versatile and although it doesn't give you the shallowest depth of field, it's pretty good. Zoomed all the way in it's almost at that ideal 85mm portrait focal length and looks beautiful. The second Lens I really like is the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 contemporary (FF equivalent of 32mm f/2.8). This one is perfect for talking head shots or interviews as well as outdoor low light situations. The final lens I use is the 25mm f/1.7 (FF equivalent of 50mm f/3.4). This is the "Nifty-Fifty" for the MFT mount and is great for portraits as well as some street photography. The only thing you may need beyond these three is a Tele Lens for sports/nature photography. You could get a 45-150mm Lumix for that.
Loved this. Wish it existed when I started. Funny, I use to be confused as to why my m50 glass didn’t work on my R. So I thought only small cameras could have that wide field of view. Lol
You are so helpful Tom I wish you did house calls lol I have bought almost everything you recommend I have a film studio that I don’t even know how to set up. So much camera equipment I only know how to turn on I need a tutorial on studio setup . Thank you for all that you do. Much love from Florida!❤
Such a great reminder of what's what 🙂 Myself.. I've waited for like 4 years until I could finally justify an investment in a high end lens. After working for several years with (that) 16mm Sigma, owning also a Sony 85mm f1.8 as well as the Samyang FF 35mm f2.8, all combined in use with Sony A7III, A5100 and A6400, Tamron came out with the zoom (Mr.) beast 35-150mm f2-2.8. It's a $2.000 investment and I never broke a sweat about it. Did my research, compared, thought again, waited for the first excitement to pass... and then bought it. As you were explaining about combining same lenses with different sensor sizes, you can imagine the amount of "reach" I get when using this Tamron on the A6400. But let's calculate - that X1.6 factor gives me the full 240mm when zoomed all the way in. Nothing spectacular for wildlife photography, but here's what I do now when shooting events (mostly music concerts) - instead of taking with me the full frame camera and bringing all separate lenses, I now take two camera bodies, one ff and one crop... and this Tamron zoom, as well as (sometimes) the Sigma 16mm. That's it. It fits into a moderately small sling bag, absolutely amazing.
I've seen that Tamron! It really looks amazing. I love my 20-40 so much that I definitely want to look into more Tamron lenses and it's be amazing to have that kind of range and aperture in one lens. 🤯
@@tombuck The Tamron 35-150 weights it's 1,33kg which Siri defines as 2,93 pounds. I guess it has to weight a lot because of all the glass but it's so worth it. In my own situations where I usually shoot events without a tripod, the weight of the lens and the camera adds more stability. Dunno, it's hefty and cool and the images are great as long as the photographer knows what he's doin' 🙂
Thanks again Tom! You break everything down so nicely for us little brains (movie Defending Your Life) I’m still trying to figure everything out and learn a little more each video. On the Sony A7IV what picture profile and skin tone are you using?
Thanks for the kind words! I just use the default picture profile ("PP Off") on all my Sony cameras and adjust the saturation a bit in Final Cut- nothing too crazy.
2:50 I'd relate aperture width or Fstops to gauge size, since a lot of guys probably know that from working with machines, wires, screws/bolts, or guns. The smaller the gauge number, the larger the size. E.g. 12 gauge vs. 20 gauge. A 12 gauge shotgun shell is a larger size than a 20 gauge.
helps to remember that aperture is expressed as a ratio of the focal length (f)--so the bigger number is a bigger denominator (i.e. a smaller fraction). that's how you get used to thinking of it: that you're "dividing" the iris into a smaller diameter. it's comprehensive to think of the whole exercise of photography as adjusting for exposure. but woe to the beginner who must grasp several parameters, each with its own tradeoffs (iso/noise, aperture/dof, shutterspeed/flashsync)... yeah, you just gotta practice.
I find a zoom is best for video and a prime for photography. I carry a 24-105mm and a 50mm for everyday use. I suggest renting lenses to really get a feel for them without the investment.
Glad you had mentioned this because I was interested in getting the Rode Reporter but didn't see a lot of reviews about it yet. Like you, I have the MKH 50 and the quality from it blows me away!
Tom, some feedback on why this vid may be getting less views than your other vids - I don't think many people who have reached the stage of owning an interchangeable lens camera think of themselves as 'beginners'. With phones so capable these days, anyone stepping up to this gear thinks of themselves as at least an 'enthusiast'.
Stupid question just getting into photography.... if my camera says that the max aperture the camera is able to go is f3.5 would it be pointless to buy a lens thats f1.4 or 1.8 since the camera can only go to f3.5?
Not a dumb question at all! This stuff makes no sense when you’re just starting out. Max aperture is determined by the lens (the blades are physically inside the lens), so the camera will be able to stop down to whatever the max aperture of a given lens is.
wow👍🏻 cool video, thanks , I learned a lot in this video as a beginner that just going to buy my first camera, just not sure sony alpha 7 iv or 7C or the canon R50, what is the recommended for beginner? Should I go for expensive lenses than expensive body?(I primarily shooting my dog, food and the admire to shooting low light photo as well 🙌🏻
That's a tough question, but the good news is I don't think you can go wrong with any of those options (although, I would personally go for the a7IV out of those choices). I think the biggest thing to look at is lenses. Not necessarily that you'll be buying a bunch of expensive lenses right away, but if one system has more options that you might be interested in later on. a 50 1.8 will be a great place to start (especially for low light portraits) regardless of which brand your camera is.
A potential point of confusion is that there are lenses designed specifically to cover crop sensor cameras and no crop factor math is needed to figure out angle of view. The whole crop factor discussion is only relevant for people who are trying to understand a field of view and depth of field in comparison to a full frame sensor. But if you don't have a full frame camera, or don't regularly use one, then this comparison is irrelevant and not particularly helpful in trying to figure out what a given focal length means in terms of angle of view and depth of field.
It’s individual preference, but I’ve known enough people who accidentally bought lenses for the wrong mount that I think understanding the mount is a good place to start.
But seriously. Good summary of lens. I am jumping back into photography after a long time off. Really enjoyed your video and simple explanations of everything.
I wonder if I'm the only one that saw "they're called.... Zoom lenses!" zinger coming! 🥁 🪘 😄 Lots of good info for the people new to the game. I would have been proud of the Tom Jones reference too! The kit lense usually gets folks started and then get a budget zoom. The Sigma 16 is my go to lense for talking head being I do more of that than I do photography.
The new format is so fun! I feel like the music is way more present than in the past, could be my imagination. Also super happy that you are liking the 20-40, i have been meaning to ask how it was going with it, I think thats the first Zoom i want to get.
